Mad Hatter
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the Batman supervillain, see Mad Hatter (comics).
The Hatter, popularly known as The Mad Hatter although he is never actually given that name in the book, is a fictional character encountered at a tea party and later as a witness at a trial in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. It is thought that Tenniel's picture of him alone is him reciting his nonsense poem, "Twinkle twinkle little bat". When he is summoned to give his evidence at the Knave of Heart's trial to uncover who stole the Queen's tarts, the King prompts him by saying "don't be nervous or I'll have you executed on the spot." The chapter in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland called "A Mad Tea Party" is often erroneously called "The Mad Hatter's Tea Party", but it takes place in the garden of the March Hare. (The Hatter makes another appearance in Through the Looking-Glass as Hatta, one of the White King's messengers.)
The phrase "mad as a hatter" existed long before the character (see hatter). The "10/6" on the Hatter's hat means ten shillings and six pence, the price of the hat in pre-decimalisation British money.
He has been portrayed on film by Edward Everett Horton, Sir Robert Helpmann, Martin Short, and Ed Wynn, and in a music video by Tom Petty.
Contents |
[edit] The real Hatter
The Hatter is generally believed to be based on Theophilus Carter, at one time a servitor at Christ Church , one of the University of Oxford's colleges. He invented an alarm clock bed, exhibited at the Great Exhibition of 1851, that tipped out the sleeper at waking up time. He later owned a furniture shop, and became known as the Mad Hatter from his habit of standing in the door of his shop wearing a top hat. Sir John Tenniel is reported to have come to Oxford especially to sketch him for his illustrations.
There is also the possibility that the root of the term "mad hatter" is drawn from a time when mercury was used in the process of curing felt used in some hats. It was impossible for hatters to avoid inhaling the mercury fumes given off during the hat making process. Over time, the residual mercury caused neurological damage, as well as confused speech and distorted vision. As the mercury poisoning progressed to more dangerously high levels, sufferers could also experience psychotic symptoms, such as hallucinations. Given that anyone exhibiting an altered mental state was dubbed mad at the time, the cause of such malady, and subsequent death of such people doubtless went unexplained for a long time.
[edit] Popular culture
The Mad Hatter character appears in a number of other places:
- In the song "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters" written by Bernie Taupin, sung by Elton John on the album Honky Château, and covered by Mandy Moore on her Coverage album.
- In the computer game American McGee's Alice, a gothic sequel of the story, the Mad Hatter is warped into a mad scientist obsessed with time. He has turned the March Hare and the Dormouse into steampunk cyborgs, and has plans to turn all the Wonderland inhabitants into his automaton robots. He has also turned himself into a robot, a fact made obvious from when Alice defeats him.
- The Mad Hatter is a DC Comics supervillain modelled on the Wonderland character, and a foe of Batman.
- Belial is a character known as "the Mad Hatter" in the Japanese comic Angel Sanctuary.
- In the Wonderland in Shadow series by Aubigne Spratling, (previously Hunting Alice) a modern metaphoric hatter also dons the dual persona of serial murderer and Oxford professor.
- In one episode of the animated television series Futurama, "Insane in the Mainframe", a robot in a mental house dresses and acts like the Mad Hatter.
- Mad Hatter is the widely known name of the GameSpy Arena Guardians Web & Graphics team captain.
- Hatter M is a dark comic book that features what it claims is the real version of the Hatter — a bodyguard and soldier who wields a bladed hat.
- Charisma Records, the progressive record label owned by Tony Stratton-Smith, used the image of the Mad Hatter prominently in its logo in the 1970s.
[edit] Trivia
- The Mad Hatter is the mascot of Danbury High School of Danbury, Connecticut. He is, however, mainly related to the city's history of hat production and has little to do with the novel.
- Albert Anastasia (1902–1957), a New York City mafioso known for his role in leading Murder, Inc., was known as "the Mad Hatter", most probably because of his discerning taste for fine haberdashery.
- In the manga, based on the popular video game, Devil May Cry 3, the Mad Hatter is something of a villain along with a pseudo-Alice and White Rabbit.
- Former Lynyrd Skynyrd bassist Leon Wilkinson went by the nickname Mad Hatter, though it was because of his outfits, not after the Mad Hatter.
[edit] References
- An examination of the health effects of mercury in the hat industry in Connecticut
- Heavens to Betsy! and Other Curious Sayings, Charles Earle Funk. HarperCollins Publishers, 2002. ISBN 0-06-051331-4
