It’s Wednesday Wednesday…
Wednesday Friday Addams, the pig-tailed, oval faced, little girl with a deadpan demeanor and a predilection for beheading her dolls, has come a long way since her creation at the imaginative pen of cartoonist Charles Addams.
Originally published in The New Yorker Magazine, the characters of Addams’ droll one pagers became household familiars when, in 1964, ABC television launched The Addams Family series based on the clan’s outre exploits. Composer Vic Mizzy’s finger-snapping earworm of a theme song helped the show burrow its way into the American psyche and pop culture history.
Elevated to main character in the 2022 Netflix series Wednesday the impish Goth fledgling has once again proliferated the spirit of the times. The Netflix series spins Wednesday as a High School sleuth. A Nancy Drew for the end-of-days. Her protective compadre, Thing, is always nearby to – well – lend a hand.
Big Beat from Badsville…
Boomer aged Addams fans will remember Wednesday being portrayed by the late Lisa Loring. In season 2, her quirky dance “The Droop” (meant to lend Butler Lurch a groovy charm and impress his inamorata) gave the young actress a chance to show off some impressive James Brown moves. The well performed shuffle, remembered by fans and rediscovered by vintage TV enthusiasts and YouTube spelunkers, was ripe for reinvention in Netflix’ Wednesday reimagining.
Current Wednesday actress Jenna Ortega interprets the dance (performed to The Cramps forever awesome “Goo-Goo Muck”) as an angular set of moves. She intertwines flamenco with austere 80’s new wave and beatnik hand jive. Think Carmen Amaya watching Who Killed Teddy Bear? on the Kraftwerk tour bus, with Robert Fraser driving.
Head Scratching History…
Why a seemingly staid, still mid-Century minded, general public took to the surrealistic scenarios of the show (and its competitor The Munsters) is worthy of a sociological dissertation.
I’m tempted, but for now we’re simply going to offer up a glimpse of the latest Wednesday related items available for your collecting enjoyment that we saw at The Toy Association’s 2023 New York Toy Fair. These include several Royal Bobbleheads statues, NECA’s Toony Terrors, a Super Impulse Poptator, Toy Tokyo Phunny Plush, and even a Thing Chia Pet from JE.
