Which Wonderland character is always late and carries a pocket watch?

The Wonderland character who is always late and carries a pocket watch is the White Rabbit. He appears at the beginning of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, wearing a waistcoat and anxiously declaring that he will be too late.

Alice follows the White Rabbit down his rabbit hole, beginning her journey into Wonderland. His concern with punctuality establishes the story’s fascination with time, schedules and adults’ rules. Later, the Rabbit appears as a servant or herald connected with the King and Queen of Hearts, giving him a practical role within Wonderland’s strange court.

The White Rabbit is often confused with the Mad Hatter because the Hatter is associated with the stopped time of the tea party. However, the Hatter does not carry the famous watch or introduce Alice to Wonderland. The familiar line “I’m late!” is especially prominent in Disney’s 1951 animated film; Carroll’s original wording is closer to “Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be too late!”