Western Animation / Toad Patrol

"Listen to the Thunder Trees, Panther Cap. Listen to them well. They will guide you to the Fairy Ring and through it, you will find Toad Hollow."

—Mistle Toad, explaining the plot of the show quite accurately.

Toad Patrol is a Canadian television series which first aired in 1999 on Teletoon, being one of the earliest shows to be originally produced for the channel (in fact, it was one of the first cartoons greenlit for the network before it officially launched in 1997). It was created by George and his wife, Peggy Sarson and produced by their own studio Edward Sarson Productions with Funbag Animation.

According to legend, Toad Hollow is a haven for toads created by the mysterious Ancients. Every year the toads must leave their homeland and follow the clues left by the ancients to find the Fairy Ring before it closes - and almost any toad left behind is transformed into a toadstool. The show follows a group of late born Toadlets who missed the great migration. Unable to figure out what to do, they are greeted by a wandering Toad sage named Mistle Toad. He tells them about the Fairy Ring and how to find it, which is quite difficult since the location changes every year. It is revealed shortly after that the youngest of the eight toadlets, Panther Cap, has the ability to hear what certain "Lightning Oaks" (called Thunder Trees by the toadlets) are saying, and can also home in on these trees telepathically with the use of an acorn.

Although it is primarily aimed at young children, it has found popularity with pre-teens to young adults because despite the fairly young and lighthearted appearance of the show, it had some rather dark undertones beneath the surface. Its cult appreciation has also stemmed from the fact that Toad Patrol had so much time and effort put into it, and it is generally considered a true classic among Teletoon's original series and in Canadian animation.

This series has a very distinct beginning, middle, and end to each season it airs. The story was in the works since 1985 and was in the development stage as the creators started selling Mistle Toad chocolates to raise money. The show eventually managed to get animated overseas in both Korea, AKOM (First Season) and India, UTV Toons (Second Season). Although, a lot of the in-betweening and other works were done in America at Helix studios.

A show sponsor page once stated that 13 episodes of the series were "currently in production". Several fans had assumed that with the passing of Long John Baldry, the series had been halted however, and fans have theorized that if a third season were to appear then another voice actor would have to take over the role of Mistle Toad. However, since the news of the third season was first announced in the early 2000s, the prospect of a new season at this point seems abysmal at best. Not helping matters further is that Michael O'Reilly, the voice of Earth Star, passed away in June 2021, so if a third season were to appear Earth Star would need to be re-cast as well.

That said, the creators - George and Peggy Sarson - don't seem too concerned about the show's third season having been in Development Hell for over 15 years. Soon after the show finished its run, the couple went on to found Run for the Toad, a huge annual marathon in Canada inspired by this show, and one of the largest marathon events in Canada. They used characters from the show for branding and continued to put on the event until 2019 when they announced their retirement. Despite their retirement, the creators have happily kept the show's spirit alive and honored to this day.

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Listen to the Thunder Trees, tropers. Listen to them well. They will guide you to the trope page and through it, you will find Trope Hollow:

• Aesop Amnesia: Watch "Trojan Duck", then "Night Fright". The character who learned the lesson forgot it in less than an episode.
• Alliterative Name: Fur Foot

