List of Hey Arnold! episodes facts for kids

Arnold accidentally knocks out a bully named Harold during a baseball game, and Harold gives Arnold 24 hours to live before he beats him to a pulp.

Notes: The plot for the pilot was later used in season 1 episode 17b, "24 Hours to Live". Also, the pilot was shown as a theatrical short before the 1996 Nickelodeon movie Harriet the Spy. (The short was not released on home video until November 20, 2018 on the Hey Arnold!: The Ultimate Collection DVD set.) It also aired once as part of Nick in the Afternoon.

Downtown as Fruits: Arnold and Gerald are cast as fruits in the school play directed by Helga, but when she does not treat them with the respect they deserve, they skip out on the play and take a bus ride downtown.
Eugene's Bike: Arnold accidentally destroys Eugene's brand new bike, so he tries to make it up to Eugene by taking him out on a day of fun, but clumsy Eugene keeps getting into accidents.

The List: Arnold attempts to do everything on the legendary "List for a Kid's Perfect Saturday", but all of his plans go horribly wrong when there is no good cereal in the boarding house, the TV set breaks down, and the hill to skate down is being repaired.
Haunted Train: On a boring summer night, Grandpa Phil tells Arnold and his friends the tale of "The Haunted Train". Curiosity gets the best of Arnold, Gerald and Helga, so the three go to the abandoned railroad tracks to look for it.

Operation Ruthless: Helga attempts to destroy Ruth McDougal, a sixth grader whom Arnold has a crush on, while at the annual city Cheese Fair.
The Vacant Lot: Arnold and his friends clean up a dirty lot to play baseball on, but when the adults find the lot, they take it over and use it for their own reasons.

6th Grade Girls: Sixth grade girls Connie and Maria invite Arnold and Gerald to their school dance, but little do they know that Connie and Maria are using them to make their boyfriends jealous.
The Baseball: Arnold's baseball idol, Mickey Kaline, is about to retire, so Arnold and Gerald go to Mickey's final game.

Guest Star: Ron Perlman as Mickey Kaline

Benchwarmer: Arnold and his friends play on a basketball team led by Coach Wittenburg, but he tells the team to pass the ball to one kid only – his son, Tucker.
Cool Jerk: A cool older boy named Frankie G. befriends Arnold, but Arnold soon realizes that Frankie G. only befriended him in order to help with a break-in.

The Little Pink Book: Helga's diary is full of poems and shrines of Arnold. Arnold and Gerald find the diary and take it to Arnold's house to determine whose diary it is. The only place Helga signed her name in the book is on the last page, and she must get it back before Arnold sees her name, even if it means spending the night in Arnold's closet.
Field Trip: While on a field trip to the aquarium, Arnold sees Lockjaw, a neglected, graffiti-covered old turtle, and Arnold feels bad for it, so later that night, Arnold and Grandma sneak into the aquarium and set Lockjaw free.

Tutoring Torvald: Arnold must tutor a 13-year-old, fourth-grade bully in math, much to his dismay.
Gerald Comes Over: Gerald visits Arnold's boarding house and meets the eccentric boarders.

Arnold's Hat: Helga steals Arnold's hat to complete her secret shrine — a statue in the shape of his (Arnold's) head made from Arnold-chewed bubble gum. Arnold feels like he is nothing without his hat, so Helga is planning to return it to him — until her mother throws it in the trash, which is on its way to the dump.
Stoop Kid: While playing football on the street, Arnold kicks the ball and it ends up on Stoop Kid's stoop. According to Gerald, Stoop Kid is a teenage boy who has been living on that particular stoop ever since he was born. Arnold tries to wait for him to leave so he can get his football back, but learns that he never leaves his stoop. Faced with this fact, he tries to convince Stoop Kid to overcome his habit by taking a step off the stoop.

Heat: A heat wave engulfs the city. Also, Arnold and Gerald try to find ways to escape the heat.
Snow: A snowstorm comes to the city. Arnold's Grandpa tries to teach him work ethic while his friends play without him.

Helga's Makeover: Due to her tomboyish nature, Helga is the only girl who is not invited to Rhonda's slumber party. Feeling left out, she gives herself a makeover, and goes to it anyway.
The Old Building: Arnold is caught in the middle when Grandma and Ernie argue about whether an old theater should be torn down or not.

Mugged: Arnold learns the secrets of self-defense from his Grandma after getting held up by a thug. He realizes his skills are getting out of hand when he beats up an innocent man.
Roughin' It: Grandpa takes Arnold and Gerald on a weekend camping trip. As they set up the campsite, Big Bob, Helga, and Phoebe show up in a high-tech RV to rough it as well. Then, as everyone hikes up a mountain trail while exploring the great outdoors, they get lost in the wilderness. Arnold and Gerald agree to help everyone find their way back to their campsite by using Grandpa's survival tips.

