The Addams Family: The Animated Series is an American animated series based on the eponymous comic strip characters. It ran from September 12, 1992 to November 6, 1993 on ABC and was produced by Hanna-Barbera. The series' development began in the wake of the successful 1991 Addams Family feature film. Two seasons were produced. It was the second-to-last Hanna-Barbera-produced show to premiere on ABC.
PLOT:
Geared towards children, much of the family's macabre nature was toned down; although, Fester retained his love of explosives and light bulbs. In order for the series to fit with other Saturday morning cartoons, plot lines were geared around the family living in Happy Dale Heights and facing some kind of threat from a series of recurring villains—individuals who either wanted to force the Addams' from their home or capture one of them (usually Fester) for nefarious purposes.
The first episode to air involved a plot against Fester by his "arch nemesis," a faceless gangster; the episode was aired out of production order, however, and relied on the viewer's having seen previous episodes for context, thus leaving the audience in the dark as to why Fester had an arch nemesis. Later episodes would introduce the series' most common recurring villains, a yuppie family named the Normanmeyers that lived next door to the Addams and despised them for their lifestyle being an affront to typical suburban living. Episodes dealing with the Normanmeyers usually involved the father, Norman, trying to either convince Gomez to move away or force him to sell the home; the family's adolescent son, NJ, was friends with Puggsley and Wednesday, inevitably leading to interfamilial conflict.
At the end of several episodes, when the conflict was resolved, Gomez usually suggested a family dance. The first suggestion for the dance was usually thrown out because of some weird requirement. Fester is usually the one to point out the reason the first suggestion shouldn't be accepted albeit sometimes Gomez and Fester found themselves in a role reversal (with Fester making the suggestion and Gomez pointing out the reason not to follow it). The second suggestion was accepted and there was usually a requirement for that dance too. The show's theme song, which was similar to that of the original live-action series, was slightly different and was sung by a single baritone voice.
CHARACTERS:
Addams Family:
Gomez Addams - The patriarch of the family. He is a caring and enthusiastic father and is deeply in love with his wife, Morticia. He usually spends his time with unusual activities in the home, mostly accompanied by Fester. Unlike the other versions, Gomez is usually seen wearing a pink suit.
Morticia Addams - The matriarch of the family. Like her husband, she is very much involved with the raising of her children, and enjoys the attention she is receiving from her husband. Her hobbies include painting and taking care of the plants. She can be described as a vamp and is commonly seen wearing black gothic dresses.
Wednesday Addams - The daughter of Gomez and Morticia and the little sister of Pugsley. She can be described as a girl with low enthusiasm and enjoys torturing her brother with dangerous objects, though in a friendly atmosphere. Unlike its other versions, she is the tallest of the two children. Wednesday is trademarked by her pigtails and blue dress, and often carries her beheaded doll Marie Antoinette with her.
Pugsley Addams - The son of Gomez and Morticia and the big brother of Wednesday. He is an overweight boy with blond hair who can be described as slightly dimwitted. He has a close bond with his sister, but likes to terrorize her. Pugsley usually wears a yellow shirt with green stripes.
Uncle Fester - Gomez's bald older brother with white skin who takes a special interest in blowing himself up. He commonly joins the children with their unusual plans, taking it to the limit, and also spends a lot of his time creating formulas in the basement lab. Uncle Fester also has a superhero counterpart called Festerman who is the protector of Happy Dale Heights in the Festerman comics that Uncle Fester writes.
Grandmama Addams - Morticia's mother, Gomez'z mother-in-law and the grandmother to Wednesday and Pugsley. She has psychic powers expressed through a magic ball, which she uses for her own fortune-telling line. Granny is a witch who doesn't get along with Fester.
Lurch - The blue-skinned butler of the Addams family. He is very tall and strong, which intimidates most guests, although he in fact has a little heart. He almost never talks and usually responds by mumbling in a deep voice.
Thing - A relative of the Addams' who takes the form of a disembodied hand. He constantly helps out the family by reaching them objects, and although he lives in a box, can pop up everywhere in the house. Unlike in other versions, Thing has the ability to fly.
Cousin Itt - The cousin of the Addams'. He is trademarked by his body fully covered by hair and high-pitched voice with gibberish language. Although credited in the main cast, Cousin Itt appears as a recurring character, and is not seen in all episodes, much like the original live-action series. Cousin Itt is apparently a government agent.
Snappy - An alligator that lives with the Addams Family.
Addams Family Relatives:
Aunt Flora and Fauna - A two-headed woman with one head being African-American and the other head being Caucasian. They are the family's friendly aunts. They wear an old Victorian dress.
Uncle Cleaver - A member of the Addams family, who can be recognized by his constant nervous behavior. He has red hair and wears a long brown raincoat, in which he hides knives.
