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HEY ARNOLD!: THE MOVIE  

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Hey Arnold!: The Movie has a long and reasonably interesting history that goes along with it.  After the success of The Rugrats Movie, Viacom decided to make more movies based on its Nickelodeon animatied shows; besides another Rugrats movie, plans were made in 1999 to start making a Hey Arnold! movie.  Originally, the plan was for the movie to be about Arnold saving his neighborhood from developers, but somebody at Nickelodeon decided that the show had a better story for a movie: Arnold looking for his parents, which was planned for a Nick Flick, and that became the theatrical movie while "Arnold Saves the Neighborhood" was written and animated as a Nick Flick.  In the meantime, "the movie" - which is nicknamed "The Jungle Movie" as it takes place in a jungle - was going through a series of rewrites.  Eventually, it was decided that, "while we're waiting for 'The Jungle Movie'", "Arnold Saves The Neighborhood" would be reanimated as a theatrical movie and released in 2002.  (It didn't hurt any that Viacom CEO Sumner Redstone had announced plans to have at least two animated movies a year released.)  The title was changed to Hey Arnold!: The Neighborhood, and then Hey Arnold!: The Movie, probably to get people who weren't particularly familiar with the show to watch it.

But enough of that...you want details on the movie, right?

Hey Arnold!: The Movie
A developer buys up most of the neighborhood where Arnold lives so he can build a mall, and Arnold and Gerald have to find a document that declared the entire area a national monument before the bulldozers start tearing everything up.
Written by Craig Bartlett & Steve Viksten
Directed by Tuck Tucker
Art Director: Christine Kolosov
Sequence Directors: Tim Parsons, Carson Kugler, Chris Robertson, Aldin Baroza
Animation Directors: Christine Kolosov, Frank Weiss
Storyboard Artists: Miyuki Hoshikawa, Diane Kredensor, Caesar Martinez, Ted Seko

Cast:
Arnold - Spencer Klein
Helga, Deep Voice - Francesca Marie Smith
Gerald, "Rasta Guy" - Jamil Smith
Grandpa, Nick Vermicelli, Jolly Olly Ice Cream Man (uncredited) - Dan Castellaneta
Grandma, Mayor Dixie, Red (Scheck's assistant) - Tress MacNeille
Scheck - Paul Sorvino
Bridget - Jennifer Jason Leigh
Coroner - Christopher Lloyd
Mr. Bailey (Hall of Records employee) - Vincent Schiavelli
Big Bob Pataki, head of FTI security - Maurice LaMarche
Miriam Pataki, Mona (Murray's girlfriend), TV reporter - Kath E. Soucie
Stinky - Christopher P. Walberg
Sid - Sam Gifaldi
Harold - Justin Shenkarow
Eugene - Blake Ewing
Rhonda - Olivia Hack
Phoebe - Anndi McAfee
Mr. Green, riot cop (who breaks up the party) - James Keane
Mrs. Vitello - Elizabeth Ashley
Ray Doppel (Dino Spumoni impersonator) - Michael Levin
Oskar - Steve Viksten
Ernie - Dom Irrera
Mr. Hyunh - Baoan Coleman
Brainy, Murray (bus driver), Grubby (man with cans knocked over by bus), Monkeyman - Craig Bartlett
Caesar (truck driver who almost drives off overpass) - (uncredited)
Also, "Li'l Romeo featuring Master P" is credited as singing one of the songs over the closing credits