Door #16: Arnold is given a package, which is for the mysterious Mr. Smith. Meanwhile, all of the boarders become curious about figuring out what is contained in it. Now, Arnold and Gerald try to make a safe delivery while searching all over the city for Mr. Smith so they can give it to him.
Arnold as Cupid: After getting into an argument with Suzie over money, Oskar is kicked out of his room in the boarding house. Feeling rejected by her, he tries to find a new room to sleep in, but no one agrees to it. Then, with no other option, he decides to move into Arnold's room. Soon, Arnold becomes tired of Oskar sleeping in his room, not letting him get any sleep, and gambling away his possessions, so Arnold plays Cupid to try to string Oskar and Suzie's relationship together again.

Das (The) Subway: The gang encounters trouble while traveling on the subway.
Wheezin' Ed: The gang travels to Elk Island to find a pirate treasure said to be haunted by a gangster with a breathing problem.

Spelling Bee: Arnold competes in a Tri-City spelling bee to win money for a keyboard, but faces competition against Helga, who is being pushed by her father to win so she can follow in her sister's footsteps.
Pigeon Man: Arnold confronts a man that has known and trusted pigeons all his life after Arnold's pigeon gets sick. The man has not been around other humans for many years, as he feels he cannot trust them. When Arnold takes him for a day in the city, Harold and his friends come along and accidentally destroy Pigeon Man's bird cages trying to make simple mischief.

Guest Star: Vincent Schiavelli as Pigeon Man

Olga Comes Home: Jealous about her smart, talented, popular older sister Olga returning home from college, Helga fiendishly changes one of her grades from an A to B+, which sends Olga into a deep depression.
Sally's Comet: Arnold and Gerald mail in cereal box tops to receive a telescope so they can see the well-known interstellar event known as Sally's Comet. The problem is that it is too bright for them to see the stars. Now they try to convince everybody in the city to turn off their lights.

Abner, Come Home!: Abner, Arnold's beloved pet pig, sees a cat out the window and he runs out of the boarding house to chase it, which leads to him running far away from home. The next morning, Arnold wakes up to realize that Abner is gone. Later, he announces a search party so everyone can help find Abner before something bad happens to him.
The Sewer King: While Arnold goes out to bring Grandpa his golden watch back from the store, he sees a gigantic hole being dug for new sewer pipes at a construction site. As he looks down it, the watch falls out of his pocket and into the sewer. Now, Arnold and Gerald must go down there to retrieve it, only to find that it is in possession of the Sewer King.

Magic Show: Arnold picks Helga for his disappearing act, but when Helga decides to run off to trick Arnold, she knocks herself out and dreams of a world where no one misses her now that she is gone.
24 Hours to Live: In this remake of the original pilot, Arnold accidentally knocks Harold out during a baseball game, and the bully gives Arnold 24 hours to live before he beats him to a pulp.

Note: Season 1 episode 17b was shown as a VHS (and later DVD) short before the 1996 Nickelodeon movie Harriet the Spy.

Arnold tries to find Mr. Hyunh's daughter (who was separated from him during the final days of the Vietnam War) as he carries out his duty as Mr. Hyunh's secret Santa. The only man who can help them agrees, only if Arnold and Gerald do all of his Christmas shopping for him. Meanwhile, Helga must choose between a Christmas present for herself (Nancy Spumoni boots) and the perfect gift for Arnold.

False Alarm: Eugene is framed for pulling the fire alarm at school. Arnold interrogates his friends in a makeshift courtroom in the library to discover the real culprit.
World Records: Arnold and his friends try to get into the Guinness Book of Records.

On Valentine's Day, Arnold manages to arrange two dates; one with Ruth, the sixth grader he likes, and one with his French penpal Cecile (actually, it is Helga in disguise) – only for the real Cecile to suddenly appear on a surprise visit, and Arnold to discover what Ruth is really like, as she mistakes Arnold for a busboy and talks only about herself.

Save the Tree: Arnold and the gang must stop Big Bob from chopping down the oldest tree in town.
New Teacher: When the kids make their new teacher, Mr. Simmons, quit his job, the replacement makes them realize what they lost.

Note: First appearance of the new teacher Mr. Simmons and General Sgt. Goose. Mr. Simmons was in the third episode of the second season in production order.

Helga's Love Potion: Helga drinks a potion to lose all of her feelings for Arnold.
Gerald's Secret: Gerald's secret is revealed; he does not know how to ride a bike, so Arnold tries to teach him how.

The Big Scoop: Arnold and Gerald compete against Helga in the school newspaper, but they find out that Helga is adding fake information for her newspaper. When one story begins to frighten all the students, Arnold and Gerald do some investigating, and print the truth-exposing Helga's fabrications.
Harold's Kitty: Arnold and Harold rescue what they believe to be a stray kitten from the trashcan. As Arnold hangs up flyers, the mean and tough Harold forms a bond with the kitten, who ends up belonging to a grumpy old lady, Mrs. Ryle. When Harold refuses to give up the kitten, who he has named Cupcake, the police, Mrs. Ryle, and Harold's parents show up to take it back as Harold barricades himself in the house with the kitten.

Note: This is first episode to feature Phillip Van Dyke as the voice for Arnold and the first episode of the second season in production order.

