Alice and the Blue Caterpillar 愛麗絲與藍色毛毛蟲 アリスと青い芋虫

“You're not Absolem, I'm Absolem.” Absolem, the Caterpillar or The Blue Caterpillar or Hookah-Smoking Caterpillar, is a fictional character from the novel, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll and the Disney film.

Introduced in Chapter Four ("Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill") and the main center of interest of Chapter V ("Advice from a Caterpillar"), the Caterpillar is a hookah-smoking caterpillar exactly 3 inches (7.6 cm) high (a height, the virtues of which, he defends against Alice's complaint). 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, rather rude sentences, or difficult questions.

In 19th century Britain, by smoking a hookah, you were thought of as sophisticated and well traveled. So by having the Caterpillar smoke a hookah, Carroll is characterizing the Caterpillar as an all-knowing and wise creature, contrary to popular belief that insects are small and unintelligible.

In the 1951 Disney animated film, the Caterpillar is a blue creature who, as in the original Tenniel illustration, smokes a hookah. He is seen as a very forthright character as he yells at Alice quite often during the scenes in which they both appear. He blows smoke in Alice's face and when she needs assistance he ignores her. He is a quite mean character providing little to no assistance to Alice and ends up confusing her more while she is trapped in Wonderland. He then ignores her and turns into a butterfly and flutters away not caring whether or not Alice makes it out alive. He also instructs her to eat a mushroom but does not say what it does thus putting her into possible danger. He reappears one final time during the ending chase, still in butterfly form but once again smoking on his hookah, and again ignoring Alice when she asks for his help escaping the Queen of Hearts.

His memorable phrase is a breathy "Whooo ... are ... you?", this line is visualised as exhalations of smoke in the shapes "O", "R" and "U". Alice remarks in the original that the Caterpillar will one day turn into a butterfly, and in this version he does so in Alice's presence.

The Caterpillar plays an important role in the development of Alice's identity. The Caterpillar's crucial first words "Who are you?" induce Alice to begin the processes of reclaiming her own identity and deciding who exactly she is.     

In addition, Absolem is also a symbol for Alice's transformation. As he warps himself into a cocoon and is ready to transform into a butterfly, these scenes are intercut with Alice's decision-making process of becoming a champion and facing the Jabberwocky.

Alice in Wonderland is a popular theme with costumers at the Venice Carnevale. While characters such as Alice, the Mad Hatter, March Hare and the Queen of Hearts are more commonly done, I am pleasantly surprised to find someone doing the Hookah-Smoking Caterpillar, and doing it so well....