Uncle Frankus - A giant with features of a pig, Frankus is one of the several members of the Addams' who is not human. Intimidating due to his height and temper, he does not speak very often. He doesn't like it if his mother is insulted.
Normanmeyers:
Norman Normanmeyer - The Addams' neighbor. The opposite of the Addams' in almost every way, he is often annoyed by their unusual activities and tries to sabotage most of their plans. Normanmeyer is the CEO of an underwear company and often wears a blue suit.
Normina Normanmeyer - Mr. Normanmeyer's traditional wife. Like her husband, she often tries to sabotage the Addams Family and Morticia in particular.
N.J. Normanmeyer - The pre-teen son of the Normanmeyers. Unlike his parents, he likes the Addams' and is able to look through their odd behavior. When not spending time with Wednesday and Pugsley, he often attempts to prevent his parents from ruining their neighbors.
Other characters:
Spy Twins - Twin criminals who have set their eyes on the Addams fortune and are common enemies of Cousin Itt. They are long and skinny, and usually wear long raincoats with matching hats. The Twin Spies are trademarked by the habit of finishing each other's sentences. Their plots would usually go horribly awry with them getting hurt. Fans of the show believe their names are Choke and Dagger base on the title of the episode they first appeared.
Fingers - A spy for RumpCo (the rival company of Mr. Normanmeyer). He is large, bald and very intimidating, though somewhat dimwitted.
Mr. Limp - A health inspector and acquaintance to Mr. Normanmeyer. He is seduced by Grandmama.
Mrs. Quaint - A red-haired guest at the Addams residence, she turns out to be a criminal who is looked for in eight states for hotel burglarly. She tries to steal the family treasures.
Lurch's Girlfriend - The female equivalent to Lurch. Like her boyfriend, she is very tall and big, thus intimidating. She is pink-skinned and has dark hair.
Harry Palmer - A movie star whose right hand Finger Fellow lost an audition against Thing. Since then, Harry Palmer has developed a grudge on Thing and tries to get rid of him which always goes awry.
Principal Macnamara - The principal of the school that Wednesday, Pugsley, and N.J. attend.
Shella - A foreign class mate of Wednesday and Pugsley who is, due to her sweet character, a beloved person in school. She falls for Pugsley, but soon has to return to her home land.
Mortimer - The overweight red-haired school bully who often takes Pugsley as one of his victims.
Mrs. Blossom - The school teacher of Wednesday, Pugsley and N.J.
Ian Thundermane - A criminal with metal hair who is one of Cousin Itt's enemies.
PLOT:
Geared towards children, much of the family's macabre nature was toned down; although, Fester retained his love of explosives and light bulbs. In order for the series to fit with other Saturday morning cartoons, plot lines were geared around the family living in Happy Dale Heights and facing some kind of threat from a series of recurring villains—individuals who either wanted to force the Addams' from their home or capture one of them (usually Fester) for nefarious purposes.
The first episode to air involved a plot against Fester by his "arch nemesis," a faceless gangster; the episode was aired out of production order, however, and relied on the viewer's having seen previous episodes for context, thus leaving the audience in the dark as to why Fester had an arch nemesis. Later episodes would introduce the series' most common recurring villains, a yuppie family named the Normanmeyers that lived next door to the Addams and despised them for their lifestyle being an affront to typical suburban living. Episodes dealing with the Normanmeyers usually involved the father, Norman, trying to either convince Gomez to move away or force him to sell the home; the family's adolescent son, NJ, was friends with Puggsley and Wednesday, inevitably leading to interfamilial conflict.
At the end of several episodes, when the conflict was resolved, Gomez usually suggested a family dance. The first suggestion for the dance was usually thrown out because of some weird requirement. Fester is usually the one to point out the reason the first suggestion shouldn't be accepted albeit sometimes Gomez and Fester found themselves in a role reversal (with Fester making the suggestion and Gomez pointing out the reason not to follow it). The second suggestion was accepted and there was usually a requirement for that dance too. The show's theme song, which was similar to that of the original live-action series, was slightly different and was sung by a single baritone voice.
CHARACTERS:
Addams Family:
Gomez Addams - The patriarch of the family. He is a caring and enthusiastic father and is deeply in love with his wife, Morticia. He usually spends his time with unusual activities in the home, mostly accompanied by Fester. Unlike the other versions, Gomez is usually seen wearing a pink suit.
Morticia Addams - The matriarch of the family. Like her husband, she is very much involved with the raising of her children, and enjoys the attention she is receiving from her husband. Her hobbies include painting and taking care of the plants. She can be described as a vamp and is commonly seen wearing black gothic dresses.
