Helga’s Dysfunctional Family Hits Different As An Adult: Analyzing Her Neglectful Parents...

Hey Arnold: Helga’s Messed Up Childhood Because You Like To Feel Sad...This Is Why You Grew Up With Daddy Issues...
It’s easy to sympathize with Helga after you realize how messed up her childhood was. She was really abrasive and even a bit of a bully In “Hey Arnold!”, but can you blame her? I mean, her mother was obviously an alcoholic, and she couldn’t even count on her father to call her by the right name. “Hey Arnold!” was an amazing show that taught a lot of deep and meaningful lessons in a way that was easy for children to understand, but even as adults you’ll catch something that blows your mind or makes you cry. And today, that happens to be Helga’s childhood and how her entire personality was shaped by a level of neglect that no child should be forced to endure.
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Inspired by The WEIRD World of Hey Arnold!
Inspired by The ADULT Hey Arnold Spin-off That Almost Happened...
Inspired by This Hey Arnold Episode Was A Bit DARKER Than Usual...
Inspired by Helga Has Self-Respect | Hey Arnold! | NickRewind
Inspired by Helga Pataki's Rough Childhood | Hey Arnold! | NickRewind
Also check out: • Sam's Toxic Family Hit...
If you grew up watching Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, PBS Kids, or any cartoon for that matter, let me start off by modestly saying, welcome to the kinda coolest place you'll ever find because we're actually pretty weird around here.
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[@robertbarrows6687]

Olga herself was abused by her parents but in a different fashion: she was constantly put on a pedestal and wasn't taught, at all, how to deal with anything less than a perfect grade. They treated her like a stuffed up wind up doll that they could parade to show how 'great' they were.

[@unholyiiamas]

My wife went through this with her parents. They expected perfect grades and even if she got a low 90 that was considered failure. She still carries baggage from it and deals with anxiety.

[@ciscojacobo7168]

Yeah, imagine if they did the Hey Arnold spin-off " The Pataki's " then we might've gotten either a moment or even episode where Olga tells Helga that she's too a victim of their patents. That it isn't easy perfect child, in fact it super hard.

[@madamkoifish]

Basically she was a trophy daughter. When I was a kid I didn’t care for Olga but now as an adult I understand abuse comes in all different shapes.

[@2FINE4YOUBABYGIRL]

@@unholyiiamasmay I ask how dealing with that as a kid manifests as an adult? Is your wife more of a perfectionist or fears failure as an adult?

[@sean.furlong1989]

@@ciscojacobo7168 Olga told Helga this at the end of the episode Olga Comes Home.

[@nationalinstituteofcheese3012]

Olga and Helga are two extremes of abuse. Helga was neglected and ignored while Olga was spoiled but also heavily pressured to the point that she can’t even celebrate her achievements since they’re expected

[@sean.furlong1989]

Olga practically shut down and confined herself to her bedroom in the episode Olga Comes Home when she thought she got a B+ instead of straight As. Looking at this as an adult this is not a normal or healthy reaction and she even reveals at the end how she feels overwhelmed with all the attention she gets.

[@kcirtapelyk6060]

I would’ve loved to see a spinoff where Olga has a come to Jesus moment about her parents, sues them for custody over her sister, and they start a new life together in a new city where they can work together to heal their wounds.

[@michaelirazori9214]

@@kcirtapelyk6060 While a nice thought, but the long awaited series conclusion of the jungle movie had given Helga her one happiness: Arnold liking her back. Olga was still more/less still struggling with her sheltered mannerisms too.

[@MrNintoku]

I felt that from my parents. When I finally succeeded instead of receiving praise I got "You're finally meeting the standard". That was gutwrenching.

[@ilonakichkas]

@@sean.furlong1989 Olga is not a sympathetic and emotionally warm person, this is just a picture. Since she is used to being a perfectionist with excellent student syndrome, she can no longer imagine another life. This is a clinic. People like Olga will never turn to a psychologist, because for them the motto “Appear, not be” is the meaning of life and they will never give it up. When Olga lived with her parents and sister, she also didn’t care about Helga (like Bob and Miriam), she was even proud of the fact that she was the center of the universe for her parents, and she didn’t care about the others, even her sister. And now Olga realized that the beautiful picture of her life lacks a relationship with her sister. But Helga is not a naive fool, she senses the falseness emanating from her sister and treats her with undisguised disdain. And as for the corrected grade on the report card - given the kind of relationship they have, this is not surprising. As the saying goes, “If there’s a gun hanging on the wall, it’s bound to fire”. Olga, being an obedient daughter all her life, never went through separation, because it didn’t even occur to her to call the university and find out on what basis she was given a “B”. That's why she's childish in this situation. Behind her delicacy and prettiness lies arrogance

[@maxbaugh9372]

The age difference between Olga & Helga implies Helga was an "oops" baby

[@TheHomerowKeys]

Not an oops baby, but a fix-the-marriage baby here! It was fun learning the reason I exist 8 years after my sister is because my parents thought a new baby would rekindle their love... I am now the "support your 4 parents child." They got divorced when I was 5.

