The Big Picture

Yvette Nicole Brown was thrilled to be a part of the Frog and Toad series since she’s been a fan of the books since childhood. She was amazed to see the characters come to life and hear their voices for the first time. Brown reminisces about her own Christmas mishaps and the gifts she always wanted as a child, like the Barbie Dream House.

Everyone has that book series growing up that gets you excited about telling stories. For Yvette Nicole Brown, that series was Arnold Lobel’s Frog and Toad, a collection of beautifully illustrated charming tales about the titular duo in their wholesome day-to-day shenanigans. (Some of the craziest things they involve themselves with include new shoes, housecleaning, and kite flying.)

Frog and Toad’s adventures have leapt from the page to the screen on Apple TV+ in the aptly titled series Frog and Toad, which boasts an impressive voice cast that includes Nat Faxon, Kevin Michael Richardson, Aparna Nancherla, Fortune Feimster, Cole Escola, and of course, Yvette Nicole Brown. The actress, who’s made you laugh over the years on Nickelodeon’s Drake and Josh as the hostile movie theater owner Helen and as the innocent and kind Shirley on Community, is the perfect person to bring one of Frog and Toad’s neighbor Rabbit to life in the series’ Christmas special, “Christmas Eve.”

During our 1-on-1 conversation, Brown detailed what it means to her to be part of such an influential series of books, the creative challenges and opportunities that come with voice acting, her favorite episodes of Community, and what she thinks about The Walking Dead’s many spinoffs.

Frog and Toad Follows two amphibian friends striving to balance the great outdoors and home pleasure, as they are thrown from one optimistic adventure to another. Release Date April 28, 2023 Creator Arnold Lobel Rating TV-Y Seasons 1

Super Fan Yvette Nicole Brown Is Absolutely Loving ‘The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon’
Image via AMC

COLLIDER: I love how festive you are.

YVETTE NICOLE BROWN: You know, I just did Daily Blast Live and it’s their holiday. So I was like, I’m giving it to ‘em. They’re going to get it today. So you get it as well and it is for you.

Awesome. Thank you. I’ve got to say this is so surreal talking to you because I grew up watching Drake and Josh.

BROWN: Awwww.

So all my cousins are really freaking out right now.

BROWN: Oh! Are they there? Where are they, are they there?

No, they’re at home, but I told them I was talking to you.

BROWN: We gotta make sure we do a screenshot picture.

That would be amazing. I have a lot of questions about Frog and Toad. I love the book series, I love the show. But before we dive into that, I know you’re a huge Walking Dead fan. What are some of your favorite parts of the spinoffs?

BROWN: Oh, my gosh. [The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon] is a movie every week. I enjoyed watching that show so much that I stopped watching it to let some more episodes pile up. I wanted to be able to binge it. I didn’t want to have to wait. It’s beautifully shot and the way that they made Paris just look forsaken was amazing. And Maggie and Negan, I love. I’m in hog heaven. Like I can’t. The end of [Fear the Walking Dead], we’ve got Richonne coming, the Rick and Michonne show. I’m over the moon, I’m over the moon.

They actually weirdly filmed part of The Walking Dead: Dead City near me.

BROWN: Did you go? Did you go?

I did, I went and I was just basically like, “Can I just stare at you?”

BROWN: They’re pretty people.

I watched Maggie talk to her stunt double in front of my post office. It was very weird.

BROWN: They’re good-looking people, those two.

‘Frog and Toad’ Was a Big Part of Brown’s Childhood

Let’s dive into Frog and Toad.

BROWN: Let’s do it!

First of all, the books were a huge part of my childhood.

BROWN: I learned to read with Frog and Toad. They were one of the first books that I remember as a kid reading. And so they have a very special place in my heart. When I found out about the show and they wanted me to be Rabbit, I was like, “Please, please let this not be a dream.” You know what I mean? Even when I was watching the holiday special just to see Rabbit come in and know that it’s my voice and I’m in that world, it always blows my mind because I’m such a fan. And so to be a fan of things and to get to be a part of the things that you love is just a dream come true.

