Cousin Itt
Encyclopedia
Cousin Itt is a member of the fictional Addams Family
. Unlike the other characters, Cousin Itt was not originally created by cartoonist
Charles Addams
, but by producer
David Levy, though he did appear as an unnamed character in Addams's cartoons.
, and is arguably the most enigmatic member of The Addams Family. He is a short
being whose entire body is completely covered with hair. When Gomez asks Cousin Itt what is underneath all the hair, Cousin Itt replies, "Roots" ("The Winning of Morticia Addams"). His hair color changed throughout the years but in the 1998 Addams Family TV series his hair color was blond. He usually wears sunglasses
, a derby hat, and gloves. He speaks in a high-pitched gibberish language which the other members of the family can understand though it is incomprehensible to anyone else. The Addams find nothing odd about Itt's appearance, and in one episode of the series, Gomez is surprised by the idea that other people could not understand Itt's speech ("My Fair Cousin Itt"). Itt is often celebrated by the family as being "full of talent" in areas such as acting, singing, and marriage counseling (though he once accidentally separated Gomez and Morticia while trying to practice). He is also known to have an extremely high IQ of over 300 (as explained by Gomez), shown when he guesses every Rorschach Test
correctly, places all of the boxes in the correct slots, and in other ways ("Cousin Itt and the Vocational Counselor"). In one episode, Cousin Itt took elocution lessons and developed a (dubbed) voice with a mellifluous, mid-Atlantic accent; this voice did not survive into future episodes.
Cousin Itt did not live in the mansion with the main characters, although he made frequent guest appearances when he would visit them. He was therefore a recurring character
, not a main character. Although known to spend time in the chimney, Itt has his own room in the mansion, furnished in proportion to his size and with a low ceiling. He is depicted as a carefree bachelor with an extravagant lifestyle, and is renowned among the Addamses for his many female companions. He had an on-again/off-again relationship with Morticia's sister Ophelia.
In the movie, The Addams Family
(1991)
, Cousin Itt had an affair with Margaret, the wife of Tully, the corrupt lawyer trying to get his hands on the Addamses' money. In the sequel, Addams Family Values
(1993)
, Margaret and Itt are married (as Tully had been buried alive by Pugsley and Wednesday) and have a baby (a miniature version of Itt), aptly nicknamed "What". Margaret explains that "What!" was the first word out of the obstetrician's mouth upon seeing the baby. Oddly, even before Itt marries Margaret, she is shown to understand his speech. In the movies, his hair is straighter and his voice is squeakier than in the TV series.
Cousin Itt makes a cameo appearance at the beginning of Act II in the Addams Family Musical
on Broadway.
, bar two episodes in which Roger Arroyo played the role. The "voice" was created by sound engineer Tony Magro.
In the first animated series from Hanna-Barbera
, Itt's voice was done by John Stephenson
. In the second Hanna-Barbera animated series, Itt's voice was done by Pat Fraley
.
Itt was portrayed in the first two movies by John Franklin
, and in Addams Family Reunion
, by Phil Fondacaro
.
In Italian, Itt is known both as "Cugino Itt" and "Cugino Coso" (Cousin Itt and Cousin Thing). He was also named Henry Charlotten in the animated series.
In French, Itt is known as "Cousin Machin" (Cousin Thing).
In Galicia, he was called "Curmán Enxendro" (Cousin Freak).
The Addams Family
The Addams Family is a group of fictional characters created by American cartoonist Charles Addams. As named by Charles Addams, the Addams Family characters include Gomez, Morticia, Uncle Fester, Lurch, Grandmama, Wednesday, Pugsley, and Thing....
. Unlike the other characters, Cousin Itt was not originally created by cartoonist
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
Charles Addams
Charles Addams
Charles "Chas" Samuel Addams was an American cartoonist known for his particularly black humor and macabre characters...
, but by producer
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
David Levy, though he did appear as an unnamed character in Addams's cartoons.
Character
Itt Addams is the cousin of Gomez AddamsGomez Addams
Gomez Addams is the fictional patriarch of The Addams Family, created by cartoonist Charles Addams for The New Yorker magazine in the 1930s....
, and is arguably the most enigmatic member of The Addams Family. He is a short
Short stature
Short stature refers to a height of a human being which is below expected. Shortness is a vague term without a precise definition and with significant relativity to context...
being whose entire body is completely covered with hair. When Gomez asks Cousin Itt what is underneath all the hair, Cousin Itt replies, "Roots" ("The Winning of Morticia Addams"). His hair color changed throughout the years but in the 1998 Addams Family TV series his hair color was blond. He usually wears sunglasses
Sunglasses
Sunglasses or sun glasses are a form of protective eyewear designed primarily to prevent bright sunlight and high-energy visible light from damaging or discomforting the eyes. They can sometimes also function as a visual aid, as variously termed spectacles or glasses exist, featuring lenses that...
