When Walt Disney World opened in 1971, it was a very different place than what we know now. It consisted of a single park (Magic Kingdom) and two hotels (Contemporary and Polynesian Village). In Magic Kingdom, one of the most popular rides was Mr. Toad's Wild Ride in Fantasyland, an attraction that became my personal favorite as a kid in the 90s.
Mr. Toad's Wild Ride was based on the book The Wind in the Willows and the animated short film based upon the book. It followed J. Thaddeus Toad and his madcap mania for motorcars. In the attraction, guests boarded a turn of the century motorcar and drove into Toad Hall, driving around the mansion and causing all kinds of trouble.
After driving through Toad Hall, you went into town. The ride featured two tracks and each one went to different locations within Toad Hall as well as in town. One track led you to a local pub while the other led you to court. The finale of the ride had you driving onto train tracks. You hear a train coming and see a bright light ahead of you. You hear a loud crash and then wind up in Hell with demons and The Devil himself.
By today's standards, this ride seems very politically incorrect, especially for a Fantasyland ride aimed at children. I suppose that's true, but nobody really complained back in the day. It was a classic attraction brought over from Disneyland and made better by having two separate paths instead of one like the California version.
In 1997, it was rumored that Mr. Toad's Wild Ride was closing to make way for a new attraction based on Winnie the Pooh, a much more recognized set of characters. A massive internet protest (fairly new in the late 90s) called Save Mr. Toad was formed and they continued to fight the good fight for almost a year. In August 1998, Disney confirmed that Toad would be closing to make way for Winnie the Pooh.
Even though Disney did close the attraction, the devotion of those protesters helped inspire Disney to make several references to Toad in the Magic Kingdom. Inside The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh during the shaking house scene, there is a portrait on the left side of Toad handing a deed to Owl.
At The Haunted Mansion, there is a memorial to Toad in the Pet Cemetery.
Lastly, in Town Square Theater, there is a letter to Mickey from J. Thaddeus Toad in the queue to meet Mickey.
My fondest memory of the ride was my final time on it in 1998. I heard it was closing and so I knew we had to ride. My family and I got to the town roundabout scene when the ride stopped. We were stuck for about 20 minutes, which seemed like a lot longer as a kid. While we were stopped, we chatted with a family riding on the other track and took pictures of each other. Finally, the ride resumed moving. When our car emerged from the depths of Hell, we were greeted by a seemingly thunderous applause. I thought it was for us, but realistically it was for the ride moving again. Looking back, it wasn't that special, but none the less, I'll never forget that moment.