Ten years ago, on September 7, 1998, Walt Disney World closed Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.

Today, ten years later, the ride continues to captivate the imagination. While the physical experience is gone, Toad's legacy lives on.
Virtual Toad would like to mark the occasion by thanking those who conjured and created the best dark ride ever.

From Labor Day 1998 to the present, so much of Walt Disney World-- and our world-- has changed; and as we look back at the last decade, history shows with increasing clarity that the ride's demise really did mark a turning point at Walt Disney World. Today, carefully crafted commercialism and merciless marketing messages have siphoned a lot of the spontaneity and satisfaction out of the Disney theme park experience. More and more people spend their money at Walt Disney World each year-- but are they having more fun?

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Here at Virtual Toad, the last ten years have been wacky, wonderful, and challenging. Life has a way of catching up with you, though; and today, my life is full of responsibilities and rewards I couldn't have imagined a decade ago. My first-born, now three, loves Winnie the Pooh (of course)-- but Toad is a big part of his childhood as well.

My second son is set to arrive in early November, so for me, Now is the Time to grow up and get on with things. You can guess where this is heading. I won't be able to spend much time on Virtual Toad in the foreseeable future. What is here will remain here; and when there is more to share (and I sincerely hope there will be more to share), you'll be the first to know.

In the meantime, enjoy life. Keep dreaming. And keep the creative spirit alive. Tally ho!

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"Virtual Toad" is an independent research project which exists for the purposes of personal education and historical preservation. This site is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company in any way.