Theme Park Thursdays feature photos from one of our theme park adventures in the past.
Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (1996)
One of my favorite attractions at Walt Disney World used to be Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, which opened with the Magic Kingdom in 1971 and was closed in 1998. As a kid, this ride made no sense and was so weird, that, well, it was just awesome! It wasn't until years later that I actually saw the film it was based upon, 1949's The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.
Unlike Disneyland's original version, which opened in 1955, the East Coast take had 2 different tracks, and each was different regarding the set design and storyline. Both, however, had you driving the wrong way into a railroad tunnel for a head-on collision with a train, killing you, and sending you through a "Hell" scene. This was edgy stuff! But alas, it was ripped out of Florida unceremoniously so Disney could shove a cheap Winnie the Pooh ride in, capitalizing on selling stuffed plush bears. Thankfully, Mr. Toad does still exist at Disneyland, albeit in a smaller, single-track context.
Today's photo showcases one of my last rides on Mr. Toad, joined by my sister Karen on Track #2, during a vacation in 1996. Behind us you can see part of the "Hell" scene. Long live Mr. Toad!
We rode the Disneyland version of MTWR and it was fun but I remember the "scary" and crazy WDW version from 1992. That was, as you noted, bizarre and edgy. Kids can take scary stuff a lot better than adults think they can so it's a shame that this ride is gone but I understand why. TAoIaMT the movie is not a familiar one with kids nowadays.
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