The Addams Family in Pop Culture

The Addams Family in Pop Culture

The unique point of view and distinctive characters of The Addams Family have long made them fodder for spoofs and satires in all forms of pop culture media. Some examples of others delving into the ookiness:

Comics

The Argyle Sweater

Scott Hilburn's strip of 5 Aug 2010 features a gag about Thing and Gomez.

Magazines

Cracked

See:

• Cracked Monster Party Issue 16
• Cracked Monster Party Issue 23

Mad

See:

• Mad Issue 311

Television

@midnight

• 19 Oct 2016 - Chris Hardwick presents a clip of Charlie Cook playing The Addams Family: Main Theme on a trumpet and a pistol.

The Cleveland Show

• Thing appears in the pilot episode when Cleveland talks about various "things."

Good Eats

• "Send in the Clams" - When a hand reaches in to turn on the stove, Alton says "Thank-you, Thing."
• "The Cookie Clause" - A hand holding a prop appears in the frame, but as it leaves, Santa calls "Thing" and gives him a wristwatch.
• "Spice Capades" - When someone off-camera hands host Alton Brown an ingredient and only their hand is seen, Alton says "Thank-you, Thing."
• "Behind the Eats" - Alton discusses his affinity for The Addams Family and the frequent references to Thing, then claims the hand is his show is really Thing's son and displays said hand inside a trunk decorated as a tiny apartment.
• "Stew Romance" - Again, a hand appears from off-camera holding what Alton calls "Thing's ingredient of the day."
• "American Classics III" - A hand from off-screen takes Alton's garlic bulb and hands him a bowl of peeled garlic cloves and he says "Thank-you, Thing."
• "Waiter, There's a Fish in My Soup" - A hand from off-screen gives Alton a note and he says "Thank-you, Thing."
• "Turn on the Dark" - Alton threatens a hand holding a seltzer bottle, calling it Thing.

Good Eats: The Return

• "Every Grain Old Is New Again" - When a hand inside the refrigerator hands Alton an ingredient, he says "Thak-you, Thing." Later, the hand brings him a note on a tray, and he thanks him again.

The Simpsons

• "Treehouse of Horror IV" - In the closing credits of the episode the end music is spoofing the The Addams Family: Main Theme with the Simpsons theme song in it.
• "Treehouse of Horror XVIII" - The same end music mashup plays.

Whose Line Is It Anyway?

UK

• The Addams Family was suggested as one of the Film TV and Theater Styles:

"What's that Thing?"

US

• Cousin Itt is a frequent target in the game of Props:

"Are you Itt or Thing?"

"They're creepy and they're kooky,"

"Hello, Cousin Itt."

The winning cake and baker

Cake Wars

Cake Wars is a television competition program on the Food Network. Teams of contestants compete to bake and design cakes using given ingredients and themes.

Episode 47, which first aired 10 October 2016, had the contestants bake The Addams Family-themed cakes to celebrate eighty years of Charles Addams cartoons. Several of his cartoons from The New Yorker were shown as the contestants described these inspirations for their ideas.

In the first round, two teams made Thing cakes, one made Gomez, and one made Morticia. In the second round, the three remaining teams each made much larger cake displays featuring many characters.

Kevin Miserocchi, director of the Tee and Charles Addams Foundation, was a guest judge on this episode.

To Tell the Truth

To Tell the Truth is an American panel show in which four celebrity panelists are presented with three contestants and must identify which is the "central character" whose unusual occupation or experience has been read out by the show's host. When the panelists question the contestants, the two "impostors" may lie whereas the "central character" must tell the truth.

Now in its sixth incarnation, the show first aired 18 December 1956.

In season three, episode three, of the sixth incarnation, which aired 24 June 2018, the panelists tried to identify which of three contestants was Christopher Hart, who portrayed Thing in the film The Addams Family, and its sequels.

Halloween Baking Championship

Halloween Baking Championship is a television competition program on the Food Network. Contestants compete to bake and design cakes using given ingredients and themes. Episode 3 of Season 5 had contestants make Addams Family-themed desserts and cakes celebrating the 2019 film, with the loser being eliminated from the competition. The judges dressed as characters too; Katie Lee dressed as Wednesday, Zac Young as Uncle Fester, and Carla Hall as Morticia. The winner of the episode baked a "Dead Velvet" cake shaped like Pugsley.

Richard Osman's House of Games

Richard Osman's House of Games is a British panel television quiz show produced by Endemol Shine UK branch Remarkable Television for the BBC.

In Season Four Episode 33, which first aired 25 November 2020, the game "Z to A" featured a question about The Addams Family, where celebrity had to guess the common theme shared by three clues.

Restaurants

IHOP

IHOP is an American restaurant chain specializing in breakfast foods. The name is an acronym of International House of Pancakes.

In September 2019, IHOP introduced a Halloween seasonal menu inspired by The Addams Family. It was available from 16 September through 3 November 2019.

• Wednesday's Web-Cakes
• Morticia's Haunted Hot Chocolate
• Gomez's Green Chili Omelette
• Fester's Chocolate Ice Scream Shake
• Kooky Kids Combo

In a cross-promotion with the 2019 film, a variety of print, digital, and television advertising was released.

The commercial features Lurch calling IHOP on the phone. The hostess responds that they now have the Addams family inspired menu special. After he hangs up, Pugsley says that they should go. Fester calls shotgun, and they take their car there. Fester rides tied to the roof of the car yelling "PANCAKES!" When they arrive, he says "pancakes," one more time. The narrator recommends seeing The Addams Family in theaters. Lurch does one more finger snap.

IHOP - Addams Family Menu Commercial