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The phrase "Mad as a Hatter" existed long before the character, and may derive from the harmful effects of chemicals, such as Mercury, formerly used in hat-making.
The "10/6" on the Hatter's hat is commonly believed to be the price of the hat, meaning ten Shillings and Sixpence.
The Hatter is generally believed to be based on Theophilus Carter , at one time a servitor at Christ Church. He invented an alarm clock bed, exhibited at the Great Exhibition of 1851, that tipped out the sleeper at waking up time. He later owned a furniture shop, and became known as the Mad Hatter from his habit of standing in the door of his shop wearing a top hat. Sir John Tenniel is reported to have come to Oxford especially to sketch him for his illustrations.
See also:
Hatter, TheAlice in Wonderland is the widely known and used title for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, a book written by Lewis Carroll as well as several movie adaptations of the book and is also the setting for several short stories. The term may refer to: Alice's Hatter, The