Cane Toads a crowd pleaser
Monday 5 November 2012
Cane Toads a crowd pleaser
The Cane Toad Racing at the Ironbar has hit legendary status after receiving ‘Best Live Local Act’ accolades at the consumer-voted 2012 Douglas Business Awards.
The not-so-quiet achiever of Douglas entertainment has been a staple feature for tens of thousands of visitors since its creation almost 20 years ago.
Ironbar owner Steve Hull said the idea of racing toads was put into motion back in 1995 as "a bit of fun" but never dreamed of how the show would have such a great run.
"We run over 300 shows a year with crowds averaging 90 to 100 people per night in the tourist season, there’s no doubt people love this show," he said.
"We don’t think there are many visitors who don’t pop in for a laugh. We want people to enjoy their time at the Ironbar and the Toads have been great for that."
Dave ‘00’ Evans, host of the show for ten years, isn’t surprised at all with its success.
"It’s a pleasure to entertain all ages with this low cost unique brand of comedy. I’m ‘toadally’ thrilled with this win!"
Fellow host Nicky G shares that sentiment: "It’s a bit like The Simpsons where the adult humour goes over the heads of the kids but it’s certainly fun for the whole family.
"Where else in the world could ‘Camel Toad’ (one of the racing toads) be a star?" he said.
With a sense of humour like that it’s no wonder the show still goes strong and will no doubt continue to entertain thousands more tourists for many years to come.