Arnold Shortman | Helga G. Pataki | Students of P.S. 118: Mr. Simmons' Class, Other Students | The Adults: Part One, Part Two | Other Kids
WARNING: There are plenty of unmarked spoilers throughout (spoilers from Hey Arnold! The Jungle Movie WILL be marked as necessary), so read at your own risk.
open/close all folders
Stoop Kid
Stoop Kid
Voiced by: Danny Cooksey
An orphaned boy who lives on a stoop.
- Ax-Crazy: Constantly yells at people who pass by his stoop and has been known to get violent. Also when he cries he sounds more like he's being tortured.
- Back for the Finale: While he did make a few cameos after his debut, he makes a full-fledged return in Hey Arnold! The Jungle Movie.
- Big Ol' Unibrow: Yet another example.
- Comically Missing the Point: While he truly does appreciate Arnold helping him conquer his fear of leaving the stoop, he saw it as a means to be able to retaliate towards those who mess with him or simply pass by.
- Conveniently an Orphan: He was abandoned on his stoop as a baby, and never left it.
- Creepy Child: The kid clearly has a few screws loose.
- Doorstop Baby: According to the legend about him, he was left on the stoop as a baby and somehow grew up all by himself with no one to raise him.
- The Dreaded: At first, he has a fearful reputation. See Paper Tiger below.
- Fiery Redhead: Had reddish hair and is a raving whackjob.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: Stoop Kid is practically a walking Berserk Button when it comes to his stoop, yelling at anyone who even passes his stoop and heaven help you if you touch it.
- Ink-Suit Actor: Stoop Kid is practically Bobby Budnick in animated form.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: No one knows his real name. Stoop Kid himself probably doesn't even know his real name.
- Paper Tiger: Stoop Kid is "all bark no bite". When everyone realizes this, they go from fearing him to openly mocking him (
STOOP KID'S AFRAID TO LEAVE HIS STOOP!). That is, until Arnold gives him the courage to leave his stoop, as Harold found out the hard way. - Pre-Asskicking One-Liner: Post-Character Development, he takes advantage of his newfound bravery to come after Harold for harassing him about being too afraid to leave his stoop (note that Harold was not around to see him do it for the first time):Stoop Kid: COME HERE, FAT BOY! I'M GONNA ROLL YOU DOWNTOWN!
- Social Services Does Not Exist: How else could Stoop Kid stay on his stoop 24/7 without adult supervision or going to school?
- Vague Age: He's referred to as a kid, but he's clearly taller than most of the other children. It's likely that he's a teenager though.
Frankie G.
Frankie G.
Voiced by: Carlos Alazraqui
The neighborhood cool kid who befriends Arnold.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Posing as a charming "bad boy", but deep down he's nothing but a thug at heart.
- Expy: Of Fonzie, though a far jerkier version.
- Gang of Bullies: He has a crew consisting of Tony B, Joey C, Philly D, and Chas.
- Hellbent For Leather: Wears a leather jacket.
- Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: Despite his bad boy reputation, he seems to genuinely like Arnold, saving him from getting beaten up by Harold and hanging out with him...until he reveals that he was only using Arnold to help his gang break into a shop, as Arnold's football head would allow him to climb in through the transom. When Arnold refuses, he tries to force him, until help arrives to scare the gang off.
- One-Shot Character: In "Cool Jerk".
- Vague Age: It's unclear if he's supposed to be a teenager, or if he's in his early 20s.
Tucker
Tucker Wittenberg
Voiced by: Grant Gelt
- Back for the Finale: After his sole appearance in "Benchwarmer", Tucker never appears nor is mentioned in-series again, which is odd since Tish hadn't even been introduced when he appeared and wasn't at their umpteenth wedding in "Best Man". The creators must have taken notice, as he makes an appearance in The Jungle Movie alongside his parents.
- Nepotism: Coach Wittenberg uses his pull to try and make his son the MVP, by ensuring that the other players do nothing but pass the ball to him. Too bad Tucker is a terrible free-thrower, while Arnold is a perfect shot.
