History TearJerker / HeyArnold

---> '''Helga''': ...There was someone.

* In "Mugged", Arnold gets [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin mugged.]] So Grandma teaches him some self-defense lessons. He uses it to the extreme, though, and he hurts a kid who was going to ask him something. Wow. And then the guy returns...
** And then [[spoiler:Arnold uses his self-defense instincts to prevent him from stealing Grandma's purse.]]

** Add to that Helga, Phobe, Rhonda, Nadine and Frieda bullying her and making her cry. Really, Lika was a flat-out [[TheWoobie Woobie]] in her debut.

* The ending of "Pigeon Man".

* Lila may be [[TheScrappy widely disliked]], but her situation in her first appearance was heartwrenching.

* The episode "Curly's Girl," in which Rhonda repays a debt to Curly by pretending to be his girlfriend for 5 days. She dumps him as soon as they agreed it would be over, and everyone hates Rhonda (even her best friend Nadine) for breaking his heart. To win back her popularity, Rhonda tells Curly to pretend to be his girlfriend again, but then HE dumps HER after hearing her in the bathroom talk about how disgusting she thinks he is (after he forcibly kissed her). As a result, people feel sorry for Rhonda and she's popular again. Then Rhonda goes to Curly's house to thank him (she thinks it was an act), and he's sitting on his front steps with his glasses off (for perhaps the only time ever in the series), eyes wide and full of tears. He didn't look like the little psychotic freak he always is-- instead, he's just a depressed little boy with a shattered heart due to his [[AllLoveIsUnRequited unrequited love]].

* Pooter...just Pooter.

** The life of Pigeon Man in general is sad. Heck, the original ending was planned to have him [[DrivenToSuicide jump off the roof]] before the networks said no to it. So they replaced it with Pigeon Man [[spoiler:being flown away near the sun by a ton of birds.]]

* Helga's family situation in "Helga on the Couch". Before, people were laughing at her family situation...then during that episode, nobody was laughing anymore.
** This exchange brought tears to my eyes when I last watched it:

** And then [[spoiler:Arnold uses his self-defense instincts to prevent him from stealing Grandma's purse.]]

* "Thw Beeper Queen" has Miriam taking over the Beeper Empire after Bob throws out his back, so as a result, Miriam becomes much more focused and actually starts paying attention to Helga, who obviously enjoys spending time with her mom. Then, Miriam becomes so obsessed with work that when Helga tries to talk to her, she coldly dismisses her, letting Helga walk off by herself. When Miriam sees her treatment of Helga accidentally caught on camera, she rushes out to go find her daughter.

* ''During Helga's flashback to when she first met Arnold''

''During Helga's flashback to when she first met Arnold''

'''During Helga's flashback to when she first met Arnold'''

'''''During Helga's flashback to when she first met Arnold'''''

** The life of Pigeon Man in general is sad. Heck, the original ending was planned to have him [[DrivenToSuicide jump off the roof]] before the networks said no to it.

* A meta example as we, the audience, as well as Arnold, Phil, and Pookie will never get to find out what happened to his parents.

** The life of Pigeon Man in general is sad. Heck, the original ending was planned to have him [[DrivenToSuicide jumping off the roof]] before the networks said no to it.

** The life of Pigeon Man in general is sad. Heck, the original ending of the episode had him using drugs so that he "could feel happy one last time" and [[DrivenToSuicide jumping off the roof]].

** The life of Pigeon Man in general is sad. Heck, the original ending of the episode had him using drugs so that he "could feel happy one last time" and [[DrivenToSuicide jump off the roof]].

* The ending of "Pidgeon Man".

* Harold was a jerk in ''Suspended'', but after seeing how desparately he wanted to get back into school and how sorry he was and STILL not being let back in is pretty distressing to watch. He even breaks down after all the distress.

''[During Helga's flashback to when she first met Arnold]''

* Any moments during which Bob acts like an actual father to Helga, such as in "Quantity Time," when he looks legitimately hurt after Helga tells him to leave her alone after he took her out for a pony ride because he thought she liked it (and thought she was "Seven... eight?" years old). Also occurred in "Arnold's Thanksgiving," when he can be seen suiting up (vest, helmet and all) like a soldier going to war because he thought Helga (and he didn't mean Olga for once) was missing, and declaring that he wasn't coming back until he found her. After Helga walked in, Bob also expressed his thankfulness for Helga as a daughter, which made Helga smile (which she rarely does in her own house). Rare as they are, these moments are probably made more tearjerker-y by the fact that Bob is usually a [[ParentalNeglect neglectful]] {{Jerkass}} of a parent to Helga.

* Pigeon Man, anyone?

* The episode "Curly's Girl," in which Rhonda repays a debt to Curly by pretending to be his girlfriend for 5 days. She dumps him as soon as they agreed it would be over, and everyone hates Rhonda (even her best friend Nadine) for breaking his heart. To win back her popularity, Rhonda tells Curly to pretend to be his boyfriend again, but then HE dumps HER after hearing her in the bathroom talk about how disgusting she thinks he is (after he forcibly kissed her). As a result, people feel sorry for Rhonda and she's popular again. Then Rhonda goes to Curly's house to thank him (she thinks it was an act), and he's sitting on his front steps with his glasses off (for perhaps the only time ever in the series), eyes wide and full of tears. He didn't look like the little psychotic freak he always is-- instead, he's just a depressed little boy with a shattered heart due to his [[AllLoveIsUnRequited unrequited love]].

* The beginning of ''Hey Arnold's Christmas'' where Mr. Hyunh gives up his daughter so she can have a better life.

* The episode "Curly's Girl," in which Rhonda repays a debt to Curly by pretending to be his girlfriend for 5 days. She dumps him as soon as they agreed it would be over, and everyone hates Rhonda (even her best friend Nadine) for breaking his heart. To win back her popularity, Rhonda tells Curly to pretend to be his boyfriend again, but then HE dumps HER after hearing her in the bathroom talk about how disgusting she thinks he is (after he forcibly kissed her). As a result, people feel sorry for Rhonda and she's popular again. Then Rhonda goes to Curly's house to thank him (she thinks it was an act), and he's sitting on his front steps with his glasses off (for perhaps the only time ever in the series), eyes wide and full of tears. He didn't look like the little psychotic freak he always is-- instead, he's just a depressed little boy with a shattered heart due to his [[AllLoveIsUnRequited unrequited love]].

-->"I can't find my mom and dad."