The fans: Guys...costumes? Nintendo: Oh... Seriously, they could've just been costumes and I'm pretty sure with the knowledge they gained from 8/DX and Tour that we'll see costumes in the next installment along with Tour tracks being their own separate cup set besides new and retro tracks.
I find it weird how Bowser can have these different variants of his subjects but Peach's has to be virtually identical to each other. Toadsworth was essentially what Kamek was to Bowser(except for the fact that you can actually tell him apart from the others), they could have easily made him like a sort of guide character that could be the host of Party or Sports titles.
@@areaxisthegurkhai could be wrong but i think kammy IS the kamek in those titles. I feel like ttyd has neat dialogue about it but it could also just be me speculating
Honestly, I feel as though Toadsworth being removed from the series entirely is really tragic because he was the first ever example of Nintendo attempting to even make the Toads into unique separate characters. Plus he did play an important role as Peach's caretaker. So I really can't say for sure why he was officially removed.
@@volvoman5262 Lots of Mario characters add nothing, including all the toads. Honestly, that's part of the charm, that the Mario universe just has all these charming characters inhabiting it; the charm is never "saved for" the protagonists or anything.
I think that he was removed partially because of his age. I have a feeling Nintendo at some point considered having an old toad as a mistake. Maybe they want all toads to just be forever young and ageless now and not have to worry about toad aging.
@@asura2020I think there might be something to this. Having an old Toad introduces the possibility that Toads can indeed age and eventually die. Miyamoto is surprisingly fussy about never alluding to death in the Mario series, even going as far as referring to failing a course as “losing an extra life”.
Toadsworth was one of my favorite characters so I’m sad to see him fizzle out. Loved the era of Mario where nearly everyone in the cast had some role in most of the games at the time.
I really like him too,they could have done so much things with the character in the rpgs since he is almost peach's father he is almost kamek but for peach instead of bowser, I really wish that he appears again some day
Dang, I never cared much for him but I honestly feel kinda bad now, it was so unnecessarily mean to cut him out of the movie /and/ replace him with a nameless random.
Yep, that was his whole character...just think he could have been one of the generic toads that was carrying luggage in Luigi's mansion 3 or in Princess Peach Showtime. Oh well, now he's in the unemployment line with the koopa kid clones from the early mario party games😅
@@Mysticgamer The Koopa Kids had an even worse fate than Toadsworth. Not only were they not added to future games, they were completely retconned in re-releases of older boards and minigames, now replaced by Bowser Jr. To Nintendo, those characters don't exist and never did.
I really like Toadsworth. He's a really fun design for a toad. I don't know why, I just like his brownish mushroom head. Also, his cane is magic? They could do something really interesting with that. He could be the mushroom kingdom equivalent of Kamek. Imagine a rivalry between these two. It could lead to a lot of funny moments. Anyway, enough nerding out. We love Toadsworth ❤
It just clicked that around the time Toadsworth disappeared, another breakout Toad emerged: Captain Toad. Since they mostly used Toadsworth as a shorthand for the "Toad leader" I think Nintendo decided that having both Cap Toad and Toadsworth was redundant. Which is a shame, because they have different personalities and appeals to them, but Nintendo has never been particularly concerned with characters outside of their branding.
I think it's just that Toadworth's use as a character is very limited. I don't think it has anything to do with other characters because Toadette and the main Toad, the one from SMB2 and etc, also exist and have appeared alongside Toadworth a few times. Plus, Captain Toad and Toadsworth are very different.
@@Quinhala11yeah, Toadsworth was Peach's personal advisor like Kamek is to Bowser, which Captain Toad doesn't do in the slightest, though nowadays that role seems to belong to Toadette, who also does more overall by being playable or an active support in spinoffs, so Toadsworth doesn't have much going on anymore Though it would be nice they gave a canon reason why he's not around anymore, like saying he had to retire for health reasons since he almost perishes in PiT x,d, not just make the man disappear from day to night, especially when he had his fans, because he did have notable roles in the past like in PiT and MP7
I think you're spot on. Toadette managed to stay because "a female Toad" is a useful character, but the role of Peach's advisor can really be done by anyone depending on the occasion. Still, a shame, he was great
@@fernando98322 can be done by anyone but they made him for the role, so it's still strange to ditch him randomly. But hey we live in an era where Daisy can be playable in mainline platformers, whatever stick was up Nintendo's ass about the mario series seems to be getting lifted, Toadsworth can make a return again eventually
Such a such shame. Looking back, he gives me "Papa Smurf" vibes: an elder who's fatherly, emotionally complex and loyal. There's room to explore how he could have been a guide to the Princess, the brother and the Mushroom Kingdom while still being cranky, a worrywort and/ or a silly geezer. I'm grateful for him regardless.
I mean we technically saw that in Partners in Time. He knew Mario and Luigi since they were babies and even allowed to hang around with Peach since they were kids. Plus we saw how athletic and mischievous his younger self could be
Not the only one who has said this, but they literally had the perfect opportunity for a Toadsworth cameo in the movie, to the point where it’s just kind of glaring that he isn’t there. At least to anyone aware of his existence.
Seriously, the deep voiced Blue Toad with glasses that was speaking during the meeting should have just been Toadsworth it would have fit perfectly for that character's purpose in the film.
My head canon is that toadsworth did have his luxurious stache when he was younger, but as age crept up to him he started losing his hair and his mustache. The mustache was one of two things he truly cared about, other one being Peach. So instead of living without it, he purchases a fake from the bean bean kingdom since hes too embarrassed to be seen buying it in the mushroom kingdom (Edit) Toad pattern baldness, thats why they wear the hat.
It's a fake mustache labeled Toadsworth. Maybe somebody else wants to look like Toadsworth? Or maybe he has Mushroom Leukemia and his hair fell about from chemo, idk
That adds to the fact that Mario's world does put moustaches on a high pedestal, especially amongs royalty and high ranks So he having a fake bushy moustache makes sense, so others see the Mushroom Kingdom with more respect, since he was the royal advisor of the very ruler
I miss Toadsworth, and I really wish he would come back. He's not an unconventional design or anything; he fits into the standard Mario artsyle perfectly. He makes a perfect assisstant to peach, and feels more unique from other Toads due to his age. It's just sad that he disappeared after Dream Team, and only pops up in remakes of old games. He was even unfortunately cut from the Mario movie. Please Nintendo, bring him back. Also, I'd like to think his moustache is real. It would just feel wrong otherwise.