Longest Monday: Schoolyard tradition has it that on the first Monday of June each year, the fifth graders throw the fourth graders into trash cans. So, Arnold and Gerald try to make a run for it. As more people are thrown into trash cans and the fifth graders know all the routes, Arnold and Gerald find out eluding the fifth graders is harder that they thought.
Eugene's Pet: After Arnold accidentally kills Eugene's fish with a yo-yo, he must do something to make up for it.

Note: First appearance of Wolfgang, Edmund, Mickey the Weasel, and the other 5th graders. Wolfgang was voiced by Toran Caudell, who voiced Arnold in the first season.

Monkey Business: An organ grinder's monkey kisses Helga, who is convinced she has caught "monkeynucleosis".
Big Caesar: Arnold and Gerald do a spot of fishing, determined to catch the pond's biggest fish, the legendary "Big Caesar".

Ransom: Gerald and Arnold get on the case when Timberly's doll goes missing.
Ms. Perfect: Lila, the new girl, is disliked at school by Helga and the other girls for seeming to be absolutely perfect and a big hit with all the boys. The girls soon play a prank on Lila, causing paint to spill all over her in front of the school. They soon accept her after they see how upset she is and learn that her dad has been unemployed for some time, leading to the two having little to no food in the house. Note: First appearances of Lila and Big Patty.

This episode is a parody of the panic caused by Orson Welles' adaptation of "The War of the Worlds". The whole city mistakes a Halloween prank set up by Arnold and Gerald as an actual alien invasion.

Arnold Saves Sid: After Arnold saves Sid from an injury, Sid devotes himself to paying Arnold back with unending kindness.
Hookey: Arnold and Gerald skip school, but their day is ruined by their fear of being found out.

Freeze Frame: Arnold and Gerald go around the city following "Porkpie", a mysterious man caught on film. They suspect, because of the clues, that Porkpie are planning to kill "Marty", who turns out to be Mr. Green.
Phoebe Cheats: In this variation of "The Tell-Tale Heart", Phoebe plagiarizes from a poetry book and uses one of the poems as her entry in a poetry contest. She wins, with her prize being a trophy resembling poet Emily Dickinson. Then, the trophy haunts Phoebe into confessing.

Mudbowl: Wolfgang and his gang of fifth graders challenge Arnold and his friends to a football game, but he has to first persuade them that his plays are good enough for them to win.
Gerald Moves Out: Gerald, getting tired of his family bugging him, moves out of his home and into Arnold's boarding house, only to realize emancipation is not all it is cracked up to be.

The High Life: Gerald becomes an entrepreneur out of selling watches until the market becomes saturated.
Best Friends: Rhonda and Nadine have a falling-out over working on a project at school, leaving Arnold to work with both of them separately. Arnold tries to bring the two best friends back together.

Steely Phil: Arnold's Grandpa enters a Chinese Checkers tournament to reclaim his pride lost forty years ago. Robby Fisher's name is a parody of Bobby Fischer.
Quantity Time: Helga's mother tries to let Helga and her father, Bob, bond after she learns the two of them will be home all week (as it's Spring Break for Helga). Miriam decides to take an impromptu vacation to her mother's, leaving father and daughter on their own-with Bob knowing nothing about his daughter.

Eating Contest: Arnold enters an eating contest.
Rhonda's Glasses: Rhonda gets glasses and finds out what it is like to be a "geek", the very people she judged and forced to sit in the back of the bus.

Helga's Boyfriend: Helga uses Stinky as her boyfriend to try to make Arnold jealous.
Crush on Teacher: Arnold develops a crush on Miss Felter, a substitute teacher, thinking she returns the feelings and that he is having dinner at her house, only to realize that the one she invited was her fiancé, whose name is also Arnold.

Guest Star: Julia Louis-Dreyfuss as Miss Felter

Hall Monitor: Phoebe becomes hall monitor and asks Helga for tips. She becomes overwhelmed by the "power" and soon everyone wants the old Phoebe back – even Helga, once she realizes Phoebe's also giving her detentions.
Harold's Bar Mitzvah: Harold runs away from his Bar Mitzvah, thinking he will retain his childhood this way.

Guest Star: Elliott Gould as Rabbi Goldberg

Coach Wittenberg: Arnold and his friends get Coach Wittenberg to be their new bowling coach, but all he does is yell and make them do push-ups. It's learned that Helga's bowling team is coached by Tish Wittenberg, Coach Wittenberg's ex-wife (who he later remarries in "Best Man").
Four-Eyed Jack: The ghost of a former boarding house resident is believed to have been causing strange occurrences in there when Arnold and Gerald find an old pair of glasses believing to have belonged to him.

Eugene Goes Bad: After finding out that his idol is a haughty, primped actor, Eugene sets out to become bad.
What's Opera, Arnold?: Helga and Arnold fall asleep during a field trip to the opera house, and have their own "parody/dream" of the opera Carmen.

Tour de Pond: Arnold and a descendant of his grandpa's arch enemy, Rex Smythe-Higgins, compete in a boat race.
Teachers Strike: Teachers of Arnold's school go on strike because of inadequate funding; he and his friends are on cloud nine, only to find out that every lost school day will be taken from their summer vacation, and that their teachers have taken jobs at their favorite hangouts, turning fun into school.