[@thepinktreeclub]

its the opposite with me, i'm way older than my siblings because i'm a very very very early oops baby. they're still together and they gave me 4 siblings believe it or not, but like, the age gap between me and them rly shows they learned the lesson not to have kids until they were stabilized finantially, which im thankful for lol, cuz it means they could grew up in a permanent house and even had a free unpaid babysitter(me). the age gap to my first sister is 8 years, to my youngest one its 19. yea.

[@ReceptiveKing93]

That was savage but I didn’t think of it that’s way 😂

[@bradhaley8432]

I can fully say that Olga on many occasions tried to be an adult figure in Helga's life than an older sister. And I should know I have watched the show and the reruns.

[@mr_fuji_mintsmr_fuji_mints9873]

Youve seen the show? No way

[@bradhaley8432]

@mr_fuji_mintsmr_fuji_mints9873 I'm 28 years old, and this is 1 of 4 shows on Nickelodeon. So, in other words, yes, I've seen it.

[@nationalinstituteofcheese3012]

Ok but in the flashback, Olga just completely ignores her sister who’s trying to tell their father she needs someone to drive her to school.

[@bradhaley8432]

@nationalinstituteofcheese3012 I never said that Olga was perfect I'm just saying that in multiple episodes and even in the Hey Arnold movie Olga does pay attention to Helga. Something that both their parents don't do until the Hey Arnold movie.

[@unsightedmelodies6801]

Yes, but that's a case of too little to late. Helga has too much resentment to appreciate Olga's actions, and Olga can't relate for all her caring. The age gap is probably a large part of why.

[@SamP-by7iv]

Olga tried to be there for Helga when she could but she also had a lot to focus on in her own life, and Helga resented her for being seen as the golden child. I think if they'd gotten more time together it could have helped Helga a lot.

[@StarViewer68]

The age gap definitely made it harder for Helga and Olga’s relationship. By the time Helga was in preschool, Olga was in high school (as seen in “Helga on the Couch”). Then you factor in that Olga was the “glue” that kept the family together-so long as she showed great achievement, her parents were less likely to fight because they used her accomplishments as distractions from their loveless marriage.

[@lucinae8512]

I also have siblings who are at least 10 years older than me. They certainly tried their best to connect with me as a child since my own parents were too old to do so, but they were fully grown adults with their own lives to live and they felt more like aunts & uncles to me. I grew up to be very independent, which I like living, but sometimes I had to realise I needed someone to rely on.

[@slashbash1347]

The huge age gap between Olga and Helga might be a hint that Olga was the planned child and Helga was a surprise. That may explain why they have so much focus on Olga, even though Helga is clearly astute and intelligent for her age.

[@Canev821]

Never thought of that but I could see that

[@wolfgang1097]

That would make sense.

[@unholyiiamas]

I've been a lifelong fan of Hey Arnold. Helga's life hits so much harder now that I have my own 1 year old daughter. Making a pre-schooler walk to school in the rain is not just neglectful, but plain evil.

[@amylee8969]

Child protective services should’ve been called. A real preschooler in Helga’s position would’ve gotten lost or kidnapped.

[@davidlong6575]

Bro I walked to school in kindergarten all the way to 8th grade lol parents gotta work

[@unholyiiamas]

@@davidlong6575 How does that make it okay for a 4-year-old to be left to walk alone in the inner city?

[@RandomPerson-lv9sf]

@@davidlong6575 Your parents are really smth

[@kymo6343]

@@davidlong6575 I mean same w my parents but I sure as heck am driving my kid to school...

[@sillygabbs]

Personally, if Helga was an only child... she would've only be treated like Olga. Let's think about it, Olga knows her parents aren't okay; they're very neglectful and seem to care and or love what someone can do for them. Like every child, Olga wanted to be loved by her parents. She competed, studied like crazy, toned down her moods, and kept up with so called beauty stands just so she could be loved by two people, who shouldn't be together. When we see certain episodes with Helga, we can see she also wants her parents love. When she tries for the spelling bee, tries to not speak at therapy, changing Olga's grades to seem like the better daughter, and many more instances; it's the same pattern.

[@Blast2224]

What's also sad is, in "Beeper Queen" Meriam actually becomes "productive" and this is one of the FEW times she's not clinging to her drinks. She also has more energy and charisma, and also makes time for Helga before falling too much into the job. Even when Helga says, "I need you", Meriam realizes her neglect, and comes running, she *comes running* and shows genuine concern. Part of me thinks that if "Beeper Queen" KEPT its continuity and didn't revert Meriam back to an alcoholic, Meriam would have grown to be one of the best supporting characters in rehabilitating herself, Helga, Bob, and Olga.

