Princess Peach

Princess Peach, also known as Princess Toadstool, is the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom. Kind, generous, and wise, she is the damsel-in-distress in most of the Mario games. She first appeared in Super Mario Bros. and has since appeared in most subsequent games, in which she is usually kidnapped by Bowser. Peach is occasionally a key supporting character of the plot, and sometimes a playable character. Her most notable appearance is as the heroine of Super Princess Peach. She has also shown her fighting abilities in Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario RPG, Super Paper Mario, Super Smash Bros. Melee, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Peach's first game as the main character, Super Princess Peach, was released worldwide on February 27th, 2006. She has also gone through many voice actresses, and is currently voiced by Samantha Kelly.

She has an affinity for the color pink and has been shown to be a ladylike and kind monarch. Peach resides in her castle along with many Toads who tend to her. Her kingdom is often attacked by the Koopa Army, lead by King Bowser.

Peach is portrayed as Mario's love interest. She also has a special relationship with Princess Daisy, and is a good friend of Luigi, Toad and Toadette. She has appeared in many sport titles as well as other spin-offs.

Super Mario Bros.
This game is the first that Princess Peach (As Toadstool) appears in. Bowser kidnapped her and invaded Mushroom Kingdom. She isn't playable in this game. Halfway through the game, Mario is told she is in another castle than her previous one, but by the end of the game she is saved. At the ending she says thank you to Mario when he rescues her.

Super Mario Bros. 2
In the sequel to her first appearance Princess Toadstool, along with Mario, Luigi and Toad were chosen by the Subcon species to save the Dream Land by the Evil Wart. This is one of the times that Princess Toadstool is a playable character. Though Princess Toadstool seems to be the slowest and weakest amongst the 3, her difference in gameplay is her ability to flutter in the air for a short period time, a little similar to the one performed by Yoshi.

Super Mario Bros. 3
In this sequel Bowser attempts to take over the Mushroom Kingdom again. Instead Bowser (King Koopa) manages to kidnap the Kings and Guards of the Kingdom with the help of the Koopalings leaving Princess Toadstool helpless. Princess Toadstool then asks Mario and Luigi to save them. After completing Pipe Land, Peach gets kidnapped as well leaving Mario and Luigi to save her too.

At the end everyone is saved and Toadstool played a little joke on the Mario Brothers by saying "Thank you, but our princess is in another castle! ... Just kidding!" referencing the Toads' often used quote in Super Mario Bros. as Nintendo knew it was a famous quote.

Super Mario 64
In Super Mario 64, Princess Toadstool's name is revealed as "Princess Peach" for the first time outside of Japan. Princess Peach invites Mario to her castle to eat some cake she had baked, but once Mario arrives, it is revealed that Princess Peach had been kidnapped by Bowser once again, and that many stars found inside of paintings (which can be jumped into, revealing episodes for a stage) must be restored in order to make progress in the game. In the end, Bowser gets the power of all the stars, and Mario must defeat Bowser in order to get Peach back. In the end, Peach is saved and thanks Mario, inviting him to eat some of her cake. In the DS remake, the story is the same except with Wario and Luigi.

Super Mario Sunshine
In Super Mario Sunshine, Princess Peach, along with Mario and Toadsworth, take a vacation to Isle Delfino. In an advertisement video on the plane taking them to Isle Delfino, Peach discovers a shadow that looks exactly like Mario, holding a paint brush. But Mario and Toadsworth aren't aware of the shadow, considering the fact they were too caught up in the great things they saw in the advertisement video. When arriving, a mysterious goo called Goop was found on the runway. Mario finds a talking, spraying robot called FLUDD made by E. Gadd and uses it to spray away the Goop. Mario is then accused of making the mess in the first place (considering the fact that the real person who made the mess was an imposter of Mario) and is told he must clean up the mess. Later, Peach is kidnapped again by the imposter of Mario, or Shadow Mario. When Mario catches up with Shadow Mario, he must fight Mecha Bowser. After defeating it, Shadow Mario reveals his true form, being Bowser Jr., this game being his first to appear in. After explaining that the paint brush (which was the item being used to make this whole mess) was made by E. Gadd, and explaining that Bowser was once again behind this whole mess and had tricked Bowser Jr. into thinking Peach was his mother, Bowser Jr. takes Peach away, and Mario must go after her once again. Later, Mario finds Bowser Jr., still disguised as Shadow Mario, and defeats him. After this, a flood occurs at Delfino Plaza, making it possible for Mario to get into the volcano, called Corona Mountain. After finding Peach, Bowser, and Bowser Jr. in the volcano and defeating them, Mario gets Princess Peach back once again.

