The Mad Hatter's Tea Party

The characters that Lewis Carroll created for Wonderland are some of the most well-known and beloved characters in all of fiction. Who wouldn’t immediately recognise Alice in her powder-blue dress, the grin of the Cheshire cat, or the immediate danger of a swift beheading when face to face with the Queen of Hearts?

For over 150 years, these books of bravery, curiosity, and identity have entertained and delighted children and adults alike. The characters are unlike any you would find in conventional novels or children's stories, but that’s no wonder considering their absurd world. Let’s take a closer look at these enigmatic characters and see what makes them so special.

At the centre of the story, we find Alice. No more than seven years old in the first book –her age changes in subsequent retellings and films–, the central plot revolves around this curious little girl travelling to a world beyond her understanding. There she has to make her way out while finding her identity, battling the absurdities of life, and coming face to face with the perils of authority.

What makes this story so special is the range of increasingly erratic characters she meets along the way. While there are some who mean her harm, the vast majority are neutral towards Alice or help her in some way. Some of the more notable characters she encounters include the Cheshire Cat, a mysterial cat that can appear and disappear at will, leaving nothing other than his famous grin behind; the Mad Hatter, a man driven to madness after being abandoned by time itself and destined to host a never-ending tea party for himself and his friends; Tweedledum & Tweedledee, twins with a habit of reciting poetry; The White Rabbit, always running ‘late for a date’; and the Queen of Hearts, arguably the most feared ruler in fiction who loves nothing more than a quick beheading.

This is only a small taste of some of the characters you’ll get to meet in Wonderland. Their roles in fiction cannot be understated, as they’ve remained popular and relevant since the 1870s, and scholar upon scholar has written books and theses about their meaning and importance.

To find out more about these characters, their roles in the story, and the ways that they’ve been brought to life in books, films, and on stage, follow our blog posts about the Alice in Wonderland series. If you’d like to meet the characters for yourself, book yourself a ticket for the Churnet Valley Railway Mad Hatter Tea Party experience and come live the magic yourself.

Imagination is the only weapon in the war with reality.

The Cheshire cat

This philosophy-quoting, suddenly-materialising, cryptic advice-dispensing feline has been a pop culture staple ever since we first encountered him in Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. We see him on t-shirts, tattoos, home decor items, and phone cases of both classic literature fans as well as angsty teenagers. While his exact origins and inspiration are as mysterious as he is, we’ll attempt to take a closer look at this ‘grin without a cat’ and see what we can learn about this enigmatic character and his role in the stories.

There is some speculation that his character was inspired by a real-life cat owned by Carroll’s friend and illustrator of the original books, Sir John Tenniel. The cat is said to have had a distinctive grin, which inspired Carroll to create the character. Another theory states that Carroll was inspired by a 16th-century sandstone carving of a grinning cat he saw on the west face of St. Wilfrid’s Church tower in Grappenhall.

The first time that Alice encounters the grinning cat is in the Duchess’s kitchen, then later again outside in the branches of a tree. It appears and disappears at will, leaving only its iconic grin behind. It’s the only character that really listens to Alice and engages her in baffling conversation, yet provides her with the advice she needs to continue her journey through Wonderland.

Although his role is limited in the original book, this character is brought more into the spotlight in later adaptations. In both the 1951 and the 2010 Tim Burton versions, the Cheshire cat –voiced by the brilliant Stephen Fry– appears more frequently and engages with Alice on a deeper level, making it possible for her to fulfil her destiny as the ‘champion of Wonderland.’

The way that he appears and disappears at just the right moment to advise Alice has led to numerous fan theories that he represents Alice’s subconscious mind and inner voice of sanity in a world that is otherwise nonsensical and without rhyme or reason. Whatever the truth about this fantastic feline or how we choose to see him, there’s no doubt that he’s magnificently written, and we just can’t help thinking about him for days after reading the book or watching the movies.

Check out the Mad Hatter's Tea Party to meet the characters!

Along with the protagonist, Alice, and the March Hare, the Mad Hatter is one of only three characters featured in both of the original Lewis Carroll Wonderland books. In the originals, he’s simply known as ‘The Hatta’, his mad antics and behavior earning him his ‘mad’ hatter moniker in later years and adaptations. This ‘mad-as-a-hat’ character, although illogical and nonsensical at the best of times, helps Alice find her way and gain a better understanding of Wonderland in his own unique ways.

In the original Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Tarrant Hightopp –as he’s also known– explains that he’s trapped in a never-ending tea party along with the March Hare. He explains that he tried to sing for the Queen of Hearts at a celebration, but that she didn’t enjoy his rendition and accused him of ‘murdering time itself’ –sentencing him to death for this violation. Luckily, he managed to escape his fate, but Time itself abandoned him out of anger for the attempted murder. For these reasons, however absurd they may appear to us, he has always been kept at 6:00 p.m., or, as he prefers to call it, tea party time. All this time, or lack thereof, must have driven him mad as he recites poems to no end and asks puzzles with no answers.

In the Tim Burton adaptations, the Mad Hatter is more central to the plot. Played by Johnny Depp, the hatter becomes Alice’s key ally on her journey, helping her to remember her past visits and encouraging her to fulfil her destiny as Wonderland’s champion. We also learn more about his tragic backstory and his troubled relationship and past with the Queen of Hearts and her tyrannical rule over Wonderland.

The Mad Hatter serves as an excellent representative of the silly, nonsensical and absolutely illogical world that is Wonderland. His character adds whimsy and confusion to a world already overflowing with both, and his eccentricity has made him a beloved and iconic character in pop culture.