  • Apparently, somebody thought it would be a good idea to have Arnold's and Gerald's faces always in shadow for some reason.  It ranks right up there with the "gray-faced adults" in the outdoor scenes in The Rugrats Movie.
  • Don't bother looking for a soundtrack CD for the movie, as none was made.  This isn't surprising, considering there were only four or five songs (the ones I can think of: Li'l Romeo's song and the changed theme at the end; Eugene's "song", which is interrupted twice; the song sung in the club).
  • Speaking of songs, if you're wondering what the song "Coconut" in the closing credits is: when Grandma is in the police van, she says "Put the lime in the coconut, and mix it all up", which are lyrics from that song.
  • Just before the SPAT team arrives at the block party, Harvey is wearing formal clothing, but after they arrive, he's in his mail delivery uniform.
  • "Why would Dino Spumoni be singing in a small club like that?"  That wasn't Dino Spumoni, but Ray Doppel, the Dino impersonator in "Dino Checks Out".  (One way you can tell is by their noses.)
  • Speaking of characters you may not remember, Mr. Bailey was the man Arnold and Gerald went to in order to find Mr. Hyunh's daughter in "Arnold's Christmas".
  • Look fast: at Blockapalooza, Lorenzo dunks Lila, Maria and Connie are in line to kiss Jamie O at his "Kissin' Booth", and Timberly is getting a flower from Mrs. Vitello.
  • Usually Jim Lang handles all of the music, but the movie had an "Orchestrated and Conducted by Bill Liston" credit.
  • I realize this was written as a Nick Flick, but for something this big, why not give more characters lines?  Where were Curly, Nadine, Mr. Simmons, and Principal Wartz?  (How about Sheena?  She was next to Lila in the opening, and it wasn't as if Francesca Smith wasn't available...)  Even Phoebe only had one line.
  • One of the reviews pointed out that Grandpa's grandfather was involved in the tomato incident, "but how is that possible as it would have been over 225 years ago" and Grandpa was born around 1920 (remember, he's in his early eighties).  Technically, parts of the northwest USA were under British control until the mid-1840s (see also the story of "the real pig war" in episode 315), so it could have happened.  (Unlike "the pig war", I think the tomato incident is fictional; it sounds much too close to the events that led to the Boston Tea Party.)
  • Somebody forgot to tell Lila that you're not supposed to wear your normal clothes when you're in a dunk tank.  We know she has a bathing suit; she's wearing it (one-piece yellow) in the opening scene.  Of course, those of you who are not particularly fans of Lila (and you know who you are) probably didn't mind...
  • Arnold had to borrow bus fare from Helga in order to ride the bus the first time.  Why?  In the past, all he had to do is show his bus pass.
  • The coroner tells Arnold that FTI is located on Riverside Highway.  Christopher Lloyd, who voiced the coroner, was also Doc Brown in the Back to the Future movies, and Doc Brown lived on Riverside Drive.
  • Arnold used some sort of lock-picking device in order to get into Scheck's office - why couldn't he have just used that device to open the safe deposit box instead of going through the trouble of getting the key?
  • Get your names in while you've got the chance: Nick orders a "Bartlett" in the club, while one of the stores that is closed is Viksten's Bicycle Shop (named for Craig and Steve, respectively).
  • At least one of the computers in Mr. Bailey's office uses tubes - something they stopped using in the 1960s.
  • If there was a problem with somebody finding the document, why didn't Scheck just burn it in the first place?  For that matter, why didn't Scheck start bulldozing the minute he thought there were any problems?
  • Yes, that is a Jewish prayer you hear Gerald saying, but it's doubtful that he's Jewish, as he didn't recognize the Hebrew in Harold's book in "Harold's Bar Mitzvah".  (Another example of the two Nickelodeon answers to "What religion is that character?": Jewish and "uh....")
  • Except for a strange mix version at the end, you never hear the TV theme song.  And why wasn't it the first song in the credits?  Because then the song that was first wouldn't be eligible for the Academy Award for original song (it has to be in the movie or the first song in the closing credits)...and that assumes the song was written specifically for the film (another requirement).
  • It's strange that they mention that Mr. Green has a son, but they just leave it at that (instead of, say, the son showing up in some reconciliation scene at the end).  For that matter, he's never mentioned that he ever had a wife.
  • At the end, Big Bob tells Scheck to "tell it to your cellmate in Folsom" - which is impossible, as Folsom is limited to criminals who commit crimes in California.  Besides, when you consider Big Bob assaulted Nick twice, he just might end up being that cellmate.
  • "I would have gotten away with it, too" - usually, the next words are "if it wasn't for those meddling kids"; this is how pretty much every episode of every version of Scooby-Doo ends.
  • I'm confused...did Mr. Green and Mrs. Vitello sell to Scheck or not?  If not, how would the bulldozers know which buildings to tear down?  If they did, what was Mr. Green doing in his store when the bulldozers showed up?
  • Was every building in the neighborhood built before "the tomato incident" took place?  If not, then there must not have been a problem with tearing them down even after the area was declared a historical monument, so why is it a problem now?
  • Now the big question: what happens next?  Certainly, Grandpa, Ernie, Oskar, and Mr. Hyunh aren't going to get just a slap on the wrist for illegally setting off explosives and demolishing a building they didn't own.  As for the rest of the neighborhood (except the Sunset Arms), Scheck still owns the buildings, so they can't just move back in.  As for Arnold and Helga,...no, I can't mention that as it might give away what really happens when Helga confesses to Arnold.

Dino Checks Out
Suffering from a drop in popularity, Dino Spumoni fakes his own death, figuring the news would spark a Dino Revival - but a Dino impersonator taking all of the glory was not what he had in mind

Written by Steve Viksten
Storyboard Direction by Tuck Tucker
Animation Direction by Frank Weiss
Storyboard Artists: Miyuki Hoshikawa, Ted Seko, Diane Kredensor

Cast:
Arnold - Spencer Klein
Dino Spumoni - Rick Corso
Rhonda - Olivia Hack
Grandpa, guard at theater - Dan Castellaneta
Ernie - Dom Irrera
Oskar - Stephen Viksten
Mr. Hyunh - Baoan Coleman
News reporter - Laraine Newman
Don Reynolds - Harvey Korman
Candy - Chloe Webb
Jimmy (Candy's son), Bunny - E.G. Daily
Lawyer, "DinoMania" TV announcer, President Johnson - Billy West
Ray Doppel (Dino impersonator) - Michael Levin
Cab driver - (uncredited)

  • For a network that goes to great pains to keep people from using the word "dead", everybody at Nickelodeon must have been asleep when this episode was made; the word "dead" is used three times in the first three minutes
  • Dino's first album is named "Smashed"; on the Best of Nicktoons CD, the song he sings in "The Old Building" is titled "Smashed", although the sheet music Arnold found in that episode was titled "You Broke My Heart"
  • At the funeral: Sheena, Arnold, Grandpa, Harold, Nadine, Phoebe's mother, Curly and his mother, Helga, Gerald, Mrs. Vitello, Eugene and his father, Iggy, Stinky, Sid, Rhonda, and Lila - and I think Joy from "Arnold's Thanksgiving"
  • How old was Dino when Grandpa first saw him at the Circle Theater?  Dino is 67, which means he's 14 years younger than Grandpa
  • Speaking of the Circle, it's still just as rundown as it was when they were about to demolish it
  • Dino told the cab driver to go to the Palace, but Dinomania was at the Roxy
  • Phoebe's parents are at one of the tables at Dinomania
  • Dino's son had blonde hair at the funeral, but dark hair at DinoMania
  • When Dino climbs into the window, the box he's standing on is labelled "CHAM" - didn't they get rid of it all in 1944?
  • When Dino falls into the theater, two of the people there look a lot like The Jolly Olly Ice Cream Man (in uniform) and Lana

Song Lyrics

"You Better Not Touch My Gal" (second verse - the first verse is in "Partners")

You better not touch my chick
Or I'll beat you with a big fat stick;
You better not nose around
Or I'll bop you like a pop-up clown
So get this straight, you ___________
I'll give you 'til the count of ten
(that's as far as can be understood over the background music)

"Don't Count Me Out"

