J. Thaddeus Toad

J. Thaddeus Toad, Esq. is a character from The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949), based on Mister Toad from The Wind in the Willows (1908) by Kenneth Grahame.

History[]

Biography[]

Book[]

Disney[]

Mr. Toad is an aristocratic anthropomorphic toad from England in the early 20th century. His ancestral home is the riverside estate of Toad Hall where he squanders his family fortune on fleeting manias.

Development history[]

Jungle Cruise appearances[]

Skipper Canteen[]

In the library of the skipper canteen, there is a book titled The Wildest Ride by J.T. Toad. This alludes to the attraction Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.

Trader Sam's Grog Grotto[]

Hanging above the counter in this bar are car-keys labelled, "J. Thaddeus Toad, Esq." which seemingly identify Toad as having been a customer of Trader Sam's. The implication is presumably that the keys were confiscated due to Toad's driving abilities.

Other connections[]

Disney's Polynesian Village Resort[]

Toad would have had to have travelled to the Polynesian Village along the Seven Seas Lagoon when visiting Sam's bar.

Other appearances[]

The Haunted Mansion[]

In Walt Disney World's Haunted Mansion, Mr. Toad has a tomb in the manor's pet cemetery. According to cast-members, the tomb's epitaph reads, " Here Lies Toad, it's sad but true. Not nearly as marketable as Winnie the Pooh".^[1] During the Room for 1 More 40th anniversary event at Disneyland, statues of Toad were distributed along with a, "Deed of Departure" which read, "I hereby announce my departure from regions beyond to take a journey across the pond, merrily going nowhere in particular. So as to not be forgotten I tribute myself to you dear friend, for this is not the end. Farewell until we meet again at a later date".

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh[]

Toad makes a cameo-appearance in the Magic Kingdom's version of the attraction. Inside of Owl's house is a portrait of Mr. Toad handing over the deed to an estate to Owl, referencing how The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh replaced Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.^[2]

Mr. Toad's Wild Ride[]

Guests assumed the roles of Mr. Toad in this attraction, going on a disastrous ride through Toad Hall, the nearby village, Hell and back.

Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin[]

Within the Toon Town Taxi company's base is a Toon Town licence plate from 1941 which reads, "MR TOAD".^[3] This might reference how Toad briefly appeared as a denizen of Toon Town in the film Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988).

Toad Hall Restaurant[]

This restaurant is themed towards Toad's ancestral home.

Town Square Theatre[]

In Walt Disney World's Main Street, U.S.A. is a meet 'n' greet area themed to a dressing-room used by Mickey Mouse for magic-shows. On a desk is a letter from the, "J. Thaddeus Toad Motors, Ltd." with the tag-line, "Quality Motors Are Our Mania" and the logo of one of Toad's motor-cards. The letter is sent to Mickey Mouse by Angus MacBadger, affirming Mickey's purchase of a, "Nifty Nineties Edition Horseless Carriage" automobile from the company.^[4]

Trivia[]

Toad's affiliation with the Jungle Cruise might be connected to how special-effects supervisor Bob Mattey worked on both the Jungle Cruise and Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. Toad is often referenced alongside 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) with said film having also been worked on by Mattey.
In the vain of the Jungle Cruise, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad shows that one of Toad's past manias involved big-game hunting tigers.
- An unused Jungle Cruise gag by Marc Davis would have involved a European tiger-hunter.