This is the only time Princess Peach wears a dress with short sleeves. As a matter of fact, Peach doesn't have any sleeves on her dress in this game.

Super Mario Galaxy
In Super Mario Galaxy, Peach's castle was brought up into space by Bowser, who wanted the Princess to rule the universe with Bowser. She was taken into Outer Space, along with many of the Toads, and Mario has to go progress through different galaxies to save her. Some times, she sends letters containing 1-Up Mushrooms to the Comet Observatory.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii
In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, like most of the other games, Peach is kidnapped by Bowser once again after his kids, hidden in a giant cake, take her away. Mario has to go through different Worlds in order to save her. When he saves her, she is found in a little cage. After this, the two fly away in a little hot air balloon.

Originally, Peach was going to be a playable character in the game, but Nintendo apparently couldn't afford the extra programming of her dress, and had to scrap the idea.

Super Mario Galaxy 2
In Super Mario Galaxy 2, Peach asks Mario to come eat cake with her while they watch the stars. But when Mario arrives at the castle, he sees Bowser in a huge form holding Princess Peach, saying that maybe she would bake a huge cake for him, and wanting to create a huge empire that was more "me-sized." After this, he takes her away, and Mario is left to chase after Bowser and his son in order to get Princess Peach back, going through galaxies once again, and occasionally being sent 1-Up Mushrooms again.

Super Mario 3D Land
In this game, Princess Peach is kidnapped after a distructive storm destroyed the Tanooki Tree, according to a postcard. Mario travels to the end of the first segment of World 8 to rescue her, where he finds that it is but a cardboard cutout. Bowser shows that he indeed has the true Princess, so he grabs her and runs to the end of the second part of World 8, where Mario rescues her after beating Bowser for a second time.

Paper Mario
In Paper Mario, she is once again captured by Bowser. He used his castle to lift her's into space using the star rod. Mario is defeated since Bowser is invincible. In this game after each chapter you can play as her. She goes through the castle with the help of Twink the star kid. She finds out where each new star spirit is and Twink tells Mario where to go. She and Twink also battle Kammy Koopa in the final Battle. Her wishes give enough power to Twink to beat Kammy and for the star spirits to undo the new Bowser's Invincibility.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, she gets a magical treasure map to find a legendary treasure and she summons Mario to help. Though before he gets there she is this time captured by the X-Nauts because they need a host for the Shadow Queen. She is held in the X-Naut Fortress the Moon. She teams up with TEC XX, the base's main computer, to try to escape the base and find out their real intentions. TEC fell in love with her, which is the reason it teamed up with her. In the final battle, the Shadow Queen uses Peach's body to fight. When the Crystal Stars give Mario the power to hurt the Shadow Queen, Peach gives Mario the rest of her power to restore his power.

Super Paper Mario
In Super Paper Mario, she is captured by Count Bleck along with Luigi, Bowser and most of his army. Count Bleck forces a marriage between Bowser and Peach to create the Chaos Heart. Peach is the first to be secretly released by Dimentio. She actually gets to join Mario in this game as the second of 4 heroes. Her abilities are using her parasol to fly, using it as a shield for infinite defense, and normal jumping. Her final battle is against Mimi, who insults her about always being rescued by Mario and Luigi. Peach gets mad and demands that the Mario Bros let her do this battle alone. When Mario is fighting Count Bleck and he is still invincible, she along with Luigi and Bowser show up and the Pure Hearts Start to work. She can be used to face the last two battles along with Bowser and Mario and is the best choice for people who want to 'play safe.'

Mario Party series
Princess Peach has appeared in every Mario Party game to date.

Super Mario Kart
In Super Mario Kart, she wears her pink dress. She is the fourth lightest of all the racers and she and Yoshi both have the highest acceleration and good handling, but the lowest top speed. When she is computer-controlled in Grand Prix, she will lay a Poison Mushroom that will cause anyone to shrink while at their normal size if they hit it, but to grow back to their normal size when small (Toad uses it as well).

Mario Kart 64
In Mario Kart 64 she was a lightweight. She wears her pink dress, and her hair moves when turning. She is the third lightest in the game and has the third highest top speed. Her home course is Royal Raceway (Peach Circuit in Japan), and this is also the first Mario Kart game where she has a home course.

Mario Kart: Super Circuit
In Mario Kart: Super Circuit, she is a lightweight like the previous game. Unlike the other games, she is lighter than Yoshi. Her home course is Peach Circuit, which itself is revamped for the first time.

Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
In Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, Peach is teamed up with Daisy, Her default kart is the Heart Coach, and her special Item is the Heart. Her home course is Peach Beach. This is the first Mario Kart game where she wears her hair in a ponytail, but the second Mario Sports game where she wears her hair in a ponytail, and she wears her hair in a ponytail in subsequent Mario Kart games and other sports games as well.

