The Fonz resurrected to star in Citroen C3 ad

The £1m TV ad campaign, which was created by Euro RSCG London, mixes actual footage of the show with digitally manipulated shots showing The Fonz, played by Henry Winkler, driving Citroen's C3 model.

The ad breaks on Monday and also features other characters from 'Happy Days', including the decidedly uncool Cunningham family. However, a notable absence from the ad is the show's pivotal character Richie Cunningham, who was played by Ron Howard.

Perhaps this is unsurprising given that Howard now has a successful career directing Hollywood films such as 'A Beautiful Mind' and 'The Da Vinci Code'.

In the Citroen ad, Fonzie takes the C3 for a drive around locations resembling those in the original series, such as Arnold's Diner and a drive-in cinema.

The original heads of the characters have been superimposed on to the bodies of modern actors using digital technology.

Citroen's advertising is fast building a reputation for innovative use of computer-generated imagery. Last year, it launched a TV ad that showed a Transformer-style version of its C4 model dancing like Justin Timberlake.

'Happy Days' ran from 1974 to 1980 and presented viewers with an idealised version of small-town America in the 1950s.

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