For a decade from 1974 through 1984, Happy Days was one of the most popular sitcoms on television. The show's content was teenage life in the mid-1950s in the United States. It seemed that this type of nostalgia appealed to audiences of all ages during that decade. Caricatures of the main characters in the telecast appear on this game box. The game was manufactured by Parker Brothers in 1976 and was donated to the Museum in 1991. This edition is the bilingual Canadian edition. The main characters were:
Richie Cunningham (Ron Howard - upper left)
Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli (Henry Winkler - center)
Warren "Potsie" Weber (Anson Williams - upper right)
Howard and Marion Cunningham are to the right, behind the jukebox; their daughter Joanie is to the left and also behind the jukebox.
Besides the prime time weekly telecast, the show was also re-run in a daytime series for a time. In the 1980s an animated Saturday morning version was telecast.
This game, while drawing upon the content of the show, like many other games based upon a television series is a type of "track" board game.
In the show, Richie and "The Fonz" and their friends from "Jefferson High" hang out at "Arnold's Drive-In Malt Shop" near their school. As the plot developed over the decade, many of the gang graduated from high school, went on to college, or went to work.
Areas on the game board indicate actions the show's characters engage in, places they spend time at, things that they do, etc. One of the areas on the game board was the garage in which Fonzie worked (lower right).
Part of the game board "track" is in the base of the game box. The game includes a chance device, markers and instructions. The game is for two to four players.
In 1980, the Smithsonian Museum of American History honored the series' role in America's popular-culture history by putting one of the Fonz's leather jackets on display.
In addition to the Parker Brothers Game, another manufacturer issued a "Happy Days Game". This game was also placed on the market in 1976 by the Milton Bradley Company. A copy of this version was also donated to the Museum in 1991.
While the title of this game was "The Fonz", a subtitle was suggestive of the content - Hanging Out At Arnolds.
In this game playing cards were used rather than a board.
There were many other types of products produced about this telecast and placed on the market over the years, such as jigsaw puzzles, T-shirts, coffee mugs, and the like.
Last update May 28, 2010