The Gentle Principles of Hey Arnold
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- Опубликовано: 25 июн 2024
- In this video, we discuss why Hey Arnold was such a unique and impactful '90s cartoon, and how it left a lasting impression on its fans.
Support the channel, if you like ✨: / qualityculture
Music composed by the marvelous Jim Lang.
0:00 Intro
0:50 A Slice of Life
6:04 Kids' Problems, Grown-Up Solutions
11:58 An Urban Setting
16:06 Sense of Community 
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I heard someone once say "It's not forced diversity when people just exist" and they're right.
I never once cared or even thought of any of the charcters as different, all as people.
Yeah it's weird how I never even thought about diversity in hey Arnold
It becomes forced when your race swapping etc.
@@abcdeisthekey yeah It never once crossed my mind what race people were unless the episode brought it up like the Vietnam flashbacks and stuff.
Its definitely not forced in this cartoon. As soon as you showcase it, it immediately feels forced and disingenuous. That is what shows do now and it is downright obnoxious.
Rewatching this as an adult it blew my mind how Helgas mom was an alcoholic and mr Simmons was gay! This show tackled so many heavy sensitive issues and it was in a KIDS show. It was and still is one of the best cartoons ever made.
No one ever said Simmons was gay. How do you know?
@@MikeJ2023 in the jungle movie before they get in plane to San Lorenzo you see him and his husband together
In the actual cartoon's running it was never really delved into. It was just a reveal a couple of years ago by Bartlett.
@@shooby9496 I don’t think I’d have known what a yamica was till I was an adult if it weren’t for Craig
@@nokiot9 Same
An honorable mention: Geralds storytelling skills are reminiscent of a griot. A griot is a West African storyteller whose role was to entertain the village with stories and educate them with myths. The origins of preaching styles in the African American community are also rooted in the origins of the griot.
This is really interesting, thanks for sharing!
Now it makes sense why Gerald is the keeper of the tales.
Dead on with Gerald and his story telling shaman esq qualities
Very interesting!
I did not know that. Thank you.
"We were wrong." Just once, in my childhood, I would have really loved it if an adult said those words.
Wishful thinking.
Well the adults are supposed to be authority figures
They would never admit to it
@@MichaelGonzalez-ly9uo well the kids have to obey the adults so itd mean the kids are free to disobey. but admitting wrong is actually a necessary thing. adults do tons of wrong things. alot of times its without thinking or knowing all the facts
@@oooh19 thanks for being "that guy", as if we don't know what parent figures are supposed to be....🙄
Probably what I like most is Arnold himself simply because he’s not like other main cartoon characters. He’s not zany, eccentric, goofy or real energetic. He’s not the strongest, smartest or richest kid but he’s the everyman. He’s quiet but not shy, friendly but not overbearing. And yet he’s still incredibly likable despite him being a down to earth kid (heck, his grandparents and other friends would more likely be the main character in any other show today)
He probably has the best moral compass of any kid hero I’ve seen: almost every episode is how Arnold helps someone and he won’t give up. He’s someone i think we all can learn a lesson from: he sees good in everyone, from Helga, to Gerald, to Mr Hyunh, his grandparents, Pigeon Man and even characters like Oskar and the Jolly Olly Man. We could use more Arnold’s in this world honestly
Agreed! Arnold was such a great role model and he’s likable despite being so good bc many characters are seen as Mary Sue if written wrong. DJ Tanner and Zoey Brooks come to mind
It was the same with Doug.
Arnold is boring.
@@oooh19 Arnold is a bore imo
in a way that is the power of the show. It celebrates bordom. Often the reason why a kid might do something is to fight said boringness @@mdtisthebest6249
🤯 when I realized a cartoon provided me with more guidance than a lot of adults I knew.
Damn.. we got raised by Craig Bartlett!
Also Mr. Rogers, Charles Schulz, Jim Henson & to a lesser but still predominantly large extent, Walt Disney (if not the man himself, then those who carried his company on in his stead).
I always kinda felt the same!
Awwww, I feel you. I always wanted to be so cool and good as Arnold. This cartoon thought me a lot on how to get up when I fail.
Gergő Kovács
exactly the character set great examples. i’ve been rewatching the show and thinking damn i needed this advice today 😆 as an adult
Yea, adults own flaws and lack of time to reflect, like Arnold does often, gets in their way of actually engaging with kids and themselves. The show was brilliant.
