It appeared on the issue for Oct 30-Nov 7, 1964. In 1964, they were turned into a TV sitcom, and are now known as The Addams Family.Īddams painted a TV Guide cover for the occasion, showing series stars John Astin and Carolyn Jones, in character as Gomez and Morticia Addams, dancing with their cartoon counterparts (making a rare appearance in color).

They appeared in dozens of cartoons, over a period of dozens of years. Later on, the woman's deranged husband and their two horrible children began appearing with her, as well as a couple of less easily categorized family members and an incidental character or two. In 1937, when his work was well established in that magazine, he began using a couple of regular characters - a deathly-pale woman dressed all in black, and her misshapen butler, who looked like he'd been assembled from odd-size parts. His work occasionally appeared elsewhere, but it was The New Yorker that published the vast majority of the 1,300 cartoons he produced during his prodigious career. He achieved it as a freelancer very early on, became a regular staff member within a few years, and stayed there for the rest of his life. His ambition was to become a cartoonist for The New Yorker magazine. In a room over the garage, there is a chalk drawing on a wall, which is believed to have been put there by the youthful Addams.Īddams was a man who knew what he wanted, went for it and, having gotten it, held on. That house - which, by the way, provided part of the inspiration for the house that figured prominently in his later cartoons - is still standing.

He grew up reasonably normal, with only one recorded infraction of the law - breaking into an old Victorian house in the neighborhood. His family moved around a lot during his early years, but settled into a nice, normal neighborhood when he was 8 years old, and stayed there for the rest of his childhood. Addams') was born January 7, 1912, in Westfield, NJ (a normal American suburban community). In fact, his cartoons, some of which have remained in print nearly two thirds of a century, could be just a little bit unnerving.Ĭharles Samuel Addams (who usually signed his work 'Chas. He lived in a normal house, wore normal clothing, came and went among normal people But underneath the normal facade wasĪ sense of humor that was far from normal. In outward appearance, Charles Addams was pretty normal. Please contribute to its necessary financial support. If this site is enjoyable or useful to you, Noted for: The toons now known as 'The Addams Family', and others of similar themes CHARLES ADDAMS Born: 1912 : : : Died: 1988

Homebodies by Charles Addams