At the start of the 1970s, nightlife in and around Playhouse Square was largely non-existent. Like Biggar’s other downtown development efforts, the Mad Hatter (located at 2150 East 18th Street in the former home of Socrates’ Cave) was a noble but doomed attempt to revive a moribund area.

“Ham,” who died in 2014, also co-founded The Last Moving Picture Company on Playhouse Square and the 13th Street Racquet Club between Euclid and Chester Avenues. The Mad Hatter, opened in 1971, was the first of what would become an 11-club nationwide chain co-owned by Cleveland’s Hamilton Biggar. One of the city’s first disco clubs (launched before anyone actually used the term “disco”), the Mad Hatter was all about “more”: More volume. But it also summarizes the driving philosophy of Cleveland’s own Mad Hatter. The latter (lightly paraphrased) was spoken by the immortal Mad Hatter during the story’s Mad Tea Party. Among this writer’s favorites are “It takes all the running you can do to keep in the same place” (the Red Queen), “No wise fish would go anywhere without a porpoise” (the Mock Turtle), and-most relevant to this article-”You can always take more but you can’t take less.” Visit either you like: They're both mad.Fans of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland like to quote its key characters. When Alice asks the Cheshire Cat about the people who live in Wonderland, she gets this response: 'In that direction lives a Hatter, and in that direction, lives a March Hare. After a few minutes, the Cheshire Cat will make a fleeting appearance. At the Mad Hatter's shop, located in Fantasyland, look into the large oval-shaped mirror on the wall. Planning a trip to Disneyland anytime soon? Then be sure to make a date with the Hatter-and the Cheshire Cat. If you stare into the mirror at the Mad Hatter's shop in Disneyland, you'll get a visit from the Cheshire Cat. A lot of his gadgets are stored in his hat.Ħ. The supervillain keeps his Wonderland counterpart's costume and personality, but in the world of Batman, he is a scientist who uses mind-controlling devices to manipulate his victims. There is a Batman supervillain named the Mad Hatter.Įighty-three years after Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was published, the Mad Hatter comic book character made his debut in Batman #49. The author grew up in Stockport in Greater Manchester where, believe it or not, the main trade was hat making. Carroll was surrounded by hatters growing up. While Carroll's hatter is certainly mad, based on his general behavior, it's doubtful he was actually suffering from the hatters' shakes.Ĥ. The hatters who visited these factories often developed mercury poisoning (referred to then as the hatters' shakes), which could lead to slurred speech, memory loss, tremors, and excessive timidity. The phrase 'mad as a hatter' was around long before Carroll started writing.Ĭolloquially used to describe an eccentric person, the phrase originated in the 19th century, back when mercury was used to manufacture felt hats. In both Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, Carroll only refers to him as the Hatter-or Hatta.ģ. Lewis Carroll never referred to the character as the Mad Hatter. Madness!ġ of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars 2. Gordon Baillie had this to say: 'All Oxford called him 'the Mad Hatter,' and surely his friends, or enemies, must have chaffed him about it.' Interestingly enough, Carter also earned himself a different kind of fame-he's rumored to have invented the Alarm Clock Bed, a rather terrifying contraption that woke sleepers by dumping them into a tub of cold water. While some reports suggest Carter was unaware of his influence on the Wonderland character, Reverend W. The real Mad Hatter was probably a man named Theophilus Carter.Ī seller of furniture not hats, he impressed his eccentricity upon Carroll in Oxford. October 6 is taken from the 'In this style 10/6' note on the Mad Hatter's hat.) The holiday is an excuse to celebrate silliness, and it's been growing steadily for the past 29 years.īefore you embark on a day of tomfoolery and tea parties, check out these fascinating facts about the man under the hat.ġ. October 6, 1986: On this day, a group of 'computer folk who had nothing better to do' marked the first annual celebration of Mad Hatter Day.