Charles Addams celebrated by Google doodle

Charles Addams celebrated by Google Doodle. Illustration: Google

Charles Addams, the American cartoonist who created the Addams family, has been commemorated in a Google doodle celebrating the centenary of his birth on 7 January.

Addams, who was bornin Westfield, New Jersey in 1912, had a fondness from a young age for coffins, skeletons and tombstones and went on to become known for the black humour of his cartoons, many of which regularly appeared in the New Yorker.

His first cartoon was published in the magazine in 1935, long before his particular take on macabre fun went mainstream.

The Addams Family, including Gomez, Morticia, Uncle Fester, Lurch, Grandmama, Wednesday, Pugsley, and Thing, were recurring characters who originally appeared separately.

After members of the family first started to appear in the late 30s, they were adapted for television shows and film. In one recent incarnation, Brooke Shields played Morticia in a Broadway musical.

Addams, who died of a heart attack in 1988, had been married three times and was also remembered for having a penchant for the grim in his personal life.

His marriage to Marilyn Matthews Miller in 1980 took place in a cemetery for pets, while the bride wore a black dress and carried a black feather fan.

The Google doodle in his memory was created courtesy of the Tee & Charles Addams Foundation.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/jan/07/charles-addams-celebrated-by-google-doodle

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