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Miss Finster is related to Chuckie Finster from Rugrats—specifcally, she's the sister of Marvin, Chuckie's paternal grandfather (Chas's dad).
Notice that in Rugrats, Chas's dad is sort of a tough guy who doesn't buy into child psychology. Why? Because he and Muriel grew up like that, of course.

The Gang are reincarnations of Robin Hood and his Merry Men.
Think about it: A group of fire forged friends who resist the tyranny of authority and stand up for the oppressed?

Going by the most modern BBC Series of Robin Hood - though other versions work too - the characters fit like this:TJ is Robin, (charismatic hero with a strong sense of justice). Spinelli is Maid Marian (spunky action girl), Mikey is Little John (Gentle Giant / Team Dad), Gus is Much (awkward side kick), Gretchen is Djac (resident scientist and smart girl), Vince is Will Scarlet (the Quiet One) or possibly Allan (the snarky one).

  • Going further, Principal Prickly is Prince John (the distant, evil overlord), Miss Finster is the Sheriff (hands on overseer) and Randall is Guy of Gisborne (the Sheriff's lackey, who has moments of empathy with the gang).
TJ is the reincarnation of Figaro. (The Barber of Seville, not Geppetto's cat.)
Both are highly resourceful schemers, both have a good sense of humor, both can sometimes be The Ditz despite their street smarts, and both have a knack for undermining authority. Honestly, doesn't it make sense that TJ was a character who helped to inspire the French Revolution? Of course TJ is more idealistic than Figaro, less motivated by money and more by fun and friendship, but that's probably the result of being a 9-year-old who doesn't need to worry about money. By the same token, Spinelli is Susanna: she has the same feistiness, practicality, and shared romantic feelings with TJ/Figaro, and it might be subconscious trauma from the Count's seduction attempts that gives her more of a temper and makes her reject femininity in this lifetime.
TJ will become King in Sixth Grade but he'll try to give up the throne.
As previously stated TJ becoming King is almost inevitable, given that he's Prankster Prince, King Bob respects him and he already acts as a leader to kids of the playground. However in a twist he'll find the throne incredibly lonely and boring. (Seriously, can you imagine TJ being happy when he's always carried around on a sedan chair and never allowed to leave the jungle gym?)

So he finds it fun at first but realizes he's too much of an ordinary kid to remain withdrawn from society. He also cares enough about his friends that he doesn't just want to be their boss so he'll try and give up the throne. However the rest of the Recess gang convince him to stay because he's a good King and instead share the burden with him and form a government. Spinelli will be Minister of Defence, Mikey of Culture, Gretchen of Finance/Science, Vince of Sport/Transport and Gus Minister of whatever is left over (Minister Without Portfolio?). Thus TJ is no longer lonely and the playground will be ushered into the first age of democracy!

  • Maybe he abolishes the Playground Monarchy entirely, making himself the first President of the playground?

TJ grows up to become the leader of the Tea party as we know it today.
Remember TJ? Remember the patriotic flame he always had burning within him? TJ loves his country. When he was a kid, he always stood up against anything in his school that took away Freedom and Liberty, such as King Bob forcing them to build a pyramid for him. TJ, however, grew up and realized that the America he once loved was being corrupted by "liberal hippie commies" and "money-guzzled war mongers". None of the political groups of the day stood for what America is really about. TJ decided to do something about it. He heard about Ron Paul's "Tea Party", went to a few meetings, and then he completely hijacked the entire movement.
  • Considering that his teachers (Ms. Grotke in particular) could possibly be considered the "liberal hippie commies", he could just as easily fall into the Occupy Wall Street crowd and become a leader in this group for many of the same reasons (The kid has charisma).
  • TJ tends to hold Miss Grotke in high regard, so I don't see him starting a movement that's ideologically opposed to her.
    • It's possible he supports both and created his own movement taking the best of both worlds, making it similar to Ron Paul's Liberty Movement.
  • Sure he mobilized a revolt against Pharoah Bob as well as curbstomping Gus during his short mandate. He also has proven to have the proper aspiration during career day, namely being the local hero as well as the head of state. It seems that one way or another, TJ would be put in office. However, whatever event allowed him to take charge, would ultimately become a Full-Circle Revolution. TJ is incapable of understanding that not everyone in the world likes him, both times he had a taste of authority, he became very corrupt. Either by becoming a Corrupt Corporate Executive or a megalomaniac principal no way better than the adults. Most dangerous would be if TJ were to seek both his career aspirations, simultaneously. After all, a strong leader with a cult of personality is usually bad news for democracy.

