On these pages you can find descriptions of all Alice in Wonderland characters that appear in the books “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking-Glass and what Alice found there”. Some major characters have their own subpages.
(Looking for costume inspiration? Go to my costume ideas page!)
Most popular Alice in Wonderland characters:
- Alice(AAiW & TtLG; all chapters);
- Jabberwock(TtLG; Chapter 1);
- White Rabbit(AAiW; Chapter 1, 2, 4, 8, 11, 12);
- Caterpillar(AAiW; Chapter 4, 5);
- Mad Hatter(AAiW; Chapter 7, 11);
- Cheshire Cat(AAiW; Chapter 6, 8);
- Queen of Hearts(AAiW; Chapter 8, 9, 11, 12);
In thearticle “Alice on the Stage“, Lewis Carroll explains more about the characters he created and gives his own descriptions of them.
Other characters from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
(in order of appearance)
Alice’s sister (Chapter 1, 12); in the beginning of the story she’s reading a very boring book (according to Alice). In the end Alice wakes up in her lap and tells her her adventures. She is presented as a reasonable adult, who, in the end, recognizes Alice’s own adult-like qualities. Note that the real Alice’s older sister, Lorina, was actually only 3 years her senior.
Dinah (Chapter 1, 2, 3, 4); she is Alice’s cat. She isn’t physically there in the book but Alice talks about her many times, especially about the fact that she is good at hunting and killing animals. Therefore she does play an important role.
Mouse (Chapter 2, 3); this is one of the creatures that fell into the pool of Alice’s tears. He tries to dry the others by telling them the driest story he knows.
Duck (Chapter 2, 3); he also fell into Alice’s pool of tears. He is said to be modeled after Canon Duckworth (see the Story Origins section).
Dodo (Chapter 2, 3); another creature that fell into the pool. He suggests to do a Caucusrace to get dry. He is said to be modeled after Dodgson (Carroll) himself (see the Story Origins section).
Lory (Chapter 2, 3); Also fell into the pool. She is said to be modeled after Alice’s sister, Lorina (see the Story Origins section).
Eaglet (Chapter 2, 3); Also fell into the pool. She is said to be modeled after Alice’s other sister, Edith (see the Story Origins section).
Old Crab with daughter, several birds (among them a Magpie and a Canary with kids) (Chapter 3); they are also part of the party that fell into Alice’s pool of tears.
Mary Ann (Chapter 4); the White Rabbit’s housemaid. She isn’t physically there in the book but the Rabbit mistakes Alice for her.
Pat (Chapter 4); an employee of the White Rabbit. The Rabbit orders him to get Alice’s arm out of his window.
Bill (Chapter 4, 11, 12); he is a lizard and also employed by the White Rabbit. He has to go down the chimney to get Alice out. Later he is a member of the jury during the trial.
2 Guinea pigs (Chapter 4); they are part of the group that tries to get Alice out of the Rabbit’s house.
Puppy (Chapter 4); very playful, and as Alice is very small he almost runs her over.
Pigeon (Chapter 5); she mistakes Alice for a serpent because of her long neck. She tries to protect her eggs.
Frog-Footman (Chapter 6); he serves at the house of the duch*ess.
Fish-Footman (Chapter 6); he brings an invitation from the Queen to the duch*ess’ house.
duch*ess (Chapter 6, 8, 9); she is very ugly and mistreats her baby. She is also fond of finding morals in things. She tries to be in everyone’s good books (especially the Queen’s one) by acting very complimentary.
Baby/pig (Chapter 6); as a baby it constantly howls and sneezes because of the pepper. When Alice takes it outside it turns into a pig.
Cook (Chapter 6, 11); she makes soup with too much pepper and throws things at the duch*ess, the baby and Alice. Later she is a witness in the trial.
March Hare (Chapter 7, 11); he is holding a tea party with the Hatter and the Dormouse. The party will continue forever, as they live in a frozen time. Later on, the March Hare is a witness during the trial.
Dormouse (Chapter 7, 11); another member of the tea party and witness. He constantly falls asleep and is mistreated by the Hare and the Hatter. In the first editions of the story the Dormouse is referred to as ‘it’, but since the 1897 edition the Dormouse is also sometimes being referred to as ‘he’, establishing it as a male character.
Elsie, Lacie and Tillie (Chapter 7); they are three sisters in the Dormouse’s story. They live in a treacle well. It is said that they represent the Liddell sisters (seeStory Origins page).
Five, Seven and Two (Chapter 8); they are playing cards and the Queen’s gardeners. They’re painting roses red because they planted white ones by mistake.
Knave of Hearts (Chapter 8, 11, 12); he carries the crown and is later accused of stealing tarts.
King of Hearts (Chapter 8, 9, 11, 12); The Queen of Hearts’ incompetent husband. She completely dominates him. The King doesn’t have much notion of how a trial works, but is rather stubborn.
Flamingos and hedgehogs (Chapter 8, 9); they are used as mallets and balls during the game of croquet. From the text in ‘Nursery Alice’ we know that at least one of them was red.
Gryphon (Chapter 9, 10, 11); he takes Alice to the Mock Turtle. With him he explains the Lobster Quadrille to Alice.
Mock Turtle (Chapter 9, 10); he seems to be very sad and constantly sobs. He tells Alice about his schooldays.
Jurors (Chapter 11, 12): twelve creatures act as members of the jury during the trial of the stolen tarts. Among them is Bill, the lizard.
2 Guinea-pigs (Chapter 11); they are being suppressed during the trial for cheering.
Other characters in Through the Looking-Glass
(in order of appearance)
Snowdrop (Chapter 1, 12); she is the white kitten who is being washed by Dinah.
