‘Addams Family’ Creator Originally Wanted a Raunchier Name for Pugsley
The fictional Addams Family consists of Gomez and Morticia Addams, their two children, Pugsley and Wednesday, their manservant Lurch, Gomez’s brother, Fester, and Thing, a human hand. With the upcoming release of the Netflix series Wednesday, many people are curious about how creator Charles Addams came up with the names for the characters, especially Pugsley and Wednesday.
Some might not know Pugsley’s name was once entirely different. Find out what the Addams Family creator wanted Pugsley’s name to be and why the studio turned it down.
Charles Addams created the Addams Family in 1938
Addams created the kooky, spooky family of characters, who were first published in The New Yorker. Addams’ hometown of Westfield, New Jersey, which featured many Victorian mansions and cemeteries, sparked the idea for the iconic house in the cartoon series. Many of the homes in his neighborhood lent themselves to the gothic macabre for which Addams became known.
“There is always a little disagreement among people about which house actually inspired the Addams Family house,” Ron MacCloskey, an unofficial Addams historian and Westfield local, told The Alternative Press. “But that one was right on the route that Addams walked to and from Westfield High School.”
‘Addams Family’ creator wanted Pugsley’s name to be ‘Pubert’
In a 1991 article from The San Bernardino Sun, it was reported the studio spoke with Addams about names for the Addams Family’s son. Initially, he suggested the name “Pubert,” a shortened version of the word “Puberty.”
Because puberty is associated with sexual maturation, the network frowned upon it at the time. “Pubert” was considered too adult for what would become a family show, so it was back to the drawing board for names.
In another clipping from 1964, The Record lists Ken Weatherwax’s character from The Addams Family as “Pudgely, The Kid.” Carolyn Jones, who played Weatherwax’s TV mom Morticia, said: “In one storyline, Pudgely, our little boy, is always being beaten up by a bigger child after school. To avoid these battles, Pudgely considers exchanging his favorite pet, his octopus, with the bully. But will the bully love the octopus as much as Pudgely, or will he double his attacks?”
It’s unclear why The Record printed the name as “Pudgely.” Regardless, the character went on to become known as Pugsley.
What does the name Pugsley Addams mean?
It’s unclear why Addams named the young boy Pugsley in his cartoons. However, in the 1998 film Addams Family Reunion, Pugsley (Jerry Messing) says his name means “stomach pump” in Bulgarian.
A nursery rhyme inspired Wednesday’s name
According to Addams Family fan and friend of Addams Joan Blake, Wednesday’s name was her idea. “I said, ‘Wednesday — Wednesday’s child is full of woe,'” she said (via The A.V. Club). “And Wednesday became her name.”
While Blake’s story might be true, it’s more likely the character’s name came from the children’s nursery rhyme “Monday’s Child,” which goes:
“Monday’s child is fair of face,
Tuesday’s child is full of grace,
Wednesday’s child is full of woe,
Thursday’s child has far to go,
Friday’s child is loving and giving,
Saturday’s child works hard for his living,
And the child that is born on the Sabbath day
Is bonny and blithe, and good and gay.”
Watch Wednesday on Netflix beginning Nov. 23.