Round One - I was strong
This right, never wrong
Oh, I was a number one contender;
Round Five - in a crunch
Slip a jab, took a punch
But I never bowed to those pretenders!
Don't count me out
'Cause when the dust clears,
It won't be me they're draggin' out -
POW!
I took my share of lumps
From all those lousy two-bit chumps,
But I'm still standin'...
Don't count me out

Runaway Float
P.S. 118 doesn't have enough money to build Arnold's idea for a float for the City Day Parade, but Helga gets her father to sponsor it - and changes the float into a giant beeper which gets out of control during the parade
Written by Jonathan Greenberg
Storyboard Direction by Rob Porter
Animation Direction by Larry Leichliter and Alan Smart
(Only Rob Porter and Larry Leichliter received "Directed By" credits)
Storyboard Artist: Cullen Blaine

Cast:
Arnold - Toran Caudell
Gerald - Jamil W. Smith
Helga - Francesca Marie Smith
Eugene - Christopher Castile
Harold - Justin Shenkarow
Nadine - Lauren Robinson
Rhonda - Olivia Hack
Sid (uncredited) - Sam Gifaldi
Stinky - Christopher P. Walberg
Grandpa, Nick Vermicelli - Dan Castellaneta
Oskar - Stephen Viksten
Big Bob Pataki - Maurice LaMarche
Miss Slovak - Tress MacNeille

  • Miss Slovak said that the float would cost three times the school's annual budget, yet they managed to build it for less than $500
  • The sign Arnold puts on the float says "BIG BOB'S BEEPER'S"; see "Best Friends" to figure out why there shouldn't be an apostrophe in "beepers"
  • Bad Hair Day: Iggy's hair was black (instead of brown) when Big Bob started to redesign the float; Nadine's hair was brown (instead of blonde) when Arnold rode by the float
  • Really Bad Hair Day: as the float approaches the review stand, Eugene's hair disappears for a second
  • But that's nothing compared to: when Big Bob walks away after reminding Helga of their deal, Joey's shirt is orange, his hair is blonde, and his skin is much lighter than it usually is; when Bob asks who wants to ride on the float and the kids jump up and down, the top of Robert's (the blonde kid with curly hair and glasses) head and hands appear to detach and float in mid-air
  • Uh, when Arnold pulled the emergency brake, the sudden stop should have thrown everybody forward - and would have probably launched Helga over the reviewing stand, considering how high up she was
  • ...then again, landing on the reviewing stand probably would have been better than the fall she took once the float stopped
  • What are they feeding the people in this town: not only does Helga fall from the top of the float (about 20 feet - the same as jumping out of a third-story building) and not get hurt, but none of the band members were hurt either despite being knocked ten feet into the air by the float
  • Somebody Call Sam Gifaldi's Agent: Sid didn't receive a credit (then again, his only "line" was to yell when a bee chased him, but Stinky got a credit in "Downtown As Fruits" for pretty much the same thing)

Partners
Dino Spumoni and his lyricist (the guy who writes the words to his songs) Don Reynolds have broken up, and both get rooms at the Sunset Arms, where they both lived "back in the old days" - and their breakup spreads to Arnold and Gerald, who fight after trying to develop an act for a talent show
Written by Jonathan Greenberg and Steve Viksten
Storyboard Direction by Dan Povenmire
Animation Direction by Juli Murphy-Hashiguchi (credited as "Julie" in the opening credits)
Storyboard Artist: Sherm Cohen

Cast:
Arnold - Toran Caudell
Gerald - Jamil W. Smith
Grandpa - Dan Castellaneta
Grandma, Miss Slovak - Tress MacNeille
Dino Spumoni - Rick Corso
Don Reynolds - Harvey Korman
Dino singing over the end credits - Alan Paul
Uncredited: TV reporter

  • In some countries, "Partners" airs with "Biosquare"; in fact, most TV listings in the USA say "Biosquare / Partners" when this epsiode airs (I think the change in the USA has something to do with wanting "Part Time Friends" to be released to video first, which meant it couldn't air for eight months afterwards)
  • Grandpa and Grandma are big fans of Dino Spumoni, yet they never mentioned that he once lived at the Sunset Arms; since, presumably, they've lived there pretty much all of their lives, they would remember something like that
  • When the news broadcast first mentions the breakup, the music playing is "You Broke My Heart" from "The Old Building"
  • Where did the band come from during Arnold's second verse of "I'm Nuttin' Without You"? (It's supposed to be just Gerald on piano)

Song Lyrics

"You Better Not Touch My Gal" (as sung by Dino Spumoni in the closing credits)

You better not touch my gal
Or I'll pop you in the kisser, pal;
You better not even try,
Or you'll be lookin' at a big black eye!
So listen good, you stupid hood,
I'll give you to the count of ten,
And if you're not gone by the crack of dawn,
You'll never, ever eat -
No, you better be discreet -
Or you'll never, ever eat solid food again!
The version Grandpa and Grandma sing is a little different: change "stupid hood" to "two-bit hood", and the only line after "crack of dawn" is "You'll never eat solid food again"

"I'm Nuttin' Without You"

Without Oliver Hardy, Stan Laurel wouldn't show,
And there ain't no romance in a solo Romeo;
Without Sacajawea, Clark would still be in Duluth;
Without you with me baby, I'm nuttin' - that's the truth!
Without Tweedledum, Tweedledee ain't worth a thing;
(I'm not so sure about that line, as Dino and Don's conversation covers Arnold's voice, and the closed captioning follows the conversation but not the song)
Without Quasimodo, that big bell wouldn't ring;
Without Dr. Watson, Sherlock wouldn't have a clue;
Without you with me baby, I'm nuttin' - no, nuttin' -
I'm nuttin' without you!