[@CrowCoded]

It's a shame they didn't keep it, but it would have messed up the status quo and, in a way, removed the representation it gave. For the family's sake though? I would have preferred it. It definitely would have been nice narratively.

[@kymo6343]

@@CrowCoded They were probably planning on saving this for The Patakis that never happened.

[@LadyGreyBlack]

Anybody else belong to the camp of "I had great parents, yet I still feel like I raised myself"? This brought back memories of most of my teachers expressing how independent I was at the same age Helga is supposed to be. If things were so great, why did I have to feel the need to be so independent?

[@littlesongbird1]

Yeah I hear you. My sister and I had to take care of our mom from a young age.

[@katarinaclaes96]

I feel sorry for Helga Pataki because she had a terrible childhood no one loved and cared about her not even her family. I'm so glad she has her friend Pheobe and Arnold to talk to. Her sister Olga was always treated like a princess a smart one. 🥺

[@oooh19]

Helga was very smart herself she was a talented poet

[@katarinaclaes96]

@@oooh19 yeah she was 😁

[@simsgirlgem]

I’m disappointed with the show when it came to Olga because her first appearance showed she was neglected in the opposite direction where when she thought she got a b she breaks down because bob and Miriam had put so much pressure on her to be perfect that a still passing grade broke her then they dropped it after that episode it would have been amazing if helga had her sister to give her the attention and love she needed and helga could have helped Olga realize that being imperfect is okay

[@katarinaclaes96]

@@simsgirlgem yeah I agree Helga diserved more attention she's such a talented poet too. 🥺

[@QueSeraSeraaaa]

No one cared for Helga.. UNLESS Arnold when they were younger and treated her with respect. And Olga who had enough of being treated like a perfect child, tried to get along with her younger sister.

[@priscillajimenez27]

The crazy thing is thst Helga is just as intelligent as Olga. When she took an aptitude test and her teacher said it was as high as Olga. She just didn't try to prove herself as hard as Olga to be perfect. Olga probably had A+ and Helga A-Bs

[@kiragumanyara]

10 or 11? ...from my recollection, she would always say, "I'm 9, dad."

[@Sherbud]

"What are you? 7? 8?"

[@priscillajimenez27]

Exactly

[@aevenova9780]

Yup. How could he not know that???

[@Gittykitty]

She was nine at the start of the show. Also for Helga if she wasn't neglected she would be more selfish because even if her parents weren't neglecting her she would still be in an unsympathetic household. Bob and Mariam would want her to be a carbon copy of Olga and hold her to high expectations, unable to express her poetic side. This would lead to the other extreme of being unable expressing how she feels. Depression would seep in. This was shown as an example in an episode where Helga's parents got mad at Olga for her college grades slipping, while Helga was getting some attention. Helga didn't learn empathy from her parents much, she got it mostly from those outside her family.

[@Gittykitty]

@jessicasmith5728 Ah, you're right, I went off what I could remember from the show. I think the last time I saw it was maybe 5 or so years ago.

[@DSdemon767]

Helga is actually 9 throughout the show. She and the rest of Arnold’s classmates are 4th graders. At the end of the Jungle Movie they were about to enter 6th grade so she would be 10-11 there. I guess they completely skipped out on their 5th grade experience

[@tamakunminnip2117]

Helga's 10th birthday was in March one or two weeks before the April Fools Day episode, but to be fair most people also miss that Arnold would probably be a year older then most of his classmates as he would've been born after the cutoff date (kids born after September have to start a year later) his birthday is October 7th.

[@amylee8969]

Probably, yes! But since the writer kee insisting that he’s 9 (not reached his 10th birthday yet), I’m assuming his birthday month is between January-August. People like to make predictions of the character’s birthdays. Helga’s March birthday is the only certain one b/c like you said, Arnold mentioned it was 2 weeks before April Fools.

[@tamakunminnip2117]

@@amylee8969 the creator Craig Bartlett said Arnold was a Libra and in an episode Arnold says he was born on the 7th (married) therefore his birthday would have to be in October.

[@Essy367]

Wow, it’s so uncanny how much I can relate to Helga and her struggles, as I have a similar family situation to hers. I think that sometimes, when we have gone through the things Helga has, we tend to develop a chip on our shoulder and harden ourselves, as it is the one thing that helps us protect our vulnerability, and can even serve as a survival tactic as well. It can sometimes be hard to know who to trust under such circumstances, and I feel that such happenings are the reason why people have become so lacking in empathy nowadays. We live in a world where we have been conditioned to live for ourselves and put our needs above anyone else’s to avoid being taken advantage of or being hurt, yet like Helga, there is always a fragile child locked deep inside our hearts that just wants to be hugged and understood.

