Apple TV+ Announces ‘Frog and Toad’ Queer Cartoon Series
Frog and Toad New Series Coming to Apple TV+ (Courtesy of apple.com)
February 21, 2023
Your favorite amphibious “best friends” are coming to Apple TV+ with a queer series. “Frog and Toad” is set to premiere on April 28.
Frog and Toad Are More Than Friends
The beloved characters from Arnold Lobel’s children’s books have been close since their first appearance in the 1970 collection of stories “Frog and Toad Are Friends.” They’ve lived together, cried together and shared heartwarming moments that have stuck in the hearts of readers for years.
Now, they join an important and underrepresented group of queer cartoons that provide affirming entertainment for all members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Shows like “Steven Universe” and “Adventure Time” showcased queer characters and celebrated their relationships, joys and struggles well. The music, adorable animation styles and authentic personalities in both shows lent themselves to some of the best queer animation on television.
Long before either of those shows debuted on Cartoon Network, there was the character of Waylon Smithers on “The Simpsons.” Smithers has represented an often stereotypical depiction of a queer man on the show, constantly alluding to deep feelings for his boss, Mr. Burns. Smithers was the first-ever gay character to appear in a U.S. cartoon. He officially came out in a 2016 episode of the show titled “The Burns Cage.” He professes his love to, and is later rejected by, Mr. Burns.
Though his character wasn’t always handled well, Smithers provided the opportunity for queer characters to not only appear in cartoons but to star in and shape the show around their narrative instead of being sidelined for the sake of normative characters and plot lines.
This brings us to today and the series of memes surrounding Frog and Toad that characterize them as queer and radical amphibians. These memes have, in part, lead to the creation of a cartoon that depicts the characters in a similar light.
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Queer Messages of Joy
Frog and Toad are inseparable from each other and from conceptualizations of queerness. The show marks an adaptation from book to screen unlike many others. Rarely are queer works of fiction adapted for the screen in what appears to be a wholesome and promising moment of representation.
The very essence of Frog and Toad is calm and kind interactions driven by a love that is remarkably tender. With an animation style similar to Lobel’s illustrations in the original series and a host of queer and cozy storylines to pull from, it’s more than likely that Apple TV+ will delight viewers with its adaptation of “Frog and Toad.”
According to an article by Vulture, the series will feature Nat Faxon as Frog and Kevin Michael Richardson as Toad. Animation will be done by Titmouse and Rob Hoegee will act as showrunner for the production.