("Clark" refers to one half of explorers Lewis & Clark; Sacajawea (also spelled "Sacagawea") was their Native American guide)

Arnold's Christmas
While Helga agonizes over getting the perfect present for Arnold (and wondering whether or not her parents got her a pair of designer snow boots that make Tickle Me Elmo dolls (or, for 1999, Pokemon cards) look plentiful in comparison), Arnold tries to get Mr. Hyunh a present - the daughter Mr. Huynh sent to this country at the end of the Vietnam War in 1975
Story by Craig Bartlett, Steve Viksten, and Joe Ansolabehere
Written by Steve Viksten
Storyboard Direction by Tuck Tucker, Stark Howell, Kelly James, and Jamie Mitchell
Animation Direction by Larry Leichliter and Steve Socki
(Only Jamie Mitchell received a "Directed By" credit)
Storyboard Artists: Derek Drymon, Tricia Garcia, Kelly James, Rob Porter

Cast:
Arnold - Toran Caudell
Gerald - Jamil W. Smith
Helga - Francesca Marie Smith
Phoebe - Anndi L. McAfee
Rhonda - Olivia Hack
Stinky - Christopher P. Walberg
Grandpa - Dan Castellaneta
Grandma - Tress MacNeille
Ernie - Dom Irrera
Mr. Hyunh - Baoan Coleman
Oskar - Steve Viksten
Big Bob Pataki - Maurice LaMarche
Miriam Pataki - Kath E. Soucie
Mai - Hiep Thi Le
Mr. Bailey - Vincent Schiavelli

  • Well, Mr. Hyunh never actually says he's from Vietnam nor that it was 1975 (he mentions that he is from Vietnam in "Snow"), but he's mentioned in "Snow" that that's where he's from, and the war did end there in 1975
  • Speaking of Vietnam, in the scene with Arnold and Gerald on a bench right after they leave Mr. Bailey's office after they bring back his shopping, behind Helga is a poster with "Saigon Helicopter" (and a picture of a helicopter) on it.  This is a reference to the musical Miss Saigon, which takes place at the end of the Vietnam War, and includes a scene with a helicopter on stage (at the end of the war, a number of what was then South Vietnamese civilians tried to evacuate on helicopters - the only way out - because they felt that once the North Vietnamese government took power, they would be considered traitors and killed).
  • How did the soldiers who took Mai away know what her name was? Somebody knew, because they obviously found her just by her name
  • Grandma celebrates three holidays: Thanksgiving (when she greets Mr. Hyunh), Independence Day (she plays "Yankee Doodle Dandy" during the second Secret Santa drawing), and New Year's Day (she wears a "Happy New Year" sash on Christmas Day)
  • Someone suggested an explanation for the "Nancy Spumoni" name: singer Dino Spumoni ("The Old Building", "Partners") is supposed to be like Frank Sinatra, whose daughter Nancy had a famous song titled "These Boots Are Made For Walking"
  • Helga is splashed by Mr. Green's meat truck
  • There's a "Stark's Moving Company" van; Stark Howell is one of the show's regular directors (there are also stores named Tildale's and Hoske's, but those names do not appear in the credits)
  • In the "Secret Santa" bowl, there should have been just one slip per person (otherwise, what names go on the "extra" slips?), but there were far more slips in the bowl than people involved (and what happens if someone pulls their own name out?)
  • Helga calls Rhonda "Rhondaloid", which makes more sense after you watch "Rhonda's Glasses" in the second season
  • The front of the government building says Cave, Quivi Sumus, which, I have been told, can mean "Beware, Whoever We Are"; I assume the writers meant Cave, Quivi Estis, which is Latin for "Beware, Whoever You (plural) Are", which is a little more appropriate for government buildings and I should know, having worked in one since 1984...
  • How did Mr. Bailey know Arnold and Gerald were nine years old?
  • The list Mr. Bailey gave Arnold never said what size snow boots to buy; how would Arnold know what size would fit, and for that matter, how would Helga know that her size would fit Mr. Bailey's daughter?
  • When Helga comes home, she calls her mother "Miriam"; once Miriam gives Helga the pressent, Helga calls her "Mom"
  • When Mr. Bailey leaves on Christmas Eve, he's not carrying his packages, but when Helga appears with the boots, he has some of the bags, although not all of the ones Arnold was carrying earlier
  • Unlike most other shows' Christmas episodes (especially non-cartoon ones), nobody in this episode sings a Christmas carol, although Big Bob and Miriam sing half of the chorus of "Jingle Bells" (and there are a few instrumental jazz versions of carols, including "Jingle Bells" over the closing credits)
  • One thing still escapes me: when Helga came up with this great plan to give (or, presumably, sell) her snow boots to Mr. Bailey and then possibly stay up all night with him on Christmas Eve to find Mai, how did her parents take it - and if she didn't tell them, how is she going to explain where her snow boots (that her mother stood in line for 18 hours for) are (and how did she manage to get the boots into a box and get the box out without anybody noticing)?

Arnold's Valentine
On Valentine's Day, Arnold manages to arrange two dates; one with Ruth, the sixth-grader he likes, and one with his French penpal Cecile (actually, it's Helga in disguise) - only for the real Cecile to suddenly appear and Arnold to discover what Ruth is really like
Written by Steve Viksten and Rachel Lipman
Supervising Director: Jamie Mitchell
Storyboard Direction by Tuck Tucker and Stark Howell
Animation Direction by George S. Chialtas (credited as "Chiatas" in the broadcast) and Larry Leichliter
(only Jamie Mitchell received a "Directed By" credit)
Storyboard Artists: Derek Drymon, Rob Porter

Cast:
Arnold - Toran Caudell
Gerald, Peapod Kid - Jamil W. Smith
Helga - Francesca Marie Smith
Ruth - Lacey Chabert
Cecile (the real one) - Kath E. Soucie
Miss Slovak - Tress MacNeille
French tape voice, man in salon - Lloyd Sherr
Cecile's father, Jacques (Chez Paris waiter) - Maurice LaMarche
Stewardess - Danica Ivancevic
Chez Pierre busboy - Michael Bacall
uncredited: Carla

