Henry Winkler Is Auctioning Off His Original Happy Days Fonzie Jacket

Henry Winkler, aka The Fonz from Happy Days, is selling one of the iconic leather jackets his character wore on the show. Winkler starred as the comically cool Arthur Fonzarelli on ABC’s classic sitcom from 1974 to 1984. After receiving his big break on the show, Winkler remains a fixture in film and TV comedies like The Waterboy, Click, Scream, Arrested Development, and Barry on HBO.

Happy Days follows a teenager and his family living in the 1950s in Milwaukee. Originally a recurring character, Fonzie became a major character on the show after creator Gary Marshall changed its tone in response to falling ratings. Audiences responded to the Fonz’s broad comedy: the “bad boy”/ladies’ man archetype is known for his effortless charm and coolness, both of which provided material for recurring gags. The Fonz is known for his catchphrases, “Sit on it,” and the unmistakable “Ayyyy!” greeting, as well as for his ability to turn jukeboxes and other machines on and off with his fist and summon women with the snap of his fingers. Following his season 2 transformation, the character also underwent a permanent costume change that stuck with him throughout the series. In virtually every subsequent episode of the show, Fonzie can be seen with slicked-back hair, wearing a white T-shirt, blue jeans, biker boots, and a brown leather jacket.

THR reports that Winkler has finally decided to let go of his famous leather jacket as part of an auction. Winkler wore multiple versions of the brown leather jacket on set, one of which is currently owned by the Smithsonian. On December 8, Bonhams Los Angeles will auction off the jacket alongside the rest of the Fonz’s well-known ensemble as part of a complete set. The lot also includes original versions of the Fonz’s jeans, T-shirt, and boots. The whole package is expected to sell for between $50,000 and $70,000, and some of the proceeds will go to This Is About Humanity, a nonprofit co-founded by Winkler’s daughter.

Bonhams’ Henry Winkler Collection includes 26 lots in addition to the Fonz costume, all of which are part of the auction house’s Turner Classic Movies sale. The Winkler collection is a treasure trove of memorabilia from Winkler’s best-known roles, including everything from Ghostface masks from Scream to “the book that I held on the sidelines in The Waterboy for making plays.” Also in the auction are overalls worn by the Fonz, cowboy boots worn on both The Lords of Flatbush and Happy Days, and a jacket his character Chuck Lumley wore on Night Shift.

Winkler admits that he has a hoarding problem, and says the auction resulted in part from a pandemic spring cleaning process that “lasted for a year and a half.” The cleaning unearthed 27 boxes worth of props, costumes, and other trinkets, many of which will be auctioned off and some of which will stay with Winkler. Fans who feel that Winkler is the jacket’s rightful owner need not worry: the actor has another one that will remain in his possession. To Winkler’s knowledge, only five others exist: one was stolen, one destroyed on set “in order to do the water-skiing when we jumped the shark,” and Happy Days creator Gary Marshall has the last two.

Source: THR

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