We've just received word that Mr. J. Thaddeus Toad, the fabulous motorcar-stealing amphibian from Kenneth Graham's classic Wind in the Willows, is deceased and buried in - of all places - the Haunted Mansion's pet cemetery at Walt Disney World. Gosh, we didn't even know he was sick!Reportedly, the graveyard statue (seen in the gloomy photo above from GhostRelationsDept.com) is Disney's tribute to Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, the much-loved WDW attraction which closed forever in 1998.
But wait a minute!
That's our Mr. Toad Big Fig, painted over to look like moldy stone (kinda) and stuck amongst the weeds! Well, I suppose a tribute's a tribute (even a cheesy one done on a zero budget) and Jody and I are nonetheless strangely flattered by WDW's gesture. Our Mr. Toad was released in 2004, and though we pushed the sculpt through seemingly endless revisions to get his likeness on model, Toad is my personal favorite of all the character figurines we've done...and the only one displayed in our home.
As for Toady's appearance at Walt Disney World's Haunted Mansion, let's hope, as Mark Twain once famously said, "The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated."
As for Toady's appearance at Walt Disney World's Haunted Mansion, let's hope, as Mark Twain once famously said, "The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated."
Tally Ho!
