On October 7th, 1996, a show premiered on Nickelodeon that an entire generation grew up on. Given that Nickelodeon is responsible for numerous outstanding shows in the 1990s, this makes sense. But few shows have impacted 90s-born Millenials quite like Hey, Arnold! While some shows from the 1990s lasted way too long, Hey, Arnold! absolutely didn't. Although it was on air (in some form or another) until 2004, many believe it randomly disappeared from the airwaves. Here's what actually happened to Hey, Arnold!
A Show That Didn't Pander To Kids
When we look back at kid shows from the 1990s, we may focus on the fact that many of them just wouldn't fly today. We're not sure that's the case for Craig Bartlett's Hey, Arnold!, which focused on a kid growing up in an inner-city tenement with his grandparents and an assortment of friends. The series was a major success amongst the audience and critics alike. Aside from the unique animation style and the sense of humor, Hey, Arnold! grappled with adult themes, including important social issues, in a way that appealed to young people.
According to VOX, Hey, Arnold! set itself apart from other animated shows because it flat-out refused to over-simplify some of the more adult themes, even if that meant exploring crushing defeats. This is because series creator Craig Bartlett wanted the show to feel authentic, not only to him as a writer, but to life itself.
"Arnold’s a good kid, and he means a lot to all these people [in his neighborhood], but he’s not fixing anyone. That truth really resonated with us," Craig Bartlett said to Vox. "Life is a little disappointing, and you don’t always get what you want."
Choosing not to pander to children is ultimately made them fall in love with it. However, given its success, it's surprising that it didn't produce that many episodes. But there are many surprising things about the making of Hey, Arnold! Some of which contributed to why it ultimately vanished.
Nickelodeon Made A Massive Mistake With The Series
Over the course of 8 years, only five seasons of the show were created. There were 100 episodes in total and then two feature films that were released, one in 2002 and the other in 2017. The ultimate goal of these two films was to tie up any loose ends from the series. After all, the final episode of the show (which aired in September 2000 in Canada and 2004 in the U.S.) wasn't exactly fulfilling. That's the other thing, Hey, Arnold! was released earlier in Canada than it was in the States, prolonging its run on television and confusing a fanbase that was growing older and out of the series.
The decision for Nickelodeon to air the final episode of the Hey, Arnold! series at such a later date is downright baffling. A whopping eight years after the first episode premiered, the final episode (which was made years prior) was aired at a seemingly random timeslot without so much as informing the fans. Frankly, it was downright bizarre.
Then again, the entire run of the series was odd. While in the midst of the third season of the show, Nickelodeon asked Craig Bartlett to produce two movies for his television show. The first film was meant for television while the second was destined for the big screen. However, Nickelodeon decided to force Craig's first film into having a theatrical release even though the movie wasn't written or designed for that format. It actually was supposed to be an 'easily digestible' longer episode of the show. Thus, it wasn't really a movie. Regardless, Nickelodeon wanted to capitalize on the growing success of the series and released the movie in theaters.
This was a major mistake.
Because the first movie was forced out this way, it ultimately failed. Critics hated it and it was a total financial flop. Rather than admit their own mistake and find a way around it, Nickelodeon punished Hey, Arnold! The final season of the show was already completed but Nickelodeon decided to release the final 20 episodes over the course of 4 years. Basically, Nickelodeon decided to randomly drop five episodes at odd timeslots per year for 4 years. On top of this, they decided to cancel the second movie that Craig Bartlett was making for the big screen.
"The Jungle Movie was meant to explain the backstory of Arnold's missing parents and this big hole in Arnold's heart where he's not gonna be quite complete until he solves the mystery," Craig Bartlett said to SyFy. "And now, when everything got canceled, that was quite a disappointment for us. The actors and I stayed in touch, and the artists and I stayed in touch, but basically, we all went on with our lives for a decade."
In short, Nickelodeon's mistake caused them to give up on the creative property and eventually kill it. According to SyFy, fans eventually saved this movie in an online campaign. While they got their wish and Hey, Arnold! The Jungle Movie was released, it was a decade later and the project itself was altered. Of course, this didn't go over well with the fans.
While Nickelodeon botched the franchise in more ways than one, Craig Bartlett will always have a strong legacy. And Hey, Arnold! will always be remembered fondly by its most diehard fans.
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