It has been over two decades since the first episode of Hey Arnold! aired on Nickelodeon, but the beloved 90s cartoon still holds up like it premiered yesterday. Created by Craig Bartlett, Hey Arnold! is one of those rare little shows that is still so good on its own and not just as a pure nostalgia trip. And, like almost all of our favorite shows we watched religiously as kids, Hey Arnold! hits way different as an adult. Hey Arnold! may not be loaded with unmistakable innuendo like some programs (seriously, how did I not think about the fact that Spongebob Squarepants is set in a place that is literally called Bikini Bottom?), but instead, it conquered a much more difficult feat. Hey Arnold! was one of the few shows for children that didn't shy away from difficult topics and did so in a way that flowed seamlessly with the overarching tone of the show: very much still for kids, but thoughtful and sensitive to issues that both kids and adults have either already experienced or likely will experience at some point in their lives, from feeling ashamed and uncomfortable in your own skin, to feeling abandoned or neglected by the people who were supposed to care for you and love you unconditionally. Here are some of the deepest moments in Hey Arnold! that taught us some hard life lessons.
"Helga on the Couch"
When I think of Hey Arnold! episodes that have stayed with me throughout the years, the first episode I think of is "Helga on the Couch." This episode serves as something of an origin story for Helga's (Francesca Marie Smith) love affair with Arnold (Toran Caudell). Between her life-sized Arnold replica made out of chewing gum, and her penchant for sneaking around and hiding behind trash cans to gaze at Arnold from afar, Helga is basically the 4th grade version of Joe Goldberg in the making. That being said, it's easy to see why Helga loves Arnold so much: Arnold is the most compassionate, kind-hearted kid around. He's also got a pretty sweet sense of style and an unreasonably cool bedroom for a 4th grader. But when Helga finds herself in school-mandated therapy in "Helga on the Couch," we learn that Helga's obsession with Arnold started all the way back in pre-school when he was the only person to take notice of her. Helga's life in pre-school was no different from how it is in her present life. Her parents completely neglected her because they were so busy doting on her "perfect" older sister Olga (Nika Futterman). And it is pretty much canon at this point that their mother, Miriam (Kath Soucie), is definitely not putting just fruit in those smoothies. Arnold is the first person, most likely ever, to pay attention to Helga. Helga's therapist helps her face that truth in "Helga on the Couch," a surprisingly sensitive commentary on the importance of mental health.
"Ms. Perfect"
Before Lila Sawyer (Ashley Buccille) became Arnold's dream girl, she was a transfer student at P.S. 118. Unfortunately, the P.S.118 girls (led by, shocker, Helga), make it their mission to humiliate the ever so lovely Lila over their own jealousy and insecurity. After a few failed attempts, they succeed and play a cruel prank on Lila that ends with her covered in a tray of spinach and rotten fish. After Lila runs out of the cafeteria in tears, Helga and the girls volunteer to bring her homework to her after school so that they can further bask in their victory. They are surprised to see that "Ms. Perfect" actually lives in a run-down apartment, and are even more surprised when they overhear a crushing conversation between Lila and her dad. Lila's dad is a widower raising Lila alone, and they are struggling to make ends meet. Lila's dad gets a phone call from a potential employer with another job rejection, and Lila tries to comfort him while he breaks down in tears because he ate their last can of beans. "Ms. Perfect" is such a tearjerker, even decades later, and it still holds up as a difficult reminder that you can never presume to know another person's story.
"Arnold's Christmas"
Hey Arnold's first Christmas episode, "Arnold's Christmas" is widely considered one of the best and most iconic episodes of Hey Arnold! When Arnold gets Mr. Hyunh (Baoan Coleman) for Secret Santa, he is completely stumped on what to get him. He wants to get Mr. Hyunh something meaningful and personal, so he visits him to try and find out more about what he likes. During Arnold's visit, Mr. Hyunh tells him about his long-lost daughter Mai (Hiep Thi Le). There was a terrible war in his country that forced them to flee, but when there was not enough room for both of them on a helicopter out of the city, Mr. Hyunh made the painful decision to hand his infant daughter over to a soldier on the helicopter to ensure her safety. As the helicopter left, the solider called out the name of the city he and Arnold currently live in. It took Mr. Hyunh 20 years before he could get out of his country, but when he did, he came straight to the city in hopes of finding Mai. Arnold is determined to find Mai and reunite the father and daughter for Christmas. "Arnold's Christmas" is an incredibly moving and important episode that gives a voice to the Asian American community, whose experiences and narratives are still, to this day, widely overlooked or misrepresented in media.