• And Starring: "and Long John Baldry as Mistle Toad"
• Animal Talk: A strange variant in Toad Patrol since the Toad Patrol speaks with the Common Tongue. There are many others who speak this way such as frogs, otters and various other animals.
  • Interestingly enough, dogs are portrayed as being unable to communicate... only able to bark. This has been a confusing subject for members of the Toad Patrol. Possibly justified by the fact that the Toad Patrol members can't appear to understand humans either. (And the dogs they meet are always under human ownership.)
  • Another point of confusion is that eagles (ie. Medea) and ducks are shown to be unable to communicate. Instead, they screech or quack accordingly. But in second season, when Panther Cap mistakes a character for a duck, he starts talking and says that instead of being a duck, he is in fact a goose. So geese can apparently talk while eagles and ducks cannot.
• Astonishingly Appropriate Appearance:
  • Earth Star is a very well known musician who plays a banjo.
  • Fur Foot wears furry overalls (that also cover his feet).
  • Beauty Stem is... well... beautiful by toad standards anyway.
  • Shaggy Mane has shaggy hair.
  • Panther Cap wears a cap.
• Automobiles Are Alien: Cars are called "Rumblecrushers," after one of the toads was nearly crushed by one, and he was close enough to feel it shake the ground (it was a very near miss). The elder muses that it was a "good name for them," implying no toad ever gave them a name before.
• Bad "Bad Acting": Shaggy Mane He's slow to respond to his cue.
  • Fur Foot, Elf Cup and Slippery Jack too.
• Badbutt: Pretty much the entire Toad Patrol group.
• Bamboo Technology: The entirity of the Toad Patrol cast, main and extras alike.
  • Most notably The Outsider who uses cups fashioned out of acorns, stir-sticks made out of bones and clackers made of stone.
• Barefoot Cartoon Animal: Everyone except Fur Foot.
• Battle of Wits: Barnaby goes an impressive round with Erebus.
• Berserk Button: Puff Ball, whenever someone who is close to him or whom he respects ends up in danger. Mostly, although not exclusively limited to Mistle Toad.
  • Mistle Toad and Panther Cap seem to share the same Berserk Button which really just boils down to their friends being in danger.
  • Do not insult Erebus' singing... or trap him in a log... or torment him in any way, shape or form.
  • Elf Cup whenever others disobey/insult her. Hypocrisy also counts as one of her buttons. (Although that hasn't stopped her from being a hypocrite now and then. Case and point, watch the episodes, "Trojan Duck" and "Night Fright" respectively.)
  • Oyster, along with Slippery Jack, hates being called 'twins' and hates being told that she's too little to do something. She also hates not being listened to and being bossed around.
  • Slippery Jack has several including but not limited to being called, "SJ" and along with his sister, being referred to as 'twins'.
    Puff Ball: Pretty smart plan, SJ!
    Slippery Jack: Stop. Calling. Me. S! J!
    Puff Ball: Uh-oh! (Cheekily aside to Shaggy Mane) I've upset half a twin.
    Oyster: Don't! Call! Us! Twins!
    Puff Ball: (Beat) Think I'll go with the other group!
• Beware the Nice Ones: Panther Cap
• Big Brother Instinct: Puff Ball
  • Occasionally, Earth Star or Fur Foot will fill this role as well.
• Big Friendly Dog: The dog from the episode "Lost And Found", complete with slobber. He is actually a smaller breed of dog in comparison to humans but considering that the main characters are toads, this trope still suits. Of course, the dog does lose his friendly side when Erebus becomes cross with him.
• The Big Guy: Puff Ball - Effectively Class 2.
  • He even wields a 'Thunderstick'.
  • This 'Thunderstick' is never used in a violent manner, however.
  • Hotspur comically refers to it as just being a big stick.
    Hotspur: All Takers are tricky! (Pause) And they all have big sticks too! I don't know why but they do! It's a true fact!
• Big "NO!": From Puff Ball of all characters.
• Blonde, Brunette, Redhead: Sort of with Shaggy Mane as the blonde and Fur Foot as the red-head. (Oyster may also fall under red-head as she sports a red bulb in place of where hair would normally be.)
  • Beauty Stem and Elf Cup both sport purple head-dresses. (Both are portrayed as flowers.)
  • The rest of the characters tend to be portrayed without hair. (Ex. Puff Ball, Slippery Jack, etc.)
• Break the Cutie: Oyster. Twice.
  • The first time was when she got depressed over her age and lack of special ability. She ended up having a fight with Panther Cap.
  • And the second time was when she got angry with Puff Ball in season two.

