Welcome to Dial Up Digest! Have you watched all of the episodes of my Hey Arnold Character Analysis Series? Check it out here: ua-cam.com/video/-UiJFXf3DJ0/v-deo.html Connect with me on Instagram: instagram.com/dialupdigest/ Don't forget to Sign-Up for your 30-DAY FREE TRIAL OF AMAZON PRIME VIDEO & 7-DAY FREE TRIAL of Paramount+ too! (Links in the description box) P.S. - Sorry I couldn't get the video up yesterday! Question: What did you think of Helga? What was your favorite Helga moment?
Hegla is at a core a sweet and loving girl despite her anger issues and bullying attitude. My favorite moment is the entire Therapy episode where Hegla opens up.
I'm still not forgiving Helga for getting Arnold detention for what she started. In the episode "Girl Trouble". It had delivered a terrible message stating that is okay to get away with your bad actions which was repeated in the most hated Thomas & Friends episode "Middle Engine" from Season 6.
Can we just talk about how Arnold probably knew how she was treated at home and that’s why instead of snapping back at her most of the time he was still nice to her
@@sunflowerfebreze691 yea i guess many ppl are like that bc of their upbringing but clearly some arent. luckily arnold was understanding and patien most kids wouldnt be
@@DialUpDigest Oh Arnold knew that Bob was a Jerk, That Miriam is a Lampshade(90s Slang for One Dimensional Alcoholic) and Olga is a Self Deluded Fairy(Slang for Naive Dreamer), he knew deep down Helga is a nice girl. And Wonderful friend, but at the age, he couldn't understand that her bullying was a Shield and a Facade.
I'd argue that Helga did receive consequences for bullying Arnold. It pushed him away, & even caused him to retaliate on rare occasions, which ultimately was the last thing she wanted. She had to put aside her fears & open up in order for him to reciprocate
Good point. Helga did hurt her own feelings due to her actions and push Arnold away from her, which were very sad consequences for her. I was thinking about external consequences like detention by Mr. Simmons or even a suspension. It seems like whenever she did something mean to Arnold everyone just laughed with her 😰
I love that! It would make sense that her bullying him would push Arnold away from her and he has his limits. So it's understandable why he'd snap and be hostile towards Helga sometimes while other times, he'd brush her off.
Yeah but that's society in general. Not trying to start political war here but most people don't care about a male's feelings. I'm all for accepting that but don't be surprised if men tend to be mean and heartless for that same reason. Cause and effect at it's finest.
@Ellande Campbell Yes! She pushed Arnold away and gave him the impression that she hates his guts. She's extremely lucky that Arnold was a sweet kid who always saw though everyone's walls. He saw the best in people. Not that many people in real life so that. They make judgements based on one act without getting to know someone.
I think a big reason we're drawn to Helga is because there's a little bit of her in all of us. We've all felt feelings of anxiety and frustration, and these are all reflected through Helga's experiences throughout the show.
Good point. Even if we didn't go through exactly the same issues as Helga did with her parents or sister, her anxiety and frustration are universal experiences that we've all had to deal with.
Helga to me, is one of the most well-developed and brilliant characters in cartoon history. It's so brilliant you can't help but fall in love with her. I didn't realize this as a kid, but she's very relatable to people who sadly had a similar childhood (neglectful parents, insecurities, etc). She's not a villain, she's just misunderstood and frustrated with having to fend for herself. She's proven over and over again that she's a good person deep down. At the end of the day, she does come though for people ( Arnold, Phoebe, Her family) and sees the error of her ways. (Making fun of Patty and humiliating Lila on her first day).
I still feel bad for the way Helga gets neglected and turned down by her whole family because of Olga always getting in the way. Honestly, she deserves better than that
I felt bad for her too. She's not bully, just misunderstood and frustrated with having to fend for herself. She's proven over and over again that she's a good person and comes through for people at the end of the day. She often sees the error of her ways and learns lesson after every episode. She just needs love and support. I'm glad she got the chance to talk to that school psychologist. She needs to do it more often for her mental health and growth.
When I was a kid, I remembered when I first watched the road trip episode where Helga called Mirriam a lousy parent. As a kid, I thought Helga was being way too harsh on Mirriam because she was trying her best to fix the situation and Helga didn’t need to make Mirriam feel worser than she already is. But watching the same episode again as both a parent and an adult who had time to fully process all of my childhood memories, I think that Helga had every right to feel the way she did about her mother and called her a lousy parent. Helga wasn’t wrong, she’s only 9 years old. She have been able to rely on her parents to take care of her. She shouldn’t have been put into situations where she had to grow up really fast, and learn how to take care of herself at a young age for her own survival.
My favorite character in the whole series, and the most tragic yet most complex character out of all of them. Helga G. Pataki truly wasn't your typical female lead for an animated show. This is what I've been waiting for since the beginning.
Helga was one of my favorites too 😊. I don't know if I've ever seen a more tragic cartoon character before. Her backstory was tragic but what's worse was that it was an ongoing struggle. We didn't just hear about her sad past, she was still living through it and it affected her and those around her. She was definitely not a typical female lead, and I think that's what made her so awesome. Hope you enjoyed the video! 👍
@@DialUpDigest I enjoyed the video very much and I was so sad to see her backstory but it was played out very well in my opinion the best episode of the series, "Helga on the Couch".
Understanding & condoning are 2 different things, & Helga is the perfect example of that. While bullying is ALWAYS wrong & should NEVER be condoned, it's understandable when you consider the circumstances. She was usually ignored at home, & laughed at when she showed affection towards Arnold, so she felt that the only way to be taken seriously was to turn into Big Bob. "Get them before they get you."
Helga is such an amazingly written character. She’s so terrified that if she acts like herself, Arnold won’t reciprocate her feelings, so she acts in a harsh and destructive way because it doesn’t matter if Arnold doesn’t love her, she’s not being real. It’s ironic that Helga probably has the purest heart out of everyone and it’s those times, when she shows her humanity, that Arnold appears to have feelings for her too. The episode ‘Married’ is so important because we see what the future would really be like, knowing that Helga is a good person and not the heartless, witch Arnold imagines. It’s so comforting to know those two will live happily ever after.
I agree, Helga was, I think, the best written character. There were so many sides to her. I loved those moments where Helga is honest and shows her humanity. I think Arnold knew she was a good person deep down and those small moments where she showed that was confirmation to him of what he already knew. I'm glad in the end, they would live happily ever after as well 😊
Yes! There is just something about Helga that the viewer cannot help but fall in love with. In a weird twisted way, I kinda looked up to her. I was never an aggressive bully nor did I keep a shrine of my childhood crushes (lol). I just applauded her for not caring what other people thought of her. She's not afraid to be herself unlike people like Rhonda who are desperate for people's approval. She wasn't a follower at all. Under her tough-girl act, she's a good person who comes through for people when it truly mattered. Especially for Arnold, Phoebe, and even her family who she hated.
Married is a great episode, but I think the purest love she ever showed Arnold was in the Christmas episode where she helps Arnold help find Mr. Hyunns daughter. Giving up the gift she wanted the most for Arnold, love like that just doesn’t exist these days. Best part is at the end when Gerald tells Arnold that maybe he has a Christmas angel looking out for him, and then it switches to a happy helga outside the boarding house.
@@DialUpDigest Helga the first 3 Seasons of the Show exhibited what was called "Cradle Attraction" back when I was their age in the Early 90s. Back then, Girls bullied boys because they didn't understand how to Reciprocate or Express feelings for them. I got bullied by a couple of my Female Classmates quite frequently during 1991-1992. Ultimately, Helga kept trying to mask her Infatuation those first 3 seasons believing wearing a Façade would keep her sanity from melting like ice at his presence. To her Detriment, it only caused Arnold to push himself away from going past Mutual friends, which is why he Pursued Lila, but even during S3 he deep down knew that his pursuit of her was fruitless and Futile. But Arnold himself had trouble decoding the signals that Helga kept giving him.
I think the ending of the series for Helga did send a pretty good message. I think Arnold and Helga's relationship would be rocky in places but they both are very young and I think once they grew and matured, Helga would become much more comfortable showing the goodness in her. I also think Arnold's parents would give Helga the positive attention she always craved and that would help her out a lot as well. I just love Arnold and Helga together so much lol. I literally cried tears of joy when I read that Craig said that they are both meant to be together and end up getting married with raising a family and living happily ever after.
I agree that their relationship would likely mature as they grew older. They were still really young. I agree, if her parents paid more attention to her, I think that would help make her be more authentic as well. I loved their relationship as well, and watching it as a kid I wished Helga would end up with Arnold. It's just when I looked back I started to think maybe it wasn't the best idea to show the bully marrying the person she bullied. But, Helga's circumstances were very complex, so I think its hard to be against her specifically ending up with Arnold.
@@DialUpDigest Yeah. I know what you mean. Plus I just have a soft spot for their relationship cause it reminds me of my own with my fiancée lol. Still amazing video!!
@@DialUpDigest Bartlett says in "The Patakis" Spinoff he wanted to have ready by 2003 would have mentioned Arnold directly in passing. Though there were plans for Phillip Van Dyke to reprise his role in his Young Adult voice as there would be flashbacks of Arnold. As in "The Patakis", Arnold has moved away and is living with his Mom and Dad at last. But He and Helga kept in touch via Letters and Email and AIM.
Me too! I couldn't keep from jumping up and down when I read that, and that doesn't happen too often. I also think that Arnold's grandparents' relationship was a reflection of how Arnold and Helga's relationship would look like. So, I think that they'd be good together
Helga was a great character study in how neglect and unrequited love can torment an individual, and though she expressed herself through violence, it was made immediately clear that it was a coping mechanism from the very beginning. If Helga on the couch was the first time in the whole series that her turmoil was shown, it would have been harder to embrace her character, as all you would have seen was a bully, not a girl who put on an aggressive front to cover up her feelings of inadequacy.
When I was a kid, I remembered when I first watched the road trip episode where Helga called Mirriam a lousy parent. As a kid, I thought Helga was being way too harsh on Mirriam because she was trying her best to fix the situation and Helga didn’t need to make Mirriam feel worser than she already is. But watching the same episode again as both a parent and an adult who had time to fully process all of my childhood memories, I think that Helga had every right to feel the way she did about her mother and called her a lousy parent. Helga wasn’t wrong, she’s only 9 years old. She have been able to rely on her parents to take care of her. She shouldn’t have been put into situations where she had to grow up fast, and learn to take care of herself at a young age for her own survival.
Hey Arnold Episode: Helga on the couch 🛋️ Characters Helga 🎀 Dr.bliss Minor characters Principal wartz 🏫 Brainy 👊 Arnold 🏈 Gerlad 💕 Harold 🌀 Olga 🤩 Phoebe 😈 Bob 🏆 Miriam 🍸 Sid 😵 Stinky ❤️ Rhonda 💅 Eugene 🌈 Sheena ☮️
I’d argue she’s the true protagonist of the series purely because she undergoes a much more noticeable change than Arnold over 5 seasons. Arnold goes through little subtle changes in maturity from season to season but he was always a good kid, whereas Helga’s changes are much more noticeable by the end.
I agree, Helga was the character who underwent the most change. Arnold is assumed to be the main character, but you're right, overall he doesn't actually really change, aside from subtle changes. He's always the same good natured kid he was from the beginning. I wish Arnold did have some more character development. I seems like he didn't have anything he needed to work on throughout the series.
@@DialUpDigestbut it makes sense that Helga is the main character because the shows called Hey Arnold which is exactly what we see Helga saying constantly throughout the opening theme, idk I can't look at the name of the show without hearing Helga say it xD
Their time apart during "The Patakis" would be good for Helga (& even Arnold). She'd have to "find herself" without him, & (in my opinion) that's when their relationship would become healthy
I think helga has a beutiful soul just as Arnold, but she acts the way she does because of the way her family ignore her and she don't want to be bullied by anyone, so she bullieds everyone as a sign of scared but inside she is a sweet girl who screams for help and her love for Arnold makes her not give up and continue with her life.
Helga deep down is a good person, but was hurting and was lashing out because of it. She showed great qualities and did good deeds in secret. in the arnold's christmas episode she (in secret) helped to get mr, hyans daughter to come. Helga is second protaganist to Arnold.
As a kid, I had such mixed feelings about Helga but as an adult, I absolutely love her! 😁 I never realized how intelligent and clever she is. One of my favorite moments of Helga is when she gets four free tickets to some French restaurant. She bluntly tells Phoebe they're going and "You're gonna invite Gerald and ask him to invite a *friend* . See?" Knowing full well that Gerald would of course ask Arnold before anyone else (since they're best buds and all), Arnold won't go without him and how Phoebe feels about Gerald. Damn she's good 😂
Lol, Helga was so clever. She knew Gerald would invite Arnold so she didn't even have to risk inviting him herself. Exactly, Helga probably knew Phoebe liked Gerald, so it worked for her too 😆
well as an adult i see her breaking into his house as disturbing. however helping finding Mai for Arnold's Christmas was beautiful. shes a complex character but we all can relate to her; we all have our frustrations and strong feelings
Oh ! I always loved her, even as a kid, just for different reasons. -As a kid, I loved her mainly cause she was hilarious and her storyline with Arnold was both adorable and entertaining. As an adult, I can see how relatable she is to people in her situation. As an adult, you tend to empathize and have a deeper understand if why she is that way that she is.
@@DialUpDigest didn’t helga tell phoebe she liked Gerald by helga calling him Geraldo and that’s when phoebe corrected her and said it’s Gerald helga If I’m not mistaken
The funny thing with Helga is that she is completely overlooked for her sister, yet Helga is portrayed as extremely intelligent (she did brag about flunking a math test once, but that can be attributed to not caring) and is actually very pretty the few times she takes her appearance seriously.
I agree Jack, Helga was very smart. She almost won a spelling bee competition and she got the highest mark since Olga in an aptitude test once. Her intelligence was overlooked, but I think she knew she was smart and was confident in her abilities.
@@DialUpDigest that would probably make Helga more resentful of her parents fawning over Olga constantly praising her accomlitments and neglecting Helga when she's proved to be just as illetegent
I agree, I’ve always thought that Helga had above an average intelligence for her age, even if you take away the Spelling Bee and Aptitude Test. She’s a gifted poet and has an extensive vocabulary when writing, and she was able to remember all of her lines for Romeo and Juliet in just one night! It kind of make sense on why Helga and Phoebe are best friends, it’s like they connect with each other better than their other class peers because of their high intelligences.
