Inked Mag Staff

January 19th, 2022

Frog and Toad Tattoos

Join us for a tattoo celebration of our favorite amphibians

I was super-psyched this morning when I sat down to write an article about frog tattoos. There were so many that I had seen recently that I wanted to share with you, dear Inked reader, that I was practically hopping out of my chair at the opportunity. Then as I started looking through the gallery below my heart sank and I had a startling realization—I have no idea what the difference between a frog and a toad is.

What if half of the “frog tattoos” I had collected ended up being toads. Hell, what if there wasn’t even a frog in the bunch? Besides Kermit, of course. I know he’s a frog because his full name is “Kermit the Frog.” Although… what if he was just trying to cash in on the popularity of frogs while actually being a toad? Dating can be pretty difficult when “ugly as a toad” is a popular idiom. Then again, women often speak about how they’re done kissing frogs. And he is in a committed relationship anyways…

Where was I? Oh yeah! Frog and toad tattoos! According the the world’s most trusted information source—the interwebs—there are two key differences between frogs and toads. One is when it comes to the legs as frogs have big long legs (that’s why they’re so good for fryin’ and eatin’), while toads have shorter and stubbier legs. Because of this frogs like to hop to get around while toads tend to mosey. The second main difference is in their skin. Frogs are smooth and almost slimey, while toads tend to be dry skin dotted with warts.

Frogs hold a special spot in the mythology attached to traditional Japanese tattooing. The Japanese word for frog, Kaeru, also means “return,” so frog tattoos are considered to bring luck and fortune. You’ll often find frog tattoos wearing little necklaces of coins. It’s not that they’re trying to show off some bling, it’s that the wearer is attempting to manifest good fortune with the ink.

So maybe frogs are a little better than toads, right?

ALL GLORY TO THE HYPNOTOAD!

Oh, turns out we were mistaken. Toads are where it’s at. Or, and hear me out here, maybe we can just love ’em both? Check out this gallery of our favorite frog and toad tattoos!

 

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A post shared by Jason Owens (@jasonowenstattoo)

 

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A post shared by EVAN FUCKIN BYRNE (@evanbyrnetattoo)

 

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A post shared by Sorry Mom Tattoo (@sorrymombologna)

 

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A post shared by Hernán Muker (@muker.tattoo)

 

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A post shared by Kelsi Steffensen (@tattoosbykelsi)

 

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A post shared by Parker Hollie (@parkerhollietattoo)

 

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A post shared by Nádia Barcelos (@barc.art)

 

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A post shared by Ffion (@ffion.elizabeth.tattoo)

 

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