Spinelli will grow up to join the Mafia.
Her name sounds Italian and she loves to kick butt. It's probably already in her blood anyway. She'll probably be made an official member of the Family when she comes of age.
  • And the man once known as Hustler Kid will provide her tommy gun and ammo.
  • Unlikely, her parents are CIA (or at least her dad is) she'll likely follow in his footsteps.
  • Women can't join the Sicilian Mafia.

Spinelli will be CIA when she grows up
  • as stated above, her father is CIA and she's one tough chick. It would make sense for her to follow her father's footsteps.

Combining the two theories above...
Spinelli will join the FBI and infiltrate the mob.

Miss Finster either smokes, or is a former smoker.
That explains her voice. Many Elementary and Junior High teachers in Real Life smoke cigarettes to deal with stress.

The series is told from the point of view of TJ, and possibly the rest of the grade once they are grown up (probably to their kids).
I'm surprised this one hasn't come up yet. It explains all the inconsistencies, like why recess can go on for hours in some episodes, how adults can entirely change perspectives like Principal Prickly being all for getting rid of recess in the documentary episode and then being all for recess in the summer episode, and why some truly insane things happen. Every time an episode lets something really insane stand like the teacher's lounge or TJ riding on top of the bus, it's because they either still believed that when they were kids, or it's what they told their own kids happened. What school do you know of that has a secret police? Or would let the children do something like build a chocolate monument or a pyramid? Some episodes weren't exaggerated memories, like when TJ went to Menlo's birthday party, but a lot of it is.
  • And yes, this does mean that someone actually had this childhood, even if it was slightly more realistic. Jealous?

TJ will be king in grade 6
  • think about it, he's got leadership skills. And he was prankster prince, just like King Bob was before he became king. It's obvious, TJ is on his way to Kingship.
    • This is very likely. But then again, TJ has gone a little crazy when he basically monopolized the entire playground when he became rich with monstickers.
    • On the other hand, he's normally good about controlling power; like blotting his title of 'Prankster Prince' to save playground order and stopping King Bob from going too far with his pyramid building. He has his moments, but in general TJ is pretty humble when it comes to being in charge and whatnot.
    • Besides it seems all kids can become corrupt: Spinelli wanting to rule the world, Gus latching onto anything that makes him popular and/or important, Vince suffering from his ego, Freddie losing it when he becomes King in 'Taking the Fifth Grade' and even King Bob himself is known for abusing his position. Compared to them TJ can manage power more easily, so he's the best option.

Spinelli will grow up to be a six-foot tall bodybuilder named Moe
  • Follow your dreams, kids.
  • One problem: Galileo said she would be under 6ft.

TJ grows up to become 90's Kid from Atop the Fourth Wall.
  • Their outfits are nearly identical and both of them are children of the 90's.

Vince grows up to be Troy from Community
Respect for geeks, ultimately irrelevant athletic ability and a competitive streak.

Ashley A. will become Queen of the Playground in Sixth Grade.
She's popular enough and TJ probably wouldn't want to be in a position of power that limits his fun like that. Plus, Ashley A always has Ashley B, Q and T to be her loyal right-hand gals.

Menlo will be the Playground king in sixth grade.
TJ would likely be the rightful king, but TJ and most of his friends would probably like to play at recess. Menlo was one of TJ's good friends in the past and TJ still appears to care about his friendship in Some Friend, and already devotes his time to enforcing pointless rules instead of playing willingly. Also, Menlo is one of the few kids in TJ's grade who doesn't seem to be corrupted by power or default abusing their power. Menlo.
  • Menlo might find some obscure bureaucratic loophole to get himself made king instead of TJ, but finds that he prefers to be "in the shadows" rather than a position putting him under public scrutiny, so he resigns and serves in an official capacity under TJ.

Reccess and all other One Saturday Morning shows takes place in the same universe.
The premises of shows like Recess; Pepper Ann, Doug, The Weekenders, and Fillmore! are all similar (slice of life shows in Grade School/Middle School aged kids with more out there lives for one reason or another. The animation styles and character designs are somewhat similar, except for Doug which has the technicolor people in shades of blue, green, and purple (though there is a WMG of Bluffington being polluted in the Doug WMG page that explains this).