- Ungrateful Bastard: Subverted. Asks Arnold to teach him how to improve his free throws, which Arnold obliges. Once his dad sees his improvement in the next game, Tucker claims that he did it all by himself, which both hurts and angers Arnold. Once he sees this, he is filled with guilt and it messes up his ability to shoot successful free throws. Tucker then fakes an injury (and tells Jack the truth) so that Arnold can make the shot. This teaches everybody the importance of teamwork, allowing them to win the game.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: He goes along with Coach Wittenberg's attempts to make him the MVP despite his mediocre skills because he doesn't want to let his father down.
The Mugger
The Mugger
A punk that attacked Arnold in the episode "Mugged", getting away with his bus pass and change.
- Animal Motifs: When Arnold begins to fully understand his grandma's martial arts training, he likens the mugger to a fly.
- Dirty Coward: As it turns out, when the mugger goes up against someone who can fight back, he'll run away screaming like a wuss.
- Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette: He's got black hair and a near-alabaster complexion, which makes him look extra intimidating.
- Hate Sink: He ambushes children and senior citizens for their valuables while making nasty taunts. If he'd reappeared slightly earlier in the episode you'd no doubt be cheering as Arnold kicked his ass.
- Karma Houdini: As Arnold had just figured out that he should be picking his battles and showing restraint, the Mugger doesn't get a well-deserved beating. Fortunatley he does have to live with the humiliation of being scared of a 9-year-old.
- Teens Are Monsters: He's likely a teenager, as the adults who heard of him refer to the mugger as a kid and his attitude is certainly quite immature.
Arnie
Arnie
Voiced by: Grant Hoover
A cousin of Arnold's (most likely from his mom's side of the family) who is disconcertingly similar, but much stranger and less attractive. Naturally, Lila falls head over heels for him.
- Abhorrent Admirer: When he confesses to Helga that he's in love with her, she's quite repulsed. To be fair she'd probably react this way towards anybody who isn't Arnold.
- Bizarro Universe: The episode "Arnold Visits Arnie", in which all of the side character kids and main cast members get an eerily similar doppelganger with a completely opposite personality (with the exception of Hilda, Helga's doppelganger, who is just Helga without her Hidden Heart of Gold-hiding facade).
- Chick Magnet: Despite his odd personality, appearance, and hobbies, Arnie had both Lila and Hilda head over heels for him. While Lulu is clearly more interested in Arnold she was still Arnie's girlfriend, which is more than Arnold could say about Lila. Of course this is assuming that Hilda and Lulu even exist in the first place.
- Cloudcuckoolander: His hobbies include collecting lint and reading the ingredients off of packaged products.
- Country Cousin: He lives in the country in contrast to his city cousin.
- Creepy Child: Not as much as Curly but his bizarre personality makes him rather weird to most people.
- Creepy Monotone: He speaks with very little inflection, though the "creepy" is entirely up to the viewer's discretion.
- Dead Guy Junior: It's never explained how Arnie is Arnold's cousin, but Arnie is likely from somewhere on Stella's side of the family—Phil doesn't treat Arnie like his grandson, Miles (Arnold's dad) is presumably an only child and, like his city cousin, Arnie has a football-shaped head, which Arnold inherited from his mom's side of the family. Then Arnie was also named for their shared grandfather, Stella's late father.
- Informed Deformity: He's apparently so ugly that no one can bear to look at him, even though he's just an Off-Model Arnold.
- Joke Character: Reportedly a character created as an in-joke response to Off-Model animation.
- Kavorka Man: Big time. He isn't that good looking and has a very boring, creepy personality, yet Lila would rather be with him than Arnold.
- Mirror Universe: In "Arnold Visits Arnie", to some degree. That is if you believe that it isn't normal for Arnie to go Axe-Crazy on his cousin and/or want to include the character alignments of the citizens of Arnie's hometown.
