It’s TBT, a perfect day to talk about Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride in Walt Disney World Resort.
Being in some what of an older age group and having first visited the Magic Kingdom in 1974- I am a bit of a Mr. Toad fan.
I will never forget the thrill and sheer terror of being recklessly driven down that dark tunnel towards the oncoming train and then suddenly thrown into a room filled with Devilish figures; as an adult I came to understand this to be Hell.
None the less this has not emotionally scarred me in my adult years, but has left me with only fond memories and still completely intrigued with this little recklessly wild amphibian.
For those of you not familiar with this Classic Disney attraction, it first opened in Disneyland in 1955 (and still remains) and was an original opening day attraction in Walt Disney World in 1971, but closed on September 7th, 1998.
Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride is and was (depending on the park we are speaking about) classified as a Dark Ride. Its attraction story is based on Disney’s version of Wind in the Willows from the film The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. In WDW you had a choice of two separate boarding areas which would create a different ride experience depending which line you chose. Following your acceptance to board Mr. Toad’s old dilapidated vehicle (from his many crazy collisions) you are swooped into a WILD RIDE that only Mr. Toad himself could provide. Your car would make sudden turns and at times would move at full speed towards an obstacle and move out of the way at the last second. It was basically great old fashioned fun.
Upon its announcement and then final closure, many upset and angered voices spoke out. Toad Hall made way for The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. You can see references or shall we say homage paid to our old friend the tainted toad in Pooh’s now new home and in the Pet Cemetery over at the Haunted Mansion. A picture on a wall in Pooh’s new home shows Toad handing over the deed to owl and another with Pooh saying farewell to Mole.
Are you a Toady Fan? What are your fondest memories of this “once was” attraction?
~Maureen