The
Dormouse
A dormouse is a rodent of the family Gliridae (this family is also variously called Myoxidae or Muscardinidae by different taxonomists). Dormice are nocturnal animals found in Africa, Asia, and Europe. They are named for their long, dormant hibe ...
is a character in "A Mad Tea-Party", Chapter VII from the 1865 novel ''
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (commonly ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English novel by Lewis Carroll. It details the story of a young girl named Alice (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland), Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a ...
'' by
Lewis Carroll
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (; 27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet and mathematician. His most notable works are ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (1865) and its sequel ...
.
History
The Dormouse sat between the
March Hare
The March Hare (called Haigha in ''Through the Looking-Glass'') is a character most famous for appearing in the tea party scene in Lewis Carroll's 1865 book ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''.
The main character, Alice, hypothesizes,
: "Th ...
and the
Mad Hatter
The Hatter is a fictional character in Lewis Carroll's 1865 book '' Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' and its 1871 sequel ''Through the Looking-Glass''. He is very often referred to as the Mad Hatter, though this term was never used by Ca ...
. They were using him as a cushion while he slept when
Alice arrives at the start of the chapter.
The Dormouse is always falling asleep during the scene, waking up every so often, for example to say:
He also tells a story about three young sisters who live in a
treacle
Treacle () is any uncrystallised syrup made during the refining of sugar.Oxford Dictionary The most common forms of treacle are golden syrup, a pale variety, and a darker variety known as black treacle, similar to molasses. Black treacle has ...
well
A well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, or drilling to access liquid resources, usually water. The oldest and most common kind of well is a water well, to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The ...
, live on treacle, and draw pictures of things beginning with M, such as
mousetrap
A mousetrap is a specialized type of animal trap designed primarily to catch and, usually, kill mice. Mousetraps are usually set in an indoor location where there is a suspected infestation of rodents. Larger traps are designed to catch other s ...
s,
memory
Memory is the faculty of the mind by which data or information is encoded, stored, and retrieved when needed. It is the retention of information over time for the purpose of influencing future action. If past events could not be remembered, ...
and
muchness.
He later appears, equally sleepy, at the
Knave of Hearts' trial and voices resentment at Alice for growing, and his last interaction with any character is his being "suppressed" (amongst other things) by
the Queen
In the English-speaking world, The Queen most commonly refers to:
* Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death
The Queen may also refer to:
* Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), ...
for shouting out that tarts are made of treacle.
Disney version
The character also appears in
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
's ''
Alice in Wonderland
''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (commonly ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English novel by Lewis Carroll. It details the story of a young girl named Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world of anthropomorphic creatur ...
''. As in the book, he is sleepy and lazy, but unlike in the book, he sings ''
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Bat
"Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Bat" is a poem recited by the Mad Hatter in chapter seven of Lewis Carroll's 1865 novel ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''. It is a parody of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star".
Text
Context
The Hatter is interrupted in ...
'' instead of telling his story about mouse sisters to entertain the tea-party participants.
He panics at the mention of the word "cat", much like
The Mouse from the book, and needs to have
jam
Jam is a type of fruit preserve.
Jam or Jammed may also refer to:
Other common meanings
* A firearm malfunction
* Block signals
** Radio jamming
** Radar jamming and deception
** Mobile phone jammer
** Echolocation jamming
Arts and ente ...
spread on his nose in order to calm down. This first happens when Alice talks about her cat Dinah, causing the March Hare and the Mad Hatter to chase after it in order to administer the jam.
The Dormouse later appears as the second witness at Alice's trial, where two playing cards had to have the
Queen of Hearts
The queen of hearts is a playing card in the standard 52-card deck.
Queen of Hearts or The Queen of Hearts may refer to:
Books
* "The Queen of Hearts" (poem), anonymous nursery rhyme published 1782
* ''The Queen of Hearts'', an 1859 novel by ...
question it quietly. When Alice points out that the Cheshire Cat is on the Queen of Hearts' crown, the Queen of Hearts quotes "cat", causing the Dormouse to panic, with the March Hare, the Mad Hatter, and the
King of Hearts
The king of hearts is a playing card in the standard 52-card deck.
King of Hearts may also refer to:
Games
* The King of Hearts Has Five Sons, card game that may have been a precursor to Cluedo
Books
* King of Hearts (''Alice's Adventures ...
running around trying to catch him, with comical results.
The Disney version of the character also appears in ''
House of Mouse
''Disney's House of Mouse'' (or simply ''House of Mouse'') is an American Animation, animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation that originally aired for three seasons on ABC and Toon Disney from January 13, 2001, to ...