What's more tragic is we see the person she would have been had she gotten the parental attention she deserved in Arnold Visits Arnie. She would have been a nice and very sweet girl who was also a literature prodigy. But because she was so neglected and became so angry by it, she couldn't show that sweetness without fear of the worst. Helga was definitely the top character with solid character development. Arnold stayed the same nice and caring kid whereas Helga became nicer and more compassionate when realizing her anger-fueled actions had consequences and she had to learn to deal/accept her feelings (including platonic friendships like with Phoebe) unless she wanted to end up totally alone in the end. Helga is a very complex yet real character, which is why we all love her. She isn't a Mary Sue who could no wrong by any means, which made her relatable to complicated people like us.
Good point 👍. In Arnold Visits Arnie we see how she could have been. Her character was very influenced by her upbringing, it's sad how she turned out the way she did. At least she was referred to therapy so she could work to heal. I agree, Helga did become nicer as the series progressed. She showed character development that other characters like Arnold didn't really show. I liked how Helga was flawed and was working towards being better. It made her relatable and a more interesting character to watch.
One of the reasons I loved Helga as a character was because it was nice and refreshing to see another proud tomboy, it was was relatable to me because I was a tomboy as a child
I was never really a girly girl as a kid but I wasn't that tomboyish either because I wasn't athletic(except in frisbee). My main interests as a kid were comics and video games.
🙂 Same here. I was a Tomboy growing up and I loved how despite it, Helga still wore pink like me and enjoyed some girl things. One of my favorite episodes about Helga was the Slumber party Rhonda had. It made me happy how Helga helped the girls realize they were way too young for the makeup beauty treatment junk they were trying. Especially for nine year old girls
@@pyxn420 that wouldn't matter now since video games and comic books are both enjoy by girls and boys. Also being girlish and boyish can co exist in a person
Actually it wasn’t unrequited. Keep down, inside, the love was requited. Inside, Helga’s love for Arnold wasn’t unrequited. You can see that the feelings were mutual-that the feeling was mutual SUBSCONSCIOUSLY in the episodes “Arnold Visits Arnie” and “Married” respectively. He even sprayed water and winked at her in “Table For Four” at the end―and in “Summer Love”, after Helga told Arnold that warning him was the right thing to do and couldn’t let “Summer” take adventage of him, he gave her a very loving smile… Even in “Arnold Visits Arnie”, he was fed up by the fact that the country version of Lila―not Diliah!―called “Lulu”-was pratically SPRAYING her attention all over Arnold and all Arnold wanted was the attention of the country version of Helga “Hilda”. Even when he and Hilda first met, he gave her his smile with the eyes romantically with the eyelids slightly on the eyes, half-closed ‑‑ like in “Summer Love”―the same eyes-the same exact eyes! Also, in the ending of Arnold’s “nightmare” in the episode “Married” ‑ at the end of Arnold’s “nightmare”, Helga almost confessed her love for Arnold, which was stopped by his looks-like-him, “hey, Arnold”‐ringing alarm clock. He subconsiciously knew Helga’s true feelings for him. Even the “ “Hey Arnold!” Wiki” says that Arnold is subsconsiously in love with Helga by the episodes “Arnold Visits Arnie” and “Married”!
Interesting suggestion. I think Arnold thought Helga's tough persona was an act and he thought deep down she was kind and just a kid like him. That's how I interpreted his actions like when he sprayed Helga with the hose in the episode, "Dinner for Four" and whenever he would say, "Whatever you say Helga, whatever you say...". But you do bring up good points, there is a lot of evidence that shows Arnold may have subconsciously had feelings for Helga too. Maybe he repressed those feelings because Helga was so mean to him so maybe a part of him liked her but another part really didn't like her. In the Jungle Movie, Arnold admits that after Helga confessed her love for Arnold in the first movie, he didn't want to believe it, probably because her actions were so different from what he expected someone to act when they liked someone. So I think after the movie, he was trying to process what she said but it was confusing for him.
I always thought she kept the link bow because of Arnold, too. I've loved her when she was kind to people (most of the time against her instincts). Showing she had a heart underneath it all helped me like her (I'm not a fan of the bullying because they like you trope)
I loved seeing her nice to others too - it was her being authentic which was so refreshing to see. It was brave of her to show that side, unlike when she was bullying others, which was her easy, go-to default behavior.
While I think that Helga would find a better balance as she gets older (due to the influence of Arnold, Phoebe & Dr. Bliss), she'd always be stubborn & have somewhat of a temper
I so see her ending up like Arnold's grandma. While Gertie mellowed out as an adult, you can see she still has a temper too like when Phil asked if she made watermelon for dinner again 😂
@@LilyZerep I can picture her & Arnold owning the boarding house. After 1 or 2 warnings, she'd probably do this to the boarders if they didn't pay their rent: ua-cam.com/video/ZomwVcGt0LE/v-deo.html
Yep, I can totally imagine Helga mellowing out as a teen. Her classmates(except for Arnold, Gerald, and Phoebe) may still annoy her but she'll most likely replace her violent tendencies with sharp tongued comebacks.
@@stephj505 I can picture Helga and Gerald eventually developing a brother and sister type of relationship. There may be some sharp tongued comebacks back & forth (especially from Helga), but I think they'd ultimately have each other's backs
The only reason I can't entirely sympathize with Helga in regards to Brainy stalking her, is due to the fact that she stalks Arnold to the same intense degree. Breaking into his house, stealing his things, she even watched him get undressed once while she was stuck behind his couch. She's getting a taste of her own medicine, and whaddya know...she doesn't like it. A bit of a double standard there, don't you think?
Helga and Brainy both stalked so I would say they were both in the wrong for that. But I don't think she deserved to be stalked as pay back for her own stalking. I don't think two wrongs make a right.
@@DialUpDigest I'm not saying she deserved it, I'm saying she's getting a taste of her own medicine. You expect people to sympathize with Helga for something that she's doing herself at a much more intense degree. Yes, Brainy follows her around and breathes down her neck (and obviously that's wrong), but there's no such scene of him watching her undress without her knowledge, he never sabotages her, he never breaks into her home etc. All of these things, Helga is repeatedly guilty of with Arnold. And yet, she has no self awareness about it. I can't entirely sympathize with her because of this. People see Helga as a sympathetic/tragic figure (and I agree to an extent), but if the genders were reversed with Helga and Arnold, Helga would be talked about all over Twitter, and the show would never see the light of day again for showcasing creepy behavior like this to kids.
All valid points, and if we weren’t talking about Helga I’d agree with you. However, I have experienced intense feelings for one person for many, MANY years since I was 10 (I’m almost 30), and I have more sympathy than contempt for her. I can’t tell you how happy I was to be around him, to the point where all I wanted was to be around him. I was sorely tempted to stalk this person because of my feelings and my life circumstances. The reason why I felt this way? The rest of my life was so neglectful and abusive, and when it wasn’t my parents it was both of my sisters doing this to me. I’m not used to feelings of happiness, but I hold onto them just to survive. However, I’m not aggressive; in fact I’m just the opposite - I’m a doormat because I know, deep down, I’m not good enough for him, and to avoid rejection I allow him to walk all over me. So in a way I admire Helga’s straightforwardness and aggression. True, she took things too far, but which is healthier? Abuse and neglect does weird things to your brain.
She is one of the most complex characters in cartoon history. She's truly a flawed and tragic figure. On the outside Hegla is a tough bullying aggressive and short tempered girl who uses violence and her belligerent personality to get her own way but on the inside is a girl who wants to be loved and who suffers from neglect and parental love. Her main issues came from being completely ignored and overlooked by her parents because of their favoritism of her older sister. All Hegla want is to be loved. She truly loves Arnold but her own anger and personality makes it harder for her to do.
I agree, Helga was very complex. She had many sides to her but her outer personality and inner personality were so contrasting it was like night and day. It was amazing how she could switch from being aggressive and angry to being poetic and emotional. It was sad to watch her struggle with showing her emotions. Her parents poured all their effort into raising Olga, they completely ignored Helga. You're right, all Helga wanted was to be loved. When Arnold was nice to her at Preschool, it was probably the first time she felt like someone cared. She then became obsessed with him because she longed to have that loving relationship she never had.
@@jrewing1512 I was 13 when Hey Arnold premiered on Wednesday October 7,1996 about a month after Tupac's murder. Every kid I knew liked Helga, they understood how much of a Complex Character she is and how insecure and quite a Romantic she actually really is. For a Xennial like me, Helga was what every Girl at my Middle school was at 9 years of age. They ALL related to her.
Yes! One thing I do admire about Helga, which is didn't realize as a kid is, she's wasn't afraid to be herself. She wasn't a follower, she was upfront and honest about her feelings (except her feelings for Arnold lol).
@@stephj505 I think Arnold is the Katara of "Hey Arnold!" (mature, voices of reason, strong moral compasses [to the point of occasionally being "wet blankets"], big hearts who are stubborn in regards to fighting for what they believe in, parents who aren't there [for various reasons], etc.). When I came to that conclusion, that's when I started to ship "Zutara"
Helga may have not known it but she was on par with her sister in everything: Schoolwork, athletics, confidence. The only problem is she never got approval from her parents for it. At the end of the jungle movie, Arnold realizes that Helga was acting mean because she loved him but he didn't want to accept it but after what she did for Arnold in the jungle movie, as what you said, it made up for all the times she was mean.
I think Helga did know she was talented, but she didn't want to boast about it. Her parents didn't recognize it either so it was easy for her to not acknowledge it publicly.
i often think about that as well!! if the roles were reversed, would we still cheer on this relationship dynamic? i often think that we give it a pass because the one who’s obsessing is a girl and it’s perceived as “cute”. however, brainy is sort of doing the same kinda actions. (stalking, and having no sense of boundaries). yet we see it as creepy. i’m happy that you brought this up at the end of this episode because i don’t see their relationship as healthy. maybe arnold have some trauma from the constant bullying and harassment that he had to endured. also, would a relationship with arnold fix helga’s fear of intimacy? this spawned a whole lotta questions, honestly. amazing episode as always!
Honestly, I don't think their relationship would truly be healthy until after Arnold would return from San Lorenzo. Helga would be forced to "find herself", instead of her entire identity revolving around him.
Thank you! I thought it was an interesting question because, as you mentioned, I think some would give this dynamic a pass because it's a girl obsessing over a guy. It's perceived in a different way compared to if it were a guy bullying, stalking and obsessing over a girl. Some could say the girl's behaviors are cute, while if a boy did the same thing it would be creepy or even criminal if he's old enough. This is exactly what we saw with Brainy. Good point, maybe Arnold does have trauma from the constant bullying and harassment. Plus, he has his own struggles with not having his parents in his life so he is also dealing with sadness and longing for love just like Helga. That's a good question, I don't know if Arnold could make Helga less afraid of intimacy, but it would force her confront that fear. It's a good thing she now has Dr. Bliss to talk to about her feelings! Thanks for watching, I appreciate your support! 😊
@@ellandecampbell6279 i totally agree with you on that aspect. helga finding herself would be difficult for her i’m assuming. arnold has always been her muse and now that the chase is over, who is helga? other than her love and fondness for arnold, who is she outside of that? i heard rumors that another season of hey arnold is in the works, and i’m so excited for that! i really hope they take a deep dive into that, now that helga is with arnold.
@@DialUpDigest i really appreciate the content! i always had a soft spot for “hey arnold” and these analysis videos has helped me see the students in a different perspective. this one has to be my favorite because you went further with helga than just her obsession with arnold.
@@sofyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy Honestly, I think the chase would be the other way around. I think Helga would still be insecure enough to have doubts because Arnold didn't say the words (so, as a result, she'd convince herself that the kiss was only because of gratitude instead of Arnold having legitimate feelings for her). Also, I don't think that Helga would look to find herself until "The Patakis". IMO, she wouldn't confront that issue until Arnold is physically not in her life
When I imagine potential careers for an older Helga, I think the 2 obvious ones are writer/poet (duh), & lawyer. However, I wonder if Dr. Bliss's impact on her could lead her to become a child psychologist
@@stephj505 I didn't really consider the idea of her being a cop, but she certainly enjoyed it during "Career Day". Edit: My dirty mind is now imagining Helga & "Dark Arnold" having access to handcuffs
You have to feel sorry for Helga. Her parents treated her like she was invisible. Olga was always looked at as the perfect daughter while Bob and Miriam acted like Helga was a problem. The only reason Helga was so obsessed with Arnold was because he was the only person who noticed her and treated her with kindness. Olga cared about her but she often went about it the wrong way like becoming her teacher to get close to her.
When I was a kid, I remembered when I first watched the road trip episode where Helga called Mirriam a lousy parent. As a kid, I thought Helga was being way too harsh on Mirriam because she was trying her best to fix the situation and Helga didn’t need to make Mirriam feel worser than she already is. But watching the same episode again, as both a parent and an adult, who’d had time to fully process all of my childhood memories, My original opinions have completely change. Helga had every right to feel the way she did about her mother and she was justified when called Miriam a lousy parent. Helga made a great point, she’s only 9 years old. She should have been able to rely on her parents to take care of her. She shouldn’t have been put into situations where she had to grow up fast, and learn to take care of herself, especially at a young age! As a parent, I would’ve absolutely hated myself if I’ve ever put my children through all of that!
Helga is definitely one of my favs along with Rhonda and Gerald! And I feel so bad for her when she’s barely noticed by her own parents 😞 it breaks my heart
Same here Alexis, Helga was an amazing character 😊. I'm surprised Helga's parents didn't recognize they were neglecting Helga until Helga was noticeably upset like in the episode, "Beeper Queen". Their actions were so clearly neglect watching them from an outsider's point of view.
Olga was loved by her parents cause she was a straight A student that her dad could brag about and probably reminded Miriam of herself before she messed up her life by marrying Big Bob. Helga is the daughter they ignore cause she is a lot more like Big Bob which is why Miriam probably ignores Helga so much. Big Bob does care about Helga he just has a hard time showing his true emotions just like Helga does.
That's an interesting point - maybe Helga is ignored because she was similar to Big Bob. I've never thought of that, but it makes sense. Miriam distanced herself from Helga like she wishes she could do to her husband. Helga and Big Bob were really similar, especially in the episode, "Quantity Time".
