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Characters / Happy Days

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Character page for Happy Days.

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Cunningham Family

    Richie Cunningham 

Richard "Richie" Cunningham

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/download_5_1409.jpg

Played By: Ron Howard

The main character of the series and the quintessential 50s 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 Put on a Bus during Season 8, but came back in the final season.

  • Allegedly Dateless: Despite his occasional self-proclaimed "dry spells" with women, he is often shown to be successful for the most part in the dating game.
  • Aloof Older Brother: To Joanie. Despite being protective of her when she's in fates hands and usually reconciling with her near the end of episodes focused on their relationship, by default Richie hasn't much closeness to Joanie and they're rarely shown bonding together over shared interest. This is usually because Richie would be at Arnold's with the guys or out with Lori Beth, or experienced personal matters with his friends or parents which reduced the time he has to hang with Joanie. In any other case, it'd have been due to Joanie making sassy remarks directed at him.
  • Back for the Finale: Reappeared at the very end of the final episode (along with Lori Beth) to attend Joanie and Chachi's wedding.
  • Beware the Nice Ones: If provoked, he would become angry or annoyed. As Fonzie puts it, "If he's calling you 'bucko'...you're in big trouble.
  • Big Brother Instinct: He immediately jumps to Joanie's defense whenever she's being bullied.
  • Book Smart: He gets good grades in both high scool and college, and has a passion for journalism.
  • The Bus Came Back: He returned in the final season for the two-part episode "Welcome Home", after being stationed in Greenland to serve in the U.S. Army.
  • Can't Get Away with Nuthin': If he tries to keep anything at all from his parents, count on Joanie to blurt out what he's up to and say that she conveniently "heard it from a friend."
  • Catchphrase: "BUCKO!"
  • Character Signature Song: "Blueberry Hill", which he sings when in love.
  • Childhood Friends: With Potsie, as evidenced by their close friendship in early episodes. Lampshaded a couple of times in later seasons.
  • Double Date: He and Fonzie with Laverne & Shirley in "A Date With Fonzie."
  • Drowning My Sorrows: In "Welcome Home: Part 2", when he was locked in a moral debate about whether or not to stay in Milwaukee and please his family, or head to California and become a screenwriter.
  • The Dutiful Son: Often forced (whether he wants to or not) into doing work for others.
  • Endearingly Dorky: Red hair, freckles, studious, somewhat awkward, and he even won a "nerd party" for being considered the biggest nerd by the She Devils. However, he's a nice guy who is usually liked by everyone, has many girlfriends and dates on the show, and some of his sister's friends apparently find him cute.
  • The Everyman: The quintessential relatable average guy. Richie deals with problems any teenage boy would, be it dating, friendship issues, overprotective or distant parents, an Annoying Younger Sibling, school, looking for a job...
  • Gentleman and a Scholar: A kind young man who has dreams of going to college and becoming a writer.
  • Happily Married: To Lori Beth, as of Season 8.
  • The Heart: He's the one who keeps his friends together, and the most morally correct.
  • Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Fonzie. If Richie was ever experiencing problems with his dates, friends or family, he'd turn to the Fonz for advice. Despite Fonzie's over-the-top antics, Richie never loses his trust in him and the Fonz clearly values their friendship. Them living just upstairs from each other is pretty much the epitome of their companionship.
  • Likes Older Women: In a couple of episodes, when he felt that he needed to "mature", although none of the relationships were anything serious.
  • Morality Pet: To Fonzie, who respects Richie more than everyone else (except himself).
  • Most Writers Are Writers: For much of the series he is an aspiring journalist, and in the final season he moves to Hollywood to try becoming a screenwriter.
  • Nice Guy: A very decent guy. Richie is very polite, always showing his support to his best buds, parents, and little sister, even if they sometimes cause him problems, he can never stay mad at them for too long. He has tried to be mean several times, but always failed.
  • Official Couple: With Lori Beth in later seasons. They first meet at a library when Fonzie convinces Richie to date more sophisticated young women, and they began dating from that point on.
  • Only Sane Man: Sometimes. He's the most levelheaded in his trio with Ralph and Potsie. He complains about this when living with them for a while. He also keeps his younger sister in line while babysitting when their parents are out. Also, during Fonzie's more ham-fisted episodes, he was the more level-headed one.
  • Passing the Torch: When Richie left, Fonzie became the show's main character.
  • Plot Allergy: In "The Fonz is Allergic to Girls", he mentions that he's allergic to strawberries.
  • Put on a Bus: During Seasons 8-10, he was not present due to being sent off to serve the country along with Ralph.
  • Relationship Reboot: He and Lori Beth do this, complete with a reenactment of their original Meet Cute dialogue.
  • Ridiculously Average Guy: He is portrayed as the Only Sane Man among his peer group, somewhat awkward and nerdy, and sentimental over one particular girl. Being an ordinary everyman, he is not particularly quirky compared to his friends, and ends up being overshadowed by the more outlandish Fonzie.
  • Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Sensitive Guy to Fonzie's Manly Man. 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 casanova, and gets physically aggressive with anybody who dare oppress his confidence.
  • Youthful Freckles: Lampshaded in the first Christmas episode when Fonzie bumps Richie's shoulder and backs it up by saying he deserved that for having all his freckles in the right place.

