Previously, I’ve written about how the different Disney adaptations of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, completely saved the studio on numerous occasions. The Walt Disney Company would not be what it is today without the Alice Comedies and the 1951 film. A couple of weeks ago, I dove into the main voice actress for Alice, Kathryn Beaumont. After writing that blog post it got me thinking, what were the origins of the other wild characters in the initial story? Here are just a couple that I’ve been able to pull together.

There are a few characters from Lewis Carroll’s story that did not make it into the 1951 Disney film, such as The Lory, The Eaglet, The Duck, Pat, Puppy, The Mock Turtle, and others. However, majority of the main characters are involved in both stories. It is hypothesized that Carroll created the characters based on people who knew in his real life, as most authors tend to do.

The Mad Hatter

“Mad as a hatter”

It has been a rumor for a while that the Mad Hatter actually got his name and quirky personality from a real-life event in the 1700 and 1800s. Back in the 16th century, every European man was supposed to wear a felt hat anytime they went out in public - a societal fashion trend. Hatters, the hat makers, realized they were running out of felt and needed a quick fix for the high demand of top hats. In the 1730s, they realized that if they added a little bit of mercury to cheap furs they were able to find, that it would turn into felt. At the time, it wasn’t yet discovered that mercury was actually poisonous, and all of the hatters began showing unusual symptoms. It would affect their teeth, tongue, eyelids, limbs, and even alter their personalities to become irritable and paranoid. The hatters essentially went “mad” after working with mercury for almost 100 years.

Given the fitting name for the phenomenon and the strange quirks that the Mad Hatter displays in the story and film, people believe that’s where Lewis Carroll got the idea for the character. Although, this theory has been debunked a couple different ways, mostly because the Mad Hatters personality is more outgoing instead of withdrawn.

Another theory for the origin of this character is that it is based on a furniture maker who lived around the same time Carroll did, Theophilus Carter. Apparently, Carter used to stand outside of his furniture shop with a top hat on everyday, excitedly welcoming in guests with his free-spirited personality. This is the closest idea we currently have as to who the Mad Hatter is based upon.

The March Hare

“Mad as a march hare”

The phrase “Mad as a march hare” had been around since before Carroll’s book was published, and he used it several times throughout his story. It was coined from observations of brown hares before breeding season (February to September), when their behavior would become erratic.

For the Disney animated film, the March Hare was voiced by Jerry Colonna. He also provided the live-action reference model takes, where animators would try to copy realistic movements for the animation. Here is a short clip of some of the original reference footage:

Alice in Wonderland test footage. Video from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROqlhMEWA70&feature=emb_title

The Cheshire Cat

“To grin like a Cheshire Cat”

There are a couple theories as to where the idea for this character came from, and none of them were ever confirmed. The first of which, was there used to be a church called St. Wilfrid’s Church that Carroll used to visit as a young boy. There was a carving of a grinning cat by the main entrance that may have been the inspiration for the look of the Cheshire Cat.

The other popular theory is that cheshire cheese, which is one of the oldest known cheeses in Britain, used to be molded into the shape of a grinning cat. I’m unsure how accurate this is as I wasn’t able to find many pictures of this practice, but it’s entirely possible that this was another inspiration for the character.

The Dodo

There’s not much explanation to this character’s origins other than the fact that Lewis Carroll’s real name was Charles Dodgson, and the Dodo bird was based off of himself. Apparently he had a lisp, and would often end up saying his last name as “Dodo-dodgson”.

Let me know if there are any other Disney characters you want to learn more about!

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice%27s_Adventures_in_Wonderland#Characters

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatter_(Alice%27s_Adventures_in_Wonderland)#Disney

http://www.teatoastandtravel.com/tag/theophilus-carter/

http://comedyforanimators.com/2017/11/02/disney-acting-reference-for-alice-in-wonderland/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_Hare#:~:text=Illustration%20by%20John%20Tenniel.&text=The%20March%20Hare%20(called%20Haigha,book%20Alice's%20Adventures%20in%20Wonderland.

https://www.alice-in-wonderland.net/resources/analysis/character-descriptions/cheshire-cat/

https://www.catster.com/lifestyle/cheshire-cat-lewis-carroll

https://www.alice-in-wonderland.net/resources/analysis/interpretive-essays/the-duck-and-the-dodo/

Featured