1001 Animations: Arnold's Thanksgiving

Show: Hey Arnold!
Episode: S3 E14
Year: 1998

Writer(s): Craig Bartlett, Joseph Purdy, Steve Viksten

Hey Arnold! was a show that always had its heart in the right place (usually) and it often knew just how to tackle mature subjects and teach valuable lessons. Its holiday specials show just why it is often considered one of the best Nicktoons ever made. This is what The Simpsons episode "Bart vs. Thanksgiving" should've been in my opinion. I do understand a lot of people like that Simpsons episode (heck, it was even accepted by MrEnter as part of his 1001 Animations project mrenter.deviantart.com/art/100…), but we all have different tastes. This episode does well to show that there is no such thing as a perfect family, no matter what we often envision for ourselves. And in spite of their faults, your family is still your family so you have to make the best of what you have, with some exceptions of course like abusive situations but that's a can of worms I don't want to open back up.

 

We see for ourselves that Arnold and Helga's families are definitely not what you'd call "typical" for different reasons: Arnold's for their eccentricities and Helga's for being flat out emotionally abusive and dead. Yeah, this show knew how to properly depict a realistically dysfunctional family and NOT play it for laughs for once! I see it as the shows attempt to stick it to The Simpsons, as both were very popular around 1996-2004. Or the writers just knew what they were doing and were way ahead of their time to do something like this. Also, I think Arnold's grandma may have dementia if she thinks Thanksgiving is the 4th of July every year! Grandma Gertrude is one of those joke characters that people tend to look at more seriously as they get older. As a kid: what a funny old lady! As an adult: poor crazy broad… Still, she's very entertaining nonetheless, but I can see why Arnold would want a more traditional Thanksgiving. And in case you're wondering, you don't get turkey and such until July 4th when Gertrude thinks it's CHRISTMAS!

 

As for Helga, she actually has a very understandable reason for running away from home and finding a "real" Thanksgiving, since her family is genuinely unpleasant and abusive towards each other and her. If you grew up in similar conditions as Helga, watching her life can be very depressing, since it can hit home in a very relatable and heart-wrenching way. Hell, even if you don't come from an abusive family, it's depressing. I mean, come on! Her mother is an alcoholic! Did you SEE how she "prepares" Thanksgiving dinner!? And would you honestly be thankful to have a father like Robert "Big Bob" Pataki? I mean, there are worse parents like Lois from Malcolm in the Middle, but come on!

 

This is easily the episode where Arnold and Helga connect the best, they can easily relate to one another since they don't have a "typical" family and are both outcasts in their own right. Mr. Simmons' play for the beginning of the episode is supposed to be what the ideal family is on Thanksgiving, but Helga is quick to point out that's all it was A PLAY! And she's right: family isn't perfect, life isn't perfect. They both decided that if anybody would have the perfect Thanksgiving, it would be Mr. Simmons, so they decide to go to his house; it isn't as odd as Nanette Manoir going to Mrs. Klump’s house in the Angela Anaconda episode "The Substitute", since Arnold and his friends have actually been there before. As matter of fact, the Hey Arnold! episode "New Teacher" is "The Substitute" done right!

 

Also, here's a bit of trivia some might not know: Mr. Simmons is a confirmed homosexual according to Craig Bartlett, just like his voice actor Dan Butler. It might not be obvious as, say, John in The Simpsons episode "Homer's Phobia", but it does show, albeit not totally campy. Mr. Simmons is one of the nicest teacher characters I've ever seen in a cartoon. He's not completely crazy or depressed like Edna "Krabappel" Flanders from The Simpsons what a teacher is "supposed to be". He's actually a very nice man with realistic flaws, like trying to maintain optimism in dark times and being very easy to upset. We even see at his Thanksgiving that he himself doesn't have a perfect family either; they're actually MORE abrasive than Helga's, and the funny thing is, they each have the same names as the characters from the play.

 

From what little we see of his family, they manage to flesh out each member’s personalities very well. His mother Pearl is obviously aware her son is gay and is none too pleased about it, his friend Peter may very well be his lover though they never point to anything, but their are hints this is true, and he doesn't really like his other friend Joy too much on account of her depressed nature and bad luck. And his uncle Chuck (not related to Sonic the Hedgehog's) is a slob dressed like South Park’s Stan Marsh. The fighting seen throughout the dinner is actually very realistically unpleasant when it comes to family, and it's clear as to why Mr. Simmons wanted his play to be perfect in the end, because THAT is how he always envisioned his family! They're so petty and selfish they can't even put aside their differences for one single day! Which is sadly how a lot people in reality actually are.

 

It's this dinner that makes Arnold and Helga realize that despite how different their families are from them, they could be far worse off. At the very least Helga's family doesn't constantly berate one another and Arnold's are very loving despite their oddities. Even Mr. Simmons knows that despite how awful his family and friends can get, he still loves them, because each year he at least TRIES to get them to come together and get along for Thanksgiving. With a family like his, it can be very hard to see the good in them, but it's there, just like with the Pataki's. I mean, Miriam actually NOTICED Helga was missing and called the cops to bring her back! Bob was going to outright search the whole city for her, and Olga even made fliers to post around the city!

 

Yes, even the Pataki's know to be thankful on Thanksgiving for their little girl! It can come off as contrived just because she went missing, but I can believe it; it's real enough to me. They may not outright say they love Helga, but being thankful for her is good enough. And as for Arnold's family, they all realized that maybe it would be nice to be traditional every now and again and decide to give Arnold a nice surprise. Hell, we even get a nice fireworks display! Happy 4th of July, everybody!


Hey Arnold is owned by Nickelodeon and Viacom.

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