“The dignity in leading a simple but kind existence”
That succinctly and beautifully encapsulates everything I love about this show and the lessons it has imparted on me that are still relevant in my life 17+ years later
That's what I love about Hey Arnold. The balance of life knowing we cannot control everything but perhaps to live in benevolence and acceptance might outcome a peaceful life.
I remember watching one of the episodes about class bullying a teacher, and when Harold ate his teacher's lunch, I cried when teacher told him that he would've bought him a sandwich if he knew Harold can't afford lunch. Kindness of the teacher touched me so much as a kid😔😔
We need more teachers like Mr. Simmons
It’s interesting that Hey Arnold deals with disappointments while Doug often papers over sadness. In Doug the conflict is usually resolved by just realizing that there was nothing to worry about in the end. There’s virtue in both approaches I think. Doug is for the over anxious suburban kid, I can respect that. Hey Arnold’s conflicts aren’t just misunderstandings though, they are usually real unresolvable things.
Thinking about it, wasn't a lot of Doug's problems the result of his desire to fit in and be accepted and the anxiety of "what if you don't"?
@@Foxmagik so true. but understandable. also doug was a couple years older than arnold and the thinking is different from a 4th grader to a 6th grader
I grew up watching both shows as a kid. They both helped shaped me and my moral compass along with Peanuts cartoons and some other animated shows and sitcoms. It's fantastic that there are more awesome animated works out there these days but there's a specific and simple kind of magic with these more calming and down to earth cartoons
2:45 - This scene of Helga standing there as the carnival shuts down around her is a moment that has more or less burned itself into my psyche. It's a beautifully symbolic thing. To this day I have dreams of being at a theme park, taking too long to do something and then before I know it bounce houses are being deflated and coasters are being dismantled.
I’m rewatching Hey Arnold, and when Mr. Hyunh hugged his daughter after 20 years of searching for her, I started to cry. But, when Helga was outside alone in the snow and said “Merry Christmas, Arnold.” I broke down.
This show, girl. Damn.
It makes sense that Helga was near the boarding house because she probably guided Mai there because she didn't know where Mr. Hyunh lived.
Hey where are you watching it ?
@@stephj505 omg never thought of this! Makes me love Helga even more
@@katlyndobransky2419 I'll bet that if Helga showed her true kind personality, Arnold wouldn't mind being her boyfriend at all.
@@stephj505 of course, I mean that is the whole premises of the show. Helga and Arnold both seem like opposites, but in a lot of ways they’re the same. They’re both hopeless romantics, both don’t have a perfect home life, are morally good, and always help out their friends. It’s shown in the jungle movie that Arnold really does like Helga the same way she does him. And I love the character development throughout the show where Arnold starts to realize that Helga hides her true feelings on the inside. This was specifically shown in married, where Arnold dreams that their’s more to Helga than meets the eye.
don't lie: we loved this show because of the dope ass music and that amazing room he had that we all lusted after.
Don’t expose me 👀 haha
I've always wondered how much allowance his grandparents gave him to afford the cool stuff in his room.
You are absolute correct. The amazing jazz music blended so will with the style of animation.. and yeah i still pretend i have arnolds room . Peace long live the best animation ever..
@@QualityCulture ayyy i knew it.
@ k a y l e e Amen!!!!
There will NEVER be a cartoon like Hey Arnold. To grow up watching this show was awesome and to be able to still see it now(Hulu and CBS all access) is a blessing. Watching this show as a kid was one thing but watching it as an adult hits you differently. You catch things that you didn't see before
The older I get the more I relate to every character
Tabaluga's first season comes close at times though. Watch the beginning of the episode "splendid couple" for instance. Tabaluga was, of course, also made in the 90-s.
They want to remake it but it’s not the same
The closest now would be that Australian cartoon Bluey. As it also uses a more slow show. That is aimed at both children but also parents. (often the later enjoy it as much as not more for it)
I'm 31 years old and still watch Hey Arnold from time to time. I even bought all the seasons on DVD. I love this show so much.
This is the only 90s Nick show I've gotten my kids into. My daughter (2) loves the theme and flashy colors and my son (7) never wants to watch it but when I put it on he instantly gets hooked and sits through numerous episodes with me before he notices
I started buying the seasons as well, what a great show.
I'm turning 31 this month, and I've just come back to realised how brilliant Hey Arnold was. I feel like watching it all over again but watching it alone the nostalgia gets overbearing and suffocating at times.
