Cartoonist Charles Addams introduced the Addams Family in the New Yorker in the 1938, as a satire of an aristocratic family. But they’re no ordinary aristocrats; they have an obsession with the morbid and the macabre. In 1964, a TV show titled The Adams Family ran on ABC (it only had two seasons), and in the 1990s, the family was rebooted in two movies, The Addams Family (1991) and Addams Family Values (1993). Now, Netflix is journeying into the world of the Addams family with with Wednesday, which follows a young Wednesday Addams at boarding school.
Throughout these iterations, the characterization and fashion choices have remained remarkably consistent—albeit updated for modern times. In Addams Family: An Evilution, the creator describes the family as follows: “Gomez and Pugsley are enthusiastic. Morticia is even in disposition, muted, witty, sometimes deadly. Grandma Frump is foolishly good-natured. Wednesday is her mother’s daughter. A closely knit family, the real head being Morticia—although each of the others is a definite character.” He adds, “money is no problem” for the Addamses. According to the film, the family credo is, Sic gorgiamus allos subjectatos nunc (a sort of pseudo-Latin, translated to “We gladly feast on those who would subdue us.”)
Colleen Atwood, the costume designer on Wednesday, said the goal for depicting the Addams family was “paying homage but updating it.”
Below, see how Wednesday, Morticia, Gomez, and other members of the Addams clan have evolved over the years.
Wednesday’s style has stayed remarkably consistent from the original TV show: Two pigtail braids, a high-necked collar, and a surly vibe.
Wednesday, however, is the first time we see her as a teenager. “It all started with the familiar Wednesday that we all know—with the little black dress,” costume designer Atwood said of updating Wednesday for 2022. “We made the collar a little more pointed, but the idea was to do an homage everyone would be familiar with. The series is set against the unusual backdrop of a bright, colorful American school, so she was immediately set apart from that by that look. So when we see her at school, that’s her uniform. But in her downtime, we were able to update her look and go a bit deeper into the character.”
L-R: Lisa Loring, Christina Ricci, Jenna Ortega
Morticia’s long, jet-black tresses have also remained consistent in all appearances. Her form-fitting dress, with wide sleeves and plunging necklines, has been updated for each adaptation. In the comics, she is described as a witch with very pale skin, and always wears a tight black dress.
“When I was a kid, I remember thinking it would be so cool to be an Addams,” Zeta-Jones shared of the family. “They seem to be so happy being as crazy as they are.”
L-R: Carolyn Jones, Anjelica Huston, Catherine Zeta-Jones
Viewers can again see an updated homage to the original Gomez character in Wednesday. He wears oversized chalk-striped dark colored suits, with a tie (in the original sitcom and Wednesday) or a bowtie (in the movies). Starting with Puerto Rican actor Raul Julia with the movies, Gomez Addams became a Latino man in canon.
L-R: John Astin, Raul Julia, Luis Guzmán
Charles Addams writes of Uncle Fester, “his one costume, summer and winter, is a black great coat with an enormous collar.” And, in all appearances of Uncle Fester across the Addams Family TV shows and movies, he does, indeed, wear one large coat.
In the original sitcom, he was Morticia’s maternal uncle, but in all subsequent adaptations, he is Gomez’s brother.
L-R: Jackie Coogan, Christopher Lloyd, Fred Armisen
While Lurch, the Addams family manservant, barely appears in Wednesday, his character channels the Lurch costume of the TV show and movies. Charles Addams describes the character as “he is not a very good butler but a faithful one…One eye is opaque, the scanty hair is damply clinging to his narrow flat head…generally the family regards him as something of a joke.” Think Frankstein vibes.
L-R: Ted Cassidy, Carel Struycken, George Burcea
Pugsley, Wednesday’s brother, wears shorts and a striped t-shirt in all the versions. Though he plays only a small role in Wednesday, actor Isaac Ordonez is the first Latino actor to portray Pugsley.
L-R: Ken Weatherwax, Jimmy Workman, Isaac Ordonez
Last but not least, Thing T. Thing, also just called Thing. According to the Addams Family Wiki, “Thing’s precise nature was never revealed and it is unknown whether he had once been attached to a human body or whether he had originated as an independent creature. It is clear, however, from the television show, that Thing was not unique.”
In the TV show, Thing was portrayed by Ted Cassidy (who also played Lurch). If Thing was in a scene with Lurch, a crew member would step in. In the movie (not pictured), magician Christopher Hart played Thing. In Wednesday, Romanian magician Victor Dorobantu portrays Thing.
Thing has always been depicted as a white man’s hand, but in the latest installment, it has Frankestein-esque scars.
Emily Burack
Emily Burack (she/her) is the news writer for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, culture, the royals, and a range of other subjects.