Mario Kart DS
In Mario Kart DS, her karts are Royale, Standard PC, And Light Tripper. In Mission Mode, she has to race against King Boo. She is advanced at drifting corners and has average item use. This is the last Mario Kart game where she is a lightweight. Her home course is Peach Gardens.

Mario Kart Wii
Peach appears in Mario Kart Wii once again as a middleweight. Also for the first time Peach has an alternate costume when riding a motorcycle. Her specialty is drifting. Peach is a high-tier character for weak drifting, although sometimes this could cause a downfall, especially with bikes and racing on courses with tight turns caused Peach to be at the bottom of the high tier.

Dress and Hairstyle in Mario Kart
In her first three Mario Kart appearances, her dress was half light pink and half dark pink, it had a dark pink sash, and her hair was worn loose. In Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and later Mario Kart games, her dress is seven-eights light pink and one-eighth dark pink at the bottom, it has two dark pink panniers, and she now wears her hair in a ponytail with a blue rubber band.

Biker Outfit
Even though she wears her a gown in Mario Kart Wii, she also wears a pink jumpsuit with gloves and boots when riding motorbikes. The suit is white with pink verticle lines going down Peach's arms and legs. Her accessories include a pink scarf, a pink belt with a white buckle and pink boots and gloves. Along with that accompanies her traditional jewelry. There is also a heart-shaped pattern on her back. Daisy and Rosalina also have a similar outfit design like Peach's, but with different color schemes as a result.

Staff Ghost Tracks

 * Royal Raceway
 * Peach Circuit
 * Peach Beach
 * Delfino Square
 * Peach Gardens
 * Moonview Highway

Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

 * Partner: Daisy
 * Weight Class: Medium
 * Special Item: Heart
 * Special Kart: Heart Coach
 * Course: Peach Beach
 * Bio1: "Normally the epitome of grace, once she's on the raceway, Guard Peach really tears it up".
 * Bio2: "If you want to see style and grace whizzing around the track with reckless abandon, put Peach behind the wheel of the Heart Coach and hold on tight!"
 * Bio3: "You won't catch Peach doing her makeup in the rearview mirror. When this girl gets behind the wheel, she means business!"

Mario Kart: Super Circuit

 * Speed: ****
 * Weight: *
 * Bio: Princess Peach is one of the speediest drivers on the Super Circuit, but she has to be careful to avoid contact with other karts. One small bump and she can be knocked off the track.

Mario Kart DS

 * Weight Class: Light
 * Default Karts: Royale, Standard PC
 * Unlockable Kart: Light Tripper
 * Bio1: "A generally gentle princess, the heart of a competitor burns deep within her. She is adept at drifting".

Mario Kart Wii

 * Class: Medium
 * Stats:
 * Acceleration: **/***
 * Top Speed: **/***
 * Off-Road **/***
 * Bio: "Peach may be sophisticated, but she's also ready to flatten you when she gets a Mega Mushroom."
 * Bio2: "Stand back! On two wheels, Peach can slice through corners like a drifting all-star."
 * Bio3: "The princess has had enough of fiery pits, high towers, and giant Koopa Troopas! She has a new hobby: kart and bike racing."
 * Actual Bonuses
 * Speed: +1
 * Acceleration: +2
 * Drift: +2

Super Smash Bros. Melee
Peach is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Melee.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Peach is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Her Design changes heavily in the game as her clothes are alot more detailed and have complicated textures. Her Move-set doesn't really change from the one in Melee.

Special Moves

 * Peach Parasol
 * Rare Vegetable
 * Toad Attack
 * Peach Blossom (Final Smash)

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games series
Princess Peach has appeared in every Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games game to date, and will be a playable character once again in Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Origins
Peach is portrayed as the beautiful princess of the Mushroom Kingdom. No larger reigning monarchy appears to exist. In Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, the princess has a grandmother, and the Mushroom Kingdom government is ruled by a chancellor and the mushroom retainers. In Mario Superstar Baseball, Lakitu mistakenly calls Toadsworth her caretaker likely due to a translation error. Like most characters from the Mario franchise, her backstory is purposefully left vague and undeveloped (nothing is known about her age, her height, and the royal family which she belongs to), though at the beginning of Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, it was revealed that she has been kidnapped repeatedly by Bowser since childhood. A mushroom king was a common character in the Nintendo Comics System stories, in which he was portrayed as a forgetful person. Her mother and father are unknown but presumed alive.