- Murder the Hypotenuse: In "Arnold Visits Arnie", he tries to kill Arnold for attracting his girlfriend Lulu towards the end of the episode. It turns out it was just a dream, though.
- Nightmare Face: Arnie gets a rather creepy-looking glare that once provided the image for this show's Nightmare Fuel page, also a result of the fiendish dream. Almost makes you wonder about Arnold a little...
- No Full Name Given: His last name is not known and it's not "Shortman," because he's (presumably) from Stella's side of the family.
- Oddball Doppelgänger: To Arnold. He looks similar to his cousin, but is notably more eccentric and odd-looking.
- Uncanny Family Resemblance: He looks almost exactly like Arnold.
Rex Smythe Higgins III
Rex Smythe-Higgins III
Voiced by: Joey Stinson
Rex Smythe-Higgins III is the grandson of Grandpa Phil’s rival Rex Smythe-Higgins I and is the same age as Arnold. He’s often had to compete against Arnold and is a Polishing school alumni.
- Everyone Has Standards:
- As much as he likes to eat pork-chops, he does not want to eat ones from pigs that he knows personally. In "The Pig War", he is quite disturbed learning that he was about to eat someone else's pet, leading him to helping Arnold save Abner. In addition, though you'd get the impression from the money, he's a firm believer in good sportsmanship and refuses to play dirty. He even congratulates Arnold whenever he beats him.
- Even though his family is just as well off (if not moreso) than Rhonda's and he seems quite smug about it, he's just as annoyed by her snooty and superior attitude as the rest of her party guests.
- Friendly Rivalry: Despite his rivalry with Arnold, they both are on good terms, unlike their grandfathers.
- The Ghost: While we see both he and his grandfather frequently, his father (presumably Rex Smythe-Higgins II) is never seen.
- Graceful Loser: Despite his antagonistic attitude throughout the episode, he congratulates Arnold for beating him in a boat race and shakes his hand.
- Heel–Face Turn: At the end of "The Pig War" he goes against his grandfather and helps Arnold save Abner after learning the pig is Arnold's pet.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He may be arrogant at times, but he doesn’t like cheating and would rather play fair in completion. In "The Pig War", he also helps Arnold save Abner from being cooked by the British Pig War team after learning that he's Arnold's pet.
- Pet the Dog: Almost literally. Once he learns Abner is Arnold's pet, he's quick to compare him to his own Scottish terrier, Pepe. Later Pepe makes a cameo in "Polishing Rhonda."
- The Rival: To Arnold in a few episodes.
- Wise Beyond Their Years: He’s actually much more mature than his grandpa considering he’s still a kid.
Jamie O
James "Jamie O" Johanssen
Voiced by:
Ben Aaron Hoag ("Gerald Comes Over" and "Gerald Moves Out")
Phil LaMarr ("Jamie O in Love" and "Gerald vs. Jamie O")
Ben Aaron Hoag ("Gerald Comes Over" and "Gerald Moves Out")
Phil LaMarr ("Jamie O in Love" and "Gerald vs. Jamie O")
Gerald's older brother.
- '90s Hair: Has a hi-top fade like his father and brother.
- Aesop Amnesia: How many times does life have to tell him to stop being a dick to his brother before he listens?
- Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: In "Gerald vs. Jamie O", it turns out that Gerald's crush Chloe actually has a crush on Jamie O and is only hanging out with Gerald to get close to him. Jamie is both annoyed and disgusted by this and tries to tell Gerald what she's doing, but Gerald doesn't believe him and think Jamie O is just trying to "steal his girlfriend" since Jamie O has a habit of stealing Gerald's stuff.
- Big Brother Bully: Seems to exist solely to make Gerald's life miserable.
- Cassandra Truth: In "Gerald vs. Jamie O", he tries to tell Gerald that Chloe is just using him [Gerald] to get closer to him [Jamie O]. Gerald then tries to fight him for stealing his girlfriend.
