Mr. Toad

Mr. Toad
The Wind in the Willows character
Illustration by E.H. Shepard
First appearance	The Wind in the Willows
Created by	Kenneth Grahame
Portrayed by	Leslie Henson (stage adaptations, 1930s, 40s and 50s) Terry Jones (1996 film) Matt Lucas (2006 film) Nathan Lane (first musical adaptation) Nigel Hawthorne (second musical adaptation) Griff Rhys Jones (Alan Bennett's stage adaptation) Rufus Hound (stage adaptation) Peter Harryson (stage adaptation)
Voiced by	Eric Blore (1949 film) David Jason (1983 film, 1984 TV series) Charles Nelson Reilly (1987 film) Rik Mayall (1995 film, 1996 sequel) Ian Carmichael (on stage)
In-universe information
Species	Toad
Gender	Male
Occupation	Motor car driver
Nationality	English

Mr. Toad, of Toad Hall, is one of the main characters in the 1908 novel The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, and also the title character of the 1929 A. A. Milne play Toad of Toad Hall based on the book.

Character

Mr. Toad is an anthropomorphic common toad who is the village squire, 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, and completely lacking in even the most basic common sense. His heedless 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 a fine example of the stock character of the lovable rogue.

Film and television

• In the 1949 Disney film adaptation The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (which also contains a version of Washington Irving's 1820 story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"), 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 Reluctant Dragon & Mr. Toad Show, a 1970 cartoon series by Rankin/Bass.
• The Wind in the Willows, a 1983 animated film version with stop-motion puppets by Cosgrove Hall, in which the character is voiced by David Jason.
• The Wind in the Willows, a TV series (1984–1990) following the stop-motion film, done in the same style. There was a host of famous names in the cast, including David Jason, Sir Michael Hordern, Peter Sallis and Ian Carmichael.
• In the 1987 Rankin Bass TV movie, The Wind in the Willows, he was voiced by Charles Nelson Reilly
• 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 (later released in the US home video market as Mr. Toad's Wild Ride) 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 (1852–1924), 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
• David Jason - The Wind in the Willows (1983 film)
• Charles Nelson Reilly - The Wind in the Willows (1987 film)
• Rik Mayall - The Wind in the Willows (1995 film)
• Terry Jones - The Wind in the Willows (1996 film)
• Matt Lucas - The Wind in the Willows (2006 film)
• Nathan Lane - In the first stage Musical adaptation.
• Nigel Hawthorne - In another stage Musical adaptation.
• Griff Rhys Jones - In Alan Bennett's original stage adaptation.
• Jack Speckleton - on stage.
• Ian Carmichael - on stage and as a voice actor.
• Peter Harryson - on stage.
• Rufus Hound - on stage

References in other media

The first story arc of the Batman and Robin comic book by Grant Morrison features a villainous character with the name and appearance of Mr. Toad. After Batman and Robin interrogate Toad, he is revealed to be in cahoots with Pyg. This same character also appears in the animated series Beware the Batman.

In Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series, Miss Havisham and Mr. Toad engage in an ongoing series of car races.

Mr. Toad appears briefly in Bill Willingham's Fables series. He is a member of anti-Fabletown Farm revolution and can be seen later on various occasions, mostly as a non-speaking character. In most recent comics, his gravestone is shown among the other fables buried at The Farm. The character appears in The Wolf Among Us— a downloadable episodic video game set during the 1980s, before the events of Fables — where he is still alive and appears as a non-player character.