24 May 2013

Unbirthdays and All Days Between



No riddles to puzzle out here today folks, everyone can put on their thinking cap and figure out the reference this hatbox is making.

The clear nod here is to Alice in Wonderland’s Mad Hatter, but this box goes one step further and explains a long befuddling riddle of the Hatter’s cap. It has often been mentioned that the 10/6 slip of paper tucked into the band of the Mad Hatter’s hat was meant to be a size, even if the size was nonsensical. The true meaning of the 10/6, however, comes from the cost of the hat. Utilizing the currency of the realm, that is the standard of the British pound that was used during the time of Alice in Wonderland, the hat’s cost is ten schillings and sixpence. Hence the name of the hat company, Ten Schillings and Sixpence, Ltd.

Of course, if you’re a hatter in Wonderland and you’re shipping your wears off to Storybook Circus in the Magic Kingdom, you’re going to need a catchy slogan. Hats can be seen as special occasion accessory, but the Mad Hatter wants you to know that hats are good for every single day. To that point his motto is, “Hats for all occasions… Birthdays, Unbirthdays and all days between.”

1 comment:

Rich T. said...

As a huge fan of all things Wonderland, I think this is the coolest detail I've ever seen revealed in any of the parks!