How to Be a Full House Fan

From 1987 to 1995, America became familiar with the Tanner family: widowed Danny with his three girls DJ, Stephanie and Michelle, his best friend Joey Gladstone, and his brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis. Their family grew over the years, as Jesse married Rebecca Donaldson and had two twins Nicky and Alex. Loyal fans of this family sitcom can continue to enjoy it through the episodes in syndication, as well as the recently released box set of the entire eight seasons of the show. But do you have what it takes to consider yourself a true fan?

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Know how the show got started. The original title of the show was to be House of Comics, and it was going to be about three different comedians living together. However, the executive producer discovered that ABC wanted a sitcom about a family so it was changed to Full House and developed to promote family themes and values. The show was based loosely on the film Three Men and a Baby, which was in production at about the same time. The show's original pilot (which was never aired) starred John Posey as the widowed father to the three girls, as Bob Saget was on another network at the time (as co-host and "comic" correspondent on CBS’s s Morning Program). When he was let go from this ill-fated program, Full House creator Jeff Franklin thought Saget would be great for the role, even though Paul Reiser (of Mad About You fame) was originally being considered.
2. Acknowledge the use of twins. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen got their big start in Hollywood with Full House, jointly playing the character of Michelle Tanner. The role of Michelle was credited as being played by "Mary-Kate Ashley Olsen" from seasons 2-7 (they were only credited in the closing credits in season 1) because the show's director did not want audiences to know that Michelle was played by twins. The role of Michelle was played by two children because California state law regulated the number of hours a young child was legally allowed to work. In season 8, with the entire opening credit shots revamped for the last time, the Olsen twins were finally given separate billing in response to the popularity they earned over the years. They almost never made it past the first season as their real-life mother was concerned about them missing out on having a "normal" childhood. After a raise from the producers, she agreed to let them stay on. In Season 5, the characters of Nicky and Alex debuted as Jesse and Rebecca’s twin sons, and were created to compliment the popularity generated by the Olsen twins. However, these new characters did not achieve as much popularity as the producers had hoped. The "baby" versions were played by Daniel and Kevin Renteria in Season 5 and beginning in Season 6 Blake and Dylan Tuomy-Wilhoit played the toddlers until the series’ end in Season 8.
3. Watch for recurring catch phrases used by DJ, Stephanie and Michelle (generally in the first few seasons). DJ can be heard saying “Whoa, baby!” and “Oh, Mylanta!” in multiple episodes, and Stephanie became known for “How rude!”; “Well pin a rose on your nose” and “Hot Dog!” Michelle’s catchphrases are probably the best known in the series as being “You got it, dude!"; "You're in big trouble, Mister!"; and "No way, José!" Jesse Katsopolis and Joey Gladstone each had one well-known catchphrase each as well: respectively, “Have mercy!” and “Cut it out!”
4. Get that catchy theme song stuck in your head. The theme song, titled Everywhere You Look, was performed by Jesse Frederick. In syndication, an abbreviated version of the song is used for seasons 1-5, and an even shorter version is used for seasons 6-8. Originally, the six main characters were shown either at home or in various shots in San Francisco. Beginning in season 4, the opening credits for the adults were also filmed in San Francisco as well as the last shot of the opening credits of the show, which features the cast having a picnic in Alamo Square in a San Francisco neighborhood. Contrary to popular belief, the red-doored house where the Tanners lived is not one of these houses seen in this picnic shot. It was not until the final season 8 that the opening credits were changed to feature the entire cast in various locations around San Francisco. Though a recurring character since Season 1, DJ’s best friend Kimmy Gibbler was not added to the opening credits until Season 5.
5. Familiarize yourself with the merchandise that spun-off from the show’s popularity. There were many short books based on the show, such as Full House Sisters, Full House Michelle, Full House Michelle and Friends, Full House Stephanie, and Full House Club: Stephanie. Check eBay for the Full House board game, where players travel around the board by moving from neighborhood to neighborhood collecting cards with pictures of characters in the show.