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“You're not Absolem, I'm Absolem.”

The Caterpillar
The-Caterpillar-Character-Art-by-Alice-In-Wonderland-Character-Designer-Michael-Kutsche-alice-in-wonderland-2010-10708238-975-1200
General Information
Gender Male
Age 1,000,000
Relationships
Friend(s) The White Queen
Tweedledee and Tweedledum
Alice
The Dormouse
Enemies The Red Queen
The Jabberwock
Behind The Scenes
Portrayed by Richard Haydn (1951)
Alan Rickman ((2010) and (2016))

Absolem, the Caterpillar or The Blue Caterpillar, is a fictional character from the novel, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll and the Disney film.

Description[]

Appearing in Chapters Four and Five, the Caterpillar (also known as Russel) is a hookah-smoking insect who meets Alice after she has been shrunk to a tiny size. It is exactly three inches tall which, according to him, "is a very good height indeed" (though Alice believes it to be a wretched height).

Alice does not like the Caterpillar when they first meet, because he does not immediately talk to her and when he does, it is usually in short sentences or difficult questions. He asks Alice to repeat the poem You Are Old, Father William, which comes out rather strange like many of the nursery rhymes Alice attempts in Wonderland. The Caterpillar then tells Alice how to grow and shrink by eating the mushroom upon which he is sitting.

The original illustration by John Tenniel at right, is something of a visual paradox; the caterpillar's human face appears to be formed from the head and legs of a more realistic caterpillar.

From the Nursery "Alice" - "And do you see its long nose and chin? At least, they look exactly like a nose and chin, don’t they? But they really are two of its legs. You know a Caterpillar has got quantities of legs: you can see some more of them, further down."[1]

Gallery[]

Other Appearances[]

  • Richard Haydn voices the Caterpillar in the 1951 animated film.
  • The Caterpillar is also in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland movie. His name is Absolem, and he is voiced by Alan Rickman.
  • In the novel series "The Looking Glass Wars," he is re-imagined as Blue Caterpillar, the head of six oracle-like caterpillars who live in the Mushroom Valley and act as guardians of the sacred Heart Crystal.
  • He also appears in the anime by Nippon Animation, "Fushigi no Kuni no Alice".
  • In the TV miniseries "Alice," he appears as an aging spectacled man as the caterpillar, who is the head of the resistance.
  • He also appears in the video game "American McGee's Alice."
  • The Caterpillar makes an appearance in Kingdom Hearts V CAST, where he takes the role of the Cheshire Cat in providing hints for Sora to advance through Wonderland.
  • In the otome game "Heart no Kuni no Alice," he appears as Nightmare Gottschalk, a dream/incubus who appears in Alice's dreams and one of the many characters who fall in love with Alice.
  • In the movie Freddy vs Jason, Freddy at one point turns into a caterpillar and pulls out a hookah and smokes it. Much like in the movies, Freddy then blows smoke into a boy's face and leaves.

Memorable Quotes[]

  • "Who Are You?."
  • "I am exactically three inches high, and it is a very good height indeed!" (1951 version)
  • "That is not said corect-tic-aly."-(1951 version)
  • "Keep. Your. Temper." (1951 Version)
  • "Ah-how..." (1951 version)
  • "THE MUSHROOM, OF COURSE!!" (1951 version)
  • "You? Huh! Who are you?!" (1951 version)
  • "Hvo Er Du?" (Norwegian dub version)
  • "Not hardly" (2010 version)
  • "Stupid girl."(2010 version)
  • "You're not Absolem, I'm Absolem."(2010 version)

References


Navigation[]

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Characters

Alice The Mad Hatter The White Rabbit The Queen of Hearts The King of Hearts The Caterpillar The March Hare The Knave of Hearts The Cheshire Cat The Dormouse The Lory The Eaglet The Duck The Dodo Bill the Lizard Mary Ann Dinah Alice's Sister The Duchess The Cook The Executioner Father William Frog Footman Fish Footman The Pig Baby The Gryphon The Mock Turtle Tortoise The Playing Cards The Puppy

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