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Tobias the Reluctant Dragon -
Mild-mannered, 400-year-old, fire-breathing dragon featured on the
half-hour Saturday morning Rankin/Bass animated cartoon series THE
RELUCTANT DRAGON AND MR. TOAD/ABC/1970-72.
Tobias the dragon is based on the children's story "The
Reluctant Dragon" by Kenneth Grahame (1959-1932) found in his collection of
sketches Dream Days (1898). It told the tale of St. George, a
young village boy and a reluctant cave-dwelling dragon named All
the Dragon who just wanted to be left alone.
Loosely based on the original story, the ABC-TV cartoon is set in
Medieval Willowmarsh Village, England where Tobias, the peaceful,
kind-hearted dragon lived in the countryside. His best friend is a
clumsy knight named Sir Malcolm Giles who protects Tobias from
harm.
His royal majesty, King Herman ruled the nearby kingdom where
other characters likes Irving the Bold, Sir Andrew, Ugliola and
the Little Girl reside.
Because Tobias was allergic to daisies, he had to take care not to
inhale the flowers. Why? Because when Tobias smells a daisy or
similar flowers, he begins to sneeze violently and
indiscriminately spew balls of fire about the landscape that
frighten the local townspeople.
Tobias tries to keep his allergy in check, but occasionally, a
certain little girl from the nearby village teases Tobias with an
offering of flowers. She purposely like to make him sneeze.
The second half of the show featured the adventures of J. Thaddeus
Toad (Mr. Toad), a “happy, carefree, gadabout guy” and "reckless
driver" who lives at Toad Hall. His friends are a shy Mole, a
clever Water Rat and a brainy Badger.
The characters in this segment of the show are based on Kenneth
Grahame's 1908 children's book "Wind in the Willows."
Tobias the Reluctant Dragon
Opening Narration and Theme
Lyrics
Tobias: It's the Reluctant Dragon...
Mr. Toad: ...and Mr. Toad Show!
Singers: He's the most reluctant dragon
That the world has ever seen
Yes, a very mild-mannered dragon
Whose reluctant to be mean
Though he may be big, he's the silent type
He is tip-toeing about
He's reluctant to be a violent type
You can even try him out
Tobias: (eating) Oh delicious! M-M-M-M!
Coconut custard! Temper, Temper.
That should be a no-no!
Singers: He's the most reluctant dragon
That the world has ever seen
Yes, a very mild-mannered dragon
Whose reluctant to be mean
Little Girl: I love you, Dragon (gives Tobias a flower)
Tobias: A daisy!!! (Tobias is allergic)
The Walt Disney studios animated
version of The Reluctant Dragon (1941)
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The Dragon: |
You've got to be mad to breathe fire, but I'm not mad at anybody.
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The Boy: |
But
try real hard. Concentrate. |
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[The dragon tries, but
can only make a puny smoke ring] |
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The Dragon: |
Not
very good, is it? |
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The Boy: |
Nope. Too bad you're not a real dragon, instead of a punk poet.
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The Dragon: |
[Angry] "Punk poet"? |
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[Now fire is coming out
of his mouth] |
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The Dragon: |
Ooh,
say that again. |
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The Boy: |
Punk
poet. |
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The Dragon: |
Again. |
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The Boy: |
Punk
poet. |
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The Dragon: |
Again. |
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The Boy: |
Punk
poet. |
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The Dragon: |
[Delighted] Ooh, I'm mad! I'm mad! I'm mad! |
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The Boy: |
Punk
poet! Punk poet! Punk poet! |
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