Is nobody gonna talk about how helga had an amazing sense of direction as a four year old, and when she walked by herself to preschool she could've gotten abducted
Yes finally you did Helga! I love this and obviously she’s my favorite character who I can relate to. I do feel like she should’ve apologized but I heard that some scene got cut before TJM got aired but hopefully when we get HA season 6 she could apologize then
@@DialUpDigest I read so many fanfics where she did apologize to Arnold to being their relationship on a healthy note. Also I like towards the end of the series she acted more nice compared to the beginning of the series
I didn't relate to Helga as a kid, but as an adult, I definitely do. In my 30s, I've come to realize that my upbringing wasn't a very healthy one and one thing that I really like about Helga's story is her relationship with her family because of how real it feels. She's frustrated with her alcoholic mother, her emotionally neglectful father, and her openly favoured sister, but she still loves them. That's what it's like to come from an unstable family; sometimes you hate them, sometimes you love them, but at the end of the day they're still your family.
I feel like she and Arnold will grow up, get together, get married, and have babies. Her parenting style will be opposite of her parents, she'll make her babies feel loved and make sure they aren't left out (contrary to her being left out in her childhood). Arnold will do the same thing and make sure to let them know that he will never leave them.
I agree Lisa, I can see Helga being a very attentive and caring mother because she knows how much she was hurt by her parents' neglect. I can see Arnold being the same way because he didn't even have his parents in his life during his childhood.
I hope that Helga will change her last name to Shortman instead of hyphenating it because I don't want the teachers at P.S. 118 to freak out if her future child attends the school.
@@DialUpDigest Helga would obviously grew up to be a Guidance Counselor because "Helga on The Couch" sorta implies that Helga realizes that she's not alone and that there were other girls just like her with similar issues, thus when she grows up, she decides to become a Guidance Counselor so she can help other little girls that had the same issues she had. I also believe that Arnold and Helga end up only having sons together. No Daughters, thus it becomes more passionate for Dr. Helga G. Shortman to guide and help young girls. As for Arnold, its pretty obvious he becomes a Forensic Pathologist. The Story Phil told him about his Parents Miles and Stella leaves an impact on him. His Parents are into Pathology, thus its his destiny to become one just like them and study Pathogens.
I am an Aquarius ♒ and I have characteristics very similar to hers. I sometimes come off as rude. I am a rebel as well. I tend to try to run from my emotions. The same way she does. I can relate to the part where she feels left out. Because my parents don't pay much attention to me either. They do when I need something but that's just about it. Sometimes my mom gives me advice. My friends do come to me for advice. I do pick on some of my friends. To hide my feelings for my boyfriend. Yes he knows how I feel. It's just hard for me to express that most of the time. I can relate to her in many ways. Whenever I was in school I would pick on those who bullied me. I bullied back just to stick up for my emotions. If any of my friends was bullied I would stick up for them. People tend to think I am uncaring or that I don't anything they so for me. Or anything they buy for me. So they stop paying attention to me. It's just I have a hard time showing them when I feel appreciated or not. I am also very blunt and hard headed. When I like someone I will stolk them on the internet. Not to be nosy only to just find out more about them. I do write poems myself. I rely myself as well as others. But sometimes I don't rely on anyone. I do hurt the ones I love. Because I don't know how to show them I care without being rude. I show I care by giving them advice or helping them with whatever they need help with. I used to go to counseling too for my anxiety and my emotions. I am the kind of person that doesn't like talking about my emotions. I don't like being teased or pushed around. Instead I push others around. But those who hurt me. Just for my protection. I guard my emotions a lot. Just like her their are times I can be a quite person. And just hangout in my room by myself. I express myself with poems. Once when I was in High School I showed my teacher my poem and he loved it. I do have lack of attention. And deep down inside I care. I just have that I don't care kind of attitude. Which some people find it annoying or just plain out rude. I do boss my friends around too! I do what I want to do. And have everything go that way. I don't like a lot of girly stuff. Yes I wear makeup but not always. Pink is one of my favorite colors. And I have a unibrow because once I had a little peice of hair I between my brow. I shaved it and then the hair grew back longer. So now I have a unibrow. Do not shave between your eyebrows. Instead go get them waxed. And the funny things is my boyfriend reminds me of a lot of Arnold. Because he's kind and sweet. But my boyfriend teases me back as well. Except he doesn't care if I pick on him. He thinks it's cute. Now sometimes he does think it can be annoying.
Wow, you have a lot of similarities with Helga! 😊 It's nice that your mom gives you advice even though sometimes she doesn't pay attention to you. I think not being able to express one's emotions is a common problem. Sometimes it's just tough to put your feelings into words. That's good you're getting counselling to help with your anxiety and emotions 👍 Wow you write poems, like pink and have a unibrow just like Helga! That's so cool 😎. And your boyfriend is like Arnold, now that's even more amazing ✨
Brilliant video! Thank you for all the effort involved. This one must have been one of your most difficult. It's so hard to think of a favourite Helga moment but it was perhaps that time she fell through the ceiling of Arnold's room with a cassette tape in her mouth and the boys are all there. I had to delay watching until I finally got round to seeing the Jungle Movie last Sunday to avoid spoilers. I wondered what your predictions might have been for the potential direction of 'The Pataki's' spinoff series which was proposed a few years ago but never got to see the light.
Thank you Stephen! 😊 Yes, this one was my most difficult one yet, there was a lot of material to cover, and I still feel like there was more I could have said 😅. That was a great moment! I really liked it too, I actually talked about it in my "Top Helga and Arnold Relationship Moments Part 2" video. Awesome! How did you like the Jungle movie? I think The Pataki's would have been more serious and mature than Hey Arnold. I think they would have tackled more mature yet less discussed issues. Maybe they would focus on Helga just growing up and dealing with her feelings for Arnold more publicly. Maybe she even moves on from Arnold at some point. But I think there would also be a focus on her family life like in Hey Arnold, but more in depth. I think her mother's alcoholism will still be an issue and Big Bob will be the same way as well. But because I think Helga is older in this show, she is more honest about how she feels about her parents. Maybe she'll even try to help Miriam get sober.
@@DialUpDigest Thank you for your reply. I thought that the Jungle movie gave a satisfying ending to the series' while still leaving a few things unresolved. I liked all the references to various episodes together with new things. Thank you also for your thoughts on The Pataki's. It would have been interesting to see Helga develop as the actual protagonist.
I'm glad you are enjoying my channel and thank you for subscribing 😊! I really liked "Helga on the Couch", it's one of my favorite episodes. It's so rare to see kids going to therapy in a kids' show, yet in real life it's so common. I think this episode was a small step to help normalize the experience for kids - one of many reasons why Hey Arnold was such an awesome show! 🌟
@@DialUpDigest you're welcome 😌 it's one of mine as well. Yes, it's very rare to see kids going to therapy on TV. I like that Hey Arnold! portrayed that and am holding out (albeit small) hope we'll see it more but who knows?
22:30 I'd like to think that when Helga (unsuccessfully) confessed her love for Arnold, he started to become even more sympathetic towards her, because deep down, he knew he was telling the truth. You could see it on his face at the end of the first movie, When she goes back to pretending to hate him, after they agreed that it never happened. But I feel like her confession made it that much easier for him to forgive her. Also, as we watch throughout the series, Arnold does notice the nice things she does for him as well as others, which leads me to believe that he saw through her bully facade a long time ago.
23:50 It's funny cause I made a genderbend version of her, named Hunor. However the design will need changes (Like facial features and clothes) but I made the design when I tried to draw humans again after a while. I include him in reader inserts which also has the apology moments you mentioned, which I agree they were needed.
I liked when Arnold took care of her with amnesia and any time they're more tame with each other And when she dreamed about marrying and then saving him. Hopefully she'll get to do that someday And when she went to therapy
That was so sweet when Arnold took care of her. He was always looking out for others. I'm glad eventually Helga and Arnold ended up together. "Helga on the Couch" was a great episode.
11:56 when I saw the Arnold sculpture in that color, it made me realize he looks a little like Ickis from Ahhhhh Real Monsters since it’s the same color. I guess Ickis is also a football head!
It's interesting how Harold is supposed to be 3 years older than the rest of his class, and was still in preschool with them. YOU DON'T GET HELD BACK IN PRESCHOOL! Also unlike Helga, his bullying wavered as the series went on, and eventually disappeared.
That was very strange how we saw Harold in preschool with them. It doesn't make any sense. I'm glad Harold's bullying ways subsided, Helga was enough for the show 😅
Helga is definitely a relatable character. That's why I like her so much. Even though just like Arnold when I met my boyfriend and he was being so kind to me. I just instantly fell for his charm. My family tends to judge me. They can sometimes be kind to me. But not always. I am used to it. Because I stay copped up in my room or I hangout with my friends. Or I'm on the phone with my boyfriend. I love Arnold though he's so sweet and kind. As well as a gentleman. My boyfriend is also a gentleman. Which is so sweet. I do call my boyfriend names like hey goofball. Or quit being a dodo bird. I call him silly goose sometimes. But I call anyone a silly goose or a dodo bird. But goofball is what I call my boyfriend. Everyone else is silly goose or dodo bird. It's actually not nice to call someone a dodo bird because you calling them stupid. Nor is it nice to call someone a goofball. It's okay to call someone a silly goose though because that just means you are teasing them. But calling people names like dodo bird or goofball is very mean. Yet I do it anyway! Sometimes I call people a knucklehead. That's mean too! Lol
Helga was so related for girls her age who had a crush. Sure she was a little extreme, but sometimes I think she was just very eloquent. That's nice how your boyfriend is a gentlemen. lol, "Silly Goose" 🦆. I think it's fine to say that if the person you're saying it to knows its a joke.
@@DialUpDigest Heh yeah I totally agree. Yeah silly goose is nicer to say than saying goofball. Because you are basically calling them stupid. It's very sweet how my boyfriend is. Our relationship so reminds me of Helga and Arnold. Because are playful with each other. Like with the joking yes and he doesn't mind that I am rude sometimes. I can relate to her obessesion. Except I don't have a shrine of my boyfriend. Even though tbh that does sound romantic and cute. I watched the reruns as a kid. As well as when I was a teenager. And as an adult. Lol 🤣 I still think it's funny how I am with my boyfriend. I will seem mice one moment and rude the next. I even dress up on dates. I end up being romantic sometimes I come off as shy or really rude. But that's just in my nature. My mom doesn't like that I am rude to him then I will turn around and be nice. Because she would make me be nice. I talk about him all the time. Yes sometimes I do say how I feel well since I feel comfortable with him. Before I didn't tell him how I felt because I was scared of rejection. Now I'm not scared of being rejected. He makes me happy. Even if sometimes want to punch someone in the face. He is they only guy who noticed me for being myself. Other guys would tease me. I rejected every boy. But I didn't reject him.
@@DialUpDigest I am the kind of person that acts like I don't care. To the point people think I do appreciate anything. When really I do care. I just don't know how to show it. 😕
@@breannehardwick1571 Yes, Hey Arnold is one of those shows that people of all ages can enjoy. Sometimes it's tough to express one's feelings. I can relate to that. That's great your boyfriend makes you happy! :)
I also think a big part of why she's loved so much is she's not perfect She doesn't have perfect looks She doesn't have a perfect attitude Her grades and other accomplishments are overshadowed by Olga She has an anger issue and is physically violent She doesn't even have perfect apologies despite actually being sincere But she also has occasional redeeming qualities that makes her unique I think she's one of the first female characters who is extremely boyish (she's at times the only girl in boys only episodes) but is simultaneously the girliest of the show as well. She might not have the prettiest and most feminine face and physique but her fashion is anything but boyish. He demeanor at times like when she walks and talks makes her look like a character like Harold should be moving and talking like her, but the moment she thinks about Arnold while she's alone... She becomes extremely feminine, she changes the way she talks by making a poem completely on the fly and you'll rarely see her do the "bully walk" and we would usually see her twirling and making melodramatic gestures, and this is probably one of the obvious giveaways that makes her a fascinating character.
Wow that speech at the end about how she coped in the best way she could. It makes me think of an ex that had suffered some severe trauma early in his teens, and he coped by getting a bunch of girls to like him, even if he wasn't interested that way. I was one of the unfortunate victims, who had just come off the heels of a bad relationship at just 15, so him coming along to effectively just foster his own ego wasn't good. But, like Helga, he had his better side. I don't think he was a bad person. I think he was just extremely damaged and didn't get the help he needed. Thus he coped in the only he could which in turn hurt those around him. As far as your commentary about Helga effectively being rewarded for her bad behavior by still getting the guy, I do agree. Regardless of her motivations, it doesn't excuse being a relentless jerk to people. I know love makes us do crazy things, but Arnold seems to be a forgiving soul. Wish we could've gotten the Helga spin off because we could've seen her growth and healing with the therapist. It's amazing how much someone can improve by just talking to someone that is willing to listen.
Thank you for sharing your experience! It must have been difficult going through that. I love how Hey Arnold was able to show these complex relations between people to a kid audience. A Helga spin off would have been amazing!
I'd say Helga had it ROUGH at home-- parents who weren't emotionally available plus a seemingly "perfect" sister. (I liked Olga's debut when she talked about feeling like a wind-up doll in order to remain "perfect" in the eyes of others. After that, it seemed like she was ditzy and annoying to me). Anywho, with Big Bob being stuck on his beeper empire and Miriam being addicted to "smoothies", I can see why Helga is angry most of the time and why her love for arnold is really obsession due to her craving the love that her family neglected to give her. Plus (and no one can convince me otherwise) she was verbally abusive to Phoebe.
I agree, Helga had a rough home life. Everyone in her family had their own problems and Helga was ignored her whole life. I agree, Helga's love for Arnold comes from being deprived of love by her family and seeking that from the first person who showed her kindness when she was in preschool. She was verbally abusive to Phoebe.
Though I'm a little more forgiving to Miriam for her neglect than I am to Bob because Miriam's alcoholism was most likely caused by her crappy marriage with Bob.
Helga's bullying is definitely a classic case of reaction formation. While the feelings are genuine, love being disguised as violence can be destructive. If this was real life, that might even manifest to criminal behaviors like physical assault. I know Im exaggerating but my pt stands that you wont have luck courting anybody by acting like an absolute jerk. I do feel sorry that her issues with her parents also contribute to her behavior, but she still had a choice to improve herself Thankfully, Helga was able to "somewhat" control herself better.
