Charles Addams was a strange man. He famously kept a crossbow on his wall and an organ in his home, but he wasn't a monster. He was just... particular. When he first started sketching the Addams Family cartoon strip for The New Yorker back in 1938, he wasn't trying to build a multi-billion dollar franchise. He was just making fun of the "perfect" American family.
It worked.
The original single-panel gag cartoons were sharp. They were dark. Honestly, they were a lot more "Gothic" than the sitcom version most people grew up watching. If you only know Gomez and Morticia from the 1960s TV show or the 90s movies, you’re missing out on the raw, slightly more sinister energy of the ink-and-wash originals. There were no names. No backstory. Just a group of ghoulish people doing mundane things in the most unsettling way possible.
The Birth of the Addams Family Cartoon Strip
It all started with a vacuum cleaner salesman. In the very first Addams Family cartoon strip published on August 6, 1938, a salesman is trying to sell a machine to a woman in a tall, dilapidated house. Behind her, on the stairs, stands a hulking, silent man. It wasn't "The Addams Family" yet. It was just a weird vibe that The New Yorker readers couldn't get enough of.
Charles Addams had this uncanny ability to make the macabre feel cozy. You've probably seen the famous "Boiling Oil" panel. The family is on the roof of their Victorian mansion, tipping a vat of steaming liquid onto a group of carolers below. It’s mean. It’s hilarious. It perfectly encapsulates why these strips have lasted for nearly a century.
Addams didn't actually name the characters until the TV show went into production in 1964. Before that, they were just archetypes. The "Mother" was lean and pale. The "Father" was a bit more pig-nosed and rotund than the suave Raul Julia version we love today. They lived in a world of "inverted norms." While you were worried about the gutters leaking, they were worried about the swamp in the basement drying up.
Why the Humor Was Different
Standard 1940s humor was pretty safe. You had slapstick or puns. Addams went the other way. He leaned into "sick humor," a precursor to what we now call dark comedy.
Think about it.
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One strip shows the kids, Pugsley and Wednesday, playing in their room. They aren't playing with blocks. They are building a literal rack for torture. Another shows the family at the movies, surrounded by a crying audience, while they are the only ones laughing hysterically at a tragic scene. It’s that subversion of expectation that makes the Addams Family cartoon strip so effective even in 2026.
The Evolution of the Characters (From Ink to Icon)
Morticia was the anchor. Addams described her as the real head of the household. In the cartoons, she’s often seen looking out the window at a beautiful, sunny day with utter disgust. She was inspired by Addams' first wife, Barbara Jean Day, who supposedly looked quite a bit like the character.
Gomez was a bit of a surprise. In the original strips, he’s not the dashing Latin lover. He’s a bit frumpy. He’s short and has a bit of a snub nose. He’s still deeply in love with his wife, though. That’s the one thing that never changed. The devotion between the parents was a radical concept in mid-century media, where most sitcom couples seemed to barely tolerate each other.
Then you have the kids.
- Wednesday Addams: In the strips, she was much softer. She was pale and quiet, but she wasn't the homicidal genius of the Netflix era. She was just a "solemn" child who preferred spiders to dolls.
- Pugsley: He was basically a juvenile delinquent in training. He was the one usually found tinkering with dangerous chemicals or heavy machinery.
- Uncle Fester: He actually appeared in the strips before he was officially part of the family! Addams just liked drawing this bald, lightbulb-headed man and eventually folded him into the clan.
The House as a Character
You can't talk about the Addams Family cartoon strip without talking about that house. 0001 Cemetery Lane. In the drawings, the house is a sprawling, decaying Victorian mess. It’s cluttered with shrunken heads, exotic weapons, and strange creatures peeking out from under the rugs.
Addams drew these details with incredible precision. He was a master of the "wash" technique, using layers of gray ink to create a moody, atmospheric depth that felt like a foggy night in New England. It wasn't just a backdrop. The house felt alive. It felt like it was protecting them from the "normal" world outside.
The "New Yorker" Ban and the 1964 TV Shift
Here is a bit of trivia most people miss: when the TV show was announced, William Shawn, the editor of The New Yorker, actually stopped publishing the Addams Family cartoon strip.
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Why?
He thought it cheapened the brand. He didn't want his sophisticated magazine associated with a goofy television sitcom. It was a weird period of "artistic divorce." For years, the original cartoons and the TV show existed in totally separate bubbles. It wasn't until Shawn retired in the late 80s that the cartoons started appearing in the magazine again.
This tension created two versions of the family. The "TV version" was kooky and mysterious. The "Cartoon version" was darker and more cynical. For example, in the strips, Lurch doesn't talk at all. He’s just a massive, looming presence. The "You rang?" catchphrase was an invention of the actor Ted Cassidy, not Charles Addams.
Semantic Layers: Why We Still Care in 2026
We live in a world that feels increasingly polished and curated. Everything on social media is filtered to look perfect. The Addams Family cartoon strip is the ultimate antidote to that. They don't care about being liked. They don't care about "fitting in."
There's a psychological comfort in their weirdness. They are a functional, loving family that just happens to enjoy graveyard picnics. In a way, they are the healthiest family in fiction. They have no secrets, no shame, and an endless supply of passion for their hobbies.
Charles Addams once said that "normal" is an illusion. What’s normal for the spider is chaos for the fly. That philosophy is baked into every single ink stroke of his work.
Common Misconceptions About the Strips
- They were a serialized story. Nope. They were single-panel gags. There was no "plot" from week to week.
- Thing was a hand in a box. Actually, in the strips, Thing was often just a presence, or sometimes a sign on the gate that said "Beware of the Thing." The "hand" became a thing (pun intended) mostly because of the TV show's special effects budget.
- Grandmama and Cousin Itt were mainstays. Itt was actually a later addition to the cartoon world, and Grandmama's role shifted depending on what Addams thought was funny that week.
How to Collect and Experience the Original Strips
If you want to see the real deal, you have to look beyond the "Best Of" books you find at airport gift shops. You want the deep cuts.
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The Addams Family: An Evilution is probably the best resource out there. It tracks the chronological development of the characters. It includes sketches that were never published and notes from Addams himself. It’s a fascinating look at how an artist’s mind works when he’s left to his own devices.
You can also find old copies of The New Yorker from the 40s and 50s. There’s something special about seeing a Gomez and Morticia gag nestled between an ad for a Cadillac and a high-brow essay about the Cold War. It highlights just how subversive the humor really was at the time.
Actionable Next Steps for Fans
If you're looking to dive deeper into the world of Charles Addams, don't just re-watch the movies. Start by studying the line work.
Analyze the Backgrounds
Next time you look at an original Addams Family cartoon strip, look at the corners of the frame. Addams hidden details—like a strange lizard on a leash or a portrait whose eyes follow you—are where the real world-building happens.
Visit the Tee & Charles Addams Foundation
They maintain a massive archive of his work. If you're ever in New York, looking into their exhibitions is a must. They often show the original boards, which are much larger and more detailed than the printed versions in the magazine.
Practice the "Addams Perspective"
Try to find the "dark" humor in your everyday life. The family wasn't about being "evil" for the sake of it; they just found beauty in things most people find scary. It's a great exercise in shifting your perspective on what "normal" actually means.
The legacy of the Addams Family cartoon strip isn't just about monsters or Halloween. It's about the freedom to be exactly who you are, no matter how many people think you're "creepy, kooky, mysterious, or spooky." The ink may be dry, but the wit is as sharp as ever.