History WMG / HeyArnold

Arnold is a combination of Charlie Brown and Linus, while Helga is Lucy combined with Peppermint Patty. Then we have Lila, who's both The Little Red-Haired Girl and Peggy Jean, Phoebe (perhaps the most blatant Expy of Marcie ever created) and Gerald (Franklin--TokenBlackFriend of Charlie Brown and Linus, who someimes had little background moments with Marcie, dancing with her and so on.) Rhonda is the snobby Violet, and Nadine is Frieda. Chocolate Boy is Pigpen. Harold, Sid and Stinky are the camp bullies from ''Race For You're Life, Charlie Brown''. Big Patty is the original Patty--she's got a plaid skirt, and the same haircut.
Curly? Well, considering how insane he is...could it be that he's just Snoopy in human form?

In an early episode, Harold responds to Helga calling him "Blimpo" with, "Don't call me Blimpo; I have a gland problem." While that's played as an excuse for his weight, it could be true. When compared to obese kids in real life, Harold is actually not grossly overweight. In fact, during "Weighing Harold," he seems to have lost the excess weight he gained on his failed weight-loss cruise fairly quickly. (The TrainingMontage related to this doesn't give us an idea of how long that took, but the various exercises Arnold used to help him could have facilitated this). Unlike other obese characters and real-life examples, Harold also eats a variety of foods rather than just junk food. The only episode where he was shown overindulging in stuff like ice cream and pizza was "Weighing Harold," which is also [[FridgeLogic the only episode in which the other kids made his weight into a big deal.]] It could be that Harold's pituitary gland simply doesn't work efficiently, he has a thyroid problem, or he has a genetic issue (both his parents are pretty big too, especially Mom).

[[WMG: Arnold could have an paternal uncle or aunt somewhere]]

The answer may lie in Eugene's name. According to [=YouTube=] series "The Dark Side of Hey Arnold," the name "Eugene" means "born lucky." Our Eugene is, of course, the exact opposite. But when he was a baby, his parents would have no way of knowing that. It's possible then, that the Horowitzes, like their son, were and are big musical fans. They named their baby after a "plucky, positive, and extremely lovable" lead character. What they didn't know was how Eugene's life would progress from there (despite his being born on Friday, March 13, which might have provided some clue). So in summary, maybe Eugene is not a jinx ''per se'' as much as, his parents unknowingly jinxed him with an identity that backfired. This would be especially true if Mr. and/or Mrs. Horowitz are also unlucky or clumsy (in trying to "lift a family curse," they actually ensured Eugene would end up on the wrong side of it).

* Both of these kids look as similar to Helga as Jamie-o does to Gerald, if not more so. Both are large in stature, mono-browed,and arguably, Big Patty has the same facial design as Helga with Torvald being eerily similar. All three of the children are subject to displaying aggressive behavior, which can be a genetic trait considering Big Bob's behavior. Helga is smaller than the two because Miriam is a fairly small woman, Patty and Torvald either inherited Bob's size or the size of their potentially large mother's. It is likely that Miriam would not have done anything about it seeing that she is an alcoholic and that Bob may be trying not to wreck his already unflattering reputation ("How can I run a beeper emporium with everyone knowing I have all of these kids running around? How does that make me look!")

*** Yes, n her first appearance (Olga Comes Home) she was talking about two different boys she was seeing. Additionally, she had given a THIRD boy she met at a mixer her HOME phone number, so she apparently isn't afraid of anyone finding out. Finally, there's a whole episode dated to one of her boyfriends- excuse me... her FIANCE. Miriam and Bob don't have any real problem with him until they find out he asked Olga to marry him after only a couple weeks.

The answer may lie in Eugene's name. According to [=Youtube=] series "The Dark Side of Hey Arnold," the name "Eugene" means "born lucky." Our Eugene is, of course, the exact opposite. But when he was a baby, his parents would have no way of knowing that. It's possible then, that the Horowitzes, like their son, were and are big musical fans. They named their baby after a "plucky, positive, and extremely lovable" lead character. What they didn't know was how Eugene's life would progress from there (despite his being born on Friday, March 13, which might have provided some clue). So in summary, maybe Eugene is not a jinx ''per se'' as much as, his parents unknowingly jinxed him with an identity that backfired. This would be especially true if Mr. and/or Mrs. Horowitz are also unlucky or clumsy (in trying to "lift a family curse," they actually ensured Eugene would end up on the wrong side of it).