'' and ''
Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse''.
Tim Burton's ''Alice in Wonderland'' version
In Tim Burton's 2010
''Alice in Wonderland'' film, the Dormouse is a small, female mouse named Mallymkun. Unlike the sleepy character in the book, this Dormouse is an action-oriented swordfighter in training similar to the character
Reepicheep
Reepicheep the Mouse is a fictional character in the children's fantasy series ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' by C. S. Lewis. He appears as a minor character in '' Prince Caspian'' and as a major character in ''The Voyage of the Dawn Treader'', and ...
from ''
The Chronicles of Narnia
''The Chronicles of Narnia'' is a series of seven high fantasy novels by British author C. S. Lewis. Illustrated by Pauline Baynes and originally published between 1950 and 1956, ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' has been adapted for radio, telev ...
''. She is voiced by
Barbara Windsor
Dame Barbara Windsor (born Barbara Ann Deeks; 6 August 193710 December 2020) was an English actress, known for her roles in the ''Carry On'' films and for playing Peggy Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera, ''EastEnders''.[Bandersnatch
A bandersnatch is a fictional creature in Lewis Carroll's 1871 novel ''Through the Looking-Glass'' and his 1874 poem ''The Hunting of the Snark''. Although neither work describes the appearance of a bandersnatch in great detail, in ''The Hunting ...]
by plucking out its eye. She is seen a second time at Thackery Earwicket, the March Hare's tea party having tea with the March Hare and the Mad Hatter.
She is seen a third time rescuing the Hatter from the Red Queen. She is seen a fourth time at the end, fighting the Red Queen's forces. She also appears in the movie's 2016 sequel in the beginning when Alice returns to Wonderland, and later when Time travels back to the past and encounters her, the Hatter and the March Hare having a tea party, which he curses to last forever after he realizes they are stalling him.
[ early draft of the film script, first started February 2007]
In other media
*The Dormouse is played by
Arte Johnson
Arthur Stanton Eric Johnson (January 20, 1929 – July 3, 2019) was an American comic actor who was best known for his work as a regular on television's ''Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In''.
Biography
Early life
Johnson was born January 20, 1929, in ...
in the 1985 television film ''
Alice in Wonderland
''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (commonly ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English novel by Lewis Carroll. It details the story of a young girl named Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world of anthropomorphic creatur ...
''. When he initially shows lack of movement at the mad tea party, Alice mistakes him for a stuffed animal. The Dormouse then quickly objects to Alice's statements.
*The Dormouse appears in the live-action TV series ''
Adventures in Wonderland
''Adventures in Wonderland'' is a 1992–1995 American live-action/ puppet musical television series based on the novels ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (1865) and ''Through the Looking-Glass'' (1871) by Lewis Carroll as well as the 1951 ani ...
'', and is voiced by
John Lovelady
John Lovelady is an American puppeteer who worked with the Muppets, including on the PBS series ''Sesame Street''. Lovelady is originally from Oxford, Mississippi. He was one of the puppeteer troupe in the first season of ''The Muppet Show'' (1 ...
. He isn't sleepy, and is often seen popping out of his tea pot or other things. In one episode, he is the announcer of a sprinting event.
* The Dormouse appears in ''
Dreamchild
''Dreamchild'' is a 1985 British drama film written by Dennis Potter, directed by Gavin Millar, and produced by Rick McCallum and Kenith Trodd. The film, starring Coral Browne, Ian Holm, Peter Gallagher, Nicola Cowper and Amelia Shankley, is ...
'' performed by
Karen Prell
Karen Leigh Prell (born July 26, 1959) is an American puppeteer and animator. She is the performer of Red Fraggle in ''Fraggle Rock''.
Early life and career
Prell was born on July 26, 1959 in Florida but grew up in Seattle, Washington. She als ...
and voiced by
Julie Walters
Dame Julia Mary Walters (born 22 February 1950), known professionally as Julie Walters, is an English actress. She is the recipient of four British Academy Television Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, two International Emmy Awards, a ...
.
*
Pandora Hearts
''Pandora Hearts'' (stylized as ''PandoraHearts'') is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Jun Mochizuki. It was serialized in Square Enix's ''shōnen'' manga magazine '' Monthly GFantasy'' from May 2006 to March 2015, with its ...
in the anime and manga series Dormouse is a chain that puts people to sleep and Vincent Nightray is its contractor.