• Buffy Speak: Toad Speak. Rain is called "Falling Wet", the sky is "the Big Blue", and cars are "Rumble Crushers".
• Carnivore Confusion: Normally subverted to quite an extreme. The Toad Patrol is often under the impression that anyone bigger than them will either eat them, crush them or both.
  • Although this is played straight with certain animals in the show who would normally eat toads in real life such as herons and turtles who do not eat them in the show.
  • Also played straight when Panther Cap meets a goose who doesn't eat toads and is confused about whether or not toads are supposed to be a part of his diet or not. The young goose becomes scared to introduce his new friend to his mother just in case. (Although it's worth noting that geese do not - in fact - eat toads in real life.)
  Panther Cap: A-Are you gonna... (Gulp) Eat me?
  Artie: Am I supposed to? You look like you'd taste awful!
• Catchphrase:
  • Fur Foot says, "Hop to it!" at least once per episode.
  • Mistle Toad says "Mighty Thunder!" every time he's surprised.
  • Puff Ball says, "Down the hill, up the hill. It never ends." once in the episode, "Scooped" and then in the second season, he revives that phrase and begins saying it almost once per episode. Although he reverses it, making it into, "Up the hill, down the hill. It never ends."
• Character Development: Pretty much everyone on the main cast.
• Character Tics: Panther Cap putting his hands on his head becomes a pretty memorable (and noticeable) character tic in season two. He also mix-matches his words and speaks in fragments when he's panicked or nervous.
  Panther Cap: (Runs up to Beauty Stem and Oyster. He pants for air as he speaks.) Scratch rock! And-d — Shaggy toad! SJ! T-T-Take down-n! Mistle Maaane!
  • Shaggy Mane covers his eyes whenever he's frightened.
  • Puff Ball's reaction of, "Uh-oh," becomes pretty memorable whenever he realizes that he's in a pinch. (Usually happens when Erebus or Medea are involved.)
• Cheerful Child: Oyster normally has a very sunny disposition and is often seen cheering at victories and recovering quickly from disappointments.

• Cloudcuckoolander: Rosencratz and Guildenstern are energetic, twin rats who rhyme together and break into song... Just because. And when one of them comes up with a plan, the other proudly exclaims that there's no explanation necessary and just to go along with it. Again, just because.
  Slippery Jack: What're we going to do?
  Rosencratz: Hang tight, tots!
  (Rosencratz begins to pace.)
  Oyster: But wha —
  Guildenstern: Shhh! Don't interrupt him! He's thinking of a plan!
  Rosencratz: (Off-screen) Got it!
  Guildenstern: (With enthusiasm) Brilliant!
  Slippery Jack and Oyster: What?! What?! What?!
  Rosencratz (Joins the group on-screen and says matter-of-factly) You don't need to know.
  Guildenstern: I don't even need to know!
  • Hotspur is always paranoid that others are going to steal from him. But at the same time, he seems thrilled by the idea of being stolen from. As a result, he asks the potential thieves to tell him stories of their adventures
• Coming of Age: The main cast of the Toad Patrol has to mature pretty quickly and keep it together in order to survive, even though a few charactes mature slower than others.
• Commercial Break Cliffhanger: Happens more often than not. At least two occasions played this to its literal extreme.
• Companion Cube: Surprisingly subverted. Panther Cap treats his 'pointer' as a sort of Companion Cube although he never speaks to it. However, he does become distraught without it.
  • He needs his 'pointer' to find the Thunder Trees. He then speaks to the trees.
  • Double subversion because he usually only speaks to the trees inside of his mind. He has however spoken out loud to the Thunder Trees before.
• Continuity Nod: There are quite a few if you pay attention. One such example is Elf Cup talking about 'Green Eyes' in second season.
  Elf Cup: We're here because Green Eyes chased us here!
  Beauty Stem: Green Eyes?!
  Elf Cup: I recognized him. He chased me that night I got lost!
• Cool Big Sis: Beauty Stem, being the second oldest, played this role consistently.
  • Elf Cup sometimes falls under this. A notable example is during the episode, "Winter Woes" when she ends up looking out for the younger members of her group.
• Cross-Dressing Voices: Panther Cap is voiced by a girl. (In Spanish and Italian too.)
• Cursed with Awesome: Panther Cap's ability to hear the Thunder Trees. Among other things. He's able to find his way around by using the voices and guide the Toad Patrol in the right direction. Although there are times where these abilities border on Blessed with Suck.
  (After Panther Cap runs off in a huff, Beauty Stem tries to go after him but is stopped by Mistle Toad.)
  Mistle Toad: Let him be.
  Beauty Stem: But... He needs —
  Mistle Toad: To be alone! It is the terrible price he must pay for his gift.

