Hey Arnold! Shipping Discussion

[Skiyomi]

Hey Arnold! General Shipping Discussion

I noticed a couple of other people mentioned this show, and since it's one of my all-time favorite cartoons I thought I'd make a topic for it. For a cartoon for kids it has a fair amount of shippy material in it (*cough* Helga *cough*) and I think it's handled in a pretty unique way (*cough* Helga again *cough*).

Obviously Arnold/Helga is the main one, with it's "How I love him... yet how I hate him!", poetry, stalking, and umm... idol worship. But it's not the only ship in the sea!

So first question:

Aside form Arnold/Helga, what other Hey Arnold! ships do you like?

Curly/Rhonda: One sided. Curly is so frickin' psycho with his "let me smell your hair" stuff. He even got a kiss much to Rhonda's intense disgust.

Helga/Brainy: One sided. My favorite moment is in the episode where Helga goes to the psychiatrist and afterwards feels very happy and at peace with her situation. Brainy appears with his creepy heavy breathing and a ring apparently trying to propose to her XD instead of socking him like usual she generously sends him on his way, which prompts him to punch himself out of... I don't know... withdrawal or something. Gawd, between Helga, Curly, and Brainy I seem to have a strange fondness for pre-teen stalker psychos ;;

Harold/Rhonda: I thought the episode where they had to be parents of an egg for a school project was really cute ("I'm really really sorry I ate our baby"). I know Harold gets paired up with Big Patty in a different episode, but to be honest I've never been fond of that one (Not to say I don't like Big Patty. I really liked her in both her episodes with Helga and with Rhonda. I just don't really like Harold/Big Patty for some reason).

Gerald/Phoebe: I really wish this one actually had an episode (maybe they did and I missed it...). These two just ended up getting paired up in the background of the show. They both seemed to like each other and were really cute together, it's just we didn't see much of them together.

Eugene/Sheena: ...Ish. I mean... hey, it's not fair to stereotype a nine year old... is it? I mean, hey, they both like musical theatre, right? ...Oh Lord.

Phil/Gertie: Hey, they're married. And they're collective crazy has fueled many of my favorite episodes.

...And I think that's in for me XD (don't worry, you can gabble about Arnold/Helga too if you want).

 

[Hakajin]

How come no one started a thread about this before? It seems kind of obvious... Anyway, I like that rich kid and Nadine. Remember Married? Where Rhonda has the cootie catcher and she's pairing people up? And that kid gets Nadine, and he's like "You mean that girl who's always talking about bugs? ...Interesting." And then when Rhonda says that none of it was true, after all, he says "This is very, very upsetting." Or something. It's been a long time. I did like Harold and Big Patty.

But of course, I did like Arnold/Helga. I really liked how they were able to make Helga look kind of crazy and very sympathetic at the same time. You really got a sense for the depths of her feelings. Plus she was just great, anyway.

It's really too bad that show isn't on anymore. I still have dreams sometimes where they're bringing it back, and they're going to resolve the shipping. ...But it'll never happen!

 

[Encyclopika]

O-M-G...I loved this show. For a time it was on par with Pokemon in my cartoon-ified past. XD Loved Arnold/Helga with a passion - fanart, fanfiction, and everything. XD But I digress...its ending was too soon..literally. They were supposed to make a movie following the last cliff-hanger happy episode where Arnold finds his dad's journal, and then go into a field trip to the area he finds the map to. Either in rumor or theory, the movie was to revolve around Arnold's finding his parents, in which he resolves to stay with them...and Helga finally confesses everything in a serious manner (unlike the actual movie that came out in theatres). They then wanted a spin-off called "The Patakis" which revolved around Helga in the teenage years who sends letters to Arnold telling him what's up with the gang everyday. ...If ONLY that had happened...I might actually turn my TV on these days...

Anyway! Onto the topic!
Aside form Arnold/Helga, what other Hey Arnold! ships do you like?
Gerald/Phoebe was always a ship I wish I had seen some spotlight for, but yet still liked the fact that they showed its progress in the background, almost as a parallel ship for Arnold/Helga if Helga were a normal person. ^^;
Stinky/Helga on the one-sided end was cute for its episode, and was quite sad. Still liked it, but not ever-lasting.
Harold/Patty was a ship I appreciated, just because they got along great and seemed to fit well.