Spinelli's father is Alec Trevelyan.
  • They have the same code name. Bob Spinelli is obviously an alias.

Superintendent Skinner is Seymour Skinner.
  • Sometime after The Simpsons finally ends, Skinner takes over as superintendent for a retiring Chalmers, whose district includes not only Springfield Elementary, but Third Street School as well. The reason why Skinner likes being so intimidating to Prickly is because he got it from Chalmers doing the exact same thing to him.

Skeens and Guru Kid are brothers.
  • They have similar appearances, and during the montage in "Rumor Mill," it's shown that Guru Kid heard the rumor from Skeens.

Finster and Prickly were in "Recess Gangs" of their own.
  • Obviously they couldn't have been in the same group, but since they both attended Third Street School, it makes sense. More specifically, Finster was the Spinelli of her generation's group (the tough girl), and Prickly was the T.J. of his (the leader who fights for kids' rights). This would also explain why Prickly bonds with T.J., and likewise Finster with Spinelli.

Finster and Prickly's praised teaching methods in the 60's were a case of Fair for Its Day Values Dissonance.
  • Think about the disciplinary methods that they used. Finster disciplined the kids by putting them in time out or making them do chores during recess. Now, think about common methods of discipline back in the 60's. Paddling kids, striking their hands with rulers, locking them in a closet, yelling at them until they broke down and cried. Finster and Prickly have shown they're against those kinds of brutal punishments. Also, they would have had to discipline kids less back then because they were more fearful of authority. I imagine at least once they declined to tell the kids parents back then if a kid misbehaved if the kids revealed their dad was going to give them the belt. I imagine a few kids in the 60's and 70's were confused and relieved to find that standing against the wall was the punishment and not just a waiting place before getting a paddling. I imagine both clashed back then with authority who thought their nonviolent punishments would make kids too soft.
    • If you have caught episodes of Mad Men you can see it was an era where someone would feel no qualms about smacking a neighbor's kid if they broken something, threaten to kill a kid's dog to her face after the dog took one of his birds, any of the moments between Betty and Sally where she'd threaten the girl with bodily harm for lack of obedience, parental negligence, etc. It was a novel idea for Sally's teacher Miss Farrell to suggest a small meeting to discuss her misbehavior rather than discipline her and send her home with a note. Indeed the intervention techniques employed by both Finster and Prickly would have been very novel.

If the show had continued, Dr. Slicer and/or Dr. Benedict would've returned.

Jared Smith is the result of a super-soldier breeding program.
  • He shows several physical and mental capabilities that far exceed that any other preteen child and is more than easily capable of preforming several skills that even trained adults would have difficulty in. Examples why he may be a super soldier:
    • Capable of over taking a very athletic child who had a very long head start
    • Able to quickly and accurately solve extremely difficult mathematical problem that even a high genius child had difficulty with, all without calculation aid tools.
    • Able to produce burps that can shatter windows.
    • Able to fly military aircraft that require years of training with high precision and skill at a very young age.
    • The President of the United States seems to trust tasks to Jared Smith.

In "Rainy Days," TJ and the gang didn't get sick from playing in the rain.
  • Catch Your Death of Cold doesn't really happen, after all. They got sick from the real way germs spread – from being cooped up indoors with all the other kids in the school for so many days. Plenty of the other kids will also get sick, even though they were warm and dry inside.

The retirees the group meet up with in the episode "Old Folks' Home" are the gang's grandparents or other relatives, but neither group realizes it.
  • Notice how much the gang has in common with the retirees once they start bonding. The gang (minus Blumberg) inherited their traits from the retirees they met:
    • Gretchen got her science acumen from the Manhattan Project scientist.
    • TJ got his habit of wearing a backwards baseball cap, distrust of authority, and love of comics from the Senor Fusion comic artist.
    • Vince got his athleticism from the baseball player.
    • Gus looked remarkably like the large man's picture of himself as a child; like him, Gus will probably go through a massive growth spurt at some point.
    • Spinelli got her interest in fighting and other tomboy traits from the Merchant Marine veteran who was knitting the liner for a boxing glove.

