Happy Days

Happy Days is an American sitcom television series that aired first-run on the ABC network from January 15, 1974, to September 24, 1984, with a total of 255 half-hour episodes spanning eleven seasons. Created by Garry Marshall, the series was one of the most successful of the 1970s, a sweet vision of life in the mid-1950s to mid-1960s Midwestern United States, and starred Ron Howard as young Richie Cunningham, Henry Winkler as his friend Fonzie, and Tom Bosley and Marion Ross as Richie's parents, Howard and Marion Cunningham. Although it opened to mixed reviews from critics, Happy Days became successful and popular over time.

The series began as an unsold pilot starring Howard, Ross and Anson Williams, which aired in 1972 as a segment entitled "Love and the Television Set" (later retitled "Love and the Happy Days" for syndication) on ABC's anthology show Love, American Style. Based on the pilot, director George Lucas cast Howard as the lead in his 1973 film American Graffiti, causing ABC to take a renewed interest in the pilot. The first two seasons of Happy Days focused on the experiences and dilemmas of "innocent teenager" Richie Cunningham, his family, and his high school friends, attempting to "honestly depict a wistful look back at adolescence". Initially a moderate success, the series' ratings began to fall during its second season, causing Marshall to retool it emphasizing broad comedy and spotlighting the previously minor character of Fonzie, a "cool" biker and high school dropout. Following these changes, Happy Days became the number-one program in television in 1976–1977, Fonzie became one of the most merchandised characters of the 1970s, and Henry Winkler became a major star. The series also spawned a number of spin-offs, including Laverne & Shirley and Mork & Mindy.

## Plot

Set in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the series revolves around teenager Richie Cunningham and his family: his father, Howard, who owns a hardware store; traditional homemaker and mother, Marion; younger sister Joanie Cunningham; Richie's older brother Chuck (briefly in seasons 1 and 2 only, disappearing from storylines afterward); and high school dropout, biker and suave ladies' man Fonzie, who would eventually become Richie's best friend and the Cunninghams' over-the-garage tenant. The earlier episodes revolve around Richie and his friends, Potsie Weber and Ralph Malph, with Fonzie as a secondary character. However, as the series progressed, Fonzie proved to be a favorite with viewers, and soon more story lines were written to reflect his growing popularity; Winkler eventually received top billing in the opening credits alongside Howard. Fonzie befriended Richie and the Cunningham family, and when Richie left the series for military service, Fonzie became the central figure of the show, with Winkler receiving sole top billing. In later seasons, other characters were introduced including Fonzie's young cousin, Chachi Arcola, who became a love interest for Joanie Cunningham. The eleven seasons of the series roughly track the eleven years from 1955 to 1965 in which the show was set.

The series' pilot was originally shown as *Love and the Television Set*, later retitled *Love and the Happy Days* for syndication, a one-episode teleplay on the anthology series *Love, American Style*, aired on February 25, 1972. *Happy Days* spawned successful television shows *Laverne & Shirley* and *Mork & Mindy* as well as three failures, *Joanie Loves Chachi*, *Blansky's Beauties* featuring Nancy Walker as Howard's cousin, and *Out of the Blue*. The show is the basis for the *Happy Days* musical touring the United States since 2008. The leather jacket worn by Winkler during the series was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution for the permanent collection at the National Museum of American History. The original tan McGregor windbreaker Winkler wore during the first season was eventually thrown into the garbage after ABC relented and allowed the Fonzie character to wear a leather jacket.

