Bronze Fonz facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bronze Fonz |
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| Artist | Gerald P. Sawyer |
| Year | 2008 |
| Dimensions | 170 cm (65 in) |
| Location | Milwaukee |
| 43°2′25.63″N 87°54′40.10″W / 43.0404528°N 87.9111389°W | |
| Owner | Visit Milwaukee |
The Bronze Fonz is a famous statue in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It shows Henry Winkler as "The Fonz," a popular character from the 1970s TV show Happy Days. This show was set in Milwaukee. The statue is a fun landmark for visitors and fans of the show.
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About the Statue
This statue is made of bronze. It looks just like Arthur Fonzarelli, or "Fonzie," from Happy Days. Fonzie was a very cool character in the TV show. The show was a sitcom about a family living in Milwaukee during the 1950s and 1960s.
The statue shows Fonzie in his classic outfit: a leather jacket and jeans. He is giving his famous two-handed thumbs up gesture. He did this often on Happy Days.
You can find the statue on the Milwaukee Riverwalk. It is just south of Wells Street. There's also a sign nearby. This sign lists the people and groups who helped pay for the Bronze Fonz.
How the Statue Came to Be
Making the Statue Happen
The Bronze Fonz was a project started by Visit Milwaukee. This group works to bring tourists and new businesses to Milwaukee. They raised $85,000 to pay for the statue.
Before this, other cities had built statues of famous TV characters. For example, there's a statue of Mary Richards from The Mary Tyler Moore Show in Minneapolis. There's also one of Ralph Kramden from The Honeymooners in New York City. These statues were often made to celebrate popular TV shows.
The Bronze Fonz statue was officially shown to the public on August 18, 2008. Many of the actors from Happy Days came to the special event. This included Henry Winkler, who played Fonzie, and other stars like Marion Ross and Tom Bosley. Henry Winkler said the statue was "unbelievable."
Some People Didn't Agree
Not everyone was happy about the idea of the statue at first. Mike Brenner, who owned an art gallery in Milwaukee, didn't like where it was first planned to go. He thought it would be in a very important spot downtown.
Other art leaders in Milwaukee also shared concerns about the statue's location. In the end, the statue was placed on the Riverwalk instead of the original spot. Mike Brenner later closed his gallery and started a microbrewery in Milwaukee.