Runaway Float: After creating an idea for a parade float, Arnold is confident of it showing up in a parade.
Partners: A lounge singer moves into the Sunset Arms after renouncing his songwriter, who also moves there.

Guest Star: Harvey Korman as Don Reynolds

Note: This was Toran Caudell's last episode to voice Arnold and the final episode of the first season in production order.

Helga Blabs It All: Helga leaves a message on Arnold's answering machine confessing her love for him. She then realizes that she has to get to Arnold's answering machine and delete the message before any one else can hear it, encountering obstacles along the way.
Harold the Butcher: As punishment for shoplifting a ham, Harold is forced to work for Mr. Green at his butcher shop for a week. At first all he does is mess up and annoy Green. Later, after his work shift to pay for it is over, he soon learns that he actually likes his new after-school job and does not want to stop working there, much to the dismay of Mr. Green (at least at first). It is not until Mr. Green's annual big sale that the butcher realizes Harold's help is needed and appreciated.

Dangerous Lumber: Arnold has a lethal baseball bat swing, causing him to unintentionally knock out other players, so he decides never to play the sport again, mere days before a baseball game against the fifth graders.
Mr. Hyunh Goes Country: Mr. Hyunh has a talent for country singing, so Arnold and Gerald, after recording a CD with him at the local studio, become his managers and make him a big star, much to his dislike. Their biggest gig is on-stage the Grand Ole Opry, Mr. Hyunh's favorite show. Mr. Hyunh must decide to become world famous and tour or not.

Guest Star: Ron Perlman as Mickey Kaline, Randy Travis as Mr. Hyunh's singing voice / Travis Randall

Casa Paradiso: When an irritated Grandpa Phil decides to sell the boarding house to go live in a condo, Arnold and the boarders try to get him to change his mind.
Gerald's Tonsils: Gerald's voice is deepened after having his tonsils out, just a few days before the school recital.

Note: Gerald's voice change was due to his voice actor going through puberty, his voice deepening.

Arnold's Room: Sid pretends that Arnold's room is his room when he studies with Lorenzo, a rich classmate.
Helga vs. Big Patty: Sixth grade tough girl Big Patty challenges Helga to a fight after Helga gets on her last nerves by making once too many jokes about her.

Stinky Goes Hollywood: Stinky becomes the new Yahoo Soda poster child, but gives it up when it is revealed that he was hired as a joke, much to the objection of his parents, who only care about the money.
Olga Gets Engaged: Olga gets engaged to a con man named Doug who does not exactly woo Helga as he did the rest of her family, but she decides to let the marriage happen so Olga can be miserable. But she is given a change of heart from Arnold, and attempts to stop it, forging a good-bye letter to Olga after telling him to leave or else she will callback his girlfriend and tell her about Olga and the marriage.

Curly Snaps: Curly locks himself in the principal's office after being skipped as Ball Monitor, the person who collects kickballs after recess.
Preteen Scream: Phoebe wins a chance to meet her favorite singer, only to find out that he does not write or sing his own songs, he is just a self-centered pretty face.

Guest Star: Bronson Pinchot as Ronnie Matthews

Grandpa's Birthday: Grandpa thinks he's going to die when he turns 81 because of a "family curse"-every family member before him died at 81. He and Arnold spend the day before his 81st birthday doing all the things Grandpa's wanted to do.
Road Trip: When Bob has to go to a business meeting, Miriam and Helga are forced to go on the family road trip by themselves to South Dakota to see Helga's grandmother, which results in Miriam losing her purse,the directions, and ends up wrecking the car.

Sid's Revenge: Sid swears vengeance with a voodoo doll made out of a bar of soap carved into the form of Principal Wartz for giving him detention for a prank he did not pull, and then believes that he killed him.
Roller Coaster: A roller coaster breaks down while Eugene "The Jinx" and Arnold are at the top of its tallest drop.

The Aptitude Test: Helga thinks she's dim because she failed an aptitude test at school, only to discover she received Harold's test score, and vice versa.
Oskar Gets a Job: Oskar gets a job as a newspaper carrier to get money to payback a finance, but uses Arnold as cover for his laziness- making excuses as to why he cannot do his job.

Arnold Betrays Iggy: Arnold finds out that Iggy wears bunny pajamas while delivering his homework (as Iggy was sick), and Iggy makes him promise not to tell. The next day, Sid and Stinky guess the secret by pure contrived chance, putting Arnold and Iggy's friendship to the test.
Helga and the Nanny: Bob hires a nanny named Inga to help Miriam around the house and care for Helga while Miriam serves community service, much to Helga's dismay. She tries to make Helga act more "proper". From this moment on, Helga attempts to get her fired.

Career Day: Arnold gets paired with the bitter Jolly Olly Man as part of Career Day, while Helga gets paired with a police officer, Gerald with a fire-fighter, and Phoebe with Ernie at the demolition site. The other kids think it is the best job, as he gets to be around ice cream all day. Arnold helps the Jolly Olly man be nicer to his customers and please his boss, who happens to be his dad- whose just as grumpy.
Hey Harold!: Harold is invited to Rhonda's party, though he does not want to go as he thinks nobody will dance with him. While there, he dances with and befriends the female bully, Big Patty, who also had nobody to dance with. The two spend the next day together hanging out, much to the teasing of Stinky and Sid, who begin to tease him by saying he has a crush on her. They already tease Big Patty for being "big and dumb", which upsets Harold.