## Characters

### Main

* Richie Cunningham – The protagonist for the first seven years of the series (1974–80). When Ron Howard left the show due to his burgeoning directorial career, Richie was written out by leaving to join the United States Army. He marries his girlfriend, Lori Beth, in season eight by phone, while Fonzie stands-in for him in the wedding. Howard returned for guest appearances as Richie during the show's final season. He came back with Lori Beth and their son, Richie Jr., and Ralph in the season 11 two-part episode, "Welcome Home", and then left for California with Lori Beth and Richie Jr. to pursue a career in screenwriting. He also returned in "Passages", when he and his family attended Joanie and Chachi's wedding.
* Marion Cunningham – Wife of Howard Cunningham, mother of Richie and Joanie, and a traditional homemaker. She is the only character who is allowed to call Fonzie by his real first name, Arthur, which she does affectionately. She sometimes gets tired of being at home, such as in "Marion Rebels" where she gets into an argument with Howard and briefly gets a job as a waitress at Arnold's. In "Empty Nest" when Joanie left for Chicago to pursue her music career, Marion had "empty nest syndrome" and was thrilled when her and Howard's niece, K.C., moved in with them. Marion was one of only four characters to remain with the show throughout its entire run.
* Howard Cunningham – Husband of Marion Cunningham, father of Richie and Joanie, business owner of a hardware store called "Cunningham's Hardware", he is a lodge member, and family man. Frequently seen reading the daily newspaper in his easy chair. Enjoys driving his beloved 1948 DeSoto Suburban. In "Letting Go", he did not want Joanie to go to Chicago, still seeing her as his "little girl". But after talking with Fonzie and realizing how much she has grown up, he supports her going. In "Passages", Howard says that he is proud of Richie and Joanie in Joanie and Chachi's wedding. Howard is one of only two characters (the other being Fonzie) to appear in every episode of the series.
* Joanie Cunningham – Richie's younger sister. In early seasons, she is sometimes snooping on Richie's activities and would occasionally be sent to her room by her parents. She is affectionately called "Shortcake" by Fonzie. Later on, Joanie briefly joins a motorcycle gang after going on a date with a boy, whom she considered to be "dull". In "Smokin' Ain't Cool", Joanie started smoking in order to be in a cool club, until Fonzie sets her straight. For years, Fonzie's cousin, Chachi, had been chasing her until she eventually agreed to a date with him. She and Chachi would eventually form a band together; and in "Letting Go", they leave for Chicago to pursue their music career (which spun off the short-lived series *Joanie Loves Chachi*). Joanie, however, eventually left the band to return home to pursue a teaching career. She and Chachi then broke up for a time until Chachi proposes to her and they get married in the series finale.
* Arthur Herbert Fonzarelli, a.k.a. The Fonz or Fonzie – Initially a minor character, he was a hugely popular breakout character and was made a series regular. Fonzarelli's "Fonzie" nickname and comeback phrase, "Sit on it," were created by the show's producer, Bob Brunner. Known for being especially cool and for his catchphrases "(H)eyyyy!" and "Whoa!" His coolness gave him special powers, such as making machinery (such as Arnold's jukebox and other vending machines, electric lights, and car engines) function by pounding on them with his fist, or getting the attention of girls by snapping his fingers. His parents abandoned him as a child and his grandmother raised him from the age of four.
