This single large sheet has two drawings of original advertising art by Charles Addams that was created for British Telecom. It features the classic Addams Family characters Uncle Fester and Morticia on holiday at the British Museum. The artwork was offered for sale by Taraba Illustration art in 2009 for $9,600 and was subsequently sold.
February 13, 2023 Update: A higher resolution image is provided by John Freeman. On close inspection, it's clear that these two Addams family images are not the same as Neil Gaiman's originals; they're a close variant. Gaiman's are in the upright portrait orientation, as we now call it, whereas the ad's two illustrations are in horizontal or landscape orientation.
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| "I do hope it's who you think it is, Fester." |
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"It's all been wonderful, Grandma—and Fester has at last established his ancestry!"
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| The Charles Addams Listing at Taraba Illustration Art, LLC |
February 12, 2023 Update: The original ad is on Tumblr and has been sitting there for eleven years! The British Telecom print ad omits entirely the caption for the mummy cartoon. Thanks to @John_Barach on Twitter for finding this in response to a query from Neil Gaiman, @neilhimself on Twitter and Instagram. Gaiman writes about purchasing the original Addams art when he won the John Newbery Medal here.
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| “We’re having a wonderful time Grandma, and Fester has finally found out who his mother is.” When you’ve seen something to write home about, phone. It’s quick, cheap and very easy to dial America direct. PHONE HOME. IT FEELS GOOD. British Telecom International |
February 13, 2023 Update: A higher resolution image is provided by John Freeman. On close inspection, it's clear that these two Addams family images are not the same as Neil Gaiman's originals; they're a close variant. Gaiman's are in the upright portrait orientation, as we now call it, whereas the ad's two illustrations are in horizontal or landscape orientation.
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| Scan provided by John Freeman |
October 15, 2023 Update: Another Addams ad from the BTI campaign, this one in color, appears on Twitter from the collection of H-Bomb, @BeastsOfLuxury.
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| ". . . Oh no Grandma, we're not a bit homesick. The folks Fester and I have met could be part of the Family." https://twitter.com/BeastsOfLuxury/status/1626996571253493761 |
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