This article is about the character from the variousSuper Mario-related comics. For the character from theSuper Mario Bros. film, seeKing (film character).

Mushroom King
The Mushroom King, as he appears in the comics
Full name	King Toadstool
Species	Human (and/orToad)
First appearance	Super Mario Bros. (1985, mentioned) How to win at Super Mario Bros. (1985)
Latest appearance	Super Mario (Super Mario: Yoshi Island 3) (1996)

“Excuse me, everybody! I just closed the peanut butter jar on my tie. Can somebody help me?”

—Mushroom King, "Cloud Burst"

TheMushroom King (also referred to asKing Toadstool or justToadstool in theSuper Mario Bros. comics) is a seldomly seen ruler of theMushroom Kingdom and the father ofPrincess Toadstool. Although he is said to rule alongside the princess, he is a figure that is absent in the video game series. He resembles a human, with the top of his head resembling aMushroom person's. He does make somewhat notable appearances in other early media such as theSuper Mario Bros. comics,Nintendo Adventure Books, and the strategy guide illustrations forSuper Mario Bros. He is alsomentioned on Princess Toadstool's profile in a 1993 character guide produced byNintendo of America.

History[edit]

Super Mario Bros.[edit]

The Mushroom King is briefly mentioned in passing in English localizations of the manual.^[1] With few exceptions such asSuper Mario Bros. Deluxe,^[2] this is generally not included in subsequent releases as the Japanese manual does not mention him.^[3]The Official Nintendo Player's Guide mentions that he ruled the kingdom with aqueen.^[4] Although unmentioned in the games themselves and the Japanese manual forSuper Mario Bros., he was mentioned and shown in the Japanese guidebookHow to win at Super Mario Bros., wearing a mushroom cap likeMushroom people do.

Super Mario Bros. Monogatari[edit]

TheHow to win at Super Mario Bros. illustration is remade in the introductory page of theSuper Mario Bros. Monogatari activity book, where the king retains his beard, now bigger and white, and mushroom cap, now adorned with a gemstone.

Hisshō Technique Kan Peki-ban[edit]

At the end of theSuper Mario Bros. chapter,Mario takes Princess Peach back home and then departs on his way while the entire kingdom, including the princess, the king, and the queen, bids him farewell. The royals are depicted with the same appearance they had inHow to win at Super Mario Bros.: the king has a mustache, a goatee, and a Mushroom person-like piece of headgear with the crown on it.

Yukio Sawada's manga[edit]

Famicom Meiro: Super Mario/Makaimura[edit]

InSuper Mario Meiro, the Mushroom King appears in the last panel, welcoming Mario and Peach back home. He has the usual Toad-esque design from previous media, with a white beard, red clothes, a green robe, and a yellow mushroom with red spots.

Super Mario-kun[edit]

The king is mentioned once in thethirteen volume ofSuper Mario-kun, where he is stated to be the sponsor of the fierce survival race.

Super Mario Bros. activity books[edit]

At the beginning of one of theSuper Mario Bros. activity books, the Mushroom King can be seen with Princess Peach living peacefully until Bowser and his Koopa Troopas take over the Mushroom Kingdom and kidnap Peach.

Super Mario Bros. (Valiant Comics)[edit]

The Mushroom King in theSuper Mario Bros. issueMagic Carpet Madness

In theSuper Mario Bros. Valiant Comics, the Mushroom King is the de jure leader of the Mushroom Kingdom. However, he is depicted as scatterbrained and dimwitted, so his responsible daughter often performs his royal duties as de facto ruler in his stead.Wooster, the "chief mushroom assistant" and the king's personal subject, is occasionally at odds with him due to his lack of intelligence.

Based on the Mushroom King's role, it is likely that he was based on thekings fromSuper Mario Bros. 3 as he plays a similar role in the comic strips (having amagic wand that is often taken byBowser's forces and being transformed into various animals) and closely resembles the king ofGrass Land.One story also implies that he is frequently kidnapped byWart.

Like in previous appearances, the King has a mushroom cap, though in "Weight Up" it is revealed to be a cake he eats in case his daughter forces him to go on a diet.

Super Mario Kodansha manga[edit]

Mario stops a Banzai Bill, while the king is oblivious to the danger, inSuper Mario Bros. 4: Super Mario World 6.

The Mushroom King appears sporadically in Kodansha'sSuper Mario manga, one of the few depictions in which he is simply a human being. Due to his age, he handles situations calmly and is often seen simply as an announcer during sport or public events. A recurring gag sees him praying and ringing a standing bell, completely oblivious of the chaos and dangers surrounding him. He cares for Peach but also trusts her to be capable of facing the dangers she encounters and Mario to protect her.

InSuper Mario Land 3, he is the principal of theKinoko Gakuen and is later seen as the announcer of the baseball match between the students and Bowser.

InSuper Mario Land 4, the Mushroom King is briefly seen near his daughter while she welcomesPrincess Daisy to the Mushroom Kingdom.

InSuper Mario Bros. 4: Super Mario World 6, the king nominates Mario aschief detective of theSpecial Kinoko Police. He is later seen in some scenes in minor roles.

InSuper Mario Bros. 4: Super Mario World 7, he is briefly seen praying, unaware of the kaiju battle happening right outside the castle walls.

