White rabbit
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The White Rabbit is a fictional character appearing in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Perhaps most famous for being late, his first words are "Oh Dear! Oh Dear! I shall be too late!" (The phrase "I'm late, I'm late, For a very important date" does not appear anywhere within the book; these are the first two lines of the song I'm late, sung by the White Rabbit in Disney's adaptation of the story.)
The story begins as Alice, out of curiosity, follows the White Rabbit down his rabbit hole.
The White Rabbit in the Lewis Carroll classic Alice's Adventures in Wonderland has also featured prominently in the drug, hacker, and goth subcultures, because of the surreal adventures Alice enjoyed after following him.
The White Rabbit was also the codename of F. F. E. Yeo-Thomas, an undercover British agent in Occupied France during World War II.
White Rabbit is also the title of one of the simpler and more memorable songs by the American psychedelic rock group called Jefferson Airplane. The song, about an LSD trip, includes several other references to characters in Lewis Carroll's tale, and has been performed both by American metal band Sanctuary, and more recently by the Blue Man Group.
In the MMORPG Asheron's Call, the White Rabbit is a fearsome beast that drops the Orb of the Bunny Booty. Its level is 666. (This is an allusion to the Monty Python and the Holy Grail White Rabbit)
Notable references include:
- The tune "White Rabbit" written by New Zealanders Bill Ivory and Graham Gosling, recorded as a hit by Kiwi guitarist Peter Posa.
- The "White Rabbit Object" in Jurassic Park.
- Neo being told to follow the white rabbit in The Matrix.