Kinda didn't want the video to end! This show holds up even decades later.. and I believe it always will.
Andrew Barker Definitely!
I can't watch Arnold's Christmas to this very day without getting teary eyed. Helga's silent and somber "Merry Christmas, Arnold" was such a fantastic and melancholic ending to a Christmas episode, which normally had big and overt happy endings. The show as a whole stands up and the long awaited Jungle Movie, while not having the same tone as some episodes, was fantastic.
Hey Arnold was a show that was able to teach a lot without bludgeoning a kid over the head with a message. Friendship, compassion, understanding, and so on.
I miss the days when cartoons weren't afraid to include complex plot lines involving war, immigration, and other adult things like Hey Arnold did. That Christmas episode is probably one of the greatest animated things ever made. The bittersweet ending, knowing that Helga did the right thing but will never be acknowledged for it... It still gets me, every damn time. The Pigeon Man episode also taught me deep lessons about humanity that I never got from any other show. Hey Arnold is a masterpiece.
what if the boots werent the same size?
I think Helga giving up her gift stung more for her because it was from her mom whom she always viewed as not all there and neglectful so when her mom got her the boots that meant the world to her
@@meltedvelveetacheesesauce4540 sneed
@@meltedvelveetacheesesauce4540 I'm being dismissive because your reply seems like bait
I love that you mentioned the urban setting because that was so important to me as a kid growing up in NYC. It really was the only kids cartoon show on television that reflected my own surroundings and life as I was around Arnold's age when it was popular. I was also very much Helga, an angry, weird and isolated kid who would secretly have crushes on boys and thought my older sister was my parent's favorite, perfect child. Best 90s nickelodeon cartoon hands down.
One of my favorite things about this series was the jazzy score. It gives it that dreamy, subdued, low key, urban feel and tone the entire show has.
I absolutely adore this show and it’s always been my favorite cartoon. It still holds up today and there really isn’t anything else like it.
One of the toughest episodes to me was Helga and the babysitter. I feel like it really told a lesson of the consequences of treating people like crap. That was the first healthy relationship that she could have had with an adult and because of her traumas. She didn't even recognize it to the very end. I wanted so badly for that woman to stay in her. But then in a later episodes when she got counseling I also felt like it was good to see that as well.
I grew up in Brooklyn, NY near coney island Luna park in the 90’s. This show is 100% accurate.
I always fantasised about growing up in NY because of Hey Arnold and being from rural UK. What was it like.
it's very clear that pretty much everything in the show is inspired by real life, that's why it's so fantastic and so well-written
@@georgemulford2910 Truly, truly it is exactly like Hey Arnold!
Not going to lie but your voice go so well with Hey Arnold, it sound like a charactor is talking
Hard agree
Fr
Agreed
She sounds a little like Big Patty from the later seasons
I absolutely agree! this is an incredible cartoon and has actually improved since i've rewatched as an adult , the veteran's day episode is a personal favourite
PlayCONtent Yes somehow it’s even better as an adult! Maybe it’s because we understand the underlying themes a bit better, so it’s even more wholesome in retrospect :)
Is this the one about mr huang meeting his lost daughter?
The Veteran's Day one really took me by surprise after rewatching it for the first time since it aired.
This is such a good analysis, it really summarized how I feel about the series.
It summarized how almost all of us including myself (undoubtedly) felt about the series, that it’s one of Nickelodeon’s all-time greatest shows!
m.ruclips.net/video/NaaF1MtAEg8/видео.html
Well, for the most part!
This is an analysis that is of the same quality as the show it's on.
I never made the connection between this show and a Miyazaki film, but there’s definitely a similar vibe from both of them
Instantly subscribed. This is perfect. Thank you.
Garrettt🥺🥺
Imagine 10 seconds later she just starts getting real dark
Garrettttt😄
garretttt
Garrett!!
As a 90’s kid who still finds himself lost at times in this world, I searched “Hey Arnold” on youtube to revisit the good-natured feelings the show brought me as a kid, then I and found this. The video essay is exactly what I needed to hear today. I'm a grown man now, and this brought me to tears. Thank you so much for this.
Am I a 29-year-old literally crying over a video essay about a 90s cartoon? Yes, that's exactly what I am.
