Known for her morbid ways, Wednesday Addams is a unique character that finds her origins in the late 1930s. As the second season of Wednesday released this week, here are some fascinating facts about the character that has particularly ruled the hearts of many on television
Updated On: 2025-08-07 01:35 PM IST
Compiled by : Nascimento Pinto
Introduction
While the Addams Family was first introduced in The New Yorker by American cartoonist Charles Addams in 1938, the character of Wednesday appeared a few years later in 1944, but only got her name during a 1964 television series
Name
Interestingly, the name was suggested by the cartoonist's friend, actress and poetess Joan Blake. It was inspired by a line from the nursery rhyme called 'Monday's Child', where it said, 'Wednesday's child is full of woe', and the rest is history
While her first name is Wednesday, many may not know that her middle name is Friday, and has been retained in the television series. It was reportedly because she was born on Friday the 13th
Qualities
Known for her long, dark braided hair, Wednesday loves raising spiders, and even has a pet called Homer. Even though she is said to be dark, the Addams girl has talents such as being a ballerina, and even loves painting, though the imagery is that of a tree with human heads. She also has a doll called Marie Antoinette, who later gets guillotined by her brother, on her request
Age
Initially, Wednesday appeared as a child who is not more than 8 to 10 years old, but over the years, makers of her television personality have taken the liberty to depict the character to be in her teens
Films and television series
With Wednesday Season 2 being among the most anticipated recent television series about the character, there have been many that have been made over the last 60 years including the first in 1964 called 'The Addams Family' that ran till 1966, portrayed by Lisa Loring, followed by Halloween with the New Addams Family (1977).
It was followed by others including the film The Addams Family (1991) and Addams Family Values (1993) in which the character was played by Christina Ricci; in the same decade, and The New Addams Family (1999) television series, Addams Family Reunion (1998) played by Nicole Fugere.
Jenna Ortega played the most recent Wednesday in the 2022 series, and retains her role in the release this week, after a phenomenal performance with rave reviews.
Apart from these, there have also been animated films, and even a cartoon, that most Indians grew up watching during the 1990s
