Mr. Toad is an anthropomorphiccommon toad who is the villagesquire, being the wealthy owner and occupant of Toad Hall. Toad is very rich and a bit of a fop, with a penchant for Harris tweed suits. He owns his own horse, and is able to indulge his impulsive desires, such as punting, house boating and hot air ballooning. Toad is intelligent, creative and resourceful; however, he is also narcissistic, self-centred almost to the point of sociopathy, and completely lacking in even the most basic common sense. His reckless interest in motor cars leads to an episode in which he steals one and drives it recklessly. The result of this is a twenty-year prison sentence, but he escapes from prison dressed as a washer woman to regain his family seat of Toad Hall from the clutches of the weasels. Although he has escaped from jail, and the police initially pursue him, he is never re-arrested. No reason is ever given for this, but in the 1949 Disney movie, he is shown being framed for theft when he should be in jail for twenty years. In The Willows in Winter, the sequel to the 1995 animated film, Toad is arrested again after being recognised by the Chief Judge as the criminal he convicted before and is hauled before a court, but he is released because of several good deeds he has done since his escape. Ultimately, Toad has his heart in the right place, often showing kindness and strong loyalty to his friends. His characteristics have made him arguably the epitome of the stock character of the lovable rogue.
Film and television
In the 1949 Disney film adaptation The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, the character's full name is given as "J. Thaddeus Toad, Esq." This version of Mr. Toad makes a cameo appearance in the 1988 movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit while riding a firetruck and dressed in a fire-fighter uniform. He also appeared as Fezziwig in Mickey's Christmas Carol, and was featured as one of the guests in House of Mouse.
The Wind in the Willows, in this 1995 animated film and its sequel The Willows in Winter, Toad is voiced by Rik Mayall.
The Wind in the Willows, a 1996 live action production which featured four of the six members of the Monty Python troupe.
The BBC produced a version of the Wind in the Willows in 2006, in which all the animal characters were portrayed in human form. Toad was played by Matt Lucas.
In the 2008 book, Counselling for Toads: A Psychological Adventure, an older Mr Toad is found in a depressed state and undergoes counselling with Heron.
Theme parks
Since July 17, 1955, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, a dark ride based on The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, has operated at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. A larger, two-tracked version of the attraction operated at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom from 1971 until 1998.
Inspiration
The inspiration for Mr. Toad's wayward mischievousness and boastfulness was Kenneth Grahame's only child Alastair: a family friend, Constance Smedley, overheard Grahame telling Alastair the exploits of Toad as a bedtime story, and noted that "Alastair's own tendency to exult in his exploits was gently satirized in Mr. Toad". Colonel Francis Cecil Ricardo CVO CBE, the first owner of a car in Cookham in Berkshire, where Grahame wrote the books is also thought to have been an influence. Other suggestions include Walter Cunliffe, 1st Baron Cunliffe.
Actors who have played Mr. Toad
Leslie Henson - Numerous stage adaptations throughout the 1930s, 40s and 50s.
Eric Blore - The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