Same here, girl.... 29 and crying over Hey Arnold
28 and crying
Same here 😢
X2 this show is so wonderful
I with you
This was more than a cartoon
This show helped raise me
I’m rewatching episodes
With a better understanding
Still learning something different
Timeless Entertainment
I am 31 and been rewatching it every year. Reminds me there are good people and we should be nice to others
I’ve been rewatching Hey Arnold lately (in 30 now) and I’ve found it’s quite enjoyable as an adult.
Arnold is lucky that Live Journal, Facebook, and My Space didn't exist in his childhood because imagine what he could have posted about him being constantly tormented by Helga.
It was largely based on Brooklyn. Ask the creator.
@@michellesmith9256 yeah it basically Brooklyn mixed with the Pacific Northwest(Portland/Seattle) type vibe.
Came for the nostalgia, stayed for such good analysis! loved the vid, rewatching some episodes right after this
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! Hope you have a good time rewatching Hey Arnold :)
As a 32 year old man, this was one of my top 5 favorite cartoons growing up mainly because of the embracing of the mundane. Growing up on the west side of the city of Chicago, there was something with Hey Arnold that clicked with me. I can't really describe it, but it was comforting watching this show as I can relate to many of Arnold's situations. Maybe it's the jazz because I was surrounded by it as a kid or the how calm Arnold was in a city of noise like I was. Among my group of childhood friends, I was the oldest, most calm, and the most rational out of the group, kind of like Arnold while my best friend was younger, but stronger, louder, and always scheming up new ways to have fun, get in trouble, or make money. I guess Arnold reminds me perfectly of my childhood growing up in the 90's in Chicago. It's the most nostalgic cartoon for me and I think the mundane parts along with how grounded in was compared to the other wacky cartoons at the time resonated with me, as a child who was mostly a reserved, introverted, kind person who didn't mind going on crazy adventures with my small group of friends. I think Hey Arnold was a product of it's time, not saying it's bad, but it's something that's really hard to replicate in this modern era.
The endings of “Arnold’s Christmas” and “Pigeon Man” are seriously some of the most beautiful endings of cartoons I’ve seen
There's a young adult somewhere in southern Brazil in tears with your video, isn't that crazy? How can I relate so much with the life of a kid in urban US in such a different context than my own? What a beautiful, beautiful essay, what a beautiful cartoon
Beautiful video essay. Really hit the nail on the head with this thoughtful show. Well done all around!
Thanks so much! Means a lot 😊
I swear to God I just heard this but with a different narrator
I'm 32 years old, so I was the prime audience for this show when it started airing. Honestly, I've struggled to come up with the words to describe how I felt as a kid, and how I feel now, watching Hey Arnold. Seeing kids my age live completely mundane, yet incredible lives, greatly reflects how I saw life. Even now, I'm still able to see incredible things through the mundane view of a mostly boring life, and I think if I didn't have Hey Arnold as a kid, my perspective would've been much more narrow. This video put things into words so perfectly.
The pidgeon man episode ALWAYS kills me. This show, like Helga said, "it just ended too soon."
The episode with Mr. Hyun’s background story was the first cartoon show that brought a tear to my eye. I’m 32yrs old now and to this day it still brings me to tears.
That episode is easily one of my top 5 cries from a tv movie or any kind of art.
I am not exaggerating when I say I fell on my bed crippled crying near the end of this video thank you thank you
Haha thanks, glad you enjoyed it :)
A little bit dramatic, don't you think?
Definitely got me too
?
I cried so many times throughout
The Pretty Girl episode honestly was the first time I remember a TV show making my cry. Shit just hurts.
This essay is so well done, and I have hung on every word. I just recently re-watched "Hey Arnold" and it filled me with a sad longing for something I don't understand. This feeling was felt again while watching this.
The ironic thing is how positive the Jungle Movie was. I guess to give them the happy ending they deserved.
Always loved Hey Arnold, made me feel like I was normal to see a character that was relatable. Some of Helga's struggles felt too close to home in the shrink episode.
It was one of the few shows that didn’t talk down to kids or treat the audience like they were stupid
Your analysis was incredible and made me feel like my Obsession with this show was validated. I currently have the entire series on DVD and my 6 yr old loves this show just as much as i do. #LiveonHeyArnold
Such an underrated channel 😔✨
Are you consciously aware of how many people thirty thousand and six hundred are?
Just say it, out loud. Come on man.
I'm new. 1 minute in, and I already like the content. Subbed.
Yup. This is premium content and ad free too... Incredible. This content creator is legit, and from my reflection because of the content i find myself lamenting but in a very grateful way. This is good for the heart.
