10 Best “Firsts” On Full House, Ranked

Full House holds the hearts of fans all over the world. It’s a staple for both 80s and 90s kids, and even their parents were entertained by it, too. New generations have enjoyed the classic, especially since its resurgence with Fuller House. The original cast still brings warmth to the screen like no other.

The characters and the viewers have grown up together. Milestones are an important part of any family sitcom. Here the ten best “firsts” we got to share with the Full House family.

10 Danny’s First Date

This season one episode is called “Danny’s Very First Date” because it’s his first since his wife, Pam, passed away. This episode takes place one year after Pam’s death. Stephanie’s well-loved Honeybee Hive Mother, Linda, catches Danny’s eye, so the two make plans. Danny is so excited about his date until he sees how unhappy the Tanner girls are about it.

DJ is especially hurt and asks Danny to stay home and help her with her homework, which he agrees to do. Danny cancels on Linda, but Joey and Jesse talk him into sticking with his plans. Caught in a tug-of-war between his pals and his kids, Danny cancels on Linda twice and asks her out three times. It is emotional to watch the family go through this hard transition. DJ and Stephanie reconsider Danny’s dating with a little help from Uncle Jesse and Joey. The mood is lightened by Danny’s short makeover scene, and he makes it to his date after all.

9 Stephanie’s First Day of Elementary School

There are a lot of first days of school on Full House. “Stephanie’s First Day of School” is the third episode of the series: episode one was “Our Very First Show” and episode two was “Our Very First Night.” Stephanie is nervous to begin kindergarten, but she has a lot of support from Danny, Jesse, and Joey. She has some of her cutest moments, including sleeping in her poofy pink dress and clutching her lunchbox the night before.

When Danny is attempting to drop Stephanie off, Jesse stops by to help out. When the teacher asks who he is, Jesse tells her he is Stephanie’s father. Then, Joey comes along and says the same thing. The teacher is incredulous when Danny, too, shows up and claims to be Stephanie’s dad. Jesse jokes, “Elizabeth Taylor’s daughter had seven fathers.”

8 Becky’s First Day

If it weren’t for “Wake Up, San Francisco,” the world may never have met Rebecca Donaldson. Before she married Jesse and became Aunt Becky, Lori Loughlin first arrived in season two as Danny’s co-host of the morning talk show. Her first lines when asked how she likes the “Wake Up, San Francisco” set are, “Like it? I love it! I could live here. All this place needs is a sink, a toaster oven, and maybe a wall right about there.”

Typical, delightful Becky humor. Thank God she left “AM Omaha.” Danny is not quite as delightful when he meets Becky because he thinks Becky is taking his job as a sportscaster. Jesse, however, is smitten with Becky at first sight, and it isn’t long before the two begin their romance.

7 Tanners’ First Televised Christmas

In this show that ran for eight seasons, there are just two Christmas episodes. Season one had a Thanksgiving episode, but no Christmas special, so the Tanners had Christmas in between episodes. It was probably a somewhat sad event, being the first without Pam Tanner.

Times are a little brighter by season two, so its ninth episode is “Our Very First Christmas Show.” The gang has planned to head out to a big family reunion in Colorado. Unfortunately, their White Christmas vacation is halted when their aircraft must make an unscheduled landing to avoid a snowstorm. The Tanner clan is snowed in at an airport, but Santa saves the day. Watch for the crazy late-80s computer-generated message from Santa: “Thanks for the maps, Stephanie!” Also check out a red and green message typed out for fans at the end: “Happy Holidays, From Our Family to Yours!”

6 DJ and Kimmy’s First Day of Junior High

With three girls and eventually two boys under their roof, school played a significant part in the Tanner family’s day to day life. Another outstanding school episode is DJ’s first day in the seventh grade. Van Atta Junior High, named for the show’s producer, presented a new environment for the eldest Tanner daughter and her best friend, Kimmy Gibbler. DJ has a rough time navigating middle school, especially during lunch.

She is called a “scrub” and is denied a seat at the popular table. She is mortified when she is wearing the same exact outfit as a teacher, and the whole cafeteria laughs at her. Distraught, she spends the rest of the lunch period eating in the telephone booth. Writer and executive producer Dennis Rinsler based the phone booth storyline on a similar experience his son had starting middle school. With the help of DJ’s friends and family, she realizes that junior high won’t be so bad, and she gets a great make-up lesson from Becky.

5 DJ’s First Kiss

It’s DJ’s thirteenth birthday! Her alarm goes off at 3:47 AM so that she can commemorate her 3:48 birth and say, “I am now officially a teenager.” She is answered by Stephanie’s mantra, “well, pin a rose on your nose.”

That night, DJ has a great party with the hairdo of the century and an outfit to match. Her crush, Kevin, even shows up with a present for her. When the parental figures overhear the words “spin the bottle” through the fireplace, they rush downstairs to take over with snacks and “no touching music.” They’ve interrupted Kimmy’s spin-the-bottle set-up. Though DJ is embarrassed at the outcome of the party, Becky talks through everything with her. DJ has her first kiss with Kevin at the end of the episode and is elated.

4 Michelle’s First Punishment

Misbehaving Michelle is the apple of Danny’s eye. In the fourth season, the three-year-old gives everyone some sass, but Danny doesn’t see it. She instigates a pillow fight, which results in a broken window, and she then talks back at bedtime until she gets the “Teddy Bear” song. After yet another attempt at bedtime, Michelle calls, “please let me out!” She pokes her little fingers under the door, begging to be let out, and she winds up watching Arsenio over some junk food. 

The last straw is when the little princess takes her kiddie pool into the house and goes for a swim. Danny wants to blame his older daughters, but he gives into reason and decides to “talk to Michelle about her very first punishment.”

3 Becky’s First Babies

The two-part episode where Nicky and Alex are born, “Happy Birthday Babies” is hands-down one of the best of Full House. Michelle is having an awesome Flintstones birthday party, Becky is having her twin babies, and Jesse is having his appendix taken out. Danny also wears a giant purple dinosaur suit. Jesse and Becky cuddling the twins is the sweetest moment.

2 Jesse’s First Club

Jesse’s opening night of the Smash Club is a great first. He has put so much work into renovating the club and making it his own. Not everything goes smoothly, and Jesse winds up trapped in a supply closet with his nemesis, Kimmy. The two have a heart to heart and patch some things up, and they’ve never been in a scene like this before. The Smash Club adds a fun dimension to Full House, and it’s good to remember its origins.

1 Nicky and Alex’s First Crawl

Remember when Michelle said “Dada” to everyone but Danny? Well, Nicky and Alex will crawl for everyone but their dad, Jesse. Every time Becky tells Jesse to look at the twins crawling, he turns around, and they’re not crawling anymore. It’s a realistic dad moment and a great episode—in fact, it’s the one where Danny tries out a new, messier image. The Nicky and Alex episodes really bring out a new depth in Jesse and Becky’s characters, and the Tanner family is there to cheer them on.

About The Author