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In Milwaukee Buzz
Sunday Sound-off: Is "The Bronze Fonz" good for Milwaukee?
Henry Winkler supports the statue effort.  
By Molly Snyder Edler RSS Feed
OnMilwaukee.com Staff Writer

E-mail author | Author bio
More articles by Molly Snyder Edler

Published Sept. 30, 2007 at 5:18 a.m.
Tags: the fonz, arthur fonzarelli, "happy days," visit milwaukee, sculpture, di suvero

Ayyyyyyy! It's no secret that Downtown Milwaukee may soon sport a statue of "The Fonz," but here's your chance to state your opinion as to whether or not this is a good idea. For anyone not familiar with this issue, here's a quick recap:

So far, Visit Milwaukee has raised almost $50,000 of the $85,000 needed for a bronze sculpture that would be unveiled in 2008. The "Bronze Fonz" is, of course, a tribute to Arthur Fonzarelli, the character played by actor Henry Winkler in the television show "Happy Days," which took place in Milwaukee circa the 1950s.

Winkler says he would come to Milwaukee for the dedication if the sculpture is erected, and Visit Milwaukee says it is confident it will be.

So what do you think? Would you like to see a "Fonzie" sculpture Downtown? Sound off now, Milwaukee!

Yes, that would be cool.
A Fonz sculpture is kitschy and fun, and would be a great addition to Downtown Milwaukee. Plus, it's keeping with a trend that's happening in other cities: there's a statue of Mary Richards from "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" in Minneapolis and one of Bob Hartley from "The Bob Newhart Show" in Chicago. The "Rocky" statue in Philadelphia is a big hit with tourists. And hey, it still beats Mark di Suvero's "sunburst sculpture" at the foot of Wisconsin Avenue.

No way, it's totally uncool. A "Bronze Fonz" is a bad idea. "The Fonz" depicts an old image of Milwaukee, the one that was all about a conservative, Blue Collar existence. Brew City struggles enough with its self-image, and is trying to redefine itself beyond stereotypes, and this statue will just reinforce them. And, hey, some of us like di Suvero and "The Calling."

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jtgalas I appreciate that an organization wants to beautify Milwaukee and make it more ...
dskopp I think it is great to have a statue of the "Fonz" in Milwaukee. I grew up in ...
mitchgat Finally!!! Next: Laverne and Shirley!
T15 Good idea. If you say 'No no no', you should really give a reason of you own ...
bleeth There's absolutely no downside to this fun, photo op. Let's not take ourselves ...


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