Welcome to a new series on 1-Up Geeks, where we’re exploring the entire Hey Arnold! series. I grew up watching Hey Arnold! Every day after school, during its original run on Nickelodeon, which was also broadcast on YTV in Canada. I always thought it was such a quirky show with many outlandish characters. The theme is iconic, and I still find myself belting out “Hey Arnold!” occasionally. So come on this journey with me as we revisit the entire series, episode by episode, starting with Downtown as Fruits!
Introduction
This episode begins with Arnold daydreaming on stage about surfing at sunset with a bunch of dinosaurs in the background. I don’t know what kind of dream that was, but Helga interrupts it by shooing him off-stage at school. The kids are doing a play about the four food groups, and Helga is the director. We’re introduced to how abrasive she can be as she lets everyone know that if they’re late for their last-minute rehearsal, they have to answer to Betsy, her name for her fist. I’ve always thought Helga was the glue that holds this show together. She has such an irrational type of anger that can make any situation tense.
Strawberry and Banana
Arnold and his best friend Gerald draw the roles of fruits. Gerald is a strawberry, while Arnold is a banana. I still don’t understand how Arnold fits his football head in the banana costume. The kids get on the bus, and Gerald comes up with the idea that they’ll miss stop after stop. By the time the bus turns around, the play will end, and they’ll have a reason for not showing up. This leads to the first moral dilemma in the show. Arnold feels like he has to stop, while Gerald thinks that their missing the play serves Helga right for her ridiculing Arnold during rehearsal. They end up missing the stop, and Helga blows a gasket when she realizes they’re not there. She only curses Arnold’s name, though. Somehow, Gerald doesn’t make it on her radar at all.
High Times
Arnold and Gerald keep riding with Gerald, who says, “The journey is the destination, man,” with a high face, saying he heard it in a hippie movie. That was the funniest thing I’ve seen in this episode, and I can’t believe I didn’t remember it. The kids get stuck downtown in their fruit suits after the bus gets to its last stop. I’ve been on a few buses in high school that reached the end of their route, and that stuff can be pretty terrifying, depending on where you are and how prepared you are for it. This is something that brought back some memories for me. Gerald reveals he’s not wearing anything underneath, so the kids are stuck downtown with no way home, and they can’t even change clothes.
Danger
Some guy throws the two friends a package at their feet. It’s a lot of money, so the kids buy new clothes at a clothing store. I can’t say I wouldn’t do the same thing if someone tossed me a bag of cash, although the consequences would probably be that I’d be sleeping with the fish. Helga is confessing her love and hate for Arnold when Brainy comes up with his nasally breathing behind her as she punches him in the face. This will be a long-running gag that never gets old. Arnold and Gerald have to run away from the guy who tossed them the money after he finds out he gave it to the wrong banana. What are the odds that the kids would play pool in the same bar where these guys happen to be? Also, who let the kids into this establishment at night? So many questions, no answers.
The Great Zamboni
The kids then meet The Great Zamboni. Someone must have been a hockey fan on the writing team. Zamboni is a “psychic.” He somehow makes Arnold and Gerald see the error of their ways through no actual skill and pure guesswork. So the kids grab their costumes from the dumpster and catch a cab back to the school for the play. We see the bad guys being taken away by the police as they ride off, and Arnold gives a large sum of money to a family whose car has broken down. It’s a lesson in karma and how it will come back to bite you. They make it back on time to be in the play as people throw stuff on stage. They start singing, “It’s fruits that really make us toot.” Amazing stuff. They had to return to be in the play for 25 seconds. What was the point?
Final Thoughts
Downtown as Fruits was a decent first episode, but it sped through everything. That might just be because the episodes are only around 10 minutes long. It had a good message about doing things you don’t want to do to make others happy and thinking about more than just yourself. It, however, glorified Helga’s terrible behavior. Everything worked out for her. There are plenty of better episodes to come, but I always enjoy returning to this one. The pictures of Arnold and Gerald in costume are some of the most popular ‘Hey Arnold!’ pictures out there on Google.
What do you remember about the first episode of Hey Arnold!? Let me know in the comments!