InSuper Mario Kart 1, the castle is flooded and the king calls Mario andLuigi to repair the leak. During the job, Mario and Luigi accidentally break a supposedlyprecious vase, and, in order to pay the damage, they enroll in theBomBom Cup kart race. By the end of it, the king is confused, revealing that the real vase was improperly stored in a safe location and the one that was broken was a normal vase. Later, he sponsors theSpecial Cup race, with the winner being made king for a day. Mario ends up winning the cup, but has to do a mountain of paperwork for a day, and also misses the chance of bathing with Peach.

InSuper Mario Kart 2, while aiding his daughter with the Battle match, he tries to get the racers' attention by claiming that Peach will be the prize. In this volume, the king has a more cartoony design, having big eyes and a plumpier appearance.

InSuper Mario Kart 3, the king initially prohibits Peach from taking part in the Super Mario Cart Rally, deeming it too dangerous for her and threatening to take her allowance. Peach manages to sneak into Mario's kart, so the king, assisted byToad, decides to follow the race under the disguise of the heroicCannon Ball Z, who in turn is disguised asMototin. In every chapter, when Peach is in immediate danger, Cannon Ball Z appears to save her by throwing roses. In the last chapter, with Bowser in the lead, Cannon Ball Z follows him to stop him so that Peach can win the race, but ends up blowing up both of their vehicles. Not wanting to leave his "future father-in-law" on the road, Bowser decides to carry him to the finish line on his back, a futile effort since they were disqualified for losing their karts.

InSuper Mario Land 2 - 6-tsu no Kinka 2, Princess Peach convinces Mario to give up reconqueringMario Land and calls her father to come and pick them up. The king and Toad arrive on a submarine, but it is attacked andsunk by theoctopus. Peach and Mario dive into the ocean to save them and, after defeating the octopus, the heroes use him as a hot-air-balloon to re-emerge. Later, the group is attacked byWarudeijī on theHippo'shill and tries to beat her to thePoro space ship in the Hippo's statue, but they arrive too late. The Hippo then sends Mario, Luigi, and Peach to theSpace Zone with his bubbles. In the meantime, Toad, the king, and the Hippo build a new space ship and later arrive to help Mario fightTatanga.

InSuper Mario Land 2 - 6-tsu no Kinka 3, the king supports Mario during the final battle. In the after-story,Aku no Keshin possesses Peach and brainwashes the king'ssubjects to stage a coup and creates amissile to destroyMario's castle so no one can have it. Once Mario discovers that the missile is located in the Mushroom Castle, he flies there, but the king is unaware of the missile. Right then, the Toads capture them, but Mario breaks free and chases after the missile to stop it. Following the defeat of Aku no Keshin, the subjects regain their senses just as they are tightening their restraints on the king.

In the "GO! GO! Mario Paint Theater" sequence inSuper Mario: Wario no Mori, the king reveals to Mario that he never told Peach thatSanta Claus is not real, so he drags Mario andYoshi into helping him leave presents for her daughter as Santa.

InSuper Mario Land 3: Wario Land 2, he and his Toad subjects are affected by theKonotako gas during theDebidebi Daiō's return, so Peach remains at the castle to take care of them before she is also affected. FollowingDaisy's sacrifice to stop the plague inSuper Mario Land 3: Wario Land 3, the Mushroom Kingdom citizens and royals are healed.

InSuper Mario 4-koma Daikōshin, the king reveals that he named her daughter Peach because he hoped she would have developed a nicely shaped bottom like the fruit, and gets hit with a hip attack by her as a result. Right afterwards, she admits she did not know the Mushroom King is her actual father, considering sevenkings appear inSuper Mario Bros. 3 and none of them are confirmed to be her father, but would have loved to be the daughter of theWater Land king (who bears a striking resemblance to Mario).

Zur Fernseh-Serie Super Mario Bros. - Spiele und Geschichten[edit]

The Mushroom King is briefly mentioned in theZur Fernseh-Serie Super Mario Bros. - Spiele und Geschichten story "Der überlistete Häuptling", whereMario mentions that the king's daughterPrincess Toadstool has been captured byChief Koopa and hisKoopa Troopa warriors.

Nintendo Adventure Books[edit]

The Mushroom King appears in most of theNintendo Adventure Books, continued from his depiction in theSuper Mario Bros. comics.

Profile[edit]

Nintendo Comics System trading card[edit]

Royal Ruler and father of the kidnappable princess in Mushroomland

AS benevolent (and muddle-minded) leader of the Mushroom people, the King spends most of his time getting transformed into various creatures by his archenemy, King Koopa. That's when he's not busy getting his tie unstuck from the peanut butter jar.

HOBBIES: Gardening, running the kingdom, asking nearby friends and enemies to help him run the kingdom.

Gallery[edit]

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  How to win at Super Mario Bros.

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  Bandai'sSuper Mario Bros. board game artwork (Korean edition)

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  The king and queen (first picture, top right) as seen inSuper Mario Bros. Monogatari

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  Hisshō Technique Kan Peki-ban

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  Famicom Meiro: Super Mario/Makaimura (1987)

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  Super Mario Bros. Paint 'n' Marker Book (1989)

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  Nintendo Adventure Books:Leaping Lizards

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  KC Deluxe manga (1993)

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  Super Mario Kodansha manga (1996)

Names in other languages[edit]

References[edit]

• Humans
• Toads
• Parents
• Kings
• Allies
• Brain Drain characters
• Double Trouble characters
• Leaping Lizards characters
• Monster Mix-Up characters
• Pipe Down! characters
• Super Mario Bros.
• Super Mario Bros. (Valiant Comics) characters
• Unjust Desserts characters