You probably think you know who voiced Princess Peach. If you grew up in the nineties, you likely have one specific, high-pitched "Peachy!" burned into your brain. But honestly, the history of this character is a lot messier than just one person sitting in a recording booth for thirty years. It’s a revolving door of talent, weird localization choices, and a massive Hollywood shift that changed everything we thought we knew about the ruler of Toadstool.
Peach didn't even have a voice at first. She was just a collection of pixels in a pink dress waiting for a plumber to show up. But as hardware got better, Nintendo realized they needed to give her a soul. That started a decades-long journey of finding the right "regal yet helpless yet secretly a badass" tone.
The Early Days of Peach: When She Wasn't Even Peach
In the beginning, things were chaotic. In the West, we called her Princess Toadstool. In Japan, she was always Peach. This naming split actually bled into how she was voiced. For a long time, the voices you heard in the games weren't the same ones you heard in the cartoons or the weirdly specific educational toys.
The very first time anyone really heard Peach speak in a significant way wasn't in a game at all. It was the 1986 Japanese anime film Super Mario Bros.: Peach-Hime Kyushutsu Dai Sakusen! (Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach). In that flick, she was voiced by Mami Yamase. It was a very traditional "damsel" performance. If you watch it now, it feels almost unrecognizable compared to the modern character.
Then came the American cartoons. The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! is a fever dream of 80s pop culture, and there, Peach (Toadstool) was voiced by Jeannie Elias. Elias gave her a bit more grit. She wasn't just a trophy; she was part of the team. This was followed by Tracey Moore in the Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World animated series. Moore's version is what a lot of older Millennials still hear when they read Peach’s dialogue in a manual.
Leslie Swan and the N64 Revolution
Everything changed with the Nintendo 64. Super Mario 64 was a landmark for a million reasons, but one of the biggest was that the characters finally spoke. "Mario, the castle is in trouble!"
That voice belonged to Leslie Swan.
What’s wild is that Leslie Swan wasn't even a professional voice actor at the time. She was actually a localization manager at Nintendo of America. She was working on the script and the "Flavor text" for the game. Because they needed a temporary track or perhaps just someone accessible, she stepped into the booth. She ended up defining the character for a generation. Swan’s voice had a specific, airy quality. It felt maternal. It felt like she actually owned the castle. She stayed in the role for Mario Kart 64 and several other titles before the torch was passed.
Interestingly, in the Japanese version of Mario Kart 64, they used a different actress named Asako Kozuki. This was one of the last times Nintendo really split the voices by region. After this, they realized that having one unified global voice for their mascots was just better for branding.
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The Jen Taylor Era: Finding the Squeak
If you played Mario Party, Mario Tennis, or Super Smash Bros. Melee, you are hearing Jen Taylor. If that name sounds familiar, it should. Jen Taylor is a legend in the industry. She is the voice of Cortana in Halo.
Think about that for a second. The same woman who voices a hyper-intelligent AI guiding a Master Chief through a galactic war also voiced the princess who constantly gets kidnapped by a giant turtle.
Taylor brought a much higher, "squeakier" energy to Peach. This is where the "Peachy!" catchphrase really took off. She voiced the character from roughly 1999 to 2005. It was a golden era of spin-offs. Peach was suddenly a playable athlete, a racer, and a fighter. Taylor had to provide a lot of "grunts" and "hi-yahs" that gave the character a more active presence in the game world.
The Transition to Samantha Kelly
Around 2005, Nintendo made a quiet switch. Samantha Kelly took over the role, starting with games like Mario Party 8 and Super Mario Galaxy.
Kelly is the longest-running voice of Princess Peach. Period. When you think of the modern Peach—the one in Odyssey, the one in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, the one in Super Mario Wonder—that is Samantha Kelly.
She also voices Toad.
It’s an incredible vocal range. To go from the scratchy, panicked screech of a Toad to the melodic, soft tones of Peach is a feat of vocal gymnastics. Kelly has voiced Peach in over a hundred different titles. She is the definitive voice. She’s the one who has seen the character evolve from a plot device into a protagonist with her own standalone games like Princess Peach: Showtime!