0d
I was born in 1989 and I remember watching this show all the time during the late 90s and early 2000s, I even stayed up late for specifically to watch the Christmas episode and I remember the Nancy Spumoni snow boots haha, I just love that so many kids born post 2000 are now discovering this truly wonderful show and how much these episodes still reflect the modern world and all the issues that we have to face every single day.
I gave a whole Speech to my Psychology Class about Hey Arnold!, and got a 100.. We need more shows like this NOWADAYS..
This video is a gem! Feels good to see another person who appreciates this show as much as I do. You’re a great writer and performer too thank you.
Thank you! Glad you feel the same way :)
aside from all that, I learned the value of interior design because of this show...
like, man, that's still a pretty bomb-ass room even in 2020 standards!
Even today, I wish I had a bedroom as cool as Arnold's
I've always wondered how much allowance his grandparents gave him to afford the cool stuff in his bedroom.
Wonderful essay!
I loved this show growing up and have recently rewatched it, while realizing why it was so great. There's a feel to Hey Arnold that's absolutely unique. As someone who always was an introverted person, even as a kid, this is the only show that spoke to me on a deeper level in a way no others could. It might even helped shaping and accepting my personality.
It's definitely unique in that way, and I'm sure it spoke to a lot of introverted people (myself included). Glad it had that positive impact on you :)
31 and still loving the ghost stories told by gerald, crying for pidgeon man and admiring the eloquent Helga. This show was a masterpiece
This show sooths my depression. As an adult I keep coming back to this show. Maybe it's the nostalgia of my childhood from back when I was a happy person, but it might be something even more than that. The show just calms me and I know it's always there for me. Much like the office
I live in Turkey and Hey Arnold is one of the rare cartoons that left a mark on me. İt's a really special Cartoon. And ı think the reasons is Jazz musics, character's depth, and the moral of the story that every episode gives you.
That cartoon was truly something else. I love how it doesn't feel outdated and how the characters are always complex, not one-dimensional or entirely good nor evil.
I love Arnold’s room and I like how his bed is connected to a ladder in the wall that takes him up to the roof and he can sleep on the roof on summer nights I have to admit I am envious of his room and his ability to go on the roof whenever he can.
Hey Arnold is one of the few Slice of Life shows I actually still love to this day.
This one of the most compelling and uplifting video essays I've ever seen and therefore I'd like to thank you for having made it.
It was truly touching and made me appreciate the show from another angle I hadn't considered before. Subscribed and hoping for more
Cheers
Stefan S Thanks so much!
A great essay delving into some aspects of 'Hey Arnold' I hadn't considered previously.
When this show came out I was 11, living in a quiet neighbourhood in a regional area with my parents. We'd lived there a few years, having moved from our old place in the city and I still missed those days. Still felt a connection to it like that's where I "really" came from. On top of this, the kids in my neighbourhood were all at least 3 years younger than me (a gap that feels much wider at that age). Sure we'd ride bikes and play in the street, but I wished there were other kids my age in the neighbourhood. So 'Hey Arnold' was like watching my current life as I wished it could be: living in the city, hanging out with my friends from school and getting up to all kinds of escapades and adventures without our parents around. For 11 year old me, it was a form of escapism.
But the art style and musical score was/ is gorgeous as well. Have you ever seen a more beautiful sunset than the ones depicted in the 'Hey Arnold' universe? The use of lighting/ shade ads to the dramatic effect as well. It makes the whole show feel less like something you're watching and more like something you are living through. Again- escapism.
On the 'Slice Of Life' aspect and the understated beauty of kicking back and taking a moment to watch the world go by- there is a Frank Ocean song, 'Provider' that captures this feeling perfectly. Feels so much like it could be straight out of a Hey Arnold episode. Check it out and thank me later!
Pigeon Man & the episode about Lockjaw will forever be in my heart. Best cartoon ever. We 90s babies were so lucky
I bought the complete series on DVD back in 2016, and I’ve revisited it multiple times every year since. Not to mention the Christmas special, a holiday classic. This show just holds up so well. I’ll be watching this with my children 20 years from now, I know it.
"Don't always look for the helpers . Be the helper" It's like when people say "I need a friend like Samwise Gamgee." You should strive to be as good of a person and friend as Sam and Arnold. Not wish for people like them. Be the change you want to see in the world.
I’m a 28 year old man and I nearly broke down after watching Arnold’s Christmas the other day. What a beautiful show.
