Wednesday Addams is the blueprint for countless young women. On the surface, yes, she is a moody pre-teen with a monotonous drawl and a penchant for the grim and murderous. But let’s not resign Wednesday Addams to this alone. She is also fierce, determined and has her recognisable style firmly down. Who among us hasn’t tried to recreate her perfectly plaited locks as a child? In short, she’s a gothic inspiration.

If you didn’t know about Wednesday Addams before, you’ll certainly hear about her in the run-up to Tim Burton’s new Netflix series, Wednesday. But the Burton universe isn’t Wednesday’s first venture onto our screens. In fact, she’s been kicking about the cultural realm for decades, with appearances spanning across media in various different forms.

Luckily for you, then, we’ve taken the liberty of compiling a look into the history of this famous Addams youth, breaking down her inception, growth and impact across the years.

First appearance

Wednesday Addams first came to life in a comic strip created by Charles Addams in 1938 called The Addams Family. The family was first published in The New Yorker as a single-panel cartoon, where they were initially nameless. It wasn’t until the series was later adapted for television in 1964 that Wednesday was blessed with her iconic name.

Supposedly, her name was inspired by the well-known nursery rhyme that includes the line “Wednesday’s child is full of woe”.

Full of woe, indeed. In the cartoons, she was depicted as a small and pale child with an ever-lacking smile and a love for the macabre. Alongside Wednesday is her family, including her mother Morticia (the character that continues to provide a go-to Halloween costume for tall, beautiful and sharp-jawed women), her father Gomez (short king and husband goals) and brother Pugsley.

The Addams Family comes to life

In 1964, the Addams family would take to the small screen and Wednesday would get her first real-life portrayal at the hands of Lisa Loring. The show ran until 1966 and documented the family’s kooky hijinks. In this first version, Wednesday was portrayed as a dancer – you have, without a doubt, seen one particular GIF from this show of Wednesday dancing rapidly – as well as displaying superhuman strength and creative flair, even with her dark tendencies.

Wednesday Addams and her family made a series of television and special film appearances, including an episode of The New Scooby-Doo Movies in which she had her own plotline that involved Mystery Inc having to track her down after she disappears.

Wednesday on the big screen

In 1991, Wednesday would make her first major film appearance in The Addams Family. This is the version of Wednesday that you will likely be most familiar with, given Christina Ricci’s incredibly creepy and lovable take on the sullen child.

The film boasted a star-studded cast in Christopher Lloyd, Anjelica Huston and Raul Julia, and was helmed by Barry Sonnenfeld, the director behind Men In Black, 2017’s A Series Of Unfortunate Events adaptation and Schmigadoon!.

In 1993, the film would be granted a sequel, and the Addams family returned in an outing that would bless us with one of the most quotable performances of all time in Joan Cusack’s Debbie Jellinsky. 

In the sequel, Wednesday and Pugsley are ferried away to a summer camp. Singing around a campfire? Crafts? Fresh air? Wednesday’s worst nightmare, essentially. 

Wednesday sings!

2010 brought us a slightly different version of Wednesday: a singing one. Yes, the dark and dismal family were given the musical treatment in a production dubbed The Addams Family: A New Musical.

This singing and dancing portrayal of Wednesday was taken up by Krysta Rodriguez and, when the show hit the West End, Carrie Hope Fletcher. In the musical, Wednesday is portrayed as a love-sick teen who is struggling with the idea of introducing her boyfriend to her family, and explores the idea of how it feels to crave normalcy.

The Broadway production ran for over 500 shows, eventually ending its run in December 2011, and although it didn’t snag any major award wins or accolades, it was successful in its own right, gaining a solid fan base.

Animation damnation

Given the character’s cartoon origin, it makes sense that an animated adaptation was always on the cards. The 2019 animated film featured the voice of Chloe Grace Moretz as the moody Wednesday Addams, alongside Oscar Isaac and Charlize Theron as her parents.

This was quickly followed up with a sequel in 2021, where Moretz reprised her role.

When Tim met Wednesday

Now we have arrived at the newest instalment in the unearthly family’s history. Only this time, Wednesday takes claim of the spotlight. 

When we think about Wednesday’s iconic look, her obsession with the dark and despicable, and the ghoulish essence of the Addams family legacy, it makes perfect sense for Tim Burton to be the one to depict Wednesday’s newest spooky story. Starring the princess of horror Jenny Ortega as the titular character, the series is set to be released at the end of this month.

And with an undeniable air of gothic cool from one of the most quirky dark directors around and a confirmed appearance from one of the most beloved Wednesdays of our time in Christina Ricci, we can be sure that this series is bound to pay the appropriate tribute to our deadpan teen queen.

Wednesday’s influence

So we know where Wednesday came from. But where has she taken us?

There’s never been a shortage of goth-leaning characters in popular media. However, given Wednesday’s expansive reign over our screens throughout the years, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that she could perhaps be considered the grandmother of this genre of fictional girls. After igniting the craving for more sardonic and morbid female characters, Wednesday’s legacy has not only provided us with the company of familiar characters but also the feeling that we are allowed to enjoy such moody and dark personas. Lydia Deetz, Nancy Downs, Allison Reynolds, Samantha Manson… these fictional figures are the reasons that we felt we could blanket ourselves in black eyeliner and utter monosyllabic responses to everyone we met.

Wednesday’s influence has also leaked into our lives in a more tangible way. With gothic fashion eternally evolving and Dark Academia becoming a widespread aesthetic, it looks like Wednesday Addams has inspired us to bring a little darkness into every corner of our lives.

It’s not hard to understand the appeal of this devilish and brooding young woman. But perhaps what is most appealing about her, strangely, is her relatability. Wednesday is sarcastic, a little odd, peculiar and unconventional, but she has always been depicted as leaning into her strangeness. We all have a small part of ourselves that leans towards the morbid and is fascinated by the dark and unusual.

Over the years, her character has also proved that there is no one way to be unconventional. Weirdness can exist in all forms. From Lisa Loring’s slightly sweeter and softer version of a younger Wednesday to Christina Ricci’s violent and borderline homicidal interpretation, her very being proves to young girls that consistency and variety are not necessarily mutually exclusive when it comes to our quirks.

Wednesday will be released on Netflix on 23rd November.

Images: Getty; Netflix