[@nathanspradlin8570]

It's amazing Craig Bartlett got away with having an alcoholic mother on a kids show.

[@ctambush1]

In the 90’s everything flew, I wish they still had more shows as real as they were back then.

[@sean.furlong1989]

It was subtle. Cartoons before about 2003 had more mature themes.

[@Black_Revue]

I always found it weird "Smoothies" were enough to make Helga's mom pass out Behind the Couch

[@garrethboland]

I was about 8 when this show came out and never understood why Miriam was so sleepy, loopy, and slurry. As an adult, I kind of respect the real-ness of life this show depicted.

[@crisptomato9495]

Cap’n K’nuckles was also an alcoholic raising a wayward little blonde child, just on CN instead of Nickelodeon.

[@blaxican]

I think Miriam also had some kind of depression. I remember the episode she took over for Bob at his beeper company, she became a happier person. Although, she still negelcted Helga. Helga's story about her parents and Chinese food was hilarious: "So I'm sitting on the couch one night and Big Bob comes home with food from Fong Chung's. Miriam walks in wearing some silky nightgown, takes one look at Bob, and says 'Chinese take-out... I thought you said we were gonna make out'😂😂😂"

[@PhantomDawg99]

I would like to point out that Helga was 9, and she did occasionally refer to her parents as "mom" and "dad", but it just wasn't as common as the former. Olga was also being abused in a way by being forced to be a perfectionist by her parents.

[@courtneypreston9305]

I kinda want a spinoff comic where the cast is a little older and Helga has had enough of her parents and actually opens up and finds a safe space where she can grow as a person

[@shaynestewart9297]

Helga has a heart of gold. Independent from the beginning. The tough side comes from her parents. of course we all know this

[@SailorCallie]

I truly felt bad for Helga and what she went through. She really deserved better, and Olga too once she wakes up from that nightmare her parents made her go through. Nobody's perfect and they can't always be on someone's pedestal forever.

[@sean.furlong1989]

Looking back it is no wonder Olga dived head first into marriage to a man she only just met. She even says we're moving to the big city and I am dropping out of college. She wanted to get far away, saw a chance and took it.

[@stitchfan93]

Excellent work 😊 Every child deserves a parent, but not every parent deserves a child.

[@BrightElk]

so original

[@calvinfujii5921]

Hopefully Helga will be a better parent than her own mother and father.

[@TsukabuNosoratori2]

her parents would be a great example of how not to raise kids at least. Imagine her walking or driving her kids to school every day so they felt loved and appreciated.

[@RapFanatic4ever]

She will be I think

[@tyronechadington1655]

Not likely. Usually kids turn into their parents

[@TsukabuNosoratori2]

@@tyronechadington1655 That's a major generalization. My mom's father abused her physically and emotionally but did she turn into him later on? No, she even said that the nightmare stops with her. I've known others from an abusive situation as well, yes a couple of people have turned into alcoholic abusers. But the same amount have used their 'parents' as examples of how not to raise kids at the same token.

[@sachinmistry1]

@@tyronechadington1655 My family background is similar to the Potackis. My brother was the spoiled golden child growing up and I was neglected. He has two sons. The older one is going to be like my brother.

[@BrightWulph]

I said this in the comment section of a different video, but I'll repeat it here. The read I get from Helga's treatment is that she was/is an "oopsie" baby, she was never meant to be, because Bob and Mirium already had perfect Olga. You can tell just by the way they treat her, minimum amount of care and attention, constantly getting her name wrong, even calling her "Olga" by mistake in Helga on the Couch during a flashback, constantly misremembering her age, constantly comparing her to Olga. etc etc. It would also explain why there's a huge age gap between Olga and Helga, and why Olga feels "pressured" to perform well, because she wants to be a good rolemodel to Helga.

[@Jessebonnie]

I feel like Helga's parents is the reason why Helga became a bully.

[@rxzewtchii]

And if you watched "Helga on the Couch" you can see the other kids making fun of 3 year old Helga for liking Arnold which also explain the bully front.

[@ilonakichkas]

@@rxzewtchii But thanks to this, no one offends her, because they know that if they dare, next time they will be disgraceful

[@jesserivera2043]

Is very common for parents to neglect their younger child if the oldest one is already grown and the parents had the youngest child late in life. Bob already looks like he's in his '50s, so I can imagine all of their parenting energy going towards the child that reached all of the adolescent milestones. I can see Helga growing up to be completely different if she were maybe 3 to 5 years younger then Olga

[@BunnaySango]

A large age gap usually means the child wasn't planned. The family decided they were done but didn't take precautions, and whoops shes pregnant.