* Potsie Weber – Richie's best friend and an aspiring talented singer. He is somewhat more carefree and worldly than Richie in early seasons, then in mid-seasons, he becomes more often paired with Ralph for plots, and the two became inseparable. In later seasons, his character evolves to increasingly emphasize his dimwitted side, and Ralph would often say to him "You're such a Potsie". Potsie often lightheartedly mentioned the supposed hatred his father (who never appeared on the show) had for him. Potsie remained with the show after Richie and Ralph joined the Army; however, he was seen less frequently. While Potsie's character became underdeveloped in these later episodes (and he, along with Ralph, was one of the few characters absent from the finale), he is mentioned to regularly bowl with the Cunninghams and still continues his position as assistant manager of Cunningham Hardware, and as pledge master of the Leopard Lodge.
* Ralph Malph – In the first season, Ralph was more of a side character to plots, but when Most became a main cast member in season two, Ralph was more commonly seen, and he, Richie, and Potsie (these two also later became roommates) became the three amigos. Known for saying "I still got it!" after delivering one of his jokes. Ralph left with Richie after the 1979–80 season to join the Army. Malph returned as a guest star in the final season, although he is absent in the finale (along with Potsie)—he is mentioned as having left to continue college to become an optometrist like his father.
* Chachi Arcola – Fonzie's younger cousin and later Al Delvecchio's stepson. Chachi is very close to his older cousin Fonzie. Fonzie acts as the older brother figure that Chachi needs. Chachi has a similar personality to his older cousin. He has Fonzie's smoothness and charisma, but Chachi is more laidback. Chachi becomes "one of the guys" as he gets older, joining Richie, Potsie, Ralph, and Fonzie in their antics. After Richie and Ralph leave the show, Chachi and Fonzie often have plots together. Chachi has a crush on Joanie Cunningham from the moment he meets her in season 5, but she initially thinks of him as a little kid, calling him names like "shrimp", "drip", etc. But as they enter high school, she too begins to find him attractive. In season 11, they broke up for a short period. But as the season progresses, they get back together and Chachi eventually proposes to Joanie and she says yes. The series finale features Chachi and Joanie's wedding.
* Al Delvecchio – From seasons four to nine (1976–82), Al became the new owner/cook of the drive-in after Arnold got married the previous season. Al later married Chachi's mother Louisa, thereby becoming Chachi's stepfather and Fonzie's uncle. Molinaro left *Happy Days* in 1982 to take his "Al" character to *Joanie Loves Chachi*, and returned as Al in three later episodes of *Happy Days*. Known for sighing "Yeeep, yep, yep, yep, yep" when he was disappointed or when things did not go his way.
* Jenny Piccalo – Joanie's boy-crazy best friend (1980–83), frequently mentioned but never seen in early episodes. She made her first on-screen appearance in the eighth season and remained a recurring character through the ninth season, becoming a regular during the tenth season in 1983. She returned as a guest star in the 1984 series finale. Jenny's father, played by Cathy Silvers' real-life father Phil Silvers, appeared in one episode.
* Roger Phillips (Ted McGinley) – Marion's nephew; coach and teacher at Jefferson High, until "Vocational Education" where he became principal at Patton High. Introduced in 1980 after Richie left the show as a recurring character.
* Lori Beth Allen-Cunningham (Lynda Goodfriend) – Richie's girlfriend and later his wife (1977–82). She married Richie by phone in season eight. Fonzie helped Lori Beth deliver her baby in "Little Baby Cunningham". She returned as a guest star in the final season, where she is revealed to be pregnant with her second baby.
* Ashley Pfister (Linda Purl) – Divorced mother who becomes Fonzie's steady girlfriend until they broke up offscreen sometime before "Where the Guys Are". Purl also played as Richie's part-time girlfriend Gloria in season 2.