 

[Skiyomi]

I really liked how they were able to make Helga look kind of crazy and very sympathetic at the same time.

I totally agree. Her craziness was never underplayed and definately used for laughs, but yet you always had to end up on her side no matter what.

They were supposed to make a movie following the last cliff-hanger happy episode where Arnold finds his dad's journal, and then go into a field trip to the area he finds the map to. Either in rumor or theory, the movie was to revolve around Arnold's finding his parents, in which he resolves to stay with them...and Helga finally confesses everything in a serious manner (unlike the actual movie that came out in theatres). They then wanted a spin-off called "The Patakis" which revolved around Helga in the teenage years who sends letters to Arnold telling him what's up with the gang everyday.

WHY oh WHY didn't that happen? That would've been awesome. I don't even get to see reruns on Nicktoons network anymore and I really miss the show.

...Hey Arnold DVDs are going on my Christmas list this year, I tells ya!

Stinky/Helga on the one-sided end was cute for its episode, and was quite sad. Still liked it, but not ever-lasting.

I can't believe I forgot about that until now. That was an awesome episode.

Though I was a big fan of the series, I never actually saw the movie in theatres and only just recently rented it. So I gotta ask...

What did you think of the Arnold/Helga in the movie?

I'm not really talking about the confession which I think was mostly played for laughs, I'm talking about how they deal with it. My feelings are kinda mixed. On the one hand:

1. On the one hand, I was really just happy to be watching Hey Arnold! again and wasn't really critical of the how thing, leaving it feeling pretty happy. I totally understand the need to "reset" in that kind of format for the next thing, and I think as far as a "let's get everything back to normal" gimmick it actually is unusually honest. I also think it's kinda telling that Arnold still wants to maintain the friendship that they have even after she basically admitted all the crazy things she did (the stalking, idol worship, and stuff that would scare any kid with a brain in his head). Even though he doesn't want to redefine their relationship I think he's kinda trying to save it as it is. Which is kind of sweet honestly. After all, he can't honestly believe that "all the excitement" just makes people make claims like that.

2. On the other hand, a reset is only worth something if you go back and make more material! Otherwise, why are we afraid of changing? It's kinda weak and I wish they'd played it more seriously.

 

[STICKTOPIA]

I miss this show. Funny how Helga hides her feelings for Arnold. Helga actually admitted it but then he thought she was goin crazy or something. I was so effin mad!!!!!

 

[Hakajin]

What did you think of the Arnold/Helga in the movie?

Hated it! It seemed like Helga just kind of lost it, and Arnold was definitely freaked out. I know they had to reset in the end, but I at least wanted them to handle it seriously. The way it turned out was just kind of embarrassing. Like I said before, one of the best things about that ship was how it took Helga's feelings seriously despite the fact that she was kind of weird about it, and this kind of killed that. It's kind of hard to talk about the whole thing without talking about the confession. That was the biggest part... and the action kind of took over after that, so... there's not too much more to comment on.

I really wish they had done the second movie. They didn't because the first one didn't do so well. But that was because it just wasn't very good, you know? The second one would've been great! It's not fair!

Not sure how The Patakis would've turned out. I mean, I'd love to see what everyone was like when they got older, but... sometimes things like that kind of ruin it. It was supposed to be darker than the original... they couldn't really find a good demographic, and that's why it got canceled.

 

[Encyclopika]

WHY oh WHY didn't that happen? That would've been awesome. I don't even get to see reruns on Nicktoons network anymore and I really miss the show.

Supposedly Craig Bartlett (creator of HA) and Nick got into an argument...Nick allowed those last four or so episodes to air, plus the cliff hanger, and then that was it. D: And as Hakajin said, the first movie did SHITTY...but that's because it was pretty crappy. /wrist

What did you think of the Arnold/Helga in the movie?
Ugh...I was happy that she finally said something about it, and as a 4th grader, I'm sure that's how she'd react...especially if she had to then also explain it after being a bully to him all that time. In the end, I'm sure neither of them believed the "oh, it was the heat of the moment"...LOL But seriously, as Hakajin said...pretty crappy handling. It was like...more funny than seriously getting to what all the shippers wanted to see and hear.

