# Characters from Wisconsin (in shows not set there) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [December 24, 2020, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-from-wisconsin-in-shows-not-set-there/928823 "2020-12-24T15:15:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2020, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-from-wisconsin-in-shows-not-set-there/928823/22 "2020-12-24T20:28:05Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > I’ve always wondered about **this place**. It looks to me like a compound where a cult gathers once a week to pay tribute to a mythical hero and his aurochs… Paul Bunyan’s! This is the place! If you’ve ever wished you could time travel, drive through Wisconsin (the catch is, you can’t time travel to any place _exciting…)._ My wife is a big city west coast type, so I took her to ‘the Dells’. We walked into Paul Bunyan’s and my jaw dropped “Oh! I was here… fifty years ago! And my parents wouldn’t let me buy a beaded ‘injun’ belt!” So I spent ten bucks on my very own… _‘never too late to have a happy childhood’._ By the way, the place had not changed one iota since '59. They served huge breakfasts on tin plates at long picnic tables… family style (basket of donuts for the table, huge tin platters of bacon, eggs and hashbrowns passed around…all you could eat. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2020, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-from-wisconsin-in-shows-not-set-there/928823/23 "2020-12-24T22:57:35Z")
There’s far more fictional characters from Wisconsin/Minnesota than Missouri. The Wikipedia listing for fictional characters from Missouri has about 6 people, a GI Joe character among them. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2020, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-from-wisconsin-in-shows-not-set-there/928823/24 "2020-12-24T23:11:05Z")
Hey! Barbie is from Wisconsin! The fictional town of Willows, Wisconsin. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2020, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-from-wisconsin-in-shows-not-set-there/928823/25 "2020-12-24T23:11:55Z")
The rich main bad guy in the animated TV series **Danny Phantom** lives in Madison and went to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He also is a giant Packers fan in the show. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2020, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-from-wisconsin-in-shows-not-set-there/928823/26 "2020-12-24T23:16:28Z")
There’s the huge beastly character in Incredibles 2 who, when asked by Elastigirl, “where are **you** from,” replies…“Wisconsin.” ---
**Author:** ![BigAppleBucky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigapplebucky/32/178_2.png) [@BigAppleBucky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigAppleBucky)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2020, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-from-wisconsin-in-shows-not-set-there/928823/27 "2020-12-25T00:49:36Z")
It’s pretty obvious, but just to be 100% certain the record is straight there is no Wanker County in Wisconsin. I think Wisconsin gets used a lot in comedies because it sounds funnier than Minnesota or Oregon, or whatever. Some of the action in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House series occurs in Wisconsin. Little House in the Big Woods. I’ve lived in New York for over 40 years but people on long Island can still hear my Wisconsin accent. It’s Muh waa key. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2020, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-from-wisconsin-in-shows-not-set-there/928823/28 "2020-12-25T02:14:05Z")
> [@BigAppleBucky](#): > > I think Wisconsin gets used a lot in comedies because it sounds funnier than Minnesota or Oregon, or whatever. True… friends and I once made a list of inherently funny words. We included place names (Peoria, Kalamazoo), but since we were _in_ Wisconsin at the time, we must have been too close to the subject. Come to think of it, we were in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin… that’s two smirky names together. … Oh, there’s an entire series of comic books set in Madison, WI, starring a psychotic super-hero[… The Badger.](https://comicvine.gamespot.com/badger/4005-29020/) Mike Baron and Jeff Butler made him truly delusional and dangerous (read the synopsis at that link above, it’s hilarious). And since Madison was psychotic, dangerous and hilarious at the time (mid-80s), it all worked. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2020, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-from-wisconsin-in-shows-not-set-there/928823/29 "2020-12-25T02:20:52Z")
Note that Laura was born in Wisconsin (near Pepin) so although the TV show had a lot of fiction, it was based on real people. Brian ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2020, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-from-wisconsin-in-shows-not-set-there/928823/30 "2020-12-25T03:05:06Z")