• Deadpan Snarker: Puff Ball and let's just say that it has led to hilarity a few times.
  Fur Foot: (Kindly introducing himself) I'm Fur Foot.
  Elf Cup: I'm Elf Cup.
  Puff Ball: I'm unimpressed.
• Deer in the Headlights: Played straight in the episode, "Night Fright".
  (A car comes toward Fur Foot, Beauty Stem and Puff Ball as they all scream in terror. The car then passes them, leaving them unharmed.)
  Beauty Stem: (Trying to regain her composure.) Oh, that was close!
  Fur Foot: I tried to move... but I couldn't!
• Deliberately Cute Child: Panther Cap And he knows it, too. He uses it to his advantage occasionally in the second season.

• Disproportionate Retribution: Orpheus wanted to kill the Toad Patrol because Earth Star accidentally fell through the ground and ruined his living quarters.
• Ditzy Genius: Slippery Jack while very intelligent when it comes to solving complicated problems, he becomes completely incompetent when presented with anything that requires basic common sense.
  • In one episode, Slippery Jack was in a Toad Tunnel with Beauty Stem and Panther Cap. He witnessed one side completely cave in and began to have a panic attack, thinking that he was trapped. Beauty Stem had to remind him that they were in a tunnel and that they could simply walk out the other end any time they like.
  • Shaggy Mane also falls under this trope. He is very intelligent when it comes to language but otherwise, he is rather clumsy and often, others will find him with his head in the clouds instead of on his shoulders.
• Downer Ending: "The Sacrifice."
• Dreadful Musician: Elf Cup when she first received her instrument but as she got better, this became an averted trope.
  • The twins jokingly imply that Barnaby is this.
    Slippery Jack: And can he SING! Can't he?
    Oyster: I dunno. I had my ears covered!

• Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": The Outsider is only ever known as 'The Outsider'. Her real name - if she has one - is never revealed.
• Evil Laugh: Erebus in the episode, "Trapped."
• Exactly What It Says on the Tin:
  • Toad Patrol is about... well... the Toad Patrol.
  • Pretty much every episode's title tells you exactly what the episode is going to be about... or at the very least... where it's going to take place. Some direct examples include, "The Giver Of Names," "The Fire," "Crystal Caverns," "The Stay Away Place," "Trapped," "The Cure," "The Temple Of Bufonidae," "The Fairy Ring," "The Healer," "Castle Of The Ancients," and "The Sacrifice."
  • "Good Day" may be considered a subversion of this trope.
• Fairy Ring: The premise of the first season is that the Toadlets have to find the fairy ring and pass through it to Toad Hollow. Once it closes, any toadlets left behind become toadstools.
• Fantastic Racism: Elf Cup and Puff Ball's opinion of frogs was severely distorted.
• The Farmer and the Viper: After Beauty Stem, Earth Star and Orpheus fell over the side of a cliff, Shaggy Mane, Slippery Jack and Mistle Toad worked right away to assist Beauty Stem and Earth Star. Despite Orpheus having antagonized them previously, they showed mercy and decided to help Orpheus too. Once Orpheus was saved, he repaid the Toad Patrol by leading them into a trap.
• Fate Worse than Death: Toads that fail to reach the Fairy Ring before it closes become toadstools. During the second season, the main characters must find a way to undo this for all toads.
• For the Evulz: Medea the osprey's apparent motivation for chasing the Toad Patrollers.
  • This also appears to be Orpheus' main motivation for wanting to rule the forest.
• Foreshadowing: Pretty much the entire series has this. Though it isn't as obvious until season two.
• Four-Fingered Hands: Pretty much any character who is portrayed as walking on two feet.
• Friend to All Children: Mistle Toad.
  • Especially on his promotional chocolate tin that was originally sold to raise money for the show. The tin features quotes of Mistle Toad's philosophy regarding youngsters (ok, others in general but moreso aimed at youngsters) and a short story about him helping a group of youngsters out.
    "Mistle-Toad sees the innocence in our mistakes and teaches us to realize the strength and dignity we all possess within ourselves."

