This is the original barstool used by the character Norm Peterson (played by George Wendt) on the iconic 1980s sitcom Cheers, that ran from 1982 until 1993 on NBC.
It’s now being offered for sale along with the original front door from the Cheers bar, as well as the stool that was used by the character Cliff Clavin who was played by John Ratzenberger.
Above Video: This is a compilation of every time Norm entered the bar during the series. You can see the stool in these clips, and it gives you an idea of just how much of a central character he was to the show.
Cheers: A History Speedrun
Cheers is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from September 30, 1982, to May 20, 1993. Created by James Burrows, Glen Charles, and Les Charles, the series is set in a bar named “Cheers” in Boston, Massachusetts. Over the course of 11 seasons and 275 episodes, it became one of the most consistently well-reviewed and influential sitcoms of its time.
The central setting, a bar where “everybody knows your name,” provided a fixed location that allowed for character-driven storytelling. The bar was owned by Sam Malone (Ted Danson), a former relief pitcher for the Boston Red Sox who struggled with alcoholism and now ran the bar as a recovering alcoholic.
The show’s first major dynamic revolved around Sam’s often contentious romantic relationship with Diane Chambers (Shelley Long), an academic who ends up working at Cheers after being abandoned by her fiancé.
After Long’s departure in 1987, the character of Rebecca Howe (Kirstie Alley) was introduced as Sam’s new boss after the bar was sold to a corporation. This shifted the romantic and professional tensions in new directions and essentially allowed the show to continue with a similar dynamic, without losing momentum.
The stool has a single-tier burgundy leatherette round seat cushion on top, four oak dowel legs, and a circular rail around the base that appears to be brass.
Notable characters included bar regulars like Norm Peterson (George Wendt), a laid-off accountant known for his dry wit and constant presence, Cliff Clavin (John Ratzenberger), a postal worker prone to inaccurate trivia, Carla Tortelli (Rhea Perlman), a sharp-tongued waitress with a chaotic personal life, and Coach Ernie Pantusso (Nicholas Colasanto), the kind but absent-minded bartender, later replaced by Woody Boyd (Woody Harrelson) following Colasanto’s death in 1985.
Kelsey Grammer joined the show in its third season as Frasier Crane, a psychiatrist and romantic rival for Diane. The character became a regular and eventually served as the lead in the successful spin-off series Frasier, which ran from 1993 to 2004.
Cheers initially struggled in the ratings, finishing near the bottom of the Nielsen charts in its debut season. However, critical support and strong performances by its cast helped it gain traction. By its third season, it had become a top-ten show. It eventually earned 28 Primetime Emmy Awards out of 117 nominations and received numerous other accolades, including a Peabody Award in 1983.
Today the show remains a popular rerun, and the theme music alone is enough to transport regular watchers from the 1980s back in time to when they would settle down in front of the TV to watch new episodes on NBC at 9pm EST.
Norm’s Barstool From “Cheers”
As noted above, this is the original barstool used by Norm Peterson (played by George Wendt) on Cheers for the entire series run. The upper cushion section has been replaced in that time, in order to keep Norm comfortable of course, but the rest of the stool remains original.
“Cheers” had an incredible cast of characters over the years, including Ted Danson, Shelley Long, Kirstie Alley, Woody Harrelson, Kelsey Grammer, Rhea Perlman, John Ratzenberger, and of course, George Wendt playing Norm Peterson. Image courtesy of NBC.
The stool has a single-tier burgundy leatherette round seat cushion on top, four oak dowel legs, and a circular rail around the base that appears to be brass. The round top part of the stool swivels, a feature regularly used by Norm on the show, and other members of the cast sat on and used this stool during the show as well.
It’s now being offered for sale by Julien’s in an online auction. Bidding is now live and you can visit the listing here if you’d like to read more about it or place a bid. Bidding will end on the 7th of May and the price guide is $10,000 – $20,000 USD.
Images courtesy of Julien’s
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