User reviews

I used to watch this show when I was growing up. When I think about it, I remember it very well. If you ask me, it was a good show. Two things I especially remember very well are the opening sequence and theme song. In addition to that, everyone was ideally cast. Also, the writing was very strong. The performances were top-grade, too. I hope some network brings it back so I can see every episode. Before I wrap this up, I'd like to say that I'll always remember this show in my memory forever, even though I'm not sure if I've seen every episode. Now, in conclusion, if some network ever brings it back, I hope that you catch it one day before it goes off the air for good.

Before there was "The Mighty B", "All Grown Up!", "Spongebob", or "Rocket Power" there was a little show called Hey Arnold. It wasn't about some kid trying to conquer the world, and always failing. It wasn't about a looney, squeaky-voiced character with a very low I.Q. It was about a boy living in a city. He was human. He was realistic. And he made a dang-good cartoon.

It was simplistic, charming, witty, and innocent. It captured a sweet, touching feeling with morals and emotions and crap that was awesome. The music was jazzy, the city was like a real city and it was one of my favorite shows growing up. It captured the golden age of Nicktoons, before they turned crappy and unoriginal with shows like SpongeBob. I wish I saw it coming. I wish I had savored this cartoon more than I did. But that's passed, and thats why I'm on here and not watching T.V.

My first exposure to Arnold was long before the show's key audience was born, let alone heard of him. It was in a small clay-mation film "Arnold Escapes from Church," which was one of many at the 21st Tournee of Animation in at the Huntington Arts Cinema on Long Island. The football-headed kid that we all know and love sits in church with his family while the pastor reads "The Lord's Prayer," and imagines all kinds of weird things happening in the process. At a time when anti-media zealots were frantically trying to censor anything they assume will warp children's collective imaginations, so much so that they virtually eliminate their imaginations, this was one of a few 'toons(other than perhaps MUPPET BABIES) that made it seem acceptable. By the early-to-mid 1990's though, such a mentality seemed all too common-place, and the Arnold Universe was less focused on the world in his head than the world around him.

Arnold is street-wise, rational, and good-natured to a fault. He lives in a boarding house owned by his grandparents, which CLAIMS that kids aren't allowed, but makes an exception for him and one other. He's got perhaps the coolest bedroom any kid could possibly have. Not even three-dimensional FedEx from the remake of "Cheaper by the Dozen" has a room as cool as Arnold's, even though that was a cool bedroom as well. Arnold's rural neighborhood is surrounded by eccentric kids and adults. And who are the people in his neighborhood, to paraphrase the late Fred Rogers? Well, the kids consist of Gerald, Helga, Stinky, Eugene, Lila, Rhonda, Harold, Sid, Phoebe, and others. The adults consist of his grandparents(Phil and Pookie), Mr, Hyunh, Oskar, his wife Susie, Ernie Potts, and a host of other eccentrics. One can not say anything about "Hey Arnold!" without focusing on Helga Pataki, who has the kind of relationship with him you might expect from nine-year-old girls and boys. Helga, of course publicly insults and torments him, but privately agonizes over her desire for him, and frequently beats herself up over how she treats him. And who can blame her for her guilt? He's the kind of kid who knows you don't have to be a superhero to do good. In "Stoop Kid," he teaches a bullying brat not to be afraid to leave the stoop of his apartment. In "Pigeon Man," he befriends a neighborhood recluse who's treated like a freaky urban legend, because he'd rather spend time with homing pigeons. In "Runaway Float" he stops the title from crashing into City Hall, and taking his friends with it. In "Grandpa's Sister," he mends a long standing grudge that began over the death of a beloved family pet. In "Crabby Author," he visits a favorite children's author who's now a reclusive, bitter old woman, and inspires her to return to the career that made her famous. He even makes an impact on Helga Pataki, sometimes intentionally.

One thing's for sure, Craig Bartlett really knows how to celebrate the holidays, whatever those holiday may be. In the unforgettable "Arnold's Christmas," Arnold struggles to reunite Mr. Hyunh with his South Vietnamese daughter who he hasn't seen since the Fall of Saigon. In "Arnold's Halloween," we see Arnold and Gerald repeat their own adaptation of Orson Welles' "War of the Worlds," only in their case they WANT to cause a panic! In "Veteran's Day," we find how Arnold's Grandfather contributed to the allied victory in the Battle of the Bulge by giving the Nazis bad experimental lunch-meat, and Gerald's Dad was a reluctant Vietnam Vet who was assigned to desk duty and saved the life of a wounded G.I. with his paperwork(literally!) after a major NVA attack.