As a result of what he experienced in School's Out, T.J. will open a non-themed summer camp or day camp as an adult.
  • After seeing the way that themed (space, acting, sports, military, etc.) camps split up the group over summer (and finding that none of his friends enjoyed their camp experiences when they were separated), TJ decides to open a camp that all kinds of children will like going to so a group with varying interests like his could remain together over the summer.

Gus and Cornchip Girl marry and join the military, but serve in a different branch from either of their fathers.
  • Gus's father is in the Army and Cornchip Girl's father is in the Navy, so the two of them would serve together in the Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, or Space Force.

Bob Spinelli works for CONTROL
  • Note his use of a shoe phone, and that he has a personality similar to Agent Maxwell Smart in that he's a goofy but still ultimately successful secret agent.

TJ becomes a principal when he grows up.

I think it would be ironically poetic that the biggest anti-authority kid becomes apart of the establishment. Although I have a feeling he would do it to change things from the inside. He would fight hard to emphasize the importance of recess, especially in the present climate where people are trying to cut recess.

  • Perhaps he tries to get things changed, but finds himself up against the inertia of the entrenched bureaucracy.

The gang ends up having children who go to school together, but who instead of them being a Generation Xerox they end up having very different personalities from their parents; nonetheless, the overall group dynamic is quite similar to that of the gang.
  • TJ's kid is an obedient type, more like either Randall or Menlo, or TJ moves back after having lived elsewhere so his kid is now the new kid.
  • Vince's kid is unathletic.
  • Mikey's kid is into STEM and facts and figures, and uninterested in anything artistic.
  • Gretchen's kid is either artistic and creative or acts like one of the Ashleys.
  • Gus' kid is tough, and/or a bully; alternatively, they're the TJ-like leader of the group, or they've been there the longest.
  • Spinelli's kid is very sensitive and effeminate (or an outright girly girl if female).

TJ and Menlo are related
  • In the episode where TJ goes to Menlo's birthday party, Menlo says they used to be close friends but have since drifted apart. Children typically don't stay in touch with other children once a friendship has ended, even just to attend birthdays once a year. More likely than not, TJ and Menlo are related, most likely cousins, and this is why they've stayed in touch.
    • Alternately, they live nearby, so even though they drifted apart they still keep in touch because they see each other now and then outside of school.

Spinelli will grow up to be transgender
She could very well be in the early stages of self discovery during the show. She is very tomboyish (which is frequently, but not always seen in children who become transgender). She also dislikes being called a girl. It could also be the real reason she doesn't like being called Ashley because it is usually a name associated with females (although I have heard it used for males on rare occasions.) In this universe, it is shown to basically be the embodiment of being a stereotypical girly girl.

The Diggers were Separated at Birth
"Diggers Split Up" reveals they are not identical twins... Or at least, that they were not raised as such. Given this show's diverse and easily recognizable character designs, it's unlikely multiple characters would have the same appearance without a good reason. Additionally, the Diggers' skin tones and individual facial features are fairly unique on their own, making such a coincidence even less likely. So what if, they managed to get separated at birth, but coincidentally ended up in the same neighborhood, then met again as kindergartners? This would additionally explain why they zeroed in on the same hobby and style of dress, whereas identical twins who are raised in the same household are more likely to try to do something to differentiate themselves. Assuming the line in the Halloween episode that later mentions them sharing a dad and home is not just Butch falsely assuming they live in the same family because of their appearances, they may have had a The Parent Trap (1998) style plot happen offscreen.

Menlo is autistic
There's a reason why the attempt to brainwash TJ into behaving the way they (allegedly) did with Menlo didn't work. Menlo was acting out because he didn't instinctively understand the proper way to behave on the playground, but once all the rules were clearly explained to him, they made far more sense than the chaos of the playground. Whereas for TJ (and most neurotypical kids), the rules are just a way to get people in trouble and the chaos of the playground is a good thing. Menlo thrives in an environment full of structure, routine, and relative solitude. He doesn't have bad intentions like Randall or the bullies or delinquents, but lacks social skills and can often butt heads with the other kids solely because he's doing what he's "supposed to." Finally, he was petrified of admitting to a mistake because he's not supposed to make them, This could imply a history of being corrected more harshly for things than he should have been on things most kids instinctively "just get", especially since this is a common problem in school for twice exceptionalnote  people in Real Life.