    Marion Cunningham 

Marion Cunningham

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/download_7_4998.jpg

Played By: Marion Ross

The loving mother of Richie, Joanie, and Chuck, and wife of Howard. Marion is a housewife who does most of the cooking and cleaning in addition to nurturing the kids. She doesn't have a regular job, though she has worked at Arnold's as a waitress on at least one occasion.

  • All-Loving Hero: Probably the nicest character on the show. She is very nice towards all of Richie's friends and shows concern even for people who don't deserve it.
  • Berserk Button: She was the only character ever to tell Fonzie to "sit on it."
  • Beware the Nice Ones: She rarely gets mad, but when she does even the Fonz is put on his heels.
  • First-Name Basis: The only one who calls Fonzie by his first name. She's also the only one who calls Potsie by his first name Warren.
  • Good Parents: Along with Howard, she's always a good and caring mother, making sure Richard and Joanie are safe in their absence.
  • Happily Married: To Howard. While they do squabble sometimes, they have a happy marriage in general.
  • Housewife: Marion is the one who sacrifices her employment status to look after the Cunningham children and clean/prepare meals.
  • Long-Runner Cast Turnover: One of only four characters to remain on the show for its entire run.
  • Mistaken for Cheating: In one episode, Fonzie has been teaching her how to dance, but everyone else thinks that she's cheating on Howard with Fonzie.
  • Morality Pet: For Fonzie, so much that she is the only one who is allowed to call Fonzie by his real first name.
  • Nice Girl: She's kind and motherly, and more affable and friendly than her husband.
  • Only Sane Man: 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.
  • Parental Substitute: For Fonzie. She lets him drop by for dinner often and considers him to be a third son. She's also the only person he allows to call him "Arthur" as a result.
  • Prefers Proper Names: She is usually the only one who calls Fonzie "Arthur" and Potsie "Warren".
  • Team Mom: She's motherly not just towards her children, but even their friends.
  • Tuckerization: Marion Cunningham is named after her actress Marion Ross.

    Howard Cunningham 

Howard Cunningham

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/download_6_9780.jpg

Played By: Tom Bosley

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, but he's still a good person deep down.

  • And Starring: "...Tom Bosley as Howard Cunningham."
  • Big Eater: Zigzagged. People say he eats a lot, but he's not nearly as big of an eater as Chuck or Potsie.
  • Birthday Episode: "Howard's 45th Fiasco" focused on him having a midlife crisis on his birthday.
  • Bumbling Dad: At times, although he's smarter than most examples, but sometimes his old-fashioned views and being overprotective towards Joanie give his irrational moments. And as seen below, he also has his moments of Parental Hypocrisy which are noticed by the rest of his family.
  • The Comically Serious: Just because he's serious and stern, it doesn't mean he can't be funny in his own way, and is often put into comical situations thanks to his children, their friends, and their antics.
  • Dad the Veteran: He was a chef during World War II.
  • Deadpan Snarker: He's probably one of the snarkiest characters, along with his daughter Joanie. He is especially prone to sarcastic remarks when it comes to Richie's friends, particularly Potsie.
  • Good Parents: Along with Marion. Though flawed, they're mostly competent parents, always treating Richie and Joanie's safety as their number-one priority, even if it means exhibiting a bit of strictness.
  • Happily Married: To Marion. Even though they squabble occasionally, they're mostly a happy couple.
  • Long-Runner Cast Turnover: One of only four characters to remain on the show for its entire run. Along with Fonzie, he is the only other character to appear in every episode.
  • Mr. Vice Guy: Arguably what makes him so beloved is that he was a dad that felt like a real person. There was no doubt Mr. C is a good and reasonable father but he still has his own irritations with the world around him. Despite his grumpy and irritable side, he never lets that get in the way from trying to be a good person who is practical and a loving family man.
  • Only Sane Man: He sees himself as being the only sensible person out of Richie's social circle.
  • Parent ex Machina: Even more often than Marion. He is often there to teach his children various life lessons by the end of the episode.
  • Parental Hypocrisy: Despite scolding Joanie for a mediocre report card, by the end of the episode it's revealed that his old report card wasn't any better.
  • Standard '50s Father: 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.
  • Surrounded by Idiots: Everyone who's not family, he believes are idiots. Well, Ralph and Potsie are a bit ditzy.
  • Team Dad: He ends up being a father figure even to Fonzie.

