Who Remembers the Time Fonzie Jumped the Shark?

(I'm looking for my Happy Days 👍 people.)

Nov 30, 2023

If you grew up in the 70s or had older siblings or parents who did, I’m guessing you know about, or have watched Happy Days - the American television sitcom that aired from 1974 to 1984 for a total of 11 seasons.

(You’re welcome; I’ve got that song in my head now, too.)

Happy Days was set in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during the 1950s and covered the lives of the middle-class Cunningham family - parents Howard & Marion and their kids Richie and Joanie - plus close friends like Potzie, Ralph Malph, Jenny Piccalo… and, of course, we can’t forget the Fonz. 👍

If the scenes weren’t in the Cunningham living room, they were at Arnold’s.

So, you can imagine the surprise viewers had when the entire Happy Days gang took off for Hollywood at the start of Season 5 for three special episodes. The Cunninghams in California? It just didn’t jive with the vibe of the show - it felt more like a ratings ploy than the storyline viewers we’re used to. The kicker came in the third episode when tough guy Fonzie took a dare from a California beach bully to get up on water skis and risk his life jumping over a shark.

While, yes… the macho move was on trend with Fonzie’s character, the California and shark storyline felt off-brand and weird to viewers. So strange, in fact, that it gave way to the pop culture expression “Jump the Shark.”

According to fluentslang.com:

“Jump the shark” is a term in pop culture that originated from the TV show “Happy Days” and is used to describe a decline in quality. It refers to the moment when a TV show or other product has reached its peak and starts to decline in quality.

And, wouldn’t you know it… Fonzie and his big shark jumping move also inspired What I’d Rather Be Talking About this week:

Our lives are kind of like TV Seasons… there are some seasons where all the episodes are good - life is great, we’re popular with others, and everyone’s happy and satisfied.

But then, inevitably, things start to slide a bit… we’ve got health/family/relationship/job/you name it concerns. We realize that we’ve got to make some changes to our storylines.

The trick is making the right tweaks so that our storylines change just enough to improve things but also allow us to remain true to our authentic selves.

I feel like I need to play the Happy Days theme again after dropping that bomb.

You feel me, though, right? Change is great, but it has to feel genuine - otherwise, we look and feel as ridiculous as the Fonz on waterskis. (And in a leather jacket.)

Stay true to yourself, friends.

Enjoy the goods I’ve got for you below.

👍,

Abbey

P.S. Thanks to my husband for reminding me of the shark episode and giving me the idea for this issue.

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watch

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eat

Plant-based party food recipes & a YouTube video that kind of feels like an 80s John Hughes movie, vegan chocolate chip cookies, gluten-free chocolate chip cookies, and how about some healthy peppermint bark?
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random (but applicable to the season)

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on a serious note

Sticking with the shark theme… sharks are dangerous. Right? I mean, just by playing the theme song below, we’re on high alert - watching out for an approaching fin.

Well, not being true to our true selves is almost as dangerous as a Great White. And we’re surrounded by Great Whites on social media, the internet, TV, and stores… tempting us with products and gadgets that may not be on brand with who we truly are.

So, this holiday season, stay on brand with you. After all, it’s the brand we’ve all signed up for and the one that gets the highest ratings.

✌️ and 👍,