My personal headcanon is that yes, Toadsworth did in fact die of old age. However, I also like to think Toadette became his successor, judging by her high-ranking authority in stuff like Odyssey and SMM2.
I wanna think he had to retire for health reasons, as worrying about Peach all the time, and probably the burden of having to do her kingdom ruling job while Mario rescues her was taking a massive toll, and he's almost a goner in PiT And the way he expresses in TTYD (especially the remake) could indicate he was learning to relax and be more optimistic, preparing himself for his retirement, as well as learning to be more trusty of others regarding Peach, because he was gonna pass the mantle relatively soon, and so he could enjoy retirement, even if he was reading the news of Peach's kidnappings happening about every Tuesday or so xd And maybe MP7 was canonically the real last time he was Peach's advisor prior to leaving, and the cruise trip was really his goodbye party he wanted to spend with Mario, Peach and others, and makes all the more sense Bowser wasn't invited, he was the source of his worries for so many years, he's the last person he wants to see there, but unfortunately, he actively pursued them with the intend of ruining their holidays at every destination, because he wasn't invited x,d
@dustymcwari4468 In the intro to partners in time, Toadsworth nearly dies due to stress and needs to be revived with a 1up. So health reasons/died of stress is credible.
My theory is that Toadsworth was essentially retired once Nintendo introduced Captain Toad. 1. Captain Toad introduces a new character into the Mario universe (marketing/new game opportunities, etc.) 2. Because Toadsworth is a side character created to accompany Peach, Nintendo introduced a character who could accompany her without needing to be seen with her at every moment. 3. Because Toadsworth is an older character, which limited what Nintendo could do with him, introducing Captain Toad opens more doors and allows for more realistic stories.
I don't think age is a limiting factor for realism when it concerns a walking anthropomorphic mushroom. The real reason Captain Toad exists is because it's just a Toad with a light and a backpack and better fits Nintendo's brand recognition strategy.
I kinda agree but I don't think it has to do with other characters, be it Captain Toad or Toadette, I think it's just that Toadworth's use as a character is very limited.
My personal theory for why he stopped being used is because he has the same VA as Bowser's during the GCN-Early Wii days. And since he was replaced, he couldn't record new lines for Toadsworth anymore.
he was and it explains why there’s no voicing after Mario Super Sluggers…he was lessened to the point if just existing, with the plots of the games not requiring anyone like him at all
my headcanon is that toadsworth was a sort of unofficial adoptive father figure for peach and the grandfather of many of the related toads/toadettes. I'd love to see a fanmade wake/funeral. Peach crying in her speech, mario in solemn silence, bowser breaking in to the shock of everyone right up until he whips out a bouquet and lays it before the coffin with a very awkward and gentle "I'm sorry for your loss." before leaving, visibly embarrassed at being seen vulnerable....
A very unfortunate loss, even though it seems like he actually added nothing to the games, and we never really noticed he was gone until much later (at least, I didn't notice until he was snubbed from the Mario Movie)
The M&L games also weren't able to circumvent the Mario mandates, they had to bend to them just like every other developer, as you can clearly see with Paper Jam. Which is why Alpha Dream mostly focused on remakes from then on out, as remakes in general seem to be immune to the Mario mandates for obvious reasons.
Yeah, I don't think Mario&Luigi was as untouched as people like to think either. It's really suspicious that the only original character Paper Jam had was Starlow, the companion character, just like in Sticker Star and Color Splash. We know for a fact that Paper Jam was originally going to have original characters and a bigger story that would have involved traveling between the Paper world and the real one, which got the boot early on because it was "too complex". Everything else was remakes which of course had to keep the original species for the plots to make sense. The BIS remake did introduce new original villains with the BFF, but during interviews the developers had this weird insistence that they are the same species as Midbus despite looking nothing like him and nothing of the likes actually being mentioned in-game. That just reeks of loopholing a "You can only use species that were in the original game you're remaking" mandate if you ask me. Good thing Brothership has done away with that.
Even in Dream Team, about halfway through the game there starts to be way fewer new enemies. The beach area where you hide Peach in the dream world has *actually* none, relying on pirhana plants, fly guys, and boomerang bros. Then later Neo Bowser’s castle has one new robotic enemy which is more obstacle than creature, and fire bros. It’s like you can feel the point the mandate likely hit
This is all because of the branding exodus Nintendo did. Unique takes on characters like Toads and Koopas were mostly banned, in favor of having everything be sanitary and generic for the sake of making the Mario brand more recognizable.
@@Magic_Iceyeah but only now after years of neglect. It feels like Nintendo has been allowing itself to be creative again with how wacky Super Mario Wonder was and the new Mario and Luigi game shows that Nintendo is interested in experimenting again.
@@Xahnel Think about it like this. If every Mario game had a different Toad design, they would have to make different plushes, figures, toys, and cards for each different Toad for each game. If they all looked the same, you would only need to make 1 of each.
I agree, I think there's plenty of potential for this character that PiT just begins to explore. It doesn't need to be anything deep, these are Mario games after all, but Peach having an advisor just makes sense.
The "bland era" of Mario claimed a lot of victims (at least for a time), but Toadsworth is a particularly notable one because he's one of the only ones to actually originate from a MAIN Mario game. Seriously, the sanitization affected mostly spinoff characters, which there were a LOT of, and yet coincidentally, this poor old man was also removed at the same time. If another "safe" rebranding happened down the line, could you IMAGINE this being done to Rosalina? Pauline? Cappy? I get that these are weighted comparisons given they are more important to their original games than Toadsworth was (because Bowser Jr was the actual centerpiece newcomer), but it's a scary prospect all the same: it could basically be Nintendo telling you your nostalgia doesn't matter, only what they're *currently* selling. My best guess is he was the primary victim of the general lore retcons that made Toads basically ageless and genderless for recognition's sake; which is why we ended up having so many copypasted Toad designs in other games for a long time. Other species sufferred from this too, with the only leniancy allowed being that if a design was already made for a previous game then they were allowed to come back for a short while (Toadsworth himself is proof but see also Kylie Koopa for another example), but even there Toadsworth is unique because he and Toadette are the only unique species members in *general* to have been introduced within maingames-- and it's super weird to me that they decided to keep Toadette in spite of all this too (when if anything she's probably most people's go-to when it comes to "proving" Toads have genders lmao).