The Movie Shakeup: Anya Taylor-Joy
Then 2023 happened. The Super Mario Bros. Movie arrived and broke the box office. But before it even came out, the internet went into a meltdown over the casting. Chris Pratt as Mario? Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong? And Anya Taylor-Joy as Peach?
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People were skeptical. Why wouldn't they use Samantha Kelly?
Hollywood is Hollywood. They wanted "star power." But honestly? Anya Taylor-Joy actually killed it. She didn't try to imitate the high-pitched "video game voice." Instead, she played Peach as a leader. This version of Peach was a ruler who trained on obstacle courses and led armies.
The voice was deeper. It was more grounded. It was "human." It worked for a 90-minute narrative in a way that the high-pitched chirps of the games might not have. It created a weird divide, though. Now we have "Game Peach" and "Movie Peach," and fans are still debating which one is "real."
The truth is they both are. Peach is a brand as much as a character.
Why the Voice Matters So Much
It’s easy to dismiss voice acting in Mario games because the characters don't exactly give Shakespearean monologues. Most of the time it’s just "Yahoo!" or "Oh, did I win?"
But that’s the point.
In a world of silent protagonists and simple plots, the voice carries all the personality. When Samantha Kelly says "Buh-bye!" at the end of a game, it’s a signal of comfort. It tells the player that everything is back to normal in the Mushroom Kingdom.
There's also the technical aspect. Voice actors for Nintendo have to record thousands of "barks"—short clips of dialogue for every possible action. Jumping, falling, getting hit by a blue shell, winning a trophy. Each one has to sound consistent. If the pitch is slightly off, fans notice.
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The Surprising List of "Other" Peaches
Beyond the big names, there have been some outliers.
- Kathy Fitzgerald: She voiced Peach in the Super Mario 64 era for certain promotional materials and some of the earliest "talking" toys.
- Nicole Mills: She had a brief stint in the mid-2000s, specifically in Mario Strikers and Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time. Her Peach was a bit more aggressive, fitting the "extreme sports" vibe of the Strikers series.
- Jenna Coleman: Before she was a star in Doctor Who, she was reportedly considered for various Nintendo-related voice projects, though she didn't become a "mainline" Peach.
It's a small club. To be the voice of Peach is to be the voice of the most famous woman in gaming history.
What Most People Get Wrong
The biggest misconception is that Peach has been voiced by the same person forever. Because her "vibe" stayed similar for so long, people assume it’s a legacy role passed down from one person.
In reality, Nintendo is very protective of the "sound," not necessarily the person. They hire actors who can fit the sonic profile of the character. When Jen Taylor left, they found Samantha Kelly because she could hit those same notes while adding her own flare.
Another weird fact? The voice of Peach often overlaps with other characters. We mentioned Samantha Kelly voicing Toad, but did you know that in many games, the person voicing Peach also voices Wendy O. Koopa or Baby Peach? It’s a specialized skill set. You have to be able to sound "Royal" and "Toddler" in the same recording session.
Actionable Steps for Fans and Creators
If you’re interested in the world of voice acting or just want to appreciate the craft more, here is how you can actually engage with this history:
- Listen to the Evolution: Go on YouTube and search for "Evolution of Princess Peach Voices." You can hear the jump from Leslie Swan’s grounded N64 voice to Samantha Kelly’s current style. The difference is jarring when played back-to-back.
- Check the Credits: Next time you play a Nintendo game, actually watch the credits. You’ll see names like Samantha Kelly or Deanna Mustard (who voices Daisy). These actors often handle multiple roles you wouldn't expect.
- Support the Actors: Many of these women, like Jen Taylor, do the convention circuit. They are incredible stores of knowledge about the industry. If you see them at a Comic-Con, go listen to their panels. They have stories about Nintendo’s secretive recording process that never make it into official interviews.
- Vocal Practice: If you’re an aspiring VA, try mimicking the "Peach Shift." Try to go from a normal speaking voice to that high-head-voice resonance Peach uses. It’s a great exercise in breath control and placement.
The voice of Princess Peach isn't just one person. It’s a legacy of performers who took a character with zero lines and turned her into a cultural icon. From the localization offices of Nintendo of America to the red carpets of Hollywood, the voice has evolved, but the "Peachy" spirit has stayed exactly the same.