    Joanie Cunningham 

Joanie Louise Cunningham-Arcola

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/download_8_2441.jpg

Played By: Erin Moran

Richie's little sister and the only daughter of Marion and Howard Cunningham. Joanie is a typical teenage girl whose defining trait is being 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 snarky attitude, she's still a Nice Girl. Her relationship with Chachi becomes a major plot theme once they start dating near the end of Season 7, and they end up getting married in the series finale.

  • Aesop Amnesia: All too often Joanie would return to her rebellious ways after her parents had shown her she Can't Get Away with Nuthin'. 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.
  • Affectionate Nickname:
    • "Shortcake" from Fonzie and Arnold.
    • Jenny Piccalo would call her "Joanes".
    • Chachi would call her "Blue Eyes".
  • Annoying Younger Sibling: 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.
  • Ascended Extra: In the first two seasons, she was mostly a minor character with 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 seasonnote ), and Joanie's role as a Bratty Teenage Daughter and Hormone-Addled Teenager 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.
  • Bratty Teenage Daughter: 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").
  • The Bus Came Back: She returns to the show in Season 11 after having been Put on a Bus for the last season for the spinoff with Chachi (having moved to Chicago then), with her main purpose being to propose to Chachi.
  • Butt-Monkey: The amount of times Joanie has been sent upstairs to her room and treated like a kid requires more than two hands to count.
  • Can't Get Away with Nuthin': 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.
  • Childhood Friends: She is stated by her dad to have known Jenny Piccalo ever since she was six years old in "Just a Piccalo".
  • Cute Bruiser: Despite her cute and feminine Naïve Everygirl 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.
  • The Cutie: A sweet Naïve Everygirl with a 50s schoolgirl fashion, a 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 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.
  • Dangerous 16th Birthday: 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.
  • Daddy's Girl: Sometimes her father is protective of her.
    • When Marion prepares to give Joanie 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.
  • Deadpan Snarker: Of the Little Miss Snarker 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.
  • Defrosting Ice Queen: Initially rejecting of Chachi's crush on her and brushing him off as a little kid, she becomes nicer to him around season 7 when the two start dating.
  • Has a Type: A running gag in mid-seasons had Joanie develop an obsession with "hunks", calling any attractive boys she came into contact with by the name. It got to the point where she wanted one for Christmas.
  • Hidden Depths:
    • 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.
  • Hormone-Addled Teenager: 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 gets this treatment by everyone all the time.
  • Innocent Blue Eyes: Light blue eyes at that, which along with her Youthful Freckles, made her the childlike kid sister character she was initially written as. It's also where Chachi got his nickname for her.
  • Just a Kid: 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 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).
  • Kiddie Kid: 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 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, 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".
  • Still Sucks Thumb: According to Marion, she sucks her thumb when unhappy.
  • The Talk: 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.
  • Youthful Freckles: In the first 3 seasons, she's a Naïve Everygirl and Kiddie Kid with freckles all over her face to showcase her ingenuity.

    Chuck Cunningham 

Chuck Cunningham

Played By: Gavan O'Herlihy (season 1), Randolph Roberts (season 2)

Richie and Joanie's older brother who was characterized as a Dumb Jock 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 of Chuck Cunningham Syndrome.

  • Alliterative Name: Chuck Cunningham.
  • Aloof Older Brother: 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 Book Dumb intelligence at the dinner table.
  • Big Eater: According to his parents, "nobody has the appetite that Chuck has".
  • Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: The Trope Namer, 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.
  • The Ditz: He thinks a bouncy present might be breakable, for one thing.
  • Dumb Jock: What little screentime he gets before he becomes a trope, they seem to paint him as The Ditz: 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.
  • Lovable Jock: He's dim, but lovable, and plays basketball.
  • Still Sucks Thumb: 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 happy days.

