Animation Damnation: Hey Arnold! - "Arnold's Valentine"
Added 2025-02-20 11:00:10 +0000 UTCOn this month's Animation Damnation, we're chatting about an appropriately themed Valentine's Day episode of the hit Nickelodeon cartoon from the 90s, Hey Arnold!
The episode in question, "Arnold's Valentine," originally aired back on February 12, 1997, and sees Arnold getting himself into a true sitcom situation where he books two Valentine's dates on the same night! How dense is Arnold that this disguise of Helga's actually works? How hilarious is Helga going to a dog groomer for a haircut? Just how rich is this little French girl that she can convince her father to fly her to America for a surprise Valentine's Day visit at the last minute? And was there some kind of radiation leak in this neighborhood, causing it to be filled with all these freakish-looking children?!
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Original cover art by Felipe Sobreiro.
Comments
The Hey Arnold Christmas episode is a classic and one of my favourite Christmas-time episodes
Robert Tarade
2025-02-23 05:40:04 +0000 UTCI hope you'll end up doing more Hey Arnold, since there are so many more characters. There's actually an episode about Helga going to therapy because of how her rotten home life affects her! It's never directly stated because Nickelodeon, but her mother is implied to be an alcoholic. There are four spooky episodes that are all pretty fun! I recommend 'The Ghost Train' or 'The Headless Cabbie'. The Christmas episode is also a genuine tear-jerker. Hey Arnold was my Mom's favorite out of all of the cartoons I'd watch growing up because it reminded her of growing up in NYC, and I'm glad to hear you fellas enjoying it!
Bumblepuppy
2025-02-20 23:46:32 +0000 UTCThanks, WHM gang, love you too. <3 I was about 9 years old when this episode came out, so I saw a fair share of this show at that time. I definitely remember the episode and I more fully recall it clearly based on your conversation. Sounds like this unfortunately isn't an episode that shows off the weird shrine Helga made in her bedroom closet, which (if my memory serves me) includes a life-size statue of Arnold made out of used chewing gum she picked up any time Arnold threw it away. Unhinged to an extreme that 9 year old me did not fully comprehend.
Busiris
2025-02-20 21:04:18 +0000 UTCRegarding Arnold's gullabillity: the sequel movie, which takes place a few years later, has his parents' murderer* successfully convince him he was their longtime friend. *they were in a coma, not dead and Arnold is able to revive them
I.C. Weiner
2025-02-20 21:02:08 +0000 UTCSemenex, please sponsor WHM so I can listen to these guys do an ad read for your product!
Paul
2025-02-20 17:41:02 +0000 UTCI definitely was a closet nickelodeon kid well past an age that was appropriate. But I have to say, Hey Arnold was actually a well written show.
Les Whinen
2025-02-20 17:19:03 +0000 UTCThis episode description reminded me a little of the Peanuts theatrical movie Bon Voyage Charlie Brown (and don't come back) which I believe is off center enough to deserve an episode.
MarkNM
2025-02-20 16:28:26 +0000 UTCI'm pleased with football head representation
MarkNM
2025-02-20 16:26:39 +0000 UTCHey Arnold was one of the only cartoons that tackled serious issues like the Vietnam War, social alienation, gentrification, and capitalism. It's iconic.
Eren Keskin
2025-02-20 15:30:44 +0000 UTCEric must be pleased with blond representation.
Eren Keskin
2025-02-20 15:19:17 +0000 UTCI aged out of Nicktoons by the time Hey Arnold came around, and I didn't know he was a ladies man. Arnold swims in ass the way Scrooge McDuck swims in gold coins.
CharlesGrodin'sToupee
2025-02-20 15:16:11 +0000 UTCTV shows in my youth really overrepresented the number of dates I would be going on in Jr High. Let me tell you, that situation did not play out as I had anticipated. Turns out it was mostly just a lot of Nintendo 64 and pushing my friends into the bushes behind Blockbuster.
Matt
2025-02-20 14:44:30 +0000 UTCThere's a theatrically released Hey Arnold! Movie that could make for a good discussion
Brandon Shrader
2025-02-20 14:43:56 +0000 UTCPlus that jazzzzzz
Frank Grimes
2025-02-20 14:16:45 +0000 UTCWhy we pretending that middle school was too old to be watching Nicktoons?
Rod
2025-02-20 13:05:10 +0000 UTCArnold's penthouse apartment will always be the benchmark for cool bedrooms in kids' cartoons.
Tim O'Connor
2025-02-20 12:09:01 +0000 UTCSome football head goodness
Frank Grimes
2025-02-20 11:04:55 +0000 UTCNot a week too soon! ;P
Marty TC (child-sized Cardassian)
2025-02-20 11:03:07 +0000 UTC