* The Dormouse makes an appearance in the video game ''
American McGee's Alice
''American McGee's Alice'' is a 2000 third-person action-adventure video game developed by Rogue Entertainment under the direction of designer American McGee and published by Electronic Arts under the EA Games banner. The game was originally re ...
'', where he and the March Hare are held captive as the Mad Hatter's experimental subjects. He is tied to a
dissection
Dissection (from Latin ' "to cut to pieces"; also called anatomization) is the dismembering of the body of a deceased animal or plant to study its anatomical structure. Autopsy is used in pathology and forensic medicine to determine the cause o ...
table and continues to fall asleep from the Hatter's medicines.
**The Dormouse appears again in the 2011 sequel ''
Alice: Madness Returns'', where he and the March Hare betray and dismantle the Mad Hatter as revenge for the events in ''American McGee's Alice'' and use his domain to construct the Infernal Train for the Dollmaker's plan to purge Wonderland.
*Black Butler, in the OVA Ciel in Wonderland, Ronald Knox is the dormouse.
* In the
SyFy
Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...
TV Miniseries ''
Alice'', the Dormouse is a sidekick of the
Hatter
Hat-making or millinery is the design, manufacture and sale of hats and other headwear. A person engaged in this trade is called a milliner or hatter.
Historically, milliners, typically women shopkeepers, produced or imported an inventory of g ...
.
*
Mallymkun the Dormouse appears as a playable character in the video game adaptation of Tim Burton's ''Alice in Wonderland''.
*The Dormouse appeared in the
Sunsoft
, stylized as SUNSOFT, is a Japanese video game developer and publisher.
Sunsoft is the video games division of Japanese electronics manufacturer Sun Corporation. Its U.S. subsidiary operated under the name Sun Corporation of America, though, a ...
's 2006
mobile game
A mobile game, or smartphone game, is a video game that is typically played on a mobile phone. The term also refers to all games that are played on any portable device, including from mobile phone (feature phone or smartphone), tablet, PDA to ...
. While prone to falling to sleep, Dormouse tries to be helpful to Ariko (the "Alice" of game) and treats her gently. In one of the bad endings, Dormouse gets killed by a twisted
Cheshire Cat
The Cheshire Cat ( or ) is a fictional cat popularised by Lewis Carroll in ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' and known for its distinctive mischievous grin. While now most often used in ''Alice''-related contexts, the association of a "Ch ...
.
* The Dormouse appears as a member of the Mad T Party band at Disneyland's California Adventure Park. In the Mad T Party he is interpreted as a male rather than the 2010 film's female Mallymkun, who he is based on. He plays lead guitar and often scurries around with the March Hare on stage.
* The Dormouse was portrayed by Dudley Moore in the 1972 British musical film ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''.
* The Dormouse was referenced in the fantasy series ''
Once Upon a Time in Wonderland'', a spin-off of ''
Once Upon a Time
"Once upon a time" is a stock phrase used to introduce a narrative of past events, typically in fairy tales and folk tales. It has been used in some form since at least 1380 (according to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'') in storytelling in the ...
''. In the
pilot episode
A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other distri ...
, the White Rabbit misled Alice and the Knave of Hearts in saying that, while having tea with the Dormouse, he learned that Alice's true love Cyrus was alive. In reality, he received this information from the Red Queen.
* The Dormouse beckons to "Feed Your Head" in Grace Slick's "White Rabbit," recorded in 1967 by Jefferson Airplane on the "Surrealistic Pillow" album.
Cultural references
The Dormouse's foremost recognition in popular culture stems from the American rock band
Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band based in San Francisco, California, that became one of the pioneering bands of psychedelic rock. Formed in 1965, the group defined the San Francisco Sound and was the first from the Bay Area to ac ...
's song "
White Rabbit
The White Rabbit is a fictional and anthropomorphic character in Lewis Carroll's 1865 book ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''. He appears at the very beginning of the book, in chapter one, wearing a waistcoat, and muttering "Oh dear! Oh dear! ...
", which dramatically repeats the line: "Remember what the dormouse said: feed your head, feed your head". The cadence of this enigmatic lyric has inspired references over the next century, including the title of
John Markoff
John Gregory Markoff (born October 24, 1949) is a journalist best known for his work covering technology at ''The New York Times'' for 28 years until his retirement in 2016, and a book and series of articles about the 1990s pursuit and capture ...
's 2005 book, ''
What the Dormouse Said: How the 60s Counterculture Shaped the Personal Computer Industry''.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dormouse, The
Mice and rats in literature
Anthropomorphic mice and rats
Dormice
Lewis Carroll characters
Literary characters introduced in 1865