• Glowing Eyes of Doom: Owls and foxes.
• Green Aesop: "The Cure" features a small waterfall being polluted by an old oil can and then Beauty Stem drinking it.
• Half-Dressed Cartoon Animal: Shaggy Mane, Puff Ball, Slippery Jack, Panther Cap, Mistle Toad, Earth Star...
  • Fur Foot, Beauty Stem and Elf Cup may also fall into this category.
• Half-Identical Twins: Subverted with Slippery Jack and Oyster who - despite being twins and sharing the same colours - don't actually look all that much alike. Neither Rosencratz or Guildenstern believed that Slippery Jack and Oyster were twins when they were introduced.

• Heterosexual Life-Partners: Shaggy Mane and Slippery Jack as they're together for pretty much the entire series. Though this doesn't become obvious until after their friendship is established in season two.
• How Do I Shot Web?: Panther Cap upon receiving his item. Puff Ball had to figure out how to use the item for him and even then, Puff Ball figured it out by accident. Panther Cap also occasionally has issues with his abilities. He doesn't know how they work and his powers require explanation on more than one occasion.
• I Don't Like the Sound of That Place: The 'Stay Away' Place. Quite aptly named for its creepiness.
• Insistent Terminology: Toad Patrol plays with this trope somewhat in second season when Shaggy Mane and Slippery Jack start having an argument over the proper use of the term, 'Falling Wet.' The exchange goes somewhat like this.
  Shaggy Mane: (Walks under a leaf with water on it. The water drips off and lands on his head.) Umph! I hate the... falling wet.
  Slippery Jack: That's not 'falling wet', Shaggy. Falling wet falls from the big, big blue!
  Shaggy Mane: (Beat.) If it falls... and it's wet... it's falling wet!
• Instant Expert: Fur Foot, Shaggy Mane and Puff Ball upon receiving their special items. Oyster may also fall under this as she found and created her own special item with no prior knowledge as to what it was or what it did exactly.
• Instrumental Theme Tune: The opening theme songs from season one and two. Ending themes are always instrumentals as well.
• Interspecies Romance: Arguably, Fur Foot and Calypso.
  • This is implied for Phoebe and Newt as well.
• It's All About Me: Barnaby, and how!
  Barnaby: (Overly enthusiastic) My-My-My! (Chuckles then looks into the water) Just look at ME! What a frog!
  Shaggy Mane: (Walks into the water and blocks out Barnaby's reflection) Excuse me?
  Barnaby: Eh — Do you mind? You're ruining the view!
  Then later...
  Barnaby: (After the Toad Patrol leaves) Now, what should I do? I know! (Hovers over the water) Look at me!

• The Klutz: Shaggy Mane sometimes falls under this... In fact, it's pretty much the entire focus of the episode, "The Giver of Names".
  • Often, Shaggy Mane's clumsiness is used more as a plot point instead of a fatal character flaw. (In other words, we need the Toad Patrol to end up here. What better way to make them get there than to have Shaggy Mane fall down a hole?)
  • It is also worth noting that it's rarely done with the intention of being comedic.
• Large Ham: Played straight with Barnaby.
  Barnaby: (Greeting the Toad Patrol for the first time) Well-Well-Well! What have we here? Do I see a troop of tiny - eh - Toadlets? The name is BAR-naby! (Bows playfully) And the pleasure is... all yours, of course!
  Then later...
  Shaggy Mane: Have you seen any other Toadlets?
  Barnaby: You mean... on purpose?
  • He also gets a ham-appropiate musical number in both of his appearances.
  • Shaggy Mane also has his Large Ham moments... Particularly in Barnaby's second appearance.
• Lighter and Softer: When looking at original concept art for Toad Patrol, you realize that the show may have originally been designed to not be for children.
  • On the website www.toadpatrol.com, the creators stated explicitly that Puff Ball and Fur Foot would never use their tools as weapons. They would only use their tools to indirectly hinder their foes. (With the intent of keeping the show more kid-friendly.) However, in one concept image, the Toad Patrol is shown in a large scale battle against a snake (who we can safely assume is Erebus) and a giant brown rat. Fur Foot and Puff Ball are prepared to use their tools as weapons on both sides. Shaggy Mane is swinging overhead in preparation for a kick and Beauty Stem is blinding the snake with her 'shine'
  • Although with all due fairness, Beauty Stem has blinded Erebus in the series as well.
• Limited Wardrobe: The entire Toad Patrol cast.
  • Other characters get around it by not wearing clothes at all.
• Love at First Sight: Earth Star falls for Beauty Stem the first time he sees her even though she does not return his feelings.
  • Although then again, seeing as how it's Earth Star, he has a habit of flirting with girls he just met.
• Love Triangle: Elf Cup loves Earth Star who is in love with Beauty Stem.

