Thelma Mae Harper, 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, and finally in the ongoing Vicki Lawrence & Mama: A Two-Woman Show.