Summary
- Throughout the various adaptations of The Addams Family, Gomez Addams' costumes have changed to reflect each unique interpretation, but many pay homage to Charles Addams' original sketches.
- The costumes in the TV series from the 1960s and the recent animated films have been the closest to the comic-accurate designs, featuring double-breasted pinstripes.
- While some adaptations like the ill-fated 1990s cartoon series and the 1998 straight-to-video film missed the mark with inaccurate costume choices, the 1991 film is considered the best because of its original choices that stayed true to Addams' drawings.
Throughout all the on-screen adaptations of The Addams Family the various Gomez Addams costumes have changed to reflect each unique interpretation of the original comic strip character. First created by illustrator and humorist Charles Addams in 1938, his creepy and kooky Addams Family comic s graced the pages of The New Yorker for years before eventually branching out into other media. Starting in the 1960s, Gomez and his clan have graced TV screens, movies, video games, and a host of other adaptations that have all taken a stab at Charles Addams' one-of-a-kind macabre nuclear family.
As with any adaptation, Gomez's costumes have varied dramatically from project to project, and every Addams Family movie or TV show has tweaked something. While Charles Addams laid the groundwork for the pop culture empire that is The Addams Family, his original character designs were vague enough to leave plenty of room for interpretation. Even if they aren't necessarily perfect adaptations of Addams' drawings, many of the best Gomez Addams costumes pay homage to the sketches while also adding visual flare that speaks to who the creepy bon vivant really is.
10 The Addams Family (1973)
After the original Addams Family series went off the air in 1966, John Astin returned to voice his signature character in a short-lived cartoon adaptation in 1973. Clearly inspired by the original comic strips, The Addams Family cartoon mimicked the familiar body dimensions of Gomez Addams from Charles Addams' drawings, but it fell short in recreating the costume. Gomez's bug-eyes, pug-nose, and middle hair part were smart additions, but his suit lacked the signature pinstripes, and it had none of the designs on his undershirt. However, the suit was double-breasted like in the comic, and the muted blue color palate was a rough approximation of Addams' black and white drawings.
9 The Addams Family (1992-1993)
Many 1990s Saturday morning cartoons have been forgotten, and the ill-fated Addams Family cartoon series is one of the lesser adaptations in the massive franchise. Right off the bat, the Gomez Addams costumes in the series are imbued with a shot of color, and instead of a dark purple or black, his suit is a light pinkish hue. The suit jacket is Gomez's signature double-breasted style, but the pinstripes are slightly farther apart than in many of Addams' drawings. Gomez, again voiced by John Astin, saw his features slightly softened to be a bit more pleasant, but he still maintained that slightly ghoulish look that made him so memorable.
8 The New Addams Family (1998-1999)
Much like how multiple actors have played Wednesday Addams over the years, several people have stepped into the role of Gomez and made it their own. The late-'90s reboot series The New Addams Family has largely been relegated to history, and Gomez Addams costumes are as equally forgettable. Played in the series by Glenn Taranto, Gomez wore several different outfits across the series, but his main costume was the closest to Addams' vision. Instead of pinstripes, the suit utilized thick purple and gray stripes, but it did keep the double-breasted ing. Taranto's Gomez wore a variety of different colored shirts, but most often a red one with a traditional tie.
7 The Addams Family (1991)
Barry Sonnenfeld's playful re-imagining of the family gave the franchise a much-needed facelift in the 1991 film, but it actually featured one of the less-accurate Gomez Addams costumes. Raul Julia's costume opted for black-and-white block stripes instead of the usual pinstripes, and the traditional necktie worn by Gomez was swapped out for a smart bow tie. The suit was double-breasted as was customary for the character, and the colors represented Addams' drawings without editorializing too much and picking a more outlandish hue. While the costume wasn't necessarily comic-accurate, the 1991 film is often considered the best Addams Family movie because of the original choices it made.
6 The Addams Family Reunion (1998)
After two successful Addams Family feature films, the 1998 straight-to-video film The Addams Family Reunion hoped to keep things going with a new cast. Tim Curry assumed the role of Gomez, and his costume was similar to the one worn by Raul Julia in the 1991 film. The double-breasted suit jacket featured thick gray-on-gray stripes, unlike the comics' pinstripes, but the bow tie was substituted for a more accurate tie. However, Gomez's usually white or gray shirt was replaced with a black one, creating a darker overall silhouette. Much like the film itself, the Gomez Addams costume was close but still felt off.
5 The Addams Family Values (1993)
Raul Julia's second time as Gomez Addams made major improvements on the costume, and brought it closer to the look from the comics. The blocky black and white stripes were replaced with a more subtle black stripe against a gray suit, and it maintained the double-breasted cut. Instead of a solid white one, Gomez wore a lightly striped shirt which was closer to the patterned shirt that he wore in the drawings. However, Gomez still wore a bow tie which was totally unlike what he donned in the comics. As with the previous film, the rich Addams Family patriarch was nowhere near as creepy-looking as he was in the s.
4 The Addams Family (2019)/The Addams Family 2 (2021)
Rebooting the franchise again, the spooky clan returned to the big screen in 2019's The Addams Family, but this time in animated form. Oscar Isaac was tapped to play Gomez, and the costume and character design obviously paid homage to Addams' drawings. Not only was the stout and pug-nosed Gomez just as creepy as his comic counterpart, but his suit nearly nailed the design. The Gomez Addams costume featured medium-set pinstripes which were accurate, but the jacket was single-breasted instead of double. Gomez's shirt featured no designs, but he did wear a proper necktie, and he would wear the exact same outfit in 2021's The Addams Family 2.
3 Wednesday (2022-Present)
Though Luis Guzmán's casting as Gomez Addams caused controversy, his portrayal of the character in Wednesday was actually one of the most accurate. Gomez sported his signature middle part, and Guzmán did an excellent job of adding the creepy glint in the character's eye that was a signature of Charles Addams' drawing style. The Gomez Addams costume in Wednesday was a simple black suit with white pinstripes much like the comic s, and though his shirt was plain, he did wear the comic-accurate necktie. The only costume choice that makes it imperfect was the decision to make the suit jacket single-breasted.
2 The Addams Family (1964-1966)
John Astin's live-action take on Gomez Addams in the 1960s TV series might have been the first stab at the character, but it is also the most accurate in of costuming so far. Though Astin's physical appearance was not like the comics, the Gomez Addams costume mimicked the double-breasted and pinstriped look of the original drawings. Much like the comics, The Addams Family TV series was in black and white, which freed the costume from needing to make any dynamic color changes. Additionally, while his shirt was a blank white, he did wear Gomez's typical necktie which completed the comic-accurate silhouette for the character.
