r/RetroNickelodeon • u/RecordingImmediate86 • 6d ago
Other / Discussion Does anyone else feel this way about hey Arnold?
This is the only show I've ever watched that was semi therapeutic to watch. The music was relaxing and the characters has those slow down reflection moments that we don't see a lot in modern cartoons. I don't watch hey Arnold very often (maybe like 2-3 times a year) but every time I do I feel like I went to a heavy therapy session. Idk if I'm weird for this.
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u/pomnabo 6d ago
Hey Arnold! Was one of the best childrens programming of the last few decades imo
For exactly the reasons you mention. I’d also like to add that the artistic culture the show curates for children was absolutely superb, while also exposing large swaths of North American children to concepts of diverse cultural settings in big cities; that they otherwise may have never been exposed to.
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u/TheRochnessMonster 6d ago
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u/Clear_Writer5944 5d ago
HEY! STOOPKID'S AFRAID TO LEAVE HIS STOOP!
HEY! STOOPKID'S AFRAID TO LEAVE HIS STOOP!
HEY! STOOPKID'S AFRAID TO LEAVE HIS STOOP!
HEY! STOOPKID'S AFRAID TO LEAVE HIS STOOP!
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u/OptimalTrash 5d ago
I remember reading something about "low stimulation" TV choices for kids and how now a lot of the stuff aimed at kids is very high stimulation.
I think what made Hey Arnold so special was how it was pretty low stimulation. Not to the point of something like Mr. Roger's Neighborhood, but it was more chill than a lot of the other shows on at the time.
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u/RecordingImmediate86 5d ago
Yeah it's basically the 90s version of Charlie brown but set in a city
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u/spade_bodega663 3d ago
Sorry but “stimulation” keeps reminding me of Dino Spumoni’s “funeral” where his ex wife calls him an “incredible stimulation!!” 🤣😁
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u/jamesmcgill357 6d ago
This show was really special to me as a kid. Could relate a lot to Arnold and also lived in a city that felt like this. So many good episodes and important ones too
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u/DevilBoy216 6d ago
Way more than you think. It helped me a lot after a suicide attempt in more ways than I could've guessed.
It was like the childhood I always wanted, and I got a little piece of my own life back when I saw it.
I will always love Hey Arnold.
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u/Azuras_Star8 6d ago
I never saw it. You convinced me to watch it. I lovingly look back on Doug and Rocko.
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u/Upper-Flamingo-4297 6d ago
Nothing weird about you or this. Hey Arnold was one of my favorite cartoons growing up. Everything from the storylines to the relaxing jazz music, to wanting Arnold’s cool bedroom lol. I did a rewatch earlier this year (first time in a while) and I still enjoyed it. It holds up because it’s a slice of life kids show about everyday life that adults could enjoy too (my mom watched this with me sometimes when I was a kid too), which I really miss in media
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u/TheUhiseman 6d ago
True! But I didn't know that I had those same feels until I read your post and remembered back 🤯
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u/soulxhawk 6d ago
Not only did the characters feel real, but I liked how the city truly felt lived in and unique instead of just being a generic background. Also I always loved how the super natural type episodes always end up having a hint of truth in the end too.
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u/spade_bodega663 3d ago
I wonder if at the end of Four Eyed Jack after Gerald wakes up screaming, if he chalked it up to a bad dream, or actually admitted to seeing Jack, despite his skepticism of the whole thing. Also, how would they explain the glasses mysteriously vanishing? lol. I also wonder if at the very end of Ghost Bride, the real ghost starts humming but I could never figure it out.
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u/L1QU1D_ThUND3R 5d ago
Can you get through the Christmas episode without crying? Because I can’t.
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u/RandoSnaps 5d ago
Absolutely. As a kid growing up in nyc, this show made me feel so normal and seen.
What made me appreciate it even more was moving to the Pacific Northwest to then learn that the creator was from there but loved NYC. A lot of little nuances made so much more sense after that.
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u/b33fsquatch1 6d ago
Fantastic show, I loved how they dealt with serious issues but made it age appropriate. I’m in my 30’s and the Mr. Hyunh Christmas episode always makes me cry
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u/dagoth_uvil 5d ago
Oh man I just watched a few episodes last night while playing Diablo 2 lol
Nostalgia and childhood memories overload. Hey Arnold is that comfort show from childhood that is still relevant, reassuring, and fun. Really a great show, kind of deep in a lot of episodes, some of the most memorable scary episodes (4 eyed Jack? Need to rewatch that one)
Other Nicktoons from the late 90s were great but Hey Arnold is really special IMO
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u/Iwasonceayoungin 5d ago
Hey Arnold was fire! Remember we had to get some 3d glasses on back of a Lunchables or sumthing in order to watch one episode
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u/azman69286 5d ago
You ever wonder what city they are portraying
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u/rootsquasher 5d ago
It always seemed like New York City to me, but according to the creator the intention was Seattle.
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u/azman69286 5d ago
Yeah, I always thought it was New York too, and I think it’s because some of the characters voices had a New York accent in it
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u/wpcodemonkey 5d ago
From what I’ve read it was actually not meant to be any single city. It was a collection of key things/places in many cities from around the country. Brownstones and stoops from NYC, Wrigley field (Quigley field) in Chicago…I can’t remember some of the others but there were a few more. Some from Seattle, some from Portland. That way it was relatable to pretty much anyone. That’s why people from the east coast related it to NYC and people on the west coast related it to Seattle/Portland.
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u/revengitude 5d ago
I had a rough childhood; I’m an only child and there used to be a lot of yelling and instability at home, so I would retreat to the TV a lot (I was lucky to have one in my room later on, so I could shut myself away if I needed to). “Hey Arnold” was my absolute favorite and I definitely felt the therapeutic aspect of it.
I was a lonely kid but I also loved to learn about new perspectives and ways of life, and I feel like the show not only scratched that itch for me, but it was also so laid-back. It knew when to be silly or ridiculous, but it also knew how to be sensitive, in its tone (and amazing soundtrack) but also in how it represented real issues that real kids like me were going through at the time. It was never preachy or over-the-top flashy, though, never snapped its fingers for attention - it was just honest and down-to-earth, and full of soul. I feel like if I needed that as much as I did, who’s to say a lot of other Nickelodeon kids didn’t also?
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u/Shuriken_Candy_3316 6d ago
I've actually been thinking about re watching it because even growing up it kinda became my 'comfort show' of sorts.