Save Mr. Toad: The Fan Campaign That Challenged Disney (Ep. 92)

Jim Hill and Len Testa revisit the campaign to save Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride at Walt Disney World and what it revealed about Disney’s growing online fan community. Jim first traces the confusing closure of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, then explains how Winnie the Pooh’s arrival sparked protests, publicity, and lasting tributes to Toad. This December 2015 conversation also opens with Thanksgiving in New York and a look at the I-4 construction then affecting Orlando travelers.

Original Air Date: December 1, 2015 (estimated)
Original Title: Save Mr. Toad

HIGHLIGHTS

• Jim’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade visit, holiday windows, and the store’s wooden escalators.
• I-4’s role in Walt Disney World’s location and the I-4 Ultimate construction project.
• Why Magic Kingdom considered replacing its submarine ride with a Nautilus walkthrough.
• Conflicting messages about the closure of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
• The 1997 attraction changes bringing Winnie the Pooh, Buzz Lightyear, and a revised Tiki Room to Magic Kingdom.
• The Save Mr. Toad campaign, in-park gatherings, and the emerging influence of online Disney fans.
• Mr. Toad’s final day and the tributes preserved in the Pooh attraction and Haunted Mansion’s pet cemetery.
• The tension between adding new attractions and honoring guests’ attachments to old favorites.

For this episode’s full show notes, click here.
View transcript here.

HOSTS

• Jim Hill: X and Instagram @JimHillMedia | jimhillmedia.com
• Len Testa: Bluesky @lentesta.bsky.social | Instagram @len.testa | touringplans.com

FOLLOW

• Facebook: @JimHillMediaNews
• X and Instagram: @JimHillMedia
• YouTube and TikTok: @jimhillmedia

SUPPORT

Support the show and access bonus episodes and additional content at https://www.patreon.com/jimhillmedia.

PRODUCTION CREDITS

Produced by Aaron Adams

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Jim and Len revisit the Save Mr. Toad campaign, the closure of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and Disney’s relationship with devoted attraction fans.

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