The Love Between Toad and Toadette is the Last Pure Thing in this Forsaken Universe

Toads: They're anatomically weird. We're talking about the sentient mushroom beings from the Super Mario universe here, not the semi-aquatic amphibians (though they're worth a side-eye, too). But though we know next to nothing about Toads' dietary preferences, reproductive processes, or if they even have heads under those massive "caps" of theirs, we can discern this much: Toads can love other Toads, and it's very sweet.

Yesterday, the Supper Mario Broth Twitter account posted an easily-missed screenshot from Mario Kart Wii that shows Toad and the pink-topped Toadette holding hands. Toad and Toadette tend to hang together, especially in the delightful Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (which is coming to Switch this summer). But when asked outright about Toad and Toadette's relationship, Captain Toad producer Koichi Hayashida said they're not exactly a couple, nor do they even subscribe to traditional genders. Toad and Toadette are "adventure buddies." Mario Party 6 for the GameCube also describes them as "Shroommates."

So, what to Toad and Toadette mean to each other? I don't think it's too important. What matters is they care for each other, and they're happy to express as much. Isn't that nice?

…Look. We shattered Luigi's innocence last week. We just need a moment to fawn over one Nintendo's last remaining pillars of platonic warmth. All right?