An elderly Tunnel Toad
Living in Toad Tunnels, Tunnel Toads help their kin as well as other small animals cross dangerous paths safely. They are spread throughout the entire forest, usually near roads or man-made locations.
Description[]
The name of the Tunnel Toads comes from the fact that they have elected residence in Toad Tunnels. Either adult or elderly, they keep watch over their tunnel and patrol it throughout the day. When other toads or small animals come to the tunnel, it is the Tunnel Toad's duty to guide them to the other side.[1]
Usually, Tunnel Toads are toads that have already gone to Toad Hollow in the past.[2] Because of this, they are immune to the Toadstool curse.[1] This allows them to stay in the forest and help the year's new toadlets reach the Fairy Ring.
Although they all live in different parts of the forest, the Tunnel Toads all share similar outfits. They wear a grey tunic with a blue wrap around their necks, wrist cuffs, and always carry around a walking stick.
Encounters[]
A Tunnel Toad with Elf Cup
In the series, the Toad Patrol meets several Tunnel Toads throughout their journey.
The first they encounter is an adult male toad with a deep voice ("The Giver of Names"). He explains the concept of Toad Tunnels to the Toad Patrol while guiding them to the other side of a road. He claims that Tunnel Toads love to help younger toads and that's why they decide to leave Toad Hollow and live in the forest.[1] He also gives Elf Cup his flute as a parting gift.[1]
The second Tunnel Toad is an elderly male that claims to be the oldest Tunnel Toad of the forest ("The Fire"). He looks after a portion of the Toad Patrol after the group gets separated by a forest blaze.
The third and last encountered Tunnel Toad is a female adult called Daphne that speaks with a slight accent ("Scooped"). She helps the Toad Patrol figure out where to find Oyster and Slippery Jack after they were taken away by a human. She reappears later in the second season.[3]
Trivia[]
- Although Tunnel Toads wear identical outfits, their wrist cuffs are distinctively different from each other.
- Other than Daphne, none of the Tunnel Toads make a reappearance in the show.
- Out of the three Tunnel Toads encountered, two of them received a peck on the cheek from one of the toadlets.[1][4]
- Since they are not needed during the cold months, Tunnel Toads are usually absent from Toad Tunnels during the winter.
- In the opening credits of the series, the shadow seen advancing towards the screen is the one of a Tunnel Toad (in this case, the second one the Toad Patrol encounters).