Princess Peach

The head of state of the Mushroom Kingdom who evolved from a kidnapped princess to an iconic, playable hero.

Princess Peach is the princess regnant and head of state of the Mushroom Kingdom, created by Shigeru Miyamoto. She debuted as Princess Toadstool in the 1985 original Super Mario Bros. game. While typically known as the damsel in distress kidnapped by Bowser, she has appeared in more video game titles than any other female character in history. Her role has evolved from a captive waiting to be rescued to a playable protagonist in titles like Super Princess Peach and Princess Peach: Showtime!. She is voiced by Anya Taylor-Joy in The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) and the upcoming The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026).

Quick Facts

Series: Mario
First game: Super Mario Bros. (1985)
Creator: Shigeru Miyamoto
Designer: Shigeru Miyamoto, Yōichi Kotabe
Family: Rosalina (sister; Illumination films only)

Lore & Background

Princess Peach was preceded as Mario's romantic interest by Pauline in Donkey Kong (1981). Miyamoto replaced her with Princess Peach for Super Mario Bros. (1985) after failing to license Popeye characters. Initially designed to look "stubborn, but a little cute" with cat-like eyes by Yōichi Kotabe, her design was not finalized until later games; early merchandise depicted her with straight blonde hair and a red skirt. Miyamoto noted that Peach's damsel role existed for clarity in game objectives, though he acknowledged criticisms regarding its fit with modern images of women.

In Super Mario RPG (1996), she gained a parasol weapon and sleep spell abilities. Later, during the development of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Miyamoto sought to depict "Peach's worries and emotions" rather than just making her a fighting character, leading to an updated, more determined appearance on the box art for Princess Peach: Showtime!.

Reader's Guide

Princess Peach is playable in the majority of Mario games, often serving as the main female character and romantic interest of Mario. Her standard role involves being kidnapped until rescued by Mario, but she is a playable character in Super Mario 3D World, Super Mario Run, and Super Mario Bros. Wonder. Outside the main series, she stars in spin-offs like Mario Sports games, Mario Kart, Mario Party, Paper Mario, and Super Smash Bros. Her signature abilities include floating mid-air and using a parasol as a weapon or glider.

She has also wielded a frying pan. In the English-speaking world, her name transitioned from "Princess Toadstool" to "Peach," with the latter appearing in Yoshi's Safari (1993) and becoming standard from Mario Kart 64 (1996) onward. Her voice acting history includes Leslie Swan, Jeannie Elias, Tracey Moore, Jen Taylor (2000–2007), Samantha Kelly (2007–2024), and Courtney Lin (since 2025).

Did You Know?

Her name 'Peach' comes from Miyamoto associating princesses with girls and the color pink.
The concept of an evil version named 'Walupeach' was pitched by Shugo Takahashi but rejected by Miyamoto before seeing the design.