Alice in Wonderland Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Alice in Wonderland Wiki
Tweedledee and Tweedledum
2010-Tweedles
General Information
Gender Male
Occupation White Rooks
Relationships
Friend(s) The White Queen, Alice
Enemies The Red Queen
Behind The Scenes
Portrayed by Matt Lucas ((2010) and (2016)

Tweedledee and Tweedledum are a pair of identical twins in Alice in Wonderland, and fictional characters from the novel Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll. They are based upon a traditional nursery rhyme of the same name. Matt Lucas plays the Tweedles in the 2010 movie and the 2016 movie.

Nursery Rhyme[]

Tweedledum and Tweedledee
Agreed to have a battle;
For Tweedledum said Tweedledee
Had spoiled his nice new rattle.

Just then flew down a monstrous crow,
As black as a tar-barrel;
Which frightened both the heroes so,
They quite forgot their quarrel.

Origin of the Phrase[]

According to Brewer's Dictionary of Pharse and Fable, the names Tweedledum and Tweedledee can be traced back to an 18th century epigram satirizing a feud between the composers, Handel and Bonocini. “Some say compared to Bononcini
That mynheer Handel’s but a ninny;
Others aver that he to Handel
Is scarcely fit to hold a candle.
Strange all this difference should be
’Twixt Tweedledum and Tweedledee.”
- John Byrom [1]

Description[]

Tweedledum tenniel

Illustration by Sir John Tenniel.

Upon meeting the two little fat men, Alice quotes the nursery rhyme, which the two brothers then go on to enact. They agree to have a battle, but never have one. When they see the Crow they take to their heels. The Tweedle brothers never contradict each other, even when one of them, according to the rhyme, "agrees to have a battle". Rather, they complement each other's words. This may have led to Tenniel's depiction of them as though they are twins and identical in physical appearance. According to the dramatis personae for Through the Looking-Glass, Tweedledee is the White Queen's rook and Tweedledum is the White King's rook.[2]

Other Appearances[]

  • Pat O'Malley voices the Tweedles in the 1951 animated film. In it, they tend to honk and/or beep whenever poked or prodded.
  • In the 1999 movie, their full names are Ned Tweedledum and Fred Tweedledee.
  • Tweedledee and Tweedledum appear in the 2010 Alice in Wonderland movie. They're portrayed by Matt Lucas. In it they're rotund and argue. According to the White Rabbit, it's their "family trait". During the Frabjous Day battle, they fight together, defeating Red Knights easily.
    • In the video game adaptation of Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, Tweedledee and Tweedledum appear as supporting characters. They give quests to the player, which must be completed because they block the path. After the player succeeds, they will leave and give a nice reward.
  • In the novel series "The Looking Glass Wars", they are re-imagined as General Doppelganger, the commander of the Royal army, made up of equal parts General Doppel and General Ganger.
  • In the video game "American McGee's Alice", they work for the mad hatter. Tweedledee is larger than Tweedledum. They represented a pair of orderlies that worked in Rutledge Asylum when Alice was comitted. They were very cruel to Alice. They return in the sequel in one of Alice's flashbacks.
  • In the TV miniseries "Alice", They appear as Doctors Dee and Dum.
  • In the 1951 version, their oufits resembled Pinocchio's.
  • In the game "Heart no Kuni no Alice, they appear as twin guards for the hatter mansion owned by Blood Dupre and one of the many characters who fall in love with Alice. The blue one who wields his ax left-handed is Tweedledee while the red one who wields his ax right-handed is Tweedledum.
  • In "Once Upon a Time in Wonderland" Tweedledum is protrayed by Ben Cotton, and Matty Finochio is the actor behind Tweedledee.

Gallery[]

References


Through The Looking-Glass Characters

Alice The Mad Hatter The Red Queen The Red King The Red Knight The White Queen The White King The White Knight The March Hare The Sheep Humpty Dumpty Tweedledum and Tweedledee The Lion and the Unicorn The Bandersnatch Jubjub Bird The Jabberwocky Kitty The Flowers The Aged Man Lily The Monstrous Crow The White Horse The Bread-and-Butterfly The Rocking-Horse-Fly Snap-Dragonfly The Gnat

Advertisement