# Through the Looking Glass - A Question

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/through-the-looking-glass-a-question/94454>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [November 20, 2001, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/through-the-looking-glass-a-question/94454 "2001-11-20T19:51:14Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![lenin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3bc359/32.png) [@lenin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lenin)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2001, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/through-the-looking-glass-a-question/94454/1 "2001-11-20T19:51:14Z")

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Was this story about Wonderland, or was the land past the looking glass a completely different world entirely? Also, what’s with the ‘Hatta’ guy? He looks just like the Mad Hatter, and even has the tea and toast… But there aren’t any footnotes about this in _The Annotated Alice_, nor any mention of the similarity.

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**Author:** ![broccoli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@broccoli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/broccoli)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2001, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/through-the-looking-glass-a-question/94454/2 "2001-11-20T20:02:19Z")

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Well.

I don’t know.

I just hate veiwing a thread and not saying anything. 😉 Good question.

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**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2001, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/through-the-looking-glass-a-question/94454/3 "2001-11-20T20:18:51Z")

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Any similarities can be explained by the fact that both worlds are the product of the same little girl’s imagination within a period of about six months.

–Cliffy

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**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2001, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/through-the-looking-glass-a-question/94454/4 "2001-11-20T21:11:59Z")

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Yep, Hatta is the Mad Hatter, recently out of prison after the Queen of Hearts put him there. If you look again at Tenniel’s illustration, you’ll notice the other messenger, Haigha (rhymes with “mayor”), is the March Hare.

IMHO, it’s not _exactly_ the same world, but certainly a parallel one.