Jumping the Shark

The phrase Jumping the Shark was first used in a 1977 episode of Happy Days, an American television programme, where The Fonz, played by Henry Winkler, literally jumps over a ring-fenced shark in a water-skiing stunt. A bizarre storyline for a family orientated 1950s retro sitcom produced in the 1970s. The cool Fonz, full name Arthur Herbert Fonzarelli, but more affectionally known as Fonzie, turned out in his trademark leather jacket and pompadour hair for the stunt. His blue jeans replaced by skimpy shorts, was more Arthur than Fonzie. The episode changed the tone of the show with The Fonz, originally a supporting character, taking up a more prominent presence alongside his landlords, the suburban Cunningham family. The term, Jumping the Shark, is now used in television and business sectors where the premise, style or creative ideation changes so much that it no longer reflects the same programme, show or brand it portrays. It is also a term that questions how ideas can keep going that one step better and whether an evolutionary step too far would be the beginning of the end. Having been tasked to make something out of paper, after viewing the Picasso Paper Exhibition online, the dilemma of what to make with a few sheets of printer paper and limited craft supplies was a challenge. A keep it simple suggestion from a wise and practical nursery nurse friend was to make a shark hat. The idea reminded me of a conversation in a creative producing class where our American classmate reeled out the fishy tale of Jumping the Shark.

So that was it. Correct-amundo, thumbs up… aaaay!

I could have taken the picture of the hat on my head, but that would have taken the emphasis away from the creative task’s theme, the paper, and a step too far for my non-existent modelling skills.