Auction Ended: Mr. Toad Sweepstakes Giveaway Extravaganza - Ends 9/24 5:00 PM EST

[Spr175psu]

Confession: haven't seen this movie yet.

BUT, now I'm motivated and will get right on it! Points for conversion?

For the record, I will absolutely add points for conversion.

And I have to give props to Disney for the history recognition on the Winnie the Pooh ride (which is also fun, but in a different way). How awesome is it that in Owl's home there is a "photo" of Mr. Toad handing over the deed to the property?! Just so fun all around.

Now, to be fair, I am not a Mr. Toad pin collector so deduct a point for that. But I do have some. Such as this AP pin I got off a board at the WDW annual pin event a couple of years back:

And, of course, these:

Thanks for the opportunity! Fun auction!

No deduction of points for not collecting Mr. Toad pins, though it sounds like you should consider it.

And I love the memorable scenes set, I only recently finished getting all of them and they are definitely one of my favorites in my collection.

The first time I went to WDW was a year before they closed the Mr. Toad ride for good. We spent only one day at Magic Kingdom and I only vividly remember going on three rides: Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, and Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. I collect two out of the three and I lost my favorite hat on Space Mountain. But Mr. Toad always stuck with me as a character who generally means well, is prone to excess, has an all-or-nothing mentality, struggles to find meaning in the ordinary, an early adopter and loves taking risks, with few but very loyal friends and is really just a kid at heart all not unlike myself. And my daughter thinks I drive like Mr. Toad. So there's that.

And in the Pooh ride in Magic Kingdom, there is also a picture of Mole hanging out with Pooh Bear in Owl's house. Look closely next time you ride on Pooh. Hint: it's on the opposite side of Toad giving the deed to Owl.

I love Mr. Toad. He's an amazing character and it was my favorite ride at WDW. I always point out the picture of Mr Toad handing the deed to Owl on the Winnie the Pooh ride and head over to the Haunted Mansion to the pet cemetery, where he's now more prominently featured, to pour out a little of whatever drink I have on the ground. Rest in peace, little homie.

I do have a small sub-collection of Mr. Toad pins, as you know. Like the ride at WDW, they may be departing, so I don't need a pin. I just wanted to share the love for Mr. Toad.

On Sunday, I was sitting outside the exit of Haunted Mansion during the Halloween party relaxing and costume watching while my daughter slept in her stroller. A crowd of high school age kids walked past the cemetery and noticed Toad up there. One of them asked, "who is that back there?" To which a friend responded, "Oh yeah, it's what's-his-face, that frog dude. "

Keep those "bids" coming everyone! Round two (consider it increasing your bid) will begin Thursday and only folks with bids in Round One will get to potentially add to their totals.

And I am keeping track of totals as an fyi to everyone.

Here is my list of "official" bidders. Please let me know if you bid and are not on this list.

Disneychildwithin
Ajk
hopemax
krand1276
cadien

 

[Spr175psu]

And remember, I am adding in bonus points for proper gif-usage and if the bidder collects Mr. Toad. Collecting Ichabod I have decided counts.

Also, @Disneychildwithin, I put you down as a bidder but I don't know if you wanted to resubmit after you see the movie or would like to talk about why you like the ride, either WDW or DLR, instead.

For everyone, I will allow a one time only resubmission prior to the start of Round Two but only if you want to.

 

[pretty_Omi]

I was quite fond of the cartoon, I had Wind in the Willows on it's own stand alone VHS, and it was actually Sleepy Hollow I hadn't seen until much later on. I always liked the Weasels even tho they're bad guys, and I remember just how overall funny the film was, I liked Cyril the best probably. Mr Toad's Wild Ride was always my parents favorite ride whenever they took me to Disneyland. In the early days of my AP, just out of high school, I remember a particularly rainy winter season, and we often took trips to hell to warm up!

Not bidding, but did want to share my own Toad memories

 

[Booger1964]

How fun! I am a Mr. Toad collector. I didn't start out as one, but since my husband tells me "Time for a wild ride with Mr. Toad" every time he gets in my car with me, I decided it was fate to do so. I even have this lanyard hanging from my rear view mirror:

I don't know if I necessarily agree with him, but it makes me smile all the same!

 

[Spr175psu]

I am super jealous of everyone who has the Mr. Toad lanyard. I can't seem to find it anywhere.

 

[Ajk]

Post a GIF?

(Uh oh, we may have started down a slippery slope.)

