Why Every Kid Needs an Uncle Fester

Every great movie and TV series has at least one character that isn’t anyone’s favorite, but they are absolutely essential at the same time. In “The Addams Family,” that role is left to Uncle Fester. 

He’s creepy, and we’re not sure how many crimes he’s committed, but the series would lack something without dear Uncle Fester. Wednesday and Pugsley are lucky to have him, and here’s why every kid could use an uncle just like him.

Rules are there for a reason. They’re intended to keep us safe, blah blah blah. Limits are also meant to be tested, however, and uncles like Uncle Fester help kids to break the rules, but within reason. 

One could argue that letting Wednesday and Pugsley play with poison doesn’t qualify as “within reason,” but both kids survive their childhoods with their self-esteem and all their extremities intact. Close enough.

Fun uncles are like the more chaotic version of grandparents. They let you get hyped up on sugar just like grandma, and follow it up by helping you build a dirt bike course with old junk from the garage that isn’t even remotely structurally sound. 

Look at Uncle Fester. Now look at Mary Poppins. Now look back at Fester. Who would you hire as a babysitter? It’s not a tough call, but maybe it should be.

Everything about Uncle Fester shouts “stay away,” but behind the dark clothing, pallid complexion, and propensity for illegal activities, he’s all about family.

In the latest “Addams Family” remake, he also has some welcome character development. This time around, he’s on the run after robbing a bank. How many uncles do you know that would risk jail time to show up for their teenage niece? He’s unconventional, but he’s present.

Unconventional might be an understatement. In the earlier ideations of Uncle Fester, he was a bit of a screwup. He was a little too creepy and kooky even by the Addams Family standards.

Even in Netflix’s “Wednesday,” he walks the line, trying to eat a student’s colony of live bees and hiding in a pile of stuffed animals in a teenager’s room. Creepy is right, but he chooses the moral high ground when it counts. 

While we’re not keen on our kids hanging out with creeps, it’s also valuable for them to learn that people aren’t either good or bad. Nice people can look intimidating, and scary people can look nice. Being a good judge of character is tougher than it sounds.

Uncle Fester is Gomez’s older brother, and he lacks many of Gomez’s more appealing characteristics. He doesn’t have a great head of hair, he’s shorter, and his personality is more spooky than suave. He could be bitter and jealous, but he knows he has something to offer that his brother doesn’t.

Because of that, he doesn’t bother trying to compete with his younger, more traditionally handsome relative. He does his own thing. He’s the black sheep of the family, but the family wouldn’t be complete without him.