 Potsie—who eventually became assistant manager of Cunningham Hardware, the hardware store owned and operated by Richie's father, Howard Cunningham, throughout the series—was apparently smart enough to get into medical school, and continued to work toward his goal of becoming a psychiatrist during the later years of the show's run.Potsie was one of the few characters to remain through the entire run of the show, even though his appearances became sporadic in the later years (Potsie appeared in only six episodes apiece in the final two seasons).As episodes began to shift toward Fonzie and the other characters, Potsie became more of a "dumb foil" for punchlines, usually from Fonzie or Mr. Cunningham.