[@vivi-ex9vm]

Her sister was definitely trying to be a support for her as well. I’m pretty sure she was also aware of how shallow her parents were

[@shrodu]

Olga was often blinded to Helga's neglect because they were praising her. Olga did try to be part of Helga's life, but her successes had the opposite effect, reminding Helga how inferior she is to Olga.

[@ilonakichkas]

@@shrodu Olga is not a sympathetic and emotionally warm person, this is just a picture. Since she is used to being a perfectionist with excellent student syndrome, she can no longer imagine another life. This is a clinic. People like Olga will never turn to a psychologist, because for them the motto “Appear, not be” is the meaning of life and they will never give it up. When Olga lived with her parents and sister, she also didn’t care about Helga (like Bob and Miriam), she was even proud of the fact that she was the center of the universe for her parents, and she didn’t care about the others, even her sister. And now Olga realized that the beautiful picture of her life lacks a relationship with her sister. But Helga is not a naive fool, she senses the falseness emanating from her sister and treats her with undisguised disdain. And as for the corrected grade on the report card - given the kind of relationship they have, this is not surprising. As the saying goes, “If there’s a gun hanging on the wall, it’s bound to fire”. Olga, being an obedient daughter all her life, never went through separation, because it didn’t even occur to her to call the university and find out on what basis she was given a “B”. That's why she's childish in this situation. Behind her delicacy and prettiness lies arrogance

[@sarakennedy3467]

I mean i feel like Timmy's parents were almost as terrible but at least she had a kind sister who tried being there for her. Timmy only had his fairies but yeah sometimes Timmy's parents were "good" parents spending time with him I guess they just worked a lot.

[@samthegoanimateman6695]

Maybe Helga should have fairly godparents of her own too!

[@nationalinstituteofcheese3012]

Olga loves her but doesn’t really tell her parents off for the mistreatment

[@Ninja07Keaton]

Timmy's parents weren't malicious, if not for their stupidity, they'd be great parents. You'd be surprised at how many people want to be good parents, but are ultimately held back by their idiocy.

[@aaronnantz2289]

I'm surprised she didn't I know Hey Arnold and fairy oddparnest are different shows on nickelodeon but the kids that got godparents to where miserable kids Helga deserved fairly God parents.

[@samthegoanimateman6695]

I actually do like Olga, she's very pretty and sweet, and she tries to be a good sister to Helga!

[@kendallewis1753]

Ya know, these told cartoon really have deeper meanings to them when you look back at them decades later.

[@RazzLaBeep]

I'm going to guess based on the about ten year age difference between Helga and Olga is that Helga was probably a whoops baby/ unplanned pregnancy. Helga wasn't a wanted child and that's probably why she was ignored by her parents.

[@RapFanatic4ever]

I always felt sorry for Helga . Her mom was an alcoholic and both of her parents wree always paying attention to Olga . I relate to her . My real father abandoned me when I was a kid and threw me in a group home took my sister and I haven’t spoken to him in 21 years . I always felt like CPS should’ve been notified of the abuse her parents gave Helga

[@Bronze998]

Bob is outright a bad person, but I always thought of Miriam as more sick than bad. No ones an alcoholic by choice, and I always speculated that Bob was the one to push her to drink. There was a brief moment where she took over for Bob, stopped drinking, and became a super-mom. But as time went on, she became more absorbed in her work and became neglectful of Helga once again. However, unlike Bob, she realized this and chose family over success. But episodes after that? Back to drinking. She's clearly depressed, and I think the drinking/workaholic tendancies are a way to numb the pain. Not that its an excuse, she's still a terrible mother, but I don't think lumping her in the same category as Bob is fair either.

[@StarViewer68]

She’s also remarkably happier when Bob isn’t around. In “Road Trip” and “Beach Vacation,” Miriam wasn’t drinking and enjoyed being around Helga and Suzie, respectively.

[@tehgaymer9020]

The episode with her in therapy, even as a kid, that hit hard seeing just how truly alone she was, was truly sad. As many episodes leading up that, the joke was usually she'd be mean to Arnold, then start reciting poetry, and Brainy would be lurking and get punched, so it always seemed like a funny ongoing joke of her obsession with him while being a bully. Until you learn the reasons why then it all clicks.

[@HeyitsBri_]

I adored Olga because I was being abused in the same way and didn’t realize it. I loved how she lived up to the standard of perfection that was laid out for her and when I got older I was like, “Oh.”

