Mr. Toad

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Mr. Toad
The Wind in the Willows character
E.H. Shepard illustration of Mr Toad.jpg
Illustration by E.H. Shepard
First appearance The Wind in the Willows
Created by Kenneth Grahame
Portrayed by 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)
In-universe information
Species Toad
GenderMale
OccupationThe Squire of Toad Hall
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.

Contents

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". [1] Colonel Francis Cecil Ricardo (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. [2]

Character

Toad is the squire of the English countryside estate Toad Hall, which he inherited from his family. Toad is a jovial and friendly figure but he is often ruled by his conceit and impulsiveness which often gets him into trouble. Toad is known for becoming obsessed with various activities and then eventually growing bored with them. In the novel Toad becomes obsessed with motor cars after one runs him and his friends off the road in his caravan. Toad is a passionate driver and crashes at least eight motor cars before his friends step in and encourage him to change his ways. [3]

In other works

A. A. Milne's 1929 play Toad of Toad Hall was based on the book.[ citation needed ] William Horwood wrote several children's novels, Tales of the Willows , continuing the original story. [4] The 2013 graphic adventure video game The Wolf Among Us , based on the Fables comic book series, features Mr. Toad as "a foul-mouthed taxi-driver" voiced by Chuck Kourouklis. [5] [6]

Portrayals

Related Research Articles

<i>The Wind in the Willows</i> 1908 childrens novel by Kenneth Grahame

The Wind in the Willows is a classic children's novel by the British novelist Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908. It details the story of Mole, Ratty, and Badger as they try to help Mr. Toad, after he becomes obsessed with motorcars and gets into trouble. It also details short stories about them that are disconnected from the main narrative. The novel was based on bedtime stories Grahame told his son Alastair. It has been adapted numerous times for both stage and screen.

<i>Toad of Toad Hall</i> Play by A. A. Milne

Toad of Toad Hall is a play written by A. A. Milne – the first of several dramatisations of Kenneth Grahame's 1908 novel The Wind in the Willows – with incidental music by Harold Fraser-Simson. It was originally produced by William Armstrong at the Playhouse Theatre, Liverpool, on 21 December 1929. It was given in the West End the following year, and has been revived frequently by many theatrical companies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenneth Grahame</span> British writer, 1859–1932

Kenneth Grahame was a British writer best remembered for the classic of children's literature The Wind in the Willows (1908). Scottish by birth, he spent most of his childhood with his grandmother in England, following the death of his mother and his father's inability to look after the children. After attending St Edward's School in Oxford, his ambition to attend university was thwarted and he joined the Bank of England, where he had a successful career. Before writing The Wind in the Willows, he published three other books: Pagan Papers (1893), The Golden Age (1895), and Dream Days (1898).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rik Mayall</span> English comedian (1958–2014)

Richard Michael Mayall, known professionally as Rik Mayall, was an English comedian, actor and writer. He formed a close partnership with Ade Edmondson while they were students at Manchester University, and was a pioneer of alternative comedy in the 1980s.

<i>The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad</i> 1949 animated Disney film

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad is a 1949 American animated anthology film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. It consists of two segments: the first based on Kenneth Grahame's 1908 children's novel The Wind in the Willows and narrated by Basil Rathbone, and the second based on Washington Irving's 1820 short story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and narrated by Bing Crosby. The production was supervised by Ben Sharpsteen, and was directed by Jack Kinney, Clyde Geronimi, and James Algar.

<i>The Wind in the Willows</i> (1996 film) 1996 British film by Terry Jones

The Wind in the Willows is a 1996 British adventure comedy film based on Kenneth Grahame's 1908 novel The Wind in the Willows, adapted and directed by Terry Jones, and produced by Jake Eberts and John Goldstone. The film stars Terry Jones, Steve Coogan, Eric Idle and Nicol Williamson. While positively regarded, it was a box office bomb and had distribution problems in the United States.

<i>The Wind in the Willows</i> (1983 film) 1983 British stop-motion animated television film

The Wind in the Willows is a 1983 British stop motion animated film produced by Cosgrove Hall Productions for Thames Television and aired on the ITV network. The film is based on Kenneth Grahame's classic 1908 novel The Wind in the Willows. It won a BAFTA award and an international Emmy award.

The Wind in the Willows is a British stop motion animated television series that was originally broadcast between 1984 and 1988, based on characters from Kenneth Grahame's 1908 novel The Wind in the Willows and following the 1983 feature-length pilot film.

<i>Moles Christmas</i> 1994 British TV series or program

Mole's Christmas is a 30-minute animated film released in 1994. The voices involved are Richard Briers (Rat), Peter Davison (Mole) and Ellie Beaven with Imelda Staunton (Mother). Directed by Martin Gates, it is based on Kenneth Grahame's 1908 novel The Wind in the Willows and is part of a series.

The Wind in the Willows is a 1908 children's book by Kenneth Grahame.

<i>Wind in the Willows</i> (1988 film) 1988 Australian TV film

Wind in the Willows is a 1988 Australian made-for-television animated film created by Burbank Films Australia. The film is based on Kenneth Grahame's 1908 English children's novel of the same name.

<i>The Wind in the Willows</i> (2006 film) 2006 British-Canadian television film by Rachel Talalay

The Wind in the Willows is a 2006 live-action television adaptation of Kenneth Grahame's classic 1908 novel The Wind in the Willows. It was a joint production of the BBC and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and starred Matt Lucas, Bob Hoskins (Badger), Mark Gatiss (Ratty), and Lee Ingleby (Mole), with a cameo appearance from Michael Murphy as the Judge. Rachel Talalay directed. It debuted in Canada on CBC Television on 18 December 2006 in the United Kingdom on BBC1 on 1 January 2007, in the U.S. on PBS's Masterpiece Theatre on 8 April 2007 and in Australia on ABC TV on 23 December 2007. It was filmed on location in Bucharest, Romania.