The answer may lie in Eugene's name. According to YouTube series "The Dark Side of Hey Arnold," the name "Eugene" means "born lucky." Our Eugene is, of course, the exact opposite. But when he was a baby, his parents would have no way of knowing that. It's possible then, that the Horowitzes, like their son, were and are big musical fans. They named their baby after a "plucky, positive, and extremely lovable" lead character. What they didn't know was how Eugene's life would progress from there (despite his being born on Friday, March 13, which might have provided some clue). So in summary, maybe Eugene is not a jinx ''per se'' as much as, his parents unknowingly jinxed him with an identity that backfired. This would be especially true if Mr. and/or Mrs. Horowitz are also unlucky or clumsy (in trying to "lift a family curse," they actually ensured Eugene would end up on the wrong side of it).

In the episode "Veterans Day", Grandpa Phil hints that he saw more than one kind of action during World War II. Who's to say Miles doesn't have a French half-brother or sister out there?

* Oh my God, I LOVE this theory! Remember also that adults from Charlie Brown specials have voices that sound like garbled static--and all the adults from ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' are incomprehensible in one way or another: Grandma because of her status as a CloudCuckoolander, Phil because of his tendency to embellish, Mr. Hyunh's accent, Mr. Simmons' repeated use of the word "special"...

[[WMG: Arnold could have an uncle or aunt somewhere]]

[[WMG: Arnold could have an uncle or aunt out there]]

Bob doesn't want his name tarnished, so he had Miriam go through with the pregnancy. If she terminated it, there's a chance it could have gotten out. They kept Helga because if they put her up for adoption, she could have come looking for her real parents, and 'tarnish' "Big Bob's" name. This is why they do the bare minimum to take care of her throughout the show's run.

[[WMG: Hey Arnold and World in Conflict take place in the same alternate Seattle.]]

Unlike Toran Caudell and Philip van Dyke, Spencer Klein ''only'' played Arnold and he is both the longest running and fan favorite voice actor for him. Like Creator/{{Pixar}} bringing back John Morris as the college-aged Andy in ''Film/ToyStory3'', it'd be a nice case of RoleReprise if this happened.

[[WMG: Mr.Smith is a private investigator and FBI consultant that was investigating Lana Vail]]

When the heat was coming up on her, Lana moved into the Sunset Apartments and became enamored with Arnold. Mr.Smith followed her trail due to a case made by Vail's former victims and moved in for years watching and waiting for her to make her move. Eventually he found evidence to take her in and told Phil and Gertie the truth to shield Arnold from harm. Eventually her trial went underway and she was either arrested or free once again. Smith either left in success or quit in shame.

He resembles Danny DeVito who has Italian ancestry, he has an East Coast accent, and even says Oh Marone an Italian expression in one episode. While his surname isn't Italian it's possible he's at least ''part'' Italian.

[[WMG: Hillwood is actually a suburb of bigger city, specifically Seattle--if not, it's at least a "satellite city" to Seattle, Washington.]]

* Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was released just a few months after Hey Arnold! was cancelled.

** Big Gino is Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories. He's pretty much the Italian gangster stereotype to begin with.

Like TheSimpsons WMG, it was supposed to take place during the creator's childhood. Evidence that points to this are the cars, the [=TVs=], the jazz soundtrack, and the fact that one of the characters is a Frank Sinatra Expy. The show obviously takes place in the 1990s due to beepers, cell phones, video games, and some pop culture references.

* This may be why Arnold isn't the "oh-so-special someone" Lila is looking for. [[StarWars Somehow, she's always known]]...

It's evident that Miriam and Bob's relationship is a terrible one, probably because they got married too soon. In the episode where Olga gets engaged, Miriam warns her not to "make the same mistake [she] did". Perhaps Bob and Miriam were dating for not very long before the got married, probably as short as a few months. Miriam may have fallen in love with Bob thinking he was a great guy and they hung out together quite a lot, maybe even doing crazy stuff like hanging out at bars and night clubs. (This might also explain Miriam's alcoholism.) Once Miriam found out she was pregnant, she and Bob decided to get married and did so just a couple of weeks later. For a while afterward they were happy, but eventually they began to realize they made a mistake and were forced to live with it.

