National Mad Hatter Day – October 6, 2022, history, significance
Have you been a little repressed or even depressed lately? If yes, grab your horns and party hats because it’s time for a very strange celebration. It’s National Mad Hatter Day on October 6 — and it’s okay to blow milk out of your nose. Celebrate with a day-long fest of silliness made especially for those who want to wear crazy top hats while walking backwards. Make Lewis Carroll proud.
History of Mad Hatter Day
Mad Hatter Day was created and celebrated in Boulder Colorado in the year 1986. The Hatter and his antics in the epic fantasy novel day were inspired by a group of computer technicians in Boulder, CO. The Hatter is an eccentric milliner in the novel for whom the time is always stuck at the tea party with his friend the March Hare.
It is also known as The Mad Hatter from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, is a fictional character who typically acts silly. Their inspiration had nothing better to do than celebrating this day with the theme of silliness. It was soon accepted by the people as it caused less damage in celebrating the silliness. It was the second crazy day in the year next to April Fools’ Day
Mad Hatter Day was first recognized as an official holiday in 1988 and also received its first national press coverage by news services. The national election in 1988 certainly gave this day a good boost. Sir John Tenniel was an English illustrator and a political cartoonist.
He had illustrated The Mad Hatter wearing a hat and all of Lewis Carroll’s colorful characters earlier in 1864. The illustration was on a piece of paper that has 10/6 written on it. The 10/6 refers to the cost of a hat with 10 shillings and 6 pence. In the year 1865, Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland was first published.
The creators of the holiday are from the United States took 10/6 as the month/day (mm/dd) format. Hence the holiday falls on the tenth month’s sixth day, i.e., October 6 (10/6). “Mad as a hatter” is a colloquial form of the phrase that refers to a crazy person.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the production of felt involved England mercury with which the felt hats were manufactured. People who worked in these hat factories suffered from dementia as they were exposed to trace amounts of the metal daily. Thus, the phrase became popular, and it refers to someone who was perceived as insane
NATIONAL MAD HATTER DAY TIMELINE
1923
Alice’s film debut
Walt Disney animated “Alice in Wonderland” as part of a series of short features entitled “Alice in Slumberland.”
1941
Mercury banned from the U.S. felt industry
The U.S. Public Health Service prohibited the felt industry from continuing to use mercury, deeming it a public health hazard.
1960s
Men’s hats went out of style
Until the beginning of the 1960’s, American men were rarely if ever seen in public without their hats — but hats with brims began to disappear as a fashion staple by the middle of the decade.
1986
Mad Hatter Day was born in Boulder, Colorado
When a group of computer programmers saw Sir John Tenniel’s original illustrations of the Mad Hatter in “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” they petitioned as a group for a national day of recognition.
2016
Johnny Depp played the Hatter in two films
Lewis Carroll would be surprised to know that his Hatter endures after over 150 years with the latest depictions featuring Johnny Depp in the 2016 film “Alice Through the Looking Glass,” and the 2010 version “Alice in Wonderland.”
5 REASONS THE MAD HATTER RULES
He was based on a real person
Lewis Carroll may have modeled his Mad Hatter after Theophilus Carter, a man who invented the Alarm Clock Bed — which awakened sleepers by casting them into a tub of cold water.
He has a shop at Disneyland
The Mad Hatter’s Shop at Disneyland features a wall mirror where that creepy smiling Cheshire Cat slowly appears after you stare into it long enough.
He was Batman’s nemesis
In the DC comic “Batman Number 49,” the Mad Hatter stars as a supervillain/mad scientist who controls the minds of his victims by using various devices stored in his hat.
The book bombed when it was published
In 1865, Lewis Carroll’s book received negative reviews when it came out — described by one critic as “too extravagantly absurd to produce more diversion than disappointment and irritation.”
Lewis Carroll grew up in a hat-making town
Lewis Carroll understood hatters, mad and otherwise, due to his upbringing in Manchester, England where hat-making was the primary occupation.
How to Celebrate Mad Hatter Day
Celebrating Mad Hatter Day is very simple. Grab yourself a top hat, wear it for the whole day and show your silliness out. Do some crazy things to make the day enjoyable. If you wanted to know the full story, then read Alice in Wonderland. You can even watch out for the movies based on the novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. You can host an Alice in Wonderland-themed tea party in your home by inviting your family and friends. Post and share your celebrations on social media using the hashtags #MadHatterDay.