  • French lesson - "On The Chez Paris Menu" (er, uh, this might not be absolutely accurate):
    • Escargot Chez Paris - Chez Paris snails
    • Cervelles Braisees avec les Ouefs Brouilles - braised brains with scrambled eggs
    • Turkis En Creme - (something) in cream
    • Couque du Vin - I think they mean "Coq au Vin", which is chicken in wine sauce
    • Steak Tartare - raw hamburger meat
    • Duck L'Orange - I think they mean "Duck a l'Orange", or duck in orange sauce
    • Oxen En Brouchette - ox (?) cooked on a skewer
    • Bouilliboise - I think they mean "bouillabaisse", which is a fish/shellfish stew of some sort
    • (also note "Chez Paris" means "House of Paris")
  • "Haven't I heard Ruth somewhere before?"  You have if you watch FOX's Party of Five (Lacey Chabert is Claudia) or Nickelodeon's The Wild Thornberrys (she's the voice of Eliza)
  • When Ruth smiles in the first scene, she doesn't have braces on her teeth, unlike in other appearances (for example, when she skates by in "Snow")
  • When Peapod Kid is talking, the two other kids in the scene aren't regular characters, but after that, neither Peapod Kid nor the other two kids are in the class any more
  • P.S. 118's ZIP code (on Helga's letter) is 96374-0171, which is listed as an Army Post Office code (and a number beginning with "96" usually means it's somewhere in the Pacific or Asia)
  • There's no such place as "Baghdakistan"
  • Arnold's steak tartare was hot - which is not a good sign for the restaurant when you consider that steak tartare is raw hamburger meat!
  • Cinderella in reverse: If Helga ever does want to tell Arnold what really happened, all she has to do is show him the shoe she kept, since Arnold has the other one
  • There's no credit for Carla (the girl Gerald talked to who gave him the brush-off), nor for the girl who called for Ruth at the beginning
  • "I don't remember the waiter's name being mentioned" - that's because it's not, until "Dinner For Four"
  • Jamie Mitchell got the directing credit, yet he's not credited as either a storyboard director or an animation director
  • Somebody Call The Animators: look carefully at Helga's head in the dinner scene just before Ruth arrives, and you'll notice that her face moves around but her hair stands perfectly still, as if she's wearing a wig
  • Quick Change Artist: when Helga is in the restaurant, there is a man sitting behind her dressed in white.  However, when they show Helga close-up, the same man is suddenly wearing black.
  • Bad Hair Day: "Peapod Kid" has brown hair, but usually it's black
  • Bad Hair Day Is One Thing, But This: in the classroom, while Gerald is working on his valentine, if you look behind him, you see Nadine - with white skin

Helga's Makeover
Helga isn't invited to Rhonda's slumber party because everybody figures she's not into "girls stuff", so she takes on a new hairstyle, dress, and image (right out of a magazine) to show the other girls how much of a girl she can be
Written by Rachel Lipman
Storyboard Direction by Kelly James
Animation Direction by Juli Murphy-Hashiguchi
Storyboard Artist: Tricia Garcia

Cast:
Arnold - Toran Caudell
Gerald - Jamil W. Smith
Helga, Sheena (uncredited) - Francesca Marie Smith
Phoebe - Anndi L. McAfee
Eugene - Christopher J. Castile
Harold - Justin Shenkarow
Nadine - Lauren Robinson
Rhonda - Olivia Hack
Sid - Sam Gifaldi
Miriam Pataki, Yolanda - Kath E. Soucie
Mrs. Johanssen (credited as "Johanson") - Shari Belafonte

  • When the classroom is first shown, Sheena is sitting in the front row, and the first two desks against the wall near the door are occupied by Curly and Eugene, but then Helga is in front of Sheena, and Gerald and Arnold are sitting where Curly and Eugene were shown
  • What kind of magazine doesn't have its price on it somewhere?
  • Helga's new look includes having two eyebrows; she plucks out the middle of her one large one
  • Some of the girls shown at the party when Rhonda makes fun of Helga aren't there during the makeovers
  • Something you don't see every day: Phoebe without her glasses (she has to really squint her eyes without them)
  • Something else you don't see every day: fingernails (you can see Helga's real fingernails as she puts on her fake ones)
  • Considering how much money Rhonda's parents have, you would think they could afford something better than a rotary dial phone, but there's one in the kitchen
  • When the boys are getting ready to crash the party, Sid can be seen without his hat; his hair is all stringy (like it is in "Wheezin' Ed", but unlike in "Heat")
  • All of the girls' feet are drawn with three toes; in the last scene, Harold's have four
  • No wonder Rhonda was stomping on the tomatoes in "World Records": she has the flattest feet around (and how does she - or Sheena or Helga, for that matter - manage to fit into her shoes?)
  • Helga walks by the "Law Office of Garcia, James A."; Tricia Garcia is the storyboard artist for this episode
  • Helga says that "we're already taller than the boys", but Nadine and Phoebe aren't
  • Harold's "The horror! The horror!" comes from the book Heart of Darkness, which was made into the movie Apocalypse Now

The Old Building
It's a tradition for a wrecking ball operator to invite his son to his 500th demolition, so childless Ernie invites Arnold, but the target is an abandoned theater Grandma doesn't want torn down and replaced with a new multi-screen theater
Written by Rachel Lipman and Steve Viksten
Storyboard Direction by Kelly James
Animation Direction by Jamie Mitchell
Storyboard Artist: Tricia Garcia

Cast:
Arnold - Toran Caudell
Grandpa, Rico - Dan Castellaneta
Grandma, Mayor - Tress MacNeille
Ernie - Dom Irrera
Dino Spumoni - Rick Corso