Not sure how The Patakis would've turned out. I mean, I'd love to see what everyone was like when they got older, but... sometimes things like that kind of ruin it. It was supposed to be darker than the original... they couldn't really find a good demographic, and that's why it got canceled.

That's very true. It's be the same as Hey Arnold, but with more focus on Helga. Either way, I felt that it was more of a rumor than anything, since I found out about it through a joint effort fanfic/art site that rooted for it and created art and fic based on what they thought would happen. /runon

 

[Skiyomi]

Well, since talking about the movie is a bit of a downer, how about let's focus on the show...

What are your favorite shippy moments from the show?

...And boy are there a lot of them. It's been awhile since I got to watch the show, so I'm going to forget a bunch and just let them come to me as they may.

-Any time Helga is breaking into the boarding house, I'm a happy camper.
-In an episode where Helga literally thinks she's going to die from "Monkeynucleosis", there's a very sweet moment at the end, where Helga tells Arnold that she thinks he's "Okay" and it's really hard for her. And Arnold responds back that she's "Okay too" :3
-The episode with the egg parent simulation, one of the cases where Helga really makes an effort to be nice, but it's Arnold who's the jerk. In the end they make up and work together and the egg hatches into a baby-chick.
-When Helga copies Lila in the hopes that Arnold will like her better. (That whole episode is full of creepy awesome)
-The Romeo and Juliet episode. NEED I SAY MORE.

...There are a lot more and I'm probably missing a lot of my absolutely favorites... Maybe more will come to me when I've had more than a couple hours sleep *bangs head against wall*.

 

[Encyclopika]

What are your favorite shippy moments from the show?
Love all the ones you mentioned, Skiyomi...but my absolute favorites have to be the following in order:

Helga on the Couch - this is my favorite episode of them all (see how I remember the title?) and quite frankly, I LOVE the flashback bit where they're little kids. Umbrella moment says hi. 8D

The Parrot Episode - remember when Big Bob got a Parrot and it was a failtard to remember anything, except it remembers the nice long, romantic sappy poem Helga recites in her sleep? Yeah, that whole episode is nothing but pure awesome...and I found the poem adorable. ;o;

Also liked the Love Potion episode, where Helga takes love potion so that she's not in love with Arnold anymore. I found it really sad and I'm sure if I saw it today, even more so. It was really cute and deep how she felt empty without those feelings. :3

 

[Sonic Boom]

It's times like this that make me regret not having Nick GAS anymore, where Hey Arnold episodes ran daily last I remember >>

But woo, Hey Arnold. One of the two shows (the other being DBZ) that got me into shipping the first place!

Aside form Arnold/Helga, what other Hey Arnold! ships do you like?

Gerald/Phoebe, definitely, ever since her look of awe at Gerald at the end of the tonsils episode. They should have had an episode all to themselves, really. Shame (but yet strangely fitting) that it primarily served as the shadow of Arnold/Helga.

Harold/Patty was another I easily saw, thanks to that arm wrestling episode XD It was so neat to have Patty teach Harold so many meditative techniques just for a simple competition 8D

Phil/Gertie: Combine a fun-loving old coot with a woman who has clearly lost her marbles, and you've got a pairing you can always expect to produce sheer lulz. Add to the fact that Gertie acted the same way to Phil as Helga does to Arnold, you've got an A-rank ship 8D


That's pretty much it for me. I need to catch up on this series again soon. D=

 

[Hakajin]

What are your favorite shippy moments from the show?

Ah, so many... the Christmas episode, where Helga gives up her boots to help Arnold. That one actually made my mom cry.

I really like the Valentine's day episode where Helga pretends to be Arnold's French penpal. He's trying to carry on a date with both her and Ruth, but he ends up finding out how shallow Ruth is. Then Arnold and Helga definitely have a moment, but he doesn't know who she is.

Oh, also, the one where Arnold and Helga run into each other at the beach. Arnold's interested in this older girl, but it turns out she was using him to win a sandcastle contest, and he and Helga team up to beat her and her boyfriend.