Best Man: Coach Wittenberg assigns Arnold the duty of best man at his second wedding to his ex-wife, Tish Wittenberg, while Helga is assigned to be the maid of honor.
Cool Party: Rhonda holds a cool-people-only party at her house. In retaliation, Arnold and his friends hold a "geek" party on the roof of his boarding house further up the street, leaving Rhonda's party deserted as the cool-party is boring and only about Rhonda.

Arnold & Lila: Arnold gets more attention than he bargained for from Lila after Helga writes "Arnold Loves Lila" on the wall, first writing "Arnold Loves Helga", making the other girls believe Arnold wrote the graffiti.
Grand Prix: The kids compete in a grand prix race against each other.

Arnold and Helga are sick of their families' Thanksgiving traditions. Arnold's grandma confuses Thanksgiving with Fourth of July, and vice versa, so his Thanksgiving meal consists of hotdogs and watching fireworks. When the others will not help him convince Gertie otherwise, he leaves. Helga is upset that her family ignores her, even on Thanksgiving, with Olga forcing everyone to help with the meal, then taking all the credit. Miriam ignores Helga's handmade centerpiece in favor of Olga's, and Big Bob just wants to watch the football game. Helga leaves when her family puts her down for having nothing to be thankful for. They meet and go to Mr. Simmons', only to realize that, compared to Thanksgiving with his family, theirs are not so bad after all. Arnold returns to a turkey and fireworks, Helga returns to a frantic family, who are on the phone with the police and making flyers to find her.

Helga's Show: Helga tells jokes about her classmates, who take offense to it.
The Flood: The town is flooded and Arnold's class is trapped in the school.

Phoebe Takes the Fall: Helga demands that Phoebe lose a quiz competition to impress her competitive father.
The Pig War: Arnold, Grandpa, and friends reenact the Pig War.

Note: "The Pig War" was inspired by an actual border conflict in Washington state's San Juan Islands in 1859.

Part-Time Friends: Arnold is okay with working with Gerald at Mrs. Vitello's flower shop after she's injured and puts Gerald in charge, but not with working for Gerald, which causes the friendship to hit a snag and Arnold quits. Note: This episode was released on the VHS of "Hey Arnold!: Partners" on July 28, 1998, before it aired on television.
Biosquare: As a science assignment, Arnold and Helga have to work together, and get along with each other, for 24 hours in the Sunset Arms greenhouse when they become locked inside.

Crabby Author: Arnold does his school report on an author he likes, only to find out that she's a grumpy, old hag.
Rich Kid: Lorenzo, a neurotic rich kid, comes to P.S. 118. All the kids try to help him become an average kid.

Guest Star: Rose Marie as Agatha Caulfield

*Note: Lorenzo had already appeared in the previous episodes "Arnold's Room", "Cool Party", and various season 3 episodes.

Girl Trouble: Arnold snaps at school after Helga tries his patience once too often, causing him to pour paint on her after she pours some on him. He learns that Grandpa had a female bully at his age who was much like Helga (it is revealed at the end his bully was Gertie, his wife).
School Dance: Arnold is in charge of the school dance. He books has-been singer Dino Spumoni, and when he sings a depressing "good-bye" song, all fingers point at Arnold, especially Rhonda and Helga.

After hearing that Arnold is Romeo in the school play of Romeo and Juliet, Helga does everything she can to get the part of Juliet and kiss him. She frightens the other girls who have the role ahead of her (she stresses Phoebe out by giving her stage fright, shows Rhonda the dress Juliet must wear that Rhonda disproves of, Sheena with the fact Juliet dies, and Lila gives her the part)

Full Moon: Arnold is framed for a crime he hasn't committed.
Student Teacher: Helga's sister Olga comes home for spring break and becomes a classroom aid in Helga's class, much to Helga's chagrin.

Note: This is the first episode to use digital ink and paint.

Big Gino: After Sid works off a debt with loan shark Big Gino, the two become friends, but when Sid is told to give Arnold a swirlie, he has to choose between the two.
Jamie O in Love: Gerald's older brother Jamie O has a sudden burst of kindness when he finds a girlfriend, but Arnold and Gerald soon find out that the girl is just using Jamie O. Gerald is conflicted between telling his brother the truth, risking Jamie O to go back to his mean nature, or keeping it a secret and take advantage of his brother's kindness.

Eugene's Birthday: After losing Eugene's birthday party invitations, Arnold feels obliged to throw him another party, but it does not work out.
Stinky's Pumpkin: Stinky grows a huge pumpkin to enter in a city competition to prove he's good at something, despite his family telling him nothing has grown on their land for years.

Note: This is the first episode to feature Spencer Klein as the voice for Arnold and also the first episode of the fourth season in production order.