While the instruction manual for the original Super Mario Bros. indicates more about that he is related to Peach, he has never appeared in any game and was never mentioned again. In Super Mario Bros. 3, it is revealed that the Mushroom Kingdom is part of a larger "Mushroom World" composed of seven neighboring countries, excluding the Mushroom Kingdom. Each of these are ruled by a different King, however, none of these monarchs seem to be related to her. Peach lives in a beautiful palace surrounded by Toad guards, which also appears in kart and sports games. Eight of these guards are among the "Elite", including the most prominent of all, Toad.

According to the American instruction booklet for Super Mario Bros., Peach is the only one who could undo the evil magic that Bowser had cast upon the Mushroom Kingdom; Bowser kidnapped her for this reason. However, upon her rescue, this prophecy is not mentioned in the game itself, nor any other game, nor in the cartoons. Oddly enough, in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show, Peach (known as "Princess Toadstool" or simply "Princess" at the time) was depicted as constantly being in search of someone who could defeat Bowser's (known as "Koopa" at the time) forces, despite the fact that Mario and Luigi could do just that (and also the fact that most of the people they were looking for turned out to be of little to no help whatsoever). She looks a lot like Princess Rosalina from Super Mario Galaxy. But, she was also the only one who could awaken both the Beanstar (due to voice being the purest) and the dark star.

Non-playable appearances

 * Super Mario Bros. (NES) - (1985)
 * Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (NES) - (1986)
 * Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES) - (1988)
 * Super Mario World (SNES) - (1990)
 * Yoshi's Safari (SNES) - (1993)
 * Mario & Wario (SNES) - (1993)
 * Hotel Mario (SNES) - (1994)
 * Super Mario 64 (N64) - (1996)
 * Super Mario Sunshine (GameCube) - (2002)
 * Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (GBA) - (2003)
 * Mario Pinball Land (GBA) - (2004)
 * Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time (DS) - (2005)
 * New Super Mario Bros. (DS) - (2006)
 * Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) - (2007)
 * Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (DS) - (2009)
 * New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii) - (2009)
 * Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii) - (2010)
 * Super Mario 3D (3DS) - (2011)

Playable appearances

 * Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES) - (1988)
 * Super Mario Kart (SNES) - (1992)
 * Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (SNES) - (1996)
 * Mario Kart 64 (N64) - (1996)
 * Mario Party (N64) - (1998)
 * Mario Golf (N64) - (1999)
 * Mario Party 2 (N64) - (1999)
 * Mario Tennis (N64) - (2000)
 * Paper Mario (N64) - (2000)
 * Mario Party 3 (N64) - (2000)
 * Super Smash Bros. Melee (GameCube) - (2001) (Trophy)
 * Mario Party 4 (GameCube) - (2002)
 * Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour (GameCube) - (2003)
 * Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (GameCube) - (2003)
 * Mario Party 5 (GameCube) - (2003)
 * Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (GameCube) - (2004)
 * Mario Power Tennis (GameCube) - (2004)
 * Mario Party 6 (GameCube) - (2004)
 * Mario Superstar Baseball (GameCube) - (2005)
 * Super Princess Peach (DS) - (2005)
 * Mario Party 7 (GameCube) - (2005)
 * Mario Kart DS (GameCube) - (2005)
 * Mario Smash Football (GameCube) - (2005)
 * Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time (DS) - (2005)
 * Mario Hoops 3-on-3 (DS) - (2006)
 * Super Paper Mario (Wii) - (2007)
 * Mario Strikers Charged (Wii) - (2007)
 * Mario Party 8 (Wii) - (2007)
 * Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii, DS) - (2007)
 * Mario Party DS (DS) - (2007)
 * Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii) - (2008)
 * Mario Kart Wii (Wii) - (2008)
 * Mario Super Sluggers (Wii) - (2008)
 * Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (Wii, DS) - (2009)
 * Mario Sports Mix (Wii) - (2011)
 * Mario Kart 7 (3DS) - (2011)
 * Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (Wii, 3DS) - (2011, 2012)
 * Fortune Street (Wii) - (2012)
 * Mario Party 9 (Wii) - (2012)

Trivia

 * Princess Peach was never known as "Princess Toadstool" in Japan. She was always known Princess Peach.
 * Ever since her debut in 1985, Peach has appeared in more games than any female character in video game history.
 * Princess Peach's initial appearance was drawn by Shigeru Miyamoto. Miyamoto later asked Yōichi Kotabe to redraw Peach with his instructions. He had asked Kotabe to draw her eyes to be "a little cat-like" and that she should look "stubborn, but cute". With Kotabe's influence, Princess Peach changed considerably throughout her gaming history.
 * Peach was not a playable character in New Super Mario Bros. Wii because it would have required special programming on how the game handled her dress.