Interesting, I've never heard of reaction formation before, thank you for sharing! I agree 100%, acting like an absolute jerk is not an effective way to getting someone to like you. Yes, Helga's parents made her life tough, but she was a smart kid who knew they were wrong to treat her poorly. It would have been worse for her if she blamed herself instead for their mistreatment.
Remember, she’s only 9 in the series, 11-12 in The Jungle Movie. She has time to redeem herself. Maybe, through her relationship with Arnold, she’ll improve. She’s a passionate person and she cares so much for Arnold. She can - and maybe will - improve.
Surely you cant have missed the clear irony of Helga, the girl that has stalked, bullied and otherwise plagued the object of her affections, in turn being regularly stalked by another who holds the same disturbing obsession for her as she holds for Arnold.
Well, to be fair, Arnold has already stated that he believes she is actually a good person and protects herself with anger and meanness. She has proven herself to be there for him when it really counted, like she did in both movies. There's also no way to tell how their relationship progresses after The Jungle Movie as they abruptly end right after Arnold returns her feelings. Also, Helga has a hard time opening up due to her upbringing. Her parents never understood her and her father discouraged expression of emotions from her. Because this openness was never fostered, she struggles to tell how she truly feels inside, even to her best friend or an impartial third party like Dr. Bliss.
Interesting suggestion. I think stalking in any case is wrong, but I'm surprised Helga didn't realize how Arnold was annoyed with her just like she was annoyed with Brainy.
@@DialUpDigest I'm not justifying the stalking. I'm saying that he knew deep down that her bullying was actually an armor for her inner self. I also think she knew exactly how her behavior affected Arnold. She berated herself constantly when she thought she was alone, wanting to be nicer to him and not to drive him away. However, young kids in real life do this. I remember lashing out when kids bullied me. She also was mean to Arnold as a way to go against what Harold and their classmates said. If she looked like she hated Arnold, then she couldn't POSSIBLY like him, right? The only problem was that plenty of more observant characters could actually see right through her attempts to fool everyone.
@@flashfrozen7401 You're right, you're not justifying stalking. I just realized I posted the reply under the wrong comment XD. Sorry about that, and thank you for clarifying. Here's my actual response: I agree, Arnold always saw in the good in others, and even through Helga's tough exterior he saw through it. He knew it was all just an act even through all that she put him through, he observed her acts of kindness and knew there was more to her than she made it seem. Exactly, when it really mattered, Helga was always there for Arnold and he never forgot that. That's a good point, after the Jungle Movie, we saw a little bit of Arnold and Helga together, but the story of their future relationship is anyone's guess. It's sad how Helga's parents affected her expression of emotions. I remember that scene during "Helga on the Couch" where he was upset at how Helga was referred to therapy. He rarely talked about how he felt and expected his family including Helga to do the same. The secrecy was damaging to their family, it was like a unspoken rule that they weren't supposed to talk about what bothered them, and just go with the flow. I like how Helga had a close relationship with Phoebe but I wish she felt comfortable enough to speak more openly with her. Phoebe seemed like a very understanding and loyal friend, she could have listened to Helga and gave her much needed support. At least she met Dr. Bliss, who was able to break through to her like no one ever has. I can see Helga slowly becoming more open over time if she kept seeing her. It's so unhealthy, she was mean to Arnold in public but when she was alone she was bursting with passion for him. Very true, that's how some kids are. It's not easy to express how you feel, it makes you vulnerable and the possibility of rejection could be terrifying for even adults let alone kids. Sometimes teasing is an easy way to interact with someone you like without making it obvious you like them. Even though that's obvious problematic for kids and not an appropriate way to express liking someone, that's what happens in real life. Exactly, Helga tried to look like the opposite of someone who liked Arnold and became his bully. That started way back to preschool because of Harold and she kept up the act into the 4th grade. But you're right, her acting only fooled the non-observant characters. Others like Arnold, Phoebe and Lila were suspicious and knew she was hiding something.
@@DialUpDigest I remember when Arnold spoke to Patty about Helga. He told her that she was actually a nice person but she just said mean things as a defense. Once Patty took his advice, Patty even suspected there was something between them. Even though Helga's true feelings were often expressed in the show, I think the moments from Arnold were actually more telling. It showed that he seemed to have an interest in her, despite losing patience with her. I think The Jungle Movie was great, but I almost wish all of the original characters could've voiced their parts. I feel that the new voice actor for Arnold just didn't have enough familiarity with the character and it read a little flat. This is truly as shame as the movie was written back during the show's production. It's just that Nickelodeon didn't want to produce it and, simultaneously, refused to return the right back to Barnett. I'm just happy that it was eventually made.
This shows why Helga is the best character in the show, because she's sort of a bully and sometimes being the mean leader, but she does hide her real feelings. And she acted that she hates Arnold, but whatever she's all alone, she let her feelings go, but sometimes she is like redeemable character that she wants to help Arnold whatever he needed to be, and sometimes she would sacrifice too. But usually Helga would tries everything to get little close to Arnold like the Valentine's Day episode, babysitting the eggs, and Romeo and Juleit.
I can very much relate to Helga, though I never would project adverse actions toward those I would find myself romantically attracted to, however the level at which secrecy need be upheld leads to a self hatred, and a feeling of other will dislike you as well, such has found its means of manifesting itself since I was a young child, onward to certain individuals I feel that way toward now, not all just a certain type that would be most desirious. I can still recall being a kid watching Hey Arnold, and my God do I greatly appreciate as an adult. A fantastic series, the absolute best series Nickelodeon ever put out in my opinion. Would love to see them actually try and make "The Pataki's" series, so long as they get as much of the same team on the series.
27 Minutes of analyzing Helga good lord!!! But in all seriousness Helga is the most interesting and in-depth character in the show. I'll admit I was never a fan of the bully character/archetype (in fact I'm still not a fan), BUT, Helga is the rare and only exception for me. Now Hey Arnold! aired between the 90's and early 2000's so I was still young to understand most of the plots going on in the show. But when I got older and re-watched the show, I fully understand Helga and I feel so bad for her. Being neglected at home, having to hold in your feelings, and resulting in to becoming a bully to avoid being bullied. (I'm also happy she found someone to help her and rely on like Dr.Bliss). I also think why I like Helga more than other bully characters is because we (the viewer) knew deep down Helga was actually a good person. Heck, even Arnold knew that deep down she was a sensitive person and in the course of the show they almost kinda became friends (I say that because Helga still had her bullying tendencies, but she and Arnold had appeared to be more tolerable in later episodes). Also, I say this as someone who actually does ship ShorTaki (Arnold x Helga), but I would like if Helga got the proper help she deserved, and becoming a better person before she got into a relationship with Arnold. Also, it's a shame that the Pataki's spin-off was never green lit. We could've seen and gotten more development from Helga, and her family in order to see them become a more proper, or at least somewhat functional family. But wonderful video you had put together! I loved hearing you go through the history and giving your two cents! ☺️
After the episode, "Helga on the Couch" it made us all understand the reasoning behind Helga's actions which completely changed how I saw her. I liked how they had Dr. Bliss on the show because it helped to normalize seeing a therapist as a child, which is rarely shown on kids' shows from what I've seen. Exactly, we knew Helga was a good person deep down, but she was just struggling to show how she truly felt. I think Arnold knew it too. I agree, as the series progressed it seemed like Arnold and Helga had a more tolerable relationship and were almost like friends. I also think Helga should have had help before getting into a relationship with Arnold. She had a lot of issues with expressing her emotions which we saw during the Jungle Movie after her and Arnold became a couple. The Patakis was such a great idea, I think it was mistake how it wasn't given the green light. Helga's family was so dysfunctional, it would have been nice to see them get help and slowly become a supportive and healthy family for Helga. Thank you! 😊 Glad you enjoyed the video 👍
“Anxiety and fear by the feeling of always being stocked?” Honey Helga wasn’t scared the sh!t besides rejection. Also she literally made shrines to her crush out of his used gum… Let’s not get all preachy here because she was like a step away from animal sacrifices and blood magic lol
@@DialUpDigest i know you should of included it in the video like how i wrote my version of the patakis like i'm doing for isabella from phineas and ferb
Helga was written as the main character, but the producers thought the demographic (mostly boys) at the time wouldn't gravitate towards a female main character, so Arnalds part was expanded and made into the main character. There is an interesting interview with the creators about it. Similar story with Rugrats and Angelica
Helga was my Favorite Cartoon Bad School Girl who had normal feelings that made my think shows me that Blew Angelica From Rugrats out of the water because Helga was more older than Angelica on those Different Shows and I like Hey Arnold better! And I was also a Huge Ren and Stimpy Fan back in Day! I Still am.
I liked Hey Arnold better than Rugrats as well. I think it was because the kids were older and there was more depth to the show. But I enjoyed both very much.
I'm afraid I have to call you out for the bio square episode, because they did *_not_* get along very well. Helga acted as if she hated the outdoors, and wanted nothing to do with the assignment. Unfortunately, as a result, she got on Arnold's nerves to the point that they almost fought, before the greenhouse flooded.
You should make a really long like a hour video of explaining their full love story I can't find anyone on UA-cam who did it yet so it would probably prosper
What is funny arnold’s grandparents had a similar relationship before they got together when they were much younger I remember one episode in the series where they were looking on a full album and you know Arnold grandmother would always know. Torment his grandfather similar to the way, how good did towards Arnold but you know like you know, smack him savaging if he was interested in another girl, not sure if his grandmother kept her feelings hidden or not and another thing looking back I grew up watching the series looking back. The only three people who truly cared about Helga is Arnold Phoebe and her sister Olga, and innocent Olga. Their parents weren’t very good parents to either one of them go had to sell everything and make sure her life was pure, pure, perfect and not have ever had a chance to be her true self and with the age difference could’ve gotten custody of Helga if she wanted toand I said that because it’s an early 20s at that point when she comes on the show
![Hey Arnold! Arnold Shortman Character Analysis - His Personality, Relationships & More! 🏈 [E.45]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/uO-MukK8vME/mqdefault.jpg)
![Hey Arnold! Arnold Shortman Character Analysis - His Personality, Relationships & More! 🏈 [E.45]](/img/tr.png)
![Hey Arnold! Big Bob Pataki Character Analysis - Was He A GOOD FATHER? 🏆 [E.27]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/BHFY5diJ9fk/mqdefault.jpg)
![Hey Arnold! Olga Pataki Character Analysis - Helga's PERFECT Sister 🤩 [E.22]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/G8RbRiN-_KU/mqdefault.jpg)
Welcome to Dial Up Digest!
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Question: What did you think of Helga? What was your favorite Helga moment?
Hegla is at a core a sweet and loving girl despite her anger issues and bullying attitude. My favorite moment is the entire Therapy episode where Hegla opens up.
She is the main reason Arnold finally got his parents back
I'm still not forgiving Helga for getting Arnold detention for what she started. In the episode "Girl Trouble". It had delivered a terrible message stating that is okay to get away with your bad actions which was repeated in the most hated Thomas & Friends episode "Middle Engine" from Season 6.
Can we just talk about how Arnold probably knew how she was treated at home and that’s why instead of snapping back at her most of the time he was still nice to her
Good point. I think you're right about that - Arnold was very observant, so he was probably aware of Helga's family life.
well some ppl are just jerks and still treated well
@@oooh19 well yeah but with Helga that wasn’t the case 💀
@@sunflowerfebreze691 yea i guess many ppl are like that bc of their upbringing but clearly some arent. luckily arnold was understanding and patien most kids wouldnt be
@@DialUpDigest Oh Arnold knew that Bob was a Jerk, That Miriam is a Lampshade(90s Slang for One Dimensional Alcoholic) and Olga is a Self Deluded Fairy(Slang for Naive Dreamer), he knew deep down Helga is a nice girl. And Wonderful friend, but at the age, he couldn't understand that her bullying was a Shield and a Facade.
I'd argue that Helga did receive consequences for bullying Arnold. It pushed him away, & even caused him to retaliate on rare occasions, which ultimately was the last thing she wanted. She had to put aside her fears & open up in order for him to reciprocate
Good point. Helga did hurt her own feelings due to her actions and push Arnold away from her, which were very sad consequences for her. I was thinking about external consequences like detention by Mr. Simmons or even a suspension. It seems like whenever she did something mean to Arnold everyone just laughed with her 😰
I love that! It would make sense that her bullying him would push Arnold away from her and he has his limits. So it's understandable why he'd snap and be hostile towards Helga sometimes while other times, he'd brush her off.
Yeah but that's society in general. Not trying to start political war here but most people don't care about a male's feelings. I'm all for accepting that but don't be surprised if men tend to be mean and heartless for that same reason. Cause and effect at it's finest.
yea its understandable he would not want anything to do w/ her the way she treats him
@Ellande Campbell
Yes! She pushed Arnold away and gave him the impression that she hates his guts. She's extremely lucky that Arnold was a sweet kid who always saw though everyone's walls. He saw the best in people. Not that many people in real life so that. They make judgements based on one act without getting to know someone.
I think a big reason we're drawn to Helga is because there's a little bit of her in all of us. We've all felt feelings of anxiety and frustration, and these are all reflected through Helga's experiences throughout the show.
Good point. Even if we didn't go through exactly the same issues as Helga did with her parents or sister, her anxiety and frustration are universal experiences that we've all had to deal with.
Helga to me, is one of the most well-developed and brilliant characters in cartoon history. It's so brilliant you can't help but fall in love with her.
I didn't realize this as a kid, but she's very relatable to people who sadly had a similar childhood (neglectful parents, insecurities, etc).
She's not a villain, she's just misunderstood and frustrated with having to fend for herself. She's proven over and over again that she's a good person deep down. At the end of the day, she does come though for people ( Arnold, Phoebe, Her family) and sees the error of her ways. (Making fun of Patty and humiliating Lila on her first day).
Drawn? It's the opposite, we were all repulsed lol
Sure but we dont do spitwads at people and worse. That takes a special kind of person.
I still feel bad for the way Helga gets neglected and turned down by her whole family because of Olga always getting in the way. Honestly, she deserves better than that
I feel bad for her too my dad was in the same position as her
I felt bad for her too. She's not bully, just misunderstood and frustrated with having to fend for herself.
