Before there was the finger-snapping theme song or Christina Ricci’s iconic forehead, there were the single-panel drawings. Most people think of the "original" as the 1964 black-and-white sitcom, but they’re actually off by about 26 years. The original Addams Family cartoon started as a series of macabre, unnamed sketches in The New Yorker magazine, penned by a guy named Charles Addams.
He was a bit of a character himself.
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Charles Addams didn't initially give his ghoulish creations names. They weren't a "family" in the way we think of them today; they were just recurring archetypes that inhabited a creepy, Victorian-style world of dark humor. Addams sold his first drawing to the magazine in 1932, but it wasn't until 1938 that the prototype for Morticia and Lurch appeared. In that first sketch, a vacuum cleaner salesman is trying to sell his wares to a tall, gaunt woman in a dilapidated mansion while a giant, silent man lurks in the background. It was weird. It was dry. And honestly, it was revolutionary for a magazine that usually focused on high-society wit.
The Darker Roots of the Original Addams Family Cartoon
If you go back and look at those early panels, the tone is significantly different from the "kooky" vibe of the television show. The original Addams Family cartoon was genuinely macabre. There’s one famous panel where the family is on the roof of their house, leaning over a cauldron, preparing to pour boiling oil on a group of Christmas carolers below. You’d never see that on 1960s network TV. The humor relied on the juxtaposition of domestic normalcy with the horrific. They weren't monsters; they were just a family with very, very different values.
Charles Addams lived a life that mirrored his art. He reportedly had a collection of crossbows and kept an ancient, blood-stained executioner’s block as a coffee table. He wasn't just drawing this stuff; he felt it.
The characters didn't even have names until the TV show went into development. When producer David Levy approached Addams about a television adaptation, Addams had to sit down and actually give his "people" identities. He almost named Pugsley "Pubert," but the network thought that sounded too much like puberty and nixed it. He eventually used Pubert later for the third movie in the 90s, which is a fun bit of trivia. Gomez was nearly named "Repelli." Imagine that. A world where we didn't have Gomez Addams, but "Repelli Addams." It just doesn't have the same suave, mustache-twirling energy.
Why the New Yorker Banned Them
Here is something most fans don't realize: the magazine eventually banned the cartoons.
When the 1964 TV show became a massive hit, the editor of The New Yorker, William Shawn, felt the magazine’s sophisticated brand was being cheapened by the "mass market" sitcom. He refused to publish any more of Addams' family-themed cartoons. He thought the TV show made the characters too "cuddly." For years, Charles Addams could still draw for the magazine, but he couldn't draw the characters that made him famous. It’s a classic case of an artist being separated from his most famous creation because of corporate elitism.
The ban lasted until Shawn retired in 1987.
The Evolution of the Aesthetic
The art style itself changed over the decades. In the late 30s and early 40s, the lines were thicker, and the shadows were heavier. As Addams grew more comfortable with the characters, they became more refined. Morticia became more elegant. Gomez became more manic.
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But the mansion remained a character of its own.
Addams drew inspiration from the Victorian architecture he saw in his hometown of Westfield, New Jersey. These were houses that were once grand but had fallen into decay. That "haunted house" look we all associate with the Addamses wasn't just a spooky trope; it was a reflection of the fading American aristocracy.
Interestingly, the original Addams Family cartoon had a very specific philosophy. Charles Addams once said that the family wasn't "evil." They were just a tight-knit group that found joy in things others found terrifying. They were actually the healthiest family on television—they loved each other, the parents were clearly still attracted to each other, and they supported their children's hobbies, even if those hobbies involved guillotines.
Gomez and Morticia: The Subversive Couple
In the cartoons, Gomez was often depicted as a squat, somewhat pig-nosed man. He wasn't the Latin Lover type portrayed by John Astin or Raul Julia. He was a bit more "homely," which made Morticia’s devotion to him even more interesting. It suggested a deep, intellectual, and spiritual bond that transcended physical appearance.
- Morticia: Based loosely on Charles Addams’ first wife, she was the calm center of the storm.
- Grandmama: In the cartoons, she was often seen with a basket of bats or brewing potions, a more traditional "witch" archetype than the later versions.
- The Thing: In the original Addams Family cartoon, Thing wasn't just a disembodied hand. He was a creature that was so "horrible" that he was never fully seen, usually just a pair of hands or a face in the shadows. The TV show simplified this to just a hand in a box because of budget and technical constraints.
Comparing the 1973 Animated Series
When people search for the "original cartoon," they are often looking for the 1973 Hanna-Barbera animated series. This is where things get a bit weird. This show put the family in a Victorian-style RV (the "Creepy Camper") and sent them on a road trip across America. It was basically Scooby-Doo but with the Addams Family.
While it’s a nostalgic piece of media, it’s a far cry from the sophisticated dark wit of the original New Yorker panels.
The 1973 series featured a young Jodie Foster voicing Pugsley. It’s a bizarre crossover of talent and tone. However, if you want the "real" experience, you have to look at the books. Specifically, "Dear Dead Days," which is a collection of Addams’ work that highlights his obsession with the macabre.
The Enduring Influence of Single-Panel Wit
The reason the original Addams Family cartoon still matters today isn't just because of the movies or the Netflix shows. It’s because Charles Addams mastered the art of "the twist." Every cartoon was a subversion of a suburban norm.
Take the "boiling oil" cartoon again. It works because it takes a wholesome, universal activity (caroling) and flips it. It’s the DNA of modern dark comedy. Without these cartoons, we don't get The Simpsons (who have done several Addams parodies), and we certainly don't get the goth subculture as we know it today.
Addams showed that you could be "weird" and "dark" and still be fundamentally good. The family never actually hurt anyone in the cartoons; they were just misunderstood by a world that was too scared to look into the shadows.
Actionable Ways to Explore the Real Addams History
If you really want to understand the roots of this franchise, don't just binge the 1964 show. Start with the source material. It gives you a much deeper appreciation for the "alt" lifestyle before it was a trend.
- Find the "Chas Addams" Collections: Look for "The World of Chas Addams" or "The Addams Family: An Evilution." These books compile the original New Yorker strips in chronological order. You can see the characters evolve from nameless background figures into the icons they are now.
- Visit Westfield, New Jersey: If you're a hardcore fan, the town has an annual "AddamsFest." You can see the Victorian houses that inspired the original drawings. It’s a trip to see where the "darkness" actually started.
- Study the Art of the One-Liner: Addams was a master of visual storytelling. Try to find the "The Moon Is My Candle" drawing. Notice how he uses negative space and shadow to tell a joke without a single word of dialogue.
- Differentiate the Versions: Recognize that the Gomez of the original Addams Family cartoon is a different beast than the TV Gomez. Understanding these nuances makes you a true connoisseur of the genre rather than just a casual viewer.
Charles Addams died in 1988, ironically, in his car. He had driven home and died of a heart attack while parked in front of his house. His wife said he always liked a quiet ending. He left behind a legacy that proved being "normal" is just a matter of perspective.
The original Addams Family cartoon serves as a reminder that the best satire comes from observing the "average" life and finding the absurdity within it. By looking back at the 1930s panels, you see a family that wasn't trying to be scary—they were just being themselves. In a world that constantly demands conformity, that’s probably the most rebellious thing anyone can do.
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To dive deeper, track down a copy of "Homebodies," a 1954 collection of Addams' work. It captures the peak of his magazine career and shows exactly why the editors were so terrified of his influence on the American psyche. Study the backgrounds; the tiny details in the corners of his drawings often hold the darkest jokes.