'The hugs were real. The love was real': Full House creator Jeff Franklin marks the show's 30th anniversary

It has been 30 years since Danny Tanner (Bob Saget), Jesse Katsopolis (John Stamos) and Joey Gladstone (Dave Coulier) introduced themselves to the world as the new Mr Moms of the 90s with Full House. Living together under the same roof, the three men shared their adventures with the world as they all contributed towards bringing up Tanner's three daughters DJ (Candace Cameron), Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin) and Michelle (Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen).

Full House is recognised as one of the most popular family sit-coms of the 90s and with Netflix's sequel Fuller House, the story of the on-screen family continues to entertain a new generation of viewers. For the show's creator Jeff Franklin the sitcom has been more than just work. As a bachelor with no kids, the show allowed him the chance to be part of a family.

"Everybody on every show says they're family, but they usually drift apart after the project ends," he told Variety magazine. "But as time went on, our cast grew closer. The first season ended and we took a vacation together, the first of many. The cast and I all fell madly in love, and it came across on the show. The hugs were real. The love was real.

"We became the perfectly weird, fun TV family that everyone wanted to be a part of. And when the show ended after eight years, the cameras went away, but our love affair continued. Through good times and bad, marriages, kids, divorces, deaths, the Full House family stayed together and grew stronger."

Pointing out that he was the least likely person to create a G-rated family-centric show, Franklin pointed out that "this make-believe family has become my real family".

Full House will celebrate 30 years since its first episode on 22 September, 1987 and the executive producer believes that despite the change in times, audiences are still able to associate with the show.

"The show continues to attract new fans every year, despite how dated the show feels now. No cell phones, no computers, just big shoulder pads and big mullets everywhere you look," he said. "In my opinion, the show holds up because of the talent and chemistry of the cast; the stories are funny, relatable and timeless; and in a world that is often dark and confusing, watching Full House is nostalgic comfort food that makes you laugh and feel good."

The original ABC sitcom came to an end in 1995, but thanks to Netflix, the story got a second chance. The streaming service ordered the series Fuller House, a sequel to the original which focuses on the lives of DJ and her three sons along with Stephanie and her best friend Kimmy. Saget, Stamos and Coulier make guest appearances on the show but Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen opted not to join.

According to US Weekly, Franklin has reportedly given up on asking the women (who played Michelle) to come onboard. "I've stopped asking, really I kind of gave up," he said. "But when somebody rings a doorbell, the girls yell, 'It's always open!' on the show so that's kind of how we feel about the Olsen twins. The door is open. But I think we've gotten enough no's. We're kind of done asking. But who knows? You never know in life. Who thought this whole thing would happen?"

The Olsen twins were a major element of Full House as audiences had the chance to watch them grow up through the show. Despite being unhappy about their choice to stay off the new series, Franklin has great things to say about them. "Full House was the first show to actually raise a baby on TV. A huge part of the Full House magic was Michelle, and it was one of the great pleasures of my life to watch Mary-Kate and Ashley blossom into little actresses before they were even two years old," he told Variety.