Tag: charles addams

“Malibu… Barbie.”

From: Addams Family Values (1993)

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Debbie Addams (nee. Jellinsky)

The story behind the quote: This week’s quote comes from the 1993 black comedy Addams Family Values. The Addams Family originated as a single panel comic strip created by Charles Addams and spawned a 1964 live-action television series as well as an animated cartoon in 1973. Addams Family Values is a sequel to The Addams Family. After Morticia Addams gives birth, she and her husband, Gomez Addams, hire a nanny to take care of the baby. Little do they know that the nanny they hired, Debbie Jellinsky (played by Joan Cusack) is actually a “black widow” serial killer who intends to marry Fester Addams and “inherit” the family fortune once she gets Fester out of the way.

The quote comes near the end of the film. Debbie intends to kill off the entire Addams Family via electric chairs. However, before she does, Debbie explains, with slideshows, her “origin” story. One of this deals with the “childhood trauma” involving wanting a Ballerina Barbie for her birthday. However, her parents got Malibu Barbie instead and Debbie was certainly not going to let that mistake slide.

Geek wisdom: Sometimes, parents, and people in general, do not understand the little nitty-gritty and differences of things. While these may seem trivial to them, they do matter to some people.

“Now boys and girls, what do you think that feels like?”

From: The Addams Family (1991)

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Morticia Addams

The story behind the quote: This week’s quote comes from the 1991 black comedy The Addams Family. The Addams Family originated as a single panel comic strip created by Charles Addams and spawned a 1964 live-action television series as well as an animated cartoon in 1973. Like the previous iterations, the film focuses on the titular family who are creepy and kooky, mysterious and ooky.

The quote comes during the third act of the movie. After the entire Addams Family are booted out of their house and don’t have access to their fortune, the entire family try to find ways to earn money. Morticia Addams (played by Anjelica Houston) finds employment as a nursery school teacher. However, while telling the story of Hansel and Gretel, Morticia embellishes the story a little bit, telling how the kids pushed the “poor defenseless witch” into the oven and burning her alive. The children under her care start crying after she delivers the quote.

Geek wisdom: A person can be shown to be good or bad depending on one’s perspective. As such, there are going to be times when events truly cannot be seen as black or white until all points of view are taken into consideration.