[@TrapBraider]

I understood helga’s childhood and I felt bad for her I also felt bad for the sister . The sister seemed to love helga but the way the parents treated Olga made helga dislike her smh

[@bradyryan5105]

Olga did confess a few times that she gets sick of the way Bob & Miriam treat them

[@ilonakichkas]

@@bradyryan5105 Olga is not a sympathetic and emotionally warm person, this is just a picture. Since she is used to being a perfectionist with excellent student syndrome, she can no longer imagine another life. This is a clinic. People like Olga will never turn to a psychologist, because for them the motto “Appear, not be” is the meaning of life and they will never give it up. When Olga lived with her parents and sister, she also didn’t care about Helga (like Bob and Miriam), she was even proud of the fact that she was the center of the universe for her parents, and she didn’t care about the others, even her sister. And now Olga realized that the beautiful picture of her life lacks a relationship with her sister. But Helga is not a naive fool, she senses the falseness emanating from her sister and treats her with undisguised disdain. And as for the corrected grade on the report card - given the kind of relationship they have, this is not surprising. As the saying goes, “If there’s a gun hanging on the wall, it’s bound to fire”. Olga, being an obedient daughter all her life, never went through separation, because it didn’t even occur to her to call the university and find out on what basis she was given a “B”. That's why she's childish in this situation. Behind her delicacy and prettiness lies arrogance

[@littlesongbird1]

I love the Christmas episode where it's implied that Helga traded her boots to help Arnold reunite one of the tenants with his daughter. It showed that deep down inside Helga did like Arnold.

[@buildtherobots]

2:23 Did anyone else notice that the word Bob keeps drilling Helga on for the spelling bee is "qualm" and yet Big Bob has no qualms about trying to bribe Arnold to quit?

[@bradyryan5105]

and it bothered Helga that Bob didn't think she could do it on her own

[@bunnysb2587]

I love hey Arnold. It's a down to earth cartoon

[@Lethalport1515]

I like your candour and not editing out when you make a flub. Great humour too, makes me giggle every time. Keep being you 😊

[@chihuahuarocks]

The age thing really hit hard, especially since my birthday passed not too long ago and my dad didn't remember nor did he remember my age :')

[@krismilko]

Hey Arnold! was so ahead of its time. I still watch it every now and then and Craig Bartlett was so real for creating complex characters that I doubt, no other cartoon shows would do in this age. I also think Helga developed a limerant relationship with Arnold due to her parents' emotional and physical neglect. Like you said in the therapy episode (which again was ahead of its time because no one talked about therapy especially for young kids back in the 90's-early 2000's), the very first time Helga "developed" feelings for Arnold was when he held an umbrella over her head. What was such an innocent interaction led to having these feelings for him for yeeaaarrrsss because she was finally being seen and that makes me so sad. 💔

[@DaveFisher-cq2dr]

how could Helga not disown her family?

[@lindseypine9066]

I remember when I was super young, I cried when I’d watched that episode when she was walking by herself to school.

[@supermiraculousladybug6731]

Helga's mom is obviously an alcoholic.

[@Symphonia30]

Do you know the funny thing, it’s the fact that I had no idea how goes mom was an alcoholic even as a kid.

[@dragorn3212]

The Nickelodean writers always amazed me with adult humor and references. It wasn't just childish slapstick jokes, these would have worked for adult sitcoms as well

[@ArcFallOrder1919]

They don't deserve to be parents, Ogla doesn't understand why Helga hates her.

[@joytaylor6553]

the worst part about that spelling bee is that big Bob didn't really trust helga good to win on her own he pretty much tried to pay Arnold off

[@Iwannaps5]

Probably the best show of my childhood, they truly don’t make shows like this anymore.

[@KindredKeepsake]

Honestly, if you had a childhood like Helga's, *you couldn't possibly ruin more about it than it already was.* Well done, though~! This show was a real one.

[@davidyoung5640]

Helga is the Asuka of Neon Gensis Evangelion. "I'll think for myself and live for myself!”

[@rxzewtchii]

I remember when I was a kid I hated Helga's parents. Now as an adult I still do. They just ruined the poor girl's childhood.

[@millersam07]

Here's a dark theory. In the spelling bee episode Bob alludes to Helga that the spelling bee was where Olga got her start. Meaning all the crazy praising and expectations happened around the same time Helga was born. So if little Olga was neglected like Helga, but then given all this praise and attention it would have been pretty tempting to lean into that. Helga wouldn't have known about Olga's neglect bc it happened before she was born. Helga then had the benefit of hindsight to know her parents love wasn't genuine as well as the insane expectations that would occur if she won, because of what happened to Olga, so when it happened to her she rejected it. Olga likely did lean too much into her parents praise, but I also like to think it was in some ways to save Helga. If all the attention and expectations are on her, then Helga can fly under the radar, something Helga did choose as a preference in the spelling bee episode. Olga whenever she's shown returning home has her focus on Helga, loving her little sister, and even reminding her parents to include Helga. Honestly as an adult you feel bad for Helga, but you also feel bad for Olga.

[@JennyBenFoldsFan421]

I was today years old when I discovered hey Arnold did not in fact take place in New York City like I had thought… But a fictional town in Washington state? Wow.