Toadsworth is the most entertaining toad, imo. I can understand their reluctance of having him around at this point, but I continue to hold out hope for the mainline series to have more story and expand on pre-existing characters.
The only reason Toadsworth exists, was because Nintendo didn't want Super Mario Sunshine to feel "unnecessarily romantic", which they definitely succeeded, not like Mario has consistency to begin with. But outside of that, he doesn't serve a real purpose beyond Peach's most loyal personal assistant. I would've loved to have seen him be more than just a simple steward or a paranoid old man. In fact, why not make him infamous for something heinous outside the mushroom kingdom, like a powerful user of dark magic?
I feel like they might bring him back. There was something about his opening entrance in TTYD Switch where he joyously outstretched his arms that was like, "Hello world, I'm back!" I know the game gave most NPCs unique animations, but no other character, not even Luigi greeted Mario so enthusiastically. It was a 4th wall moment, for me.
I presume it mostly has to do with Nintendo's weird, bass ackwards approach to any sense of continuity between different games in the same series. A great recent example is Tears of the Kingdom, where the world has been oddly purged of any and all reference to the ancient shiekah and their tech, to the point that even your freaking menu has been recontextualized as the "Purah Pad" instead of the shiekah slate. They don't want any game to in any way color someone's first-time experience with any other game... even if that game is a direct sequel, meaning they can't capitalize on the primary purpose of a direct sequel: to continue an existing story people are already invested in. So characters like Toadsworth are doomed to be unpersoned from all future games whenever they gain any sort of backstory or growing involvement that could potentially lead to someone feeling like they're missing out on any part of the story. Just look at all the other beloved characters and worldbuilding added by the RPGs and handheld games that just gets thrown out immediately. The Mario games have a vast landscape of different toads, goombas, koopas, etc. to pull from, and they just... don't. Because having a small non-hostile goomba with a hat will discourage kids from wanting to buy the original Paper Mario, I guess. As far as I'm concerned this is a very misguided mistake on Nintendo's part, but so long as Sony and Microsoft continue to make even worse mistakes in the console market, they really have no incentive to change.
What do Sony and Microsoft matter with Nintendo's shitty ideas and designs?? If Nintendo takes a bad decisions because they're idiots, that's their OWN fault.
@@nobodyinparticular9640 You missed the point entirely. Sony and Microsoft are Nintendo's competition. If their products are inferior, Nintendo has no incentive to improve. Economics 101. Assign the blame wherever you want, nothing is gonna change until market conditions change.
I’ll be completely honest. I was 9-20 years old during Toadsworth’s time in the Super Mario universe. And I never liked the guy. Never cared for him. But he’s SO much better than nothing! I’m pro-Toadsworth. Bring him back.
He felt the Marioverse feel homely. He was like the Mario answer to Kranky Kong. Sunshine was my first 3D platformer and immediately I liked his character. Not everyone needs to be as energetic as Mario. And say whatever you want about Sonic. His series does a FAR better job with character consistency.
Great video! A nitpick: In Partners in Time, the two Toadsworths don't watch over Baby Peach in the past, but in the present. The young Toadsworth only returns to the past at the end of the game, and elder Toadsworth never travelled to the past
So sad that Toadsworth was kicked out by Nintendo. Especially in the super mario bros. movie. I was not happy. I like Toadsworth, even if I knew him just a little. My mom has a Toadsworth plush because, well she likes it. She isn't into Mario a lot, but that is okay. We also have Super Mario Sluggers for the Wii and I have Mario and Luigi Dream Team. So it's a good thing to Toadsworth at our house!
I really miss Toadsworth. That "eh ho ho!" "Ermmnnn!" I played a good deal of Mario Party 7 & grew up with him around. Toadsworth really was a great minor addition to just fill in the castle with a bit more character.
Cutting him from the Mario Movie after explicitly intending to include him is just bizarre. He also should've played Toadette's role in Odyssey since she stays in Peach's Castle and keeps records, something that would befit Toadsworth.
Ive always liked the idea of toadsworth, a toad who serves as a caretaker and advisor for peach, serving as a sort of contrast to kamek and his role for bowser, ive always liked the idea that he was a sort of father figure to peach
It seems you didn’t do as much research as you claimed. Sources have all but confirmed that Toadsworth was shot by police after he opened fire on federal agents arresting Yoshi for tax fraud. I take no pleasure in lethal force being used, but let’s not pretend about who we’re talking about here.
Toadsworth (both his older and younger selves) also provided a lot to the comedy in ’Partners in Time’. My best memory from that game was when Stuffwell met and unintentionally (I guess?) insulted the younger Toadsworth by dismissing him as a ”nincompooter”. 😂 The latter’s reaction to this was totally priceless, lol. 🤣
Before TTYD remake was in the works, I jokingly said that the Toad Chancellor from Super Mario RPG was responsible for Toadsworth's disappearance. Regardless, while I wouldn't say he's my favorite character, it does kind of suck that he just sort of vanished from the series. Perhaps he didn't add much, but he had a few hilarious moments, especially in the RPGs. As for some final notes, I've never played NSMB-DS - or watched any footage - but does this 6:26 imply that he can use a bit of magic with his cane? Like, I'm not saying he'd be capable of Kamek's feats, but even knowing some small magic is interesting. As for the second one, Mario Golf GBC implies Wario's mustache is fake. And while I don't know the context of it, the KC Mario Deluxe Manga had a few panels that implied Mario & Luigi's mustaches were also fake. Guess that means Waluigi is the only one who has a true and honest mustache.
It's definitely bizarre that Nintendo brought back Foreman Spike and a bunch of obscure Donkey Kong characters for the Mario movie, but not Toadsworth. They even kept him out of Peach's backstory when she was a baby. So yeah, it definitely feels deliberate. Yet it's funny to think that Toadsworth and Bowser Jr made their debut and rose to prominence around the same time yet Bowser Jr. remains a mainstay, even in the most generic Mario titles (though he was absent in New Super Mario Bros. 2 and Mario Kart 8 before he was added in Deluxe).
I just like to think he stayed in Rougeport due to having a thing with Zess T. and feeling that Peach didn’t need him anymore. It’s better that than him just fading into obscurity unwillingly.
