Alice in Wonderland: we’re all mad here

Published February 05, 2024 • Updated February 05, 2024

Alice in Wonderland themed playing cards, UK, 2020.

This pack was funded via Kickstarter in 2020. Ajay Shiani / ASVP Shop is mentioned in the campaign as the creator, whose location appears to be London. Notwithstanding this uncertainty, the cards themselves are bright, ornate and attractive, featuring some of the most amazing illustrations from the original book by Lewis Carroll (1865), coloured by the designer.

The pip cards and court cards show the same image across all four suits as follows:

2 of each suit: Son of William
3 of each suit: The Queen's Gardeners
4 of each suit: Alice and the Duchess
5 of each suit: The White Rabbit as herald
6 of each suit: The Cheshire Cat
7 of each suit: Alice after she has eaten the cake
8 of each suit: The White Rabbit
9 of each suit: Alice and the Dodo
Jack of each suit: The Knave
Queen of each suit: The Queen of Hearts
King of each suit: The King

However, the Tens and Aces all portray different images:

10 of Hearts: Alice and the white rabbit
10 of Clubs: Alice following the white rabbit in the long, low hall
10 of Diamonds: Mad Hatter's Tea Party
10 of Spades: Alice meeting the caterpillar
Ace of Hearts: Alice trying to play croquet with the flamingo
Ace of Spades: Alice looking up to see Cheshire Cat
Ace of Clubs: Alice and the flying pack of cards
Ace of Diamonds: Alice discovering the "Drink me" bottle

The two joker cards feature The Mad Hatter. See the box►

“Alice in Wonderland: we’re all mad here” playing cards published via Kickstarter, UK, 2020

Above: “Alice in Wonderland: we’re all mad here” playing cards published via Kickstarter by Ajay Shiani, UK, 2020.

• See the Kickstarter campaign►

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By Peter Burnett

United Kingdom • Member since July 27, 2022

I graduated in Russian and East European Studies from Birmingham University in 1969. It was as an undergraduate in Moscow in 1968 that I stumbled upon my first 3 packs of “unusual” playing cards which fired my curiosity and thence my life-long interest. I began researching and collecting cards in the early 1970s, since when I’ve acquired over 3,330 packs of non-standard cards, mainly from North America, UK and Western Europe, and of course from Russia and the former communist countries.

• Russian Playing Cards

Following my retirement from the Bodleian Library in Dec. 2007 I took up a new role as Head of Library Development at the International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP) to support library development in low-income countries. This work necessitated regular training visits to many sub-Saharan African countries and also further afield, to Vietnam, Nepal and Bangladesh – all of which provided rich opportunities to further expand my playing card collection.

Since 2019 I’ve been working part-time in the Bodleian Library where I’ve been cataloguing the bequest of the late Donald Welsh, founder of the English Playing Card Society.