History Characters / HappyDays

The initial {{Trope Namer|s}} for BreakoutCharacter, Fonzie is the famous [[TheCasanova casanova]] and motorcyclist who's admired for his badassery, namely his superhuman powers. He sometimes [[SmugSuper acts self-obsessed]], [[HiddenHeartOfGold but his heart is in the right place]]. His parents ran out on him, forcing him to leave with his grandmother until moving into the spare room above the Cunninghams'.

* WomenAreWiser: At least she's less judgmental than Howard and usually more reasonable. She is often shown to be more open-minded and respectful of her children's choices compared to Howard.

The cast and characters of ''Series/HappyDays''.

The main character of the series and the quintessential [[TheFifties 50s]] [[TheEveryman everyman]]. Richie is the second-eldest Cunningham child and son of Marion and Howard, and older brother of Joanie. His relationship with Lori Beth is a recurring series element beginning with Season 5. He was PutOnABus during Season 8, but came back in the final season.

* StandardFiftiesFather: Without a doubt, one of the greatest TV dads in history. He is a dependable, responsible, loving father in a sitcom set in the 50's.

* TheCutie: A sweet NaiveEverygirl with a [[TheFifties 50s]] schoolgirl fashion, a [[PerpetualSmiler vivacious smile]]; who giggles a lot and has a cheerful demeanor whenever in a good mood.

* DangerousSixteenthBirthday: At her Sweet Sixteen party, Joanie's original date, Tip Corrigan, cheated on her by bringing another girl to dance with him at Arnold's. Somewhat {{Downplayed}} in that she takes joy in dancing with her father instead, so it didn't turn out to a completely sucky birthday.

* GirlyGirlWithATomboyStreak: She's a [[LittleMissSnarker sassy]] [[HormoneAddledTeenager boy-crazy cheerleader]] initially part of a Girl Scout organization, [[GirlsLoveStuffedAnimals loves stuffed animals]], embodies the '50s schoolgirl fashion by wearing skirts (usually knee-length and plaid), a pink hair ribbon, ankle-length socks, and ballet flats, and [[SeeminglyWholesomeFiftiesGirl wants to be a bad girl when her parents aren't looking]]...but she's also [[HiddenDepths a good basketball player]] and a quick learner of jujitsu.

* SeeminglyWholesomeFiftiesGirl: She dresses in schoolgirl attire, has a lively {{perpetual smile|r}}, and is generally cheerful and bubbly...except she has an unhealthy obsession with {{hunk}}s, [[CorruptTheCutie is susceptible to risky behavior]] [[IJustWantToBeSpecial in the name of acceptance]], [[SmokingIsCool has smoked]], and will sneak out at night. She generally tries to do things she knows she's not supposed to do, behind her parents' backs, [[CantGetAwayWithNuthin which]] ([[DependingOnTheWriter usually]]) [[CantGetAwayWithNuthin doesn't end well]].

* AdvertisedExtra: After Richie and Ralph left, Potsie remains on the show but his screen time is greatly reduced because the writers struggled to find things for him to do. He rarely does anything relevant in an episode (he often appears in just one scene) and is entirely absent from several. Despite this, he's still in the opening credits, even in the last season where he only appears in 6 out of 22 episodes, not including the finale.

--> '''Joanie''': You really look scared, Richie.
--> '''Richie''': I am not. Don't be ridiculous. I just want to get home. I'm hungry.
--> '''Joanie''': You'll have a hard time eating with your heart in your throat, Richie.

--> '''Fonzie:''' What makes me think I'm so cool?
--> ''(hangs up the phone, which rings again a few seconds later)''
--> '''Fonzie:''' That's what makes me think I'm so cool.

The original owner of Arnold's (though his name isn't actually Arnold).

The original owner of Arnold's, for which the restaurant is named (though his name isn't actually Arnold).

!Main Characters [[note]]assembled by cast billing order from the first season, and subsquent additions are listed in the order that they were added to the opening credits.[[/note]]

--> '''Played By:''' Creator/RonHoward

--> '''Played by:''' Creator/MarionRoss

[[folder:Potsie Weber]]
!!Warren "Potsie" Weber
[[quoteright:191:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/download_9_6399.jpg]]
--> '''Played by:''' Creator/AnsonWilliams

One of Richie's best friends. His defining characteristic is his [[TheDitz stupidity]], though he makes up for it in [[HiddenDepths unexpected musical talent]].

* AdvertisedExtra: After Richie and Ralph left, Potsie remains on the show but his screen time is greatly reduced because the writers struggled to find things for him to do. He rarely does anything relevant in an episode (he often appears in just one scene) and is entirely absent from several. Despite this, he's still in the opening credits, even in the last season where he only appears in 6 out of 22 episodes, not including the finale.
* AlliterativeName: '''W'''arren '''W'''eber.
* TheArtifact: After Richie and Ralph left the show. Lampshaded in the episode where Arnold returns to the show.
--> '''Potsie:''' I'm still here!\\
'''Arnold:''' Why?
* ButtMonkey: Often on the receiving end of sarcastic wisecracks.
* CallingTheOldManOut: We never actually see Potsie do this on the show, but Potsie mentions at the end of "White Christmas" that he is going to finally have a decent talk with his father.
* CatchPhrase: Potsie used to say "Man oh man, you got it made in the shade" to Richie in the first two seasons. Lampshaded during a flashback episode to their sophomore year.
* ChildhoodFriends: With Richie, as evidenced by their close friendship in early episodes. Lampshaded a couple of times in later seasons. It's mentioned more than once (such as in "A Potsie is Born" ) that Richie and Potsie had been best friends since childhood, and it's shown in a flashback that they both met Ralph and Fonzie as teenagers.
* ComicallyMissingThePoint: Very often, such as when Ralph mentioned hitting when he thought Fonzie and Mrs. C were dating, he says, "I don't wanna hit Mrs. C!".
* CommutingOnABus: Look for Potsie throughout Season 8 episodes in a stream of completely random jobs, including as the announcer at a basketball game, the MC of an awards ceremony, and singing at a beauty pageant, before being hired as assistant manager of Howard's hardware store and pledge for the Leopard Lodge. In fact, anytime he appeared after that, it was almost always with Howard (much to the latter's frustration).
* TheDitz: He thinks that a pair of scissors is ''two'', for starters.
* EndearinglyDorky: Often considered a "nerd" by his peers for being gullible and socially clumsy. In one episode, after Joanie hears him singing a romantic song, she starts being attracted to him, ignoring the other people who think he's a "nerd". He also has a steady girlfriend for a while.
* EternallyPearlyWhiteTeeth: Shown in some of the episodes about he and Ralph living in their apartment that he is obsessed with keeping his teeth clean.
* FearlessFool: He claims to fear nothing on Richie's list of phobias in "Fearless Malph", as opposed to Ralph, who is terrified of every single item on the list.
%% * FourTemperamentEnsemble: Phlegmatic.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: In the later seasons, no one (especially Howard) ever seems to enjoy his company. It helps that his two close friends who genuinely like him (Richie and Ralph) are eventually PutOnABus, leaving him alone with other friends who tolerate him at best.
* GeniusDitz: Despite being TheDitz, Potsie's an excellent singer and was smart enough to study psychology in college.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Ralph. Originally with Richie, but as Fonzie became TheLancer, Richie and Potsie rarely ever had a one-on-one conversation again. In fact, the last thing Potsie ever says to Richie on the show is a complaint about how Richie's return from the Army is derailing his place on the gang's softball team.
* HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood: If Potsie's very bad relationship with his father wasn't played for laughs, you would think he was the victim of some severe emotional abuse.
* IHaveNoSon: He mentions in several episodes that his father doesn't like to tell people that his son even ''exists''.
* TheLancer: Was originally supposed to be this to Richie, before Fonzie becomes the show's BreakoutCharacter. In season 1, he was Richie's main sidekick in all their adventures, and he was more wordly and confident compared to the awkward and insecure Richie.
* LongRunnerCastTurnover: One of only four characters to appear in every season of the show. His appearances in the last two seasons really amount to nothing more than cameos and/or guest appearances, though.
* MyFriendsAndZoidberg: In one of the later episodes, when Fonzie is disappointed by the behavior of Chachi, Potsie, and Roger, he says that he was't expecting that from his friends and Potsie.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: The only one who ever refers to him as "Warren" is Marion (and, on occasion, Fonzie).
* OutOfFocus: Starting in Season 8, his appearances became much less frequent. There are episodes where he doesn't even have ''lines'' and only appears in crowd scenes or special occasions. His frequent absences in Seasons 9-11 can be chalked up to him attending college or watching over Mr. C's hardware store.
* TheThingThatWouldNotLeave: After Howard hires him to work at Cunningham Hardware. Potsie continues to follow him home even after Mr. C's constant reminders that their time spent together was over when the work day ended. Not that Potsie ever picks up on this.
* ThoseTwoGuys: Starting in Season 3, he and Ralph are seldom seen apart.
* TookALevelInDumbass: He was Richie's worldly confidant in early episodes, but gets dumber as the seasons go on. Since Fonzie replaced him as Richie's worldly confidant and closest friend, Potsie becomes "the dumb one" of Richie's group who is mostly used as a comic relief.
* TragicDropout: He drops out of college in "Potsie Quits School" when he cannot tolerate any more pressure from an abusive teacher. With the help of Fonzie, Potsie manages to convince his teacher (through song) that he can pass his biology test, and reenrolls back into the college.
%% * TrueCompanions: With Richie, Ralph, and Fonzie.
* TheUnfavorite: To his father, despite being an only child. His unseen father is very dismissive of him, and Potsie often mentions that his father always tries to avoid him.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: For the finale, at least. No explanation is given as to why one of the show's original main characters failed to make, at the very least, a guest appearance (Ralph didn't appear, either, but he was written off as having gone to optometry school). Anson Williams quit following the 1982-1983 season. He agreed to return for the "Welcome Home Richie" episodes, and completed a handful of others before his departure. For some reason, neither he nor Don Most was asked to return for the series finale.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Howard Cunningham]]
[[quoteright:249:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/download_6_9780.jpg]]
--> '''Played by:''' Creator/TomBosley