• Magical Realism: A lot of things in this show don't make sense. Talking toads don't make sense anymore than toads turning into toadstools. However, with all that's said and done, the dangers that these characters face are very real. Some examples of this are: being crushed under the feet of those much bigger (like 'stompers' AKA. humans) or being eaten by predators. There is an element of magic but living in the forest, it's mostly environment and relationship based.
• Making a Splash: Panther Cap in season two.
  • Also Earth Star who splashed Erebus by redirecting his boat.
• Mama Bear: Subverted with Beauty Stem in the episode Invasion. She was intending to attack a weasel so Panther Cap and Oyster could get away but instead of getting a chance to, the group fell down a hole. This was likely done to avoid having to portray the characters in a violent manner... After all, Toad Patrol is for kids!
• Mascot: Believe it or not, Mistle Toad is the mascot of the Toad Patrol franchise.
  • He was used when the Sarsons were initially raising money for the show. (They sold Mistle-Toad chocolates.)
  • He has also been used as the main character to show up on every brochure showcasing the yearly Run For The Toad event.
  • Other characters have appeared on various pages for different things like the menu but Mistle Toad is still always seen on the front page. (Characters showing up on other pages usually happens when the page is character appropriate. Ex. Slippery Jack on the Directions page. However, there is also a character on the menu that has never been identified in the series. This is quite likely because none of the identified characters have ever been identified as chefs.)

• Methuselah Syndrome: Anyone want to guess how old Juno is? Or the ages of the Ancients? Despite all that, it's a well known fact that turtles can live a very long time.

• Names to Trust Immediately: Mistle Toad. Although ironically, while Mistle Toad seems to fill the role of a name to be trusted by the youngsters, it has been shown that those who have known him - quite possibly before the events of Toad Patrol - regard him to be a rebel and show strong dislike for him.
• Narcissist: Barnaby
  Elf Cup: Who says?!
  Puff Ball: He does. He thinks he's terrific.
  Then later...
  Barnaby: (Picking off the petals of a flower) I love me. I love me not. I love me. I love me not. (Discards the flower) Oh, who am I kidding? I love me!
• Never Say "Die": Belisarius suspects the Toad Patrol of being Ancients and blames them for the appearance of the 'ghosts' in their cavern. Elf Cup says that he's lying and that ghosts don't exist. Belisarius responds by saying something to the effect of, "We'll see about that," and then attempts to drown them in sand.
  • They also have occasional work-arounds with Erebus.
  • The Toad Patrol also uses words to imply the word... but never the actual word. (Toad Splat, Toad Toast and Boiled Toad just to name a few.)
  • Earth Star seems to be immune this this trope. Although in all fairness, he says, 'dead'. Not 'die'.
• Never Trust a Trailer: The commercials for Toad Patrol have always been sub par.

• Non-Action Guy: Slippery Jack although just because he's a Non-Action Guy doesn't mean he hasn't been able to rescue others in the past.
  Oyster: You mean my brother saved Mistle Toad?! I'll never hear the end of this.
• Non-Mammal Mammaries: The Outsider
• No Sense of Personal Space: Members of the Toad Patrol have not hesitated to kiss each other, touch each other's faces, grab each other's arms, hold each other's hands and so on.
  • This isn't just within their group either. They have been shown kissing complete strangers... At least, Elf Cup and Panther Cap have.
  • This is especially funny because Panther Cap, the one who is generally kissing others or being kissed, appears to be disgusted by displays of romance.
• Odd Name Out: Mistle Toad and Digger who don't fit the theme naming of the show. (Types of Toadstools, mythological and historical figures...)
• Oh, Crap!: Fur Foot, Beauty Stem, Puff Ball and Panther Cap all exhibit this facial expression near the end of "A Cry For Help".