### Template:Anchor Minor/recurring

* Marsha Simms (Beatrice Colen) (seasons 1–3, 5; 22 episodes) – A carhop in the first two seasons. Appeared in the background of a few episodes during the first and second seasons before disappearing from the show in the third season. However, she later returned for a flashback guest appearance in the episode "Our Gang".
* Bobby Melner (Harris Kal) (seasons 8–11; 19 episodes) – Friend of Chachi and Joanie seen in episodes after Richie and Ralph left the show. He is a student in Fonzie's auto shop class, as well as in Roger's health class. At one point, he was also on the Jefferson High basketball team, and performed in a band with Joanie and Chachi.
* K.C. Cunningham (Crystal Bernard) (season 10; 15 episodes) – Howard's niece. She moved in with Howard and Marion after Joanie left for Chicago. She left an all-girls boarding school in Texas because it closed down. Her parents are always traveling. She also became friends with Jenny and she went on her first date with Melvin.
* Leopold "Flip" Phillips (Billy Warlock) (seasons 9 & 10; 13 episodes) – Roger's rebellious younger brother. He usually wears a shirt cut off over his bellybutton.
* Tommy (Kevin Sullivan) (seasons 8–11; 13 episodes) – Another friend of Chachi and Joanie in episodes after Richie and Ralph left the show. Like Bobby, Tommy is a student in Fonzie's auto shop class, as well as in Roger's health class. At one point, he was also on the Jefferson High basketball team, and performed in a band with Joanie and Chachi.
* Heather Pfister (Heather O'Rourke) (season 10; 12 episodes) – Ashley Pfister's daughter. Initially did not get along with Fonzie, but gradually learned to accept him as a father figure.
* Template:Anchor Charles "Chuck" Cunningham (Gavan O'Herlihy, Randolph Roberts) (seasons 1 & 2; 11 episodes) – The oldest son of Howard and Marion Cunningham and older brother of Richie and Joanie, Chuck is a college student and basketball player. He is rarely seen and disappears without explanation in season two, never to be seen nor referenced again after "Fish and Fins". The character's disappearance gave rise to the pejorative term "Chuck Cunningham Syndrome", used to describe TV characters that disappear from shows without explanation and are later retconned to have never existed. Gavan O'Herlihy played Chuck, but then he asked to leave the series. He was replaced by Randolph Roberts. In several late-season episodes, Howard and/or Marion make reference to being "very proud of our two children," with no on-screen reference to Chuck being deceased by this time.
* Eugene Belvin (Denis Mandel) (seasons 8 & 9; 10 episodes) – Nerdy classmate of Joanie and Chachi, and twin brother of Melvin Belvin. Is in Fonzie's auto shop class, and has a crush on Jenny Piccolo. Despite being a general stooge to his classmates at Jefferson High, he frequently tags along with Joanie and Chachi's circle of friends.
* "Bag" Zombroski (Neil J. Schwartz) (seasons 1–4; 9 episodes) – A schoolmate and leader of a gang called "The Demons".
* Police Officer Kirk / Army Reserve Major Kirk (Ed Peck) (seasons 3–10; 9 episodes) – Fonzie's nemesis and antagonist, who's eager to demonstrate his inflated sense of authority, and on the watch for delinquents and "pinkos" (communists). Kirk took over as acting Sheriff following the untimely death of Sheriff Flanaghan.
* Wendy (Misty Rowe) (season 2; 8 episodes) – A carhop from Arnold's in season two. She was paired with Marsha Simms in five episodes.