She's proven over and over again that she's a good person and comes through for people at the end of the day. She often sees the error of her ways and learns lesson after every episode.
She just needs love and support. I'm glad she got the chance to talk to that school psychologist. She needs to do it more often for her mental health and growth.
lol we are all talking about her like she’s a real person
Yea but tbf there are plenty of people who are like this in real life.
When I was a kid, I remembered when I first watched the road trip episode where Helga called Mirriam a lousy parent. As a kid, I thought Helga was being way too harsh on Mirriam because she was trying her best to fix the situation and Helga didn’t need to make Mirriam feel worser than she already is. But watching the same episode again as both a parent and an adult who had time to fully process all of my childhood memories, I think that Helga had every right to feel the way she did about her mother and called her a lousy parent. Helga wasn’t wrong, she’s only 9 years old. She have been able to rely on her parents to take care of her. She shouldn’t have been put into situations where she had to grow up really fast, and learn how to take care of herself at a young age for her own survival.
My favorite character in the whole series, and the most tragic yet most complex character out of all of them. Helga G. Pataki truly wasn't your typical female lead for an animated show. This is what I've been waiting for since the beginning.
Helga was one of my favorites too 😊. I don't know if I've ever seen a more tragic cartoon character before. Her backstory was tragic but what's worse was that it was an ongoing struggle. We didn't just hear about her sad past, she was still living through it and it affected her and those around her. She was definitely not a typical female lead, and I think that's what made her so awesome. Hope you enjoyed the video! 👍
@@DialUpDigest I enjoyed the video very much and I was so sad to see her backstory but it was played out very well in my opinion the best episode of the series, "Helga on the Couch".
Understanding & condoning are 2 different things, & Helga is the perfect example of that. While bullying is ALWAYS wrong & should NEVER be condoned, it's understandable when you consider the circumstances. She was usually ignored at home, & laughed at when she showed affection towards Arnold, so she felt that the only way to be taken seriously was to turn into Big Bob. "Get them before they get you."
Helga is such an amazingly written character. She’s so terrified that if she acts like herself, Arnold won’t reciprocate her feelings, so she acts in a harsh and destructive way because it doesn’t matter if Arnold doesn’t love her, she’s not being real. It’s ironic that Helga probably has the purest heart out of everyone and it’s those times, when she shows her humanity, that Arnold appears to have feelings for her too. The episode ‘Married’ is so important because we see what the future would really be like, knowing that Helga is a good person and not the heartless, witch Arnold imagines. It’s so comforting to know those two will live happily ever after.
I agree, Helga was, I think, the best written character. There were so many sides to her. I loved those moments where Helga is honest and shows her humanity. I think Arnold knew she was a good person deep down and those small moments where she showed that was confirmation to him of what he already knew. I'm glad in the end, they would live happily ever after as well 😊
Yes! There is just something about Helga that the viewer cannot help but fall in love with.
In a weird twisted way, I kinda looked up to her. I was never an aggressive bully nor did I keep a shrine of my childhood crushes (lol). I just applauded her for not caring what other people thought of her. She's not afraid to be herself unlike people like Rhonda who are desperate for people's approval. She wasn't a follower at all.
Under her tough-girl act, she's a good person who comes through for people when it truly mattered. Especially for Arnold, Phoebe, and even her family who she hated.
Married is a great episode, but I think the purest love she ever showed Arnold was in the Christmas episode where she helps Arnold help find Mr. Hyunns daughter. Giving up the gift she wanted the most for Arnold, love like that just doesn’t exist these days. Best part is at the end when Gerald tells Arnold that maybe he has a Christmas angel looking out for him, and then it switches to a happy helga outside the boarding house.
@@edwardcortez656 That is a fantastic episode and a very touching scene. It was really the first time we see Helga acting completely selfless.
@@DialUpDigest Helga the first 3 Seasons of the Show exhibited what was called "Cradle Attraction" back when I was their age in the Early 90s. Back then, Girls bullied boys because they didn't understand how to Reciprocate or Express feelings for them. I got bullied by a couple of my Female Classmates quite frequently during 1991-1992. Ultimately, Helga kept trying to mask her Infatuation those first 3 seasons believing wearing a Façade would keep her sanity from melting like ice at his presence. To her Detriment, it only caused Arnold to push himself away from going past Mutual friends, which is why he Pursued Lila, but even during S3 he deep down knew that his pursuit of her was fruitless and Futile. But Arnold himself had trouble decoding the signals that Helga kept giving him.
I think the ending of the series for Helga did send a pretty good message. I think Arnold and Helga's relationship would be rocky in places but they both are very young and I think once they grew and matured, Helga would become much more comfortable showing the goodness in her. I also think Arnold's parents would give Helga the positive attention she always craved and that would help her out a lot as well. I just love Arnold and Helga together so much lol. I literally cried tears of joy when I read that Craig said that they are both meant to be together and end up getting married with raising a family and living happily ever after.
I agree that their relationship would likely mature as they grew older. They were still really young. I agree, if her parents paid more attention to her, I think that would help make her be more authentic as well. I loved their relationship as well, and watching it as a kid I wished Helga would end up with Arnold. It's just when I looked back I started to think maybe it wasn't the best idea to show the bully marrying the person she bullied. But, Helga's circumstances were very complex, so I think its hard to be against her specifically ending up with Arnold.
@@DialUpDigest Yeah. I know what you mean. Plus I just have a soft spot for their relationship cause it reminds me of my own with my fiancée lol. Still amazing video!!
@@DialUpDigest Bartlett says in "The Patakis" Spinoff he wanted to have ready by 2003 would have mentioned Arnold directly in passing. Though there were plans for Phillip Van Dyke to reprise his role in his Young Adult voice as there would be flashbacks of Arnold. As in "The Patakis", Arnold has moved away and is living with his Mom and Dad at last. But He and Helga kept in touch via Letters and Email and AIM.
Me too! I couldn't keep from jumping up and down when I read that, and that doesn't happen too often.
I also think that Arnold's grandparents' relationship was a reflection of how Arnold and Helga's relationship would look like. So, I think that they'd be good together
Helga was a great character study in how neglect and unrequited love can torment an individual, and though she expressed herself through violence, it was made immediately clear that it was a coping mechanism from the very beginning. If Helga on the couch was the first time in the whole series that her turmoil was shown, it would have been harder to embrace her character, as all you would have seen was a bully, not a girl who put on an aggressive front to cover up her feelings of inadequacy.
When I was a kid, I remembered when I first watched the road trip episode where Helga called Mirriam a lousy parent. As a kid, I thought Helga was being way too harsh on Mirriam because she was trying her best to fix the situation and Helga didn’t need to make Mirriam feel worser than she already is. But watching the same episode again as both a parent and an adult who had time to fully process all of my childhood memories, I think that Helga had every right to feel the way she did about her mother and called her a lousy parent. Helga wasn’t wrong, she’s only 9 years old. She have been able to rely on her parents to take care of her. She shouldn’t have been put into situations where she had to grow up fast, and learn to take care of herself at a young age for her own survival.
I’ve just realised I’m a real life Helga
The most well-developed female in nickelodeon history.
I agree 👍. She was very well-developed, there should be more well-developed female characters.
Hey Arnold Episode: Helga on the couch 🛋️
Characters
Helga 🎀
Dr.bliss
Minor characters
Principal wartz 🏫
Brainy 👊
Arnold 🏈
Gerlad 💕
Harold 🌀
Olga 🤩
Phoebe 😈
Bob 🏆
Miriam 🍸
Sid 😵
Stinky ❤️
Rhonda 💅
Eugene 🌈
Sheena ☮️
Shes a terrible person.
um, atla?
@@DialUpDigest it’s sad that there’s still a shortage of great well rounded female characters!
I’d argue she’s the true protagonist of the series purely because she undergoes a much more noticeable change than Arnold over 5 seasons. Arnold goes through little subtle changes in maturity from season to season but he was always a good kid, whereas Helga’s changes are much more noticeable by the end.
I agree, Helga was the character who underwent the most change. Arnold is assumed to be the main character, but you're right, overall he doesn't actually really change, aside from subtle changes. He's always the same good natured kid he was from the beginning. I wish Arnold did have some more character development. I seems like he didn't have anything he needed to work on throughout the series.
@@DialUpDigestbut it makes sense that Helga is the main character because the shows called Hey Arnold which is exactly what we see Helga saying constantly throughout the opening theme, idk I can't look at the name of the show without hearing Helga say it xD
Finally, a character analysis on my favorite "Hey Arnold" character who I've been dying to hear about since forever
Hope you enjoyed it James! 😊
Their time apart during "The Patakis" would be good for Helga (& even Arnold). She'd have to "find herself" without him, & (in my opinion) that's when their relationship would become healthy
I think helga has a beutiful soul just as Arnold, but she acts the way she does because of the way her family ignore her and she don't want to be bullied by anyone, so she bullieds everyone as a sign of scared but inside she is a sweet girl who screams for help and her love for Arnold makes her not give up and continue with her life.
Helga deep down is a good person, but was hurting and was lashing out because of it. She showed great qualities and did good deeds in secret. in the arnold's christmas episode she (in secret) helped to get mr, hyans daughter to come. Helga is second protaganist to Arnold.
I like how she did those good deeds in secret. She didn't need recognition to do the right thing, she just did it because she wanted to.
As a kid, I had such mixed feelings about Helga but as an adult, I absolutely love her! 😁 I never realized how intelligent and clever she is. One of my favorite moments of Helga is when she gets four free tickets to some French restaurant. She bluntly tells Phoebe they're going and "You're gonna invite Gerald and ask him to invite a *friend* . See?" Knowing full well that Gerald would of course ask Arnold before anyone else (since they're best buds and all), Arnold won't go without him and how Phoebe feels about Gerald.
Damn she's good 😂
Lol, Helga was so clever. She knew Gerald would invite Arnold so she didn't even have to risk inviting him herself. Exactly, Helga probably knew Phoebe liked Gerald, so it worked for her too 😆
well as an adult i see her breaking into his house as disturbing. however helping finding Mai for Arnold's Christmas was beautiful. shes a complex character but we all can relate to her; we all have our frustrations and strong feelings
Oh ! I always loved her, even as a kid, just for different reasons.
-As a kid, I loved her mainly cause she was hilarious and her storyline with Arnold was both adorable and entertaining.
As an adult, I can see how relatable she is to people in her situation. As an adult, you tend to empathize and have a deeper understand if why she is that way that she is.
@@DialUpDigest didn’t helga tell phoebe she liked Gerald by helga calling him Geraldo and that’s when phoebe corrected her and said it’s Gerald helga If I’m not mistaken
"As a kid, I had such mixed feelings about Helga" but who didn't when they were kids? XD
The funny thing with Helga is that she is completely overlooked for her sister, yet Helga is portrayed as extremely intelligent (she did brag about flunking a math test once, but that can be attributed to not caring) and is actually very pretty the few times she takes her appearance seriously.
I agree Jack, Helga was very smart. She almost won a spelling bee competition and she got the highest mark since Olga in an aptitude test once. Her intelligence was overlooked, but I think she knew she was smart and was confident in her abilities.
@@DialUpDigest that would probably make Helga more resentful of her parents fawning over Olga constantly praising her accomlitments and neglecting Helga when she's proved to be just as illetegent
I agree, I’ve always thought that Helga had above an average intelligence for her age, even if you take away the Spelling Bee and Aptitude Test. She’s a gifted poet and has an extensive vocabulary when writing, and she was able to remember all of her lines for Romeo and Juliet in just one night! It kind of make sense on why Helga and Phoebe are best friends, it’s like they connect with each other better than their other class peers because of their high intelligences.
What's more tragic is we see the person she would have been had she gotten the parental attention she deserved in Arnold Visits Arnie. She would have been a nice and very sweet girl who was also a literature prodigy. But because she was so neglected and became so angry by it, she couldn't show that sweetness without fear of the worst. Helga was definitely the top character with solid character development. Arnold stayed the same nice and caring kid whereas Helga became nicer and more compassionate when realizing her anger-fueled actions had consequences and she had to learn to deal/accept her feelings (including platonic friendships like with Phoebe) unless she wanted to end up totally alone in the end. Helga is a very complex yet real character, which is why we all love her. She isn't a Mary Sue who could no wrong by any means, which made her relatable to complicated people like us.
Good point 👍. In Arnold Visits Arnie we see how she could have been. Her character was very influenced by her upbringing, it's sad how she turned out the way she did. At least she was referred to therapy so she could work to heal. I agree, Helga did become nicer as the series progressed. She showed character development that other characters like Arnold didn't really show. I liked how Helga was flawed and was working towards being better. It made her relatable and a more interesting character to watch.
One of the reasons I loved Helga as a character was because it was nice and refreshing to see another proud tomboy, it was was relatable to me because I was a tomboy as a child
I was a bit of a tomboy myself! 😊
I was never really a girly girl as a kid but I wasn't that tomboyish either because I wasn't athletic(except in frisbee). My main interests as a kid were comics and video games.
@@stephj505 you were a tomboy then!
🙂 Same here. I was a Tomboy growing up and I loved how despite it, Helga still wore pink like me and enjoyed some girl things. One of my favorite episodes about Helga was the Slumber party Rhonda had. It made me happy how Helga helped the girls realize they were way too young for the makeup beauty treatment junk they were trying. Especially for nine year old girls
@@pyxn420 that wouldn't matter now since video games and comic books are both enjoy by girls and boys.
Also being girlish and boyish can co exist in a person
Actually it wasn’t unrequited. Keep down, inside, the love was requited. Inside, Helga’s love for Arnold wasn’t unrequited. You can see that the feelings were mutual-that the feeling was mutual SUBSCONSCIOUSLY in the episodes “Arnold Visits Arnie” and “Married” respectively. He even sprayed water and winked at her in “Table For Four” at the end―and in “Summer Love”, after Helga told Arnold that warning him was the right thing to do and couldn’t let “Summer” take adventage of him, he gave her a very loving smile… Even in “Arnold Visits Arnie”, he was fed up by the fact that the country version of Lila―not Diliah!―called “Lulu”-was pratically SPRAYING her attention all over Arnold and all Arnold wanted was the attention of the country version of Helga “Hilda”. Even when he and Hilda first met, he gave her his smile with the eyes romantically with the eyelids slightly on the eyes, half-closed ‑‑ like in “Summer Love”―the same eyes-the same exact eyes! Also, in the ending of Arnold’s “nightmare” in the episode “Married” ‑ at the end of Arnold’s “nightmare”, Helga almost confessed her love for Arnold, which was stopped by his looks-like-him, “hey, Arnold”‐ringing alarm clock. He subconsiciously knew Helga’s true feelings for him. Even the “ “Hey Arnold!” Wiki” says that Arnold is subsconsiously in love with Helga by the episodes “Arnold Visits Arnie” and “Married”!