 

[cyke23]

I'm not officially entering because other people here deserve the pin more (who actually collect Toad or have emotional attachment to the movie or ride), but I do enjoy riding Wild Ride at Disneyland and going to Hell (complete with the puff of hot air).

Good luck, all!

I’m not entering either but wanted to share that I am trying to collect 1 pin of each ride, and some time ago, when I saw the memorable scene series with hell, I thought that was hilarious and unique and had to have it. Love that ride. Great stories everyone!

 

[Disneychildwithin]

Oh I'm just here for the fun, I'd rather a true Toad Collector win the auction. I'll get back to y'all after I actually see the movie to see if I'm a convert.

 

[Spr175psu]

Ok, I think we are ready for Round 2!

So everyone is still able to participate in Round 2 but it is a running tally so participating folks will be at a disadvantage if they don't submit for Round 1.

You have until Midnight tonight EST to still submit or resubmit for Round 1.

Point Totals through Round 1:

Ajk - 9
hopemax - 8
krand1276 - 7
cadien - 8
Booger1964 - 7

Round 2 will end 9/22 at Midnight EST. There may or may not be Round 3. If there isn't, then Round 2 will last until the end of the Auction.

Anyway, Round 2 is as follows:

Please list your all-time favorite Mr. Toad pin and why. It can be from your own collection, mine (see pin showroom), or on pin pics.

A Bonus point, again, will be rewarded for proper gif usage (doesn't have to be of Mr. Toad as you can see from mine, it just has to have some connection to the narrative).

An additional bonus point will be awarded if you own the pin (since, again, I'm looking for someone who will really appreciate this Toad pin).

I am also allowing Ichabod pins to count for purposes of this round just as before for being a Mr. Toad collector.

It's extremely close so this Round could decide it all!

 

[summerskin]

I'm not entering but thanks for running this thread. This is so much fun to watch and also very sweet of you to shine some love on an under appreciated Disney movie and the collectors of that movie.

 

[Ajk]

Point Totals through Round 1:

Ajk - 9
hopemax - 8
krand1276 - 7
cadien - 8
Booger1964 - 7

 

[Booger1964]

Whew! I made it to round 2 My favorite Mr. Toad pin would be this one because it very accurately depicts the theme/reason I collect him:

And since moving away from Denver (and the mountains), I have trouble distinguishing which direction I am travelling. Thanks goodness for GPS units!

But, this gif is more like me and my hubby...

P.S. I do actually own the postcard pin above

 

[hopemax]

I don't do gifs. I've tried a couple, and, it's not me. I usually find them annoying because they take too much room on a page, and it's hard to focus on the important bits.

So since I'm already throwing away points, I guess I better pick a favorite pin that I actually own. Which isn't too hard.

Way back, on our honeymoon in July 1998, I was standing in the Disneyland Jewelry shop looking at the spinning rack of Disneyland Attraction pins trying to decide which one I wanted. I first took off about a dozen, but at $6 a pin I found myself saying, "Who would ever spend $70 just on pins!" The full set was 80 pins, and if spending $70 was silly, spending $480 was downright ridiculous. So after about 20 minutes, I decided the only sane thing to do was buy a single pin. Which wasn't a Toad pin (it was the Toontown Trolley).

But I went home, and shared my story with my parents. Then when they went to Disneyland the next summer, they brought me a couple pins (it was 3 months before the official start of pin trading at WDW, and a few more months before DL had it). 80, well 79 pins, pins to choose from and my Mom picked that one, because she knew it was my favorite Fantasyland ride when I was little (We also got the Haunted Mansion 30th anniversary because they knew that was my DH's favorite ride).

Actual grail Toad pin is

Because I'm always "old school" with my grails. Funny thing is that on an antiquing trip we found the tin. But my Mom snatched it first so it lives at my Dad's house in FL at the base of the Mr. Toad Big Fig.

 

[Spr175psu]

Extra point for a Simpsons gif.

Sorry, not really. But I still liked it.

Whew! I made it to round 2 My favorite Mr. Toad pin would be this one because it very accurately depicts the theme/reason I collect him:

And since moving away from Denver (and the mountains), I have trouble distinguishing which direction I am travelling. Thanks goodness for GPS units!

But, this gif is more like me and my hubby...

P.S. I do actually own the postcard pin above

Love it! And I'm super jealous that you have one of my ultimates.

But I think I might take a point off for the Friends gif.

I don't do gifs. I've tried a couple, and, it's not me. I usually find them annoying because they take too much room on a page, and it's hard to focus on the important bits.