- Cool Big Bro: He acts this way towards Timberle, unlike his treatment towards Gerald. Their few onscreen interactions show the two playfully having a small food fight during dinner, or them jokingly arguing over who gets Gerald's room when he temporarily moves out.
- Everyone Has Standards: While Jamie O may be a bully who relishes the chance to get under Gerald's skin and take his stuff, he draws the line at playing with his brothers' emotions. When he realized that a girl Gerald liked was only using Gerald to get close to him, he immediately tried to put and end to it before Gerald found out and got hurt.
- Extreme Doormat: Becomes this when he begins dating, or more appropriately "slaving for", Charice, who's just using him.
- The Faceless: Although he appears in The Jungle Movie watching Arnold's video, only part of his face is shown
. - Hate Sink: A Jerk Jock Big Brother Bully. Though the episodes that focus on him show that he can be a good person when the situation calls for it.
- Jerk Jock: Mentioned that he is on the wrestling team.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He occasionally shows that he does care about Gerald, such as in "Gerald vs. Jamie O", when Gerald's crush Chloe starts leading him on because she likes Jamie O. Gerald doesn't believe him when he tells him this, even trying to fight him over it. Chloe eventually confesses and Jamie O promises to start being a better brother. Unfortunately, it doesn't stick due to Status Quo Is God.
- Nice Mean And In Between: Of his siblings, he's the Mean to Gerald's In-Between and Timberly's Nice. He's a Jerkass who has no problem bullying people for fun.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: "Jamie O in Love" has Jamie O suddenly start being nice to Gerald and Arnold, which freaks them out. Once they find out why (Charice), they begin taking advantage of his kindness.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: He was only slightly mean to Gerald in his first two appearances, but in his latter two appearances, he's a borderline-sociopathic bully.
- Would Hurt a Child: When Gerald tries to fight him in "Gerald vs. Jamie O", Jamie O crunches his knuckles and puts him in a headlock, almost choking him out until Chloe stops it.
Ludwig
Ludwig
Voiced by: Phillip Van Dyke
Another bully introduced in 'New Bully on the Block', explaining he was at Juvenile prison and only recently got out.
- The Bad Guy Wins: Despite Arnold's best efforts to make peace with him and Wolfgang, said bullies remain unmoved, beat up the fourth graders and maintain their control over Gerald Field.
- Big Ol' Unibrow: Only the 5,000th Hey Arnold! character to have one.
- The Bully: Like Wolfgang, Ludwig is a bully who picks on the fourth graders. Furthermore, "New Bully on the Block" was written for the express purpose of having all three Arnold's in a single episode.
- Hate Sink: He's just as bad as Wolfgang.
- Jerkass: On a series that gave depth and humanity to many of its bullies, Ludwig exhibits basically zero redeeming qualities.
- Karma Houdini: Like Wolfgang, he gets away with bullying the fourth graders.
- No Full Name Given: And he's named after a famous musician just like Wolfgang.
- One-Shot Character: Never appears again after "New Bully on the Block", possibly due to the poor reception that said episode received.
- Pet the Dog: While it was mostly to get him to stop bugging him, he lets Curly get the ball for one play during the football game after Curly was begging to get it all day. It leads to Curly running off with the ball and them needing to get a new one.
- Real Men Wear Pink: He tells Arnold he has to go to his tap-dancing class when Arnold tries to arrange a meeting between him and Ludwig.
- Remember the New Guy?: Averted- Arnold vaguely remembers Ludwig, but the show acknowledges he's never been seen before by explaining he went to Juvie before the series began.
- Whatever Happened to the Mouse?: He never appears nor is he mentioned again after "New Bully on the Block".
- Would Hit a Girl: He and Wolfgang beat up Helga (along with the other 4th graders) in "New Bully on the Block".
Summer
Summer
Voiced by: Beverley Mitchell
An aspiring actress who Arnold falls in love with at the beach.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: She only pretended to like Arnold so that she could use him to win a sandcastle competition and appear on "Babewatch." Thankfully Helga overheard Summer gloating to her boyfriend and showed Arnold her true colors before it was too late.
