Aaaaay! The Fonz is back in Milwaukee to stay. After a local fund-raising campaign, a statue of the popular Happy Days character was unveiled today and many of the show’s stars were on hand to give the bronze figure a thumbs up.
As longtime TV fans know, the Happy Days sitcom was set in Milwaukee. The series ran for 11 seasons on ABC but never actually filmed in the Wisconsin city. Henry Winkler’s Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli began as a minor character but ultimately became the sitcom’s most recognizable figure.
The statue campaign began in 2007 as the brainchild of the city’s convention and visitors bureau, Visit Milwaukee, to help encourage tourism. The city needed to raise $85,000 to produce the statue. To help raise the money, the group sold “Bronze the Fonz” t-shirts, with $10 from each sale going to fund the project. Other local vendors also got into the act as well, selling items like “thumbs-up” shaped cookies and hot fudge sundaes (a Fonz favorite).
More about:
Happy Days,
Laverne & Shirley,
The Early Show