So since I'm already throwing away points, I guess I better pick a favorite pin that I actually own. Which isn't too hard.

Way back, on our honeymoon in July 1998, I was standing in the Disneyland Jewelry shop looking at the spinning rack of Disneyland Attraction pins trying to decide which one I wanted. I first took off about a dozen, but at $6 a pin I found myself saying, "Who would ever spend $70 just on pins!" The full set was 80 pins, and if spending $70 was silly, spending $480 was downright ridiculous. So after about 20 minutes, I decided the only sane thing to do was buy a single pin. Which wasn't a Toad pin (it was the Toontown Trolley).

But I went home, and shared my story with my parents. Then when they went to Disneyland the next summer, they brought me a couple pins (it was 3 months before the official start of pin trading at WDW, and a few more months before DL had it). 80, well 79 pins, pins to choose from and my Mom picked that one, because she knew it was my favorite Fantasyland ride when I was little (We also got the Haunted Mansion 30th anniversary because they knew that was my DH's favorite ride).

Actual grail Toad pin is

Because I'm always "old school" with my grails. Funny thing is that on an antiquing trip we found the tin. But my Mom snatched it first so it lives at my Dad's house in FL at the base of the Mr. Toad Big Fig.

Absolutely no lost points for not liking gifs. I happen to love them because I talk all day, arguing, negotiating, compromising, and when I get home, I just want a short 2 second video to speak for me.

I love all of the pins that everyone is choosing. Please keep them coming!

 

[Ajk]

Well, round two turned out to be quite...educational. I started out thinking I had to use something from Pinpics as I didn’t really have any other Mr. Toad pins other than the ones I showed earlier. But looking at pinpics, I found a lot of them looking familiar. Turns out I have way more Mr, Toad pins than I realized.

But, to be fair, I still don’t think you can call me a Mr. Toad collector. These are all parts of other collections.

In any case, having to pick a favorite was extremely challenging. I was initially going to use the postcard but @Booger1964 beat me to it (nice pin by the way).

So then I decided on the POH because I really loved the ride and now I have an actual piece to remember it by. And I especially like POH pins of rides that are gone. After all, it’s Piece of HISTORY, not piece of CURRENT.

But I decided that one pin didn’t tell the whole story so decided to share a second favorite...

I mean, come on! Look at it! What could encapsulate the ride better? The car is smashing through the background, careening wildly to the side. Toad has his hands in the air, practically flying out of the seat! With a big smile on his face! It really sets the tone.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Spr175psu]

Well, round two turned out to be quite...educational. I started out thinking I had to use something from Pinpics as I didn’t really have any other Mr. Toad pins other than the ones I showed earlier. But looking at pinpics, I found a lot of them looking familiar. Turns out I have way more Mr, Toad pins than I realized.

But, to be fair, I still don’t think you can call me a Mr. Toad collector. These are all parts of other collections.

In any case, having to pick a favorite was extremely challenging. I was initially going to use the postcard but @Booger1964 beat me to it (nice pin by the way).

So then I decided on the POH because I really loved the ride and now I have an actual piece to remember it by. And I especially like POH pins of rides that are gone. After all, it’s Piece of HISTORY, not piece of CURRENT.

But I decided that one pin didn’t tell the whole story so decided to share a second favorite...

I mean, come on! Look at it! What could encapsulate the ride better? The car is smashing through the background, careening wildly to the side. Toad has his hands in the air, practically flying out of the seat! With a big smile on his face! It really sets the tone.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

So to provide a quick recap: in one post, we had gifs of South Park, Just Friends, and Community with a side of Glee.

Nice Mr. Toad......gathering, conglomeration, consortium, coalition, convergence, partnership....dare I say, collection?

Which begs the off-topic question: How many pins of a given style, character, ride, etc equals a collection? Do you need to officially dub it a collection to make it one? I have like 6 Lost pins or 6 Mochi pins, which are completist, does that equal a collection?

Who am I kidding, I never meant for this thread to actually stay on-topic? What kind of Mr. Toad fan would I be?

Anyway, I love the Mr. Toad pin choice, but I do have one point of order: Why does everyone have the Toad postcard and not me?

It's probably more like this...

Ok, I'm done now. Child temper tantrum operation complete.

I'm still waiting on Round Two bids from @cadien and @krand1276 so please get them in by Midnight EST tomorrow, 9/22. There will, in fact, be a Round 3. My wife gave me a great idea for Round 3 so it will begin on 9/23 and end as of the official end of the auction.

