Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (commonly shortened to Alice In Wonderland) is a tale that plays with logic in ways that have given the story lasting popularity with adults as well as children. It is considered to be one of the best examples of the literary nonsense genre, and its narrative course and structure have been enormously influential, especially in the fantasy genre.

Perhaps one of the most popular characters in Alice In Wonderland is The Hatter, otherwise known as The Mad Hatter.  What makes him so memorable is his wild, child-like personality.  Choosing a Mad Hatter Fancy Dress Costume for any upcoming costume event or this year’s Halloween will be a preferable choice.  Check out some of our exclusive Mad Hatter Costumes, then break the laws of physics by pouring tea cups and plates out of tea kettles.  You might even be lucky enough to bump into an Alice that likes you for your singing…

Alice in Wonderland is an 1865 novel written by English author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll. It tells the story of a girl named Alice who falls down a rabbit hole into a fantasy world populated by peculiar and anthropomorphic creatures. The Hatter explains to Alice that he and the March Hare are always having tea because, when he tried to sing for the Queen of Hearts at her celebration, she sentenced him to death for “murdering the time,” but he escapes decapitation.

In retaliation, Time (referred to as a “Him”) halts himself in respect to the Hatter, keeping him and the March Hare stuck at 6:00 forever. The tea party, when Alice arrives, is characterized by switching places on the table at any given time, making short, personal remarks, asking unanswerable riddles and reciting nonsensical poetry, all of which eventually drive Alice away. He appears again as a witness at the Knave of Hearts’ trial, where the Queen appears to recognize him as the singer she sentenced to death, and the King of Hearts also cautions him not to be nervous “or I’ll have you executed on the spot.”

Click Here For More Mad Hatter Fancy Dress Costumes

In Tim Burton’s 2010 version of Alice in Wonderland, the Mad Hatter is portrayed by Johnny Depp. He is very brave and loyal to the White Queen; he also becomes very emotionally attached to Alice and goes to great lengths to protect her. In this version, his full name is Tarrant Hightopp. Burton explained that Depp “tried to find a grounding to the character, something that you feel, as opposed to just being mad.

In a lot of versions it’s a very one-note kind of character and you know his goal was to try and bring out a human side to the strangeness of the character.” The orange hair is an allusion to the mercury poisoning suffered by many hatters who used mercury to cure pelts. According to Depp: “I think he was poisoned, very, very poisoned, and it was coming out through his hair, through his fingernails and eyes.” In an interview, Depp stated his experience was “A dream come true” and that the Mad Hatter is like “A mood ring, his emotions are very close to the surface”.

The phrase ‘mad as a hatter’ was common in Carroll’s time. ‘Mad as a hatter’ probably owes its origin to the fact that hatters actually did go mad, because the mercury they used sometimes gave them mercury poisoning.

Click Here To See More Alice In Wonderland Costumes

The Queen is referred to as a card from a pack of playing cards by Alice, yet somehow she is able to talk and is the ruler of the lands in the story, alongside the King of Hearts. She is often confused with the Red Queen from the sequel, Through the Looking-Glass, although the two are very different.

Alice is recommended, by three gardening playing cards (who are painting roses so that they are the right color for the Queen), to drop down on the ground to avoid being confronted by her. She is confused, and having never met the Queen, ignores this advice. When the Queen arrives and asks Alice who is lying on the ground (since the backs of all playing cards look alike), Alice tells her that she does not know. The Queen then becomes frustrated and commands that her head be severed. She is deterred by her comparatively moderate husband by being reminded that Alice is only a child.