On its way from no longer publishing nude female photos to no longer publishing, Playboy came up with this:

Of course Charlie Brown is the most famous fictional character from Minnesota, but is Marty McFly really more famous than Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Zack Morris or The Terminator? Well for very scientific reasons (we said so), yes he his. And also we knew everyone was going to fight about it no matter who we chose.

The writer was probably correct about that. Kelso, of “That ’70s Show,” is probably as good a choicee as anyone …

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hil90gBRudw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xa-1rgDSRJA

… because there aren’t very many fictional characters of note from Wisconsin. (The list of actors from Wisconsin is slightly longer; I know this because I wrote a story on that subject for the late great Marketplace Magazine.) In fact, according to the always-accurate Wikipedia, Wisconsin-born characters comprise a pretty small list beyond “Happy Days” and “LaVerne and Shirley,” both set in Milwaukee, and “That ’70s Show,” which was set in “Point Place.”

Where? Wikipedia again:

Over the course of the series, Point Place is depicted as a population center gradually evolving from an industrial town into a growing suburban city during the economic downturn of the mid-to-late ’70s. During the period between 1976 and 1980, small, locally-owned businesses are forced to close as aggressive chain stores move in and rust-belt factories are shut down due to the fall in consumer demand. Other closings include the auto-parts manufacturing plant (where Red Forman was a supervisor), a local appliance and electronics store, Bargain Bob’s (owned and operated by Bob Pinciotti), the local Foto Hut chain (owned by Leo) and the Forman & Son muffler and auto repair shop (itself built in a former local muffler business). In their stead, large chain stores such as Price Mart and Muffler Master (which purchased the Forman & Son business) moved in and opened. During the eighth and final season, in contravention to this trend, the William Barnett-owned music chain Grooves is sold and closed, with the sole remaining store becoming the privately owned business of Barnett’s son, Steven Hyde.

The town is depicted as a somewhat rich town. Though Jackie thinks it looks like Paris, the town is often verbally bashed by some characters. Republican politics have been referenced as impacting the town: Jackie’s dad, who was a local Republican politician (before landing in prison for financial crimes), organizes a campaign rally for President Ford in 1976, which is attended by much of the town, including both Eric’s and Donna’s parents. At the event, Red criticizes Ford for pardoning Nixon (though Red is later depicted as a Nixon diehard).

Point Place is located within the fictional Greater Oshkosh Area of Wisconsin. The “FAQ” on the program’s official website says, “Point Place is a fictional suburb of Green Bay, Wisconsin. This is why many Wisconsinites may recognize names of nearby towns such as Kenosha. There is an episode where the gang travels “down” to Kenosha to go to a movie.” This seemed to be directly contradicted by concrete information given in several episodes, such as the fact in one episode (“The Velvet Rope”) it was possible to drive to Chicago, attend a party, and drive back in the course of a few hours; and in another Kelso explicitly states that Chicago is a two-hour drive from Point Place. Over the course of the series many local businesses and events were identified as being in or taking place in Kenosha (which is actually 155 miles from Green Bay). The name Point Place was chosen for the town because co-creator Bonnie Turner is from Toledo, Ohio where there is a section of town called Point Place.

It’s hardly surprising that a fictional Wisconsin town would be a geographic mess. Twenty years ago, the CBS-TV series “Picket Fences” was set in “Rome” in this state, though it was shot in Monrovia, Calif. “Picket Fences” had a sheriff as the town’s chief law enforcement officer, when everyone who cares about the subject knows that counties have sheriffs and cities, villages and towns have police chiefs. There was also an episode where kids from inner-city Green Bay (really) got bused into Rome for school. All it would have taken is to move the kids to Milwaukee, and the premise would make sense, but apparently the series’ creators were too lazy to do that. (And they also passed up a chance for a quintessentially Wisconsin episode on the subject of people moving into a rural area and then objecting to how farms smell.)

There is one Rome in Adams County and another in Jefferson County, along with New Rome in Jefferson County. Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged also has a Rome, whose mayor purchased the remnants of the Twentieth Century Motor Company, located in Starnesville, wherever that was (is?). (Maybe Detroit?)

There are a number of comic book characters from Wisconsin, led by Badger, created by Facebook Friend Mike Baron:

Wikipedia describes Badger as …

… mostly set in Madison, Wisconsin, where Capital Comics was situated, and where Baron lived. The lead character wasNorbert Sykes, a Vietnam warveteran suffering from multiple personality disorder. “The Badger”, an urban vigilante who could talk to animals, was just one of his personalities. Bizarrely, he would often call people “Larry”, and it was later revealed that “Larry” was the name of his father who left his mother when Norbert was five. His mother remarried Rollin Sykes who physically abused Norbert. After escaping from a mental institution, Norbert met a 5th-century Druid named Ham (Hammaglystwythkbrngxxaxolotl in full), who had just awakened from an 800-year coma (this was later corrected in dialogue where it was noted that Ham’s coma lasted 1500 years). Ham took the Badger in as a boarder in his castle in return for the Badger’s bodyguard services. Other characters included Norbert’s caseworker Daisy, Vietnamese martial arts expert (and Norbert’s wife) Mavis, and Lord Weterlackus, a demon who empowered Ham until they had a falling out. Prior to his coma, Ham would sacrifice children in his castle in Wales (Ham was placed in a mystical coma for 1500 years by all the other wizards), but after his resurrection he would sacrifice animals (which enraged the Badger) or computer files. Ham would use his power over weather to influence markets and generate wealth for himself; occasionally his supernatural dealings would bring him into conflict with demons, whom the Badger would then be called upon to fight.

(This makes me wonder which Madison Senate or Assembly district Lord Weterlackus represents.)

The most famous film character might be Jack Dawson of “Titanic,” supposedly born in Chippewa Falls. I’m sure you’ll be shocked to read this:

It is unknown who his parents were, but he would remember ice-fishing with his father in Lake Wissota (which in real life would not be formed until after 1912).

Given that we have had two governors who ran for president, I should also mention President Andrew Shepherd of “The American President.”

You know it’s fiction because (1) no one from Wisconsin will ever be elected president, and (2) “President Shepherd” had Aaron Sorkin as his script-writer, and (3) Sorkin wrote Shepherd as Bill Clinton without the peccadillos and pathological lying.

Why aren’t there more Wisconsin settings in fiction? Because Hollywood is lazy, and because to them Wisconsin and Wisconsinites aren’t all that interesting. And it could be worse — we could be portrayed like Minnesota in the movie “Fargo.” You betcha.