Hey Arnold! Or Arthur, which was the better slice-of-life kids show?

[themistermanguy]

In 1996, two cartoons came out that had a lot in common. One was about an average, plain kid and his best friend, who interact with the city, their families, and their eclectic elementary school class, as they learn important life lessons. That being Nickelodeon's Hey Arnold! The other show revolved around an average, plain kid and his best friend, who interact with the city, their families, and their eclectic elementary school class, as they learn important life lessons. Arthur from PBS. Despite a near identical premise and concept, the two are very different in terms of execution and setting. The question now is, which executed it better in your opinion? I myself, am torn, as I've only just began rewatching both series, and they still hold up.

 

[Samtemdo8_v1legacy]

Does Arthur have an Episode where a Vietamese immagrint who was seperated from his baby daughter during the Vietnam War where the main charcater than tried and succeed to re-unite said daughter with the Vietamese man as a Christmas Gift?

 

[PapaGreg096]

Does Arthur have an Episode where a Vietamese immagrint who was seperated from her daughter during the War where the main charcater than tried and succeed to re-unite said daughter with the Vietamese man as a Christmas Gift?

No but it does have an episode on dealing with Alzheimers

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

The obvious answer is Ed, Edd and Eddy, but I'll let it slide just this once.

But Hey Arnold is clearly the superior show, if for no other reason they had that Helga sees the school counselor episode. That may be in my Top 10 cartoon episodes.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Hey Arnold was an adorable show, treasure it to bits. Never saw Arthur.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Yeah, vaguely remember Arthur, but Hey Arnold is definitely memorable, so going with that.

 

[Drathnoxis]

I never watched Hey Arnold! because the characters looked dumb and Arnold had a football head.

Arthur was pretty great though. Sometimes I'll rewatch a couple episodes and I still think it's really funny.

 

[KyuubiNoKitsune-Hime]

Well considering that they're still making new episodes of Arthur, which as with most PBS cartoons is based on a series of children's books. Arthur from an educational standpoint is the better show, Hey Arnold! is better from a narrative and animation quality standpoint. Arthur is mostly forgettable, it's very much a children's television program at that, one that adults have issues watching. Hey Arnold! was something the whole family could watch, with a good mix of jokes kids would like, with jokes that would make adults laugh, but fly over kid's heads. Plus Hey Arnold! had jokes that would make kids and adults laugh for totally different reasons, along with jokes that are just universally funny. Hey Arnold! is also really good for it's honestly touching moments and overall depth, it's a show that can and will make you cry. It was all around perfect, which is why Hey, Arnold! made it to 5 seasons and 100 episodes. Honestly that was the perfect length for the series too.

 

[Fox12]

Does Arthur have an Episode where a Vietamese immagrint who was seperated from her daughter during the War where the main charcater than tried and succeed to re-unite said daughter with the Vietamese man as a Christmas Gift?

Or the subtle hints that Helga's mom is an alcoholic who got pregnant outside of marriage, and is trapped in an unhappy relationship.

Or the fact that Helga is basically in a neglectful, broken home.

Or the way it snuck its LGBT characters past the sensors.

Or the failing marriage of Oscar and his wife.

Honestly, Hey Arnold was probably the most philosophical children's show I've ever seen. It's about broken things, and outcasts. It has a kind of raw emotional honesty that's refreshing.Also, it's actually funny.

I actually bought the DVD release recently, and it hold up incredibly. I can't say the same for any of my other childhood cartoons. And their making a movie to finish off the series!


Arthur did have Neil Gaiman, though, so I guess it has that going for it...

 

[Hawki]

Never really that big on either of them, but between the two, I guess Hey, Arnold was my preferred cartoon.

 

[Bob_McMillan]

Wasn't Arthur for kids? Like, really for kids?

Anyway, all I remember was that I liked Hey Arnold better.

 

[Gordon_4_v1legacy]

I'd say they're both good shows if one follows them sequentially: you start with Arthur, get eased into the more mundane moral situations you encounter as a younger kid but by the time you're 12 or so you start watching Hey, Arnold! and it throws the more complex ones at you.


That episode with Mr. Hyunh's daughter was a fucking heartbreaker though. Like seriously.

 

[DudeistBelieve]

I'll go with Hey Arnold cause I think visually and everything it had way more broader appeal

 

[MysticSlayer]

At the time, I always preferred Recess to both of them, and at the time, I didn't care for one over the other. That said, for lasting impression, Hey Arnold! definitely takes it. Arthur just wasn't that interesting after I started getting older. Hey Arnold! is timeless. I would probably even put it on the same level as Recess now.

 

[Queen Michael]

While Hey Arnold! had some great episodes now and then, I much preferred and prefer Arthur. It felt more down-to-Earth, and the artstyle and overall feel of the show was more my cup of tea.

 

[Creator002]

Arthur.
As a matter of fact, I've been watching it recently on Netflix and Stan (we recently changed streaming services). Still enjoyable for this 24 year old male.

 

[Scarim Coral]

Definitely Hey Arnold.

I always felt Arthur was more pre school sort of show. Yes I know it isn't since I remember with it being on after 3.30 when I come back from school but still, I liked Hey Arnold due to know much wisdom Arnold has despite being a kid.

 

[themistermanguy]

Wasn't Arthur for kids? Like, really for kids?

Anyway, all I remember was that I liked Hey Arnold better.

Arthur is a show for children, and may not pack much of the same adult humor as more contemporary kid shows like Gravity Falls do. But it still didn't talk down to kids. The show is surprisingly well-written watching it again, and managed to tackle some serious subject matter. Not as serious as some of the stuff Hey Arnold! tackled, but it still takes some serious balls for a kids show to do plots about dislexia, cancer, and even a 9-11 allegory.

That being said, Hey Arnold! was definitely the ballsier of the two. Managing to get alcoholism and LGBT characters past the censors, not to mention that Vietnam episode, and the fact that ending to the acclaimed Pigeon Man episode, was originally a lot more messed up.

 

[Fox12]

Wasn't Arthur for kids? Like, really for kids?

Anyway, all I remember was that I liked Hey Arnold better.

Yeah, it's primarily aimed at young gradeschool children. I remember reading the books around second grade. I respect any children's show that's honestly, passionately made for young kids. I think that's a noble endeavor.

But Hey Arnold was something special. I fondly remember a lot of really emotional moments in that series, some I could relate to, and some I couldn't. And when I re-watched it on netflix as an adult, I realized that a lot of it was aimed at adults as well. It's one of those series that says one thing to kids, and another to adults. I can't really remember anything from Arthur.