The father of Richie, Joanie, and Chuck and husband of Marion. He's known for being overprotective towards his daughter and getting into disputes with his wife, [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold but he's still a good person deep down]].
----

[[folder:The Fonz]]
!!Arthur "The Fonz/Fonzie" Fonzarelli
--> '''Played by:''' Creator/HenryWinkler
[[quoteright:201:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/download_4_1692.jpg]]

The initial {{Trope Namer|s}} for BreakoutCharacter, Fonzie is the famous [[TheCasanova casanova]] and motorcyclist who's admired for his badassery, namely his superhuman powers. He sometimes [[SmugSuper acts self-obsessed]], [[HiddenHeartOfGold but his heart is in the right place]]. His parents ran out on him, forcing him to leave with his grandmother until moving into the spare room above the Cunninghams'.

* AccidentalMarriage: With Jenny Piccalo in "Bride and Gloom." Later, it turns out the marriage was not really valid.
* TheAce: Turns into this around Season 5, with the uncanny ability to come out on top at just about ''anything'' from water-skiing to dueling. Quite an accomplishment for a high school dropout mechanic. Although, he was always an Ace at repair work.
%% * BadassAndChildDuo: With Spike and in the finale, his adopted son, Danny.
* BadassBiker: A family-friendly version; as his role was increased, his badassitude morphed from traditional "tough guy" to near-super-powered nice guy.
* BadassBoast: '''Fonzie:''' Hey, it's not the uniform, it's the man ''in'' the uniform and remember, the man in this uniform ''can break your face!''
* {{Badbutt}}: Especially during Season Four and beyond. He is tough, a daredevil and has a punk vibe but he doesn't swear, smoke or do much fighting. Explained in universe as him being kind of above those things. He does occasionally drink, though.
* BerserkButton: Fonzie is the epitome of cool but he has his triggers.
** Wanna find out what happens when you mess with his ride? [[TooDumbToLive It's your funeral.]]
** Calling The Fonz "Arthur" has been known to set him off every now and then. Unless it's Mrs. C of course.
** Also, touching either his jacket (although some of the girls he dates can get away with that) or his hair.
** Telling him to “Sit on it” is a good way to make him angry. Again, Mrs. C is the only one who can get away with it.
* BigBrotherMentor: To Richie, Potsie and Ralph. While not their actual brother, he is willing to advise and teach them, acting as the wiser, more experienced friend. Later he also becomes this to Chachi, even though they're cousins. The cousins grow especially close in the last seasons, with Fonzie serving as Chachi's best man for his and Joanie's wedding.
* BigDamnHeroes: His specialty. If Richie or Joanie is in trouble, Fonzie will always burst in to save the day. He's done this for Potsie, Ralph, and Chachi on occasion as well.
* TheBigGuy: The strongest member of the cast.
%% * BornLucky: Downplayed, but he's very lucky.
* BreakoutCharacter: Fonzie's probably the most famous example of this trope, which was even originally ''named'' "The Fonz." He started out as a recurring character who'd usually only be seen on his motorcycle. As a matter of fact, he wasn't even featured in the opening credits sequence until the second season, and had only one episode focused on him in season 1. But his sudden explosive popularity promoted him to the main cast, and he usually overshadows Richie in series association despite the latter being billed first.
* TheCasanova: The guy can ''snap his fingers'' and women will run up and make out with him!
* CatchPhrase:
** "Ayyyyyyyyyy!!!!!"
** "Sit on it!" [[note]] Also used by Richie, Ralph, Potsie, Marion, Joanie, and sometimes Howard [[/note]]
** "Whoa!"
** "Correctamundo."
** "What are you, nutso?!"
* CharacterDevelopment: Starting in Season 3, he has done things like become more educated and stopped being sexist.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Wore a beige windbreaker instead of his trademark leather jacket for the earlier episodes, because the network was convinced that his leather jacket would make people think he was a hoodlum.
* TheCharmer: Many women The Fonz has dated, he treats them all with respect.
* ChickMagnet: He can pick up women at the drop of a hat, usually thanks to a high level of confidence. One good example is when he starts to romance an airport ticket agent over the phone:
--> '''Fonzie:''' What makes me think I'm so cool?
--> ''(hangs up the phone, which rings again a few seconds later)''
--> '''Fonzie:''' That's what makes me think I'm so cool.
* CoolBike: According to The Fonz himself, his bike is what made him cool. So he's reasonably pissed when Ralph accidentally wrecks it...
* CoolTeacher: In Season 8, he becomes the new teacher of auto mechanics at Jefferson High School.
%% * DeadpanSnarker: The show would not be the same without his smug one-liners. <-- An example being?
* DisappearedDad: His father ran out on him when he was only four.
* DoesNotLikeSpam: He dislikes liver and raisins.
* TheDreaded: Fonzie has an extremely formidable reputation as a fighter, so much so that opponents who are larger and stronger, or have him outnumbered, won't try to fight him. As Fonzie himself has observed, he very rarely fights because the other guy always backs down. If the other guy isn't smart enough to back down, Fonzie ''will'' deliver a beatdown, both to send a message and preserve his reputation.
* EmbarrassingFirstName: Arthur. With the exception of Marion, Fonzie doesn't let ''anyone'' call him that.
* EmbarrassingMiddleName: Herbert, which embarrasses him in "Fonzie's Baptism".
* EmotionallyTongueTied: When Fonzie tries to admit to Richie that he was wrong, it comes out "I was wr-rr—-rr—- I was wrrr—-rr ... I was not exactly right." He also has difficulty saying he's sorry.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: While it's the Fonz's second scene in the first episode, he does set an example of just how he is The Ace by unhooking a bra in a single finger snap. Then goes to the mirror to guzzy himself up, only to realize that he's already perfect and then leaves. All while not saying a word.
* {{Expy}}: According to Winkler, he based The Fonz off his ''Film/TheLordsOfFlatbush'' co-star Creator/SylvesterStallone.
* FailuresOnIce: He does not know how to roller-skate, which embarrasses him as the children do.
* FakeGuestStar: In season 1, he appears in every episode, despite being listed as a guest star and not being in the opening.
* FingerTwitchingRevival: When he is frozen by Mork, he comes back by first wiggling his thumb.
* {{Flanderization}}: His superhuman power, from Season 5-onwards, as a result of his character evolving into TheAce.
%% * FourPhilosophyEnsemble: The Realist.

