The Doorknob is a character specifically created for Disney’s 1951 film Alice in Wonderland. He lives at the end of the Rabbit Hole and is the main entrance to Wonderland.
Now you too can get his help to gain entrance into whatever Wonderland awaits behind any door that may be in your home! I obtained my helpful fellow from a site called Funnylisting and paid $35.99 US plus $6.55 US shipping.
He’s a very cheery fellow and tries to help Alice along her way, as you can see in the still image below from the film:
I’ve had this character replica for at least a month and only now have figured out a way to install it. Unfortunately, it isn’t easy! But it is doable with some modifications to the Lock Set. Also, you won’t be able to use both doorknob character plates, as the inside one won’t fit over the Lock Set handle. More on that as we go through the installation process.
Below is what you will need:
Only the two character plates with mouth inserts and two sets of round stick pads (you’ll see them later) are included from the Seller. I had to buy the Lock Set from my local hardware store.
As you can see from the pictures above, the character plates come in two parts, the ‘face’ and the ‘mouth’.
So are you ready to go down the rabbit hole? Before we start, I just have to say that this set of character plates came with no instructions for installation. It doesn’t appear to be compatible with any Lock Set sold in stores. I have had over 40 years of construction experience and even I had to take some time to figure out how to make this work! But I will endeavor to make the instructions found in this post as simple to follow as possible. That being said: Good luck!
Before you can start, you will need to disassemble your Lock Set. You do this by pressing a release pin at the base of the neck of the outside knob. You’ll need a small skewer or screwdriver to do this. Just look for a small hole at the base of the neck. There will be only one.
Once you have pulled the knob off of the shaft, you can install the Lock Set as usual, using the two screws provided. If you’ve purchased a new Lock Set, it will have come with instructions on how to do this. When you are finished, it should look like the images below labeled Step One and Step Two:
Step Two above shows the outside of the door with the Lock Set installed without the knob. You can see on the left near the base of the shaft the pin that you need to push in to release the knob.
Step Three involves preparing the character ‘face’ plate for installation. Affix four stick pads, one in each corner, and peel off the paper protector to expose the adhesive surfaces (see bottom right stick pad in the image above).
Affix the character ‘face’ plate to the door, being careful to leave enough space above the Lock Set shaft. This will enable you to install the character ‘mouth’ piece later. Get it positioned right the first time because these stick pads are strong! Go ahead: Ask me how I know.
Reattach the outside knob by pushing it back onto the shaft until the pin clicks back into position. Be sure to line up the security button first (center of knob in picture above). You won’t have to worry about the security button if you have or purchased what is called a ‘passage set’. The security button only comes with what is called a ‘lock set’, such as is found on a bedroom or bathroom door.
Now you are ready to prepare the character ‘mouth’ piece. Use four stick pads (not five, as shown in the picture above. My whoopsie there!) and attach them to each other in a tower of sorts. Then make sure the last paper protector is removed, ready for sticking to the door.
Carefully place the character ‘mouth’ piece into the opening left for it in the character ‘face’ plate. Press firmly to affix it to the door. It will be loose, but won’t fall off, and is the only way I could see to install this part. And just like that – It’s done!
Test you Lock Set to ensure that the lock works, the knobs turn, and the tongue lines up with the strike plate in the door frame, just like your Lock Set always has. You can also see that due to the poor design of the product, it sits away from the door. So it looks good head on but not so much from the side. Also, you need to be careful when opening the door, because you can jostle the character ‘mouth’ piece. Over time, this may knock it loose or even off of the door completely.
The images above show how the finished Doorknob character looks on the door. It is awesome and fun, and makes a nice introduction to my Disney-themed office!
As mentioned earlier, you can’t use both character plates due to the design of the Lock Sets commonly sold in North America. I tried to contact Funnylisting to ask about Lock Sets (thinking they may sell one that works with the product) but there was no way to contact them. They don’t seem to have a website per se, with me buying this product from a FaceBook ad.
The website AdScams speculated whether or not Funnylisting is a fake or disreputable business but didn’t reach a conclusive decision. I did receive the product advertised but it did take almost two months to arrive.
My Review: The materials are very cheap. I placed the character plates on my kitchen table for just an hour and they stuck to the plastic covering, leaving a yellow stain after I pried them loose! Again, the lack of instructions will be problematic for anyone with no experience in home renovations or maintenance. It also does not seem to be compatible with lock sets sold in North America. In conclusion, it’s a cute idea with poor implementation. Buyer beware!