<i>The Wind in the Willows</i> (1987 film) 1987 animated television film by Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass

The Wind in the Willows is a 1987 American animated musical television film directed by Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass, co-founders of Rankin/Bass Productions in New York, New York. It is an adaptation of Kenneth Grahame's 1908 novel The Wind in the Willows. Set in a pastoral version of England, the film focuses on four anthropomorphised animal characters and contains themes of mysticism, adventure, morality, and camaraderie. The film features the voices of Charles Nelson Reilly, Roddy McDowall, José Ferrer, and Eddie Bracken. The screenplay was written by Romeo Muller, a long-time Rankin/Bass writer whose work included Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964), Frosty the Snowman (1969), The Hobbit (1977), and The Flight of Dragons (1982), among others. The film's animation was outsourced to James C.Y. Wang's Cuckoo's Nest Studios in Taipei, Taiwan.

<i>The Willows at Christmas</i> 1999 children’s novel by William Horwood

The Willows at Christmas is a children's novel by English writer William Horwood, first published in 1999. It is the fourth book of the Tales of the Willows series, a collection of four sequels to Kenneth Grahame's 1908 novel The Wind in the Willows.

<i>The Wind in the Willows</i> (1995 film) 1995 British animated television film by Dave Unwin

The Wind in the Willows is a 1995 British animated television film directed by Dave Unwin and written by Ted Walker, and based on the 1908 novel of the same name, a classic of children's literature by Kenneth Grahame. It was produced by the TVC in London.

<i>The Wind in the Willows</i> (musical) Musical

The Wind in the Willows is a musical written by Julian Fellowes, with music and lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, based on the 1908 novel of the same name, written by Kenneth Grahame. The musical received its world premiere at the Theatre Royal in Plymouth in October 2016, before transferring to The Lowry in Salford and the Mayflower Theatre in Southampton. The following year the production transferred to the West End's London Palladium, where it was filmed for cinema broadcast.

Toad of Toad Hall is a 1946 British TV adaptation of the 1929 play Toad of Toad Hall by A. A. Milne, itself an adaptation of the 1908 novel The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toad Hall</span> Fictional home of Mr. Toad

Toad Hall is the fictional home of Mr. Toad, a character in the 1908 novel The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame.

<i>The Reluctant Dragon & Mr. Toad Show</i> 1970 Rankin/Bass animated television series

The Reluctant Dragon & Mr. Toad Show is a 1970 American animated television series that aired on ABC's Saturday morning schedule. The show features two characters created by British children's writer Kenneth Grahame: the Reluctant Dragon from the 1898 short story of the same name, and Mr. Toad from the 1908 novel The Wind in the Willows. The show was created by Rankin/Bass Productions in New York City, who produced 17 episodes. The show was a flop and canceled midway through its first season, airing from September 12 until December 26, 1970. ABC aired reruns of the show on Sunday mornings during the 1971–72 season. Copies of all 17 episodes were deposited at the Library of Congress, but only 8 episodes from other sources have been made publicly available as of 2024.

References

  1. Mattanah, Jonathan (2009). "A Contemporary Psychological Understanding of Mr. Toad". In Horne, Jackie C.; White, Donna R. (eds.). Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows: A Children's Classic at 100. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. pp. 93–94. ISBN   9780810872592.
  2. Johnson, Andrew (22 October 2011). "Is this the real Mr Toad?". The Independent . Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  3. Sander, David (1997). "Mr. Bliss and Mr. Toad: Hazardous Driving in J.R.R. Tolkien's "Mr. Bliss" & Kenneth Grahame's "The Wind in the Willows"". Mythlore . 21 (4 (82)): 36–38. ISSN   0146-9339. JSTOR   26812758.
  4. Drew, Bernard A. (8 March 2010). Literary Afterlife: The Posthumous Continuations of 325 Authors' Fictional Characters. McFarland. p. 211. ISBN   978-0-7864-5721-2.
  5. Harrist, Josiah (26 November 2019). "With The Wolf Among Us, Telltale Takes a Turn for the Nihilistic". Kill Screen . Archived from the original on 28 February 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  6. "Mr. Toad Voice - The Wolf Among Us (Video Game)". Behind the Voice Actors. Archived from the original on 8 March 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  7. Pitts, Michael R. (3 April 2015). RKO Radio Pictures Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy Films, 1929-1956. McFarland. p. 9. ISBN   978-0-7864-6047-2.
  8. 1 2 3 Duck, Siobhan (19 December 2007). "Willow talk". The Daily Telegraph . ProQuest   359670071 . Retrieved 8 March 2024 via ProQuest.
  9. Hischak, Thomas S. (2008). The Oxford Companion to the American Musical. Oxford University Press. p. 802. ISBN   978-0-19-533533-0.
  10. Castle, Jill (9 June 2014). "In Pictures: Rik Mayall, a career in comedy". The Herald . Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  11. Panas, Dan (15 June 1998). "Aftonbladet nöje: Sista kvällen som padda". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  12. https://playbill.com/production/wind-in-the-willows-nederlander-theatre-vault-0000002716 [ bare URL ]
  13. Billington, Michael (29 June 2017). "The Wind in the Willows review – Rufus Hound goes wild with Julian Fellowes' party animals". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 29 May 2024.