I may not have really been able to get into sunshine. But I definitely played the heck out of superstar baseball, and the Mario parties seven included. So I was always happy to see this funny hilarious old fun guy. I'm at least thankful he retained his appearance in your door but we truly have straight far away from the days of enjoyable sports/ spin off characters retained his appearance in thousand your door sorry about typos
I was wondering the exact same thing, the thought of Toadsworth's absence came into my mind and I was confused why he wasn't being used in the series anymore. This video explained my exact thoughts about it and more I didn't even know
Toadsworth was also mentioned by peach and toad in the game fortune street too, and it implied he had a lot of authority over them. It’s strange how he disappeared
I honestly do not get the "he died" theory like are you trying to convince me that a character that wasn't a villain and has never done anything bad died without any game hinting it or anything? I am not saying that characters in the series do not die i mean cackletta died for exemple but the games clearly show that the character died. I know Bobby also is a good character that just like toadsworth has never done anything bad but his death was clearly shown in game.
In the Mario series, Nintendo has shyed away from "unique" sub-characters. Why have Kammy Koopa when you could just use a normal Magikoopa. Why have Toadsworth when a normal toad could fill the role. Look at the variety of toads (and even other species like Goombas and Koopa Troopas) in the first Paper Mario compared to Origami King. I couldn't tell you why Nintendo forbids creating unique versions of these species. I can only guess someone at Nintendo prefers they all look the same.
Huff! I say...Huff! I say...Huff! I say...Huff! I say...Huff! I say...Huff! I say...Huff! I say...Huff! I say...Huff! I say...Huff! I say...Huff! I say...
I had always assumed that in newer games, Toadsworth stays at the castle. He's probably a caretaker for her castle, just like how Kamek is the caretaker of Bowser's castle. Peach has proven her independence multiple times, so maybe Toadsworth doesn't feel the need to watch her so closely.
1:01 is an interesting point because sunshine was my first Mario game, so I have always considered him as a main character. That upbrupt appearance wasn’t that jarring for me, so much so that I accepted him to be a fixture. (Which would be reinforced by other GameCube era games)
Toadsworth: *exists*
Nintendo: *adds Pink Gold Peach to Mario Kart*
And cat suit peach. And Peachette.
The fans: Guys...costumes?
Nintendo: Oh...
Seriously, they could've just been costumes and I'm pretty sure with the knowledge they gained from 8/DX and Tour that we'll see costumes in the next installment along with Tour tracks being their own separate cup set besides new and retro tracks.
Don't forget the koopalings
Professor E.Gad: exists
Nintendo: adds Baby Rosalina to Mario Kart.
@@A_Person_64 Nintendo didn't want it to be a costume because they wanted to put a woman in the heavyweight category
Fun fact: the only reason why Toadsworth exists it's because they didn't want Mario and Peach vacation feel "unneseserly romantic"
Source?
@@MplusLunder there
@@UphillBridge I just looked under there, and you're right. I found the source. Thank you for the information.
It's funny how they added Toadsworth when Luigi's is absent in this game.
Good. That ship is overrated. Yet another Toadsworth W
I find it weird how Bowser can have these different variants of his subjects but Peach's has to be virtually identical to each other. Toadsworth was essentially what Kamek was to Bowser(except for the fact that you can actually tell him apart from the others), they could have easily made him like a sort of guide character that could be the host of Party or Sports titles.
Well i liked when it was kammy koopa who was unique
@@leonfire99nah imo kamek is OG since Super Mario World and Yoshis Island.
@@areaxisthegurkhai could be wrong but i think kammy IS the kamek in those titles. I feel like ttyd has neat dialogue about it but it could also just be me speculating
The reason is Bowser's subjects are really soldiers in an army. Peach's are just citizens
@@DeletedDenizen Aren't the generic Toads Princess Peach's royal guards???
Honestly, I feel as though Toadsworth being removed from the series entirely is really tragic because he was the first ever example of Nintendo attempting to even make the Toads into unique separate characters. Plus he did play an important role as Peach's caretaker. So I really can't say for sure why he was officially removed.
@@volvoman5262 Lots of Mario characters add nothing, including all the toads. Honestly, that's part of the charm, that the Mario universe just has all these charming characters inhabiting it; the charm is never "saved for" the protagonists or anything.
I think that he was removed partially because of his age. I have a feeling Nintendo at some point considered having an old toad as a mistake. Maybe they want all toads to just be forever young and ageless now and not have to worry about toad aging.
@@asura2020No,they just forgot to add him.
@@asura2020I think there might be something to this. Having an old Toad introduces the possibility that Toads can indeed age and eventually die.
Miyamoto is surprisingly fussy about never alluding to death in the Mario series, even going as far as referring to failing a course as “losing an extra life”.
Chaperone, not caretaker
Toadsworth was one of my favorite characters so I’m sad to see him fizzle out. Loved the era of Mario where nearly everyone in the cast had some role in most of the games at the time.
I really like him too,they could have done so much things with the character in the rpgs since he is almost peach's father he is almost kamek but for peach instead of bowser, I really wish that he appears again some day
@@heygivememychips1030sadly I don’t think he ever will
I’m gonna miss his signature “eh he hew!” And “uuum” Sounds from Mario party 7😢
god bless
Yadam blada
My favorite is when he insults the Ukikis calling them "stupid monkeys" in a minigame advice section 🤣
"UMM Where is the photo he promised you??" "I am afraid you been duped" Mario Party 7 legendary.
My favorite Toadsworth memory is the indescribable noises he makes in Mario Party 7.
Also Young Toadsworth was so cool in Partners in Time.
Mario party 7 is the reason i love toadsworth. His noises are hilarious and me and my siblings will always mimic him when we play
@@jacobkomnath7961same. We’d do the same in college too. Toadsworth is something special
I loved his super British dialogue
EHE- HEEHOO
EHE
@@magmatavius I almost forgot about that!! He sounds like the oldest guy in a blunt rotation in that game 😂😂😂
Dang, I never cared much for him but I honestly feel kinda bad now, it was so unnecessarily mean to cut him out of the movie /and/ replace him with a nameless random.
His identity is being covered up to protect his saftey
@@yoshihammerbro435Toadsworth didn't kill himself.
"R.I.P a overprotective protector who's purpose of being worried all the time during the absence of the Princess." 2000-2013/14
Yep, that was his whole character...just think he could have been one of the generic toads that was carrying luggage in Luigi's mansion 3 or in Princess Peach Showtime. Oh well, now he's in the unemployment line with the koopa kid clones from the early mario party games😅
@@Mysticgamer
The Koopa Kids had an even worse fate than Toadsworth. Not only were they not added to future games, they were completely retconned in re-releases of older boards and minigames, now replaced by Bowser Jr.