  • The wrecking balls are named Big Bertha, Black Thunder, T. Minnie Martoonis, Judgement Day, and The Terminator (although "Judgement Day" is a British spelling; the USA spelling is "Judgment Day")
  • The settings on the wrecking ball: Ready, Get Set, Smash, Ravage, Damage, Wreck, Pulp
  • Arnold is taller than Ernie
  • Back in "the old days", Grandma was a blonde
  • Grandma's sign and Ernie's model say Circle Theater, but the building itself says Circle Theatre
  • The Circle Theatre doesn't appear to be much of a theater; even in its heyday, there didn't appear to be any stage or seats, other than at the tables

Song Lyrics to "Smashed" (also called "You Broke My Heart")

Darling, you left my heart
In pieces on the floor
So tell me why shouldn't I
Break some things of yours?
I'll smash your lamp, the antique chair,
That stupid thing you always wear;
I'll smash a vase, the radio,
Those little teacups from Limoge;
Your wacky paintings on the walls;
Darling - POW - I'll smash 'em all;
Lover, it's just a game;
Cupid can take the blame;
I'll take the place apart,
But don't worry - I won't smash your heart!
(spoken after the song: ) Not me - maybe some other clown, but I'm not gonna smash your heart, baby - you're talkin' to Dino over here

The List
Arnold attemps to do "it all" - everything on "the list for a kid's perfect Saturday" - but has only slightly more success than Grandma's attempts to get a large piano into the boarding house
Written by Joe Ansolabehere
Storyboard Direction by Mark O'Hare
Animation Direction by Larry Leichliter
Storyboard Artists: Derek Drymon, John McIntyre

Cast:
Arnold - Toran Caudell
Gerald - Jamil W. Smith
Park - Marcus Toji (credited as "Togi")
Sid - Sam Gifaldi
Harold (uncredited) - Justin Shenkarow
Grandpa, mover - Dan Castellaneta
Grandma - Tress MacNeille
Woman in the movie - Lisa Fuson
Man in the movie - Craig Bartlett
uncredited: Boy in the park

  • Don't try this at home: Arnold tries to ride his bike down the steepest street in the city - without a bicycle helmet
  • When Arnold sets his alarm clock, it says 5:45 (a little early for bed), but when he puts it on his desk, it's 10:30
  • "I don't remember hearing Harold" - if you listen carefully, you can hear his distinctive laugh right after Gerald mentions riding down the steepest hill in the neighborhood

Song Lyrics to "Look Up"

When life gets you down, wearing a frown, don't look away, look up,
'Cause memories true come of the blue; you know the way - look up!
When skies are gone gray, things gone astray, don't look away, look up;
Arnold: I had a bad day; nothing went right; I hate my dumb life; I'm down.
When you're feeling under the weather, and the dark clouds are getting to you,
Keep your troubles light as a feather, and soon you'll be seeing a bright patch of blue;
You....
Gotta look up, you gotta be strong, you gotta take things as they come,
'Cause everything new that happens to you is better when you...look up!

Haunted Train
Arnold, Gerald, and Helga hear Grandpa's "legend of the Haunted Train" and head for the abandoned train station where it's supposed to appear - and that train that pulls up to the station at midnight fits the description
Written by Josie Nericcio
Storyboard Direction by Tuck Tucker
Animation Direction by Juli Murphy-Hashiguchi
Storyboard Artist: John Mathot

Cast:
Arnold - Toran Caudell
Gerald - Jamil W. Smith
Helga - Francesca Marie Smith
Brainy - Craig Bartlett
Sid - Sam Gifaldi
Grandpa, engineer - Dan Castellaneta
uncredited: Singer at end

  • Either somebody teach Helga how to skip rope, or somebody teach the animators how to draw Helga skipping rope - Helga does one rope turn and then stops eaech time
    Somebody heard me - she does better in "Girl Trouble"
  • Helga says, "We're all gonna die!" - apparently, Nickelodeon had no problems with words like "dead" at the time
  • How did Brainy get on the train, anyway?

Song Lyrics

Gerald's song

They say he lost his mind;
Went crazy on that day;
Ran his train right off the tracks
And drove it straight to - Hey!
Where's the engineer?
Been waitin' all night long;
Better show up soon
Or I'm have to say so long!
Whoo-whoo!
Been waitin' on the haunted train...
(it sounds like Gerald starts to sing "gonna" between "I'm" and "have to say" but doesn't, which is why that line looks so strange)

The song in the closing credits (they're also in the closing credits of the "Urban Adventures" tape)

Sometimes, late at night,
You can hear the whistle wail
With a spooky, screechy sound
Like a wheel gone off the rail;
And up in the smoky clouds,
You can almost recognize
The ghost of a crazy engineer
With fiery cinder eyes;
I say, Whoo-whoo!
Can't you hear the haunted train?
Whoo-whoo!
Waitin' on a haunted train
Crash that engine,
You know, only sticks and stones
And old conductors' bones remain...
At the end, the engineer says "Arnold, take me to the roundhouse"; on the Urban Adventures tape, he then says "Spooky"
(and I'm not sure about that "fiery cinder eyes" line, but neither the broadcast nor the Urban Adventures closed captions has anything that comes close to matching the line correctly)

Downtown as Fruits
"Helga Pataki's Four Food Groups - The Musical" is missing its banana and strawberry when Arnold and Gerald decide to take the bus a few too many stops past the school and end up downtown without money - until someone drives by and throws them a bag of cash
Written by Craig Bartlett, Joe Ansolabehere, and Steve Viksten
Storyboard Direction by Tuck Tucker
Animation Direction by Larry Leichliter
Storyboard Artist: John Mathot

Cast:
Arnold, Stinky - Toran Caudell
Helga - Francesca Marie Smith
Gerald, Peapod Kid - Jamil W. Smith
Phoebe - Anndi L. McAfee
Brainy - Craig Bartlett
Curly - Steven Hartman
Eugene - Christopher J. Castile
Harold, Iggy - Justin Shenkarow
Woman fixing flat tire - Joey Paul
Zamboni Jones, other banana guy (Vic), driver with money (Morrie) - John Mariano
Uncredited: Monkeyman