I’m 29 now but In high school me and my friends would be in my basement smoking weed and randomly just be watching Hey Arnold miss those days such simple times...
Hey Arnold definitely proved that all visual medium hinges on "Showing" your audience what to feel, not "telling" your audience how to feel.
Helga G. Pataki has to be the most three-dimensional kid ever put to screen and the actress who played her did it beautifully.
18:42 Girl you really trying to make us crying playing this song at this exact moment. I don't even know why I feel like crying hearing this😂😂😂
My bad 😂
I cried at that part it hit me hard haha
That scene of 2nd episode is mundane but damn his room set up is crazy nice.
These 90s shows were the last of their kind. The things they teach kids are so sorely needed nowadays. They didn't just entertain kids but adults, too.
The show taught us that life ain't fair, so we had better get used to it. Also, always wear a cup when you play sports.
When you grow up in the city, your life is either like theirs or even worse. Usually worse.
So that kind of living reinforces that to you (what you said). The show just mimics it.
It was the only kids show that ever did it. Avatar did but it was still an alternative world.
While I may have not grown up with Hey Arnold, I did buy a DVD set of it about 5 years ago, and I set through it and fell in love. After finishing the series, I was kind of a changed person, always caring about others before myself (my mom once told me to stop worrying about others so much because of it). While I'm no way perfect nor will I ever be, I can do my best to help the ones around me during the worst times. I always tried to understand people before making my own judgement on them, I learned this through bullying at school. I try to accept others for who they are and accept there opinions.
Hey Arnold was more than a kid carton about a kid with a weird head, it was about community and helping others, and accepting things the way they are if they can't be fixed. Sometimes, I felt like the best episodes were ones that ended on a bitter sweet note, ones where our main problem wasn't ever fixed, but the characters accept it and decide to learn from it. The show means a lot to me, even if I didn't grow up with it or a show of its kind, after finishing the series, I could tell it was something special. There was a reason it's been held so high in praise. I can easily say it's one of my favorite shows. I'll never forget what Hey Arnold did for me and many others. Thanks Craig Barlett, for creating one of the most memorable and inspirational kids cartoons ever made.
Just finished watching this as an adult for the first time since it was cancelled on TV over a decade ago. It's so intriguing seeing the things we missed or disregarded as a kid because we didn't understand the context. Miriam's "smoothies", Oskar and Suzie's messed up marriage, Bob's negligence of Helga, Mr Simmons' sexual orientation... this show tackled all these sensitive subjects extremely well for a children's show. Enough to let parents in on the reality but not enough to ruin the message for kids. I love this show, it's a treasure from the 90s.
I was born in 2003 but my stepdad would always put episodes of hey Arnold on because it’s what his kids used to watch. Never really thought about how much it could’ve impacted my childhood.
The urban setting with a diverse cast felt organic
Incredible. This brought me back and showed me why this show left such an impact on me
What a great essay. You covered just about all the best parts of this show so well.
Some of my favorite emotional moments from Hey Arnold:
-When Helga frames her Austrian nanny for theft to get rid of her, because she was feeling stifled and intruded upon. And after feeling guilty for it, she comes across the nanny several days later in a public park. The nanny knows Helga was behind it and tells her "you're such an angry girl Helga, and you won't let anyone help you. So you must live with your unhappiness." You can see from the way Helga reacts that she knows on some level that the nanny is right. But she just can never quite stop herself from sabotaging her own happiness. At the end of the episode, the status quo has been restored, and we can hear Bob shouting about the state of the house. Helga reads a letter sent by the nanny, and meditatively begins embroidering a pattern just like the nanny showed her how to do. A bittersweet ending to this episode which elegantly implies that on some level Helga has in fact learned something from the whole thing and regards the nanny with respect after all even if she never expressed it to her in person.
-The end of Operation Ruthless when the lights go out on Helga after she fails to quash Arnold's infatuation with Ruth, and she also realizes her friend Phoebe is now having a connection with Gerald, leaving her standing in the dark alone. The music makes it such a painfully sad moment even though Helga has done something pretty awful for most of the episode.
Helga is in my opinion the most interestingly crafted character in any Nickelodeon show, along with maybe Zuko from Avatar. She is on the one hand a weird freak with a tribal shrine for a boy she latched onto because he was one of the only people who showed her genuine kindness. And she's also spiteful and mean. HOWEVER. We also see her constantly trying to be a better person. She wants to be good, and it makes her a sympathetic character to watch despite her uglier traits. (It helps that she's also smart and witty.)