Interesting suggestion. I think Arnold thought Helga's tough persona was an act and he thought deep down she was kind and just a kid like him. That's how I interpreted his actions like when he sprayed Helga with the hose in the episode, "Dinner for Four" and whenever he would say, "Whatever you say Helga, whatever you say...". But you do bring up good points, there is a lot of evidence that shows Arnold may have subconsciously had feelings for Helga too. Maybe he repressed those feelings because Helga was so mean to him so maybe a part of him liked her but another part really didn't like her. In the Jungle Movie, Arnold admits that after Helga confessed her love for Arnold in the first movie, he didn't want to believe it, probably because her actions were so different from what he expected someone to act when they liked someone. So I think after the movie, he was trying to process what she said but it was confusing for him.
@@DialUpDigest Arnold being confused after Helga's confession would explain why it took him more than a year to give her an answer.
I always thought she kept the link bow because of Arnold, too.
I've loved her when she was kind to people (most of the time against her instincts). Showing she had a heart underneath it all helped me like her (I'm not a fan of the bullying because they like you trope)
I loved seeing her nice to others too - it was her being authentic which was so refreshing to see. It was brave of her to show that side, unlike when she was bullying others, which was her easy, go-to default behavior.
I really want a season 6 i want to see how much Helga has matured after the jungle movie
Same here. I wonder how Helga and Arnold's relationship would be like.
While I think that Helga would find a better balance as she gets older (due to the influence of Arnold, Phoebe & Dr. Bliss), she'd always be stubborn & have somewhat of a temper
I see Helga growing out of being a bully as well, but still keeping some of her tendencies.
I so see her ending up like Arnold's grandma. While Gertie mellowed out as an adult, you can see she still has a temper too like when Phil asked if she made watermelon for dinner again 😂
@@LilyZerep I can picture her & Arnold owning the boarding house. After 1 or 2 warnings, she'd probably do this to the boarders if they didn't pay their rent: ua-cam.com/video/ZomwVcGt0LE/v-deo.html
Yep, I can totally imagine Helga mellowing out as a teen. Her classmates(except for Arnold, Gerald, and Phoebe) may still annoy her but she'll most likely replace her violent tendencies with sharp tongued comebacks.
@@stephj505 I can picture Helga and Gerald eventually developing a brother and sister type of relationship. There may be some sharp tongued comebacks back & forth (especially from Helga), but I think they'd ultimately have each other's backs
The only reason I can't entirely sympathize with Helga in regards to Brainy stalking her, is due to the fact that she stalks Arnold to the same intense degree. Breaking into his house, stealing his things, she even watched him get undressed once while she was stuck behind his couch. She's getting a taste of her own medicine, and whaddya know...she doesn't like it. A bit of a double standard there, don't you think?
Helga and Brainy both stalked so I would say they were both in the wrong for that. But I don't think she deserved to be stalked as pay back for her own stalking. I don't think two wrongs make a right.
@@DialUpDigest I'm not saying she deserved it, I'm saying she's getting a taste of her own medicine. You expect people to sympathize with Helga for something that she's doing herself at a much more intense degree. Yes, Brainy follows her around and breathes down her neck (and obviously that's wrong), but there's no such scene of him watching her undress without her knowledge, he never sabotages her, he never breaks into her home etc. All of these things, Helga is repeatedly guilty of with Arnold. And yet, she has no self awareness about it. I can't entirely sympathize with her because of this.
People see Helga as a sympathetic/tragic figure (and I agree to an extent), but if the genders were reversed with Helga and Arnold, Helga would be talked about all over Twitter, and the show would never see the light of day again for showcasing creepy behavior like this to kids.
@@PeninsulaPaintings yeah but most of time she sneaks into his house to get something she leave at his house
All valid points, and if we weren’t talking about Helga I’d agree with you. However, I have experienced intense feelings for one person for many, MANY years since I was 10 (I’m almost 30), and I have more sympathy than contempt for her. I can’t tell you how happy I was to be around him, to the point where all I wanted was to be around him. I was sorely tempted to stalk this person because of my feelings and my life circumstances. The reason why I felt this way? The rest of my life was so neglectful and abusive, and when it wasn’t my parents it was both of my sisters doing this to me. I’m not used to feelings of happiness, but I hold onto them just to survive. However, I’m not aggressive; in fact I’m just the opposite - I’m a doormat because I know, deep down, I’m not good enough for him, and to avoid rejection I allow him to walk all over me. So in a way I admire Helga’s straightforwardness and aggression. True, she took things too far, but which is healthier? Abuse and neglect does weird things to your brain.
@@PeninsulaPaintings
I think Helga would already be talked over all of twitter because it isn’t right in matter what gender you are.
She is one of the most complex characters in cartoon history. She's truly a flawed and tragic figure. On the outside Hegla is a tough bullying aggressive and short tempered girl who uses violence and her belligerent personality to get her own way but on the inside is a girl who wants to be loved and who suffers from neglect and parental love. Her main issues came from being completely ignored and overlooked by her parents because of their favoritism of her older sister. All Hegla want is to be loved. She truly loves Arnold but her own anger and personality makes it harder for her to do.
I agree, Helga was very complex. She had many sides to her but her outer personality and inner personality were so contrasting it was like night and day. It was amazing how she could switch from being aggressive and angry to being poetic and emotional. It was sad to watch her struggle with showing her emotions. Her parents poured all their effort into raising Olga, they completely ignored Helga. You're right, all Helga wanted was to be loved. When Arnold was nice to her at Preschool, it was probably the first time she felt like someone cared. She then became obsessed with him because she longed to have that loving relationship she never had.
@@DialUpDigest Agreed.
@@jrewing1512 I was 13 when Hey Arnold premiered on Wednesday October 7,1996 about a month after Tupac's murder. Every kid I knew liked Helga, they understood how much of a Complex Character she is and how insecure and quite a Romantic she actually really is. For a Xennial like me, Helga was what every Girl at my Middle school was at 9 years of age. They ALL related to her.
Love this!
I’m so glad u covered Helga.
She was definitely the most interesting character of Hey Arnold.
Thank you! Yes, I think she was the most interesting one too 😊
Yes!
One thing I do admire about Helga, which is didn't realize as a kid is, she's wasn't afraid to be herself. She wasn't a follower, she was upfront and honest about her feelings (except her feelings for Arnold lol).
Hi.
Helga was to "Hey Arnold!" what Zuko was to "Avatar: The Last Airbender"
Except Zuko didn't have a crush on Aang. XD
@@stephj505 Fair point. Zuko's obsession was "HONOR!"
You just blew my mind with that one🤯👍🏾
@@scorpiojedi3016 I spend way too much time thinking about stuff like this
@@stephj505 I think Arnold is the Katara of "Hey Arnold!" (mature, voices of reason, strong moral compasses [to the point of occasionally being "wet blankets"], big hearts who are stubborn in regards to fighting for what they believe in, parents who aren't there [for various reasons], etc.). When I came to that conclusion, that's when I started to ship "Zutara"
Helga may have not known it but she was on par with her sister in everything: Schoolwork, athletics, confidence. The only problem is she never got approval from her parents for it. At the end of the jungle movie, Arnold realizes that Helga was acting mean because she loved him but he didn't want to accept it but after what she did for Arnold in the jungle movie, as what you said, it made up for all the times she was mean.
I think Helga did know she was talented, but she didn't want to boast about it. Her parents didn't recognize it either so it was easy for her to not acknowledge it publicly.
i often think about that as well!! if the roles were reversed, would we still cheer on this relationship dynamic? i often think that we give it a pass because the one who’s obsessing is a girl and it’s perceived as “cute”.
however, brainy is sort of doing the same kinda actions. (stalking, and having no sense of boundaries). yet we see it as creepy. i’m happy that you brought this up at the end of this episode because i don’t see their relationship as healthy. maybe arnold have some trauma from the constant bullying and harassment that he had to endured. also, would a relationship with arnold fix helga’s fear of intimacy? this spawned a whole lotta questions, honestly. amazing episode as always!
Honestly, I don't think their relationship would truly be healthy until after Arnold would return from San Lorenzo. Helga would be forced to "find herself", instead of her entire identity revolving around him.
Thank you! I thought it was an interesting question because, as you mentioned, I think some would give this dynamic a pass because it's a girl obsessing over a guy. It's perceived in a different way compared to if it were a guy bullying, stalking and obsessing over a girl. Some could say the girl's behaviors are cute, while if a boy did the same thing it would be creepy or even criminal if he's old enough. This is exactly what we saw with Brainy.
Good point, maybe Arnold does have trauma from the constant bullying and harassment. Plus, he has his own struggles with not having his parents in his life so he is also dealing with sadness and longing for love just like Helga.
That's a good question, I don't know if Arnold could make Helga less afraid of intimacy, but it would force her confront that fear. It's a good thing she now has Dr. Bliss to talk to about her feelings!
Thanks for watching, I appreciate your support! 😊
@@ellandecampbell6279 i totally agree with you on that aspect. helga finding herself would be difficult for her i’m assuming. arnold has always been her muse and now that the chase is over, who is helga? other than her love and fondness for arnold, who is she outside of that?
i heard rumors that another season of hey arnold is in the works, and i’m so excited for that! i really hope they take a deep dive into that, now that helga is with arnold.
@@DialUpDigest i really appreciate the content! i always had a soft spot for “hey arnold” and these analysis videos has helped me see the students in a different perspective. this one has to be my favorite because you went further with helga than just her obsession with arnold.
@@sofyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy Honestly, I think the chase would be the other way around. I think Helga would still be insecure enough to have doubts because Arnold didn't say the words (so, as a result, she'd convince herself that the kiss was only because of gratitude instead of Arnold having legitimate feelings for her). Also, I don't think that Helga would look to find herself until "The Patakis". IMO, she wouldn't confront that issue until Arnold is physically not in her life
When I imagine potential careers for an older Helga, I think the 2 obvious ones are writer/poet (duh), & lawyer. However, I wonder if Dr. Bliss's impact on her could lead her to become a child psychologist
Helga definitely had a bright future ahead. I could see becoming a psychologist as well.
@@DialUpDigest Maybe Helga will be a lawyer or cop and only do writing as a side hobby.
Maybe Helga will be a lawyer or cop and only do writing as a side hobby.
@@stephj505 I didn't really consider the idea of her being a cop, but she certainly enjoyed it during "Career Day".
Edit: My dirty mind is now imagining Helga & "Dark Arnold" having access to handcuffs
@@stephj505 I could see her continuing writing as a hobby. She seemed to enjoy it a lot and she was so skilled.
You have to feel sorry for Helga. Her parents treated her like she was invisible. Olga was always looked at as the perfect daughter while Bob and Miriam acted like Helga was a problem. The only reason Helga was so obsessed with Arnold was because he was the only person who noticed her and treated her with kindness. Olga cared about her but she often went about it the wrong way like becoming her teacher to get close to her.
Helga's story was so sad. At least she ended up with Arnold in the end 😊
@@DialUpDigest yes she did also it's a good thing she is getting help dr bliss to
When I was a kid, I remembered when I first watched the road trip episode where Helga called Mirriam a lousy parent. As a kid, I thought Helga was being way too harsh on Mirriam because she was trying her best to fix the situation and Helga didn’t need to make Mirriam feel worser than she already is. But watching the same episode again, as both a parent and an adult, who’d had time to fully process all of my childhood memories, My original opinions have completely change. Helga had every right to feel the way she did about her mother and she was justified when called Miriam a lousy parent. Helga made a great point, she’s only 9 years old. She should have been able to rely on her parents to take care of her. She shouldn’t have been put into situations where she had to grow up fast, and learn to take care of herself, especially at a young age! As a parent, I would’ve absolutely hated myself if I’ve ever put my children through all of that!
Helga’s Masquerade was a fun episode. It was really cool how Helga looked like Lila at Rhonda’s costume party. Very neat.
The pigtails really suited her 😃
Do you think it would’ve made a good halloween episode?
Helga is definitely one of my favs along with Rhonda and Gerald! And I feel so bad for her when she’s barely noticed by her own parents 😞 it breaks my heart
Same here Alexis, Helga was an amazing character 😊. I'm surprised Helga's parents didn't recognize they were neglecting Helga until Helga was noticeably upset like in the episode, "Beeper Queen". Their actions were so clearly neglect watching them from an outsider's point of view.
@@DialUpDigest definitely! And thanks for doing Helga by the way! :)
I would have loved to make a 90s cartoon where her voice actor voiced a character, Franny is super talented with Helga and Ashley B.
My brother and I like to call helga a tsundere.
I think that fits her pretty well! She definitely grew to become more friendly as the series progressed.
@@DialUpDigest yea we also joke about her killing lila.
@@Hanako-Kun-t9b why would you?
Helga has always been a tsundere.
Helga is my fav character, she was written marvelously as a character plus she is the most relatable character.
Olga was loved by her parents cause she was a straight A student that her dad could brag about and probably reminded Miriam of herself before she messed up her life by marrying Big Bob. Helga is the daughter they ignore cause she is a lot more like Big Bob which is why Miriam probably ignores Helga so much. Big Bob does care about Helga he just has a hard time showing his true emotions just like Helga does.
That's an interesting point - maybe Helga is ignored because she was similar to Big Bob. I've never thought of that, but it makes sense. Miriam distanced herself from Helga like she wishes she could do to her husband. Helga and Big Bob were really similar, especially in the episode, "Quantity Time".
"You make my girlhood tremble " damn helga get a mop gorl😳
I know right. 😂😳
She couldn’t be thirstier if she were stranded in the Sahara. Dang girl you are literally 9 take a chill pill.
