A picture of the Toad Shrine from Greenio's video "Pre-B roll castle showcase."
The Toad Shrine is a supposed figure of interest within Princess Peach's Castle, referenced by many people who have played Super Mario 64. Most people who claim to see the Toad Shrine report that it was on the mysterious fourth floor of the castle. With not all copies having the fourth floor, and those that do not having the same room layout, it's hard to confirm the veracity of the Toad Shrine.
Existence[]
There are no references to the Toad Shrine within the base game, although some people have claimed to see it on their journeys up to the elusive fourth floor. It is usually part of another room, situated in it's own alcove, although some claim it is in its own room. One user claims that the shrine was surrounded by a pool of water that had water flowing into it, although no other reports back up this claim.
The Toad Shrine is often described as a large statue of a Toad, much higher definition than the Toad model used in game. It uses the same metallic texture as the crystals in Cavern of the Metal Cap, and is set upon a stand with a plaque sharing its texture with the same one used in the Castle Courtyard fountain. A player has claimed to be able to read the plaque on the statue's stand, where it reads: "The Bringer of the Stars Above, the Mushroom Overlord"
Other Appearances[]
With the Toad Shrine becoming more well-known, many players have come out and recounted their stories about finding the Toad Shrine. Many have cited seeing it around the castle outside of the fourth floor.
Many players have spotted it on the other floors as a decorative piece. One player reported seeing it within the Castle Courtyard, replacing the infamous Eternal Star Statue. Another reported seeing it within the basement in one of the many dead-end halls, where the plaque now read "We oughta get rid of this statue, Princess. It's giving me the creeps..." Lastly, someone reported seeing it on the third floor with the most drastic changes yet: the large clock that led to Tick Tock Clock had been removed, and the Toad Shrine was placed in the center of the room as the main attraction with several Toads surrounding it. Unfortunately for this player, the game happened to crash after seeing this occur and couldn't get the same results to happen.
Another strange occurrence that's been reported recently is the Toad Shrine appearing in places it really isn't supposed to be. Some players, after encountering the Toad Shrine on any of these floors, started recounting that they would see the Toad Shrine somewhere around the castle in bizarre locations, only for it to disappear when looking away. They've even seen them within the voids behind doors, where they would be inaccessible.
Speculation[]
The removal of the Toad Shrine likely came with the removal of the fourth floor, however another possible reason for its removal could be due to it's religious connotations. Nintendo of America has affirmed how they're against religious messaging within their games[1], and while the Toad Shrine bares no resemblance to a singular religion it still could raise a red flag within their division.
Trivia[]
- A metallic statue of Mario and a Goomba can be found within the Peach's Castle tech demo for the Nintendo Gamecube[2]. It's possible that these concepts originated from the idea of the Toad Shrine.