Charles Addams created more than 1,000 cartoons for The New Yorker, and his darkly comic world ultimately gave rise to the characters we know as The Addams Family
GLENDALE, Ariz. (Sept. 30, 2026) – An original Charles Addams ink-and-wash drawing from 1942 that was published in The New Yorker magazine sold at auction for $22,000 on Saturday, Sept. 26 at EJ’s Auction & Appraisal in Glendale, Arizona.
Charles Addams created more than 1,000 cartoons for The New Yorker magazine, and his darkly comic world ultimately gave rise to the characters we know as The Addams Family.
The artwork, titled “Don’t Feel Bad, Nelson, With Normal Growth, You’ll Be In There Next Year,” was published in The New Yorker on Aug. 1, 1942. The cartoon depicts a group of zookeepers holding an enormous reptile for a newsreel camera while a smaller keeper named Nelson watches from the sidelines. A colleague reassures him, “Don’t Feel Bad, Nelson. With Normal Growth, You’ll Be In There Next Year” — a characteristically understated Charles Addams punchline that leaves the viewer wondering about the real meaning.
Erik Hoyer, owner and CEO of EJ’s Auction & Appraisal, said bidders expressed interest early on for the artwork.
“Bids for the artwork were sitting at around $4,500 a few days prior, and then on auction day, a bidding frenzy ensued until it hammered at $22,000,” he said.
Hoyer attributes the auction’s success to Addams’ popularity and the artwork’s provenance.
- The original, signed artwork measured 19” x 24” and was stamped on the back with “The New Yorker Editorial Department.”
- The artwork came with a copy of The New Yorker magazine that included the cartoon, published on August 1, 1942.
- Provenance included a check written to Charles Addams for $650 to purchase the original artwork in 1979.
- The check also included Charles Addams’ endorsed signature on the back.
- The cartoon predated the popular 1964 television series, The Addams Family, by more than two decades.
Charles Addams’ cartoons are highly collectible and command strong prices at major auction houses and rare book dealers. His iconic cartoon creation, The Addams Family, is featured on Netflix through the hit supernatural comedy series Wednesday.
EJ’s Auction & Appraisal conducts online auctions at 10 a.m. every Saturday. Interested bidders can preview items Wednesday through Friday at the auction house, 5880 W. Bell Road, in Glendale, or request to see condition reports. For details, visit ejsauction.com or call 623-878-2003.
