Current Events > It's kinda funny that Helga/Angelica were just as much of the MC as Arnold/Tommy

(+) Yeah! (+)

I guess I never really noticed this as a kid but I watching Hey Arnold/Rugrats nowadays it's more apparent.

But this probably applies more to the early seasons for both shows

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I never watched Hey Arnold, but that's not true for Angelica at all.

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From what I remember of the show, I'd almost argue that Helga was more of a main character than Arnold.

But that's probably because I really just remember the Helga-centric episodes.
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jumi posted...

I never watched Hey Arnold, but that's not true for Angelica at all.

This wtf

Helga, the original tsundere
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I never liked either of these characters as a kid, but as I got older I started to realize that their living situations were extremely flawed and they were some of the most sympathetic characters in their respective shows. Helga especially is such a complex and realistic characterization. That show just has so much heart. I would say Helga was as much a main as Arnold was. Angelica really wasn't as much, but Rugrats was also more of an ensemble whereas Hey Arnold was Arnold's show.
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FL81 posted...

Helga, the original tsundere

Nah that'd be Madoka Ayukawa from Kimagure Orange Road.

Yeah, Helga was basically co-main character with Arnold. If she isnt involved in the A-plot, shes often the subject of a B-plot.
Which is good, because shes a compelling character and an excellent foil for Arnold, particularly in terms of family life(Arnolds appears dysfunctional from the outside but is actually great; Helgas is the reverse).

It was neat that Hey Arnold had quite a few episodes where Arnold was not the main character. I think he may have made a token appearance in all of them though. I liked how you could have an episode with Helga and Harold getting left behind on a field trip and Arnold is barely in the episode.
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YellowSUV posted...

It was neat that Hey Arnold had quite a few episodes where Arnold was not the main character. I think he may have made a token appearance in all of them though. I liked how you could have an episode with Helga and Harold getting left behind on a field trip and Arnold is barely in the episode.

Really shows how compelling the cast was for that show

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angelica is the villain not really the main character
she does get focus episodes of course like the christmas special
but her role is mainly tormenting the babies

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There were couple Phoebe-centric episodes, a Rhonda-centric episode, some Gerald ones, although yeah Arnold himself has a considerable presence. But still that setting was such a versatile platform. Arthur is like that too.
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Curly was a future school shooter if I ever saw one
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I never liked them as child nor did I grow to like them when I was older . Just because you have to live with horrible stuff not does excuse you making someone else's life bad. In fact it makes you a worse person since you know first hand about the pain people are dealing with and you are bringing on to someone else.
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Angelia and Tommy are cousins.

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ElatedVenusaur posted...

Yeah, Helga was basically co-main character with Arnold. If she isnt involved in the A-plot, shes often the subject of a B-plot.
Which is good, because shes a compelling character and an excellent foil for Arnold, particularly in terms of family life(Arnolds appears dysfunctional from the outside but is actually great; Helgas is the reverse).

It's clear multiple times throughout the shows that Helga's dad loved her. Her mom in the other hand i don't know. Probably

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Behaviorism posted...

It's clear multiple times throughout the shows that Helga's dad loved her. Her mom in the other hand i don't know. Probably

She's too drunk (on smoothies) to pay attention to Helga.

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Helga is vastly the most interesting character in the show and IMO is one of the best cartoon characters ever written. She's smart and funny. She's intensely emotional and she almost always allows her emotions to dictate her actions. We the audience get to know her bad side AND her good side. She's bossy and selfish sometimes but also cares deeply about her friends and even her family, and of course Arnold. The cartoon shows us when she does something right. But it also shows us the moments she does things wrong, like when she framed her nanny for theft, or when she failed at breaking up Arnold and Lila at the cheese festival, and in the end she ended up all alone while all her friends were partnered. I always admired that the show was willing to end some of the Helga-centric episodes on a bitter note like that. She gets a lot of character development, we see her struggling with her feelings so many ways. Sometimes she tries being nice to Arnold but can't (maybe because of her messed up relationships with her family), other times she tries to forget about Arnold altogether.

Inga "There is no excuse for what you did. And you must face the consequences."
Helga "What consequences? I got away with it, didn't I?!"
Inga "You're such an angry girl Helga, and you won't let anyone help you, so you must live with your unhappiness."
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Behaviorism posted...

ElatedVenusaur posted...

Yeah, Helga was basically co-main character with Arnold. If she isnt involved in the A-plot, shes often the subject of a B-plot.
Which is good, because shes a compelling character and an excellent foil for Arnold, particularly in terms of family life(Arnolds appears dysfunctional from the outside but is actually great; Helgas is the reverse).

It's clear multiple times throughout the shows that Helga's dad loved her. Her mom in the other hand i don't know. Probably

Both of Helga's parents are fucking garbage.
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Behaviorism posted...

ElatedVenusaur posted...

Yeah, Helga was basically co-main character with Arnold. If she isnt involved in the A-plot, shes often the subject of a B-plot.
Which is good, because shes a compelling character and an excellent foil for Arnold, particularly in terms of family life(Arnolds appears dysfunctional from the outside but is actually great; Helgas is the reverse).

It's clear multiple times throughout the shows that Helga's dad loved her. Her mom in the other hand i don't know. Probably

Her parents love her, but neither is good at expressing it, and they both very openly favor Olga(Big Bob even mistakenly refers to Helga as "Olga" on occasion!) Big Bob is a massive jerk whose far more invested in his beeper business than his younger daughter. Miriam is distant and incompetent(Craig Bartlett said she was an alcoholic: not something they could show on TV): whereas Arnold can always count on one of his grandparents or even a boarder to notice he's struggling with something and offer a sympathetic ear and some advice, the only person Helga can expect help from is Phoebe(or occasionally Arnold, in his role as class conscience). Even "perfect" Olga is repeatedly shown to be a poor sister, and is so high-strung and weak, she needs Helga to bail her out more often than not!