In truth, Bartlett does not write children's television. He writes adult television with kids as his central characters, that are not excessively violent or sexually suggestive. An outstanding 'toon if there ever was one on Nickelodeon, which will be difficult to replace.

I loved this show as a kid, but rewatching episodes as an adult, I am struck by how sophisticated the writing is, how nuanced the understanding of a child's psychology and concerns. Arnold is a great protagonist and the characters around him often defy the usual stereotypes common in children's media-- even the bullies are given vulnerabilities. While a lot of the shows I liked as a child I can hardly bother going back to, HEY ARNOLD! proves even better than I remembered.

I loved this show as a kid but I started watching it again a few weeks ago as a 28-year-old woman and it's so much better than I could have understood back then. Very few cartoons address hardcore, painful issues that some kids are exposed to. Everything from bullying and body issues to addiction and mental health is covered. All while maintaining a positive and uplifting atmosphere. It's one of the best kid's shows I've ever seen and I wish it got more credit. I'll be watching this show with my grandchildren.

"Hey Arnold!" is my second most favorite Nicktoon, next to "The Angry Beavers" and I must say that this was certainly one of the most memorable Nicktoons I have ever seen! "Hey Arnold!" is about a football-headed boy named Arnold who would go through many trials during his life at a boarding house to life in school. What I loved about "Hey Arnold!" was the characters since they were all very interesting to look at. My favorite character would have to be Arnold because he is so calm in many crazy situations that take place on this show and he also provides good advice to his classmates whenever they are in a tight situation. I also love Helga, especially when she teases Arnold and then declares her love for him behind his back. "Hey Arnold!" had an unique way of combining humor and moral lessons for the audience that made this show interesting to watch. "Hey Arnold!" is probably one of the greatest Nicktoons ever created next to "Rocko's Modern Life" and "The Angry Beavers" and I will always treasure its morality and humor for many years.

I am a lover of TV. I know my shows- especially my cartoons- for adults and kids. And I'm only seventeen. Pretty impressive, huh? :) This show is so high quality, funny, and unique. It's so realistic, which is something you hardly ever see in today's cartoons for kids. (I mean, now we have commando penguins and talking shirt-wearing dogs? Have we forgotten that real humans are funny too?) Hey Arnold, which I've been watching since I was three years old, has a kind of gritty but dramatic sense to it. It makes you laugh, cry, feel, learn, love, and think. But mostly laugh, which has to be the one thing that saved me from completely going nuts and ending up in Juvy when I was a kid (besides this one annoying, amazing ANONYMOUS boy I knew). Thank Goodness for Hey Arnold, that's all I can say...and I swear this cartoon started a revolution in cartoons, humor-wise. Each and every story is written well, and the animation makes me feel like I'm on the streets of a vintage Seattle or something. And I know what I'm talking about, because I live in the area. Also, a lot of intelligence went into making this show, I believe. Craig Bartlett (the creator) seems like he'd be an interesting person to talk to. The characters are so well-developed that it feels like you know them so much better after each and every episode. I'm so HAPPY to have gotten the chance to have seen it so much as a kid, because it is my all-time favorite show, EVER. It's such a classic American TV show, right up there with The Simpsons, of course. Because of it, I want to work in the television industry. Hey Arnold is EPIC. What more can I say?

"Hey Arnold" is certainly the best thing Nickelodeon have produced in a long time, probably since "The Adventures of Pete and Pete". At the time of writing, I am 16 years of age but I still enjoy "Hey Arnold" just as much as I used to. It hasn't worn at all with age, whereas another once splendid show - "The Simpsons" - is beginning to lose it's edge, despite once being the funniest thing on TV. "Hey Arnold" is still highly amusing and always carries a significant message for everyday life. If I'm feeling down, this extraordinary show always cheers me up. Definitely one for kids and adults alike, I'd recommend this gem of a cartoon to anyone.

Hey Arnold! is not my absolute favourite of the Nickelodean cartoons, but it is funny, interesting and creative.

The animation is very good, very vibrant and colourful and I love the jazziness of the music. The writing is very strong, I was surprised at how sophisticated it was as it is both funny and touching, while the stories are intriguing. The characters are refreshingly not clichéd, but interesting, especially Arnold and Helga, and the voice acting is top drawer. As for favourite episode, I agree about Arnold's Christmas, that really touched me.

All in all, a really good show, very funny and interesting. 9/10 Bethany Cox

This show was one of the best Nickelodeon shows in the 90's.

One of the great things about this show was it never lost it's original plot line; Helga secretly loving Arnold but treating him like she hates him.