Kitty (Chapter 1, 11, 12); the black kitten, already washed and according to Alice the cause of her dream. The Red Queen turns out to be this kitten when Alice wakes up.
Dinah (Chapter 1, 12); mother of Snowdrop and Kitty.
Red King (Chapter 1, 4); he is asleep and Alice wonders if he’s dreaming about her, which means that she isn’t the one who is dreaming her adventures behind the looking-glass.
Red Queen (Chapter 1, 2, 9, 10); she lets Alice join the game of chess and advises her how to move. She also tells her how she should behave as a queen. She expects Alice to abide to the rules of proper etiquette.
Carroll describes her like this: “The Red Queen I pictured as a Fury, but of another type; her passion must be cold and calm; she must be formal and strict, yet not unkindly; pedantic to the tenth degree, the concentrated essence of all governesses!”
It is possible that the Red Queen was modeled after the governess for the Liddell children, Miss Prickett. Her nickname was ‘Pricks’.
White King (Chapter 1, 7); the Lion and the Unicorn are fighting for his crown. He promised Humpty Dumpty that he should send all his horses and men if he fell of the wall (which he eventually does).
White Queen (Chapter 1, 5, 7, 9) / Sheep (Chapter 5); she is very chaotic. During the story she suddenly changes into a sheep.
About her, Carroll wrote: “Lastly, the White Queen seemed, to my dreaming fancy, gentle, stupid, fat and pale; helpless as an infant; and with a slow, maundering, bewildered air about her just suggesting imbecility, but never quite passing into it; that would be, I think, fatal to any comic effect she might otherwise produce. There is a character strangely like her in Wilkie Collins’ novel No Name: by two different converging paths we have somehow reached the same ideal, and Mrs. Wragg and the White Queen might have been twin-sisters.”
Lily (Chapter 1); she is a white pawn and the White King and Queen’s daughter. Alice takes her place in the chess game as she is too young to play.
Tiger-lily (Chapter 2); one of the flowers Alice meets in the garden.
Rose (Chapter 2); another flower in the garden.
Daisies (Chapter 2); other flowers in the garden.
Violet (Chapter 2); another flower.
Larkspur (Chapter 2); another flower.
Elephants (Chapter 3); because of the distance Alice initially mistakes them for bees. She decides not to visit them.
Guard (Chapter 3); during the train trip through the 3rd square he asks Alice for her ticket.
Gentleman in white paper (Chapter 3); he is also in the train carriage. His appearance could be a political joke (see the Picture Origins section).
Goat (Chapter 3); another passenger in the carriage.
Beetle (Chapter 3); another passenger.
Horse (Chapter 3); another passenger.
Gnat (Chapter 3); another passenger. He seems to be very sad and after the train journey he shows Alice several Looking-Glass insects.
Rocking-horse-fly (Chapter 3); a Looking-Glass insect.
Snap-dragon-fly (Chapter 3); a Looking-Glass insect.
Bread-and-Butterfly (Chapter 3); a Looking-Glass insect.
Fawn (Chapter 3); Alice meets the fawn during her walk through the wood. They walk along until it remembers that it is a fawn and Alice a human child. Then it runs off.
Tweedledum (Chapter 3, 4); fat twin brother of Tweedledee, dressed as a schoolboy. With his brother he shows Alice the sleeping Red King and tells her about the Walrus and the Carpenter. The brothers are rather affectionate with one another, but don’t hesitate to fight over insignificant matters. They are also cowardly.
Tweedledee (Chapter 3, 4); fat twin brother of Tweedledum, dressed as a schoolboy. He broke his brother’s rattle and they decide to fight over it.
Walrus (Chapter 4); a mean character of Tweedledum and Tweedledee’s poem. With the Carpenter he eats the oysters.
Carpenter (Chapter 4); another character from the brother’s poem.
Oysters (Chapter 4); also characters from the brother’s poem. There are being eaten in the end.
Crow (Chapter 4); a huge black bird that flies over the wood during the fight of Tweedledum and Tweedledee. It creates a lot of wind and it gets very dark.
Humpty Dumpty (Chapter 6); an egg who sits on a very narrow wall. He is very proud, rude, easily-offended and claims to be the master of words. In the end he (presumably) falls off the wall.
4207 Of the King’s horses and soldiers (Chapter 7); they are sent by the White King to rescue Humpty Dumpty when he falls off the wall.
Haigha (Chapter 7); one of the White King’s Anglo-Saxon messengers. He probably is the March Hare from the first book.
Hatta (Chapter 7); the other one of the Whit King’s Anglo-Saxon messengers. He was in prison before he committed a crime. He probably is the Mad Hatter from the first book.
Lion (Chapter 7); fights the Unicorn for the White King’s crown.
Unicorn (Chapter 7); fights the Lion for the White King’s crown.
Red Knight (Chapter 8); he tries to take Alice prisoner.
White Knight (Chapter 8); he rescues Alice from the Red Knight. He cannot ride his horse properly, likes inventing things and is a little melancholic. We are told that he has shaggy hair, mild blue eyes, a kind and gentle face and fond is of inventions. This is also a description of Lewis Carroll, so he may have modeled the White Knight after himself. The Knight is also the only one who is truly nice to Alice and later she remembers him best.
Creature with long beak (Chapter 9); it opens the door when Alice knocks but doesn’t let her in.
Frog (Chapter 9); Alice asks him advise about how to enter the doorway.
Leg of Mutton (Chapter 9); the Red Queen introduces it to Alice and therefore she cannot eat it anymore.
Plum-pudding (Chapter 9); The Red Queen also introduces this one to Alice but she cuts a slice from it anyway.