One of the things that impressed me about Frog and Toad is how the illustration felt like the book. What are some of your favorite parts of the series of both the show and growing up reading the books?

BROWN: You know, for me, when you’re reading as a kid, you give different voices to the characters, right? You imagine what they would sound like and this is the first time in my life that I now get to see them come to life. And I’m like, “Oh, that’s what, Mink sounds like? That’s what Snail sounds like?” Like it’s exciting to see them become fully formed versions of themselves. Guest cast like Margaret Cho is in there and Fortune Feimster is in there. Kevin Michael Richardson and Nat Faxon are killing it as Frog and Toad. So it’s just an embarrassment of riches for your ears. We’ve had the experience of seeing it and reading it, and now to see it become something where you can actually hear them speak is just amazing. So that was what was wonderful for me.

Toad and his Christmas rolls, I just felt so bad for him. My heart broke for him. As soon as he went to the Christmas tree…

BROWN: And they burn so quickly! He was at the tree for two seconds every time and they already burned!

I know, it stressed me out. And then Frog’s trying to get the new clock. It’s a whole thing. But do you have any Christmas-gone-wrong memories?

BROWN: I have so many horror stories about glass or those breakable ornaments. I don’t know why most of the ornaments in the ‘70s and ‘80s were the ones that if they touched anything, they just shattered. I just remember, kind of what was happening with Toad the entire episode, you never even had to topple a tree for just gravity to grab one of those suckers and they would just, you know, bounce and then break. So those are most of my things. I do remember one year, me and my brother, we knew where our mother had hidden the presents that she had wrapped. And so we snuck in and unwrapped to see what we were getting and we weren’t as careful with putting them back together as we thought we were, and she knew we had been in there. And so that was not a very happy Christmas that year. But we got great gifts. I got the Barbie I wanted.

What about your brother?

BROWN: I don’t remember. I think he was in a G.I. Joe phase. It was either G.I. Joe or Hot Wheels Track. I can’t remember, such a blur because the whooping we got after opening those presents just kind of blotted out the entire holiday.

It was so touching at the end when Snail was like, “Don’t worry, I got the clock.” I also love that they couldn’t figure out — that’s another thing — we don’t know what time period this takes place. And they were just like, “Well, we don’t have a clock. We don’t know when Christmas is.” [Laughs] You mentioned the Barbie, but when you were growing up, was there a gift you really wanted?

BROWN: There’s a gift I really wanted, staying in the Barbie theme, there was a gift I really wanted that I never got. I always wanted the Barbie Dream House, the triangular one fully furnished. I had a friend who in my mind they were wealthy because she got that and a Fresh and Fancy where you can make your makeup. She got that in the same Christmas and I never got that. And I tell myself, I toy with the idea of finding one because I don’t want the new one. I want the old one. I want the 1981 triangular one. I toy around with going on eBay or something and trying to find a furnished one somewhere just so my inner, you know, 12-year-old can have that moment.

Voicing Rabbit in ‘Frog and Toad’s Christmas Episode Was a Dream Come True
Image via Apple TV+

You have the perfect voice for Rabbit because whenever I see you, I feel like everything’s going to be okay.

BROWN: Aw!

That’s what Rabbit did in the episode. She saved the day.

BROWN: She did, with the rolls. And that’s so kind, thank you.

You mentioned Mink, do you have a favorite Frog and Toad character? I love how their personalities were so extreme. Like Mole, I just wanted to give him a hug because I love theater. So I was just like, “Yeah, dude. I feel you.”

BROWN: I can’t say it’s a favorite character, but I did love how efficient Snail was in the entire episode. I don’t know if people realize, Snails don’t move fast and she got a lot of stuff done. She did a lot of trips. She ended up making it to [Mole’s] show. So I feel like Snail was MVP. And she’s the one that brought the clock at the end. So I want to go with Snail, final answer.