Wednesday Addams - The daughter of Gomez and Morticia and the little sister of Pugsley. She can be described as a girl with low enthusiasm and enjoys torturing her brother with dangerous objects, though in a friendly atmosphere. Unlike its other versions, she is the tallest of the two children. Wednesday is trademarked by her pigtails and blue dress, and often carries her beheaded doll Marie Antoinette with her.
Pugsley Addams - The son of Gomez and Morticia and the big brother of Wednesday. He is an overweight boy with blond hair who can be described as slightly dimwitted. He has a close bond with his sister, but likes to terrorize her. Pugsley usually wears a yellow shirt with green stripes.
Uncle Fester - Gomez's bald older brother with white skin who takes a special interest in blowing himself up. He commonly joins the children with their unusual plans, taking it to the limit, and also spends a lot of his time creating formulas in the basement lab. Uncle Fester also has a superhero counterpart called Festerman who is the protector of Happy Dale Heights in the Festerman comics that Uncle Fester writes.
Grandmama Addams - Morticia's mother, Gomez'z mother-in-law and the grandmother to Wednesday and Pugsley. She has psychic powers expressed through a magic ball, which she uses for her own fortune-telling line. Granny is a witch who doesn't get along with Fester.
Lurch - The blue-skinned butler of the Addams family. He is very tall and strong, which intimidates most guests, although he in fact has a little heart. He almost never talks and usually responds by mumbling in a deep voice.
Thing - A relative of the Addams' who takes the form of a disembodied hand. He constantly helps out the family by reaching them objects, and although he lives in a box, can pop up everywhere in the house. Unlike in other versions, Thing has the ability to fly.
Cousin Itt - The cousin of the Addams'. He is trademarked by his body fully covered by hair and high-pitched voice with gibberish language. Although credited in the main cast, Cousin Itt appears as a recurring character, and is not seen in all episodes, much like the original live-action series. Cousin Itt is apparently a government agent.
Snappy - An alligator that lives with the Addams Family.
Addams Family Relatives:
Aunt Flora and Fauna - A two-headed woman with one head being African-American and the other head being Caucasian. They are the family's friendly aunts. They wear an old Victorian dress.
Uncle Cleaver - A member of the Addams family, who can be recognized by his constant nervous behavior. He has red hair and wears a long brown raincoat, in which he hides knives.
Uncle Frankus - A giant with features of a pig, Frankus is one of the several members of the Addams' who is not human. Intimidating due to his height and temper, he does not speak very often. He doesn't like it if his mother is insulted.
Normanmeyers:
Norman Normanmeyer - The Addams' neighbor. The opposite of the Addams' in almost every way, he is often annoyed by their unusual activities and tries to sabotage most of their plans. Normanmeyer is the CEO of an underwear company and often wears a blue suit.
Normina Normanmeyer - Mr. Normanmeyer's traditional wife. Like her husband, she often tries to sabotage the Addams Family and Morticia in particular.
N.J. Normanmeyer - The pre-teen son of the Normanmeyers. Unlike his parents, he likes the Addams' and is able to look through their odd behavior. When not spending time with Wednesday and Pugsley, he often attempts to prevent his parents from ruining their neighbors.
Other characters:
Spy Twins - Twin criminals who have set their eyes on the Addams fortune and are common enemies of Cousin Itt. They are long and skinny, and usually wear long raincoats with matching hats. The Twin Spies are trademarked by the habit of finishing each other's sentences. Their plots would usually go horribly awry with them getting hurt. Fans of the show believe their names are Choke and Dagger base on the title of the episode they first appeared.
Fingers - A spy for RumpCo (the rival company of Mr. Normanmeyer). He is large, bald and very intimidating, though somewhat dimwitted.
Mr. Limp - A health inspector and acquaintance to Mr. Normanmeyer. He is seduced by Grandmama.
Mrs. Quaint - A red-haired guest at the Addams residence, she turns out to be a criminal who is looked for in eight states for hotel burglarly. She tries to steal the family treasures.
Lurch's Girlfriend - The female equivalent to Lurch. Like her boyfriend, she is very tall and big, thus intimidating. She is pink-skinned and has dark hair.
Harry Palmer - A movie star whose right hand Finger Fellow lost an audition against Thing. Since then, Harry Palmer has developed a grudge on Thing and tries to get rid of him which always goes awry.
Principal Macnamara - The principal of the school that Wednesday, Pugsley, and N.J. attend.
Shella - A foreign class mate of Wednesday and Pugsley who is, due to her sweet character, a beloved person in school. She falls for Pugsley, but soon has to return to her home land.
Mortimer - The overweight red-haired school bully who often takes Pugsley as one of his victims.
Mrs. Blossom - The school teacher of Wednesday, Pugsley and N.J.
Ian Thundermane - A criminal with metal hair who is one of Cousin Itt's enemies.
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