First things first! The Queen of Hearts is NOT the same person as the Red Queen. A lot of people mistakenly believe that these two less-than-pleasant rulers are the same person. The Red Queen is the main antagonist in Through the Looking Glass, while the Queen of Hearts is introduced as the antagonist in Lewis Carroll’s first Wonderland book, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Following the success of Disney’s 1951 hit, Alice in Wonderland, the Queen of Hearts quickly joined the ranks of some of Disney’s most famous villain characters, where she’s stayed ever since.

The Cheshire cat explains that all of Wonderland lives under the Queen of Heart’s authority. She isn’t exactly known for being a kind and benevolent ruler, and even the slightest agitation can result in a gruesome beheading. While most of the inhabitants can be described as ‘mad’ to some degree, the Queen of Hearts is best described as absolutely psychotic, enjoying every minute of it. She takes pleasure in warning Alice that if she loses her temper, Alice loses her head; and when the White Rabbit takes too long reading all of the accusations against Alice at her trial, she snaps at him with “Never mind all that. Get to the part where I lose my temper!”

Despite her being one of the most feared, vicious, and unpredictable rulers in all of fiction, her character is surprisingly popular. She’s appeared in a number of games, including the NES Mickey Mousecapade, the extremely popular Kingdom Hearts series, and Disney Heroes: Battle Mode. She’s also a fan-favourite meet & greet character at many of the Disney parks around the world, including the Magic Kingdom, Hong Kong, and Tokyo.

If you’d like to meet her yourself, come join us for the Mad Hatter Tea Party experience at Churnet Valley Railways this Easter. Please make sure not to offend her though, lest you hear her favourite words: “Off with his head!”

Here’s a fun fact about the White Rabbit from the Alice in Wonderland universe that we bet you didn’t know – Lewis Carroll himself described him as a contrast or ‘the opposite’ of Alice. In his article Alice on the Stage, Carroll wrote that where Alice represents youth, audacity, vigour and “swift directness of purpose,” the White Rabbit is meant to contrast her as elderly, timid, feeble, and “nervously shilly-shallying.” He also imagined him to have a quivering voice, and even more quivering knees.

But what else do we know about the first, always-running-late character that Alice meets on her adventure in Wonderland?

In arguably the most famous film retelling of the story, the 1951 Disney version, the White Rabbit is directly responsible for drawing Alice into Wonderland. Immediately after Alice explains her ideal wonderland to her kitten, Dinah, the White Rabbit appears out of nowhere, in a great big rush, explaining in song that "I'm late! I'm late! For a very important date! No time to say hello, goodbye! I'm late! I'm late! I'm late!.” This singing rabbit obviously piques Alice’s interest, and she follows him into the burrow where her adventures begin. While it isn’t explicitly explained, we can only assume that the ‘date’ he’s singing about refers to the garden party hosted by his employers, the King and Queen of Hearts –the latter of whom is quite liberal with the removal of heads, explaining the need for haste.

The White Rabbit isn’t only in contrast with Alice though. He seems to be one of the more ‘sane’ characters in Wonderland, trying his best to talk the Dodo out of burning the house down while trying to get the monster, Alice, out.

Just like many of the other iconic Carroll characters, the White Rabbit has become a pop culture favourite. We’ve seen references to him in other books, movies, and shows, and he’s even a meetable character at Disney World.

Speaking of which, you can meet the White Rabbit himself at the Churnet Valley Railway's Mad Hatter Tea Party. Come hear more about Wonderland from someone who has more experience with the inner workings of Wonderland and its amazingly zany inhabitants than anyone else.

We’ve all heard variations of the terms Tweedledum and Tweedledee, whether it be from a scornful mother angry at our childhood antics, or an annoyed teacher referring to you and your fun-loving friend as ‘Tweedledum and Tweedledumber’. While technically an insult, being referred to in this way also shows some affection, as this much-loved, and often misunderstood set of twins from Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass's playful and comical antics have made them fan favourites throughout the years.

While everyone knows who they are –or at least what their names refer to– few people know their origin story. The oversized twins from Through the looking glass were actually inspired by this nursery rhyme, which in turn, was inspired by an epigram (a short, witty poem) about two feuding composers, Handel and Bonocini, written by the English poet, John Byrom.

Tweedledum and Tweedledee
Agreed to have a battle;
For Tweedledum said Tweedledee
Had spoiled his nice new rattle.

Just then flew down a monstrous crow,
As black as a tar barrel;
Which frightened both the heroes so,
They quite forgot their quarrel.

In the original Through the Looking Glass story, Alice meets them while on her journey through Wonderland. She recites the poem, as it’s the only thing she knows about them, however, they deny ever agreeing to have a battle over a rattle. They extend their hands to Alice in friendship, but unable to decide whose hand to shake first, Alice grabs both of their hands in a circle, and the three dance in a ring. After they finish their dance, Alice asks them how to get out of the wood, but they ignore her and instead start telling her the poem about ‘The Walrus and the Carpenter’ in a singsong and comical way. The poem is full of twists and turns, causing Alice to change her mind about the characters in it again and again.

Their playful and unpredictable behaviour fits perfectly in a world so full of mystery and uncertainty, and while they might seem to be copies of the same person at surface level, they’re nuanced and unique characters in their own right.

Churnet Valley Railway invites you to meet these enigmatic twins yourself on our Mad Hatter’s Tea Party train. Come see if you can make sense of their poems and riddles as you help Alice make her journey through the Wonderland that is our train.