Go nuts for Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter with his Alice in Wonderland-inspired merchandise

Take a seat and join Johnny Depp and Tim Burton's trippy tea party.

It’s amazing to think that Johnny Depp and Tim Burton have been working together for almost 20 years. That’s nearly two decades of quirky characters in offbeat tales (doesn’t it make you feel old?). We’ve had everything from adult fairytales (Edward Scissorhands) to gruesome musicals (Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street), real-life people (Ed Wood) to the most flamboyant of fictions (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) and this week we get the pair’s seventh onscreen collaboration – Alice in Wonderland.

It’s easily one of the most hyped movies of 2010 and we can see why. As well as the Johnny/ Tim connection, there’s the heritage of the story (the Lewis Carroll classic having been given the big screen treatment ever since the silent era), the techie wizardry of the movie which encompasses live action, animation and 3D and the hostile stand-off between the studio, Disney and British cinemas (it’s all very complicated – best to Google it).

All this has helped Alice in Wonderland steal a fair share of headlines and yet for Johnny’s ever-loyal army of fans it’s all just about one guy. Yup they remain deeply dippy for Depp and while he might not be the central character, he’s unmissable as the Mad Hatter. And donning the top hat of the barmy tea party-goer was something the former Captain Jack Sparrow (we remembered the Captain!) couldn’t resist, as he says: “I’m a huge fan of the book."

“It’s such a beast in terms of invention, of literary achievement. It’s as brilliant and as fresh and as new and as interesting today as it was then.” He continues: "The combination of being able to play the Mad Hatter and take what Lewis Carroll has done and what Tim’s vision is, and then throw your own stuff in there… it’s a dream come true.”

And what a trippy and wild dream that must have been as Burton’s Mad Hatter is just as weird and wonderful as you’d expect both in behaviour and appearance. We’ve all marveled at the frizzy orange wig Depp dons, a particularly eye-catching way to physically express the mercury poising so many hatters of the era suffered as the actor explains.

“The term ‘mad as a hatter’ actually came from real hatters when they were making these sort of beautiful beaver-pelt top hats,” says Johnny. “The glue they used had very high mercury content. It would stain their hands; they’d go goofy from the mercury and go nuts.” And orange, apparently. “I think he was poisoned, very, very poisoned,” he continues, “and it was coming out through his hair, through his fingernails and eyes.”

The sunburnt barnet (and matching haywire eyebrows) might be the first thing you notice, yet it’s just one element of the Mad Hatter’s over-the-top, zany look. There’s the vividly made-up face (white complexion, pink skin around the oversized yellow eyes with white lashes etc. etc.) and the flamboyant clothes (velvet frock coat, frilly lace cuffs, patterned neck scarf, even stripey socks) becoming almost too much to take in all at once. However for such a detailed and intricate costume Depp says that it came together quite easily.

“I just knew what he looked like for some reason,” he says of the look, which was also masterminded by the movie’s Oscar-winning costume designer, Colleen Atwood. “When I went into the makeup trailer the process just sort of happened. It’s very rare that everything works so quickly. The only time I’d ever had that happen on that level was with Captain Jack.”

High praise indeed. Could the Mad Hatter become as familiar and beloved a character as Johnny’s cheeky pirate? If you think so, why not get your mitts on our selection of fantastic Mad Hatter-inspired merchandise? Play it casual and cool with graphic tees, add some fun femininity with some Disney Couture jewellery or really dial up the daring with tantalising trinkets as designed by top jewellery guru, Tom Binns. Plenty of choice for any budget and all with that little touch of madness!