Friends

    Potsie Weber 

Warren "Potsie" Weber

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/download_9_6399.jpg

Played By: Anson Williams

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

  • Advertised Extra: 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 of the 22 episodes, not including the series finale.
  • Alliterative Name: Warren Weber.
  • The Artifact: After Richie and Ralph left the show. Lampshaded in the episode where Arnold returns to the show.
    Potsie: I'm still here!
    Arnold: Why?
  • Butt-Monkey: Often on the receiving end of sarcastic wisecracks.
  • Calling the Old Man Out: 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.
  • Childhood Friends: 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.
  • Comically Missing the Point: 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!".
  • Commuting on a Bus: 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).
  • The Ditz: He thinks that a pair of scissors is two, for starters.
  • Endearingly Dorky: 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.
  • Eternally Pearly-White Teeth: Shown in some of the episodes about he and Ralph living in their apartment that he is obsessed with keeping his teeth clean.
  • Fearless Fool: 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.
  • The Friend Nobody Likes: 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 Put on a Bus, leaving him alone with other friends who tolerate him at best.
  • Genius Ditz: Despite being The Ditz, Potsie's an excellent singer and was smart enough to study psychology in college.
  • Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Ralph. Originally with Richie, but as Fonzie became The Lancer, 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.
  • Hilariously Abusive Childhood: 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.
  • I Have No Son!: He mentions in several episodes that his father doesn't like to tell people that his son even exists.
  • The Lancer: Was originally supposed to be this to Richie, before Fonzie becomes the show's Breakout Character. 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.
  • Long-Runner Cast Turnover: 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.
  • My Friends... and Zoidberg: 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.
  • Only Known by Their Nickname: The only one who ever refers to him as "Warren" is Marion (and, on occasion, Fonzie).
  • Out of Focus: 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.
  • The Thing That Would Not Leave: 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.
  • Those Two Guys: Starting in Season 3, he and Ralph are seldom seen apart.
  • Took a Level in Dumbass: 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.
  • Tragic Dropout: 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.
  • The Unfavorite: 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.
  • What Happened to the Mouse?: 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.

    The Fonz 

Arthur "The Fonz/Fonzie" Fonzarelli

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/download_4_1692.jpg

Played By: Henry Winkler

The initial Trope Namer for Breakout Character, Fonzie is the famous casanova and motorcyclist who's admired for his badassery, namely his superhuman powers. He sometimes acts self-obsessed, 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'.