Another thing is all of the characters. They're all very planned and thought out. You have Arnold, the smart guy almost everyone gets along with. His best friend, Gerald, which they are like two peas in a pod. Arnold's Grandpa and Grandma, funny old people who love each other, Helga, the mean girl with a unibrow, Her best friend Phoebe, a little geeky smart girl, Harold, the fat bully they're all friends with, Stinky, a guy who lives in a wooden house and lives like a country person in the city, Chocolate Boy, a boy obsessed with chocolate, and many others such as Monkey Man, etc.

Every episode was great and use the characters in any way possible. We need more shows like this.

Hey! Arnold is one of those shows that really makes a kid question his own rebelliousness and compare it to that of Arnold and his adventures. The characters are lovable and remarkable, and the fourth-grade "Arnold" is every 90's baby idol. He was clear-headed, smart, and the girls loved him. The stories are fun and original, the art direction is great, and the voice acting is awesome, if not sometimes hilarious. Growing up with this show on my TV early mornings and late afternoons, along with "The adventures of Pete and Pete," I couldn't have asked for anything better. I can't wait for a collection of this to come out on DVD.

Hey Arnold! (1996) TV Series

This is one of the best shows on Nickelodeon! All of the characters are great- Arnold, Helga, Stinky, Harold, Sid, Phoebe, Sheena, Grandpa, Grandma, Ernie, Mr. Hyhun, Mr. Simmons, and everybody else! This show is very good and funny. Some of my favorite episodes are when Helga goes on a road trip with her mom, and the episode when everyone thinks there is a ghost of a mad scientist in the basement of the boarding house after finding a pair of bifocals that supposedly belonged to the scientist. This is a great show for anybody, especially kids since they can relate to it. I give it 10/10.

Everyone remembers the Christmas special but other stellar episodes include the episode where Harold and Patty start dating, Romeo and juliet, the war stories, etc. From season 1 to season 5, the show is entertaining, beautifully animated, and heartwarmingly emotional. One of the finest cartoons ever made!

If you haven't watched it, give it a try ! You won't regret it ! I've lived it as a kid and the episodes have a good meaning and so heartwarming and one thing I like is hrlga usually pretends to hate Arnold but deep down she cares about him and secretly helps him without him knowing. Also the jungle movie wasn't disappointing !

I loved Hey Arnold! when I was a kid, I think I was about 6 or 7 years old when it came out on TV in Australia, everyday after school I'd always watch it on ABC. Arnold is my most favorite character out of all the other characters in the show, he's a really cool kid with a heart of gold, he's so adorable! I also like Gerald, Helga, Lila and Stinky, Helga always makes me laugh when she always pulls out her locket and talks to it and then Brainy comes up behind her breathes heavily and then Helga knocks him out. Wish the show was back on Nickelodeon, I really miss the show heaps and I really hope there will be a Nickelodeon channel with all the old Nick shows from the 90's on it. So this show deserves 10 stars, best Nickelodeon show ever!

This is a great show for kids and adults. I'm 21, and I love the show. The only bad thing is, a lot of the episodes, Arnold has a distinct voice, then on others, the voice is totally different! It's like you're not even watching Arnold, but instead some kid who looks like him with a different voice. Anyhow...besides that, the show is just great. It's funny and it teaches lessons. Arnold is always the good guy, and he usually does the right thing in the end...sometimes learning a lot about himself and the world around him while doing it. The characters are very entertaining, and the voices are exciting. The storylines are usually original and fun to watch. 9/10

"Move it football head!"

Arnold still kind of reminds me of myself. He's very chill and shy at times, but can be quite overzealous about the littlest things. Plus, he always wore a hat, and so did I (except in school, which was dumb).

Having various attributes that resembled New York City and Seattle, this childhood cartoon revolved around the lives of Arnold (who's last name was never discovered) and Helga Pataki, ironically both Arnold's secret admirer and nemesis. Hey Arnold! was like any other kid's show by trying to be a platform for life lessons; like bullies, love, leadership, and friendships. I thought these lessons were portrayed quite maturely given being a kid's show. However, my favorite aspect was the setting of the show.

Network: Nickelodeon

Original Air Years: 1996-2004

Hey Arnold! was one of the only cartoon shows to depict life in a dense urban environment. Even the show's music director, Jim Lang, used jazz as the primary theme music for Hey Arnold!. Very classy. Arnold utilized all forms of public transportation and most things were walking distance.

I can distinctly remember episodes being revolved around organizing a sporting event. There was an episode where Arnold and all his friends restored an area to play baseball, and another episode that took place in the winter and the Grandpa made ice sports possible. It was just fun to imagine doing all these things as a kid. I hope it inspired most to go outdoors.

8/10 Stars

Great stories, great characters, great writing! Just a great show! Funny & thoughtful! Have your kids watch this.