To Nintendo, those characters don't exist and never did.
Since he appears a lot in M&L, he might appear in Brothership!!! (I rly hope so…)
If he doesn't, then Nintendo's killed him off for good
@@AidenEmerson Yep… :(
@@AidenEmerson we saw starlow... but no sign of brothership. I fear for the worst.
@@glitchyguru6468yeah I saw that too. It’s bro-over 💀
Imagine if he didn't, but there was a grave with his name on it.
I really like Toadsworth. He's a really fun design for a toad. I don't know why, I just like his brownish mushroom head. Also, his cane is magic? They could do something really interesting with that. He could be the mushroom kingdom equivalent of Kamek. Imagine a rivalry between these two. It could lead to a lot of funny moments. Anyway, enough nerding out. We love Toadsworth ❤
I like that; that should be how he gets brought back... ;)
It just clicked that around the time Toadsworth disappeared, another breakout Toad emerged: Captain Toad. Since they mostly used Toadsworth as a shorthand for the "Toad leader" I think Nintendo decided that having both Cap Toad and Toadsworth was redundant. Which is a shame, because they have different personalities and appeals to them, but Nintendo has never been particularly concerned with characters outside of their branding.
I think it's just that Toadworth's use as a character is very limited. I don't think it has anything to do with other characters because Toadette and the main Toad, the one from SMB2 and etc, also exist and have appeared alongside Toadworth a few times.
Plus, Captain Toad and Toadsworth are very different.
@@Quinhala11yeah, Toadsworth was Peach's personal advisor like Kamek is to Bowser, which Captain Toad doesn't do in the slightest, though nowadays that role seems to belong to Toadette, who also does more overall by being playable or an active support in spinoffs, so Toadsworth doesn't have much going on anymore
Though it would be nice they gave a canon reason why he's not around anymore, like saying he had to retire for health reasons since he almost perishes in PiT x,d, not just make the man disappear from day to night, especially when he had his fans, because he did have notable roles in the past like in PiT and MP7
I think you're spot on. Toadette managed to stay because "a female Toad" is a useful character, but the role of Peach's advisor can really be done by anyone depending on the occasion. Still, a shame, he was great
@@fernando98322 can be done by anyone but they made him for the role, so it's still strange to ditch him randomly. But hey we live in an era where Daisy can be playable in mainline platformers, whatever stick was up Nintendo's ass about the mario series seems to be getting lifted, Toadsworth can make a return again eventually
Such a such shame. Looking back, he gives me "Papa Smurf" vibes: an elder who's fatherly, emotionally complex and loyal. There's room to explore how he could have been a guide to the Princess, the brother and the Mushroom Kingdom while still being cranky, a worrywort and/ or a silly geezer.
I'm grateful for him regardless.
I mean we technically saw that in Partners in Time. He knew Mario and Luigi since they were babies and even allowed to hang around with Peach since they were kids. Plus we saw how athletic and mischievous his younger self could be
Not the only one who has said this, but they literally had the perfect opportunity for a Toadsworth cameo in the movie, to the point where it’s just kind of glaring that he isn’t there. At least to anyone aware of his existence.
Seriously, the deep voiced Blue Toad with glasses that was speaking during the meeting should have just been Toadsworth it would have fit perfectly for that character's purpose in the film.
My head canon is that toadsworth did have his luxurious stache when he was younger, but as age crept up to him he started losing his hair and his mustache. The mustache was one of two things he truly cared about, other one being Peach.
So instead of living without it, he purchases a fake from the bean bean kingdom since hes too embarrassed to be seen buying it in the mushroom kingdom
(Edit)
Toad pattern baldness, thats why they wear the hat.
It's a fake mustache labeled Toadsworth. Maybe somebody else wants to look like Toadsworth?
Or maybe he has Mushroom Leukemia and his hair fell about from chemo, idk
That adds to the fact that Mario's world does put moustaches on a high pedestal, especially amongs royalty and high ranks
So he having a fake bushy moustache makes sense, so others see the Mushroom Kingdom with more respect, since he was the royal advisor of the very ruler
@@Belladonna-x2cmaybe he owns a company that makes fake mustaches or licensed the mustache to a company to create similar ones?
I'll always remember Toadsworth's insightful comments in Super Mario Sunshine:
"OH NO!..... YADDABLABLA BLA BLA!!"
Fun fact, toadsworth stopped appearing because he was executed after the revolution for his betrayal of the hard working class of the mushroom kingdom
the toad's democratic republic
When did that happen then? I wanna know more about this Toad Revolution, it sssoundsss interesssting.
Wasn't he decapitated alongside Marie Antoadette or something?
Toadsworth did not support the proletarian. He had to perish.
I miss Toadsworth, and I really wish he would come back. He's not an unconventional design or anything; he fits into the standard Mario artsyle perfectly. He makes a perfect assisstant to peach, and feels more unique from other Toads due to his age. It's just sad that he disappeared after Dream Team, and only pops up in remakes of old games. He was even unfortunately cut from the Mario movie. Please Nintendo, bring him back.
Also, I'd like to think his moustache is real. It would just feel wrong otherwise.
Interestingly he does make another appearance in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour!
In Hole 7 of Peach’s Castle Grounds there is a statue of Toadsworth!
oh god this just makes the He Died theory even more bittersweet ahhh ;u; peach building a statue to honour what was clearly a father figure
My personal headcanon is that yes, Toadsworth did in fact die of old age. However, I also like to think Toadette became his successor, judging by her high-ranking authority in stuff like Odyssey and SMM2.
Maybe Toadette is Toadsworth's daughter...
No Headcanons.
🙂↔️
@@Whocares158 Stop me you coward.
I wanna think he had to retire for health reasons, as worrying about Peach all the time, and probably the burden of having to do her kingdom ruling job while Mario rescues her was taking a massive toll, and he's almost a goner in PiT
And the way he expresses in TTYD (especially the remake) could indicate he was learning to relax and be more optimistic, preparing himself for his retirement, as well as learning to be more trusty of others regarding Peach, because he was gonna pass the mantle relatively soon, and so he could enjoy retirement, even if he was reading the news of Peach's kidnappings happening about every Tuesday or so xd
And maybe MP7 was canonically the real last time he was Peach's advisor prior to leaving, and the cruise trip was really his goodbye party he wanted to spend with Mario, Peach and others, and makes all the more sense Bowser wasn't invited, he was the source of his worries for so many years, he's the last person he wants to see there, but unfortunately, he actively pursued them with the intend of ruining their holidays at every destination, because he wasn't invited x,d
@dustymcwari4468 In the intro to partners in time, Toadsworth nearly dies due to stress and needs to be revived with a 1up. So health reasons/died of stress is credible.
