Just a day following the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 and more changes seem to be in line for Nintendo going forward. Samantha Kelly, the voice of both Princess Peach and Toad since 2007, has posted on Instagram that Nintendo let her know that they have decided to recast both roles. Her message includes that it was just yesterday that she was informed she would not be voicing these characters going forward.
Kelly began voicing the princess and the toad back on the Wii in Mario Strikers Charged and Mario Party 8. Since then, she has been in many Mario games voicing various versions of the characters including Baby Peach and Toadette. According to her IMDb page, her last time voicing the characters will be in an unannounced 3D Mario game, but we’re not sure if that entry was put there as speculation on the site’s half, considering it has not been officially announced.
Is the New Voice for Peach and Toad in Mario Kart World?
Interestingly, we may already have the new Princess Peach and Toad voice available to us. Kelly does not appear in the credits for Mario Kart World, which was released yesterday alongside the Nintendo Switch 2. Unfortunately, the game doesn’t say the specific roles each voice actor gives in the list, so until it’s announced, we are unsure who voices the characters in the new game. Of course, Nintendo may also have the long-term voice in line for a future game and did not have them start in Mario Kart World.
While voice roles in Nintendo games will likely never win any awards for bringing gripping emotional ties to the characters, Kelly being the voice of Princess Peach and Toad for so long is an accomplishment. She brought a lot of joy to the characters and deserves to be praised for that. Nintendo seems to be in a big transition mode for many of their characters going forward, so it will be interesting to see who next gets a new voice.