YESSS I'm so glad you finally did a video on my favorite character of one of my favorite cartoons. Thank you for going in depth once again!💜💜
You're welcome Indya! 😊 My pleasure, Helga was one of my favorites too! 👍
The running gag of Helga punching Brainy is always hilarious
Is nobody gonna talk about how helga had an amazing sense of direction as a four year old, and when she walked by herself to preschool she could've gotten abducted
Must’ve been walking distance across the street or something.
Yes finally you did Helga!
I love this and obviously she’s my favorite character who I can relate to. I do feel like she should’ve apologized but I heard that some scene got cut before TJM got aired but hopefully when we get HA season 6 she could apologize then
Thank you Jazmyn! 👍 Exactly, hopefully if we get a season 6, Helga could finally apologize! Poor Arnold 😕
@@DialUpDigest I read so many fanfics where she did apologize to Arnold to being their relationship on a healthy note. Also I like towards the end of the series she acted more nice compared to the beginning of the series
I didn't relate to Helga as a kid, but as an adult, I definitely do. In my 30s, I've come to realize that my upbringing wasn't a very healthy one and one thing that I really like about Helga's story is her relationship with her family because of how real it feels. She's frustrated with her alcoholic mother, her emotionally neglectful father, and her openly favoured sister, but she still loves them. That's what it's like to come from an unstable family; sometimes you hate them, sometimes you love them, but at the end of the day they're still your family.
I feel like she and Arnold will grow up, get together, get married, and have babies. Her parenting style will be opposite of her parents, she'll make her babies feel loved and make sure they aren't left out (contrary to her being left out in her childhood). Arnold will do the same thing and make sure to let them know that he will never leave them.
I agree Lisa, I can see Helga being a very attentive and caring mother because she knows how much she was hurt by her parents' neglect. I can see Arnold being the same way because he didn't even have his parents in his life during his childhood.
I hope that Helga will change her last name to Shortman instead of hyphenating it because I don't want the teachers at P.S. 118 to freak out if her future child attends the school.
@@DialUpDigest Helga would obviously grew up to be a Guidance Counselor because "Helga on The Couch" sorta implies that Helga realizes that she's not alone and that there were other girls just like her with similar issues, thus when she grows up, she decides to become a Guidance Counselor so she can help other little girls that had the same issues she had.
I also believe that Arnold and Helga end up only having sons together. No Daughters, thus it becomes more passionate for Dr. Helga G. Shortman to guide and help young girls.
As for Arnold, its pretty obvious he becomes a Forensic Pathologist. The Story Phil told him about his Parents Miles and Stella leaves an impact on him. His Parents are into Pathology, thus its his destiny to become one just like them and study Pathogens.
Helga also shows the depth of her love in Arnold's Christmas ♡
She really went out of her way to make sure Arnold had his Christmas wish come true!
@@DialUpDigest I remember watching it when it first Premiered! Wednesday December 18,1996!
I am an Aquarius ♒ and I have characteristics very similar to hers. I sometimes come off as rude. I am a rebel as well. I tend to try to run from my emotions. The same way she does. I can relate to the part where she feels left out. Because my parents don't pay much attention to me either. They do when I need something but that's just about it. Sometimes my mom gives me advice. My friends do come to me for advice. I do pick on some of my friends. To hide my feelings for my boyfriend. Yes he knows how I feel. It's just hard for me to express that most of the time. I can relate to her in many ways. Whenever I was in school I would pick on those who bullied me. I bullied back just to stick up for my emotions. If any of my friends was bullied I would stick up for them. People tend to think I am uncaring or that I don't anything they so for me. Or anything they buy for me. So they stop paying attention to me. It's just I have a hard time showing them when I feel appreciated or not. I am also very blunt and hard headed. When I like someone I will stolk them on the internet. Not to be nosy only to just find out more about them. I do write poems myself. I rely myself as well as others. But sometimes I don't rely on anyone. I do hurt the ones I love. Because I don't know how to show them I care without being rude. I show I care by giving them advice or helping them with whatever they need help with. I used to go to counseling too for my anxiety and my emotions. I am the kind of person that doesn't like talking about my emotions. I don't like being teased or pushed around. Instead I push others around. But those who hurt me. Just for my protection. I guard my emotions a lot. Just like her their are times I can be a quite person. And just hangout in my room by myself. I express myself with poems. Once when I was in High School I showed my teacher my poem and he loved it. I do have lack of attention. And deep down inside I care. I just have that I don't care kind of attitude. Which some people find it annoying or just plain out rude. I do boss my friends around too! I do what I want to do. And have everything go that way. I don't like a lot of girly stuff. Yes I wear makeup but not always. Pink is one of my favorite colors. And I have a unibrow because once I had a little peice of hair I between my brow. I shaved it and then the hair grew back longer. So now I have a unibrow. Do not shave between your eyebrows. Instead go get them waxed. And the funny things is my boyfriend reminds me of a lot of Arnold. Because he's kind and sweet. But my boyfriend teases me back as well. Except he doesn't care if I pick on him. He thinks it's cute. Now sometimes he does think it can be annoying.
Wow, you have a lot of similarities with Helga! 😊 It's nice that your mom gives you advice even though sometimes she doesn't pay attention to you. I think not being able to express one's emotions is a common problem. Sometimes it's just tough to put your feelings into words. That's good you're getting counselling to help with your anxiety and emotions 👍 Wow you write poems, like pink and have a unibrow just like Helga! That's so cool 😎. And your boyfriend is like Arnold, now that's even more amazing ✨
I'm a Pisces and they and Aquarians are quite compatible. XD
Brilliant video! Thank you for all the effort involved. This one must have been one of your most difficult. It's so hard to think of a favourite Helga moment but it was perhaps that time she fell through the ceiling of Arnold's room with a cassette tape in her mouth and the boys are all there. I had to delay watching until I finally got round to seeing the Jungle Movie last Sunday to avoid spoilers. I wondered what your predictions might have been for the potential direction of 'The Pataki's' spinoff series which was proposed a few years ago but never got to see the light.
Thank you Stephen! 😊 Yes, this one was my most difficult one yet, there was a lot of material to cover, and I still feel like there was more I could have said 😅. That was a great moment! I really liked it too, I actually talked about it in my "Top Helga and Arnold Relationship Moments Part 2" video. Awesome! How did you like the Jungle movie? I think The Pataki's would have been more serious and mature than Hey Arnold. I think they would have tackled more mature yet less discussed issues. Maybe they would focus on Helga just growing up and dealing with her feelings for Arnold more publicly. Maybe she even moves on from Arnold at some point. But I think there would also be a focus on her family life like in Hey Arnold, but more in depth. I think her mother's alcoholism will still be an issue and Big Bob will be the same way as well. But because I think Helga is older in this show, she is more honest about how she feels about her parents. Maybe she'll even try to help Miriam get sober.
@@DialUpDigest Thank you for your reply. I thought that the Jungle movie gave a satisfying ending to the series' while still leaving a few things unresolved. I liked all the references to various episodes together with new things. Thank you also for your thoughts on The Pataki's. It would have been interesting to see Helga develop as the actual protagonist.
Glad u got to do this video about Helga 😊
Thank you! 👍
Aaa thank you for doing an analysis on her!
You're welcome! 😊
Just found your channel and I really like it. SUBBED!
Also, "Helga on the couch" helped me feel better about going to therapy.
I'm glad you are enjoying my channel and thank you for subscribing 😊! I really liked "Helga on the Couch", it's one of my favorite episodes. It's so rare to see kids going to therapy in a kids' show, yet in real life it's so common. I think this episode was a small step to help normalize the experience for kids - one of many reasons why Hey Arnold was such an awesome show! 🌟
@@DialUpDigest you're welcome 😌 it's one of mine as well. Yes, it's very rare to see kids going to therapy on TV. I like that Hey Arnold! portrayed that and am holding out (albeit small) hope we'll see it more but who knows?
22:30 I'd like to think that when Helga (unsuccessfully) confessed her love for Arnold, he started to become even more sympathetic towards her, because deep down, he knew he was telling the truth. You could see it on his face at the end of the first movie, When she goes back to pretending to hate him, after they agreed that it never happened. But I feel like her confession made it that much easier for him to forgive her. Also, as we watch throughout the series, Arnold does notice the nice things she does for him as well as others, which leads me to believe that he saw through her bully facade a long time ago.
4:44 still one of my favorite tv moments
23:50 It's funny cause I made a genderbend version of her, named Hunor. However the design will need changes (Like facial features and clothes) but I made the design when I tried to draw humans again after a while.
I include him in reader inserts which also has the apology moments you mentioned, which I agree they were needed.
Helga is a Tsundere. That term was invented long before Hey Arnold was even thought of.
I liked when Arnold took care of her with amnesia and any time they're more tame with each other
And when she dreamed about marrying and then saving him. Hopefully she'll get to do that someday
And when she went to therapy
That was so sweet when Arnold took care of her. He was always looking out for others. I'm glad eventually Helga and Arnold ended up together. "Helga on the Couch" was a great episode.
8:12 Lila and Olga look absolutely beautiful in those nightgowns. I know this is not Helga related, but I just felt like giving a compliment.
11:56 when I saw the Arnold sculpture in that color, it made me realize he looks a little like Ickis from Ahhhhh Real Monsters since it’s the same color. I guess Ickis is also a football head!
Oh ya! 😮 That color does look similar to Ickis, and he does have somewhat of a football head too 😆
Damn I like how you're VERY on point on every strength she have her intelligence, lesdership and etc. was easily overlook out her being meany bully!
“They’re gonna have to answer to Old Betsy.” Funny line.
Helga used to scare me when I was 6. Lol
Helga had some of the best lines in the show 😅
@@DialUpDigest But that didn't stop me from being afraid of Helga when I was 6. Lol
Back then, I thought Helga was an older Angelica Pickles. Lol
@Stephanie Jimenez That makes sense. They would’ve been best friends.
Thank you for this you did a fantastic job on it .
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it! 😊
It's interesting how Harold is supposed to be 3 years older than the rest of his class, and was still in preschool with them. YOU DON'T GET HELD BACK IN PRESCHOOL! Also unlike Helga, his bullying wavered as the series went on, and eventually disappeared.
That was very strange how we saw Harold in preschool with them. It doesn't make any sense. I'm glad Harold's bullying ways subsided, Helga was enough for the show 😅
Honestly, they probably just forgot that he was supposed to be older
Okay, you won me back with the role reversals
😊 Glad you enjoyed my take on their relationship 🌟
We need more shows like this today. Or at least these shows on reruns
“I like your bow because it’s pink like your pants.” 🎀
Helga is definitely a relatable character. That's why I like her so much. Even though just like Arnold when I met my boyfriend and he was being so kind to me. I just instantly fell for his charm. My family tends to judge me. They can sometimes be kind to me. But not always. I am used to it. Because I stay copped up in my room or I hangout with my friends. Or I'm on the phone with my boyfriend. I love Arnold though he's so sweet and kind. As well as a gentleman. My boyfriend is also a gentleman. Which is so sweet. I do call my boyfriend names like hey goofball. Or quit being a dodo bird. I call him silly goose sometimes. But I call anyone a silly goose or a dodo bird. But goofball is what I call my boyfriend. Everyone else is silly goose or dodo bird. It's actually not nice to call someone a dodo bird because you calling them stupid. Nor is it nice to call someone a goofball. It's okay to call someone a silly goose though because that just means you are teasing them. But calling people names like dodo bird or goofball is very mean. Yet I do it anyway! Sometimes I call people a knucklehead. That's mean too! Lol
Helga was so related for girls her age who had a crush. Sure she was a little extreme, but sometimes I think she was just very eloquent. That's nice how your boyfriend is a gentlemen. lol, "Silly Goose" 🦆. I think it's fine to say that if the person you're saying it to knows its a joke.
@@DialUpDigest Heh yeah I totally agree. Yeah silly goose is nicer to say than saying goofball. Because you are basically calling them stupid. It's very sweet how my boyfriend is. Our relationship so reminds me of Helga and Arnold. Because are playful with each other. Like with the joking yes and he doesn't mind that I am rude sometimes. I can relate to her obessesion. Except I don't have a shrine of my boyfriend. Even though tbh that does sound romantic and cute. I watched the reruns as a kid. As well as when I was a teenager. And as an adult. Lol 🤣 I still think it's funny how I am with my boyfriend. I will seem mice one moment and rude the next. I even dress up on dates. I end up being romantic sometimes I come off as shy or really rude. But that's just in my nature. My mom doesn't like that I am rude to him then I will turn around and be nice. Because she would make me be nice. I talk about him all the time. Yes sometimes I do say how I feel well since I feel comfortable with him. Before I didn't tell him how I felt because I was scared of rejection. Now I'm not scared of being rejected. He makes me happy. Even if sometimes want to punch someone in the face. He is they only guy who noticed me for being myself. Other guys would tease me. I rejected every boy. But I didn't reject him.
@@DialUpDigest I am the kind of person that acts like I don't care. To the point people think I do appreciate anything. When really I do care. I just don't know how to show it. 😕
@@breannehardwick1571 Yes, Hey Arnold is one of those shows that people of all ages can enjoy. Sometimes it's tough to express one's feelings. I can relate to that. That's great your boyfriend makes you happy! :)
I also think a big part of why she's loved so much is she's not perfect
She doesn't have perfect looks
She doesn't have a perfect attitude
Her grades and other accomplishments are overshadowed by Olga
She has an anger issue and is physically violent
She doesn't even have perfect apologies despite actually being sincere
But she also has occasional redeeming qualities that makes her unique
I think she's one of the first female characters who is extremely boyish (she's at times the only girl in boys only episodes) but is simultaneously the girliest of the show as well.
She might not have the prettiest and most feminine face and physique but her fashion is anything but boyish. He demeanor at times like when she walks and talks makes her look like a character like Harold should be moving and talking like her, but the moment she thinks about Arnold while she's alone... She becomes extremely feminine, she changes the way she talks by making a poem completely on the fly and you'll rarely see her do the "bully walk" and we would usually see her twirling and making melodramatic gestures, and this is probably one of the obvious giveaways that makes her a fascinating character.
Helga - Football Head
Angelica - Dumb Babies
Vicky - Twerp
😆
@@DialUpDigest Don't forget kid Gertie's nickname "chin boy" to Phil.
And I'm glad that you made this video I really want to know more Helga
Thanks Cassyluv! Helga is such an complex character, it was fun going through everything that makes her stand out from the others.