If I'm being honest, I was always a little annoyed by Arnold's natural nigh-unbreakable benevolence. Helga's struggles are by far the most interesting part of the show.
And who could forget the moment she falls into Arnold's room with the dusty cassette tape in her mouth? Hilarious!
Thanks for mentioning the urban setting! It is so important! It provides a contrast to the prevailing American idea of the urban environment as too dangerous for children and child-rearing. The decline of urban areas in the decades leading up to the 90s made this show's urban setting counter-cultural and renewed a broader faith in the viability of urban settings as quality places to live.
Mr Rogers quote: I appreciate that so much having grown up with his show.
I'm just finding this almost two years after you posted it, but I think you perfectly put to words why I've always loved Hey Arnold, even as an adult. There was such great nuance in the characterization of the characters and the city they lived in. This analysis was incredibly well done.
Thank you! 😊🙏🏽
I remember watching this show as a kid in Nigeria in the mid 2000s. All my siblings and even my uncle loved it. The complete DVD collection of it arrived today after I ordered it a week ago and I am so happy! Time to rewatch a gem from my childhood🤩🤩🤩
amazing video! i never really write comments in videos but this one got to me on a personal level almost shed a tear. ever since i was kid i was aspired to be like Arnold. his outlook in life always helped me in different ways growing up, always helping someone, listening, understanding others. dealing with problems and disappointment in life. great analysis breaking down his character and the show hope to see a lot of more content like this.
This video was so thoughtful and introspective. Hey Arnold was always one of my favorite shows growing up and the older I've gotten the more I see just how special it was. Arnold and his friends were just regular kids, just like me and my friends. They had fun, got into trouble and had moments of reflection that I think are very underrated and under appreciated nowadays. Kids aren't dumb and are capable of feeling a wide array of emotions, Hey Arnold never took that for granted. Awesome video, made me nostalgic ❤️
It's still my favorite animated series of all time. The city has a whole vibe to it. I used to dream of being able to live in a place like that. The music, the colors, the style of animation, nothing comes close to Hey Arnold in my opinion
“Our day to day lives may not be as glorious as our greatest fantasies, but they’re often not as empty as we make them out to be” I really needed to hear that.
I loved watching this. Really reinforces the fact that this is my number one cartoon and how timeless it is. Parents day was always the biggest emotional episode of any cartoon I saw. I was raised by grandparents and it really opened my eyes as a kid that I’m not the only one going through those types of struggles.
this show is literally so excelent. I loved it as a kid and i just grow to love it more as an adult
This was a beautiful analysis. I just finished rewatching the entire Hey Arnold series, and just like you said, the best part about the show was its slice of life aspect and sense of community.
it's been 4 years and this is still one of the best video essay I've ever seen. I come back to this constantly. The narrator is calming, thoughtful, and compassionate.
I always knew Hey Arnold was a great cartoon without really understanding why. Its only the last few years and watching these kinds of videos exploring all their ingredients that have really led me to appreciate on just how many levels this show really excels. Helga might be the best written character of that generation or perhaps even beyond. From Deano Spumoni to Torvald to the Jolly Olly man, Hey Arnold was loaded with memorable characters. Mr. Simmons reminds me a little of an old school maths teacher from the school I went to.
Trust me, this show touched many hearts in Latin America too, and I will be forever grateful for all the lessons I learned with it, I’m crying so much :(
Wow... This essay had me in tears
I don’t remember ever feeling bored or like the pace was too slow watching these shows growing up. These scenes felt perfectly normal, and like there’s plenty going on.
I always felt this weird connection with Hey Arnold! as I was growing-up. Having a show for kids where the main character is living in an unconventional family environment, where material poverty is fairly represented without feeling forced, was amazing. I was raised by a young single father in the 90's in Australia, in a city with a population of less than half a million, but I felt like Arnold and his friends could have been going to my school, and living in my neighbourhood.