  • Accidental Marriage: With Jenny Piccalo in "Bride and Gloom." Later, it turns out the marriage was not really valid.
  • The Ace: 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.
  • Badass Biker: A family-friendly version; as his role was increased, his badassitude morphed from traditional "tough guy" to near-super-powered nice guy.
  • Badass Boast: 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 4 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.
  • Berserk Button: Fonzie is the epitome of cool but he has his triggers.
    • Wanna find out what happens when you mess with his ride? 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.
  • Big Brother Mentor: 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.
  • Big Damn Heroes: 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.
  • The Big Guy: The strongest member of the cast.
  • Breakout Character: 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.
  • The Casanova: The guy can snap his fingers and women will run up and make out with him!
  • Catchphrase:
    • "Ayyyyyyyyyy!!!!!"
    • "Sit on it!" note 
    • "Whoa!"
    • "Correctamundo."
    • "What are you, nutso?!"
  • Character Development: Starting in Season 3, he has done things like become more educated and stopped being sexist.
  • Characterization Marches On: 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.
  • The Charmer: Many women The Fonz has dated, he treats them all with respect.
  • Chick Magnet: 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] That's what makes me think I'm so cool.
  • Cool Bike: According to The Fonz himself, his bike is what made him cool. So he's reasonably pissed when Ralph accidentally wrecks it...
  • Cool Teacher: In Season 8, he becomes the new teacher of auto mechanics at Jefferson High School.
  • Disappeared Dad: His father ran out on him when he was only four.
  • Does Not Like Spam: He dislikes liver and raisins.
  • The Dreaded: 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.
  • Embarrassing First Name: Arthur. With the exception of Marion, Fonzie doesn't let anyone call him that.
  • Embarrassing Middle Name: Herbert, which embarrasses him in "Fonzie's Baptism".
  • Emotionally Tongue-Tied: 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.
  • Establishing Character Moment: 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 The Lords Of Flatbush co-star Sylvester Stallone.
  • Failures on Ice: He does not know how to roller-skate, which embarrasses him as the children do.
  • Fake Guest Star: In season 1, he appears in every episode, despite being listed as a guest star and not being in the opening.
  • Finger-Twitching Revival: 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 The Ace.
  • The Friends Who Never Hang:
    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?
  • Friend to All Children: 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.
  • Gagging on Your Words: He is physically incapable of saying that he's wrong.
  • Girl of the Week: He's often seen with a different girl every episode, and it's implied that he typically has more than one date per night.
  • Grease Monkey: Works as a mechanic, and later becomes the auto-shop teacher at Jefferson High School.
  • Greaser Delinquents: 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.
  • Heel–Face Turn: 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.
  • Hell-Bent for Leather: From Season 2-on, except for a few notable occasions, he is never seen without his leather jacket.
  • Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Richie. Although he's friends with Ralph and Potsie, Richie is the one he pals around with most.
  • Hidden Heart of Gold: Though very protective of it in earlier seasons, he slowly opens up to most of his friends.
  • Honor Before Reason: "The Fonzarelli Code." Despite his exterior, he's a very honorable and morally upstanding individual.
  • Iconic Item: His leather jacket. It's such an important part of his character that he may not be recognizable from a first glance without it.
  • Informed Ability: Fonzie has a reputation as a great fighter that makes him The Dreaded to everyone who has heard of him, but he himself points out that Richie has never actually seen him in a fight, and neither do the viewers.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: 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 Character Development, as his kindness becomes more evident, and he has a very strong moral compass.
  • The Knights Who Say "Squee!": It's mentioned repeatedly that Fonzie's hero is The Lone Ranger. Naturally, when John Hart himself (in full costume naturally) visits the show, the Fonz is thrilled.
  • Ladykiller in Love: 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.
  • The Lancer: 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 The Hero.
  • Large Ham: After Season 2, he became hammy, gesturing a lot and shouting.
  • Last-Name Basis: Refers to most of his friends this way (by their last names).
  • Likes Older Women: On occasion, especially in "Fonzie's Old Lady", he has dated women older than him.
  • Limited Wardrobe: Even at a costume party, he wore his normal clothes but ripped his T-shirt.
  • Long-Runner Cast Turnover: 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.
  • Loved by All: While he has a few rivals, he's generally loved or outright worshipped by everyone in town, aside from Officer Kirk. Even Howard, who wasn't a big fan of him in the beginning, eventually comes to like and respect him.
  • Made of Iron: He can punch through doors, ram his head into a concrete wall unscathed, and bend iron.
  • Master of Disguise: Goes undercover in a few episodes, such as "Fonzie's Funeral", where he has to pretend to be his mother to trick The Candyman.
  • Missing Mom: 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.
  • Mr. Fixit: Let it be known that he's the best at fixing cars (if not, he'll tell you).
  • Muscles Are Meaningless: Can take on goons who are a foot taller or even twice as muscular.
  • New Powers as the Plot Demands: Over time, he started to gain superhuman abilities, such as a definitive knowledge of martial arts, fencing, and even shark-jumping!
  • The Nicknamer: Refers to Richie as "Red" and Joanie as "Shortcake"
  • Nobody Touches the Hair: He never lets anyone mess with his hair.
  • No Indoor Voice: From Season 2 on, he had quite a loud voice.
  • Not Even Bothering with the Accent: He's from Milwaukee, but usually talks with a New York accent.
  • One-Man Army: The Fonz is a one man demolition squad that requires no backup in a fight. He's taken out thugs and gangsters single-handedly.
  • Only Known by Their Nickname: No one calls Fonzie "Arthur" except Marion. No one.
  • Parental Abandonment: Both his parents ran out on him, forcing Fonzie to leave with his grandmother until moving in to the spare room above the Cunninghams'.
  • Parental Substitute: For Chachi. Chachi's father passed away when he was a kid and Fonzie stepped up as a father figure.
  • Parody Sue: Propably the Trope Codifier for these types of characters. He's such a badass, cool guy that he literally has superhuman powers, and such a Chick Magnet that he only needs to snap his fingers and gorgeous girls will come up to him instantly.
  • Percussive Maintenance: The Former Trope Namer for this ability. He can fix many things by hitting them, known as the "Fonz Touch" or "Fonzie Bang".
  • The Pornomancer: The TV Ur-Example. He has a very active sex life and he always scores with all the girls he wants.
  • Promotion to Opening Titles: In Season 2, to reflect on his growing popularity with audiences.
  • The Quiet One: 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.
  • Really Gets Around: 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.
  • The Reliable One: 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.
  • Renaissance Man: Knowledgeable on a wide variety of mechanical, social, and athletic abilities.
  • Rule of Cool: The Fonz abides by this law. He can channel this trope through his fist and into a jukebox to activate it to impress chicks.
  • Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: 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 casanova, and gets physically aggressive with anybody who dare oppress his confidence.
  • Sexy Man, Instant Harem: 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.
  • Show Stopper: Starting Season 3, whenever he first appeared in an episode, the audience would break out into applause.
  • Smug Super: Dishes out a Badass Boast every now and then.
  • Spotlight-Stealing Squad: 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.
  • Temporary Blindness: He is victim to this, in tremendously ham-fisted fashion, especially when Richie dismantles his motorcycle to force him to rebuild it while blind.
  • Third-Person Person: "The Fonz" sometimes resorts to this.
  • Took a Level in Kindness: Starts opening up more to those around him, and by the series finale, has progressed from high school dropout to family man.
  • Troubled, but Cute: Token "bad boy" of the show and Chick Magnet. 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.
  • Two-Timer Date: He and Roger (unknowingly) with the same girl in "The Other Guy."
  • Under New Management: He and Al become co-owners of "The New Arnold's" in Season 7.
  • Use Your Head: "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)
  • Vitriolic Best Buds: With Ralph and Potsie. He sometimes acts frustrated with their dimness, but they're still friends.
  • Was Too Hard on Him:
    • 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.
  • Weaksauce Weakness: 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 he treats it like one.
  • Wise Beyond Their Years: "I'm ahead of my time, Cunningham."