* TheFriendsWhoNeverHang:
--> '''Fonzie:''' Hey, Potsie! How long has it been since we hung out together?
--> '''Potsie:''' Five years.
--> '''Fonzie:''' Let's make a deal that we meet every five years, alright?
* FriendToAllChildren: One surefire way to bring out Fonzie's soft side is to put a kid in his care. In the episode where Fonzie and the guys try to join Howard's Shriners club, Fonzie is vocal about how he doesn't want to be in the club, until he sees the charity work they do for children.
* GaggingOnYourWords: He is physically incapable of saying that he's wrong.
* GirlOfTheWeek: He's often seen with a different girl every episode, and it's implied that he typically has more than one date per night.
* GreaseMonkey: Works as a mechanic, and later becomes the auto-shop teacher at Jefferson High School.
* GreaserDelinquents: Arguably the most iconic television example. Fonzie displayed about every stereotype in the book: wore a black leather jacket and blue jeans, drove a motorcycle, had slicked-back hair, and was part of a gang.
* HeelFaceTurn: Revealed in "Our Gang" via flashback sequences that he used to be part of a gang, before Richie convinced him that he didn't need gangs to show he was cool.
* HellBentForLeather: From Season 2-on, except for a few notable occasions, he is ''never'' seen without his leather jacket.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Richie. Although he's friends with Ralph and Potsie, Richie is the one he pals around with most.
* HiddenHeartOfGold: Though very protective of it in earlier seasons, he slowly opens up to most of his friends.
* HonorBeforeReason: "The Fonzarelli Code." Despite his exterior, he's a very honorable and morally upstanding individual.
* IconicItem: His leather jacket. It's such an important part of his character that he may not be recognizable from a first glance without it.
* InformedAbility: Fonzie has a reputation as a great fighter that makes him TheDreaded to everyone who has heard of him, but he himself [[LampshadeHanging points out that Richie has never actually seen him in a fight]], and neither do the viewers.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He originally dates young women for their looks, is generally sarcastic and wisecracking, full of himself and can be quite narcissistic but his heart of gold grows more as the series goes on. He does stand up for what is right, he does care about his friends, he respects women mainly because his grandmother took him in and raised him, and is called "the king of cool" for a reason. He becomes nicer through CharacterDevelopment, as his kindness becomes more evident, and he has a very strong moral compass.
* TheKnightsWhoSaySquee: It's mentioned repeatedly that Fonzie's hero is Franchise/TheLoneRanger. Naturally, when John Hart himself (in full costume naturally) visits the show, the Fonz is thrilled.
* LadykillerInLove: Despite being a womanizer, he falls in love with Pinky Tuscadero in Season 4. Later, in season 10, he also has a steady relationship with Ashley Pfister. In both cases, he considers the idea of getting engaged.
* TheLancer: You could not find a better example. He's the exact opposite of the clean-cut, all-American Richie Cunningham. But after Richie left, he became TheHero.
* LargeHam: After Season 2, he became hammy, gesturing a lot and shouting.
* LastNameBasis: Refers to most of his friends this way (by their last names).
* LikesOlderWomen: On occasion, especially in "Fonzie's Old Lady", he has dated women older than him.
* LimitedWardrobe: Even at a costume party, he wore his normal clothes but ripped his T-shirt.
* LongRunnerCastTurnover: One of only four characters to remain on the show for its entire run. And, along with Howard, the only other character to appear in every episode.
* MadeOfIron: He can punch through doors, ram his head into a concrete wall unscathed, and ''bend iron''.
* MasterOfDisguise: Goes undercover in a few episodes, such as "Fonzie's Funeral", where he has to pretend to be his ''mother'' to trick The Candyman.
* MissingMom: His mom seems to be this, though the circumstances aren't quite clear. One episode is centered around him encountering a woman he believes is his mother. The woman manages to convince him that she's not, but after he leaves, the audience sees her look at a picture of Fonzie as a baby and sigh.
* MrFixit: Let it be known that he's the best at fixing cars (if not, [[BadassBoast he'll tell you]]).
* MusclesAreMeaningless: Can take on goons who are a foot taller or even twice as muscular.
* NewPowersAsThePlotDemands: Over time, he started to gain superhuman abilities, such as a definitive knowledge of martial arts, fencing, and even shark-jumping!
* TheNicknamer: Refers to Richie as "Red" and Joanie as "Shortcake"
* NobodyTouchesTheHair: He ''never'' lets anyone mess with his hair.
* NoIndoorVoice: From Season 2 on, he had quite a loud voice.
* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: He's from Milwaukee, but usually talks with a New York accent.
* OneManArmy: The Fonz is a one man demolition squad that requires no backup in a fight. He's taken out thugs and gangsters single-handedly.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: ''No one'' calls Fonzie "Arthur" except Marion. ''No one.''
* ParentalAbandonment: Both his parents ran out on him, forcing Fonzie to leave with his grandmother until moving in to the spare room above the Cunninghams'.
* ParentalSubstitute: For Chachi. Chachi's father passed away when he was a kid and Fonzie stepped up as a father figure.
* ParodySue: Propably the TropeCodifier for these types of characters. He's such a badass, cool guy that he literally has superhuman powers, and such a ChickMagnet that he only needs to snap his fingers and gorgeous girls will come up to him instantly.
* PercussiveMaintenance: The [[Administrivia/NamingATrope Former]] {{Trope Namer|s}} for this ability. He can fix many things by hitting them, known as the "Fonz Touch" or "Fonzie Bang".
* ThePornomancer: The TV UrExample. He has a very active sex life and he always scores with all the girls he wants.
* PromotionToOpeningTitles: In Season 2, to reflect on his growing popularity with audiences.
* TheQuietOne: In the first two seasons (mainly the first), with an all-time low of six lines in the pilot. By Season 3, this trope no longer applies to him.
* ReallyGetsAround: He's known to have at least two dates every night (and that's on a slow day). From the sheer number of times Richie has come upstairs to find The Fonz with a girl, it's likely he takes a good number of them home afterwards.
* TheReliableOne: The entire Cunningham family gradually grows to trust him. This includes dispensing advice, keeping secrets, and generally treating him like a member of the family.
* RenaissanceMan: Knowledgeable on a wide variety of mechanical, social, and athletic abilities.
* RuleOfCool: The Fonz abides by this law. He can channel this trope through his fist and into a jukebox to activate it to impress chicks.
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: Manly Man to Richie's Sensitive Guy. Richie is shown to be quite a bit of a nerd and awkward around girls, while the Fonz is a badass motorcyclist with superhuman strength, a [[TheCasanova casanova]], and gets physically aggressive with anybody who ''dare'' oppress his confidence.
* SexyManInstantHarem: He can get a whole herd of woman to flock to his side by simply snapping his fingers. An Outtake showed the guys of the show mocking this characteristic by going in place of the girls after the finger snap. Well, we are talking about the Flanderized Fonzie; before this, he was just a mechanic who scored the lowest female trash in Milwaukee.
* ShowStopper: Starting Season 3, whenever he first appeared in an episode, the audience would break out into applause.
* SmugSuper: Dishes out a BadassBoast every now and then.
* SpotlightStealingSquad: And it bugged the hell out of Henry Winkler, who hated how a show based around the Cunningham family had morphed into all-Fonz, all the time.
%% * StreetSmart: More so than Richie, Potsie, and Ralph, which is why he is often there to give them advice. <-- That doesn't explain how Fonzie is StreetSmart.
* TemporaryBlindness: He is victim to this, in tremendously ham-fisted fashion, especially when Richie dismantles his motorcycle to force him to rebuild it while blind.
* ThirdPersonPerson: "The Fonz" sometimes resorts to this.
* TookALevelInKindness: Starts opening up more to those around him, and by the series finale, has progressed from high school dropout to family man.
* TroubledButCute: Token "bad boy" of the show and ChickMagnet. Of course, he becomes less and less "bad" and troubled as time went on, due to the writers twigging to the fact that he was becoming a role model.
%% * TrueCompanions: With Richie, Ralph, and Potsie.
* TwoTimerDate: He and Roger (unknowingly) with the same girl in "The Other Guy."
* UnderNewManagement: He and Al become co-owners of "The New Arnold's" in Season 7.
* UseYourHead: "Hot Stuff", the episode where Arnold's catches fire has Fonzie trying to break out of the men's room (where he, Potsie, and Ralph are trapped) via this method. It doesn't work.
--> Potsie: Hey, look, there's an outside wall! I wonder what it's made of?
--> Fonzie: Concrete. (passes out)
* VitriolicBestBuds: With Ralph and Potsie. He sometimes acts frustrated with their dimness, but they're still friends.
* WasTooHardOnHim:
** When you get Fonzie angry at you, you'll really regret it as he tends to really be rough on you. Chachi found that out first hand when, working at Arnold's, his failure to turn off the grill and caused a fire (while he, Potsie and Ralph were trapped in the bathroom), and Fonzie is really angry when he finds out who was responsible. Granted, the fire could have killed them all, but Chachi was deeply remorseful and sorry for his lack of attention to his duties and that his carelessness caused a fire, something Fonzie rejected to say the least. Mr. C and Richie both call Fonzie out on this.
** A few years later, when Roger's cousin, Flip, causes an accident while he and his buddies were drinking and driving – his girlfriend Ashley's daughter, Heather, was badly hurt, Fonzie really flips on Flip. Ashley (and Mr. C once again) tell Fonzie to lay off and that Flip had in their judgment taken responsibility.
* WeaksauceWeakness: Cannot stand liver, won't eat it, won't let anyone put it on his plate, cannot look at it, and will leave the room to get away from it. It's not really a weakness, but [[ParodiedTrope he treats it like one]].
* WiseBeyondTheirYears: "I'm ahead of my time, Cunningham."

