Thelma Mae Harper (nee Crowley), also known as Mama, is a fictional character played by American actress Vicki Lawrence. She is a senior citizen who has lived in an unspecified part in the Southern United States for her entire life which is evident by the southern drawl of her speech and her customs. She is an exaggerated version of a prototype middle twentieth century lower middle class grandmother in the southern United States. Vicki Lawrence, the actress who originated Mama, born in 1949, created Mama in the mid-seventies and undoubtedly based Mama on actual grandmother figures she knew while growing up in the 50's and 60's. Mama first appeared as a supporting character in "The Family" sketches on The Carol Burnett Show which aired on CBS from 1967 until 1978. In 1982, Eunice was a made-for-TV movie based on "The Family" sketches characters. Mama's Family (first on NBC, then revolutionized in first-run syndication), and finally in the ongoing Vicki Lawrence & Mama: A Two-Woman Show. With Lawrence continuing to play the role into the present day, the "Mama" character has made numerous other post-television show appearances, such as on Hollywood Squares; The Talk; "Larry the Cable Guy's Christmas Spectacular" (2007); "Betty White's 2nd Annual 90th Birthday" (February 5, 2013); The Queen Latifah Show (May 20, 2014) etc.