* Melvin Belvin (Scott Bernstein) (seasons 9 & 10; 8 episodes) – Nerdy classmate of Joanie and Chachi, and twin brother of Eugene Belvin. Like his brother, Melvin frequently tags along with Joanie's and Chachi's circle of friends. He once went on a date with K.C. Cunningham.
* Leather Tuscadero (Suzi Quatro) (seasons 5 & 6; 7 episodes) – Musician; younger sister of Pinky Tuscadero, and a former juvenile delinquent; formed her own girl group called "Leather and the Suedes".
* Jennifer Jerome (Lorrie Mahaffey) (seasons 5 & 6; 6 episodes) – Potsie's steady girlfriend. Mahaffey was Anson Williams' then wife.
* Laverne De Fazio (Penny Marshall) and Shirley Feeney (Cindy Williams) (seasons 3, 6 & 7; 5 episodes) – Dating interest of Fonzie, Laverne, and her friend, Shirley, appeared prominently in three episodes during the season three ("A Date with Fonzie", "Football Frolics", and "Fonzie the Superstar"), which led to the two starring in the spin-off series *Laverne & Shirley*; they also make guest appearances in the season six's "Fonzie's Funeral (Part 2)" and season seven's "Shotgun Wedding" (Part 1) (the second part of "Shotgun Wedding" concluded on a crossover episode of *Laverne and Shirley.*)
* Louisa Arcola-Delvecchio (Ellen Travolta) (seasons 8–11; 5 episodes) – Mother of Chachi Arcola; aunt of Fonzie.She married Al Delvecchio and they moved to Chicago.
* Gloria (Linda Purl) (season 2; 5 episodes) – Richie's occasional girlfriend in season two.
* Dr. Mickey Malph (Alan Oppenheimer, Jack Dodson) (season 3 & 4, 7; 4 episodes) – Ralph's father, an optometrist and, like his son, a self-styled comedian. Briefly separated from his wife Minnie, but apparently resolved issues with her after a talk with Ralph. It was Dr. Malph who convinced Fonzie to wear glasses after he started having vision problems.
* Raymond "Spike" Fonzarelli (Danny Butch) (seasons 2–4; 4 episodes) – Fonzie's cousin (often referred to as his nephew, but Fonzie explains that he couldn't be his nephew as Fonzie was an only child) and his copycat. He went on a date with Joanie in "Not with My Sister, You Don't" and made only fleeting appearances before the introduction of Chachi. The kinship between Spike and Chachi was never explained.
* Carol "Pinky" Tuscadero (Roz Kelly) (season 4; 3 episodes) – Former girlfriend of Fonzie and a traveling demolition derby driver.
* Clarence (Gary Friedkin) (season 10; 3 episodes) – A cook at Arnold's who is referred to several times throughout the show, but never actually seen until the episode "A Woman Not Under the Influence". There, it is revealed that Clarence is a little person. Clarence seems to have a good relationship with Al, but also frequently upsets him while goofing off in the kitchen.
* Bill "Sticks" Downey (John-Anthony Bailey) (season 3; 2 episodes) – Friend of Fonzie, Richie, Potsie and Ralph and drummer for their band, hence his nickname "Sticks", though he claimed he got the nickname because he was skinny.
* Mitsumo "Arnold" Takahashi (Noriyuki "Pat" Morita) (seasons 3, 10–11: 26 episodes) depicted the owner of Arnold's Drive-In for season three (1975–76). He stated that he obtained the moniker when he purchased Arnold's restaurant and people thought it was named after him, explaining that it was too costly to buy enough letter signs needed to rename it "Takahashi". He moonlighted as a martial arts instructor, teaching self-defense classes at the drive-in after hours. Morita also played "Arnold" as a guest star in 1977 and 1979 before returning as a recurring character after Al Molinaro departed in 1982.
* Grandma Nussbaum (Frances Bay) (seasons 9, 10 & 11: 3 episodes) – Chachi Arcola and Fonzie's grandmother. Grandma Nussbaum was played by Lillian Bronson in the season 3 episode, "Fonzie Moves In".

