''Commander Toad'' is a series of children's books by

Jane Yolen Jane Hyatt Yolen (born February 11, 1939) is an American writer of fantasy, science fiction, and children's books. She is the author or editor of more than 400 books, of which the best known is '' The Devil's Arithmetic'', a Holocaust novella. H ...

, published by

Puffin Books Puffin Books is a longstanding children's imprint of the British publishers Penguin Books. Since the 1960s, it has been among the largest publishers of children's books in the UK and much of the English-speaking world. The imprint now belongs to ...

from 1980 to 1998. The series is a

toad Toad (also known as a hoptoad) is a common name for certain frogs, especially of the family Bufonidae, that are characterized by dry, leathery skin, short legs, and large bumps covering the parotoid glands. In popular culture (folk taxonomy ...

-themed parody of pop culture science fiction filled with puns. ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...

'' is referenced with many

pun A pun, also known as a paronomasia in the context of linguistics, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from t ...

s on iconic ''Star Wars'' characters including Jake Skyjumper (

Luke Skywalker Luke Skywalker is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He was introduced in the original film trilogy as the main protagonist and also appears in the sequel trilogy. Raised as a poor moisture farmer on the desert planet Tat ...

), Deep Wader (

Darth Vader Darth Vader () is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He was first introduced in the original film trilogy as the primary antagonist and one of the leaders of the Galactic Empire. He has become one of the most iconic villain ...

) and Star Warts, the name of Commander Toad's ship. The books feature Commander Toad and his crew exploring the Galaxy for Starfleet, and each story is a different mission, a clear reference to ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the Star Trek: The Original Series, series of the same name and became a worldwide Popular culture, pop-culture Cultural influence of ...

''. In 1993, the first book was adapted into an

ABC Weekend Special ''ABC Weekend Special'' is a weekly 30-minute American television anthology series for children that aired Saturday mornings on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from September 10, 1977 to August 30, 1997, which featured a wide variety of stori ...

produced by Churchill Films. The special used puppets and it featured the voices of

Mark Hamill Mark Richard Hamill (; born September 25, 1951) is an American actor. He is best known for starring as Luke Skywalker in the ''Star Wars'' franchise, and the Joker (character), Joker in various animated DC Comics projects, starting with ''Batm ...

as the Admiral and

Nichelle Nichols Nichelle Nichols ( ; born Grace Dell Nichols; December 28, 1932 – July 30, 2022) was an American actress, singer and dancer whose portrayal of Uhura in ''Star Trek'' and its film sequels was groundbreaking for African American actresses on A ...

as SS Stella.

Books

* ''Commander Toad in Space'' (1980) * ''Commander Toad and the Planet of the Grapes'' (1982) * ''Commander Toad and the Big Black Hole'' (1983) * ''Commander Toad and the Dis-asteroid'' (1985) * ''Commander Toad and the Intergalactic Spy'' (1986) * ''Commander Toad and the Space Pirates'' (1987) * ''Commander Toad and the Voyage Home'' (1998)

References

{{Unofficial Star Wars media 1980s children's books Children's fiction books American children's book series Children's books about frogs Books about extraterrestrial life Star Wars parodies Parodies of Star Trek ABC Weekend Special Children's books by Jane Yolen Unofficial Star Wars media