, a derby hat, and gloves. He speaks in a high-pitched gibberish language which the other members of the family can understand though it is incomprehensible to anyone else. The Addams find nothing odd about Itt's appearance, and in one episode of the series, Gomez is surprised by the idea that other people could not understand Itt's speech ("My Fair Cousin Itt"). Itt is often celebrated by the family as being "full of talent" in areas such as acting, singing, and marriage counseling (though he once accidentally separated Gomez and Morticia while trying to practice). He is also known to have an extremely high IQ of over 300 (as explained by Gomez), shown when he guesses every Rorschach Test
Rorschach inkblot test
The Rorschach test is a psychological test in which subjects' perceptions of inkblots are recorded and then analyzed using psychological interpretation, complex algorithms, or both. Some psychologists use this test to examine a person's personality characteristics and emotional functioning...
correctly, places all of the boxes in the correct slots, and in other ways ("Cousin Itt and the Vocational Counselor"). In one episode, Cousin Itt took elocution lessons and developed a (dubbed) voice with a mellifluous, mid-Atlantic accent; this voice did not survive into future episodes.
Cousin Itt did not live in the mansion with the main characters, although he made frequent guest appearances when he would visit them. He was therefore a recurring character
Recurring character
A recurring character is a fictional character, usually in a prime time TV series, who appears from time to time during the series' run. Recurring characters often play major roles in an episode, sometimes being the main focus...
, not a main character. Although known to spend time in the chimney, Itt has his own room in the mansion, furnished in proportion to his size and with a low ceiling. He is depicted as a carefree bachelor with an extravagant lifestyle, and is renowned among the Addamses for his many female companions. He had an on-again/off-again relationship with Morticia's sister Ophelia.
In the movie, The Addams Family
The Addams Family (film)
The Addams Family is a 1991 American black comedy film based on the characters from the cartoon of the same name created by cartoonist Charles Addams....
(1991)
1991 in film
The year 1991 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*April 28 - Bonnie Raitt marries actor Michael O'Keefe in New York* Terminator 2: Judgment Day, became one of the landmarks for science fiction action films with its groundbreaking visual effects from Industrial Light & Magic.*November...
, Cousin Itt had an affair with Margaret, the wife of Tully, the corrupt lawyer trying to get his hands on the Addamses' money. In the sequel, Addams Family Values
Addams Family Values
Addams Family Values is a 1993 sequel to the 1991 comedy The Addams Family. The film was written by Paul Rudnick and directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, and many cast members from the original returned for the sequel, including Raúl Juliá, Anjelica Huston, Christopher Lloyd, and Christina Ricci...
(1993)
1993 in film
The year 1993 in film involved many significant films, including the blockbuster hits Jurassic Park, The Fugitive and The Firm. -Events:...
, Margaret and Itt are married (as Tully had been buried alive by Pugsley and Wednesday) and have a baby (a miniature version of Itt), aptly nicknamed "What". Margaret explains that "What!" was the first word out of the obstetrician's mouth upon seeing the baby. Oddly, even before Itt marries Margaret, she is shown to understand his speech. In the movies, his hair is straighter and his voice is squeakier than in the TV series.
Cousin Itt makes a cameo appearance at the beginning of Act II in the Addams Family Musical
The Addams Family (musical)
The Addams Family is a musical comedy with music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa and a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. The show is based upon The Addams Family characters created by Charles Addams in his single-panel gag cartoons, which depict a ghoulish American family with an affinity for...
on Broadway.
Portrayals
In the 1960s television series, Cousin Itt was played by actor Felix SillaFelix Silla
Felix Anthony Silla is an Italian film and television actor and stuntman, best known for his role as "Cousin Itt" on television's The Addams Family, and many other classic character roles.- Biography and career overview :...
, bar two episodes in which Roger Arroyo played the role. The "voice" was created by sound engineer Tony Magro.
In the first animated series from Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. was an American animation studio that dominated North American television animation during the second half of the 20th century...
, Itt's voice was done by John Stephenson
John Stephenson
John Stephenson may refer to:*John Stephenson , American voice actor*John Stephenson , American baseball catcher*John Stephenson , 19th century Irish-American coachbuilder who created the street railway...
. In the second Hanna-Barbera animated series, Itt's voice was done by Pat Fraley
Pat Fraley
Patrick "Pat" Fraley is an American voice actor, who is best known as the voice of Krang, Casey Jones and numerous other characters from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles...
.
Itt was portrayed in the first two movies by John Franklin
John Franklin (actor)
John Franklin is an American actor.-Personal life:John Franklin was born in Blue Island, Illinois, a southern suburb of Chicago on June 16, 1959. He has three older brothers, an older sister and a younger brother and grew up in a close knit, loving family. In 1977, John graduated from Dwight D...
, and in Addams Family Reunion
Addams Family Reunion
Addams Family Reunion is a film released straight-to-video in 1998. It was also distributed to television by Fox Family. It is unrelated to the two Paramount films from 1991 and 1993. So far, the film is only available on VHS and has not had a DVD release. It was shot in Los Angeles, California...
, by Phil Fondacaro
Phil Fondacaro
Phil Fondacaro is an American actor. A dwarf actor at , Fondacaro began acting in 1981, with the film Under the Rainbow....
.
Other names
Cousin Itt is known as "Tío Cosa" (Uncle Thing) in Latin America, except in Brazil, where he is known as "Primo Itt" (Cousin Itt).In Italian, Itt is known both as "Cugino Itt" and "Cugino Coso" (Cousin Itt and Cousin Thing). He was also named Henry Charlotten in the animated series.
In French, Itt is known as "Cousin Machin" (Cousin Thing).
In Galicia, he was called "Curmán Enxendro" (Cousin Freak).
Related characters
- In Once Upon a Time...Man, the character Maestro is a white-haired variant of Cousin Itt.
- In the cartoon Edgar and Ellen, the twins have a pet named "Pet", who resembles a mini-Itt.