| The Dodo | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Real Name |
Dodo |
|
First Appearance |
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) |
|
Original Publisher |
Macmillan |
|
Created by |
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (as "Lewis Carroll") |
Origin[]
In order to get dry after a swim, the Dodo proposes that everyone run a Caucus race — where the participants run in patterns of any shape, starting and leaving off whenever they like, so that everyone wins. At the end of the race, Alice distributes comfits from her pocket to all as prizes. However, this leaves no prize for herself. The Dodo inquires what else she has in her pocket. As she has only a thimble, the Dodo requests it from her and then awards it to Alice as her prize.
In this passage, Lewis Carroll incorporated references to the original boating expedition of 4 July 1862 during which Alice's Adventures were first told, with Alice as herself, and the others represented by birds: the Lory was Lorina Liddell, the Eaglet was Edith Liddell, the Dodo was Dodgson, and the Duck was Rev. Robinson Duckworth.
Additionally, the Caucus Race as depicted by Carroll is a satire on the political caucus system, mocking its lack of clarity and decisiveness.
Public Domain Appearances[]
All published appearances of the Dodo from before January 1, 1931 are public domain in the US.
Some notable appearances are listed below:
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
- Alice's Adventures Under Ground
- The Nursery “Alice”
Public Domain Film Appearances[]
- Alice in Wonderland (1915)
- Betty in Blunderland (1934)
- Alice of Wonderland in Paris (1966): Alice journeys to Paris, France, accompanied by a talking bicyclist mouse named Francois. Features short adaptations of children’s books that are not in the public domain yet.
Notes[]
- The Dodo is a fictional character appearing in Chapters 2 and 3 of the book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson). The Dodo is a caricature of the author.