• Only Six Faces: They all have the same type of face and even the same eye colour. Their main distinction is their hair, clothing or in Puff Ball's case, body type.
• The Other Darrin: Mistle Toad has two voice actors in season two. One is Long John Baldry and the other is Tatyana Loeffler-Vulpe.
• Parental Abandonment: The entire main cast of the show is parentless. Justified in that the main cast consists of toads. In Real Life, toads do not stick around to raise their young.

• The Power of Friendship: Needless to say, the Toad Patrol is far better off together than they are apart. This is the theme of many episodes. Most notably, "The Giver of Names" and "A Cry For Help".

• Put on a Bus: Many characters from the first season. This is justified by the fact that most of the characters the Toad Patrol met in the first season were creatures that either hibernated or flew south during the winter.
• The Quiet One: Panther Cap. He does, however, become more talkative in the second season.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: Mistle Toad. He never questions what the Toad Patrol tells him and always listens to reason.
  • The best example of Mistle Toad being a reasonable authority figure is during, "Temple of Bufonidae" when Puff Ball started destroying the temple. At first he asked if Puff Ball could go without destroying it but Puff Ball asked if he had a better idea. With that, Mistle Toad relented and let Puff Ball destroy to his heart's content.
  • Interestingly enough, he even found something to help Puff Ball with.
• Recruit Teenagers with Attitude: The Toad Patrol, ranging in human equivalent age from young adult to 4-5 years old, are asked by an elderly sage toad to go out on their own on a journey to find a magical portal to a place of refuge for toads, and in the second season are asked to venture back out in order to turn those who got turned into toadstools back into toadlets.
• The Reveal: The significance behind certain locations in the show.
• Reverse Cerebus Syndrome: The series starts off more serious than takes a more light-hearted tone in season two. It does take a darker tone once it comes out that playing the music wrong will slowly turn the player into a toadstool, as shown with Earth Star.
• Rhymes on a Dime: Shaggy Mane likes to make up poems on the spot and has shown himself to be excellent at free-verse poetry. Although not all of his poems are amazing, some of his poems are made simply to express his own ideas and feelings.
  • Rosencratz and Guildenstern also fit this trope. Guildenstern moreso than Rosencratz as during their introduction, Rosencratz in fact does not rhyme and instead expects his brother to do so. When Guildenstern breaks their string of rhymes, Rosencratz tells him to cut it. Rosencratz then shares a song with Guildenstern in which they both rhyme.
  • Slippery Jack has also been shown to be able to rhyme as he is able to playfully banter with Shaggy Mane.
• The Power of Acting: Barnaby. Enough said.
• Secret Identity: Members of the Toad Patrol adopt second identities with the interest of keeping Hotspur on their side.
• Series Goal: Reach the Fairy Ring, and through it, find Toad Hollow, a place of refuge. Of course, when this goal is accomplished at the end of the first season, a new one is needed. This turns out to be venturing back out in order to turn those who got turned into toadstools back into toadlets.
• Shipper on Deck: Elf Cup shows signs of this occasionally for - believe it or not - Beauty Stem and Earth Star. In one episode, the group goes to meet up with Earth Star. They are greeted by his singing in the distance and Puff Ball figures that he's written Beauty Stem a new song. Elf Cup puts her hands together and remarks that Beauty Stem will love it but upon finally seeing Earth Star and finding out that he's singing to another girl, Elf Cup gets ridiculously angry to the point where Fur Foot has to stop her from giving Earth Star a piece of her mind. She nearly ends up taking her anger out on Puff Ball. She also enjoys teasing Fur Foot and Calypso.

