Today is a very, very special day. Why, you ask? Well, odds are, it’s your un-birthday—it’s most-assuredly ours! But October 6 is also Mad Hatter Day, the day we celebrate Alice In Wonderland’s eccentric, chapeau-wearing tea party host. We’re definitely raising a cup of tea to the Mad Hatter himself today, but we thought this spectacular holiday marked the perfect occasion to sing the praises of some of his similarly silly compatriots.
The Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland
Of course, the Mad Hatter Day party can’t get started until the guest of honor himself is celebrated. And the Mad Hatter—along with his equally silly BFF, the March Hare—has brilliantly determined that there are 364 additional days for festive fun and merriment each year (other than one’s birthday), thanks to his introduction of the concept of “unbirthdays.” We’d let him pour us a cup of tea any day.
Genie from Aladdin
When you let the hilarious mind of Robin Williams run rampant inside a recording studio, you can’t help but end up with a wacky and whimsical animated character like Aladdin’s Genie—who’s about as silly as they come! “PHENOMENAL COSMIC POWERS! Itty-bitty living space.”
Bing Bong from Inside Out
He’s got a theme song: “Who’s your friend who likes to play? Bing Bong! Bing Bong!…” He’s headed to the moon in a rocketship made out of a Radio Flyer wagon and a few brooms. He cries candy! We only just met Bing Bong this summer, with the release of Inside Out, but it feels like we’ve known him our entire lives. His lovable lunacy will live on in our core memories from here on out.
Mr. Toad from The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad / Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride
Mr. Toad is a bit self-centered, a bit impulsive, and definitely too smart for his own good—but underneath the crazy, there’s a heart of gold. His friends Angus, Ratty, and Mole wouldn’t have gone to so much trouble to save him from imprisonment if he was truly unreasonable, right?
Tigger, Winnie the Pooh
He’s bouncy… trouncy… flouncy… pouncy… fun, fun, fun, fun, FUN! Tigger has a special place in the pantheon of silly sidekicks and classic kooks. Not even cranky Rabbit is immune to Tigger’s special blend of craziness. Tigger would be the first to tell you that he’s truly one of a kind.
Roger Rabbit from Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
“Shave and a haircut, two bits!” Roger Rabbit first made a name for himself as the wacky and wild star of Maroon Cartoons—but his crazy antics got him in some very hot, possibly murderous water! Thankfully, Detective Eddie Valiant kept innocent Roger out of “the dip” and on the big screen where he belongs.
Goofy
Gawrsh. Doesn’t the name say it all? There is no one goofier than Mickey’s pal. He’s tried many times to seriously pursue (and teach us) a new activity—see How to Play Baseball… How to Fish…and so on—but things never quite go the way he intends. We’re eternally grateful for his eternal optimism…and his eternal Goofy-ness!
The Sanderson Sisters from Hocus Pocus
They’re a cauldron full of crazy. The silly Sanderson siblings in 1993’s Hocus Pocus manage to fit in during Halloween in present-day Salem—when odd behavior and wacky costumes are the norm. But their hilarious shenanigans masked evil ambitions. Leave it to three clever kids to thwart their plans!
Captain Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Caribbean
Our favorite Pirate of the Caribbean, Jack Sparrow, famously observed, “It’s remarkable how often those two traits [madness and brilliance] coincide.” And we think Jack is brilliantly mad! He can usually get himself out of a jam by the use of his wit, rather than his sword, and while you could attribute some of his behavior to a little too much pirate’s grog, we like to think Jack would be just as, shall we say, “quirky,” if he only drank water. Savvy?
Fred MacMurray as The Absent-Minded Professor
Professor Ned Brainard—famously portrayed by Fred MacMurray in the 1961 Disney film—was so scatter-brained, he forgot to show up to his own wedding… three different times! It’s a miracle he managed to create his infamous Flubber, a rubbery substance with an amazing antigravity agent.
Animal from The Muppets
The true epitome of “silly Disney characters,” Animal is as wild and maniacal as they come! His outrageous behavior is a constant source of both consternation and bemusement from his fellow Electric Mayhem members, but he occasionally exhibits a surprisingly refined taste (see: his plans to view the Renoir exhibit at London’s National Gallery in The Great Muppet Caper).