The Beeper Queen: After Bob pops his spine, Miriam runs Big Bob's Beepers. At first the job turns her into an attentive mother, packing lunches for Helga, driving her to school, and helping her with homework. She soon gets in over her head and forgets about her family. Helga must help her come to her senses.
Oskar Can't Read?: Arnold finds out that Oskar is illiterate and tries to teach him to read. The final test is to take Oskar to the other side of town and he must find his way home, with only a map and written directions.

Dinner for Four: Helga wants to show Arnold that she can be as sophisticated as Lila is by taking him, Gerald, and Phoebe out to dinner with a coupon she won. She devises a plan to get out of paying when she discovers they're at the wrong restaurant.
Phoebe Skips: Phoebe is promoted to the sixth grade, but ignores Helga when she tells Phoebe that her new so-called "friends" are just using her to do their homework. She learns the hard way when a younger girl is also moved up to 6th grade, and her "friends" ditch Phoebe for the new girl. Phoebe runs crying to Helga, who welcomes Phoebe back and plots to get back at the older girls.

Note: This is the last episode to use traditional cel animation before switching to digital ink and paint for the rest of the series.

Helga's Parrot: A sleep-talking Helga confides into Bob's parrot about her love for Arnold. The next day, the parrot flies into Arnold's window, and it is up to Helga to get it.
Chocolate Turtles: Crisis strikes when Gerald's little sister, Timberly, eats a stock of chocolate turtles that he and Arnold are supposed to sell for a local scout organization.

Love and Cheese: Helga tries to separate Arnold from Lila while at the annual Cheese Fair.
Weighing Harold: Harold, after discovering his friends think he is obese, decides to go on a weight-loss cruise. When he comes back, though, he is noticeably larger.

Back to School: After Grandpa tells Arnold that he never got his grade school diploma, Arnold convinces him to come to go back to school at P.S. 118.
Egg Story: Arnold and Helga must care for an egg for a school project about parenting. Meanwhile, Rhonda and Harold are project partners and must also take care of an egg.

It Girl: Helga becomes a model, but she quits after she gets irritated at everyone dressing like her.
Deconstructing Arnold: Arnold's classmates are tired of constantly telling them the right thing to do, so he stops giving them advice. Nevertheless, when his classmates get into sticky situations, they are in desperate need of his advice.

Guest Star: Michael McKean as Johnny Stitches

Grudge Match: After getting in a car accident, Bob and Grandpa Phil face off on the golf green, with the loser having to pay for the damage to both cars.
Polishing Rhonda: Rhonda attends a finishing school after a fight with Big Patty, but is far from impressive with her stroppy attitude. Realizing her name and money will not help her, she seeks help from fellow student Big Patty, who has been excelling in the school with her politeness and humble nature.

Weird Cousin: Arnold's bland country cousin, Arnie, comes to visit. Lila immediately falls for him and them begin to spend time together, making Arnold jealous. Arnie however, has an interest in Helga.
Baby Oskar: Oskar has to take care of his infant cousin-in-law (also named Oskar), while the baby's mother is away. He complains about the baby getting all of Suzie's attention, which irritates her. When she is called off to work, it is Oskar's job to look after the infant. He begins to bond with the baby, and takes matters into his own hands when the baby appears ill.

Grandpa's Sister: Phil's twin sister, Mitzi (voiced by Phyllis Diller) comes for a visit, bringing along an unsettled conflict between them.
Synchronized Swimming: Arnold and the gang are part of a synchronized swimming team led by Coach Wittenburg.

Helga Sleepwalks: After eating pork rinds, Helga sleepwalks, uttering her secret about Arnold as she does so.
Fighting Families: Arnold, Grandpa, Grandma, Ernie, and Mr. Hyunh compete on a game show against a "perfect" family from PS 119.

Guest Star: Ryan Seacrest as Fighting Families Host.

Note: This episode was dedicated to Mike Bond, who died before this episode aired.

Headless Cabbie: Arnold tells an urban legend about a taxi driver without a head. The gang goes out, only to find the details in the story are becoming real.
Friday the 13th: Arnold and Gerald try to prove superstitions are fictitious, only for it all to backfire on them.

Arnold's Grandpa recalls his adventures as a soldier in the Second World War, outwitting a regiment of Nazis, while Gerald's dad, Martin, remembers his own time serving in Vietnam. Gerald thinks his father is not a real hero, being just a file clerk, while Arnold believes Grandpa is telling another tall tale, especially after Grandpa is called out during his story for claiming he fought and beat up Hitler (which Grandpa does admit he made up). However, both boys are proven wrong when Arnold sees a statue dedicated to his grandpa, and a visitor from Martin's past shows up.

A child psychiatrist, Dr. Bliss, shadows students at PS 118, quickly following Helga and noting her behavior, especially to Arnold. After punching Brainy in the face, Helga is sent to Dr. Bliss's office for an appointment. Helga confides in Dr. Bliss about her social life, family life, and her love for Arnold.

Guest Star: Kathy Baker as Dr. Bliss

Dino Spumoni is found missing and then declared dead, but Arnold finds out that this is not the case, and he secretly lives in the boarding house, believing that his work will skyrocket in value after his "death".