[[folder:Ralph Malph]]
[[quoteright:191:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/download_12_3048.jpg]]
--> '''Played by:''' Creator/DonnyMost

One of Richie's friends who's defining trait is being the FunPersonified [[PluckyComicRelief jokester]].

%% * AmbiguouslyJewish: [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] since Most is Jewish in real life. <-- That doesn't give insight as to how his character might be Jewish.
* TheBusCameBack: In one episode of the last season, he returned after being in the military.
%% * ButtMonkey: Not as much as Potsie but he can sometimes be the butt of the jokes. <-- How so?
* CasanovaWannabe: In earlier seasons, his girl-chasing was the primary focus of his character. He would occasionally get dates but generally he was not very successful at it.
* CatchPhrase: "I still got it!"
* ClassClown: The pratical joker of the group. He often tries to be the center of attention with his jokes.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: He's quite goofy and eccentric, liking to tell jokes and having lapses in judgement, although he is less of a ditz than Potsie.
%% * ComicallyMissingThePoint: Sometimes he misses the point just like Potsie does.
* CowardlyLion: In the later seasons, he was easily frightened, but would still stick by his friends when needed.
* TheDitz: Not as dim as Potsie, but still not very bright. Ralph often calls Potsie out on his dumb ideas, but he himself has dumb ideas sometimes.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Early on, Ralph was considerably "cooler" than Richie and Ralph. Around the time Fonzie's popular really started to take off, Ralph was demoted to being as nerdy as Richie and Ralph.
* FakeGuestStar: In season 1, he appears in every episode, despite being listed as a guest star and not being in the opening.
* FieryRedhead: Not angry (usually), but very energetic. He is the most brash and outspoken in his trio of friends and has red hair.
* {{Flanderization}}: His cowardice and fondness for telling jokes were upped starting Season 3, along with his cowardice in more outlandish episodes following the shark jump.
* FourTemperamentEnsemble: Sanguine. He's always in a humorous mood even when the situation is serious.
* FunPersonified: He usually has two things on his mind: girls and jokes, though not always in that order.
%% * HeCleansUpNicely: In "Marion: Fairy Godmother" for his date with Leather Tuscadero.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Potsie. Despite Ralph telling Potsie off for being "a Potsie", they're good pals, to the point where they briefly live in the same apartment room at a later point in the series.
* LargeHam: Becomes this around Season 4 as a result of his {{flanderization}}, becoming more dramatic and prone to overeact in most situations.
* LethalChef: When Richie, Potsie and Ralph move out of home to share an apartment, we learn Ralph uses lighter fluid to ignite his cherries jubilee.
* LovableCoward: Starts to become a bit scaredy in Season 3, taken to extremes in later episodes. While Potsie claims to fear nothing on Richie's list of phobias in "Fearless Malph", Ralph is terrified of every single item on the list.
%% * OddCouple: The Oscar to Potsie's Felix as roommates in their apartment.
* PluckyComicRelief: He clearly wants to be this, since he fancies himself a great comedian and is known for his jokes.
* PungeonMaster: Often saying "I still got it!" after he makes a pun.
* ThePrankster: He likes pranks, often pranking the waitresses.
* PromotionToOpeningTitles: In Season 2, Donny Most was credited as part of the main cast after being credited only as a guest star previously.
* PutOnABus: Along with Richie during Season 8, due to being stationed to serve the country via war in Greenland.
* RepetitiveName: R'''alph''' M'''alph'''.
* ThoseTwoGuys: With Potsie, they are Richie's hangers-on.
%% * TrueCompanions: With Richie, Potsie, and Fonzie.
* WrittenInAbsence: Ralph's absence from the finale was explained earlier in the same season that he had left to attend optometry school.

[[folder:Joanie Cunningham]]
!!Joanie Louise Cunningham-Arcola
[[quoteright:175:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/download_8_2441.jpg]]
--> '''Played by:''' Creator/ErinMoran

Richie's little sister and the only daughter of Marion and Howard Cunningham. Joanie is a [[BrattyTeenageDaughter typical]] [[HormoneAddledTeenager teenage]] [[PhoneaholicTeenager girl]] whose defining trait is being [[JustAKid treated like a child]] not just by her family, but by everyone else. This is a great annoyance of Joanie and often leads her to rebel to show that she's more mature than given credit for. Despite her [[LittleMissSnarker snarky attitude]], she's still a NiceGirl. Her relationship with Chachi becomes a major plot theme once they start dating near the end of Season 7, [[spoiler: and they end up getting married in the series finale]].

