Dallas' "Tango Frogs" sculptures have a new home off Lowest Greenville.
The collection of 10-foot-tall frogs playing musical instruments sat perched atop the Taco Cabana restaurant along Greenville Avenue in Dallas, most recently, for the past six years. That location was closed by the chain earlier this year, leaving the future home of the frogs in question.
On Thursday, Taco Cabana said the beloved sculptures were being donated to Truck Yard, a bar along Sears Street about 500 feet away from the frogs' most recent home.
The frogs were once a collection of six that sat atop the Tango Nightclub in the 1980s. In 1985 the frogs were split up and sold when the club closed down. Three of the frogs are now living in Nashville atop a Chuy's restaurant, the other three, which were sent to Carl's Corner, were relocated back to their former home at 1827 Greenville Avenue in 2014.
The frogs were designed by Texas-based artist Bob "Daddy-O" Wade who was known for his large sculptures in Texas and beyond. Wade also designed Izzy, the giant Iguana sculpture housed on a roof at the Fort Worth Zoo.
Wade, who died a year ago at age 76 at his Austin home, according to the Austin American-Statesman, said in 2014 that he was happy to see three of his frogs headed back to Dallas.
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"I'm proud to collaborate with a forward-thinking company like Taco Cabana that's helping bring the arts back to the Lower Greenville community and fun to its guests," Wade said.
At Truck Yard, the frogs will once again be perched on a roof, this time facing Sears Street, to welcome guests into the beer garden.
"I couldn't be more hoppy," said Jason Boso, owner of Truck Yard. "Truck Yard has always desired and worked toward being an iconic Dallas location that our city can be proud of. We will position the 'Tango Frogs' so they can be an Instagram-worthy staple in our city and to continue to show the appreciation of this 'unfrogettable' artwork."
"The Tango Frogs have been a member of the TC family for years and are an iconic part of the Lowest Greenville neighborhood," said Rich Stockinger, CEO and President of Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc. "It was so important for us to keep the frogs in the neighborhood and we couldn't be happier to have found a new home for them at the Truck Yard. We thank Jason and the team behind the Lowest Greenville Collective for welcoming them into their family."