[@davidyoung5640]

Yeah I always thought it was based in NY but apparently it's an amalgamation of different north west cities

[@Lynn-nx6ue]

Most alcoholic homes have to have a golden child. Because Olga spent so many years as an only child she would have known the only way to get her parents attention and love was to do everything perfectly and if she didn’t, she probably would have gotten the same treatment Helga did. She was also considered perfect to everyone else and couldn’t handle not being perfect because she believes she has no worth unless she excels at everything. She doesn’t understand being loved for just being her.

[@catlovercami717]

They really remind me of Matilda's parents.....

[@SuperTS1TV]

5:57 Ugh, the way he looks in that picture 😣

[@benhicks7652]

This is the Hey Arnold! deep dive I've un-ironically been looking for

[@meganshaw1987]

She was nine.

[@adamk-paxlogan7330Sucks]

helga said she was 9 for a full year,so owen's not wrong,meaning helga had a birthday off screen soon after she stated that

[@tarag7292]

​@@adamk-paxlogan7330Sucks No, that is typical not true with cartoons. Cartoons usually stay their age through the series. In the series, they remained 9 years old.

[@LakelynnPeogueot87]

Both Olga and Helga were abused by their parents Olga had to be that perfect child that needed to be perfect and have perfect grades and be put on a pedestal her parents were awful in general i can actually see why Helga and Olga are the way they are till this day i remember watching hey Arnold and seeing where things have gotten worse from there it's so messed up how her parents don't even care about their daughter's well beings Olga is the one that's been peer pressured into becoming the perfect daughter in the family it's really Digusting how these parents just neglected their own children and favor one another i hate parents like that who favor their children over another they always play favoritism i absolutely hate it this has happened to me as a kid i and hated every single minute of it how are you gonna played favoritism with anything child and then have the nerve to negligence your other child

[@efcoolstar3849]

Helga’s parents are horrible as Timmy Turner’s if not far worse. Because of her life in preschool, Helga became a bully and hurt innocent people even her own sweet perfect sister. Helga even got rid of her nanny on purpose by setting her up despite the latter being kind, keeping the house in order by cleaning and cooking great meals, and the kids liked her a lot and scolded Helga for getting rid of her. Arnold was the only one who noticed her and was being kind the moment they first met at preschool. However since the beginning of the series Arnold only sees Helga as a bully who messes with the former more than anyone, but didn’t do anything to deserve this. That’s why he doesn’t want anything to do with her even though he often tried to give her advice. That explains why Arnold focuses on Lila since she is the total opposite of Helga and no bully. However Lila knew about Helga’s true feelings too before Dr. Bliss and that’s why she wanted to stay out of this without Helga getting more jealous. Other than Dr. Bliss, Helga really needs Fairy Godparents for better or for worse, but to help keep her restraining from violence and eased her pain, sadness, and anger. If her parents aren’t too neglectful, maybe Helga could be nice to her sister, her nanny Inga, and especially Arnold. Inga should’ve been hired earlier like during Helga’s preschool days to show love her parents hardly gave her and learn to be nice to Olga.

[@brandonp7503]

If Helga had been an only child, then she would've gotten the support and resources she needed to be smarter than Olga ever was.

[@stormtroopertk8]

I’m 18 so I can now say I understand this as an adult. But in all seriousness it is in fact very very different watching this as I’m older

[@bruinlover09]

No one going to mention that Helga and Olga are the same name but have different spellings because of cultural differences

[@rosegirl3220]

Wasn’t Helga 9?

[@janderson947]

I think so she definitely had her dad’s personality 😂

[@Bluestar-nn2uh]

Helgas life reminds me of Matilda's

[@joypawz7654]

And today is the day I realized one of my OC's is just Helga but as a pop star and an only child ._.

[@randomshorts6862]

Cps is evil. I'm glad they never outright went that route, and she ends up happy with both her family and Arnold at the end of the shows run 😅😮😂🎉❤😊❤😊❤😊

[@kymo6343]

It hits extra different when you realize your parents treat you and your older sibling the same as Olga and Helga...

[@RickMichaels-if5eq]

I should’ve known she was boozing it up, but I was too young to pay attention to that.🍷😂😏

[@shannonmcelroy8454]

If I could only use one deadly sin to describe Bob and Miriam, it would be Sloth. A lot of people see it as the most harmless of sins, but it can be very toxic when it seeps into relationships because it leads to rigidity and stagnation, making difficult situations even harder to navigate. We see this when Helga gets called to the therapist, and her parents' first reaction is to tell her to sweep all their problems under the rug. Or the time Olga thought she got a single B out of several As and both her mom and dad were completely apathetic to her mental breakdown. It shows that when the going gets tough, they would rather lie back and stew in their own egos and emotions than make the best of a bad situation. To quote The Emperor's New Groove, "Someday you're gonna wind up all alone, and you'll have no one to blame but yourself."