My theory is that Toadsworth was essentially retired once Nintendo introduced Captain Toad.
1. Captain Toad introduces a new character into the Mario universe (marketing/new game opportunities, etc.)
2. Because Toadsworth is a side character created to accompany Peach, Nintendo introduced a character who could accompany her without needing to be seen with her at every moment.
3. Because Toadsworth is an older character, which limited what Nintendo could do with him, introducing Captain Toad opens more doors and allows for more realistic stories.
I don't think age is a limiting factor for realism when it concerns a walking anthropomorphic mushroom. The real reason Captain Toad exists is because it's just a Toad with a light and a backpack and better fits Nintendo's brand recognition strategy.
Toadswhoth is the chief of security of the personnal gard of peach, its a huge role... nintendo sucks sometimes
I kinda agree but I don't think it has to do with other characters, be it Captain Toad or Toadette, I think it's just that Toadworth's use as a character is very limited.
@@pokemonduck
He's not a walking anthro mushroom, he's an old guy with a mushroom cap, and Captain Toad has a whole uniform too.
Por que no los dos?
My personal theory for why he stopped being used is because he has the same VA as Bowser's during the GCN-Early Wii days. And since he was replaced, he couldn't record new lines for Toadsworth anymore.
i thought he was voiced by charles martinet
@@Envy_MayScott Burns…
he was and it explains why there’s no voicing after Mario Super Sluggers…he was lessened to the point if just existing, with the plots of the games not requiring anyone like him at all
I like how his talk sound is litterally "bleh bleh blah blah blah blah"
I didn’t even realize Sunshine was his first appearance
Sunshine introduced a Boatload of New Characters that stuck in the Series the most notable being Bowser Jr
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe decided "Let's make tanooki mario, cat peach and pink gold peach selectable characters" instead of bringing back Toadsworth
my headcanon is that toadsworth was a sort of unofficial adoptive father figure for peach and the grandfather of many of the related toads/toadettes. I'd love to see a fanmade wake/funeral. Peach crying in her speech, mario in solemn silence, bowser breaking in to the shock of everyone right up until he whips out a bouquet and lays it before the coffin with a very awkward and gentle "I'm sorry for your loss." before leaving, visibly embarrassed at being seen vulnerable....
A very unfortunate loss, even though it seems like he actually added nothing to the games, and we never really noticed he was gone until much later (at least, I didn't notice until he was snubbed from the Mario Movie)
I miss him he was like that Grandpa watching over us.
The M&L games also weren't able to circumvent the Mario mandates, they had to bend to them just like every other developer, as you can clearly see with Paper Jam. Which is why Alpha Dream mostly focused on remakes from then on out, as remakes in general seem to be immune to the Mario mandates for obvious reasons.
Yeah, I don't think Mario&Luigi was as untouched as people like to think either. It's really suspicious that the only original character Paper Jam had was Starlow, the companion character, just like in Sticker Star and Color Splash. We know for a fact that Paper Jam was originally going to have original characters and a bigger story that would have involved traveling between the Paper world and the real one, which got the boot early on because it was "too complex". Everything else was remakes which of course had to keep the original species for the plots to make sense. The BIS remake did introduce new original villains with the BFF, but during interviews the developers had this weird insistence that they are the same species as Midbus despite looking nothing like him and nothing of the likes actually being mentioned in-game. That just reeks of loopholing a "You can only use species that were in the original game you're remaking" mandate if you ask me. Good thing Brothership has done away with that.
Even in Dream Team, about halfway through the game there starts to be way fewer new enemies. The beach area where you hide Peach in the dream world has *actually* none, relying on pirhana plants, fly guys, and boomerang bros. Then later Neo Bowser’s castle has one new robotic enemy which is more obstacle than creature, and fire bros. It’s like you can feel the point the mandate likely hit
This is all because of the branding exodus Nintendo did. Unique takes on characters like Toads and Koopas were mostly banned, in favor of having everything be sanitary and generic for the sake of making the Mario brand more recognizable.
Idk they added quite a few new Koopas in the new soup games and brought back a lot of older ones that haven’t seen the light of day.
@@Magic_Iceyeah but only now after years of neglect. It feels like Nintendo has been allowing itself to be creative again with how wacky Super Mario Wonder was and the new Mario and Luigi game shows that Nintendo is interested in experimenting again.
and yet they created new characters like Nabbit and Captain Toad during that era
"Making the mario brand more recognizable"
The only faces on earth better known that Mario are superman and mickey mouse.
@@Xahnel Think about it like this.
If every Mario game had a different Toad design, they would have to make different plushes, figures, toys, and cards for each different Toad for each game.
If they all looked the same, you would only need to make 1 of each.
Toadsworth is based
On what?
I agree, I think there's plenty of potential for this character that PiT just begins to explore. It doesn't need to be anything deep, these are Mario games after all, but Peach having an advisor just makes sense.
The "bland era" of Mario claimed a lot of victims (at least for a time), but Toadsworth is a particularly notable one because he's one of the only ones to actually originate from a MAIN Mario game.
Seriously, the sanitization affected mostly spinoff characters, which there were a LOT of, and yet coincidentally, this poor old man was also removed at the same time. If another "safe" rebranding happened down the line, could you IMAGINE this being done to Rosalina? Pauline? Cappy? I get that these are weighted comparisons given they are more important to their original games than Toadsworth was (because Bowser Jr was the actual centerpiece newcomer), but it's a scary prospect all the same: it could basically be Nintendo telling you your nostalgia doesn't matter, only what they're *currently* selling.
My best guess is he was the primary victim of the general lore retcons that made Toads basically ageless and genderless for recognition's sake; which is why we ended up having so many copypasted Toad designs in other games for a long time. Other species sufferred from this too, with the only leniancy allowed being that if a design was already made for a previous game then they were allowed to come back for a short while (Toadsworth himself is proof but see also Kylie Koopa for another example), but even there Toadsworth is unique because he and Toadette are the only unique species members in *general* to have been introduced within maingames-- and it's super weird to me that they decided to keep Toadette in spite of all this too (when if anything she's probably most people's go-to when it comes to "proving" Toads have genders lmao).
