Bill the Lizard facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bill the Lizard |
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| Alice character | |
Bill the Lizard, 1865 illustration by John Tenniel
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| First appearance | Alice's Adventures in Wonderland |
| Created by | Lewis Carroll |
| Information | |
| Species | Lizard |
| Gender | Male |
| Nationality | Wonderland |
Bill the Lizard is a fun fictional character from Lewis Carroll's famous 1865 book, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. He's a small lizard who often finds himself in tricky situations because of Alice's adventures.
Contents
Bill's Story in Wonderland
Bill the Lizard first appears in "Chapter Four – The Rabbit Sends a Little Bill." Here, Alice thinks Bill is always doing the hard jobs for the White Rabbit and other Wonderland creatures.
Alice Gets Stuck
Alice drinks from a strange bottle and grows so big that she gets stuck inside one of the White Rabbit's rooms! The White Rabbit tries to get into his house, but he can't. So, he sends Bill the Lizard to climb down the chimney to see what's going on.
Alice doesn't want Bill coming down the chimney. She uses her giant foot, which is already in the chimney, to kick Bill high into the air! Luckily, other creatures catch him, and he's okay.
Bill as a Juror
Bill shows up again in "Chapter Eleven – Who Stole the Tarts?" He's a juror in the trial of the Knave of Hearts, who is accused of stealing tarts from the Queen of Hearts.
Bill tries to write on his slate, but his pencil makes a loud, squeaky noise. This annoys Alice so much that she takes his pencil away! Since Bill doesn't know where his pencil went, he starts trying to write with his finger, even though it doesn't leave any marks.
In "Chapter Twelve – Alice's Evidence," Alice accidentally knocks over the jury box. Bill the Lizard gets all mixed up! When Alice puts him back in his spot, he just stares blankly into the sky. Later, the Queen of Hearts even spills ink on his face, but she gives him more ink to use.
Bill in Movies and Games
Bill the Lizard has appeared in many other stories and games inspired by Alice's adventures.
Disney's Alice in Wonderland (1951)
Bill has a small role in the 1951 Disney animated movie. In this film, he's a chimney sweep with a Cockney accent. The White Rabbit and the Dodo ask him to go down the chimney to get the "monster" (who is actually giant Alice) out of the house.
Bill seems fine with the job at first. But when he sees Alice's huge face in the window, he realizes he's supposed to deal with a "monster" and tries to run away! The Dodo catches him and forces him down the chimney.
Unlike the book, Alice doesn't kick him out. Instead, Bill spreads a lot of soot, which makes Alice start to sneeze. Alice's sneeze is so powerful that it blows all the soot out of the house and sends Bill flying high into the sky! The White Rabbit and Dodo watch him disappear. Bill was voiced by Larry Grey in this film.
A lizard who looks and sounds just like Bill also appears in the movie The Great Mouse Detective. He's part of Ratigan's gang. This lizard was voiced by Wayne Allwine, who is famous for being the voice of Mickey Mouse.
American McGee's Alice
Bill also makes an appearance in the video game American McGee's Alice. In this game, he is called Bill McGill. He looks more like a chameleon and works as a builder, wearing a toolbelt and a cap. He seems a bit grumpy about life.
He asks Alice for a drink, but then a strong wind from the Duchess's house blows Alice inside, and Bill runs away scared. He later tells Alice that he will get creatures called leeches to clean up after the Duchess is gone. Bill is last seen at the end of the game when Wonderland becomes peaceful again.
Alice's Warped Wonderland
Bill the Lizard also appears in the 2006 mobile game Alice's Warped Wonderland. In this game, Bill looks like a slim young man with lizard features, such as a forked tongue, reptilian eyes, and green hair.
Bill is known as the "Keeper of Truth." He guards the main character Ariko's (who is the "Alice" of this game) hidden memories until she is ready to remember them.