• The Short Guy with Glasses: Slippery Jack. He's the second youngest of the group with Oyster and is only slightly older than Panther Cap. Also considered by the group members to be the smartest and the go-to guy for plans. The only thing missing are the back-up plans and green that go with this trope.
• Shown Their Work:
  • The creators of Toad Patrol used actual locations as the settings in the show.
  • They named the main characters after types of toadstools.
  • They named a Temple in the series after a family of toad. (Bufonidae.)
  • They used figures from mythology and history for all of the not-main/not-toad cast. (The only exception to this rule thus far has been Digger.)
  • They based the group dynamic of the Toad Patrol off of real toads. (Most toads travel in groups with more males than females.)
  • Toad Tunnels are actually built on toad migration routes in parts of the world (and they appear quite frequently in the show).
• Shut Up, Hannibal!: Earth Star fires one off in "The Sacrifice".
  Orpheus: You should be honoured! You've been captured by the very best! The most powerful! The greatest!
  Earth Star: You're not so great.

• Stock Footage: While the show mostly avoids this, there's a particularly jarring scene in "Invasion" where the "Hunt Hunt Hunt" musical number plays several shots of animation at least twice.
• Stout Strength: Yes, Puff Ball is noticeably bigger than the rest of the members of his group. Yes, he tends to be more lazy and he often wishes he could be left behind just once... but the fact is that he's no less athletic than the rest of his group and is in fact stronger than they are.
• Talking Animal: The entire Toad Patrol main cast as well as some of the villains (Erebus and Orpheus) and extras. (Cleo and Penny Bun)
• Team Dad: Mistle Toad.
• Team Mom: Beauty Stem. Despite being the mother figure for the group, she is still seen more as an older sister than anything else.
  • Her affection becomes the most apparent when she interacts with the youngest member of the Toad Patrol, Panther Cap. With that said, Panther Cap has happily introduced Beauty Stem as his sister on at least one occasion.
  • She has also shown Oyster a great deal of affection.
• The Team Normal: With the exception of Panther Cap, the other Toad Patrol members don't really have any powers per se.
  • However, while Puff Ball has more strength than your average Toadlet and Slippery Jack is hyper-intelligent, there are other members who feel they have no real abilities or anything to really offer the group. This has lead to characters (specifically Oyster and Shaggy Mane) worrying about becoming The Load.
• Temporary Blindness: Inverted, in regards to the hero and villain. Beauty Stem blinds Erebus temporarily in "Trapped."
• Theme Naming: The entire main cast is named after different types of toadstools.
  • Characters who are not part of the main cast are named after important figures in mythology and history.
  • The only exception to these rules are Mistle Toad and Digger.
• Third Line, Some Waiting: Season 2 ends up following this format by around "Choices" or so.

• Tomboy and Girly Girl: Oyster and Beauty Stem respectively. Elf Cup appears to have a more or less healthy balance of the two.

• Ironic because through most of the series, Mistle Toad complains about being old.
• The complaints continue into season two.

• Verbal Tic: Fur Foot's pronunciation of 'forest' is noticeably different from everyone else's.

• Snout and Ollie also have one in the episode, "Invasion".

• "The Villain Sucks" Song: Earth Star improvises one of these to explain why Orpheus sucks in the episode "The Sacrifice".
• Welcome to the Real World: Subverted because they don't actually travel between dimensions. (Unless you count Toad Hollow.) However, it is revealed at the beginning of the series that the main cast of Toad Patrol is disoriented. They left the safety of the water (as tadpoles) to go onto land and discover that in the real world, they are very small.
  • They also receive another wake-up call in season two since the cast is completely unaware that their world changed. Winter.

• Where the Hell Is Springfield?: The series is very vague as to where the Great Forest is located. Most clues point to it being located in Ontario, Canada (where the show was made), but that hasn't been confirmed.

• You No Take Candle: Newt's English is about as broken as it gets. Justified by the fact that he hasn't had much - if any - outside interaction.
  • Jubil and Jeremiah not only rearrange their words and speak in fragments but Jeremiah also lisps.
  Earth Star: Hi Beauty Stem. What were you trying to tell me?
  Jeremiah: Beauty Stem said...
  Jubil: To warn of danger!
  Jeremiah: Get out of tree.

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