* AesopAmnesia: All too often Joanie would return to her rebellious ways after her parents had shown her she CantGetAwayWithNuthin. The same girl who quit smoking and realized she didn't need to gain popularity among a clique she has nothing in common with later tries to buy a car behind her mom and dad's backs.
* AffectionateNickname:
** "Shortcake" from Fonzie and Arnold.
** Jenny Piccalo would call her "Joanes".
** Chachi would call her "Blue Eyes".
* AnnoyingYoungerSibling: In the early seasons, Richie found her annoying. If Richie is trying to keep literally anything from his parents for whatever reason, no matter what it is, expect Joanie to have conveniently "heard it from a friend" and blurt it out to Howard and Marion against his wishes.
* AscendedExtra: In the first two seasons, she was mostly a minor character with [[SatelliteCharacter little purpose than to act as an annoying "kid sister" to Richie]]. Her actress wasn't even billed in the opening credits and she only had one episode focused on her ("Not With My Sister You Don't" from Season 2). Beginning with Season 3, Erin Moran is billed in the opening sequence (a spinning record of Joanie in the spotlight is even displayed before the actors' billing every season[[note]]except for 10, when Moran had temporarily left the show to star in the spinoff with Chachi[[/note]]), and Joanie's role as a BrattyTeenageDaughter and HormoneAddledTeenager are established as she gains more centric roles. She became a main character after Richie left in Season 8, and (along with Chachi) essentially was the secondary focus after Fonzie by then.
* BrattyTeenageDaughter: In accordance with becoming a teenager in the third season, Joanie begins to exhibit a talk-backy attitude against her parents when they start becoming overprotective of her, often rebelling against their wishes when she doesn't get her way. This mostly disappeared when she started dating Chachi, as she became more mature as a result of her parents giving her more freedom, though it'd still pop up from time to time (see "Joanie Gets Wheels").
* TheBusCameBack: She returns to the show in Season 11 after having been PutOnABus for the last season for the spinoff with Chachi (having moved to Chicago then), [[spoiler:with her main purpose being to propose to Chachi]].
* ButtMonkey: The amount of times Joanie has been [[GoToYourRoom sent upstairs to her room]] and [[JustAKid treated like a kid]] requires more than two hands to count.
* CantGetAwayWithNuthin: If Joanie was ever going to defy her parents wishes, expect them to find out sooner or later.
** In "Joanie Gets Wheels", after Mr. and Mrs. C tell her she's not allowed to have her own car, she relies on Chachi's automobile to provide her transportation, the reason being she's tired of being a pedestrian on dates, and at first successfully hides herself below the window when her parents are spotted in town, but once Joanie gets a job as a movie theater ticket lady and hides below the booth so Howard and Marion won't see her, they know it's her once they recognize the lady's hand on the counter, and come to the right conclusion that Joanie was trying to earn enough money to buy her own car. When Fonzie loans a car from his garage shop to Joanie and it seems as though Joanie is about to be punished for going against her parents' wishes, Howard actually chews the Fonz out for parking his cars in their driveway for the umpteenth time, only for Joanie to confess that she was being loaned the car and that Fonzie is covering up for her, not the other way around like Howard assumes. This shows that even Joanie knew she wouldn't get away with having a car behind her parents' back.
** This was actually subverted in some episodes, with one example being "Joanie Busts Out" when Joanie gets away with traveling to New York to apply for a modeling audition in which nudes are specialized, without her parents finding out at the end when she's back home. Made all the more shocking by the fact that Joanie is only 17 in this episode, three years away from the then-age of majority.
* ChildhoodFriends: She is stated by her dad to have known Jenny Piccalo ever since she was six years old in "Just a Piccalo".
* CuteBruiser: Despite her [[TheCutie cute]] and feminine NaiveEverygirl demeanor, she is willing to talk tough or defend herself against any guy that tries to make a false move, and is shown to be a fast learner at jujitsu.
* TheCutie: A sweet NaiveEverygirl with a [[TheFifties 50s]] schoolgirl fashion, a [[PerpetualSmiler vivacious smile]]; who giggles a lot and has a cheerful demeanor whenever in a good mood.
** Sometimes when Fonzie interacted with her, he'd often make remarks about how cute she is. He once said he'd never reject a dance from Joanie since she's "cute as a button".
** Joanie seems to think of herself as this. When Richie reconciles with her after her [[TheRunaway runaway from home]], he gives a detailed enlistment of Joanie's advantages to cheer her up, during which Joanie adds "And I'm cute?", implying she anticipated Richie to say something about her cuteness.
* DangerousSixteenthBirthday: At her Sweet Sixteen party, Joanie's original date, Tip Corrigan, cheated on her by bringing another girl to dance with him at Arnold's. Somewhat {{Downplayed}} in that she takes joy in dancing with her father instead, so it didn't turn out to a completely sucky birthday.
* DaddysGirl: Sometimes her father is protective of her.
** When Marion prepares to give Joanie [[TheTalk her first sex talk]], he advises her not to go into detail on account of Joanie's young ears.
** They share the side-plot of "White Christmas" together when a blockage of snow preventing them from exiting the Family Hardware store forces them to bond until the issue is resolved.
* DeadpanSnarker: Of the LittleMissSnarker variety, especially in early seasons. Joanie couldn't resist making condescending remarks to Richie.
--> '''Joanie''': You really look scared, Richie.
--> '''Richie''': I am not. Don't be ridiculous. I just want to get home. I'm hungry.
--> '''Joanie''': You'll have a hard time eating with your heart in your throat, Richie.
* DefrostingIceQueen: Initially [[AllLoveIsUnrequited rejecting]] of Chachi's crush on her and [[JustAKid brushing him off as a little kid]], she becomes nicer to him around season 7 when the two start dating.
%% * DiagonalBilling: With Scott Baio for their Season 10 guest appearances.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Joanie's very first line has her remark about Richie having "stinky stuff in his hair" (his hair gel), setting up her LittleMissSnarker role.
* FakeGuestStar: Appears in most episodes of season 1 and 2, despite being listed as a guest star.
* FinalSeasonCasting: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] because Moran ''returned'' to ''Happy Days'' for its final season.
* FirstKiss: A whole episode centers around this special moment. Another one happened with Chachi so that the pair could become an OfficialCouple.
* FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling: The Foolish to Richie's Responsible. Joanie would very frequently snark at her brother and [[TheStoolPigeon squeal on him]], creating an imbalance in power between them. Richie babysits her whenever their parents are gone [[OnlySaneMan and has to keep Joanie in line]]. This is especially evident in the mid-seasons, where Joanie is a slightly rebellious teenager who hangs out with [[ToxicFriendInfluence Jenny]].
%% * FourTemperamentEnsemble: Choleric.
* GirlsLoveStuffedAnimals: Joanie is seen [[SecurityBlanket sleeping with a panda plush]] when Marion walks in her room to give her TheTalk, and she still keeps her stuffed animals decoratively in her room at the age of 16.
* GirlyGirlWithATomboyStreak: She's a [[LittleMissSnarker sassy]] [[HormoneAddledTeenager boy-crazy cheerleader]] initially part of a Girl Scout organization, [[GirlsLoveStuffedAnimals loves stuffed animals]], embodies the '50s schoolgirl fashion by wearing skirts (usually knee-length and plaid), a pink hair ribbon, ankle-length socks, and ballet flats, and [[SeeminglyWholesomeFiftiesGirl wants to be a bad girl when her parents aren't looking]]...but she's also [[HiddenDepths a good basketball player]] and a quick learner of jujitsu.
%% * TheHeart: In later seasons, after her brother left, she takes this role.
* HasAType: A running gag in mid-seasons had Joanie develop an obsession with "{{hunk}}s", calling any attractive boys she came into contact with by the name. It got to the point where she wanted one for Christmas.
* HiddenDepths:
** She's good at basketball, even proclaiming "I don't want to be a baton twirler. I'm gonna be a basketball player!" when she successfully lands the ball in the hoop after abandoning her baton in "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner".
** She's also skilled in hula hooping, as the mid-season intros show her doing in the spinning record.
* HormoneAddledTeenager: In the mid-seasons, she became ''extremely'' boy-crazy, having numerous different boyfriends within a short episode gap and referring to boys as "hunks". This was no doubt as a result of Jenny's influence. Dropped when she began dating Chachi.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Initially rejects Chachi because she views him as a little kid, when Joanie herself [[JustAKid gets this treatment]] by everyone all the time.
* InnocentBlueEyes: Light blue eyes at that, which along with her YouthfulFreckles, made her the childlike kid sister character she was initially written as. It's also where Chachi got his nickname for her.
* JustAKid: For several years, Joanie was best defined by her persistent coddling by Howard and Marion, which lead her to protest their treatment. They would often [[GoToYourRoom send her to her room]] to keep her from being exposed to things her young ears couldn't handle. She would also be referred to as a "kid" or "child" by her brother Richie and most of the other characters as well (sans Chachi).
* KiddieKid: This was played straight in the first two seasons, where Joanie was naive to sex, curiously eavesdropping on Richie's makeout sessions with his girlfriends, and [[GirlsLoveStuffedAnimals still slept with an animal plush]] and was in a Girl Scout-type organization called the "Junior Chipmunks" when she was 12 years old. It became defied by Season 3 when she was striving to be treated like a normal teenager, [[JustAKid though most of the characters would still insinuate that she's too immature to be treated her age]]. However it'd still pop up every now and then even when she was growing up as a teen, usually in a throwaway sense, like with Joanie randomly interrupting the court meeting on Inspiration Point's demolition with her cheerleading in "They're Destroying Inspiration Point".
%% * LightFeminineAndDarkFeminine: The Light to Jenny's Dark.
* LittleMissSnarker: Richie's little sister who makes sassy comments behind his back whenever she's jealous of him.
* MsFanservice: Combined with ShesAllGrownUp. As Joannie got older, the show didn't miss opportunities to show off her fabulous legs with short skirts and leggings.
* NaiveEverygirl: She still has a vague understanding of where babies come from at the age of twelve, and [[CorruptTheCutie she became a boy-crazy and rebellious teenager as a result of hanging with Jenny too much]]. She also [[SmokingIsCool smoked cigarettes in one episode when she was only 16, just to fit in with a clique of popular girls known as the Magnets]].
* NiceGirl: Despite being feisty and rebellious, Joanie still has a good heart which she always exhibits to her brother and parents, and is generally friendly when meeting new people.
* OfficialCouple: She and Chachi begin dating after having their first kiss when they're left home alone at the Cunninghams' house, forced to look after some annoying kids who interrupt each opportunity they have beforehand. [[spoiler: They're officially wife and husband at the end of the series]].
* OlderThanTheyLook: At the start of the series, she's twelve years old (Moran having been going on 14), but one couldn't be blamed for mistaking her to be nine or ten, as she barely reached her parents' shoulders and had quite the fresh face.
* PerpetualSmiler: A lot of her scenes at the dinner table or family couch show her with a cheerful smile on her face. It's of great emphasis in the intro when the spinning record preceding the cast billing, and her actress' credit, show with her with a vivacious teeth-grinning smile, perfectly demonstrating that she's a NiceGirl behind her [[LittleMissSnarker sass]][[BrattyTeenageDaughter iness]].
* PhoneaholicTeenager: A rare example long before cellphones were even invented. Joanie would very often chat on the house phone with her best friend Jenny Piccalo or her crushes. She'd sometimes even take it up to her room, evidenced in "Sweet Sixteen" when Richie finds it in there after dragging the telephone cord.
* PrecociousCrush: On Potsie, in the episode "They Call it Potsie Love" in season 3. She grows out of it, to the point that in one episode of the final seasons, she even states he is [[InformedDeformity repulsive]].
* PromotionToOpeningTitles: In season 3, Erin Moran finally went from a guest star to a credited member of the main cast.
* PutOnABus: She leaves the show in Season 10 to move to Chicago for the spinoff show, ''Joanie Loves Chachi''.
* RelationshipUpgrade: She and Chachi go out on their first date near the end of Season 7.
* SeeminglyWholesomeFiftiesGirl: She dresses in schoolgirl attire, has a lively {{perpetual smile|r}}, and is generally cheerful and bubbly...except she has an unhealthy obsession with {{hunk}}s, [[CorruptTheCutie is susceptible to risky behavior]] [[IJustWantToBeSpecial in the name of acceptance]], [[SmokingIsCool has smoked]], and will sneak out at night. She generally tries to do things she knows she's not supposed to do, behind her parents' backs, [[CantGetAwayWithNuthin which]] ([[DependingOnTheWriter usually]]) [[CantGetAwayWithNuthin doesn't end well]].
%% * ShesAllGrownUp: Even lampshaded in the opening sequence of the final season.
* StillSucksThumb: According to Marion, she sucks her thumb when unhappy.
* TheTalk: She sort of has one in "Not With My Sister You Don't" when Marion tries to explain to her how to fend off any unwanted advances from her date Spike, Fonzie's cousin. At first she doesn't understand what the talk is meant to imply, only to then exclaim that it's her sex talk, without Marion even having to go into detail.
* YouthfulFreckles: In the first 3 seasons, she's a NaiveEverygirl and KiddieKid with freckles all over her face to showcase her ingenuity.