### Notable guest stars

* Hank Aaron, the Milwaukee Braves home run king, appeared in season seven, episode nineteen
* Frankie Avalon appeared as himself (in season 9), singing his signature song "Venus" to a swooning Jenny Piccolo at the Leopard Lodge's annual "Poo Bah Doodah" musical
* Dr. Joyce Brothers (season 5, episode 19) appears as herself, trying to help Fonzie's dog out of a depression
* Julie Brown made her television debut in the seventh-season episode "Ahhh Wilderness" as one of three girls who went camping with Richie, Fonzie et al.
* Morgan Fairchild appears in season five, episode ten as a snooty rich socialite who tries to humiliate Fonzie
* Herbie Faye appeared as 'Pop' in the 1974 episode "Knock Around the Block"
* Lorne Greene made a brief walk-on cameo during the season five premiere, which took place in Hollywood
* Tom Hanks appeared in an episode as a character seeking revenge on Fonzie for pushing him off a swing when the two of them were in the 3rd grade; the confrontation occurs just as Fonzie was about to be given a community leader award
* John Hart (TV's *The Lone Ranger*) appeared in season 9, episode 17 where Fonzie meets his childhood idol (Hart's last acting job)
* Christopher Knight (Peter Brady on *The Brady Bunch*) played Joanie's boyfriend on the season five episode "Be My Valentine"
* Cheryl Ladd appeared in "Wish Upon a Star" (season 2), playing the part of a Hollywood starlet Richie wins a date with
* Michael McKean and David L. Lander, of *Laverne & Shirley*, portrayed their "Lenny" and "Squiggy" characters in the sixth-season episode "Fonzie's Funeral (Part 2)"
* Eddie Mekka, also from *Laverne & Shirley*, portrayed his "Carmine" character in the season four's "Joanie's Weird Boyfriend" and the season six's "Fonzie's Funeral (Part 2)"
* Maureen McCormick (Marcia Brady on *The Brady Bunch*) was "Hildie" in season 2, episode 16
* James Millhollin, a character actor, made the last television appearance of his career as Mr. Rudi in the 1979 episode "Potsie Quits School"
* James Randi ("The Amazing Randi") appeared as himself in the episode "The Magic Show" (season 6)
* Buffalo Bob Smith and Bob Brunner as Clarabell the Clown appeared in the episode "The Howdy Doody Show" (season 2); the characters come to town looking for Howdy Doody look-alikes
* Craig Stevens, the star of detective show *Peter Gunn* played Ashley Pfister's father in "Hello Pfisters" (season 10)
* Danny Thomas appeared in the episode "Grandpa's Visit" (season 5) as Sean Cunningham, Howard's father.
* Charlene Tilton appeared in the episode "They Shoot Fonzies, Don't They?" (season 4) as Jill Higgins, who challenges Fonzie and Joanie at a dance marathon until Fonzie might have to get a crewcut.
* Robin Williams appeared in two episodes as Mork from Ork; in season five's "My Favorite Orkan", Mork wants to take Richie back to Ork with him to study earthlings, which led to the spin-off *Mork & Mindy*; season six's "Mork Returns" aired during the height of the popularity of *Mork and Mindy*
* Lyle Waggoner appeared in the episode "Dreams Can Come True" (season 8) as Bobby Burns, host of the titular game show on which Marion appears as a contestant, and again in the episode "Like Mother, Like Daughter" (season 11) as Frederick Hamilton, Marion's former college boyfriend.

## Legacy

The idiom "jumping the shark" describes a point in a series where it resorts to outlandish or preposterous plot devices to maintain or regain good ratings. Specifically, the term arose from the season five episode "Hollywood (Part 3)" that first aired on September 20, 1977, in which a water-skiing Fonzie (clad in swim trunks and signature leather jacket) jumps over a confined shark. Despite the term, *Happy Days* continued to be popular in the ratings for several years, only seeing a real downturn in its final season (1983–84). The program was more popular with audiences than its peers, never receiving an Emmy nomination for writing during its entire run; comedy writing Emmy nominations during *Happy Days*Template:' broadcast history were routinely awarded to the writers of such shows as *M\*A\*S\*H*, *The Mary Tyler Moore Show*, and *All in the Family*.

Fonzie's signature leather jacket has been on display at the National Museum of American History, part of the Smithsonian Institution, since the early 1990s.

## Broadcast and syndication

*Happy Days* has been rerun by many networks. It aired in the United States on TBS from 1989 to 1995, Nick at Nite from 1995 to 2000 (and again in 2002–03), Odyssey Network/Hallmark Channel from 1999 to 2002 (and again from January to April 2013), TV Land from 2002 to 2007, WGN America from 2002 until 2008, and FamilyNet from 2009 to 2010, INSP from 2012 to 2013, the Hub Network from 2010 to 2014. It currently airs reruns on MeTV & Toon Disney.

In the United Kingdom reruns aired on Five USA and on Channel 4 between the early 1990s and the early 2000s. Original-run episodes in the 1970s and 1980s were shown on various regions of the ITV network usually on a weekday afternoon at 17:15. It was shown (2015–18) on the True Entertainment channel until the channel ceased broadcasting in September 2019.

When reruns first went into syndication on local stations while the series was still producing new episodes, the reruns were re-titled *Happy Days Again*. The series went into off-network syndication in fall 1979, just as season seven began on ABC. While most prints for syndication today use the original *Happy Days* titles, some episodes in circulation still include the *Happy Days Again* title.