"Chocolate Boy"
"Chocolate Boy" hits different when you realize the entire episode is a shockingly dark commentary on the perils of addiction. Chocolate Boy (Jordan Warkol) is willing to dance like a monkey for a bag of chocolate. He is willing to dig through the dumpster for a chocolate bar. He is willing to humiliate and degrade himself just for one malted milk ball. When Wolfgang (Lane Toran) promises Chocolate Boy a ten-pound bag of chocolate if he can go for two weeks without it, Chocolate Boy enlists Arnold's help. During the long two weeks without chocolate, Chocolate Boy is shaky and restless and willing to do just about anything for one bite of chocolate. There's even a straight-up Clockwork Orange moment where Arnold tries to brainwash Chocolate Boy's chocolate addiction right out of him. In the end, Arnold gets to the root of Chocolate Boy's addiction: he eats chocolate because he misses his beloved nanny who gave him some before she left him. Between Helga, Stoop Kid, and Chocolate Boy, there sure are a lot of deep-seated abandonment issues in Hey Arnold!
"Weighing Harold"
"Weighing Harold" is all about self-love. After Harold (Justin Shenkarow) eats 50 Mr. Fudgy Bars in exchange for one quarter, he overhears Sid (Sam Gifaldi) and Stinky (Christopher Walberg) making cruel, hurtful comments about his weight. Harold is humiliated and ends up going on a weight-loss cruise specifically for kids who need to lose weight. When he comes back, his peers are shocked to find that he weighs even more than he did before he left. Harold is devastated, so he asks Arnold to help him get back to his original weight. When Harold feels utterly defeated and tries to give up, Arnold reminds him of one of life's most important lessons: it doesn't matter what everyone else thinks about how you look, it's what you think.
"Pigeon Man"
"Pigeon Man" is a classic Hey Arnold! episode, right up there with "Stoop Kid" and "Arnold's Christmas." When Arnold's carrier pigeon gets sick, he brings him to the mysterious "Pigeon Man" (Vincent Schiavelli) to be cured. According to urban legend, the Pigeon Man is a half-man, half-bird who lurks on the rooftop of an 88th street building keeping only the company of his birds. When Arnold reaches the rooftop with his wounded pigeon, he doesn't find a creature of legends, but a lonely recluse named Vincent. Vincent tells Arnold that some people are just not meant to be around other people, and he prefers the company of his birds. When Arnold takes Vincent out for pizza to give him a brief reminder of the outside world, Harold, Stinky, and Joey (Michael Fishman) sneak up to Vincent's rooftop and trash the place. His pigeons fly away, but Vincent assures Arnold, who is shocked and upset by his classmates' prank, that they will return. Still, the prank serves as a deeply sad confirmation to Vincent that people, more often than not, are a disappointment. "Pigeon Man" holds up as one of the saddest episodes of Hey Arnold!, but luckily, there is one bright spot: Arnold taught Vincent that there are some good people in the world.
"Stoop Kid"
Over 20 years later, and "Stoop kid's afraid to leave his stoop!" is still living rent-free in my mind. Along with "Pigeon Man," "Stoop Kid" is a character-driven episode that gives a perfect 11-minute snapshot of what Hey Arnold! does best: Arnold, the most compassionate 9-year-old boy in the whole world, helping someone believe in themselves. Legend has it that Stoop Kid (Danny Cooksey) was abandoned on the steps of his stoop as a baby and has never left it since. Stoop Kid is a bully who harrassess anyone passing by his stoop, but Arnold feels sorry for Stoop Kid when he realizes that it's fear that keeps him from leaving his stoop. Arnold helps him confront his fear and take his first brave step off his stoop and into the real world. Assuming the legend that Stoop Kid was abandoned as a baby is true, it makes sense why Stoop Kid would have a phobia of leaving the only place he's ever known. "Stoop Kid" is another example of a Hey Arnold! episode that proves that every person has an untold story, and more often than not, are struggling to cope with trauma, whether it's abandonment or neglect or loss.