Wow that speech at the end about how she coped in the best way she could. It makes me think of an ex that had suffered some severe trauma early in his teens, and he coped by getting a bunch of girls to like him, even if he wasn't interested that way. I was one of the unfortunate victims, who had just come off the heels of a bad relationship at just 15, so him coming along to effectively just foster his own ego wasn't good.
But, like Helga, he had his better side. I don't think he was a bad person. I think he was just extremely damaged and didn't get the help he needed. Thus he coped in the only he could which in turn hurt those around him. As far as your commentary about Helga effectively being rewarded for her bad behavior by still getting the guy, I do agree. Regardless of her motivations, it doesn't excuse being a relentless jerk to people. I know love makes us do crazy things, but Arnold seems to be a forgiving soul. Wish we could've gotten the Helga spin off because we could've seen her growth and healing with the therapist. It's amazing how much someone can improve by just talking to someone that is willing to listen.
Thank you for sharing your experience! It must have been difficult going through that. I love how Hey Arnold was able to show these complex relations between people to a kid audience. A Helga spin off would have been amazing!
Great video on Helga. I learned a lot.
Thank you Christopher! 😊 Glad you enjoyed it! 👍
@@DialUpDigest I did! Thanks!
I'd say Helga had it ROUGH at home-- parents who weren't emotionally available plus a seemingly "perfect" sister. (I liked Olga's debut when she talked about feeling like a wind-up doll in order to remain "perfect" in the eyes of others. After that, it seemed like she was ditzy and annoying to me). Anywho, with Big Bob being stuck on his beeper empire and Miriam being addicted to "smoothies", I can see why Helga is angry most of the time and why her love for arnold is really obsession due to her craving the love that her family neglected to give her. Plus (and no one can convince me otherwise) she was verbally abusive to Phoebe.
I agree, Helga had a rough home life. Everyone in her family had their own problems and Helga was ignored her whole life. I agree, Helga's love for Arnold comes from being deprived of love by her family and seeking that from the first person who showed her kindness when she was in preschool. She was verbally abusive to Phoebe.
Though I'm a little more forgiving to Miriam for her neglect than I am to Bob because Miriam's alcoholism was most likely caused by her crappy marriage with Bob.
Arnold had her weak in the knees. She is so relatable 😂
❤
Though not often, she is sometimes relatable.
🤣🤣
Helga's bullying is definitely a classic case of reaction formation. While the feelings are genuine, love being disguised as violence can be destructive. If this was real life, that might even manifest to criminal behaviors like physical assault. I know Im exaggerating but my pt stands that you wont have luck courting anybody by acting like an absolute jerk. I do feel sorry that her issues with her parents also contribute to her behavior, but she still had a choice to improve herself
Thankfully, Helga was able to "somewhat" control herself better.
Interesting, I've never heard of reaction formation before, thank you for sharing! I agree 100%, acting like an absolute jerk is not an effective way to getting someone to like you. Yes, Helga's parents made her life tough, but she was a smart kid who knew they were wrong to treat her poorly. It would have been worse for her if she blamed herself instead for their mistreatment.
Remember, she’s only 9 in the series, 11-12 in The Jungle Movie. She has time to redeem herself. Maybe, through her relationship with Arnold, she’ll improve. She’s a passionate person and she cares so much for Arnold. She can - and maybe will - improve.
Surely you cant have missed the clear irony of Helga, the girl that has stalked, bullied and otherwise plagued the object of her affections, in turn being regularly stalked by another who holds the same disturbing obsession for her as she holds for Arnold.
Very ironic indeed!
Waiting for the series finale was a big problem that you'd have to forget about it until or unless it finally makes its debut
Great explanation ❤. Please make MBTI analysis on each Hey Arnold character, someday. Hehe 😅😊
Thank you Fania! 😊 That's a great idea! The Hey Arnold characters are so complex, it will be fun to see how they might score on an MBTI test 👍
Your channel rocks. Keep it up!
Thank you!! 😊
Well, to be fair, Arnold has already stated that he believes she is actually a good person and protects herself with anger and meanness. She has proven herself to be there for him when it really counted, like she did in both movies. There's also no way to tell how their relationship progresses after The Jungle Movie as they abruptly end right after Arnold returns her feelings. Also, Helga has a hard time opening up due to her upbringing. Her parents never understood her and her father discouraged expression of emotions from her. Because this openness was never fostered, she struggles to tell how she truly feels inside, even to her best friend or an impartial third party like Dr. Bliss.
Interesting suggestion. I think stalking in any case is wrong, but I'm surprised Helga didn't realize how Arnold was annoyed with her just like she was annoyed with Brainy.
@@DialUpDigest I'm not justifying the stalking. I'm saying that he knew deep down that her bullying was actually an armor for her inner self. I also think she knew exactly how her behavior affected Arnold. She berated herself constantly when she thought she was alone, wanting to be nicer to him and not to drive him away. However, young kids in real life do this. I remember lashing out when kids bullied me. She also was mean to Arnold as a way to go against what Harold and their classmates said. If she looked like she hated Arnold, then she couldn't POSSIBLY like him, right? The only problem was that plenty of more observant characters could actually see right through her attempts to fool everyone.
@@flashfrozen7401 You're right, you're not justifying stalking. I just realized I posted the reply under the wrong comment XD. Sorry about that, and thank you for clarifying. Here's my actual response:
I agree, Arnold always saw in the good in others, and even through Helga's tough exterior he saw through it. He knew it was all just an act even through all that she put him through, he observed her acts of kindness and knew there was more to her than she made it seem. Exactly, when it really mattered, Helga was always there for Arnold and he never forgot that. That's a good point, after the Jungle Movie, we saw a little bit of Arnold and Helga together, but the story of their future relationship is anyone's guess. It's sad how Helga's parents affected her expression of emotions.
I remember that scene during "Helga on the Couch" where he was upset at how Helga was referred to therapy. He rarely talked about how he felt and expected his family including Helga to do the same. The secrecy was damaging to their family, it was like a unspoken rule that they weren't supposed to talk about what bothered them, and just go with the flow.
I like how Helga had a close relationship with Phoebe but I wish she felt comfortable enough to speak more openly with her. Phoebe seemed like a very understanding and loyal friend, she could have listened to Helga and gave her much needed support. At least she met Dr. Bliss, who was able to break through to her like no one ever has. I can see Helga slowly becoming more open over time if she kept seeing her.
It's so unhealthy, she was mean to Arnold in public but when she was alone she was bursting with passion for him. Very true, that's how some kids are. It's not easy to express how you feel, it makes you vulnerable and the possibility of rejection could be terrifying for even adults let alone kids. Sometimes teasing is an easy way to interact with someone you like without making it obvious you like them. Even though that's obvious problematic for kids and not an appropriate way to express liking someone, that's what happens in real life.
Exactly, Helga tried to look like the opposite of someone who liked Arnold and became his bully. That started way back to preschool because of Harold and she kept up the act into the 4th grade. But you're right, her acting only fooled the non-observant characters. Others like Arnold, Phoebe and Lila were suspicious and knew she was hiding something.
@@DialUpDigest I remember when Arnold spoke to Patty about Helga. He told her that she was actually a nice person but she just said mean things as a defense. Once Patty took his advice, Patty even suspected there was something between them. Even though Helga's true feelings were often expressed in the show, I think the moments from Arnold were actually more telling. It showed that he seemed to have an interest in her, despite losing patience with her. I think The Jungle Movie was great, but I almost wish all of the original characters could've voiced their parts. I feel that the new voice actor for Arnold just didn't have enough familiarity with the character and it read a little flat. This is truly as shame as the movie was written back during the show's production. It's just that Nickelodeon didn't want to produce it and, simultaneously, refused to return the right back to Barnett. I'm just happy that it was eventually made.
This shows why Helga is the best character in the show, because she's sort of a bully and sometimes being the mean leader, but she does hide her real feelings. And she acted that she hates Arnold, but whatever she's all alone, she let her feelings go, but sometimes she is like redeemable character that she wants to help Arnold whatever he needed to be, and sometimes she would sacrifice too. But usually Helga would tries everything to get little close to Arnold like the Valentine's Day episode, babysitting the eggs, and Romeo and Juleit.
Definitely the best character on the show. Glad she is in Nickelodeon All Star Brawl.
💯
I can very much relate to Helga, though I never would project adverse actions toward those I would find myself romantically attracted to, however the level at which secrecy need be upheld leads to a self hatred, and a feeling of other will dislike you as well, such has found its means of manifesting itself since I was a young child, onward to certain individuals I feel that way toward now, not all just a certain type that would be most desirious.
I can still recall being a kid watching Hey Arnold, and my God do I greatly appreciate as an adult. A fantastic series, the absolute best series Nickelodeon ever put out in my opinion.
Would love to see them actually try and make "The Pataki's" series, so long as they get as much of the same team on the series.
Note the fact that “Obsession with Arnold” is the longest chapter…
27 Minutes of analyzing Helga good lord!!!
But in all seriousness Helga is the most interesting and in-depth character in the show. I'll admit I was never a fan of the bully character/archetype (in fact I'm still not a fan), BUT, Helga is the rare and only exception for me.
Now Hey Arnold! aired between the 90's and early 2000's so I was still young to understand most of the plots going on in the show.
But when I got older and re-watched the show, I fully understand Helga and I feel so bad for her. Being neglected at home, having to hold in your feelings, and resulting in to becoming a bully to avoid being bullied. (I'm also happy she found someone to help her and rely on like Dr.Bliss).
I also think why I like Helga more than other bully characters is because we (the viewer) knew deep down Helga was actually a good person. Heck, even Arnold knew that deep down she was a sensitive person and in the course of the show they almost kinda became friends (I say that because Helga still had her bullying tendencies, but she and Arnold had appeared to be more tolerable in later episodes).
Also, I say this as someone who actually does ship ShorTaki (Arnold x Helga), but I would like if Helga got the proper help she deserved, and becoming a better person before she got into a relationship with Arnold.
Also, it's a shame that the Pataki's spin-off was never green lit. We could've seen and gotten more development from Helga, and her family in order to see them become a more proper, or at least somewhat functional family.
But wonderful video you had put together! I loved hearing you go through the history and giving your two cents! ☺️
After the episode, "Helga on the Couch" it made us all understand the reasoning behind Helga's actions which completely changed how I saw her. I liked how they had Dr. Bliss on the show because it helped to normalize seeing a therapist as a child, which is rarely shown on kids' shows from what I've seen.
Exactly, we knew Helga was a good person deep down, but she was just struggling to show how she truly felt. I think Arnold knew it too.
I agree, as the series progressed it seemed like Arnold and Helga had a more tolerable relationship and were almost like friends.
I also think Helga should have had help before getting into a relationship with Arnold. She had a lot of issues with expressing her emotions which we saw during the Jungle Movie after her and Arnold became a couple.
The Patakis was such a great idea, I think it was mistake how it wasn't given the green light. Helga's family was so dysfunctional, it would have been nice to see them get help and slowly become a supportive and healthy family for Helga.
Thank you! 😊 Glad you enjoyed the video 👍
Really nice video, bwsides helgas story i like your editing🦆
Thank you! 😊 I always like trying new things with my editing, glad you like it!
4:46 - 4:53 It was really cool to see Helga and Bob together. It was funny how they were laughing at a stupid show.
They had a lot more in common than they thought, lol 😆
Helga is one of Nicktoons greatest and well developed female characters
“Anxiety and fear by the feeling of always being stocked?” Honey Helga wasn’t scared the sh!t besides rejection. Also she literally made shrines to her crush out of his used gum… Let’s not get all preachy here because she was like a step away from animal sacrifices and blood magic lol
Good points! ✅
Would never happen but I could see Kiernan Shipka playing a live action Helga Pataki
To be fair I was a lot like Helga back in 2010
there was a patakis show that was denied cause it was dark
I wish the Patakis had aired. Even if it was similar to Daria, it would have been it's own show and so many people would have enjoyed it.
@@DialUpDigest i know you should of included it in the video like how i wrote my version of the patakis like i'm doing for isabella from phineas and ferb
Helga was written as the main character, but the producers thought the demographic (mostly boys) at the time wouldn't gravitate towards a female main character, so Arnalds part was expanded and made into the main character. There is an interesting interview with the creators about it. Similar story with Rugrats and Angelica
"Move it, football head" 😄
Helga got so strong because she needed to be in order to survive when she was a baby
I love how brutally honest Helga is. Her thoughts and actions always reflect the ugly truth.
Been waitin on this one
Hope you enjoyed it! 😊
Helga was my Favorite Cartoon Bad School Girl who had normal feelings that made my think shows me that Blew Angelica From Rugrats out of the water because Helga was more older than Angelica on those Different Shows and I like Hey Arnold better! And I was also a Huge Ren and Stimpy Fan back in Day! I Still am.
I liked Hey Arnold better than Rugrats as well. I think it was because the kids were older and there was more depth to the show. But I enjoyed both very much.
I'm afraid I have to call you out for the bio square episode, because they did *_not_* get along very well. Helga acted as if she hated the outdoors, and wanted nothing to do with the assignment. Unfortunately, as a result, she got on Arnold's nerves to the point that they almost fought, before the greenhouse flooded.
You should make a really long like a hour video of explaining their full love story I can't find anyone on UA-cam who did it yet so it would probably prosper
Helga is the Asuka to Arnold's Shinji
Imagine putting Helga and Asuka in the same room.
*_baka intensifies_*
@@theeternalgus9119 Except Shinji is a bit wimpy and Timid, while Asuka is straight up Fiery, Feisty and Overbearing. "Baka Na Shinji-Kun".
What is funny arnold’s grandparents had a similar relationship before they got together when they were much younger I remember one episode in the series where they were looking on a full album and you know Arnold grandmother would always know. Torment his grandfather similar to the way, how good did towards Arnold but you know like you know, smack him savaging if he was interested in another girl, not sure if his grandmother kept her feelings hidden or not and another thing looking back I grew up watching the series looking back. The only three people who truly cared about Helga is Arnold Phoebe and her sister Olga, and innocent Olga. Their parents weren’t very good parents to either one of them go had to sell everything and make sure her life was pure, pure, perfect and not have ever had a chance to be her true self and with the age difference could’ve gotten custody of Helga if she wanted toand I said that because it’s an early 20s at that point when she comes on the show