Fonzie Jumps Shark

From 1977 This iconic moment in water skiing has crossed cultural boundaries to join the modern vernacular.

[jackbrown]

Sharks have a similar metaphor, 'swam under the Fonzie'.

[jakethreesixty]

Crazy how a moment in a TV show spawned a phrase that will probably outlive the legacy of the show

[colummccrudden]

I found him wearing a leather jacket made it funnier

[rhysperegrine]

I wonder if they knew at the time that they were creating the most infamously stupid scene in television history

[jolokia]

I remember this when it aired. I had just started 4th grade. Who knew this would create a phrase that is still just as meaningful 46 years later.

[Darthrivs]

Can’t wait for fast and furious 10 where Dom jumps a megalodon in a car for family

[iainlaurence]

'Oh, and for the record? There was an episode of Happy Days where a guy *literally* jumped over a shark. And it was the *best* one.'
-Troy Barnes

[perikholt]

Just imagine that this scene spawned a phrase that eventually became the whole premise of the ‘Fast and Furious’ franchise.

[Londonfogey]

It took three years for people to realise that a comedy set in the 1950s about 35 year old high school kids with 1970s hairstyles wasn't particularly good.

[NewYorkCityBoxing]

I remember when this aired for the first time, all of my friends in elementary school talked about him jumping over the shark.

[ZigbertD]

Saw this when it aired. I was twelve and in the process of jumping the shark on blissful innocent childhood to disaffected irritable teenager. I thought, "You gotta be kidding me. And why on earth is he wearing his leather jacket?" I saw an interview with Henry Winkler, who was actually an accomplished water skier and water ski instructor in his youth, talking about how his stereotypically Jewish immigrant father, at the inception of Happy Days, kept badgering him to tell producer Garry Marshall that he was an accomplished water skier. So he said, "Look, my dad wants you to know that I'm a good water skier." Hmm, OK. Five years later, Marshall comes to him, "So about that water skiing..."

[glenmorrison]

Watching this has changed my life FOREVER. If Fonz can jump over this shark, I too can do whatever I set my mind upon. I am going to take up my college coursework again, and finally finish my engineering degree. I can do better than I am now. I won't be working a cash register for much longer now. I'll be doing a proper professional career soon. I'll make my family proud, and mote importantly, I'll make _myself_ proud. I will be able to look back at me watching this scene and know that this particular scene is responsible for all my success. Thank you, Fonzie. God bless your heart.

[nowhereman]

Happy Days was already hugely popular in 1977 - why did they feel they needed to piggy-back on the popularity of Jaws? Had they waited another year, would they have jumped the Millennium Falcon?

[mxbishop]

Kind of amazed the phrase, "Jump The Shark" came from this. Just a tiny bit of stock footage of a shark, and then, no shark anywhere in sight during the actual jump. They should CGI in a big shark for the enhanced release of this episode.

[tylergillmani]

That 70s show brought me here and it was glorious

[thegreenbird]

Riveting. .the suspense almost killed me.

[Kinkoyaburi]

Why did he jump over this random circle of buoys which may or may not have had a shark in it?

[MareShoop]

I remember it when it first aired. I thought it was so stupid that Fonzi was wearing his leather jacket. That did it for my 13 year old self.

[blankityblank]

When Fonzie did this I was like aww man Happy Days is gonna go on forever!!

[SuperRichyrich]

As someone who occasionally wears a leather jacket, I couldn’t stop laughing at this when I saw this just now ….. 😂😂😂😂😂😅