R.I.P. Toadsworth: the Stankball King. No one pitches a ball like you did. :(
Every time Toadsworth would appear I would think “oh neat, wish that guy would appear more” and now I think “oh yeah that weird guy from sunshine”
0:19 except in Mario super sluggers, I won’t miss him there. That change up was infuriating
My dad pulled that against me so many times that I can watch the shadow and hit against him almost perfectly
Toadsworth is the most entertaining toad, imo. I can understand their reluctance of having him around at this point, but I continue to hold out hope for the mainline series to have more story and expand on pre-existing characters.
8:06 This was actually only done in the English script for some reason. Japanese and most if not all other languages kept the character ages.
Another American translation L
I love Toadsworth so much, but he pretty much never appears anymore 😢
I never thought about it, but what if Toadsworth canonically passed away? Like what if he just died of old age?
That would make him the second Mario character who died after appearing in multiple games, the first being Fawful from the Mario&Luigi series.
@@rainpooper7088 Some people think Tatanga is dead too
The only reason Toadsworth exists, was because Nintendo didn't want Super Mario Sunshine to feel "unnecessarily romantic", which they definitely succeeded, not like Mario has consistency to begin with. But outside of that, he doesn't serve a real purpose beyond Peach's most loyal personal assistant. I would've loved to have seen him be more than just a simple steward or a paranoid old man. In fact, why not make him infamous for something heinous outside the mushroom kingdom, like a powerful user of dark magic?
So you want them to just copy Peppermint Butler from Adventure Time?
@@nmotschidontwannagivemyrea8932 I want them to give us SOMETHING.
@@nmotschidontwannagivemyrea8932peppermint butler was under utilized and instead toadsworth could be a full on antagonist.
@@knucklesskinner253 Peppermint Butler got multiple story arcs and an entire mini-series.
@@knucklesskinner253"toadsworth could be a full on antagonist."
This looks familiar. Where have I seen this before?
Toadsworth was in the very first video game I ever played, Mario Party 7
I miss him 😭
And I thank him for solidifying my love of games when I was 4
I feel like they might bring him back. There was something about his opening entrance in TTYD Switch where he joyously outstretched his arms that was like, "Hello world, I'm back!" I know the game gave most NPCs unique animations, but no other character, not even Luigi greeted Mario so enthusiastically. It was a 4th wall moment, for me.
Yeah, you’re overthinking it way more than anybody should. It’s just an entrance animation
@@quangamershyguyyz7166we just want hope
Not too sure about that. They didn't even bother giving him a back sprite.
@@mariobroultimate1808 we just want hop
so deep diving in a kiddie pool
I presume it mostly has to do with Nintendo's weird, bass ackwards approach to any sense of continuity between different games in the same series. A great recent example is Tears of the Kingdom, where the world has been oddly purged of any and all reference to the ancient shiekah and their tech, to the point that even your freaking menu has been recontextualized as the "Purah Pad" instead of the shiekah slate.
They don't want any game to in any way color someone's first-time experience with any other game... even if that game is a direct sequel, meaning they can't capitalize on the primary purpose of a direct sequel: to continue an existing story people are already invested in. So characters like Toadsworth are doomed to be unpersoned from all future games whenever they gain any sort of backstory or growing involvement that could potentially lead to someone feeling like they're missing out on any part of the story. Just look at all the other beloved characters and worldbuilding added by the RPGs and handheld games that just gets thrown out immediately. The Mario games have a vast landscape of different toads, goombas, koopas, etc. to pull from, and they just... don't. Because having a small non-hostile goomba with a hat will discourage kids from wanting to buy the original Paper Mario, I guess.
As far as I'm concerned this is a very misguided mistake on Nintendo's part, but so long as Sony and Microsoft continue to make even worse mistakes in the console market, they really have no incentive to change.
What do Sony and Microsoft matter with Nintendo's shitty ideas and designs??
If Nintendo takes a bad decisions because they're idiots, that's their OWN fault.
@@nobodyinparticular9640 You missed the point entirely. Sony and Microsoft are Nintendo's competition. If their products are inferior, Nintendo has no incentive to improve. Economics 101. Assign the blame wherever you want, nothing is gonna change until market conditions change.
I’ll be completely honest. I was 9-20 years old during Toadsworth’s time in the Super Mario universe. And I never liked the guy. Never cared for him.
But he’s SO much better than nothing! I’m pro-Toadsworth. Bring him back.
My in-universe theory is that he simply died. He was an old dude!
He better return in brothership…
He felt the Marioverse feel homely. He was like the Mario answer to Kranky Kong. Sunshine was my first 3D platformer and immediately I liked his character. Not everyone needs to be as energetic as Mario. And say whatever you want about Sonic. His series does a FAR better job with character consistency.
Man I can't believe Toadsworth's dead, hope he can recover.
I like how everyone just accepts that he’s canonically dead. Tragic.
Great video! A nitpick: In Partners in Time, the two Toadsworths don't watch over Baby Peach in the past, but in the present. The young Toadsworth only returns to the past at the end of the game, and elder Toadsworth never travelled to the past
Thanks!
So sad that Toadsworth was kicked out by Nintendo. Especially in the super mario bros. movie. I was not happy. I like Toadsworth, even if I knew him just a little. My mom has a Toadsworth plush because, well she likes it. She isn't into Mario a lot, but that is okay. We also have Super Mario Sluggers for the Wii and I have Mario and Luigi Dream Team. So it's a good thing to Toadsworth at our house!
I really miss Toadsworth. That "eh ho ho!" "Ermmnnn!" I played a good deal of Mario Party 7 & grew up with him around.
Toadsworth really was a great minor addition to just fill in the castle with a bit more character.
I miss Toadsworth.
Cutting him from the Mario Movie after explicitly intending to include him is just bizarre. He also should've played Toadette's role in Odyssey since she stays in Peach's Castle and keeps records, something that would befit Toadsworth.
Ive always liked the idea of toadsworth, a toad who serves as a caretaker and advisor for peach, serving as a sort of contrast to kamek and his role for bowser, ive always liked the idea that he was a sort of father figure to peach
It seems you didn’t do as much research as you claimed. Sources have all but confirmed that Toadsworth was shot by police after he opened fire on federal agents arresting Yoshi for tax fraud. I take no pleasure in lethal force being used, but let’s not pretend about who we’re talking about here.