Iv always thought of Arnold being Spiderman but without the superpowers and in a more realistic setting. Just a kid from a poorish background who always does the good thing simply because it is right. Thats something I think in my own life Iv been decent at
Hey Arnold! Favorite show of all time. One thing I love about it is that it takes kids' emotional realities so seriously. I related to Helga because... I've been obsessive about shipping since I was really little. Back then, though, I never saw characters my age who experienced the same level of intensity as me when it came to romantic feeling, and since I didn't have the internet and couldn't bear to have that side of me laughed at, I was on my own with it. But Helga? Even though it was different, to see that not only portrayed but taken seriously was very meaningful. Especially since it was awkward and weird for her -- when Dr. Bliss tells her she's not crazy, she feels her feelings very strongly and is creative... That was validating for me, and it's stuck with me my whole life. (Great point about Hopper, by the way -- I noticed that, too, and wrote an essay on Reddit about it a while ago. Did you know his work has been super-influential in film and television because of how his compositions lend themselves to camera?) Actually... I relate to her more as an adult than as a kid, because I'm more self-aware, I know my own mind better... Same is true for the show as a whole. Like, I relate to Arnold better, too, having become a young adult orphan... That kind of loneliness is implied to be a motivating factor for his kindness, which does make him a lot more complex. And I have a way better grasp on his relationship with Helga, the way they connect through shared loneliness over their family situations; that's the kind of thing that makes me feel, deep in my heart, like, Oh, yeah, they're soul mates. I love the subtlety and nuance of the show! Stuff like that is suggested rather than outright stated. I'd get impressions that I thought were just me, only to have them confirmed when I listened to creator interviews. I'd have to go back and look for exactly what it was I was picking up on, and... I just love that kind of thing! And finally... Yeah, I do love that the adults aren't really that different from the kids. The emotional experience of rewatching as an adult reminded me that I'm still the same person at heart that I was at age 8, which... I needed at that point. Beyond that, it's important for kids to see that adults aren't always right! Like with Helga's family -- she's very wronged by them and is absolutely right to stand up for herself. I didn't grow up in that kind of situation, but for kids who do... When the adults in your life make you feel small... Your parents are your main source of world-view, so you tend to feel like they're right. That's why that kind of portrayal is so important!
I hope you read this and hope that someone else relates to this. First of all, thank you for making this video. You've said it all. When I was a kid I only had access to Nickelodeon Arabia and Hey, Arnold was aired in Arabic, which I didn't understand at all. But I watched it anyway cause of the vibe you talked about, the melancholy, the calm and brief moments, the scenery, the music, and everything. But I didn't understand what they said. I'm 24 now and I'm by myself and the first thing I did when I could get Wi-Fi of my own was, watch Hey, Arnold; this time in English. My friends don't understand why and make fun of me, but I never get tired of watching it and I'll continue to. Craig Bartlett made this for everyone in a sense.
Sometime, in the 2010's, I was a kid who left home to a place that I needed to call home even though I didn't want to, similar to the plot of Inside Out, and I remember waking up at 5 a.m. just to watch re runs of cartoons, and Hey Arnold was my favorite.
I was very similar to Arnold for trying to do the right thing and be empathetic, my parents taught that to me and the shows and movies that formed my childhood had characters and stories like this.
It made me feel better seeing all the goodness and happiness the show showcased and it made me try to, every day, be a better person to people and to myself.
Now I am having a similar feeling from my younger self and this video truly cheered me up and made me think about the good things in life.
Thank You.
This is the best video essay about Hey Arnold that I've seen. Do you have any plans to make more? Maybe looking at individual episodes in more detail?
Tangential At Best Thank you! I hadn’t thought about doing that but I might look into it with some of the more complex episodes, thanks for the idea :)
@@QualityCulture I highly second this idea. Please do. This video is incredible, and I'm sure we'd all appreciate more of your insight.
Thanks for a wonderful video on this amazing show! I also go back to Hey Arnold time and time again, and I love it as much at 30 as I did at 10. It's not only funny, it's truly a poignant show, I was really on the verge of tears when you started talking about "Arnold's Christmas" that's one of those episodes that makes me cry every time I watch it. And honestly, Hey Arnold has a lot of those episodes for me, way more than any kid's show has a right to.
"The dignity of a simple and kind existence"... that was poetic.
you nailed what makes this show so special to me. its hard to not want to be the hero of our own stories, but that one ought to be good to others and to live well.
This video was incredibly well researched, and you made my night. thank you.
I loved this show as a kid and watching me reminded me just how special it was. I've never seen a show so adept at engaging my empathies as a child. I found myself like Arnold attempting to understand the people presented in a deeper way - to understand their emotions and inner lives. The show was really great at giving each character a moment to shine and become fully known by the viewer. The vision of the creators is extraordinary and I would like to say thank you for creating this show and realizing that kids need this sort of rich and uplifting media in their lives just as adults do.