9 Wednesday Easter Eggs & Hidden Addams Family References You Missed

Warning: Small spoilers for Netflix's Wednesday ahead.

Wednesday, Tim Burton's latest twisted creation, finally arrived on November 23 after months of torturous teasers. The horror slash fantasy slash coming-of-age series all about Wednesday Addams of the Addams Family became an instant hit, holding the number 1 spot on the streamer's Top 10 Shows in the U.S. throughout its entire release weekend.

The series, which stars Jenna Ortega in the titular role, follows Wednesday Addams as she embarks on her most terrifying journey yet… boarding school. As a student at the fictional Nevermore Academy, her parents' alma mater, Wednesday must juggle the burdening responsibilities of the typical teenager. 

This includes, but is not limited to: embracing her newfound psychic ability, solving a supernatural mystery, saving an entire town from supernatural violence, and building her own community of friends Outcasts.

Related: Which Wednesday Character Are You According to the Zodiac?

Wednesday has received praise for its spooky tone, set design, cast performances, and plot twists. Tucked underneath the show's gloomy exterior, however, are a ton of tiny details and references hidden with purpose. Did you catch all the references to the Addams Family movies, or the Tim Burton easter eggs? 

Just in case you weren't gifted with preternatural sight like Wednesday Addams, we've got you covered — keep scrolling to check out all the Wednesday easter eggs and hidden references you might have missed.

There are references to Tim Burton's movies hidden in the set design

While speaking with Variety and Netflix's Tudum, Wednesday production designer Mark Scruton revealed that there were hidden references built into the show's sets — specifically in the normie town of Jericho. “In the town [of Jericho], a lot of the shop fronts were stolen right out of the Chas Addams cartoons," Scruton said of the meaning behind the sets. “There’s a florist’s shop, a cobbler’s shop, a thrift store.” On top of references to the original Addams Family cartoons, the last names of the showrunners (Miles Millar and Alfred Gough) appear on the window of Wednesday's therapist's office, and there's also hidden references to Wednesday series creator Tim Burton's films. 

At the Weathervanes coffee shop where Tyler works, there are metal weathervanes hung on the wall. If you look close enough, you'll spot a Headless Horseman design from Burton's Sleepy Hollow, as well as Willy Wonka's top hat. In the taxidermy shop Uriah's Heap, Scruton shared that there's a handful of mice hidden in the store that reference Burton's films, too. The last Burton-inspired easter egg sits within the hallowed halls of Nevermore Academy, right in Principal Weems' office: a shrunken head in reference to 1988's Beetlejuice.

Wednesday hating pilgrims is a reference to Addams Family Values

In the first episode of Wednesday, our stormy heroine gets into a coffeeshop brawl thanks to her hatred for pilgrims. Wednesday's loathing of pilgrims and Pilgrim World, a pilgrim-themed amusement park in Jericho, is a direct reference to the beloved sequel Addams Family Values, in which siblings Wednesday and Pugsley are sent to Camp Chippewa. It's Wednesday (played by Christina Ricci) who ends up setting fire to the camp's romanticized Thanksgiving play, delivering her infamous monologue about the cruelty of the pilgrims. (Bonus easter egg: the archery scenes at Nevermore are another Addams Family Values reference — Wednesday and her brother practice archery in the 1993 film.)

The secret two snaps are from the original Addams Family theme song

The secret society at Nevermore Academy, the Nightshades, of course have a hidden passageway to their meeting place. However, there's no magic word but a magic sound. Snap snap. Snapping twice is what opens the entrance to the Nightshades' secret passageway, a nostalgic callback to The Addams Family theme song. The iconic two finger snaps are featured throughout the song, and have become one of the most famous details from the fictional family's presence in media.

The gargoyles in the quad reference difference characters

Wednesday production designer Mark Scruton dropped a massive hint about the series plot while chatting with Variety and Tudum, divulging the gargoyles in quad at Nevermore Academy reference and represent different characters in the show. “All the gargoyles, they designed [them] to represent the different groups within the schools. So there’s vampires and gorgons and sirens," Scruton told Tudum. “There’s a big plot point hidden there,” he teased further to Variety.

Pugsley's introduction is similar to his introduction in the original movie

In the show's pilot, Wednesday rescues Pugsley from a school locker after he was stuffed inside by bullies. Pugsley (played by Isaac Ordonez) is seen tied up with red string, completely helpless with an apple lodged in his mouth. This is a nod to 1991's The Addams Family — the first time Pugsley is shown on-screen in the film, he's also tied up with an apple in his mouth. The only difference? Wednesday was shooting an arrow at him. Talk about archery skills, huh?

Other members of the Addams Family make appearances… kind of

While all members of the immediate Addams Family physically show up on-screen in Wednesday — Pugsley, Morticia, Gomez, Lurch, Uncle Fester, Thing — there are a few members of the extended Addams Family who make an “appearance” in the show, too. Grandmama Addams, Aunt Ophelia, and Cousin Itt all show up in spirit in the new series in varying capacities. In the basement of the Nightshades, a painted portrait of Ignatius Itt hangs on the wall. Cousin Itt is a biological (?) relative to the Addams Family, but is a nonhuman creature made entirely of hair who is known for his bowler hat, sunglasses, and unintelligible speech patterns. (Inset more question marks here.) Morticia's sister (Wednesday's Aunt Ophelia) and Grandmama Addams are only present in the show by name — Grandmama Addams is mentioned in passing dialogue, and it's revealed that Wednesday's dorm hall is named after Ophelia. 

Wednesday's Girl Scouts line is inspired by a line from the original movie

In episode three, Wednesday deadpans: “I could eat Girl Scouts for breakfast.” This short line of dialogue is another direct reference to a scene from the original films. In ‘91’s The Addams Family, a young girl scout tries to sell Wednesday cookies. “Are they made from real Girl Scouts?” asks Wednesday. What a menacing, full-circle moment.

Edgar Allan Poe is referenced everywhere

Edgar Allan Poe is a fictional alumnus of Nevermore Academy, and it shows. Besides the name of the school being a Poe reference in itself (Poe's The Raven focuses on a man driven mad by a talking raven that only utters the word “nevermore”), there are Poe references all throughout the series. Wednesday sees ravens in a foreboding and important vision, Principal Weems has a taxidermied raven sitting on her desk, and the Poe Cup is one big medley of Poe literary trivia. 

Each team boat in the race references one of Poe's short stories by name or design: Enid and Wednesday's team boat is named The Black Cat, Bianca's team boat references The Gold Bug, Xavier's team boat is literally named “The Amontillado,” referencing The Cask of Amontillado, and the fourth team boat is named The Pit and the Pendulum.

The origin of Wednesday's name

Cartoonist Chas Addams, creator of the Addams Family cartoons that started it all, designed the famous characters with no names. Though each family member was eventually named as the characters grew in popularity, there was a clear source of inspiration for the naming of Wednesday: a nursery rhyme from the 1800s called “Monday's Child.” 

“Her name comes from a line from my favorite nursery rhyme,” Morticia Addams tells Principal Weems of the fictional-yet-true backstory to Wednesday's name in the pilot. The full nursery rhyme goes like this: “Monday's child is fair of face, / Tuesday's child is full of grace. / Wednesday's child is full of woe, / Thursday's child has far to go. / Friday's child is loving and giving, / Saturday's child works hard for a living. / And the child born on the Sabbath day / Is bonny and blithe, good and gay.”