    Ralph Malph 

Ralph Malph

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/download_12_3048.jpg

Played By: Donny Most

One of Richie's friends who's defining trait is being the Fun Personified jokester.

  • The Bus Came Back: In one episode of the last season, he returned after being in the military.
  • Casanova Wannabe: 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!"
  • Class Clown: 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.
  • Cowardly Lion: In the later seasons, he was easily frightened, but would still stick by his friends when needed.
  • The Ditz: 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.
  • Early-Installment Weirdness: 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.
  • Fake Guest Star: In season 1, he appears in every episode, despite being listed as a guest star and not being in the opening.
  • Fiery Redhead: 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.
  • Four-Temperament Ensemble: Sanguine. He's always in a humorous mood even when the situation is serious.
  • Fun Personified: He usually has two things on his mind: girls and jokes, though not always in that order.
  • Heterosexual Life-Partners: 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.
  • Large Ham: Becomes this around Season 4 as a result of his flanderization, becoming more dramatic and prone to overeact in most situations.
  • Lethal Chef: When Richie, Potsie and Ralph move out of home to share an apartment, we learn Ralph uses lighter fluid to ignite his cherries jubilee.
  • Lovable Coward: 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.
  • Plucky Comic Relief: He clearly wants to be this, since he fancies himself a great comedian and is known for his jokes.
  • Pungeon Master: Often saying "I still got it!" after he makes a pun.
  • The Prankster: He likes pranks, often pranking the waitresses.
  • Promotion to Opening Titles: In Season 2, Donny Most was credited as part of the main cast after being credited only as a guest star previously.
  • Put on a Bus: Along with Richie during Season 8, due to being stationed to serve the country via war in Greenland.
  • Repetitive Name: Ralph Malph.
  • Those Two Guys: With Potsie, they are Richie's hangers-on.
  • Written-In Absence: Ralph's absence from the finale was explained earlier in the same season that he had left to attend optometry school.

    Jenny Piccalo 

Jenny Piccalo

Played By: Cathy Silvers

Joanie's best friend whom she has known ever since the age of six. Was originally an unseen character only mentioned whenever Joanie was going over to her place or calling her over the phone, before finally 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.