[[folder:Al Delvecchio]]
!!Alfred "Al" Delvecchio
--> '''Played by:''' Creator/AlMolinaro

* BackForTheFinale: He comes back in three episodes of the last season, including the finale.
%%* BadLiar
* CatchPhrase: "Yeeppp, yep, yep, yep, yep, yep..." whenever he was disappointed or things did not go his way.
%% * DumbMuscle: For Fonzie's gangster character in "The Roaring Twenties."
* ExtremeDoormat: He can rarely ever say "no" to anything.
%% * FourTemperamentEnsemble: Melancholic
%% * FourthDateMarriage: With Chachi's mother in "Love and Marriage."
* IconicSequelCharacter: One of the main characters after whom the main hangout is even named, but he doesn't appear until season 4.
%% * TheIgor: As part of Fonzie's dream in "Welcome to My Nightmare."
%%* NiceGuy
* PromotionToOpeningTitles: In Season 6, he's now included in the intro cast billing.
* PutOnABus: During Season 10, he disappeared for the spinoff show, ''Joanie Loves Chachi''.
%% * SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: To Arnold, former owner of the drive-in.
* TeamDad: He would sometimes give fatherly advice to Chachi and Richie in their times of crisis.
* UnderNewManagement: He and Fonzie become co-owners of "The New Arnold's" in Season 7.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Chachi Arcola]]
!!Charles "Chachi" Arcola
[[quoteright:185:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/download_11_7637.jpg]]
--> '''Played by:''' Creator/ScottBaio

