Toodles

Ohhh Toooooodles!

This boy, this absolute goober of a robot was my first ever favorite character. I don't even remember when I started to like him, but I imagine it was some time around 2013-15 (aka when I was 3-6 yrs old) that at some point, I saw Toodles (at least when he has a face and voice) for the first time and then something inside me lit up. From then on, I saw Toodles as some kind of heavenly being; I drew him on school folders all the time, I would sometimes bring him up in conversations, I would rewatch the specials centered around him like 10-20 times, even long after the show had ended, and for many years he was my all-time favorite character (until Scorpi took that spot in the summer of 2023). To this day, this adorable little flying helper holds a very special place in my heart; one of nostalgia and genuine love. I take him as a moral inspiration, in how he's so kind and friendly, and I deadass think he's the reason why I like helping people.

And yet, somehow, a lot of people hate him.

I don't think I have a more controversial favorite character than Toodles. Outside of the somewhat small fandom for this show, the majority of people I've seen online who watched it as a kid say he was better without the face and voice, saying that the obviously cute and expressive face is somehow "creepy", and that with the voice and personality he's "annoying" and "whiny". When I found this out a while ago, it broke my heart. How can ANYONE look at him and think he's creepy or annoying? Maybe if he had the face and voice from the beginning, people would hate him less... and they say he made the show "worse" but I argue he made it better. Giving him a face and voice was actually one of the best choices mankind has ever done. Period.

I admit, I don't watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse much anymore, considering it's WAY out of my age range now, but I do occasionally rewatch the episodes centered around him because they are absolute PEAK. A while ago, I heard they were rebooting the show and I was quite excited to see Toodles, and when it was confirmed he was gonna still have the face I got even more excited.... until I heard that they FUCKING decided to make him mute. Now I know Rob Paulsen (MY GOAT) is getting old and/or he has other stuff to do but still. Also he looks kinda weird in the reboot but that's just me tbh.

Toodles has five episodes centered (or in case of Mousekadoer Adventure, vaguely centered) around him: "Happy Birthday Toodles", "Road Rally", "Space Adventure", "Mickey's Mousekadoer Adventure", and "Oh Toodles". I recently rewatched them in honor of what is kind of his 20th birthday (20th anniversary of the show + his birthday being on May 22nd) so here they are ranked in my opinion.

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1 - Road Rally

Absolute peak cinema. This was the special I watched THE most. It features a complex subplot about Toodles getting rightfully jealous of Goofy replacing him and his lifelong job (and people call this "whining" LMFAO). Then after finally realising that his friends kinda forget about him he goes and hides in the jungle (the shot of him crying on that rock is actually iconic to me I WANT IT HANGED ON A WALL IT'S SO DEPRESSING). Then at the end with all the balloons and shit he thinks he doesn't get a balloon until he turns around and sees a GIANT ASS BALLOON OF HIMSELF, HOLY SHIT THIS IS ACTUALLY EPIC TO SEE EVERYTIME. Then at the very end Toodles comes in and says bye to the viewer and it's just *sniff* *starts aggressively clapping* actual fucking cinema.

Fun fact: I once had a dream where I was one of the racers in this episode and I drove the Löded Diper van from Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Pretty epic.

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2 - Road Rally 2- I mean uhhh Space Adventure

Road Rally in space. Toodles finds a girlfriend who he keeps getting separated from until they both get stuck in a spider web (totally does not foreshadow my now obsession with spiders) and then they get set free and show public displays of affection.

Fun (useless) fact: When I was little I had an ebook version of this episode on my tablet and legit the only line I remember was something akin to "Poor Toodles" (after he gets separated from Quoodles a second time). Really shows how obsessed I was with this mf.

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3 - Oh Toodles

This was literally just a Toodles worship episode where they all sing in praise of him and I absolutely love it. He gets a cool new dungeo- I mean uhh bedroom too. Also the box he got in Happy Birthday Toodles actually has a purpose. Also, HE SAYS BYE TO THE VIEWER LIKE IN ROAD RALLY OHMAGAAAA (I genuinely love when Toodles talks to the camera it feels like he's talking to me :] )

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4 - Happy Birthday Toodles

The first appearance of Toodles with a face and voice! AKA better Toodles. It's kinda weird seeing him with a face but no voice for the majority of the episode (but atleast he actually gets a voice in the end, listen to that, executives of the reboot who fucking wanted him mute). The other most important thing this episode established is that May 22 is TOODLES DAY YIPPEEE :3 I celebrate it literally every year.

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5 - Mickey's Mousekadoer Adventure

IDK. Kind of a nothingburger episode I guess. Although you COULD say this was the only time you could see Toodles as a MOTHERFUCKIN DIGIDESTINED but other than that yea kinda boring.

"Gee, everyone's forgetten about me. Poor Toodles :("

-Toodles after his friends prefer some brand new stupid ass truck over their actually extremely helpful fren.

"SUPER TOODLES CHEERS!!!!"

-Toodles after seeing a big ass balloon of himself.

":P"

-Toodles meeting Quoodles for the 1st time.

"hai :3 i'm toodles :3"

-Toodles meeting Quoodles for the 2nd time.