[@Socialsteve89]

Helga Was 9 On The Show Not 10.

[@dreamsofparis5535]

I actually never watched a whole lot of Hey Arnold, but when I do now, it's extremely uncomfortable to watch when Helga and her family are on screen. I was in a hostile relationship that had an unhealthy family structure. I was naive and ignored the red flags, but I wish I knew sooner. However, no family is perfect as there are many with favoritism, manipulation, addiction and many things thrown in, but I do not like toxic behavior.

[@ashantiwalker3775]

0:01-9:10 Helga and Olga deserve better. 😟

[@RaptorofRex07]

Wait this took place in Washington? I always thought it was New York

[@moose656]

Except for one episode where power goes to her head, Olga does show to truly love her little sister despite being blind to her parents' favoritism.

[@axshnjxsn2571]

As a kid and now adult who grew up never liking attention, I think Helga's way of growing up is the only way to grow. You learn alot more that way.

[@Canev821]

Me too my parents wheee never neglectful but they were just emotionally cold so I spent much time alone

[@DR1BLESS]

Also the age difference makes it seem like she wasn’t planned or just didn’t want helga

[@ryanewald9740]

Helga is real main character of the show. Her episodes are all the best

[@slashbash1347]

Eh, it's not ruining my childhood. I love it when children's entertainment has a little more depth. Also, Helga is 9 at the start of the show.

[@fuzzylittlespider]

I thought this show was in New York?

[@noel_rahman]

Maybe Helga was Oops baby, that's why

[@jasminnemcdonald94A]

Ouch! That hits so hard.

[@Mecha120]

She was nine at the start of the show

[@liviecarter1854]

I feel so sorry for helga her parents had neglected her and literally called her Olga no wonder Helga is so confused about showing who she really is as for Olga she drives me insane but at least she loves Helga plus she also needs therapy

[@colleenfinuf4188]

I would have loved to see Helga peg both Bob and Miriam just like how Meg pegged her family from family Guy.

[@mellimel1174]

They used Olga to cover up the dysfunction in the family.

[@walkingcorpse1224]

Suposedly the creator of the show planned on a Helga solo series to be picked up by MTV tho it never was (that part is 100% true), but there was a claim made that in the story Arnold moves away and Helga tho sad does eventually get over Arnold and writes about it and apparently at some point he'd come back and Helga would realize she's just not into him any longer. This to me sounds like a good idea as it's very relatable to the majority of us in the world. I wish the show had been created as I'm sure a Helga spin off would've been absolutely amazing. I'd watch it now honestly if the creator made it happen!

[@EnerKaizer]

While never stated (because most actual details of said spin-off have been vague at best) there were hints to how they would've written Arnold out of the show. Essentially, after coming back from the jungle, Arnolds parents, in need of jobs, would've taken on teaching positions at a university in Europe (implications being England to be specific), so Arnold would've needed to move with them if he wanted to stay with them. This in turn would've set up her writting to him as an explanation for the opening narrations of the episodes.

[@friendlyneighborhoodplagueDR]

I have the feeling that Miriam only married Big Bob because she got pregnant with Olga.

[@thinkgoodthots]

Helga is definitely limerent towards Arnold. I'm glad there was never an all-grown-up episode thay showed them as a couple.

[@MAGAWITCH1990]

Olga was a prime example of how you can damage your kids by putting them up on a pedestal to that degree, and Helga was the opposite end of the extreme as far as abuse and neglect are concerned. Neglect can more often than not do far more damage than outright abuse

[@Chaos_Dragoon]

I'm gonna add one more, horrible thing as to why Helga acts the way she does and that's, that she overheard or figured out that her parents see her as a Mistake. whereas they only wanted one child and got 2.

[@ladybetrayus69]

I honestly think with the evidence we have Helga was most likely an oopsie baby an unwanted pregnancy in the next episode Helga on the couch it's revealed that when Helga was three Olga was 15 that's a pretty big age Gap I think more than likely they never planned on having a second child and with the beeper business just starting out and at that time if it got out that they had an abortion it would have badly damaged the reputation so they were forced to keep Helga

[@QuikVidGuy]

Wait, they're in Washington? Not New York?

[@ericoxner326]

Yea I caught on her mother was a alcoholic.By seeing her and hearing her.My god the woman with the smoothie aka jackdannels.

[@CapsizedCloud]

Thousandth like! Great vid btw, man.

[@edvard-swift3645]

Leave me alone about my leftovers in my fridge I've been busy 😭😭 and don't even ask me what ive been busy about

[@priscillaanimations2836]

If she wasn't neglected she would not give arnold any look. If she had the attention she would live a normal life. Maybe not crushing on arnold so much.