The show has aired in Australia on Eleven (a digital channel of Network 10) since January 11, 2011 during the afternoon and midnight. *Happy Days* was a perennial favorite seen on the Nine Network from 1974 to 2006. During its original run in the '70s and early 80s on the Nine Network was shown every Sunday night with reruns shown every Saturday afternoons during the early 2000s.

## Reunion specials

There have been two reunion specials which aired on ABC: the first was *The Happy Days Reunion Special* originally aired in March 1992, followed by *Happy Days: 30th Anniversary Reunion* in February 2005 to commemorate the program's 30th anniversary. Both were set up in interview/clip format.

## Spin-offs

*Happy Days* resulted in seven different spin-off series, including two that were animated: *Laverne & Shirley,* *Blansky's Beauties,* *Mork & Mindy,* *Out of the Blue,* *Joanie Loves Chachi,* *The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang* (animated) and *Laverne & Shirley with The Fonz* (animated).

* The most successful of these spin-offs, *Laverne & Shirley* (1976–83) starring Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams, respectively, also took place in early/mid-1960s Milwaukee. As Shotz Brewery workers, modeled after the Miller, Schlitz, and Pabst Breweries once located in Milwaukee, Laverne and Shirley find themselves in adventures with The Fonz, Lenny and Squiggy and even the Cunninghams also living in the midwestern city. The two starring characters eventually moved to Los Angeles in the show's later years. Penny Marshall was the sister of producer Garry Marshall. *Happy Days* and *Laverne & Shirley* had a crossover episode, "Shotgun Wedding", in which Richie and Fonzie get into trouble with a farmer for courting his daughters, and Laverne and Shirley try to help them. Part one is the season seven premiere of *Happy Days* and part two is the season five premiere of *Laverne & Shirley*.
* Robin Williams made his first appearance as Mork on *Happy Days* as a last-minute cast substitution for the episode "My Favorite Orkan" and proved a sensation with his performance. In his own sitcom, *Mork & Mindy* (1978–82), his character of Mork, the alien from the planet Ork, landed in 1970s Boulder, Colorado, to study humans and took up residence with Pam Dawber's character of Mindy McConnell. Originally, Mork's appearance was explained as a dream of Richie's, but after the spin-off was established, a new ending was tagged on to the repeat of the *Happy Days* episode explaining that Mork would return to Earth in 1978.
* *Joanie Loves Chachi* (1982–83) was a short-lived show about Richie's younger sister Joanie and Fonzie's younger cousin Chachi's relationship during their years as musicians in Chicago. While commonly believed that the show was canceled due to low ratings, the program finished in the Top 20 its first season, but ABC determined that the show was losing too much of its lead-in, suggesting low appeal if the show were moved (a suggestion that came to be realized, as the show's ratings dropped dramatically after a move to another time slot in its second season). This type of cancellation seemed strange in the early 1980s, but soon became a commonplace part of TV audience research.
* *Out of the Blue* (1979) is a spin-off of *Happy Days,* though a scheduling error had the series airing prior to the main character's introduction on *Happy Days.*
* *Blansky's Beauties* (1977) starred Nancy Walker as former Las Vegas showgirl Nancy Blansky. One week before the show's premiere, the Blansky character appeared on *Happy Days* as a cousin of Howard Cunningham. Scott Baio and Lynda Goodfriend co-starred before joining *Happy Days* the following fall, and Pat Morita reprised his role of Arnold. Similarly, Eddie Mekka of *Laverne & Shirley* played the cousin of his Carmine character, while pulling double duty as a regular in both shows.

Spin-off pilots that did not succeed include *The Ralph and Potsie Show* as well as *The Pinky Tuscadero Show*.

