Danielle Fishel covers the April issue of 'Maxim' magazine. (Photo: Brooke Nipar, Maxim)
USA TODAY
(USA Today) -- Topanga never looked like this on 1990s sitcom Boy Meets World.
But Danielle Fishel is 31 now and posing on the cover of Maxim magazine.
In the interview, Fishel talks about the show, which was part of a TGIF block of programming on ABC, as she prepares to co-star again with Ben Savage, who played Cory on the show, for an updated version, Girl Meets World.
She recalls one story of flying on a plane with Bob Saget, who at the time was starring on Full House.
"One time we were all on a private jet going to Disney World, and my mom, dad, and brother were also with me. We had these four seats facing each other with curtains, so we had our own little private family area. Anyway, we were trying to take a nap, and all of a sudden Bob Saget walks down the aisle, rips open our curtain, and shouts, 'Do you guys have any coke?!' Then he looks my dad in the eye, laughs, and closes the curtain. My mom was like, 'What was that all about?' "
And Fishel, who is engaged, explains how her character came to be called Topanga. Answer: Yes, she was named after the canyon in L.A.
"Michael Jacobs, who created Boy Meets World, says he was driving down the highway when production called and said, 'We need a name for this character!' He happened to be driving past Topanga Canyon, so he said, 'Topanga.' He says that if they had called him two miles later, I would've been named Canoga, which is the next exit."
She's also inspired parents to name their kids Topanga. "I've met five little girls named Topanga, all after me, and I've heard about many more. People will tweet me, and I've had family members who have met other Topangas. It's crazy and it's flattering, but I never know what to say when they're showing me their beautiful little girls. I'm like, 'Really? Topanga!?' "
And did she and Ben Savage ever date in real life?
"No! That rumor was entirely my fault because I once said, on The Tyra Banks Show, that Ben and I went on a date, and that turned into 'Danielle and Ben dated.' We went on one date, when I was about 15, and by the time the dinner was over we realized mutually that we were more like family than lovers."
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