 

[Booger1964]

Or should I say Crazy me Drive? Okay, so you don't like my friends GIF How about this one then?

 

[Spr175psu]

Ok, we are ready for Round 3!

Round 3 will last until the end of the auction on Monday. I’ll have Round 2 totals after it ends tonight. Still waiting on Round 2 bids from @cadien and @krand1276. You guys have until midnight tonight.

Thanks everyone so much for all of the amazing stories and I’m glad that this has been a success. I might end up doing one for some of my other collections if there is any interest and if there are any pins from my collection that I can spare.

And with that, here is Round 3! Blame my wife for this question if you must.

Round 3: If you were to meet Mr. Toad at the parks or at an event, which I would travel the globe to attend, what would you say to him/ talk about with him?

According to my limited research, Mr. Toad has never been out for character greets, not even when DLR first opened so this is strictly hypothetical. Since my daughter is 5 and loves the characters, our trips are very character meet heavy but this is my ultimate bucket list meet and would probably not be able to say anything if I ever met him, just grin from ear to ear the entire time.

Anyway, get those final bids in. The point totals are extremely close and this makes for a very exciting finale. Thanks everyone!

 

[Ajk]

That's a seriously tough one. Let me guess, your wife is all like...

While I'm all...

As I think about it (a lot), I have to say that I probably wouldn't ask him anything. Judging from the times I have met famous people I like in the past (it doesn't happen a ton but does happen on occasion), I would probably just shake his hand..err...flipper, and thank him for having a ride that gave me so much fun. And being a model for a lot of really good pins.

Speaking of pins, and going back to the easier to address question of what makes a collection. To me, it comes down to how the existing pins are organized and new pins are searched for. If I had all my Mr. Toad pins together like in my photo, I would likely consider it a collection. But they are interspersed with other pins in various sets. And, when I search for pins, I am not specifically looking for Mr. Toad pins, but searching for pins to expand those sets. So I do not collect Mr. Toad (sorry to have to say), but I do collect DA postcard pins, of which I have a Mr. Toad one. And I collect early PODH pins, of which I have a Mr. Toad one. Etc.

Thanks for the opportunity. It's been fun.

 

[hopemax]

If Mr. Toad were in the parks, I think I would just share with him, what I have already shared. First, I would call him by his correct name. I can't tell you how many times I have had great character interactions because I knew their name. This includes even going to a local Univ. of Colorado football game, where they have a walk-around who is named Chip. But poor Chip, always gets called Ralphie, because that's the name of the live buffalo that runs the field during the start of the game/halftime. Second, I would tell him how many positive interactions I have had with CM's and guests because I was wearing my Mr. Toad shirt, or Mr. Toad lanyard. And I would tell him, that in the days when Disney fans chatted on USENET, I was part of the group that started the Save Toad group on rec.arts.disney.parks / alt.disney.disneyworld when they announced the ride was closing.

Now, if Mr. Toad were somehow "real" and in our current time, I am tempted, since he loves cars and is British, what his favorite episode of Top Gear is.

 

[Spr175psu]

Awesome auction so far! Get those final bids in by 5:00PM EST tomorrow

I forgot to post Round Two cumulative Totals:

@Ajk - 17
@hopemax - 17
@Booger1964 - 16

I'll post final total sometime tomorrow night after the close of the auction. I have thoroughly enjoyed everyone's stories and think you are all deserving of the Mr. Toad pin, which is why I wanted to ask each of you in the final 3 to please PM your addresses if you want of course, I'm trying to scrounge up something for each of you to show my appreciation for all of the great bids.

 

[Booger1964]

This is a tough one, but I would probably ask him to compare stories of how our driving got us in trouble

 

[Disneychildwithin]

Man...now I really really have to watch this movie! I'm on a waiting list at my library...who knew?

 

[Spr175psu]

This has been a fantastic auction and I hope that everyone had fun. I know I did. I hope to do another fan appreciation auction really soon. Thank you all so much for the amazing bids and I wish that everyone who survived the three grueling rounds (I hope not too grueling!) and took the time and effort to bid on my auction could all be winners, so I am making each of you winners! Congratulations, all!

Prizes will be sent out this week and I hope you enjoy them!

With respect to the Toad license plate pin, though, @hopemax, is the winner! Congrats!

Again, thank you to everyone who participated and like I said, I hope to do this again really soon.

 

[momin.ator]

Thank you for this thread! It has been great.