Helga on the Couch - this is my favorite episode of them all (see how I remember the title?) and quite frankly, I LOVE the flashback bit where they're little kids. Umbrella moment says hi. 8D

That one.

-The episode with the egg parent simulation, one of the cases where Helga really makes an effort to be nice, but it's Arnold who's the jerk. In the end they make up and work together and the egg hatches into a baby-chick.

And that one.

Oh, and also the one where they do Carmen. That one was just great all around.
"Ruth is a loser/how could you choose her
How could you do that, Football Head?"

 

[Medea]

God, I've been meaning to post here.

Aside form Arnold/Helga, what other Hey Arnold! ships do you like?

Gerald x Phoebe - Oh how I wish this one got more freakin' light shed on. I thought they were cute together and wanted an episode dedicated to just the two of them. Arg. Oh well.

Principal Wartz x Mr. Simmons - Oh come on. It's absolutely canon especially at the end of that one episode where Wartz quits as principal and then comes back after Mr. Simmons couldn't handle things. And then they're both at the karaoke lounge singing (a cover for) I Will Survive (or I Will Prevail). Come on, that duet was just made of all kinds of awesome.

Sid x Stinky - I'm more of doing a threesome shipping and putting Harold in the middle of this, but I was quite partial to this shipping from day one.

Harold x Patty and Rhonda x Patty - Both I like equally which makes it so much more difficult. I'm leaning towards Rhonda/Patty due to the polishing school episode, but then Harold and Patty just seem to have chemistry.

Olga x Lila - They're both equally sickening to me and to Helga as well . But hey, after the big sis episode, I could see the two of them together.

Phil x Gertie (or Pookie) - Yes. Much love for Arnold's grandparents. So cute together.

And for other ships that I somewhat support but know it's a long shot for it to ever be noticed or loved.

Phil x Big Bob Pataki, Harold x Helga, Oscar x Ernie, Arnold x Dino, and Helga x Phoebe.

I have quite the sick mind for this show, no?

What are your favorite shippy moments from the show?

By the time Nickelodeon stopped playing Hey Arnold altogether, most of the time they would just air the episode Helga On The Couch. And yes, I thought that was a great shipping moment and all, but I got so tired of seeing it. So yes like what Ama said, when the bird almost blabbed Helga's secret. That I liked.

Also when Helga thought she was dying because of a weird interaction with a monkey and almost spills her guts to Arnold. Yeah. That was my fav.

 

[Skiyomi]

I have quite the sick mind for this show, no?

Oh, not at all I gotta admit, I almost added Wartz/Simmons to my list because their duet was pure and unadulterated awesome.

And when I was watching the movie last week I was thinking during the scene where Sid and Stinky were talking about when they put their handprints and names in the sidewalk I thought it seemed suspicously like a Sid/Stinky moment.

And even though I'm totally in love with Arnold/Helga, I've got to admit I started kinda liking Harold/Helga in that episode where they had to get back after missing their bus on that fieldtrip.

New question, since it seems to be coming up...

Why didn't Gerald/Phoebe get its own episode?

It doesn't really make sense to me considering that individually they both racked up quite a few of their own episodes so it's not like they were constantly shunted to the side as individuals. And more tertiary couples have gotten whole episodes dedicated to them :/

My only thought is that perhaps they wanted Gerald/Phoebe to be the subtle, background couple. A couple without all the drama as a foil to the chaos all the other characters had to deal with when it comes to love.

 

[Encyclopika]

Why didn't Gerald/Phoebe get its own episode?

Yes WHY. I have no explanation except that, yeah, that's what they wanted to do. Gerald and Phoebe probably had such a stable bout of flirting that it wasn't worth an episode, because an episode can only exist with some sort of conflict. Hurrah for perfect romance.

 

[Skiyomi]

STINKY X LEMON PUDDING IS OTP!!!

Haha... no. Just kidding.

I was recently thinking about the Romeo and Juliet episode. Remember how Helga ended up having to tell Lila how she felt about Arnold so that she could get the part of Juliet? Now, correct me if I'm wrong, because I may have justed missed and episode or somehow forgotten, but that was never refered to again, right? So...

Do you think there should've been an episode that brought up Lila's knowledge of Helga's crush on Arnold? If so, How so?