  • All Women Are Lustful: She is lustful and expects females in general to be. She's also the one who taught Joanie that divorced ladies were "hot to trot".
  • Attention Whore: Seen in many episodes, like when she desperately tries to impress a Girl Posse.
  • Back for the Finale: She was cut from the cast in the final season, but returns as a guest star in the series finale.
  • Characterization Marches On: When she was just The Ghost, Jenny was painted as Joanie's cool and "experienced" friend. However, after she actually appears on the show and emerges as a major character, they made her a delusional and ditzy Small Name, Big Ego who makes Joanie look better.
  • Cloudcuckoolander: She's oblivious to nearly everything around her that doesn't involve boys.
  • Drop-In Character: Howard and Marion are often hesitant about having her around Joanie or K.C. because she is "boy crazy."
  • Genius Ditz: While she's a delusional boy-crazy ditz, in "Just a Piccalo", she manages to memorize an entire phone book, and this just to impress a snobby Girl Posse group who gave her a seemingly impossible task to join their club. Unfortunately, even if Jenny passes the memory test brilliantly, they don't let her join the club anyway.
  • Genki Girl: She's really hyperactive whenever boys are the subject of conversation.
  • The Ghost: Before season 8, she is frequently mentioned by Joanie but never appears for many seasons.
  • Good Bad Girl: Despite being very boy-crazy, she is not a bad person, as she cares for her best friend Joanie and treats her parents with courtesy.
  • Heterosexual Life-Partners: She is explicitly stated to be Joanie's best friend. Joanie has known her ever since she was six and would chat for hours on end via house phone in the early seasons, and go to her place without prior parental permission. Once she finally appears, Jenny is seldom seen without Joanie.
  • Hormone-Addled Teenager: Jenny has cute boys on her chit-chat tongue 24/7.
  • I Just Want to Be Special: She wants to impress a Girl Posse who demand her to steal a park statue in "Just a Piccalo". She ends up doing it, but uses Joanie as a scapegoat to avoid getting in trouble. Apparently, Jenny's father "would die" if he found out what she just did. When Joanie is scolded by her parents, Jenny eventually visits the Cunninghams to confess to her actions and apologize, stating that she only did it to fit in with a group.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Very self-centered and sometimes a Toxic Friend Influence, but she really cares for Joanie and their friendship.
  • Small Name, Big Ego: When she becomes an actual character, it's revealed that the man-hungry girl is more talk than action.
  • Toxic Friend Influence: For Joanie. Though "toxic" might be too strong a word, she's "looser" than Joanie and inspires Joanie to act that way too.
  • Unseen No More: She was Joanie's off-screen best friend for quite a few seasons, but in season 8 she finally appears and becomes a recurring character.

    "Bag" Zambroni 

"Bag" Zambroni

Played By: Neil J. Schwartz

    "Sticks" Downey 

Bill "Sticks" Downey

Played By: Jack Baker

    Eugene Belvin 

Eugene Belvin

Played By: Denis Mandel

Arnold's

    Arnold Takahashi 

Matsumo "Arnold" Takahashi

Played By: Pat Morita

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

  • The Bus Came Back: Made sporadic guest appearances in 1977 and 1979 before returning full-time in 1982.
  • But Not Too Foreign: He has adapted to many of America's cultural attributes, but still embraces his native Japan.
  • Catchphrase: Not really a catch phrase, per se, but he did have a habit of making a "frrmp" sound when exasperated.
  • Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Then, he vanished just as suddenly after the first episode of Season 11.
  • Cloudcuckoolander: An eccentric Funny Foreigner.
  • Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": The cast only calls him "Arnold" because that was the name of the restaurant when he bought it and he was too cheap to change the sign.
    "You know how many letters are in 'Takahashi'??"
  • Only Known by Their Nickname: Only known as Arnold, and not by his Japanese name.
  • Put on a Bus: Left his post at Arnold's after his wedding (see below), leading to Al Delvecchio taking his place.
  • Signature Laugh: "BAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!" Lampshaded in his 1982 return appearance.
  • Unseen No More: For the first two seasons, he is sometimes mentioned but not seen. He becomes a regular on-screen character in season three.
  • You No Take Candle: Sometimes his grammar gets primitive, due to not being able to speak English fluently.

    Al Delvecchio 

Alfred "Al" Delvecchio

Played By: Al Molinaro

The second owner of Arnold's where all the kids hang out.

  • Back for the Finale: He comes back in three episodes of the last season, including the finale.
  • Catchphrase: "Yeeppp, yep, yep, yep, yep, yep..." whenever he was disappointed or things did not go his way.
  • Iconic Sequel Character: One of the main characters after whom the main hangout is even named, but he doesn't appear until season 4.
  • Team Dad: He would sometimes give fatherly advice to Chachi and Richie in their times of crisis.
  • Under New Management: He and Fonzie become co-owners of "The New Arnold's" in Season 7.

    Marsha Simms 

Marsha Simms

Played By: Beatrice Colen

A waitress at Arnold's.

Other Family

Extended Cunningham Family

    Roger Phillips 

Roger Phillips

Played By: Ted McGinley

    Flip Phillips 

Leopold "Flip" Phillips

Played By: Billy Warlock

Roger's younger brother.

    K.C. Cunningham 

Krystal "K.C." Cunningham

Played By: Crystal Bernard

Fonzie's Family

    Chachi Arcola 

Charles "Chachi" Arcola

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/download_11_7637.jpg

Played By: Scott Baio

Fonzie's cousin who becomes Joanie's primary love interest.