Taxation is theft anyway. Justice for Toadsworth. And let out my homie Yoshi, he didn’t do nothin’.
when i first saw him my reaction was "wait, there's spoken dialogue in a Mario game?"
Toadsworth (both his older and younger selves) also provided a lot to the comedy in ’Partners in Time’. My best memory from that game was when Stuffwell met and unintentionally (I guess?) insulted the younger Toadsworth by dismissing him as a ”nincompooter”. 😂 The latter’s reaction to this was totally priceless, lol. 🤣
they still didn't give toadsworth a backsprite in ttyd remake unlike all the other partners and npcs
My favourite toadsworth memory is him saying “yeah blah blah blah blah”
Justice for Toadsworth
Ever since I got a home run streak with Toadsworth in Mario Baseball, he's been an MVP in my heart. Sad to see the old guy go so unceremoniously
I love him....and I miss him.... ;-;
He died. 😔
I miss this guy so much. The Mario Movie cut was very disheartening...
The Mario and Luigi Games are where toadsworth really shines
I liked spraying him in Mario Sunshine. He would say “YEAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH!”
toadsworth was purged during toadette's rise to power
Toadsworth makes a perfect master of ceremonies character
Before TTYD remake was in the works, I jokingly said that the Toad Chancellor from Super Mario RPG was responsible for Toadsworth's disappearance.
Regardless, while I wouldn't say he's my favorite character, it does kind of suck that he just sort of vanished from the series. Perhaps he didn't add much, but he had a few hilarious moments, especially in the RPGs.
As for some final notes, I've never played NSMB-DS - or watched any footage - but does this 6:26 imply that he can use a bit of magic with his cane? Like, I'm not saying he'd be capable of Kamek's feats, but even knowing some small magic is interesting.
As for the second one, Mario Golf GBC implies Wario's mustache is fake. And while I don't know the context of it, the KC Mario Deluxe Manga had a few panels that implied Mario & Luigi's mustaches were also fake. Guess that means Waluigi is the only one who has a true and honest mustache.
@@TheWispGuy fun fact: Luigi's mustache are fake in Paper jam
@@volvoman5262 Oh yeah. I forgot about that, lol.
It's definitely bizarre that Nintendo brought back Foreman Spike and a bunch of obscure Donkey Kong characters for the Mario movie, but not Toadsworth. They even kept him out of Peach's backstory when she was a baby. So yeah, it definitely feels deliberate. Yet it's funny to think that Toadsworth and Bowser Jr made their debut and rose to prominence around the same time yet Bowser Jr. remains a mainstay, even in the most generic Mario titles (though he was absent in New Super Mario Bros. 2 and Mario Kart 8 before he was added in Deluxe).
He totally should have appeared in the movie. It would have fit perfectly.
I like that he is even the host of Mario Party 7, my favorite Mario Party game.
Man, everything gone stale since Toadsworth's gone.
Toadsworth was the wise old advisor, and it's a shame he's disappeared.
They also took all the cool character designs out of the Mario & Luigi remake.
I just like to think he stayed in Rougeport due to having a thing with Zess T. and feeling that Peach didn’t need him anymore. It’s better that than him just fading into obscurity unwillingly.
Toadsworth was my favorite Toad. I hope he returns in the new Mario and Luigi game
Toadsworth did inappropriate things to me in the bathroom of the west hall
Literally he and Kamek are my favorite characters, but both get treated so dirty
Free my mans Toadsworth. He deserves better.
I may not have really been able to get into sunshine. But I definitely played the heck out of superstar baseball, and the Mario parties seven included. So I was always happy to see this funny hilarious old fun guy. I'm at least thankful he retained his appearance in your door but we truly have straight far away from the days of enjoyable sports/ spin off characters retained his appearance in thousand your door sorry about typos
He's the perfect Mario Party host for me, I really want him to come back on any game tho
“For some reason, that series always seemed to circumvent the rebranding efforts”
Well, at least until paper jam
It's a shame. I liked Toadsworth. He was a fun, old-timer character that added flavor to the world.
I totally didn't notice that he didn't appear in the mario movie- They did him really dirty...
Brothership toadsworth? (coping)
Maybe Toadsworth just retired due to his old age and he now chilling on Isle Delfino with the Piantas
Or...☠
I was wondering the exact same thing, the thought of Toadsworth's absence came into my mind and I was confused why he wasn't being used in the series anymore. This video explained my exact thoughts about it and more I didn't even know
Oh i needed a video like this
Toadsworth was also mentioned by peach and toad in the game fortune street too, and it implied he had a lot of authority over them. It’s strange how he disappeared
I like to think the toad general is just a slightly younger Toadsworth, before his moustache and before he was refered to be his real name
How could you forget his appearance in M&L Bowser's Inside Story??
If there was any lore reason he hasnt appeared, it would most likely be that he died
I honestly do not get the "he died" theory like are you trying to convince me that a character that wasn't a villain and has never done anything bad died without any game hinting it or anything? I am not saying that characters in the series do not die i mean cackletta died for exemple but the games clearly show that the character died. I know Bobby also is a good character that just like toadsworth has never done anything bad but his death was clearly shown in game.
@@heygivememychips1030 he old.
@@heygivememychips1030it’s just like real life
You never get a warning and usually never there to see it
How old do Toads live bruh?
In the Mario series, Nintendo has shyed away from "unique" sub-characters. Why have Kammy Koopa when you could just use a normal Magikoopa. Why have Toadsworth when a normal toad could fill the role. Look at the variety of toads (and even other species like Goombas and Koopa Troopas) in the first Paper Mario compared to Origami King. I couldn't tell you why Nintendo forbids creating unique versions of these species. I can only guess someone at Nintendo prefers they all look the same.
Huff! I say...Huff! I say...Huff! I say...Huff! I say...Huff! I say...Huff! I say...Huff! I say...Huff! I say...Huff! I say...Huff! I say...Huff! I say...
What if toadsworth passed away
I had always assumed that in newer games, Toadsworth stays at the castle. He's probably a caretaker for her castle, just like how Kamek is the caretaker of Bowser's castle. Peach has proven her independence multiple times, so maybe Toadsworth doesn't feel the need to watch her so closely.
1:01 is an interesting point because sunshine was my first Mario game, so I have always considered him as a main character. That upbrupt appearance wasn’t that jarring for me, so much so that I accepted him to be a fixture. (Which would be reinforced by other GameCube era games)
As someone growing up on mario & luigi on the DS, he is very memorable