Release Date: 08/09/11
Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 440 minutes

Hey Arnold!, one of the most beloved animated Nickelodeon series from the 1990s, arrives in stores nationwide for the first time on August 9, 2011, from Shout! Factory. Featuring all 20 hilarious episodes, Hey Arnold!: Season One follows the adventures of Arnold, the original football-headed boy’s life in the big city alongside his Grandpa, Grandma, Abner the pig and a host of other friends and neighbors. Long anticipated by fans, Hey Arnold!: Season One has not been available in stores until now. The four-disc DVD set has a suggested retail price of $29.93.

Like all of Nickelodeon’s classic shows, Hey Arnold!: Season One boasts an all-star voice cast which includes Toran Caudell (7th Heaven), Dan Castellaneta (The Simpsons, Futurama), Tress MacNeille (The Simpsons, Futurama), Jamil Walker Smith (Shark Tale) and Francesca Smith.

A favorite with viewers and critics alike, Hey Arnold! stars Arnold, a fourth grader who lives with his grandparents Phil and Gertrude, owners of the Sunset Arms boarding house. Each episode finds Arnold in a new, sticky situation, whether it’s helping out a schoolmate with their problems or dealing with his own. Unfortunately, Arnold’s predicaments are often started by Helga, a schoolmate who picks on Arnold and constantly bullies him. However, Helga only pretends to dislike Arnold to hide the fact that she is secretly in love with him!

Created by Craig Bartlett as a comic in 1986, Hey Arnold! debuted as an animated short for the Nickelodeon film Harriet the Spy in 1996. Hey Arnold! went on to air on Nickelodeon from 1996 to 2001. The show also aired on “Nick on CBS” from 2002 until 2004.

My memories of watching Hey Arnold! mainly appear as this: Watch the first story in its entirety and then fall asleep during the second story, the final half of the episode. I enjoyed the show but even then I saw the flaws that the show held which ended up making my interest for the show fall flat at times. For instance, the “Stoop Kid” story from Episode 3 was interesting because Arnold helped a kid face his fear and then the kid used his new found opportunity to harass kids. Arnold was disappointed but shrugged it off and walked home… and that was the end of the episode. He shrugged it off! Not only does Arnold appear to be too nonchalant in his hero ways, but there’s a lot of bullying in the series and clearly, Helga is not the only one to blame.

The show attempts to give off positive messages but is often overshadowed by its characters’ actions which contradict the message or reverse any progress the message had at getting through. Good intentions are not enough for me so to watch the series again as an adult just made me squirm a little too much. I do have to remember though that while I still hold these qualities, I was much more simple minded and nonchalant as a child than I am now and cannot be disappointed that this show doesn’t dig deeper. That said, this show took risks in the stories it told, so credit where credit is due. And the comedic bits did keep me on my toes! The comedy is just as sharp years later.

Speaking of funny, it’s interesting that the balance of following Arnold and following Helga is much more equal than it should be. For a show called Hey Arnold!, one would think Arnold would be followed a little bit more, but there’s an awful lot of screen time given to his crush who has the most annoying voice ever, bless her heart. This has nothing to do with the voice talent and everything to do with all that is Helga. But as far as the cast goes, I was surprised to find that Jamil Walker Smith (“Stargate Universe”) played the voice of Gerald.

I paid zero attention to the credits on the majority of shows that I watched back in the day, so finding out who rounded out the cast in my re-watch today has been a delight! Other familiar names who appear in an episode or two throughout the series (not necessarily season one) include Kathy Najimy, Mayim Bialik, Ron Perlman, Lacey Chabert, George Takei, and Jean Smart. Now as far as the visuals go, the animation looks just as good, if not better than it did when the series first aired on Nickelodeon. The sound quality is just as wonderful as well. And with all of this said, for any fan of the Nickelodeon classics, Hey Arnold! Season 1 is definitely a must have DVD for your collection because your DVD collection just wouldn’t be the same without it.

Unfortunately, there are no Bonus Features on this DVD.

Own Hey Arnold! Season 1 on DVD today.