You do a lot of voice-over work. What have you learned from doing it over the course of your career for so long? What have you gotten used to or what is always surprising you?

BROWN: I think what I’ve learned is that it’s the easiest way to tap back into being a kid and the whole world of make-believe. Acting in general is like that. I wasn’t actually a movie theater owner in Drake and Josh. So you’re playing make-believe. But there’s something about the imagination it takes when you do voiceover because you don’t even have the animation yet. When you do voice-over, they draw to your voice. So you get the script and you create a world with your voice and then a year later you get to see what they created from what you created. And I think that’s really magical for me. And then I grew up loving animated shows and cartoons, so it’s kind of cool to see myself animated. Like it’s crazy. I did a Tom and Jerry episode a few years back and I’m like, “I’m in a Tom and Jerry?” Your whole childhood flashes in front of you. Especially with Frog and Toad because like I said, those are the first books I remember reading when I was a kid. So it’s pretty amazing.

Related ‘Frog and Toad’ Trailer: A New Spin on the Classic Tale The project is based on Arnold Lobel’s books of the same name.

Is there a character that you’d love to be a voice for a famous character?

BROWN: Oh, gosh, no, I can’t think of a famous character. But I mean, I dream of one day being a voice in a Disney movie, like a proper role in a Disney animated film would be a dream come true. Or Pixar. Like come on get me, y’all. Come on, get me. So that’s the dream.

What’s something you learned that you wish you knew when you started getting into acting and voice-over work?

BROWN: I think that you hear a lot how difficult it is, and listen, acting is not easy. But I do believe that if you know how to do on-camera work, you just have to make the switch of transferring that to the voice-over space. I remember the first thing I did — and I did not keep this job — the first thing I did, I booked a video game and I was in the booth and they said, “Ok, when you say this line, you have to be authoritative.” And I said, “Well, I raised my eyebrow.” Because I’m so used to being on camera. My face is rubbery. A lot of my acting is facial stuff, right? Can’t do that in a booth. You can’t do that when you’re doing voice-over, you have to make your voice sound authoritative. Or if you’re questioning something, you have to find a way to make that come through your voice. It’s like riding a bike, once it clicks for you, it stays with you forever. But I was in that booth like, “Well, what do you mean? You can’t tell I’m authoritative?” I can’t use my face. So that was the learning curve but once I got it, I got it.

I know animation now, everyone kind of records separately for the most part. But have you ever recorded with an actor and been able to play off of them?

BROWN: Oh, a lot of times back in the old days. The first show I did was Pound Puppies and it was Eric McCormack and just amazing actors, Michael Rapaport was in there and Betty White was on that show with us. And so I never got to record in a booth with Betty, but all of us that were the dogs in the pound, we would always record together. John DiMaggio and Alana Ubach. It was just a great group of actors and that felt more like being an on-camera actor because you’re doing the scenes with each other. But the problem with that is, if you got somebody in there that’s got the sniffles or somebody that can’t put their phone down, you’re saying your line and their phone is going “ping” and you have to do it again. So sometimes it’s better to just be in the booth by yourself because you can just get it done. I like to be efficient. I can get it done really quickly when I’m by myself.

Do you have an early audition memory that left you thinking, “Maybe I shouldn’t act?”

BROWN: I mean, gosh, there’s thousands of those. But for voice-over really was that video game. And then I didn’t know I didn’t keep the gig because I bought the video game to play. I was going to play up to when my character arrived and the scene came and went and it was not my voice. Rejection and feeling like you’re not good enough and the impostor syndrome is definitely a part of the acting business because there’s so many times you think you’re perfect for something and you don’t get it and you never know why. So we all have stories of like, “Oh, dang.” And there’s always a moment where you just go, “Maybe I shouldn’t do this. Maybe I’m not meant to do this.” But thankfully another opportunity comes and you try again and then you just keep going and next thing, you know, you’ve had a career.

That’s a great attitude to have and I’m glad you didn’t listen after that video game audition.

BROWN: Me too.

