The voice actors who have stepped up to voice Mario Kart World‘s Toad and Peach have broken their silence after Samantha Kelly was unexpectedly replaced after 18 years.
Voice actor Samantha Kelly discovered her 18-year tenure as Super Mario characters Princess Peach and Toad was over on Nintendo Switch 2 launch day — when Mario Kart World released without her in it. She had featured as Peach and Toad in more than 70 games for Nintendo DS, 3DS, Wii, Wii U, and Switch since Mario Strikers Charged released in 2007.
Now, as spotted by Eurogamer, Paul Castro Jr. and Courtney Lin — who lend their voices to Toad and Peach, respectively — have each posted to their X/Twitter accounts to confirm their new roles.
“I can finally share who I voice in Mario Kart World… TOAD!(s),” Castro wrote. “Male Toads you hear throughout your travels in Mario Kart World are voiced by me! Been playing on my trips and it’s so much darn fun. Can’t thank Nintendo enough for letting me live out this childhood dream.”
Lin wrote: “I can finally say… I’m the voice of Princess Peach and Baby Peach in Mario Kart World! Eternally grateful for Nintendo, for trusting me to help carry the legacy of this icon.”
“These characters are so much bigger than ourselves. I am so honored and honestly can still hardly believe it. I have so much respect for all of the Peaches that came before me, especially the one I grew up with. I will do my best with every opportunity I am given, and I hope you all have been enjoying the game. Wahooo!! Sweet.”
Nintendo has become increasingly strict when it comes to sharing information found in the credits of its video games ahead of time — to the extent that it frequently refuses to acknowledge the developer of its games before their release.
In similar news, we recently learned that Takashi Nagasako, who previously voiced Donkey Kong for 21 years, was no longer credited for the character as of Mario Kart World, either. Kouji Takeda is instead credited as Donkey Kong in all of the game’s various language options, including Bananza. Takeda previously voiced Donkey Kong in the Japanese dub of the Super Mario Bros. Movie and now appears to have taken over as the video game voice of Donkey Kong as well.
The changes in Nintendo’s hitherto consistent voice casting come after the retirement of Charles Martinet as the voice of Mario, Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi after almost 30 years.
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