Monkeyman!: When Arnold gives the superhero Monkeyman a taste of normal life, he is far too busy to bother helping the weak and downtrodden. He realizes what he has become after Sid is mugged in front of a big party Monkeyman is attending.
Buses, Bikes, and Subways: Helga and Harold must return to town on their own after the bus leaves them behind after a school trip to a chocolate factory, and Helga has tickets for a wrestling match and she cannot be late. Note: This is copyrighted 1999.

Guest Star: Andy Dick as Monkey Man

Helga's Masquerade: Helga decides to act like Lila at Rhonda's costume party so Arnold will like her.
Mr. Green Runs: Mr. Green runs for city council after his requests for a large pothole in front of his store be filled up gets ignored. Arnold becomes his campaign manager, but can a butcher win against a politician?

Sid the Vampire Slayer: Sid thinks Stinky is a vampire.
Big Sis: Olga gets into a "Big Sis" program, but her "Lil' Sis" is Lila.

Note: This is the first episode of the fifth season in production order.

Bag of Money: Arnold, Sid and Gerald find a bag filled with money, though they do not know what to do with it, so Arnold is selected to hold onto it for the time being. However, when Arnold inadvertently loses the money on the way home, his friends begin to believe that he actually stole the money, so he must work to prove his innocence.
Principal Simmons: When Mr. Simmons is upset that Principal Wartz is being too strict with the students, Wartz decides to resign and he selects Mr. Simmons to take his place. The newly promoted Principal Simmons decides to make massive reforms to permit the school environment to be more liberal, though will the students at P.S. 118 appreciate his authority?

New Bully on the Block: The kids must face two older bullies when a new kid, Ludwig, returns from some time in juvenile hall and challenges Wolfgang for the vacant lot.
Phoebe Breaks a Leg: When Phoebe breaks a leg after being hit by a bus, Helga believes it is her fault, so she starts being nice to Phoebe. When Phoebe's leg heals, she decides to stay disabled for a little longer.

• Note: Ludwig is voiced by Arnold's second voice actor, Phillip Van Dyke.

Helga's Locket: Helga inscribes her name in her Arnold locket. Arnold's grandpa gets a hold of Helga's locket. He thinks it is an anniversary gift from Grandma. So Helga must find a way to get it back before Arnold finds out her secret.
Sid and Germs: Sid becomes obsessed with cleanliness after watching a film on germs. His new obsession with being clean ruins the fourth graders' chances at the Frog Catching match against the 5th graders.

Suspended: Harold gets suspended and will do anything to get back into school once he realizes being home all day is no fun.
Ernie in Love: Ernie gets a crush on a tall, kind, plus-sized model named Lola. Arnold convinces him to build up courage to ask her on a date to the pier, which she accepts. After the date, she tells him she had fun, but is unsure about another date because of his height.

Guest Star: Jennifer Tilly as Lola

Parents' Day: It is time for the school's annual "Parents' Day", a weekend of competition with teams of a kid and their parents. Arnold feels odd about bringing his grandparents, as they are his parents, who he has not seen since he was a baby. After Big Bob calls Arnold an "orphan boy", Arnold asks Grandpa Phil what really happened with his parents, and he finds out that they disappeared after they left the country on a plane, delivering medicine, although they might still be alive. Arnold continues on with Parent's Day, with Phil and Gertie. He realizes even though they are not his parents, they raised him and made him who he is, which is what parents do.

Note: This is the last episode with Phillip Van Dyke voicing Arnold, as it was made for Season 3 but held back. It is also the final episode for the third season in production order.

Summer Love (a.k.a. Beach Story): When Arnold, the boarders and the Patakis go to the beach, a girl uses Arnold to win a sandcastle competition. Ernie gets buried in the sand. Miriam and Suzie start taking dancing lessons from a handsome dance instructor named Carlos. Grandpa Phil thinks he is stuck on an island. Oskar starts using a metal detector to find "treasure". Big Bob gets a bad sunburn. Helga tries to warn Arnold that he is just being used.

Guest Star: Beverly Mitchell as Summer

Note: This is the last episode of the fourth season in production order.

Stuck in a Tree: Arnold gets stuck in a tree with Harold and Eugene.
Rhonda Goes Broke: Rhonda's family goes broke and they move into the boarding house.

Beaned: When Helga gets hit with a baseball during a game, she develops a case of amnesia, so Arnold stays with her all day because he feels responsible. The next day, Helga regains her memories, though, when she realizes what Arnold is doing, she decides to continue to play the part of an amnesiac in hopes of spending more time with him.
Old Iron Man: Grandpa Phil and his old friend, Jimmy Kafka, have been feuding for quite some time, as their friendship fell apart years ago. However, they still attempt to compete with one another as they each believe they are the better individual; though when both men decide to enter the extremely dangerous Old Iron Man triathlon, Arnold attempts to put an end to their feud, as he does not believe they should risk their lives over something so trivial.

Guest Star: Richard Mulligan as Jimmy Kafka

Arnold Visits Arnie: Arnold visits his cousin, Arnie, whose friends look remarkably familiar to Arnold's. Arnie's flirtatious girlfriend, Lulu (who looks like Lila), takes a special interest in Arnold, while Arnold falls for a kind girl named Hilda (who looks like Helga), who likes Arnie.
Chocolate Boy: After winning a bet against Wolfgang, Chocolate Boy wants to give up chocolate after realizing he is willing to be humiliated to get chocolate. Arnold helps Chocolate Boy, realizing chocolate is his coping mechanism when his nanny left for a far, far away place (Delaware) and a bag of chocolate was her last gift to him.

