# origin of the term, "jumped the shark"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-the-term-jumped-the-shark/126906>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 4, 2002, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-the-term-jumped-the-shark/126906 "2002-09-04T02:15:35Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 10\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![missingbigbad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/fbc32d/32.png) [@missingbigbad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missingbigbad)\
**Post date:** [September 4, 2002, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-the-term-jumped-the-shark/126906/1 "2002-09-04T02:15:35Z")

</div>

Does anyone know the origin of the term, “jumped the shark.” Also, what exactly does it mean.

Thanks,  
dave

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\
**Post date:** [September 4, 2002, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-the-term-jumped-the-shark/126906/2 "2002-09-04T02:19:43Z")

</div>

[http://www.jumptheshark.com](http://www.jumptheshark.com)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Jadis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@Jadis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jadis)\
**Post date:** [September 4, 2002, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-the-term-jumped-the-shark/126906/3 "2002-09-04T02:21:46Z")

</div>

All is explained [here](http://www.jumptheshark.com/).

Basically, it refers to the point in a TV show’s run where the story lines have been so exhausted that they’ve become so improbable, they border on ridiculous. The classic example of this phenomenon stems from the Happy Days episode where Fonzie jumps the shark on waterskis.

HTH 😉

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![missingbigbad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/fbc32d/32.png) [@missingbigbad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missingbigbad)\
**Post date:** [September 4, 2002, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-the-term-jumped-the-shark/126906/4 "2002-09-04T02:23:05Z")

</div>

Thanks Bob T. You Rock

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![missingbigbad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/fbc32d/32.png) [@missingbigbad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missingbigbad)\
**Post date:** [September 4, 2002, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-the-term-jumped-the-shark/126906/5 "2002-09-04T02:29:04Z")

</div>

Thanks Jadis. You also rock.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\
**Post date:** [September 4, 2002, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-the-term-jumped-the-shark/126906/6 "2002-09-04T02:51:31Z")

</div>

For a long time, I thought he jumped a shark in a tank. With his motorcycle. That would have been much cooler.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\
**Post date:** [September 4, 2002, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-the-term-jumped-the-shark/126906/7 "2002-09-04T03:32:21Z")

</div>

IIRC, he jumped trashcans on his motorcycle. That was stupid, but not fatal (to the show). In a later, far sadder, episode, he did the shark/waterski stunt.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\
**Post date:** [September 4, 2002, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-the-term-jumped-the-shark/126906/8 "2002-09-04T12:28:11Z")

</div>

> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Telemark \*  
> \*\*IIRC, he jumped trashcans on his motorcycle. That was stupid, but not fatal (to the show). In a later, far sadder, episode, he did the shark/waterski stunt. \*\*

trash jump stupid!?: Au contraire! It’s one of the episodes that defined the Fonz and Happy Days early to middle years. The shark jump stands in direct contrast to the punk kid who jumped trash cans in a dive parking lot.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Milton\_De\_La\_Warre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e480ec/32.png) [@Milton\_De\_La\_Warre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Milton_De_La_Warre)\
**Post date:** [September 4, 2002, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-the-term-jumped-the-shark/126906/9 "2002-09-04T17:13:08Z")

</div>

Is the term’s first use a reference to the Fonzie shark-jump, or had it been used earlier?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Morgainelf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Morgainelf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgainelf)\
**Post date:** [September 4, 2002, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-the-term-jumped-the-shark/126906/10 "2002-09-04T17:47:02Z")

</div>

**JCHeckler** , according to the originator of [www.jumptheshark.com](http://www.jumptheshark.com), it was in reference to the Fonzie jump. It had not been used earlier. He and his friends made it up.