Addams' original cartoons were one-panel gags, and he never developed any of the characters or even gave them names until the sitcom was being developed. All information below is derived from the various media versions.
The family that the cartoons, movies, and television shows are based on is apparently only one surviving branch of the Addams clan. Many other "Addams families" exist all over the world. According to the film version, the family credo is, Sic gorgiamus allos subjectatos nunc. They reside next to a cemetery and a swamp at 0001 Cemetery Lane, in a gloomy mansion. Charles Addams was first inspired by his home town of Westfield, New Jersey, an area full of ornate Victorian mansions and archaic graveyards.
Although they all share macabre interests, the Addamses cannot be considered evil people. They are a close-knit extended family. Morticia is an exemplary mother, and she and Gomez remain passionate towards one another. She calls him "Bubbele", to which he responds by kissing her arms—behavior Morticia can also provoke by speaking a few words in French. The parents are very supportive of their children, cheering even their smallest accomplishments. The family is unfailingly friendly and hospitable to visitors, in some cases willing to donate large sums of money to causes, despite the visitors' horror at the Addams' peculiar lifestyle. Very bizarre but extremely funny, Addams Family tickets are tough to pass on, no matter what age.