Harold vs. Patty: P.S. 118 is having an arm wrestling contest, but Harold get humiliated when he loses to Patty before the contest, so he asks Patty for some pointers on winning.
Rich Guy: After Arnold saves the life of a rich man, the man invites Arnold and Grandpa Phil to his house. He tells Arnold that he wishes Arnold was the son he never had, but he really does have a son, but they share nothing in common.

Guest Star: Fred Willard as Sammy Redmond

April Fool's Day: Arnold is sick and tired of everybody performing their April Fools jokes on him (especially Helga), so he tries one of his own, but it backfires when it temporarily blinds Helga. Note: This is copyrighted 2001.

Gerald's Game: Gerald is involved with his new favorite game, which Arnold dislikes.
Fishing Trip: Arnold, Gerald, Harold, Sid and Eugene go on a fishing trip with their fathers and Phil.

Guest Star: Davy Jones as himself

Note: This episode first aired on Ketnet in Belgium.

Married: Rhonda uses a folding paper fortune teller to see who will marry who, and Arnold and Helga get paired up, causing them to both dream what life would be like married to each other. Helga dreams of a fabulous life, becoming the president with Arnold by her side, as Lila becomes jealous of their life. Arnold has a nightmare, dreaming of him being overworked and Helga doing nothing to help around the house or with their future children, and she still continues to be mean to him.

On the Lam: Stinky, Harold and Sid are on the run after they think they blew up the police station.
Family Man: Mr. Hyunh has Arnold pretending to be his son, Suzie as his wife, and Phil and Gertie as his parents for his new employer in order to get a promotion, as his new boss loves families. Mr Hyunh does not want to reveal he only has his daughter and lose the promotion to his co-worker, who has a wife and children

The Racing Mule: Mr. Hyunh, Oskar, and Ernie buy a racehorse, or so they think.
Curly's Girl: Curly gets Rhonda to act as his girlfriend after she spills caramel on her mother's birthday present – a fur coat – that she wore to a party without her parent's knowledge. He opens up his parent's dry-cleaners to fix it, as long as she publicly acts like his girlfriend for one week.

The Journal: Arnold finds a journal describing the adventures of his parents in the jungle, their marriage, Arnold's birth, and other details of their life. On the final page, it contains a map showing where they had to go after they left him to deliver medicine to the people of the jungle. Note: This is copyrighted 2001. Last episode produced; originally designed as a cliffhanger as a lead-in to "The Jungle Movie", a theatrical feature that was cancelled and years later revived as a two-part television movie.

Note: This episode also exists in a full 47-minute version.

Timberly Loves Arnold: Arnold lets Timberly tag-along when he and Gerald go out to play ball, causing Timberly to have a crush on Arnold. She makes Lila start to like Arnold because he has been helping Timberly.
Eugene, Eugene!: Eugene gets the lead role in the school musical "Eugene, Eugene". But the play director changes the final part, where Eugene gets the girl (played by Lila) and is a hero, and kills off his character, removing the most popular song in the play, "Sunny Side Up", instead giving a song to the villain (played by Arnold), "Nice Guys Finish Last".

Note: This is the final episode where Spencer Klein and Sam Gifaldi voice Arnold and Sid before the first movie officially began production. Alex D. Linz and Sam's younger brother, Taylor Gifaldi, voiced their respective characters from the last two episodes from the fifth season starting with April Fool's Day until The Journal which were the last two episodes made for the series in 2001.

Ghost Bride: Gerald tells the story of the Ghost Bride, Cynthia Snell.
Gerald vs. Jamie O: Gerald gets jealous because he thinks Jamie O. is trying to steal the girl he likes, when, actually, the girl likes Jamie O, and using Gerald to get close to him.

Note: This episode first aired on Ketnet in Belgium.

A Day in the Life of a Classroom: After Mr. Simmons wins an award, a TV station does a documentary on how he teaches.
Big Bob's Crisis: After Big Bob has a heart attack (or so he thinks, it is revealed to be gas after eating a double-order of ribs), he tries to become nicer. He takes it too far, building a hut outside to meditate in, selling all their appliances and possessions, and getting Miriam and Olga into his ways when they try to talk to him about it. Things get worse when Bob announces they're selling the house and walking barefoot to Oregon to join a commune. It is up to Helga to convince him to change his ways and go back to being the dad she knew before.

Phoebe's Little Problem: Phoebe is embarrassed after she farts into a microphone in front of a huge audience.
Grandpa's Packard: Grandpa's Packard is stolen from an antique car show.

Arnold, Gerald and Helga try to save their neighborhood from an evil businessman named Scheck who is trying to demolish their neighborhood to put up a shopping mall.

Arnold's class wins a field trip to San Lorenzo, the location of his missing parents. He uses this opportunity to get answers and try to find out what happened to them.