* AbhorrentAdmirer: Until the end of Season 7, Joanie would be repulsed by Chachi's attempts to impress her and disgusted by him hitting on her, responding to his attempts with [[DeadpanSnarker a snarky rejection]].
* AscendedExtra: Starts out as a recurring character in season 5, becomes a regular in season 6, and by the time Richie is PutOnABus (season 8), he's pretty much the {{Deuteragonist}}.
%%* BadLiar
* TheBusCameBack: In the last season, he returned to [[spoiler:marry Joanie.]]
%% * TheCasanova: According to Fonzie, it runs in the family.
* CatchPhrase: "Wa, wa, wa." Dropped as he grew up.
* ChickMagnet: Not so much when he was younger, but becomes more attractive to girls when he grows up. Even Joanie, after rejecting him for a few years, eventually considers the idea of dating him and admits that she knows that many girls find him attractive and several of Joanie's friends find him cute.
%% * DeadpanSnarker: On occasion, usually when he is irritated with someone/something.
%% * DiagonalBilling: With Erin Moran for their Season 10 guest appearances.
* DoggedNiceGuy: Towards Joanie in the beginning. He constantly follows her trying to make her change her mind about him, despite her initial rejection.
* DropInCharacter: Before he and Joanie start dating, he often shows up unannounced at Cunningham's house. He becomes more welcome when they are a couple.
* FinalSeasonCasting: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] because Baio ''returned'' to ''Happy Days'' for its final season.
* FlatCharacter: When Chachi was introduced, he--much like Spike--served little purpose beyond being a mini-Fonzie, delivering his CasanovaWannabe catchphrase. Once he developed his crush on Joanie, that's pretty much all he was used for, before eventually becoming her boyfriend and always being seen with her with very few instances where he'd carry the plot on his own.
%% * FourPhilosophyEnsemble: The Optimist.
%% * FourTemperamentEnsemble: Phlegmatic mostly but he has some Sanguine traits too.
* HeIsAllGrownUp: Goes from a kid who is seen by Joanie as an AbhorrentAdmirer to Joanie's TallDarkAndHandsome love interest.
* IconicSequelCharacter: He doesn't appear until season 5, and ends up as one of the most prominent protagonists on the show, to the point that he and his LoveInterest Joanie even get a brief spinoff.
* JustAKid: One of the reasons Joanie is initially rejecting of him is because she feels she's superior to him in maturity. Even among the guys he's little more than a TagalongKid. One episode even revolved around his disappointment with this status.
* KidAnova: Originally JustAKid who'd use pickup lines on Joanie.
%% * TheLancer: To Fonzie in Seasons 8-9 and 11.
* LoveInterest: In later seasons his relationship with Joanie is one of the focal points of the show.
* NiceGuy: He's got his flaws, but he's such a sweetheart. When something bad happens, it really hurts him, which shows how much he cares for others.
* OfficialCouple: With Joanie, starting in season 8. They even get their own spinoff as a couple.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: No one calls him Charles.
* PlotRelevantAgeUp: When he was introduced, he was younger than Joanie by at least two years. But by Season 7, he's stated to be the same age as her so they can become an OfficialCouple.
* PromotionToOpeningTitles: In Season 6, Scott Baio is now billed in the opening credits sequence.
* PutOnABus: He left the show in Season 10 for the spinoff show, ''Joanie Loves Chachi.''
* RecurringExtra: In Season 5 and (for the most part) in Season 6, where he was absent for more than half of the episodes.
* RelationshipUpgrade: He and Joanie go out on their first date near the end of Season 7.
* StalkerWithACrush: Displayed some shades of this towards Joanie pre-Season 8.
* TagalongKid: Initially, at least, he would be the youngster to tag along Richie, Ralph, and Potsie's adventures.
* TallDarkAndHandsome: When he grew up. Initially he was shorter than Joanie.
* YoungEntrepreneur: Chachi seemed to be one of these when he was introduced, although this character trait was dumped in favor of his MrFanservice persona.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Lori Beth Allen]]
!!Lori Beth Allen-Cunningham
--> '''Played by:''' Lynda Goodfriend

Richie's girlfriend introduced in Season 5. Eventually becomes married to him.

* BabiesMakeEverythingBetter: She gives birth to Richie Jr. in "Little Baby Cunningham", although the baby isn't given much of an emphasis on episodes, disappearing after Lynda Goodfriend left the cast in Season 10, and returning as a fully-grown toddler named Richie, Jr.
* BackForTheFinale: Lori Beth and Richie returned in the series finale Passages Part 2, where they attended Joanie and Chachi's wedding.
* TheBusCameBack: In a couple of episodes of the last season, she appears along with Richie, after being PutOnABus.
* DemotedToExtra: When Richie left to join the Army in Greenland, she stuck around, getting married to him over the phone, and giving birth to Richie's son when he was away. Eventually, she pretty much just stopped appearing entirely unless it was a special occasion, having little way to play off the others.
* HappilyMarried: To Richie, as of Season 8. They get married over phone and they have a children in the final season.
* LoveInterest: To Richie. Richie had many dates and girlfriend before, but Lori was the only important one and the longest-lasting.
* NiceGirl: She is a friendly girl, and just as good-natured as Richie.
%%* OnlySaneWoman
* PromotionToOpeningTitles: In Season 8, Lynda Goodfriend began to be billed in the opening credits. Ironically this was the same season her boyfriend Richie was PutOnABus.
* PutOnABus: After Season 9, she leaves the show, and in season 10, she is no longer in the opening credits.
%% * RecurringExtra: In Seasons 5-7.

[[folder:Jenny Piccalo]]
--> '''Played by:''' Cathy Silvers

Joanie's best friend [[ChildhoodFriends whom she has known ever since the age of six]]. Was originally an [[TheGhost unseen character]] only mentioned whenever Joanie was going over to her place or calling her over the phone, before finally [[UnseenNoMore making her first on-screen appearance in Season 8]], where she's portrayed now as a boy-crazy ditz rather than the cool girl she was made out to be to Joanie in her past mentions.

[[folder:Roger Phillips]]
--> '''Played by:''' Creator/TedMcGinley

%%* AloofOlderBrother
* CoolTeacher: The coach of Jefferson High and later, the principal of Patton.
* FlatCharacter: Unlike Richie, who was an EndearinglyDorky and realistically flawed everyman, Roger is just a generic newphew who just happens to be a teacher, without any significant personality traits.
* FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling: The Responsible to Flip's Foolish.
%%* NiceGuy
* PromotionToOpeningTitles: In Season 10.
* RecurringExtra: In Seasons 8 and 9.
%%* SophisticatedAsHell
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: For Richie.
* TwoTimerDate: He and Fonzie (unknowingly) with the same girl in "The Other Guy."

[[folder:Ashley Pfister]]
--> '''Played by:''' Creator/LindaPurl

%%* GlamorousSingleMother
* LoveInterest: For Fonzie.
* PutOnABus: After Season 10, Purl left the show because ''Happy Days'' had to cut back on its number of cast members. Ashley's sudden disappearance is explained by Fonzie that she had departed with her daughter to get back together with her husband.
%%* SheCleansUpNicely

!Other Characters
[[folder:Chuck Cunningham]]
--> '''Played by:''' Gavan O'Herlihy (season 1), Randolph Roberts (season 2)

Richie and Joanie's older brother who was characterized as a DumbJock basketball player leaving for college with what little screentime he had. Eventually vanished from the series and was never acknowledged again, with no in-series explanation provided for his disappearance, thereby making him the {{Trope Namer|s}} of ChuckCunninghamSyndrome.

