"Welcome to Wonderland" sign
Wonderland (不思議の国, Fushigi no Kuni) is a fictional country that is considered as the counterpart of Looking-Glass Land. It is ruled by the Queen of Hearts as the sole monarch.
History[]
The White Rabbit handed with the scattered pieces of Alice in Wonderland
One day, Lewis Carroll met Alice Liddell by a cathedral. As she introduced herself, he told her that he decided to create a story about a young girl who wanders alone in a dream: Alice in Wonderland.[1][2] Hence, Wonderland was created as a fantasy world, described as a pure white existence spelled out in blue ink. However, at one point, he became delirious which caused Wonderland to be broken; at the same time, the real Alice was "killed" by Carroll himself. The White Rabbit of the story was the only character left alive, while characters such as the Queen of Hearts, the Trump Soldiers, the Dormouse, and the Mad Hatter disappeared in the destruction. Later, Alice's pet cat Dinah would enter the torn country as the Cheshire Cat and enlists the help of the White Rabbit to save the Alice of Wonderland and recreate the country. The White Rabbit agrees, so the Cheshire Cat hands him the scattered pieces of paper of Alice in Wonderland. Since then, the White Rabbit has been piecing the manuscript together and bringing people into Wonderland.[3]
Geography[]
A distant view of Wonderland with the Queen's Castle in sight
It is unknown where Wonderland is specifically located or what place it is derived from, but the country is seen to be similar to a city or town, evidenced by the various establishments along the streets and the population of the people assumed to work in and visit these establishments. However, there are also parts of the country where forests are seen to prosper, one of which is the forest that is seemingly where the White Rabbit welcomes the people that he brings to Wonderland. The country also houses several houses for nobility, like the Duchess' mansion and the Queen's castle, as well as different residential buildings, such as the Mad Hatter's apartment where he and Alice stay. Moreover, the White Rabbit has his own private domain in the country (though it is highly undetectable, making him difficult to locate) where he stays and where the Cheshire Cat usually visits to have conversations with the White Rabbit. Notably, there are a hundred selected views in Wonderland, one of which is the Pool of Tears, numbered as the 74th View. Wonderland also has an infamous exit, whose key is being held by the Queen of Hearts and the people who had signed a contract with the White Rabbit.[4] Albeit not entirely shown if it exists in Wonderland or in a different dimension, Marianne has a house in a garden.
In the original story created by Lewis Carroll, Wonderland is located underground, and Alice reaches it by traveling down a rabbit-hole. The land is heavily wooded and also grows mushrooms. There are well-kept gardens and substantial houses, such as those of the Duchess and the White Rabbit.
Government[]
The Queen and Knave of Hearts
In the manga, the Queen of Hearts is the only monarch shown to be ruling the country, who is aided by his Knave of Hearts. Since he is a male, it is also presumed that he can be called the King of Hearts or the King of Wonderland. The type of government the country implements is absolute monarchy for the country only needs one Queen. If not, the people won't understand whose orders to follow. There's only one Queen in Wonderland, making his orders absolute.
The system of punishment implemented in the country is capital punishment (or explicitly decapitation) which is performed by the Queen himself. If one violates a law or taboo, one is beheaded through the Queen's scythe. For instance, Queen beheads three children, namely Rogy, Coco, and Bibi for violating a taboo. Furthermore, the Queen was angered by the piece of paper held by Rogy which states who the real Queen of Hearts is. Also, he beheads the Duchess for not fulfilling her duty as Alice's substitute.
In the original story, the land is ruled despotically by the King and Queen of Hearts, who frequently enforce their whims through decrees of capital punishment and kangaroo courts. There is at least one Duchess.
Inhabitants[]
Main article: Inhabitants of Wonderland
A resident of Wonderland
The inhabitants of Wonderland first appear resembling English human beings who wear formal dresses. Several residents also bear names of animals, cards, and other titles similar to the original story, who have respective roles in the "Kill The White Rabbit" game.
In the original story, the main population consists of animated playing cards: the royal family (hearts), courtiers (diamonds), soldiers (clubs), and servants (spades). In addition, there are many talking animals.
Culture[]
Cuisine[]
Almost all throughout the manga, most characters usually drink tea or prepare tea for their guests. It serves as their medium of beverage or thirst quencher or either a "hobby" especially the Mad Hatter who is oftentimes or always seen having tea because for him, it's always teatime. The Duchess is also shown to serve Alice some tea and for an instance, she forbids anyone to take any sugar if one does not serve first Alice which made the Mad Hatter angry about it.
Holidays[]
Alice arrives at Wonderland where a festival is celebrated
One specific celebration or festival has been shown, where the residents of Wonderland prepared a welcome parade for the return of Alice. The parade may have occurred and ended up at least for a day and it was once again shown and celebrated when Alice sneaks out by the window at the Duchess' mansion, commenting that it was "stupid" but the Duchess tells Alice that he must not say that for it is for him.
Sports[]
Chess being played
Chess has been shown in the manga where the Queen and the Duchess are seen playing together.
The game croquet was not initially shown in the manga except only on the cover of the twelfth chapter, depicting Alice and the Queen with flamingos.
However, it was quite a prevalent leisure that occurred mostly in the original story where the game took place at the Queen's castle lawn. The mallets were flamingos and the balls were hedgehogs.
Transport[]
Carriage[]
The Queen's private transport
A private carriage was shown in the manga which is used by the Queen of Hearts. It is utilized when Alice and the Queen are to depart on their mission. It is most likely driven by the Knave of Hearts.
Rabbit-Hole[]
Although this may have served as a form of an entrance or transport in the case of Alice in the original story where she follows a white rabbit, in the manga, it is unknown yet how Alice managed to "fall" at Wonderland. However, there are some instances that show Alice "falling" down, for instance, as depicted on the cover of the first chapter as well as when he encounters the White Rabbit for the first time, though it is unknown if it is a "rabbit-hole". One notable transport is Centipede, a method of being transported down into an alternate world in 100 Tales of Caterpillar Lane, which requires users to "fall down", akin to a rabbit-hole.[5]
Locations[]
- Abandoned House
- Bar
- Caterpillar Lane
- Duchess' Mansion
- Mad Hatter's Flat
- Pool of Tears
- Queen of Hearts' Castle
- Town Square
- White Rabbit's Domain
- Wonderland's Forest
Trivia[]
The welcome sign written with "Wanderland"
- Though it is unknown whether this is incorrectly spelled or intentional, there are times when the welcome sign is written with the term "Wanderland" instead of "Wonderland":
- Volume 1 inner illustration
- Chapter 39
- Volume 12 inner illustration