Allow me to reflect on one of my favorite cartoons of all time. Hey Arnold was a gem which I think was way ahead of its time. I had to go back and do some research to find the exact seasons that had these episodes, so here goes:
Season 5: Episode 1 – “Monkeyman”
In this episode, the people of the town are suspicious of a fellow who refers to himself as “Monkeyman.” He goes around fighting crimes and is known to be tacky, but heroic individual. He did his very best to serve the people while befriending Arnold and the crew, but the minute he got exposure and began spending time with those of an upper echelon crowd, his attitude changed towards Arnold and the original crew. Reminder: Don’t get too full of yourself to the point where you forget about who was down for you.
Season 3: Episode 5 – “Stinky Goes Hollywood”
So let’s take a step back. An agent took a trip to Arnold’s school to find the perfect kid for his commercials. He wanted something different and spectacular, and out of all the enthusiastic individuals, he went with Stinky who wasn’t interested in auditioning in the first place. Stinky ended up being on television and billboards, etc. At first it seemed as though he chose him because he was his regular old self, but later on during a break on set for a commercial, he overheard the agent making fun of him and talking behind his back. He made comments about him saying that he’s not really star potential at all and that he looks looks foolish, but it’s making them money so they’re getting a kick out of it as well as getting paid. They then offered him a one million dollar check for another commercial, and he turned it down. His family and friends thought he made the dumbest decision of his life, but guess what? Know yourself, know your worth! (Okay knowing me I probably would’ve taken that deal, but what matters here is the lesson.) Never sell yourself short, and to choose your dignity above all else!
Season 3: Episode 18 – “Crabby Author”
Okay, but does anyone remember this episode? Basically, Arnold had to complete a book report in which he goes on a mission to find his favorite author who wrote some of his favorite sentimental and sweet books. The author turned out to be the total opposite of what he expected based on her writings, and remained a terribly rude woman. It took for Arnold to constantly nag her to get her creative juices flowing again and to truly find the inspiration in her writing, because suddenly one day as he walked passed a bookstore, he saw a new book that she wrote based on their encounters. She was finally a happy writer again. The main idea here is that she lost her inspiration along the way of her journey, but it took for someone else to see the magic in her work to remember why she began anyway, so sometimes we need that push to go further with our creativity!
Season 5: Episode 5 – “Phoebe Breaks A Leg”
Phoebe was such a mood. So in this episode Helga was bossing her around (as per usual) and she gets hit by a truck and gets a broken leg when running errands for Helga. Helga believes it’s her fault (of course it is) and she begins being generous toward Phoebe out of guilt. Phoebe then keeps her cast on just a little bit longer even after her leg was fully healed just to get back at Helga with the intention of bossing her around and such instead. After watching it I said, “But was she wrong though?” I mean, honestly though it wasn’t even worth it to get back at Helga. So, I guess the message here is to never stoop to anyone’s level.
Season 5: Episode 10 – “Rhonda Goes Broke”
Rhonda was always so extra. She came from a rich family and always flaunted her wealth unnecessarily, and ome day it came back to bite her. One day as she comes home from school she finds her house being emptied as her parents explain to her that they’ve officially gone broke. They lost everything, and she could not find happiness in that lifestyle whatsoever. Of course after the up and downs of the plot her parents get all their money back and she’s rich once again, and goes back to being the same annoying Rhonda to begin with. I guess she didn’t really learn her lesson (which is to never get too comfortable because life has its way of humbling us all) after all.
That is all! Take the lessons and run if you must. Until next time go ahead and get your 90’s fix on while you kick back and engage in some binge watching!