Every man wanted to be him and every woman wanted to date him.
Henry Winkler starred as the iconic Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli on the Garry Marshall ’50s-era sitcom “Happy Days.” The King of Cool was known for his white tees, black leather jackets and slicked-back hair.
And now, Winkler, 76, is auctioning off one of the original jackets on Dec. 8 at Bonhams Los Angeles. The jacket that he is selling has been in his possession for decades, while another one was sold to the Smithsonian in 1980. But not to worry, fans — he still has an extra one to keep at home.
Part of the proceeds from the sale will support the nonprofit This Is About Humanity, which was co-founded by his daughter, Zoe Winkler.
The jacket will be sold alongside a complete Fonzie ensemble, including a pair of jeans, a T-shirt and motorcycle boots. The outfit has an estimated value of $50,000 to $70,000.
Winkler is also selling a Ghostface mask from the 1996 teenage slasher film “Scream,” in which the actor portrayed Principal Himbry. The mask has an estimated value of $20,000 to $30,000.
As to why the “Barry” star is suddenly unloading memorabilia, he recently told The Post that, during the coronavirus pandemic, he “finally realized I am a hoarder.”
“I have this space away from everything and in it was 27 to 30 boxes, all of my memorabilia, my swag. I didn’t even realize what I had. I didn’t open these boxes for years. Bonhams came and went through it all,” he said. “I had a [Fonzie] jacket that they made me. The first one was stolen from the costume department. So they made six.” He also revealed that one jacket had its lining pulled out for the “Jump the Shark” episode so Fonzie could Jet Ski.
During the show’s run, Marshall and Winkler both got two jackets apiece, while the fifth went to the Smithsonian. (A sixth, he told the Hollywood Reporter, was allegedly “stolen from the costume department at Paramount — it was the very first one I ever wore.”)
“I found in that box my jeans, two T-shirts I wore [as Fonzie] and the boot I originally wore in New York on ‘The Lords of Flatbush’ with Sly Stallone,” he told The Post. “I love to take something from one production and take it with me to another. I took the motorcycle engineer boots I bought on Modell’s on 23rd Street with me to wear as the Fonz.
“I have my entire T-shirt collection from every show I produced [and] every bit of swag from shows I appeared on, including talk shows,” Winkler added.
Winkler can next be seen in the Wes Anderson flick “The French Dispatch.” He recently spoke to The Post about the eccentric filmmaker and what it was like on set.
“You don’t say anything. You learn the language of Wes. This man is a visionary. Remember those EF Hutton commercials, ‘When EF Hutton talks, people listen?’ That is the set on a Wes Anderson film. The props are from Germany, the costumers are from Italy, the makeup people are from England, the drivers are from France — and when he speaks, everyone listens,” Winkler said.
“We had the most wonderful time and [Anderson] creates a family,” he added when asked about the vibe during filming. “You’re in a foreign country, in a beautiful town with these blue roofs you see through the trees that are leafless because it’s winter — oh, my God!”