- Evil Counterpart: Not exactly evil but she's basically Helga if she was more conniving and selfish and loved Arnold as a way of winning a sand castle building contest in order to star in a tv show.
- Hate Sink: One of the most despicable characters in the show.
- Humiliation Conga: Helga exposes her to Arnold, who in turn gives her "The Reason You Suck" Speech and the two enter the sandcastle contest, winning it and reducing Summer to tears.
- Jerkass: Showed no remorse in using Arnold as a means of winning a sandcastle building contest.
- Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: She befriends Arnold in order to use his sandcastle building skills to win a contest rather than showing any genuine affection and love for him.
- Laser-Guided Karma: She gets her comeuppance when Arnold finds out about her using him to win a sand castle building contest (thanks to Helga) and ends up losing said contest when her and her boyfriend screw up building a sandcastle.
- No Full Name Given: We don't know her last name.
- One Head Taller: She's about the same height as Helga, who is roughly a head taller than Arnold.
- One-Shot Character: She only appears in "Summer Love."
- Romantic False Lead: To Arnold. She was only using him so she could be on Babewatch.
- Vague Age: Her age is never explicitly identified, but she appears to be at least a year or two older than Arnold. A book version of "Summer Love" confirms that she's around 11 or 12.
Arnie's Friends
Bizarro-esque replicas of Arnold's classmates.
- Age-Inappropriate Dress: Lulu wears a bare midriff, a short skirt and knee-high boots. She's 9 years old.
- Composite Character: Stumpy is a foil to Stinky, but his short stature and glasses give him a resemblance to Brainy.
- Creepy Child: They resemble kids that Arnold knows, but look and act slightly off. Arnie and Lulu take the cake, with Lulu's flirting bordering on sexual harassment and Arnie giving Arnold a Death Glare regardless of how openly he resists these advances.
- Fille Fatale: Lulu acts incredibly forward for a nine-year-old. She's introduced psoing provocatively while wearing a midriff and short skirt, repeatedly makes excuses to snuggle up to Arnold and pushes him in a lake before jumping in herself before drawing attention to how their clothes are now all damp.
- Foil: They've all got parallels to Arnold's classmates.
- Lulu is identical to Lila, but while Lila is polite, introverted and only sees Arnold as a friend while openly pining for Arnie, Lulu is brazen and stuck in an unhappy relationship with Arnie that she's hoping Arnold will disrupt.
- Stumpy and Fifi are this to Stinky and Phoebe. While Stinky is a lanky simpleton and Phoebe is a petite brain, Stumpy is a short brain while Fifi is a tall simpleton.
- Gerard and Kid are Gerald and Sid, but while Gerald is calm and Sid is excitable, Gerard and Kid are the inverse.
- Harry and Rhoda to Harold and Rhonda. Harold is a Fat Idiot and Rhoda is an Alpha Bitch, while Harry is health-conscious and Rhoda is an apathetic slob.
- Hilda is nice to Arnold, but doesn't like him in a romantic sense, making her one to Helga.
- Irony: "Helga on the Couch" implied that Helga wears her pink bow because back in pre-school Arnold said he liked it. Arnold falls for Hilda as soon as he sees her and she wears a scrunchie.
- Nice Girl: Arnold bumps into Hilda just like he tends to do with Helga, but rather than snapping at him Hilda accepts her share of the blame and forgives Arnold instantly. She's also very tactful when it comes to rejecting him.
- Mirror Character: Helga and Lila to Lulu and Hilda.
- Helga and Lulu both have an insatiable and disturbing attraction to Arnold, who is put off by both of them. They also perform a lot of underhanded tactics rather than just being honest.
- Lila and Hilda treat Arnold far more kindly, but don't have any romantic interest in him despite Arnold's attraction to them. They're also completely oblivious to the fact that Arnie prefers their more aggressive lookalikes.
