Toad Hall

Yesterday, we payed a brief visit to the outside of Toad Hall in Fantasyland, home to Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. From a distance it was easy to see that Toady is a bit full of himself, having commissioned sculptures in his likeness to adorn the mansion. As it turns out, the closer you get, the more apparent his hubris.

Right above the manor's entrance is the Toad family crest, capped off with frog-shaped armor and a crown. Of course, the art on the crest is all about Toad and his obsession with speed, having graduated from Cyril Proudbottom and the gypsy cart to his flashy red motorcar. If only Toad understood Latin, though, he would know that the phrase here isn't the most flattering. "Toadi Acceleratio Semper Absurda" roughly translates to "Speeding with Toad is Always Absurd."

In the garden around the corner from the entrance, you'll discover a series of bas relief sculpts along the stone wall. Naturally, there's one for J. Thaddeus Toad, Esquire (Master of Toad Hall & Incurable Adventurer), but there are also tributes here to Toady's few friends from the story of The Wind in the Willows. There's Rat (who "Tries to Cure Toad's Motormania"), Mole ("A Loyal and Sympathetic Friend") and Angus MacBadger (who "Offers Sage Advice, So Often Scorned").

Just before turning to enter, be sure to glance up at the back of the sign outside the door. From the front, it featured typical information about the nature of the attraction. From the back, though, it adds yet another element to the story of Toad.

Once inside Toad Hall, the monuments to Toady's self image become even more ubiquitous. From the statue of Toad in the bay window to the wallpaper and architectural details, Toad is all around us.

There are toad-shaped lamps and ceramic toads, and the bookshelf is stacked with toad-related tomes. Look closely, and you'll spot titles like Rumple Toadskin, Twice Toad Tales, 20,000 Toads Under the Sea, I Was a Teenage Tadpole and Pond Life in Our Time by Nüt Salamander.

Finally, on the wall near the exit hangs a tapestry recounting some of Toad's adventures on his way to "Nowhere in Particular." It's also a bit of a roadmap of the wild ride we've just taken with Mr. Toad, including our jaunts along the wharf and through the town, our run-in with a locomotive and our wrong turn into the underworld!