What’s something that you want to do in your career, something you want to check off your box?

BROWN: You know, I hope that before my career is up, I get a good run on a multi-cam sitcom. Like I want to be on something that lasts like 10 years. I want to retire off of that sucker. I’ve been on sitcoms. I’ve been a series regular on sitcoms, but there’s always been something that kept it from being the thing that is going to go the long haul. So I pray that a multi-cam sitcom comes calling for me. A hit one! A hit.

What were some sitcoms you grew up on?

BROWN: Golden Girls, Cosby Show, Different World, Friends, Living Single. I could list a 1000 of them. I love sitcoms. Yeah, Cheers. There’s so many. All the greats.

Image via Apple TV+

Going back to Frog and Toad, obviously this is a Christmas episode. What are some Christmas traditions that you are looking forward to this year?

BROWN: You know, I don’t have a lot of traditions. We didn’t have Christmas every year because we grew up without a lot of money. So sometimes we could have a tree, sometimes we could have presents, sometimes we couldn’t. So it wasn’t like, “Every year we’re going to do this.” But one thing that we did without fail that I still do is, every year, I watch my favorite Christmas specials. So like Peanuts, I watch the Charlie Brown Christmas special. I watch Rudolph Shiny New Year, I watch Frosty the Snowman and now I’m going to watch Frog and Toad’s holiday special. There’s also another great show I do on Apple TV+ called Shape Island. I’m the narrator on that animated show with stop-motion animation and they have a great holiday special as well. So I’m going to keep adding. And then, you know, of course It’s a Wonderful Life. You can’t have Christmas without It’s a Wonderful Life. So, it’s more watching stuff and drinking eggnog and, yeah, kind of putting on your antlers, that kind of stuff.

I don’t know if I’ve ever had eggnog now that I’m thinking of it.

BROWN: Really? Now listen, it’s not the best tasting thing, but it’s something you just knock it back and go, “I did it.” I just want to warn you. I don’t want you to go, “Yvette said I should try eggnog.” No I didn’t! No I did not.

[Laughs] No, I appreciate the warning. Do you have a “Christmas rolls” like Toad?

BROWN: I don’t, I don’t have a “Christmas rolls.” My friend Janine’s mom used to make this really great bread from scratch. It takes the day. Like if you’re going to do it, you just roll your sleeves up because you’re punching down the dough, you’re waiting an hour, you’re punching down the dough, waiting an hour. I do love making that, but that’s not a Christmas tradition. But now that I’m thinking about it, it should. I love peppermint hot chocolate, so I tend to save that for the holiday time. I don’t have a lot of traditions, besides watching a lot of television.

Image via NBC

That sounds good to me. Is there anything you know about the Community movie?

BROWN: We’re all looking forward to the Community movie. I’ve been telling people for two years, “I don’t know anything about it.” I don’t know about it, people keep asking me. I don’t know anything about it except that it’s happening and I’m happy for the fans. That’s all I got. Nobody knows, nobody knows what’s going on.

Going off of that, do you have a special memory from the show? A favorite episode?

BROWN: My favorite episode of Community is, I have two. I love the Law and Order episode. I don’t know the actual episode names. The fans are great at that, I don’t know them like that. And then I love the first flashback episode. Shirley selling her Lady Miss Lady cosmetics and she tricks the guys into cutting open the package and she said, “Now you owe me $30.” I just think that is the funniest thing that somebody could do to somebody. So that whole run of all those different quick little bits I think is really funny.

Community is great at that. I know a ton of people that are very, very excited about the movie.

BROWN: I want to say one more thing. Are we still recording?

Yeah!

BROWN: I’m going to say one more thing for you. Are you ready? “That is not my job!” [Laughs]

[Laughs] Thank you so much.

BROWN: You’re welcome. Nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you too. Enjoy the Rick and Michonne spinoff.

BROWN: Thank you, baby, take care.

Frog and Toad is available to stream on Apple TV+ in the U.S.

Watch on Apple TV+