Adventures in Wonderland facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Adventures in Wonderland
Genre	Children's television series Fantasy
Developed by	The Walt Disney Company
Starring	Elisabeth Harnois John Robert Hoffman Reece Holland Armelia McQueen Patrick Richwood Harry Waters Jr. Robert Barry Fleming Wesley Mann
Voices of	Richard Kuhlman John Lovelady
Opening theme	"Adventures in Wonderland Theme" by Sarah Taylor
Ending theme	"Adventures in Wonderland Theme" (end version) by Sarah Taylor
Composer(s)	Mark Mothersbaugh Bob Mothersbaugh Denis M. Hannigan Rusty Andrews Josh Mancell Ryan Moore
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	4
No. of episodes	100
Production company(s)	Betty Productions Walt Disney Television
Distributor	Buena Vista Television
Release
Original network	The Disney Channel
Original release	March 23, 1992 (1992-03-23) – 1995 (1995)

Adventures in Wonderland was a fun American TV show that aired from 1992 to 1995. It was a live-action and puppet musical series. The show was inspired by the classic books Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll. In this version, Alice (played by Elisabeth Harnois) could travel to Wonderland just by walking through her mirror. This was a cool nod to Through the Looking-Glass.

Making the Show

The show first aired on The Disney Channel on March 23, 1992. It continued until 1995, with reruns playing even longer. Many early Disney Channel shows were filmed at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida. Adventures in Wonderland started there for its first 40 episodes. Later, the filming moved to Los Angeles, California.

If you wanted to watch the show at home, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment released three VHS tapes with some episodes. The amazing puppets for some of the characters were made by Chiodo Bros. Inc..

What the Show Was About

Every episode of Adventures in Wonderland started with Alice facing a problem in her everyday life. She would often talk to her cat, Dinah, about it. To find answers, Alice would step through her mirror into Wonderland. There, she would have strange and exciting adventures with the unique characters who lived there. These adventures always helped her figure out how to solve her problem back home. Plus, every episode featured catchy songs!

Meet the Characters

Main Characters

• Alice (played by Elisabeth Harnois) - Alice is the main character of the show. She's a regular preteen girl who deals with everyday issues. These might be problems at school, with her younger brother Brian, older sister Kathy, or her friends. She often shares her thoughts with her cat, Dinah. Alice has a special ability: she can enter Wonderland by walking through her mirror. Once there, she helps her Wonderland friends with their troubles. In return, their adventures often give her ideas for her own problems.

• The Red Queen (played by Armelia McQueen) - She is the ruler of Wonderland. The Red Queen is a mix of the Queen of Hearts and the Red Queen from Lewis Carroll's books. She is strict but fair, often mentioning how her mother and grandmother ruled. Sometimes, the Queen causes trouble because she can be a bit selfish. She expects to get what she wants right away and pouts when things go wrong, often saying "Oh harumph!". By the end of an episode, she usually learns a lesson. But sometimes, she even helps others solve their problems. Deep down, she really cares about her subjects, especially the White Rabbit.

• The White Rabbit (played by Patrick Richwood) - The White Rabbit is the Queen's main helper. He does many jobs for her, like being her personal chef, servant, butler, and event planner. He wears inline skates to move around quickly, which sometimes leads to funny accidents when he loses control. He is also very shy and finds it hard to stand up to the Queen, even when she treats him unfairly. Rabbit is good friends with everyone in Wonderland. He often gets involved in their plans because he's always near the Queen. Even though he complains sometimes, the White Rabbit is the Queen's closest friend, and he often understands her feelings.

• The Mad Hatter (played by John Robert Hoffman) - The Mad Hatter is the quirky inventor of Wonderland. He lives in a house shaped like a hat and is usually found at his tea table, which is always set for a party. He can be a bit messy with his dishes! The Mad Hatter loves to invent strange machines and potions to help his friends. But sometimes, his inventions cause even more trouble. He also enjoys wearing disguises, like fake beards. His favorite saying is, "How true that is."

• The March Hare (played by Reece Holland) - The March Hare is smart but also a bit silly. He often helps his best friend, the Mad Hatter, with his inventions and plans. However, the Hare sometimes lacks common sense and can be easily tricked. The March Hare often acts as the "conscience" for his friends. If they make a bad decision, he's usually the one who questions it the most.

• Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee (played by Robert Barry Fleming and Harry Waters Jr.) - These two are rapping fraternal twins. They wear bright, colorful clothes. As brothers, they have a strong sibling rivalry and often compete about everything. They are the most athletic characters in Wonderland, always playing sports and organizing games. Their brotherly love usually helps them get over small problems. They often give Alice good advice for her own issues.

• The Caterpillar (performed by Wesley Mann) - This giant insect is the wisest resident of Wonderland. When the Caterpillar speaks, he stretches out his vowel sounds in a deep, slow voice. He has three pairs of hands, which he uses to do tasks. The Caterpillar has a special book filled with wonderful stories. These stories are like fables, with animal characters and simple lessons. The other characters often visit him in his mushroom home to ask for advice, which he gives in the form of a story. Sometimes, he leaves his spot to visit other parts of Wonderland. The Caterpillar's stories were animated by Will Vinton Productions.

• The Cheshire Cat (performed by Richard Kuhlman) - A sarcastic purple-striped cat. He has the cool power to disappear and reappear whenever he wants. The Cat loves to play all sorts of jokes on the Wonderland characters. But even he sometimes does something kind.

• The Dormouse (performed by John Lovelady) - A tiny rodent. The Dormouse lives inside a teapot on the Hatter's tea table. Even though his home is small, it seems to have everything he needs, like a kitchen sink and even a painting gallery!

Other Characters

• The Duchess (played by Teri Garr) - The Duchess is the Red Queen's main rival, but also, in a strange way, her good friend. The Duchess and the Queen are always trying to outdo each other, often trading funny insults. The Duchess sometimes calls the Queen "Twinkle Toes." Their rivalry apparently started when they were very young. Everyone in Wonderland thinks the Queen and Duchess dislike each other, but deep down, they both know they have a special, even if sometimes difficult, friendship.

• The Walrus (played by Ken Page) - A new resident in Wonderland. When the Walrus first moved there, some people were unfair to him because he was different. But soon, he became friends with everyone. The Walrus is very smart. He has one funny quirk: his best friend, Pinniped, is completely invisible! Even though the Walrus seems different, he is accepted as a true part of the Wonderland gang.

• Crystalvision - Crystalvision, or Crystal for short, isn't a living character. She's like a television screen that shows videos and pictures for everyone in Wonderland to see. In some episodes, Crystal seemed to have a personality. She would make jokes by showing words on her screen, and the characters would talk to her as if she were a person.

Episodes

The show had 100 episodes over 4 seasons! Each episode featured a unique adventure for Alice and her Wonderland friends. Here are a few examples:

Season 1 (1992–93)

Season 2 (1993–94)

Season 3 (1994–95)

Awards

Adventures in Wonderland won several important awards called Daytime Emmy Awards! These awards celebrate excellence in television.

• 1992 – Won for Outstanding Hairstyling (Richard Sabre and Tish Simpson)
• 1994 – Won for Outstanding Makeup (Ron Wild and Karen Stephens)
• 1994 – Won for Outstanding Writing in a Children's Series (Daryl Busby and Tom J. Astle) – This was a tie with another famous show, Sesame Street!
• 1995 – Won for Outstanding Costume Design (Lois DeArmond)
• 1996 – Won for Outstanding Makeup (Karen Stephens and Ron Wild)
• 1996 – Won for Outstanding Directing in a Children's Series (Shelley Jensen, David Grossman and Gary Halvorson)