I thought it might've been nice to bring it up again, because Lila is Arnold's crush. And because Lila doesn't "like-him-like-him" back and is such a supernaturally nice girl and all, she might try some match-making or something. I dunno. It's just that she has a fair amount of influence over the boy.

Plus then we'd get to see Helga and Lila team up, which would be awesome given their personalities. (Though there was that episode with the costume party where Helga dressed up as Lila... *shudder*)

 

[XxM!styxX]

Aside form Arnold/Helga, what other Hey Arnold! ships do you like?
Gerald/Pheobe FTW & Rhonda/Stinky was pretty hilarious XD

What are your favorite shippy moments from the show?
Summer Love most definitely.

I miss the 'sodes they never made the awesome Jungle Movie T_T

Why couldn't Arnold and Helga just get together and that would be the ending of the show? What's with producers and just giving up on good plotlines in general?

 

[Encyclopika]

Do you think there should've been an episode that brought up Lila's knowledge of Helga's crush on Arnold? If so, How so?
To be honest, I always found Lila to be a complete *****. :/ But I guess she was allowed considering the drama that went on between her and Arnold in that one episode. Nevertheless, I don't think I would have found it plausible that Helga and Lila team up. Whether Lila knew it or not, they were basically rivals for Arnold, even if this was only apparent to Helga, and Lila already knew she had the guy in her firm grasp. I think that Lila carries on her goody-goody theme by not spilling the news to everyone in town.

 

[Autumn22]

I remember Hey Arnold. I would have to say Arnold/Helga. Helga had the hots for him so bad,lol! Also Gerald/Phoebe.And you are right this cartoon did have alot of shippings

 

[Aros]

I am certain that I am the only one here who dislikes Arnold x Helga.

Moving on...

Aside form Arnold/Helga, what other Hey Arnold! ships do you like?

Helga x Phoebe: I was not into shipping when I was a child, but when I got back into Hey Arnold! when I was in high school, I quickly became a fan of this ship. In my opinion, Phoebe is a better match for Helga than Arnold. Like Arnold, she is kind hearted, compassionate, and intelligent. However, Arnold strikes me as being the type of guy who would want to be with a genuinely sweet girl like Lila. Helga may be capable of being nice, but she is still vulgar and rough around the edges. Unlike Arnold, Phoebe would be able to handle Helga's crudeness. Helga is also rather domineering and would probably expect anyone she would date to act subservient to her. The episode "The Wedding" proves that Arnold would be discontented being submissive to Helga (or anyone for that matter) in a romantic relationship. Phoebe, being someone who likes to please and serve, would not mind following Helga's lead as long as Helga does not overwork her like she did in that episode where Phoebe feigned breaking her leg.

Patty x Harold: These two were made for one another. In addition to sharing a mutual attraction, they have a lot in common and are good friends. Why people ship Harold with Rhonda instead of Patty is beyond me.

Phil x Oscar: Phil always struck me as being sexually frustrated over having a wife who now clearly suffers from Alzheimer's disease. The guy needs a release for his sexual desires, and I doubt masturbation alone is going to cut it. Who better than Oscar to satisfy Phil's sexual needs? Oscar has always seemed to have a particular interest in Phil. Given how often Oscar is seen hanging around Phil, it would not surprise me if these two were having an affair behind the borders' and their wives' backs.

Big Bob x Inga: Simply put, Bob is a player. Inga is just one of the many women he has slept with.

 

[Encyclopika]

You make a strong argument, Aros - I can really see why you wouldn't support A/H. I suppose it all depends on the point of view and who your favorites are. My favorite character was Helga, so I supported her side. Likewise, I also liked Arnold, and though I do see what you're saying, people change in relationships. I bet Helga would tone it down after all that frustration is released with a true honest confession. Afterall, there have been 2 notable places (Helga on the Couch and the movie) where she is all relieved, happy, and a normal human being after confessing her feelings. Her bossy-ness, to me, is a big cover up after being bullied, looked down on and etc. from her peers and family.

Big Bob x Inga: Simply put, Bob is a player. Inga is just one of the many women he has slept with.

hahahaha Never thought of it, but yes. XD