August 2, 2010

Pinvestigation: the Original Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride

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Opening as an original Disneyland attraction on July 17, 1955, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride’s story is based on Disney's adaptation of The Wind in the Willows, one of the two segments of the film The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.

Guests enter a recreation of Toad Hall, passing by artistic works commemorating both the characters from "The Wind in the Willows" and warning visitors of the trip that they are about to undertake. A large mural shows the progress of Toad and his motorcar, which will be mirrored in the ride, yet this version is not accurate to the slower-paced movie. Guests hop aboard in stolen early 1900s type multi-colored motorcars with the names of characters (including Mr. Toad, Toady, Ratty, Moley, MacBadger, Cyril, Winky and Weasel) in the front of each motorcar.

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Passengers begin their journey by crashing into the library where MacBadger is seen holding a stack of books while atop a ladder teetering back and forth, then crashing through the fireplace, where fiber optic effects are employed to simulate the spreading of dispersed, yet still flaming, ashes. After nearly avoiding a falling suit of armor, they break through a set of doors to find the interior hallway of Toad Hall in disarray, as weasels swing from chandeliers. Guests then enter the dining room, where Mr. Mole eats at the dinner table and gets knocked aside.

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Upon leaving Toad Hall, guests then travel through the countryside, passing Mr. Rat's house, aggravating policemen and terrifying a farmer and his sheep. Making a right turn, guests head for the docks and get the impression that their car will plunge into the river, but quickly make a sharp turn in a different direction and enter a warehouse full of barrels and crates containing explosives. Guests crash through a brick wall as the warehouse's contents explode. The guests then head out into the streets of London, avoid a close collision with a delivery truck and enter Winky's Pub, where Winky the bartender holds two spinning beer mugs.

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Passengers then enter the town square, where the cars wreak further havoc to the citizens. A working fountain featuring Toad and Cyril Proudbottom stands in the center of the town. Behind this statue is a statue of Lady Justice peeking out from under her blindfold, precipitating the hasty trial of Mr. Toad. Next, guests enter a jury-less courtroom, where the riders are proclaimed guilty by a judge (based on the Film's prosecutor for the Crown). The cars then enter what is presumed to be dark prison cells before abruptly turning right and landing on railroad tracks. The vehicles bounce up and down on the tracks before colliding head-on with an oncoming train, whereafter they are sent to the ride's final scenes — "Hell."

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Created specifically for the ride by Disney Imagineers and not inspired by any scene in the movie or book, "Hell" features small devils who bounce up and down while a devillish Judge-looking Satan (who looks just like the prosecutor that previously appeared in the courtroom) points them to the left. The entire room is heated and all the little devils including Satan just laugh and mock you. In the ride's final seconds, a green dragon tries to spit out fire, but fails and ends up having a bad cough. Soon enough, the guests escape back into the confines of Toad Hall and the air conditioned real world, where they then disembark. 

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Onto our brief overview of the various pins for this attraction. First off, many of the pins feature Mr. Toad and the attraction’s ride vehicle, it’s unique and part of the experience.

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Other themes featured on Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride pins are the fact that it is an ‘Original Opening Day Attraction’.

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These final pins are miscellaneous attraction pins. Like these two WDI Pins featuring the Original Wait Time Sign and the Attraction Sign. pin57866   pin66770

The final pin features the Toad Crest that is above the entrance of the attraction.

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Pictures and Information from Yesterland and PinPics

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