## In other media

### Books

A series of novels based on characters and dialog of the series was written by William Johnston and published by Tempo Books in the 1970s. A (possibly unofficial) reimagining titled *Who Killed the Fonz?* continues the story in the 1980s as a murder mystery. It was published in hardcover on February 19, 2019, and written by James Boice.

### Comic books

Western Publishing published a *Happy Days* comic book series in 1979 under their Gold Key Comics brand and Whitman Comics brand.

### Animation

There are two animated series, both produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions in association with Paramount Television (now known as CBS Television Distribution). *The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang* ran from 1980 to 1982. There are also animated spin-offs of *Laverne & Shirley* (*Laverne & Shirley in the Army*) and *Mork & Mindy* (centering on a young Mork and Mindy in high school). The following season, they were connected together as *Mork & Mindy/Laverne & Shirley/Fonz Hour* (1982).

### Musicals

In the late 1990s, a touring arena show called *Happy Days: The Arena Spectacular* toured Australia's major cities. The story featured a property developer, and former girlfriend of Fonzie's, called Miss Frost (Rebecca Gibney), wanting to buy the diner and redevelop it. It starred Craig McLachlan as Fonzie, Max Gillies and Wendy Hughes as Mr. and Mrs. Cunningham, Doug Parkinson as Al, and Jo Beth Taylor as Richie's love interest Laura. Tom Bosley presented an introduction before each performance live on stage, and pop group Human Nature played a 1950s-style rock group.

Another stage show, *Happy Days: A New Musical,* began touring in 2008.

#### Music videos

*Happy Days* appeared on a music video for the song "Buddy Holly" by Weezer. Where they talked about Mary Tyler Moore who is an actress known for *The Dick Van Dyke Show* and who appeared as "Happy Hotpoint", a tiny elf dancing on Hotpoint appliances in TV commercials during the 1950s series *Ozzie & Harriet*, going with the line "Ooo Wee Ooo I look just like Buddy Holly, Oh Oh and you're Mary Tyler Moore".

1. ↑ Template:Cite newsTemplate:Dead link
2. ↑ Blansky's Beauties. *TV.com*.
3. ↑ Template:Cite news
4. ↑ Happy Days Episode Guide 1981 Season 8- R.C. and L.B. Forever, Episode 19. tvguide.com.
5. ↑ Happy Days Episodes- Happy Days Full Episode Guides from Season 11 on ABC. tvguide.com.
6. ↑ Template:Cite newsTemplate:Better source
7. ↑ Happy Days Episode Guide 1977 Season 4- Marion Rebels. tvguide.com.
8. ↑ Happy Days Episodes- Happy Days Full Episode Guides from Season 10 on ABC. tvguide.com.
9. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `Happy Days Actor Tom Bosley Dies`
10. ↑ Happy Days Episode- Happy Days Full Episode Guides from Season 10 on ABC. tvguide.com.
11. ↑ Happy Days Episode Guide 1983 Season 10- Turn Around...and You're Home. tvguide.com.
12. ↑ Template:Cite news
13. ↑ Template:Cite news
14. ↑ Template:Cite news
15. ↑ Happy Days Episodes Guide 1983 Season 11- Vocational Education, Episode 7. tvguide.com.
16. ↑ Abramson, Dan (June 17, 2010). The 13 Most Ridiculous Sitcom Mysteries Of All Time (PHOTOS). *huffingtonpost.com*.
17. ↑ Meet "Chuck," the lost brother from "Happy Days".
18. ↑ Happy Days Episode Guide 1978 Season 6 – The Magic Show, Episode 13. TVGuide.com.
19. ↑ Template:Cite news
20. ↑ Television Academy. *emmys.com*.
21. ↑ Charles Fox interview with EmmyTvLegends.org (posted to YouTube on June 16, 2015)
22. ↑ Who Killed the Fonz?.
23. ↑ "Happy Days" (1974). *Movie connections*. Imdb.com.
24. ↑ Template:Cite news
25. ↑ *Happy Days*: The Musical. nytheatre.com.
26. ↑ Template:Cite news