Originally unnamed (as were all of the family members), the character who was apparently the prototype for Pugsley first appeared in the Charles Addams cartoons in The New Yorker during the 1930s.

In this first incarnation, he was portrayed as a deviant child with a vicious nature, shown committing deplorable acts with his sister.

An energetic monster of a boy…blond red hair, popped blue eyes and a dedicated troublemaker, in other words, the kid next door…genius in his own way, he makes toy guillotines, full size racks, threatens to poison his sister, can turn himself into a Mr. Hyde with an ordinary chemical set…his voice is hoarse…is sometimes allowed an occasional cigar.

In an early episode, "Morticia and the Psychiatrist", the rest of the family is concerned that Pugsley is engaging in behavior they consider "odd": wearing a Boy Scout uniform, playing with a puppy, etc.

When sent to a psychiatrist, Pugsley tells of boyhood incidents involving hangings, machine guns, and grenades, with no clue that others might find these accounts unusual.

In most incarnations of the character, Pugsley had an unusual hobby of stealing road signs, which he used to adorn the walls and door of his bedroom.

In the 1998 series The New Addams Family, Pugsley is played by Vancouver native Brody Smith in a very similar portrayal to the 1960s incarnation, although he is stated to be younger than Wednesday.

He acts as an unwitting accomplice to his older sister, Wednesday, who makes attempts to inflict lethal harm upon him - although he has returned the favor on occasion.

In The Addams Family, Pugsley and Wednesday open a lemonade stand, but their drinks are toxic, and cause Lurch to spit flames when he tries it.

Pugsley is cast as a dancing turkey, and leads the children in a chorus of "Eat Me"; He is later seen assisting Wednesday in overthrowing the camp counselors and setting fire to the grounds.

Javon "Wanna" Walton replaces Wolfhard as the voice of Pugsley in the 2021 sequel, which was released on October 1, 2021.