Sparkle Valley and Alice in Wonderland

Both Alice in Wonderland and Sparkle Valley start the same way – a girl falls.

And when Alice falls, it’s into a wonderland where cats talk in riddles, tea parties never end, etc. It’s absurd - chaos with rules that exist mostly to be broken. And you can’t reason your way through it because reason itself is the joke.

Alice - John Tenniel 1865

On the surface, Sparkle Valley seems similar.  When Abigail goes over the waterfall she lands in a world with talking tortoises, forgotten toys, and a wrongway river. But it’s not chaos. The world doesn’t twist because it’s random. It changes because of what Emily feels. When she forgets, it reacts and fades. And when she remembers, it comes back to life.

The Worlds

Wonderland is external. It mocks the real world— like a funhouse mirror full of nonsense. Words undo themselves. Adults look foolish. 

Sparkle Valley is internal — it comes from Emily. It’s part of her imagination, and it pushes back. If she’s scared, it shakes. If she hopes, there’s light. Characters suddenly appear. It doesn’t obey logic or physics, but it’s not nonsense. It’s connected, and It runs on belief, emotion, and memory.

That’s the biggest difference: Alice visits her dream. But Emily (Abigail)? She lives hers. 

The Guides (and the Tricksters)

Alice has the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter, the Queen, etc. Their job is to confuse Alice and twist logic. They live in a world of nonsense, and Alice is basically the punchline.

Cheshire Cat

Sparkle Valley has tricksters too — the Smortzle, Ivana, Hank Needlenose. But they’re not nonsense for nonsense’s sake. They challenge Abigail the way that fear and doubt challenges anyone who still believes in something. The Smortzle lives for power, Ivana hides behind pride and jealousy, and Hank fears chaos. But underlying all this, there is some truth. They may be dangerous, but at least they make sense.

Abigail also meets guides (Doris Tortoise, Gloria, Fluffy, and others) who keep her anchored when the Valley tilts. Together, they make the world feel less random and more emotional. 

Three Cards - John Tenniel 1865

 The Stakes

For Alice, the journey is a dream she’ll wake up from. But for Abigail, it’s about survival. Not just for herself, but for the world. If Emily stops believing, Sparkle Valley fades. That’s the core of Sparkle Valley — belief isn’t just a feeling, it’s literally what keeps it alive.

So the difference couldn’t be starker. Wonderland is a dream that ends. But Sparkle Valley is a dream that remembers you. It doesn’t stop when you wake up. The lights may be out, but it’s there, (with Abigail holding it together). 

In other words, the imagination you thought was gone? 

It isn’t.

It’s just waiting — until you look again.