An Interview with Adrianne & Adam Lobel, Executive Producers of ‘Frog and Toad’

Toad (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson) and Frog (voiced by Nat Faxon) in "Frog and Toad," now streaming on Apple TV+.

Adrianne and Adam Lobel, and the children of famed children’s author Arnold Lobel, who wrote the iconic Frog and Toad book series. Currently they serve as the Executive Producers of the Apple TV+ series of the same name, and we here at NTG had the great honor of sitting down with both of them to discuss season two of this magnificent series!
 
John Betancourt: I would like to know what it means to each of you to be granted a second season to continue this story on television.
 
Adrianne Lobel: Well, I'm thrilled that they picked it up for a second season. I mean, they made originally 18 episodes. No more than that, so, you know, it'd be sad if they didn't all get to air. Just they're good.
 
Adam Lobel: Just, you know, it's sort of it just reinforces that people are watching the show, you know, it's hard in the world of streamers, you don't get the traditional Nielsen ratings. So, you sort of don't know whether everybody's happy with the show, unless they decide to keep it going. So yeah, we're thrilled.
 
John Betancourt: Now, since you’re so close to the story, I’m quite curious as to why you each think this saga continues to resonate?
 
Adrianne Lobel: I think Frog and Toad continue to live on because the world is, excuse me, such a shitshow right now. And people need a cozy, particularly children, but also adults, need a nice cozy place to go where, you know, people are friends, love each other, and they solve each other's problems. And, you know, it's all… it's okay. Everything is okay in Frog and Toad.
 
Adam Lobel: It’s the simple stories that just resonate. And now this, you know, you maybe you grew up on the stories, and maybe you read them to your kids. So, there's a style aspect to it, you know, people will go, “Oh, right. I remember that. I was five when I read the story, or I was three when my parents read this story to me.”
 
Adrianne Lobel: That’s cozy too.
 
Adam Lobel: Yeah, nostalgia is important. You know, regardless of how screwed up the world is.
 
John Betancourt: In general, what are you each most excited people to experience in this new season of storytelling?
 
Adrianne Lobel: Well, it's funny, because we saw all of the episodes, but not necessarily in any order. And I have not watched them in actuality, during the TV airing. So, I don't know which episodes were in the first season, and which episodes are going to be in the second season. So, it's a difficult question to answer. I'm just happy they're all going to be seen.
 
Adam Lobel: I think that season one did have more of you know, there were you know, there were only 20 original Frog and Toad stories, five per book, four books. So, some all-new material had to be created, which was what I think was our biggest fear for the decades leading up to this is, if we're going to do something, whether it's a feature, whether it's TV show, we're gonna have to have new Frog and Toad stories. And Rob Hogee and his team, you know, they gave us scripts, and, you know, it was clear right from the start, that they treated the material with a great deal of respect. And, you know, we felt like we were in good hands, and I really liked some of the new stories, you know, that was my big fear moving forward was, you know, somebody else is going to be writing Frog and Toad stories, and what if I hate them? Right? So, it's gratifying that they that they're able to, to have new ones.
 
Adrianne Lobel: And I don't know if this has happened to you, Adam, but oftentimes, people will say, “Well, why don't you write some new Frog and Toad? You know, like the Babar guy did. And you know, my answer is, are you kidding? I wouldn't touch it.
 
Adam Lobel: I will not. Besides, I think there's a chatbot AI that specializes Frog and Toad stories now. (Laughter from everyone.)
 
John Betancourt: To follow up on that, I’m curious as to what your involvement was in the creation of those new stories.
 
Adrianne Lobel: We read them. And if there were language issues that bothered us, or if something didn't strike true for the characters, we would give them notes, and they generally listened to us.
 
Adam Lobel: I mean, they were, like I said, they were very respectful. And they took our opinions. And they created their own versions, but they were true to the originals. And they listened to us when they got something that we thought was wrong. You know, and particularly early on, I think we were more setting the pace and, and some of the rhythm and the like, we, you know, there are no contractions in Frog and Toad. Nobody says “isn't” or, you know, “it's.” So, things like that had to be maybe pointed out once.
 
Adrianne Lobel: And one of the reasons for that. I mean, it's partly the way my father wrote, but it was also because he was writing for kids to read out loud for the first time themselves. So, you have to learn how to say “is not” before you can read “isn't.”
 
John Betancourt: Oh my gosh, I had never noticed that before.
 
Adrianne Lobel:  And the other thing is, they would say, you know, some skeptics, I think referred to “Mr. Fish” or something like that. And I said, “there are no Mr. And Mrs. or any of that in the book.” They're either Fish or Frog or Toad or Turtle. As if there are none others in the world.
 
John Betancourt: The last question that I have for you today. What are you most proud of when it comes to this show and all the buzz and wonder that it's accomplished?
 
Adrianne Lobel: It's exciting. I mean, I love that it's all over the world. And you get reviews from everywhere, Australia, Japan. You know, he (Arnold Lobel) would be thrilled.
 
Adam Lobel: Yeah, that for me, that's, you know, I think he liked animation a great deal. And so, I think he would be pleased with the final product. And the fact that it's out there. And the fact that 50 years after the first book came, 55 years after –
 
Adrianne Lobel: He’d be shocked.
 
Adam Lobel: Oh yeah. The characters are still alive and are still growing and are still becoming other things.
 
Adrianne Lobel: I mean, I can't actually think of another children's book that has had this lengthy a life. I mean, maybe Good Night Moon, but there's no I mean, there are wonderful books –
 
Adam Lobel: But it’s not a series. It's referenced and you know, people discuss it, but it hasn't necessarily evolved into a next form.
 
Adrianne Lobel: Yeah. My daughter's 22 And she's in college and Frog and Toad are so cool. Her friends think you know –
 
Adam Lobel: They have tattoos, tattoos!
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

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