Fort Snelling was built under the direction of Col Josiah Snelling, USA, at the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers in the 1820s. This is now part of the Twin Cities, but at the time it was “unorganized (Indian) territory.” For some reason, the cornerstone of the Commandant’s house refers to it as the “Ouisconsin Territory.” Back in the '80s, a girlfriend and I wanted to film a parody of _ **In Search Of** _ (titled _ **In Quest Of** _) dedicated to “The Cult of Paul Bunyan.” The disclaimer at the beginning went “This series presents information based in part on theory and conjecture. Where there was no evidence, it was fabricated.” We would have shown (among other things) how he was depicted in Ancient Greek art, fighting the Titans, and how the heads on Easter Island were modeled after him… We even hoped to film a scene inside the restaurant on the weekend, when all of the cult members are gathered around the tables feasting. The scene would have ended with all of the cultists standing and chanting “Paul Bunyan, Paul Bunyan, Paul Bunyan, Paul Bunyan! Oh, what a great guy he was!” (Like in **this clip**.) [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/U0yA3mbOAoc/hqdefault.jpg "Saint Germain Pt 3: The Man Who Would Not Die") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0yA3mbOAoc) My girlfriend even looked a bit like the whacko woman in this episode. I wanted to wrap her in a shawl and have her stare spookily into the camera while she ranted on about Paul Bunyan. Sadly, we stopped seeing each other before we could pitch the idea to Leonard Nimoy. If Wanker County is supposed to be in Wisconsin, why does everyone there talk like a hillbilly? I spent the summer of 1991 traveling around the state and never heard that accent. ---
**Author:** ![mikecurtis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikecurtis/32/3284_2.png) [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2020, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-from-wisconsin-in-shows-not-set-there/928823/31 "2020-12-25T05:01:28Z")
> [@digs](#): > > friends and I once made a list of inherently funny words. We included place names (Peoria, Kalamazoo), but since we were _in_ Wisconsin at the time, we must have been too close to the subject. > > Come to think of it, we were in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin… that’s two smirky names together. Are there any other words you find inherently funny or is it just the ones from native American languages? ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2020, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-from-wisconsin-in-shows-not-set-there/928823/32 "2020-12-25T05:10:31Z")
Josh Lyman: “How could you not like Donna? She’s from Wisconsin!” ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2020, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-from-wisconsin-in-shows-not-set-there/928823/33 "2020-12-25T05:21:51Z")
ekedolphin wrote: > Josh Lyman: “How could you not like Donna? She’s from Wisconsin!” Not exactly. She’s from a border town in Minnesota that, after a “border clarification,” was determined to be in Canada. (Wisconsin shares no land border with Canada.) She did, however, attend the University of Wisconsin. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2020, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-from-wisconsin-in-shows-not-set-there/928823/34 "2020-12-25T11:41:24Z")
**Modnote** : This is an inappropriate comment for the Café. If you like, take it to the pit. But don’t repeat is outside the pit. _This is just a guidance, not a warning. Nothing on your permanent record._ ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2020, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-from-wisconsin-in-shows-not-set-there/928823/35 "2020-12-25T15:42:29Z")
I was once on a road trip with a guy from Lake Geneva. He told me we were stopping for lunch in “Lions.” I looked at the map and said “Oh, you mean _Lyons_” (with the correct French pronunciation). He gave me a dirty look and said “No, _Lions_. We’re in rural Wisconsin, not France.” I found this rather ironic, since we were both members of the SCA at the time. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2020, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-from-wisconsin-in-shows-not-set-there/928823/36 "2020-12-25T20:55:05Z")
That could be a thread of its own. We’re surrounded by Poorly-Named Towns. I mean, how lazy do you have to be to start a city, and just shrug and say “Ehh… I like Berlin. I’ll just call this dirt road full of goats… New Berlin.” … But we’ll mispronounce it "New _BURR’_–lin. Wisconsin is full of these: a town is named _Rio,_ so it’s pronounced _RYE’_–oh. And of course Moscow is MOSS’–kOh (long Oh)… and they did the same thing in Idaho. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2020, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-from-wisconsin-in-shows-not-set-there/928823/37 "2020-12-25T21:30:27Z")
Harry Crane from “Mad Men” went to the University of Wisconsin. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2020, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-from-wisconsin-in-shows-not-set-there/928823/38 "2020-12-25T22:02:51Z")
> [@N9IWP](#): > > Note I am NOT counting shows set in Wisconsin (Happy Days, that 70’s show, etc) The last three seasons of _Laverne & Shirley_ were set in Los Angeles, so (for that period, at least) Laverne, Shirley, Lenny, Squiggy, Carmine, Frank, and Edna should all count. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2020, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-from-wisconsin-in-shows-not-set-there/928823/39 "2020-12-26T00:02:15Z")
Home Alone is a Christmas movie and, I’m not sure it’s explicitly stated, but I strongly suspect John Candy’s character, Gus Polinski, is from Wisconsin. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2020, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-from-wisconsin-in-shows-not-set-there/928823/40 "2020-12-26T00:04:43Z")
The main character of **Cedar Rapids** is from the fictional town of Brown Valley, Wisconsin. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2020, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-from-wisconsin-in-shows-not-set-there/928823/41 "2020-12-26T02:00:31Z")
It’s not far from Chocolate Starfish 🙂. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-from-wisconsin-in-shows-not-set-there/928823.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-from-wisconsin-in-shows-not-set-there/928823.md?page=3)