Back in the '80s and '90s, there were dozens of iconic family sitcoms on the air. Arguably one of the most iconic was Full House which became a flagship series for ABC's TGIF lineup for nearly all of its eight seasons.
With over eight seasons, fans literally watched Michelle, and by extension Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, grow up in front of their eyes. Despite being the youngest character on the show, Michelle Tanner managed to steal the audience's heart and earn their laugh more often than not. Bringing the funny can be hard when one is a young actor but Michelle managed to do it effortlessly.
10 'Baby Love' (Season 2, Episode 16)
At the young age of three years old, Michelle Tanner was already becoming a fan favorite on Full House managing to carry entire arcs of an episode on her own.
One of the earliest best Michelle episodes occurred in the second season. In this episode, Becky's toddler nephew comes to visit from Nebraska and immediately gets a crush on him when she sees him on TV. Her crush only intensifies when Howie comes to visit Michelle. As with all first loves, Michelle eventually gets her first heartbreak when Howie has to go back home. Despite her young age, Michelle fully captures what it's like to get your heart broken by your first significant other.
9 'Bye, Bye Birdie' (Season 3, Episode 16)
As fans of Full House know, some of the best episodes involve the first day of school. All the Tanner girls have had their own "first day of school" type episodes and Michelle got hers during the show's third season.
Michelle is so excited for her first day of pre-school that she even has an amazing dream about it. Unfortunately, her dream doesn't come true and when Michelle gets to preschool she accidentally lets the class bird out so he can join them for storytime. Dave, the bird, flies away and Michelle immediately feels like a "bad girl." With a little help from her dad and uncle, Michelle is able to learn her lesson and make it up to the kids when she brings in a new bird to class.
8 'Crimes And Michelle's Demeanor' (Season 4, Episode 2)
Since Michelle is the youngest she is often babied by the adults in her family. In other words, she can get away with whatever she wants.
However, in "Crimes and Michelle's Demeanor," Michelle experiences her first punishment when Danny finally listens to his eldest daughters and realizes that Michelle is out of control. The final straw happens when Michelle decides to drag her pool inside the kitchen because she wanted to go swimming. Realizing that Michelle is the culprit, Danny must punish his baby for the first time ever.
7 'Fuller House' (Season 4, Episode 20)
Not to be confused with the Netflix reboot, "Fuller House" was an episode that aired during the show's fourth season that really showcased Michelle's special relationship with her Uncle Jesse.
After returning from his honeymoon, Jesse is set to move out of the Tanner house and into Becky's apartment. Michelle misunderstands and begins packing her own room thinking she's moving with Jesse. The true magic of this episode happens when Jesse sits Michelle down and explains that she's not moving. Finally understanding, Michelle offers Jesse her stuffed pig so he'll always remember her.
6 'The Devil Made Me Do It' (Season 5, Episode 19)
Since Michelle was played by both Olsen twins, the series was able to have some fun with Michelle's character from time-to-time by having both girls be on screen together. One of the first episodes this happened in was "The Devil Made Me Do it."
In the episode, Michelle revisits her mischievous streak by playing on Jesse's recording equipment even though he told her not. While contemplating if she should do it or not, Michelle is visited by her conscience which takes the form of "Good Michelle" and "Bad Michelle."
5 'The Heartbreak Kid' (Season 6, Episode 16)
Over the years, the characters of Full House had plenty of relationships. Some of which fans loved and others they didn't. However, one of the cutest "relationships" happened during this sixth season.
In this Valentine's Day-themed episode, Michelle realizes she has a crush on DJ's boyfriend Steve and wants to marry him. Thinking it's innocent fun, Steve plays along and the family helps plan a pretend wedding for the two. However, when Michelle realizes the wedding is pretend, she's extremely hurt and hides in her room.
4 'The House Meets The Mouse: Part 1 & 2' (Season 6, Episode 23 & 24)
When The Walt Disney Company acquired ABC, they started letting their shows film at the parks for special episodes. Full House was no exception and during season six, the cast got to film a two-part episode at Walt Disney World.
In this special episode, Michelle steals the show when she manages to become the Princess for the Day after making the genie appear from the Magic Lamp. Being a Princess quickly makes Michelle power-hungry and when her sisters refuse to do what she wants any longer, Michelle goes off on her own. In the end, Michelle realizes she made a mistake being mean to her sisters and makes it up to them by having her entire family be in the afternoon parade with her.
3 'The Day Of The Rhino' (Season 7, Episode 9)
Michelle had had a lot of cute episodes over the eight seasons of Full House but during season seven, fans got to see Michelle's serious side in this season seven episode.
In the episode, Michelle and her friends order a stuffed "action Rigby" animal after seeing a commercial for the toy. When the toy comes though, it's nothing like the picture and Michelle is outraged. Instead of playing it off, Joey helps Michelle contact customer service and when that doesn't work, they crash the filming of Rigby's commercial at the local mall to warn other kids not to buy the cheap toy. It was a huge grown-up moment for Michelle who learned the power her voice could have.
2 'The Last Dance' (Season 7, Episode 17)
While Full House tended to air more heartfelt and upbeat episodes, some of their best episodes were ones that tackled real-life issues. "The Last Dance" is arguably the saddest episode of the entire season but it also became a defining coming-of-age moment for Michelle.
In the episode, Jesse's grandfather "Papouli" comes to visit and quickly bonds with Michelle who wants to learn a Greek dance. After practicing, Michelle invites Papouli to come to her class to teach her classmates the dance too. Papouli agrees but later that day Papouli passes away in his sleep. The death is devastating to Michelle and she even skips school the day of the performance. However, Jesse ends up coming to Michelle's rescue and the two manage to honor Papouli by teaching the class the Greek dance.
1 'Michelle Rides Again' (Season 8, Episode 24 & 25)
After eight long seasons, Full House eventually ended with a two-part finale episode titled "Michelle Rides Again." And, as the name suggests the episode was Michelle centered.
After feeling the pressure from her dad to be great at a horseback riding competition, Michelle and another contestant decide to skip the competition and just ride. Things take a turn though when Michelle falls off her horse and hits her head. Michelle ends up with a concussion that has her experience memory loss. Eventually, Michelle regains her memory but not after making each member of the family look inward to see if they're happy with their own lives.
