Hey Arnold!
| Hey Arnold! | |
|---|---|
| File:Tv PR hey arnold.jpg | |
| Created by | Craig Bartlett |
| Starring | Toran Caudell Phillip Van Dyke Spencer Klein Alex D. Linz Jamil Walker Smith Francesca Smith Justin Shenkarow Anndi McAfee Olivia Hack Christopher P. Walberg Sam Gifaldi Christopher Castile Jarrett Lennon Ben Diskin Blake Ewing Bradford LaPerous Dan Castellaneta Tress MacNeille Antoinette Stella Craig Bartlett Maurice LaMarche Kath Soucie Rick Corso |
| Country of origin | USA |
| No. of episodes | 100 episodes, 1 theatrical feature-length movie |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes (15 minutes per segment) (approximately per episode) |
| Original release | |
| Network | Nickelodeon |
| Release | October 7, 1996 – June 8, 2004 |
Hey Arnold! is an American animated television series that ran on Nickelodeon from October 7, 1996 through June 8, 2004. Created by Craig Bartlett, and based on his clay animation shorts on Sesame Street and comics, it stars grade-schooler Arnold, who lives with grandparents Phil and Gertrude, proprietors of the Sunset Arms boarding house. (His doctor parents Stella and Miles went missing while on an international rescue mission). The series takes place in Hillwood City, a fictional locale resembling Brooklyn of New York City, although one episode identifies it as being in Washington state.
It currently airs regularly on The Nicktoons Network at 6:00 AM- 6:30 AM, and 6:30 AM- 7:00 AM. It also airs Sundays on Nickelodeon at 1:30 PM.
Background
Hey Arnold! is the second longest-running Nicktoon behind Rugrats. In Great Britain, the show previously aired on ITV1 (as part of CITV) but still airs on the NickToons network. One of the three original clay animation shorts were shown on Sesame Street. The television series was produced by Snee-Oosh, Inc. for the Nickelodeon cable channel. It started production in January 1995 and finished production in April/May 2001.
A 2002 theatrical feature-length film involved the characters' exploits to save their neighborhood from an unpopular redevelopment project. There had been plans for a second film (working title: Hey Arnold! 2: The Jungle), involving Arnold's search to find his parents (and also meant to finally reveal Arnold's last name among other things). However, contractual problems with Nick [1], among other things, have since led Bartlett to leave the channel for the Cartoon Network, which he did in December 2001. Nick had also earlier turned down plans to spinoff the Helga character (and her family) into her own series, The Patakis.
The first appearance of Hey Arnold! as a cell-animated show was as a theatrical short/pilot preceding Harriet the Spy in 1996. The pilot was produced in January 1994. Between 1988-1990, three Claymation shorts were produced, using a stop-motion clay technique made most famous by the "Wallace and Gromit" series.
Characters
Recurring Jokes
Examples of the Gilligan Cut
One of the series' main recurring jokes is the frequent use of a gag originally seen in Gilligan's Island, known as the Gilligan Cut [2]. For example:
- Helga: There is no way I am taking the subway.
(frame changes)
I can't believe I'm taking the subway.
("Das Subway")
- Arnold: Stinky, there is no way we're calling our go-cart the Mauve Avenger.
(frame changes)
I can't believe we called our go-cart the Mauve Avenger.
("Grand Prix", Arnold decides to take parts from Eugene's totalled go-cart to fix his go-cart)
- Helga: (Screaming) ARNOLD!!!
(frame changes, usually to Arnold and Gerald)
- Arnold: Did you hear something just now?
- Gerald: No.
("Downtown As Fruits" Arnold and Gerald are on the bus ditching Helga's play)
Brainy Gag
Another recurring gag involves Brainy:
- Helga: Watch it, Football Head! (Arnold)...how I hate you...and yet...brings out locket with Arnold's picture...I love you! After giving her heartfelt monologue, Helga usually discovers Brainy wheezing down the back of her neck; annoyed, she gives him a backwards punch in the face.
Arnold's Name-teaser Gag
- Occasionally, the creators of the show will tease viewers with the revelation of Arnold's last name, only to pull back, either because it is not legible or the speaker is interrupted. An example of this includes in the episode "Fighting Families" (Which was a spoof to Family Double Dare, American Gladiators, and Family Feud), when the school is holding an assembly and the woman presenting the assembly announces that a student from the school will be selected to participate. While announcing Arnold's name she reveals she cannot read the last name.
Contest Lady: And the winner is Arnold... there seems to be a smudge over the last name.
Stinky: I reckon she means you, Arnold, on account of you're the only Arnold in the whole dang school.
Helga: Wait, what is his last name?
Episodes
Movies
- Hey Arnold!: The Movie (2002)
Trivia
- In a few episodes, the first of Arnold's last name is heard as "Kl-..." possibly Klein. However, a package comes for Arnold with "Vineland" on the package; this is not a last name but actually the street Arnold lives on.
- In the Journal episode, a page of Arnold's father's journal recounts the wedding night where he and Stella (Arnold's mother) made love for the first time, which Grandpa Phil rips out after distracting Arnold, and pockets it. It reads: It was the hottest night the jungle ever saw. Stella was wearing nothing but a smile. I walked toward her...
- Along with the Games Animation episodes of Ren & Stimpy, Hey Arnold! is one of the few Nicktoons to use mild profanity. The word crap is sometimes either said or mentioned and the word ass was shown on a hot sauce bottle. Kokoshka (the surname of a couple who lives at Arnold's boarding house) translates to shithead in Russian.
- Helga is often the victim of humorous child neglect by her parents, who often forget that she exists or call her by her older sister's name, Olga.
- During certain episodes, a man can be seen running around town, yelling, "Monkeyman!" Monkeyman later got his own episode.
- Arnold first appeared on a clay-mation for Sesame Street.
- In Arnold's room, his clock has a small figure of himself which says "Hey Arnold!" several times to wake him up. This clock is also powered by a potato.
- Helga is a fan of WrestleMania.
- It's implied that Helga's mom may be an alcoholic (she's often drinking "smoothies", is very depressed, and sleeps a lot)
- Arnold has a doppelgänger cousin named Arnie.
- Characters in the Hey Arnold! universe have their own such cartoon, called Yo Ernest!, which is mentioned in several episodes.
- In the episode "Road Trip," the mechanic is an obvious caricature of Karl from Sling Blade.
- In some episodes there are references to a theme park called "Wankyland." In Britain the term "wank" is slang for "to masturbate."
- Coach Wittenburg says "circumcised swimming" instead of synchronized swimming.
- The episode "Steely Phil / Quantity Time" features Arnold's grandfather in a Chinese checkers showdown with Robbie Fisher. The names "Robbie Fisher" and "Boris Slasky" are based on Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky, who were world chess champions in 1972-75 and 1969-72.
- The two bullies, Wolfgang and Ludwig are named after Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig von Beethoven.
- The Music used when Olga in crying in her room is 'Lacrimosa' by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Requiem in D minor, K.626. This is used in a number of episodes where Olga appears.
- The episode "Pre-Teen Scream" features a plotline revolving around a Latin American teen pop sensation named Ronny Mathews, who turns out to be a big fake. This may have been a joke at the expense of Ricky Martin who was popular at the time and shares the same initials.
- The opening and closing music is performed by Jim Lang.