* AlliterativeName: '''C'''huck '''C'''unningham.
* AloofOlderBrother: Due to being rarely seen, he and Richie are not particularly close. He also doesn't seem to be too close to Joanie, as Joanie makes condescending remarks about his BookDumb intelligence at the dinner table.
* BigEater: According to his parents, "nobody has the appetite that Chuck has".
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: The {{Trope Namer|s}}, unfortunately. He ceased making appearances on the series after the second season and was never mentioned again, to the point that his existence isn't even acknowledged by his father at the end of the series.
* TheDitz: He thinks a bouncy present might be breakable, for one thing.
* DumbJock: What little screentime he gets before he becomes a trope, they seem to paint him as TheDitz: for instance, he couldn't figure out that the Christmas lights weren't working because they weren't plugged in. He's also a basketball player.
* LovableJock: He's dim, but lovable, and plays basketball.
* StillSucksThumb: According to Marion, he sucks his thumb when sad.
* {{Unperson}}: In "Passages (Part 2)", at Joanie's and Chachi's wedding, Howard reminiscences about raising two children (Joanie and Richie) who are grown up and married:
-->'''Howard''': Well, what can I say? Both of our children are married now and they're starting out to build lives of their own. And I guess when you reach a milestone like this you have to have to reflect back on, on what you've done and, and what you've accomplished. Marion and I have not climbed Mount Everest or written a great American novel. But we've had the joy of raising two wonderful kids, and watching them and their friends grow up into loving adults. And now, we're gonna have the pleasure of watching them pass that love on to their children. And I guess no man or woman could ask for anything more. So thank you all for being, part of our family... To [[TitleDrop happy days]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Arnold Takahashi]]
!!Matsumo "Arnold" Takahashi
--> '''Played by:''' Creator/PatMorita

[[folder:Officer Kirk]]
--> '''Played by:''' Ed Peck
* {{Jerkass}}: He's arrogant, boisterous and controlling. Needless to say, no one in town likes him, especially Fonzie.
* TheNeidermeyer: A non-military example, though he does become an Army Reserve Major in later seasons. Kirk acts more like a overzealous Army Major than a small-town police officer, not to mention he is borderline fascistic and overall an unpleasant person.
* TyrantTakesTheHelm: He briefly becomes acting sherriff after the untimely passing of the previous sherriff in "A.K.A. The Fonz."

[[folder:Leopold "Flip" Phillips]]
--> '''Played by:''' Creator/BillyWarlock

* AnnoyingYoungerSibling: To Roger.
* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: In "I Drink, Therefore I Am" when he accidentally injures Heather while driving intoxicated.
%%* BookDumb
%%* CousinOliver
%%* {{Delinquent}}
%%* EmbarrassingFirstName
* FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling: The Foolish to Roger's Responsible.
%%* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname
%%* RecurringExtra
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: For Chachi.
%%* TroubledButCute

[[folder:Krystal "K.C." Cunningham]]
--> '''Played by:''' Creator/CrystalBernard

* BadDate: With Melvin Belvin.
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: She disappeared without explanation after Season 10.
%%* CountryCousin
%%* TheDitz
%%* NaiveNewcomer
%%* NiceGirl
* OddFriendship: With Jenny Piccalo.
%%* RecurringExtra
%%* SheCleansUpNicely
%%* ShooOutTheNewGuy
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: For Joanie.
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: The Tomboy to Jenny's Girly Girl.

[[folder:Heather Pfister]]
--> '''Played by:''' Creator/HeatherORourke

%%* AdorablyPrecociousChild
* PutOnABus: After Season 10, O'Rourke's character was written out because the show had to cut back on its number of cast members. Her disappearance was explained that she and her mother had gone back in search of her father.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:"Bag" Zambroni]]
--> '''Played by:''' Neil J. Schwartz

* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Disappeared sometime after season three.
* GentleGiant: In spite of his size and being a member of the Devils, he's fairly nice to Richie and friends.
* VitriolicBestBuds: With Richie, Ralph, and Potsie.

[[folder:Bill "Sticks" Downey]]
--> '''Played by:''' Jack Baker

* LongLostUncleAesop: In "Fonzie's New Friend", he taught people not to be racist, but never appeared afterwards.
* ShooOutTheNewGuy: He only made one appearance.
* TokenBlackFriend: He is black and is Fonzie's pal, but only appeared to teach an anti-prejudice {{Aesop}}.
* YouKnowImBlackRight: An entire episode revolves around how the entire town is racist towards him, much to the chagrin of Fonzie.

[[folder:Eugene Belvin]]
--> '''Played by:''' Denis Mandel

* AbhorrentAdmirer: To Jenny.
* ButtMonkey: He's picked on by all his classmates.

[[folder:Marsha]]
A waitress at Arnold's.
* ButtMonkey: Often gets pranked by Ralph.
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Pretty reasonable and blonde.

[[folder:Pinky Tuscadero]]
A biker who almost married Fonzie and has two assistants named the Pinkettes. Has a motif around the colour pink and is quite fiery.

* CatchPhrase: "Think pink!", although it was more said by her assistants.
* ColorCodedCharacters: Has a pink theme.
* LoveInterest: There's a whole episode called "Fonzie Loves Pinky".
* TheMaidenNameDebate: Inverted when she wanted Fonzie to change ''his'' name, so he called off the wedding.
* PinkMeansFeminine: Subverted, despite her signature colour being pink, she's a WrenchWench.
* TomboyWithAGirlyStreak: Her interest in motorbikes is considered stereotypically manly, but she has a pink theme and [[PinkMeansFeminine pink is associated with women and girls]].

[[folder:The Aloha Pussycats]]
A Hawaiian dance troupe.
* HeadTurningBeauty: Fonzie dates them, and Richie, Potsie, Ralph, and even ''Al'', have crushes on them.
* NoNameGiven: We don't find out their individual names.

[[folder:The Hooper Triplets]]
Three of Fonzie's love interests.
* TheGhost: They're mentioned a lot, but never seen.
* LoveInterest: Have dated Fonzie.

[[folder:Spike Fonzarelli]]
!!Raymond "Spike" Fonzarelli
Fonzie's cousin, but for some reason he wants to be called a nephew. A lot like Fonzie but more interested in botany, is Joanie's age.
* LikesOlderWomen: He's mentioned to have kissed an older girl at one point.
* RealMenWearPink: While mostly a tough guy, he also likes flowers.

[[folder:Grandma Nussbaum]]
Fonzie's grandmother.

[[folder:Spunky]]
Fonzie's dog.
* DogsLoveFireHydrants: In "Spunky Come Home", Potsie wonders if she's sniffing fire hydrants.
* TropeyComeHome: She went missing in "Spunky Come Home".

* TheKnightsWhoSaySquee: It's mentioned repeatedly that Fonzie's hero is Franchise/TheLoneRanger. Naturally, when Clayton Moore himself (in full costume naturally) visits the show, the Fonz is thrilled.

%%* BlackSheep

--> '''Played by:''' Billy Warlock

* BackForTheFinale: Returns as a guest star in the series finale.

* PutOnABus: After Season 10, Purl left the show because ''Happy Days'' had to cut back on its number of extras. Ashley's sudden disappearance is explained by Fonzie that she had departed with her daughter to get back together with her husband.

* PutOnABus: After Season 10, O'Rourke's character was written out because the show had to cut back on its number of extras. Her disappearance was explained that she and her mother had gone back in search of her father.

* TheBusCameBack: He returned in the final season, specifically the episode "Welcome Home: Part 1", after being stationed in Greenland to serve in the U.S. Army.

[[/folder]]

* ExtravertedNerd: A stereotypical nerd who is clueless about being seen as a loser by the others.

* HollywoodDateless: Despite his occasional self-proclaimed "dry spells" with women, he is often shown to be successful for the most part in the dating game.

The father of Richie, Joanie, and Chuck and husband of Marion. He's known for being an OverprotectiveDad to his daughter and getting into disputes with his wife, [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold but he's still a good person deep down]].

* OverprotectiveDad: Towards Joanie. He sometimes worries that her friends are a bad influence.

* AsianStoreOwner: A notably early television example.

%%* BareYourMidriff

* TheAce: Turns into this around Season 4, with the uncanny ability to come out on top at just about ''anything''. Quite an accomplishment for a high school dropout mechanic. Although, he was always an Ace at repair work.