  • Look Closely: at the beginning, Iggy can be seen very briefly without his sunglasses
  • They must be short of "E"s for the sign outside of the school; there are only two "E"s in "HELGA PATAKI'S FOUR FOOD GROUPS THE MUSICAL", but the "E" in Helga is replaced by a "3"
  • Nobody seemed to mind that a couple of nine-year-old kids were carrying around thousands of dollars in cash
  • A "Zamboni" is a machine (driven like a car) that remakes the ice on an ice rink; you usually see them between periods at an ice hockey game
  • Kinda Sorta Hatless Alert: Arnold wears a different hat when he's downtown, and since I doubt he would have thrown his own hat into the trash, he probably wasn't wearing it under his costume
  • Courtney Brewer points out that the man in the banana costume and the driver are Vic and Morrie, who appear in "Arnold As Cupid" and "Wheezin' Ed"; the names "Vic and Morrie" didn't appear in the credits, like they did the other two times
  • The boy in the peapod costume appears in other episodes and is always credited as "Peapod Kid"; he's even referred to by that name (the way Chocolate Boy is always called by his nickname as well)
  • Right before Arnold and Gerald first appear in costume, Monkeyman (see episode 501) runs by

Song Lyrics

Harold and Eugene's song

I'm a steak, juicy steak, full of fat and protien;
I'm a ham, you know I am, and if you keep kosher, I'm not in your routine!

The closing song

It's fruits, it's fruits, that really makes us toots;
It's fruits, it's fruits, that give us all a hoot!
It's not like other food gorups aren't important;
In fact, you need us all to make your fingernails and eyes and organs-
Fruits, it's fruits, you gotta have your fruits;
That's what the folks with scurvy say;
'Cause it's fruits, us fruits, that really makes us sing;
This is the end of our play!
("Scurvy" is a disease caused by a lack of Vitamin C)

Eugene's Bike
When Eugene's new bike is ruined thanks to something Arnold did, Arnold realizes that he's been involved in quite a few of Eugene's accidents, so Arnold takes Eugene out for a day of fun - well, fun for Arnold, but mishaps for Eugene
Written by Steve Viksten, Joe Ansolabehere, and Craig Bartlett
Storyboard Direction by Kelly James
Animation Direction by Juli Murphy-Hashiguchi
Storyboard Artist: Tricia Garcia

Cast:
Arnold - Toran Caudell
Helga, Sheena - Francesca Marie Smith
Gerald - Jamil W. Smith
Billy - Sam Gifaldi
Brainy - Craig Bartlett
Eugene - Christopher J. Castile
Hospital orderly - James Keane

  • Usually, on a red hand/white body sign, the red part blinks when the light's about to change, but here the white part does
  • The "dork parade" consists of Billy, Sheena, Brainy, and Eugene, although Sheena and Eugene "blend into the kid crowd" in other episodes (but Sheena and Eugene, along with Curly and Brainy, are "the geeks" in "Rhonda's Glasses")
  • When Eugene locks his bike, he doesn't lock it to the bike rack, nor does he wrap the chain around either tire, so it should be no problem for someone to steal it
  • You would think the kids would be happier, since the last day of school must be coming: Flag Day is June 14 (unless there's a separate "state flag" day where Arnold lives)
  • Eugene's bike has a "YOOJ" (pronounced like "Eugene" without the "een") license plate
  • Uh, let me get this straight - Arnold fixed Eugene's bike without bothering to test ride it to see if, say, the brake cable was missing?
  • In the teeter-totter scene, Gerald's shirt is number 3 instead of 33 (obviously a "he's too small for 33 to fit" joke)
  • Arnold's hat is darker blue than it should be when he gets out of bed before visiting Eugene at home the first time (it's also dark at the end, but that's because it's dark outside)
  • Hatless Alert: when Arnold is fixing Eugene's bike, he's not wearing his hat
  • Don't try this at home unless it's absolutely positively necessary: a proper Heimlich maneuver (what Arnold does to stop Eugene from choking) requires putting the two hands together into a ball (and an improperly-done Heimlich can very easily break one of the "victim's" ribs, so you shouldn't try it on anyone who isn't choking)
  • Eugene says he almost caught a "Studs McGee" ball, but both the video board and the baseball card says "Spuds McGee"

Arnold's Halloween
Arnold attempts to scare Grandpa on Halloween by broadcasting an "alien invasion" message over his radio, but when a TV reporter picks up the signal, the city goes into a panic - and Big Bob gets the chance to settle a 20-year-old alien score
Written by Craig Bartlett, Joseph Purdy, and Antoinette Stella
Story by Craig Bartlett, Joseph Purdy, and Steve Viksten
Storyboard Direction by Tuck Tucker and Kelly James
Animation Direction by Jamie Mitchell
(Only Jamie Mitchell received a "Directed By" credit)
Storyboard Artists: Derek Drymon, Kurt Dumas

Cast:
Arnold - Phillip Van Dyke
Gerald - Jamil W. Smith
Helga - Francesca Marie Smith
Phoebe - Anndi L. McAfee
Curly - Adam Wylie
Harold - Justin Shenkarow
Stinky - Christopher Walberg
Grandpa - Dan Castellaneta
Grandma - Tress MacNeille
Oskar, Smitty - Steven Viksten
Suzie - Mary Scheer
Ernie - Dom Irrera
Mr. Green, EBN Announcer - James Keane
Harvey - Lou Rawls
Mr. Hyunh - Baoan Coleman
Big Bob Pataki, Douglas Cain - Maurice LaMarche
Miriam Pataki - Kath E. Soucie
Principal Wartz - David Wohl
Uncredited: Monkeyman

