Global InformationThe Addams Family information
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| The Addams Family | |
|---|---|
 The Addams Family, as they originally appeared in The New Yorker comic strips, art by Charles Addams | |
| Created by | Charles Addams |
| Original work | The New Yorker cartoons |
| Owner |
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| Print publications | |
| Comic strip(s) | See below (1938) |
| Films and television | |
| Film(s) |
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| Short film(s) | The Addams Family Fun-House (1973) |
| Television series |
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| Television special(s) |
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| Direct-to-video | Addams Family Reunion (1998) |
| Theatrical presentations | |
| Musical(s) |
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| Games | |
| Video game(s) | List of video games |
| Audio | |
| Soundtrack(s) | The Addams Family |
The Addams Family is a fictional family created by American cartoonist Charles Addams. They originally appeared in a series of 150 standalone single-panel comics, about half of which were originally published in The New Yorker between 1938 and their creator's death in 1988. They have since been adapted to other media, such as television, film, video games, comic books, a musical, and merchandise.
The Addamses are an odd, old-money clan who delight in the macabre and are seemingly unaware or unconcerned that other people find them bizarre or frightening. The family members were unnamed until the 1960s. Matriarch Morticia and daughter Wednesday received their names when a licensed doll collection was released in 1962; patriarch Gomez and son Pugsley were named when the 1964 television series debuted.[2] The Addams Family consists of Gomez and Morticia Addams, their children, Wednesday and Pugsley, and close family members Uncle Fester[b] and Grandmama,[c] their butler Lurch, and Pugsley's pet octopus, Aristotle. The dimly seen Thing (later a disembodied hand) was introduced in 1954, and Gomez's Cousin Itt, Morticia's pet lion Kitty Kat and Morticia's carnivorous plant Cleopatra in 1964. Pubert Addams, Wednesday and Pugsley's infant brother, was introduced in the 1993 film Addams Family Values.[d]
The live-action television series premiered on ABC on Friday, September 18, 1964, and ran for two seasons.[2] It subsequently inspired a 1977 telefilm titled Halloween with the New Addams Family and cameos from the cast in other shows. An unrelated animated series aired in 1973.
The franchise was revived in the 1990s with a feature film series consisting of The Addams Family (1991) and Addams Family Values (1993). The films inspired a second animated series (1992–1993) which is set in the same fictional universe. The series was rebooted with a 1998 direct-to-video film and a spin-off live-action television series (1998–1999). In 2010, a live musical adaptation featuring Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth opened on Broadway with tepid reviews, but it was nominated for two Tony Awards[4] and eight Drama Desk Awards, winning one Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Set Design.[5] The series was rebooted again in 2019 with the animated film The Addams Family, which led to a sequel in 2021. In 2022, Netflix debuted the original series Wednesday, which is a spin-off from the original 1964 series.
The franchise has spawned a video game series, academic books and soundtracks, which are based around its Grammy-nominated theme song. A staple in pop culture for eight decades, The Addams Family has influenced American comics, cinema and television. The goth subculture and its fashion have also been influenced by The Addams Family.[6][7]
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- ^ "Licensing". Tee & Charles Addams Foundation.
- ^ a b Magazine, Smithsonian; Sauer, Patrick. "The Cultural History of 'The Addams Family'". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
evilutionwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "The Tony Award Nominations". www.tonyawards.com. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
- ^ "2010 Drama Desk Awards: nominations announced". New York Theatre Guide. October 19, 2017. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
- ^ "Types of Goths: 2. The Romantic Goth". World Gothic Models. January 19, 2022.
- ^ "Wild for Wednesday: The iconic character's influence on gothic fashion – Fashion North". www.fashion-north.com.