  • Abhorrent Admirer: 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 a snarky rejection.
  • Ascended Extra: Starts out as a recurring character in season 5, becomes a regular in season 6, and by the time Richie is Put on a Bus (season 8), he's pretty much the Deuteragonist.
  • Catchphrase: "Wa, wa, wa." Dropped as he grew up.
  • Chick Magnet: 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.
  • Dogged Nice Guy: Towards Joanie in the beginning. He constantly follows her trying to make her change her mind about him, despite her initial rejection.
  • Drop-In Character: Before he and Joanie start dating, he often shows up unannounced at Cunningham's house. He becomes more welcome when they are a couple.
  • Final Season Casting: Inverted because Baio returned to Happy Days for its final season.
  • Flat Character: When Chachi was introduced, he—much like Spike—served little purpose beyond being a mini-Fonzie, delivering his Casanova Wannabe 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.
  • Love Interest: In later seasons his relationship with Joanie is one of the focal points of the show.
  • Nice Guy: 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.
  • Official Couple: With Joanie, starting in season 8. They even get their own spinoff as a couple.
  • Only Known by Their Nickname: No one calls him Charles.
  • Plot-Relevant Age-Up: 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 Official Couple.
  • Promotion to Opening Titles: In Season 6, Scott Baio is now billed in the opening credits sequence.
  • Put on a Bus: He left the show in Season 10 for the spinoff show, Joanie Loves Chachi.
  • Recurring Extra: In Season 5 and (for the most part) in Season 6, where he was absent for more than half of the episodes.
  • Relationship Upgrade: He and Joanie go out on their first date near the end of Season 7.
  • Stalker with a Crush: Displayed some shades of this towards Joanie pre-Season 8.
  • Tagalong Kid: Initially, at least, he would be the youngster to tag along Richie, Ralph, and Potsie's adventures.
  • Tall, Dark, and Handsome: When he grew up. Initially he was shorter than Joanie.
  • Young Entrepreneur: Chachi seemed to be one of these when he was introduced, although this character trait was dumped in favor of his Mr. Fanservice persona.

    Spike Fonzarelli 

Raymond "Spike" Fonzarelli

Played By: Danny Butch

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.

    Grandma Nussbaum 

Grandma Nussbaum

Played By: Lillian Bronson (Season 3), Frances Bay (Seasons 9-11)

Fonzie's grandmother.

Love Interests

    Lori Beth Allen 

Lori Beth Allen-Cunningham

Played By: Lynda Goodfriend

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

  • Babies Make Everything Better: 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.
  • Back for the Finale: Lori Beth and Richie returned in the series finale Passages Part 2, where they attended Joanie and Chachi's wedding.
  • The Bus Came Back: In a couple of episodes of the last season, she appears along with Richie, after being Put on a Bus.
  • Demoted to Extra: 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.
  • Happily Married: To Richie, as of Season 8. They get married over phone and they have a children in the final season.
  • Love Interest: To Richie. Richie had many dates and girlfriend before, but Lori was the only important one and the longest-lasting.
  • Nice Girl: She is a friendly girl, and just as good-natured as Richie.
  • Promotion to Opening Titles: In Season 8, Lynda Goodfriend began to be billed in the opening credits. Ironically this was the same season her boyfriend Richie was Put on a Bus.
  • Put on a Bus: After Season 9, she leaves the show, and in season 10, she is no longer in the opening credits.

    Pinky Tuscadero 

Pinky Tuscadero

Played By: Roz Kelly

A biker who almost married Fonzie and has two assistants named the Pinkettes. Has a motif around the colour pink and is quite fiery.

    Ashley Pfister 

Ashley Pfister

Played By: Linda Purl

Fonzie's other most significant and longest-lasting girlfriend, introduced in Season 10.

  • Love Interest: For Fonzie.
  • Put on a Bus: 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.

    The Aloha Pussycats 

The Aloha Pussycats

A Hawaiian dance troupe.

    The Hooper Triplets 

The Hooper Triplets

Three of Fonzie's love interests.

Other Characters

    Officer Kirk 

Officer Kirk

Played By: Ed Peck

A police officer who has it out for Fonzie.

  • Jerkass: He's arrogant, boisterous and controlling. Needless to say, no one in town likes him, especially Fonzie.
  • The Neidermeyer: 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.
  • Tyrant Takes the Helm: He briefly becomes acting sherriff after the untimely passing of the previous sherriff in "A.K.A. The Fonz."

    Heather Pfister 

Heather Pfister

Played By: Heather O'Rourke

Ashley Pfister's daughter.

  • Put on a Bus: 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.

    Spunky 

Spunky

Fonzie's dog.

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