Evidence exists in the form of "Arnold Visits Arnie," where the character of Hilda is just like Helga, only kinder and more mentally stable. Lila's counterpart Lulu, on the other hand, is creepy and oversexed for a nine-year-old. Deep down, Arnold knows that [[spoiler: the versions he dreamed]] of Lila and Helga are truer to life. WordOfGod even admits Lila has a dark side, to the point that Helga's dream in "Married" paints her as a borderline sociopathic stalker. Arnold only pretends he ''likes'' Lila because on the surface, she's safer than Helga. She also embodies the traits he wants in a girlfriend, but again, that's a surface thing. Arnold could also be pretending because he knows what Helga's home life is like. He's afraid that if he got any friendlier with her, he'd have to become more involved in the dysfunction. Being nine years old and having suffered ParentalAbandonment himself, he's not willing to do that. Crazy grandparents and a houseful of weird boarders are enough for any kid, even if they are CrazyAwesome. When Arnold grows up and is able to process this stuff more efficiently, he will dump Lila in favor of Helga.

In keeping with the above two entries, Bob and Miriam, whose relationship was on the rocks, decide to try for another child to improve things. RealityEnsues, and the reason that Olga is [[ParentalFavoritism the favorite]] is because she reminds them of when they got along better, while Helga inherently represents when things started to fall apart.

Arnold is a combination of Charlie Brown and Linus, while Helga is Lucy combined with Peppermint Patty. Then we have Lila, who's both The Little Red-Haired Girl and Peggy Jean, Phoebe (perhaps the most blatant Expy of Marcie ever created) and Gerald (Franklin--BlackBestFriend of Charlie Brown and Linus, who someimes had little background moments with Marcie, dancing with her and so on.) Rhonda is the snobby Violet, and Nadine is Frieda. Chocolate Boy is Pigpen. Harold, Sid and Stinky are the camp bullies from ''Race For You're Life, Charlie Brown''. Big Patty is the original Patty--she's got a plaid skirt, and the same haircut.

It's not traditional special ed, which is usually associated with kids who have severe physical, cognitive, and other disabilities. However, within the class, you have Arnold, who may have Asperger's Syndrome. You have Helga, who is extraordinarily gifted but antisocial and eventually under the care of the school psychologist. Harold and Stinky may have learning problems (see above two WMGs). Phoebe is a genius and doesn't need specialized help in the classic sense, but struggles pretty hard emotionally, considering that a fart incident led her to never want to come to school again. Lila, according to WordOfGod, has a deeply buried dark side. Sid is really paranoid. Gerald has a tendency to give in to peer pressure and act overly mature for his age (see "The High Life" and "Gerald's Game.") Eugene struggles socially and may be on the verge of coming out, which could make his social problems worse. In other words, all these kids have learning and emotional issues to some degree. Simmons, being the WideEyedIdealist and compassionate teacher he is, is very good with them and sets up his classroom to meet everybody's needs, without making them feel singled out. After all, he does have a CatchPhrase--the word "special."

** Seemingly confirmed in ''The Jungle Movie'', when Gerald and Phoebe share a knowing look (and Phoebe suppresses a laugh) when Helga gets flustered over Gerald asking her why she's trying to help Arnold win the contest to go to San Lorenzo.

It's evident that Miriam and Bob's relationship is a terrible one, probably because they got married too soon. In the episode where Olga gets engaged, Miriam warns her not to "make the same mistake [she] did". Perhaps Bob and Miriam were dating for not very long before the got married, probably as short as a few months. Miriam may have fallen in love with Bob thinking he was a great guy and they hung out together quite a lot, maybe even doing crazy stuff like hanging out at bars and night clubs. Once Miriam found out she was pregnant, she and Bob decided to get married and did so just a couple of weeks later. For a while afterward they were happy, but eventually they began to realize they made a mistake and were forced to live with it.

* She is a country girl, and according to what I've read, her personality and appearance were inspired by Becky Thatcher. To add to that, she has the same last name as Tom Sawyer.