I used to think 'Rugrats' was the best 90s cartoon until I rewatched 'Hey Arnold' last month

I mean, I loved the baby talk and the wild imagination stuff in 'Rugrats', it was a huge part of my childhood. But I put on a few 'Hey Arnold' episodes on a streaming site, maybe six in a row, and it just hit different now. The stories in Arnold's city felt more real, like Helga's messed up home life or Gerald dealing with his bully. 'Rugrats' was fun, but 'Hey Arnold' actually tried to talk about stuff kids really go through, you know? It wasn't just about getting a cookie or escaping Angelica. I think watching it as an adult made me see how smart it was. Has anyone else gone back to a show from back then and totally changed their ranking?

3 comments

3 Comments

xena_miller312mo ago

Yeah, totally get that. I had the same thing happen with 'Arthur' of all shows. Used to just watch it for the silly animal gags, but I caught an episode last year about his dad losing his job and it was way heavier than I remembered. They handled it so well for a kids show, talking about money stress without being scary. Makes you see those old cartoons in a whole new light.

gibson.oliver2mo ago

Right? That episode hit me hard too.

julia_burns94d ago

Read a blog post that said the same thing about Arnold's realism, and @xena_miller31 nailed it with Arthur too.