  • If you're wondering if Douglas Cain was supposed to sound just like The Brain on Pinky and the Brain: "yyyYes!"
  • For those of you who don't get that last comment: Douglas Cain is supposed to sound like actor/director Orson Welles, who really did cause a very large panic with a radio story about aliens, but his version was planned as a story all along instead of a prank. What happened was, on October 30, 1938, he did a radio version of the H.G. Wells story The War of the Worlds (I think the radio version left off the "The" in the title), which is about an invasion of Earth by Martians.
    Right when the part of the story where a radio announcer is describing the landing aliens takes place, another popular radio program (starring ventriloquist Edgar Bergen, father of the star of
    Murphy Brown) reached a point where someone started singing, and quite a few listeners changed stations, heard what they thought was a real radio announcer describing a real alien invasion, kept listening to the program while the "aliens" started landing with poison gas and "death rays", and panicked rather than listen to the rest of the story, which ends with the Martians dying from Earth germs.
  • (Speaking of Orson Welles, he later starred in Citizen Kane, but the Welles-sounding character in this episode spells his last name "Cain")
  • If Arnold needed to connect Grandpa's radio to his "transmitter" with cable to be heard, how did the man in the van hear the broadcast?
  • The wheel on the show Big Bob was watching had spaces marked OOPS!, Bye-Bye, No Cigar, New Car, See Ya, Winner, Whole Enchilada, Sucker, Loser, Spin Again, and S.O.L.
  • In keeping with the Halloween theme, all of the credits (except in the show's opening) were orange instead of yellow

Das Subway
When the last crosstown bus leaves without the kids, they take the subway home, despite Gerald's warning of "sun goes down, stay above ground" - advice they may have been better off listening to when the train stops in an underwater tunnel
Written by Chris Simmons
Storyboard Direction by Tuck Tucker
Animation Direction by Steve Socki
Storyboard Artists: John Mathot, Cullen Blaine

Cast:
Arnold - Toran Caudell
Gerald - Jamil W. Smith
Helga - Francesca Marie Smith
Phoebe - Anndi L. McAfee
Harold - Justin Shenkarow
Grandpa, conductor - Dan Castellaneta
Grandma - Tress MacNeille
Grubby man on subway - Mark Hamill
Two women on subway - Kath E. Soucie
Doctor on subway - Tony Jay
Blind man, newscaster - Kevin Michael Richardson

  • Phoebe must not watch too many movies (or mainly watches animated ones, which tend to run under 90 minutes) if she thinks two hours is too long for one
  • The sun is well above the horizon when they leave the theater, but it sets less than 30 seconds later
  • If you look at the streetlights carefully, the light beam of at least one of them (the farthest one away from the kids, on the left) is barely visible before the light it is turned on
  • The pay phone Arnold uses has 3 rows of 4 buttons each
  • Next to the pay phone is a sign for the "Tucker Railroad"; Tuck Tucker was one of the story's directors
  • Arnold called Grandpa to tell them they were on the subway; why couldn't Grandpa pick them up in his car? He drives at night in other episodes (in "The Haunted Train", it's after midnight - and he's taking Gerald and Helga home as well), so that's not a problem.
  • For that matter, why couldn't they call, say, Helga's (or Gerald's) parents? If they explain the situation (and mention that the only alternative is the subway), maybe they can get somebody to pick them up. (Then again, do they all live near each other? In "The Vacant Lot", Arnold lives across the street from the lot, but Helga has to take a bus. Maybe Helga did call home but couldn't get a ride, which is why she was on the subway with the others.)
  • Don't try this at home: there's no way Grandma could have connected two "live" wires with her bare hands without electrocuting herself, and there's certainly no way the wires could have stayed connected
  • People not getting along on a broken-down subway until they get together to help a dog deliver puppies; does that story sound familiar? Maybe you were watching "Nick At Nite" to recognize it as happening on an episode of The Odd Couple
  • Unless there's more than one person by that name, Mark Hamill (Col. Christopher Blair in Wing Commander III and IV...oh, and wasn't he in the Star Wars movies somewhere?) was the voice of the poor man on the subway

Song Lyrics - the song at the end

Let's all hold hands,
Here on the subway,
'Cause we've been stuck here in the dark for way too long;
Oh, it's hot, and it stinks
And the train is on the blink;
They lock the doors - We've got no choice - Let's get along!

Wheezin' Ed
Arnold leads an expedition to Elk Island to find the legendary treasure of "Wheezin' Ed", but stumble upon a counterfeit penny operation
Written by Craig Bartlett, Rachel Lipman, and Steve Viksten
Storyboard Direction by Dan Povenmire
Animation Direction by Juli Murphy-Hashiguchi
Storyboard Artist: Debbie Baber

Cast:
Arnold - Toran Caudell
Gerald - Jamil W. Smith
Helga - Francesca Marie Smith
Phoebe - Anndi L. McAfee
Brainy - Craig Bartlett
Harold - Justin Shenkarow
Rhonda - Olivia Hack
Sid - Sam Gifaldi
Earl - Dan Castellaneta
Policeman - Mark Hamill
Vic and Morrie (the crooks) - John Mariano

  • Something you don't see every day: Phoebe is wrong about something - she said there wasn't any hole in the cave which they could fall through
  • When Sid takes off his hat (something else you don't see every day), his hair is stringy (like it is in "Helga's Makeover", but unlike his full head of hair in "Heat")
  • The two crooks are Oskar's two poker-playing buddies from "Arnold As Cupid"
  • Pennies haven't been made with that much copper since 1982; now they are mostly zinc
  • No wonder Harold didn't remember what he was told about the jelly beans; he wasn't told anything about them
  • The drawings Arnold discovered looked a little like Brainy
  • Another escape for Brainy without running afoul of Helga's fists
  • The policeman (voice of Mark Hamill - see "Das Subway") had three toes on each foot
  • "Marumba Rights" refers to "Miranda Rights" (the name comes from the Miranda vs. Arizona Supreme Court decision which made the reading of rights mandatory) - the ones that begin "You have the right to remain silent"
  • There could be an explanation for that wheezing at the end; Brainy wasn't on the boat with the other kids - but who was doing the laughing?