Mikey is an early bloomer and will not get much taller than he is at 9/10

We know that the 50 foot outcome in "Big Ol' Mikey" is (obviously) incorrect, but we never heard a corrected number. But just like Gus is short in fourth grade and will grow to be tall as an adult, Mikey is very tall in fourth grade but will only grow to be average height much like TJ and Spinelli.

Mikey and Kurst will become a couple in the future.
The two become close friends in "Kurst the Not So Bad" and even stay that way by the end of the episode. Seriously, how many people can watch "The Voice" and listen to Miss Salamone's speech on how Mikey will meet a girl his own age without thinking it was foreshadowing Mikey and Kurst in the before mentioned episode?

Mikey and Gus will become a couple in the future.
Even though their only Ship Tease in the series is with girls, they might realize they're gay or bi when they grow up. Just look at "Parents Night" and the way Mikey's parents parallel Mikey and Gus in "The New Kid." Mr. Blumberg, who is small, blond, and wears glasses, breaks down sobbing "It's so beautiful!" in response to Mikey's poetry-reciting, just like Gus did when the gang first treated him as a friend, and Mrs. Blumberg, who like Mikey is a Gentle Giant, comforts him, saying "There, there, little fella," just like Mikey said "There, there, little guy" to Gus. Does mirroring the start of Mikey and Gus's friendship with a Happily Married couple's interaction foreshadow something about the boys' future?

Lawson was a mid-semester transfer student.
Lawson isn't introduced until Season 2, and in Season 1, Chucko Kowalski is described as the meanest fifth grader at 3rd Street School. This isn't a Series Continuity Error: Lawson didn't arrive at 3rd Street until a month or two into the semester, and once he arrived, by sheer force of personality he became the new leading fifth grade bully, with Chucko becoming one of his followers.
  • There are a few details in the series that don't line up with this theory:
    • If Lawson transferred in, that would mean he would have taken the title of "new kid" from Gus; but Gus doesn't "officially" lose that title until the titular "Yope from Norway" arrives, and Lawson appears in said episode.
    • In "Lord of the Nerds", Lawson knows about how "Tiny Sedgewick" was sent to room 51, and the way he talks to him at the end seems to imply that he knew Sedgewick personally, which simply wouldn't be possible if Lawson was a recent transfer

TJ and Becky have an older brother in college.
TJ mentions having an older brother in "The Great Jungle Gym Standoff," but later in the series, Becky seems to be his only sibling. This doesn't have to be a Retcon; their brother has just left home already.

Miss Finster is distantly related to the Sanderson sisters.
"Mikey's Pants" reveals that she can smell the difference between an adult and a child, even on discarded clothes. This brings to mind Mary Sanderson's ability to smell children. A connection to the witches might also explain why her ancestors rise from the grave as zombies in the Halloween special.

At 98th Street Elementary, Rigalli's first name is Megan.
The kids at 98th Street are doppelgangers of the kids at 3rd Street. In "Dance Lessons," Spinelli and Mikey's dance class includes doppelgangers of the Ashleys named the Megans, who probably go to 98th Street. (See Fridge Brilliance.) Since "Ashley" is Spinelli's first name, then Rigalli, her 98th Street counterpart, is probably named "Megan." She might even have gone through an experience similar to the episode "First Name Ashley" at some point, where the Megans temporarily forced her to join their club.

Hank is Glad Hand from West Side Story (1961)
Both are cheerful, mild-mannered workers at a facility for young people, and both are played by John Astin. The characters' ages seem to line up too: a young man in the late 1950s, and a man just below retirement age (not too old to work, but old enough to date Miss Finster) in the late 1990s. After being disillusioned by his miserable failure to ease the tensions between the Jets and the Sharks, Hank left New York and gave up his career as a social director. His guilt over failing to prevent the deaths of Riff, Bernardo, and Tony made him resolve never to work with teenagers again. He still wanted to help young people in some way, though, which was why he eventually became an elementary school janitor. As for why he's quieter and less nerdy and perky than his younger self, well, that's a combination of age and disillusionment.

Gordy's full name is Fred Gordon.
This explains the Series Continuity Error of his name being Freddy in "Wild Child." His usual nickname is based on his last name.

If the show gets a reboot, it will be the "Next Generation" with 6 of the kindergarteners from the original series as 4th graders.
We already see in "Wild Child" that they have personalities similar to TJ and the gang.

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