Hello, Stranger: How As Told By Ginger Handled Abandonment

[@offbeatkiki]

I never could have imagined the response to this video. I'm giving you all a big group hug right now. This comment section is the most beautiful and painful one I've ever seen. Thank you for being here.

[@BoxOKittens]

Lois sending Ginger flowers but pretending they're from the dad always gets me emotional. It's also both sweet and sad that Ginger immediately knew they were from her mom instead.

[@ChrissaTodd]

yeah it shows lois does want ginger to have a relationship with him though it shows maybe even if he was flakey with lois which is my guess given he is flakey in the episode, she still wants her kids to choose how they feel. lois is such a good mom in the series.

[@missmarie_8790]

Same, the fact that she knew he wasn’t going to be there, but she wanted her daughter to feel supported

[@magicalmomo9987]

I appreciated that scene as a kid but I appreciate it even more now as an adult because my mom is my rock. She even gave me flowers after one of my school programs in middle school to congratulate me. Stuff I wish my dad had done for me too. To this day I adore Lois 💕

[@missmarie_8790]

@@magicalmomo9987 same, she reminds me a lot of my mom, which always made me love Lois a lot.

[@julijakeit]

I don't know if I saw this episode, I may have... I may have cried through entirety of it.

[@Akursedtime]

The fact Carl despises his dad and wants nothing to do with him while Ginger yearns for a relationship is such a realisitic depiction of two different perspectives. I also enjoyed that Carl actually liked his stepdad more because it means he knows he won't abandon his mom.

[@Yezel93]

Poor Carl use to wish to Santa Claus that his dad would come for the holidays.

[@chickenismyhero]

An astoundingly large number of my childhood friends had absent, dead, or bad fathers so we came up with what we called The Sad Dads Club. I'm sorry you're also a part of our club. Thank you to all the Lois Foutleys of the world. My mom was a nurse just like her and I make sure I wish her a happy mothers AND fathers day since she fulfilled so many roles across the board for us kids

[@oooh19]

Well if they’re dead that’s not their fault really

[@alize0623]

Reminds me of my brothers and sisters. Our dad died 12 years ago so we have what we dubbed “The Dead Dad Society” and we call our meetups that. It’s a joke amongst us but our dad would’ve found it hilarious.

[@preachingsarcasm2213]

​@@oooh19they aren't saying it's their fault. But it is still sad and leaves a void for the kid

[@NotAMuse]

I always felt like the odd kid out cause my dad was my rock. My mom was there but she was the workaholic, narcissistic perfectionistic parent who only acknowledged me when it was convenient to brag about me to other people. Mother’s Day was always hard because I couldn’t pick any of the cards because none of them were true. I always cried when people talked about their moms’s relationship because I didn’t know what that was like. Sister from another mister. ❤

[@canaisyoung3601]

The Sad Dads Club feels like a YA novel for boys that should have been written a long time ago. Maybe it can still be done.

[@filetofish7688]

That poem and the scene where Gingers father doesn’t show up hit me hard knowing that my father will never fully support me throughout my lifetime. I used to yearn to reconnect like Ginger did with her father but there’s some boundaries that I need to put in place to protect myself from his influence. Thank you for this video.

[@Lboogie0711]

Dealing with abandonment issues is a very important subject, lots of times most kids don’t even get any messages from their parent who abandons them. Carl and ginger both have different perspectives about their dad. I liked this episode

[@Sandman2007]

Carl has the more realistic approach. Take everything with a grain of salt.

[@nickjames8377]

Damn I've had to live with an absentee dad all my life and your poem really touched my soul. You've truly inspired

[@LisaNaniOfficial]

Lois is 10000% the best cartoon mom. I've yet to see another who matches her level of class, wisdom and kindness

[@Yezel93]

Linda from Bob’s burgers

[@spookypineapple]

Jesus Christ I'm a father to a little girl now and I couldn't imagine not being in her life. That poem absolutely broke me. What a great show.

[@SamRabbitx]

This hits different for me. My dad wasnt around when I was growing up but thats because, i found out as an adult, my mom purposely made it hard for him to be in our life and repeatedly lied about their divorce and many aspects of him as a person. He and I really connected, ironically, because of my own divorce. He and I have a lot in common. The "stranger" was my mom and the fake persona she created for my dad to make herself look like a victim. I got to see him for a month every summer until i started high school and he went to Iraq. Growing up and having parents can be a real bitch sometimes.

[@CaulkMongler]

That’s gotta be hard. I’m glad your dad was able to find a reason to continue on, but it must’ve hurt knowing his child/ren must’ve thought he was the scum of the earth and there was nothing he could do but wait and see if they’d reach out. Hopefully y’all are making up for lost time.

[@icedragonaftermath]

Always loved this show growing up, it really shared a place with Hey Arnold in my heart, both as a Nicktoon but also a fairly grounded and relatable cartoon show that handled nuanced topics well. Really helped you think and feel about stuff. Top tier.

[@grimsonforce7504]

I agree so many deep shows that didn't shy away from tough subjects. Glad I grew up when I did.

[@jalapeno1119]

As Told By Ginger is like the suburban equivalent to the urban Hey Arnold

[@SoulSlugArts]

I wrote a poem Hello stranger I'm hurting a lot Your illness of mind and words cut deep to my heart Hello stranger You didn't mean it but It still hurts, I'm recovering slowly Learning to accept the hurt Hello stranger Through we aren't far apart I'm tired of carrying your broken heart I have been struck in this home Full of yelling and quiet I wish you would talk but I can't force it I'm just your child and I don't want to more I'm not a therapist I'm just a kid In need of help and relevance It's going be hard but I'm going okay I hope you become okay too someday

[@canutellwhosthis]

Funny I wrote a letter to my mother and threw it in a river. I did this because she left me with my father when I was ten and then moved from Michigan (where I live) to Arizona. I posted in another comment that I relate to billy from stranger things. I get too attached to women who say they are "proud of me" now lol

[@ToonrificTariq]

Top five Keeks videos ever. The way you were able to articulate the intensity of this cartoon while also being incredibly vulnerable, raw and emotion, it’s to be studied. You did a great job on this one and I can’t believe I get to call you my best friend lol. I am because you are. Love ya. 💜

[@Gen_-6012]

Yooo I love ur videos

[@DarkEclipse23]

This, Rocket Power, and Rugrats surprisingly did a bang up job about single parent kids. When it’s either having to deal with remarrying or just not having one. I mean the worst of it is just hearing Chuckie question “why don’t I gots a mommy?” Which is why the 2nd movie is both heartbreaking and heartwarming because that’s essentially the focus of the plot. Both reeling in of not having one, but also happy because he feels lucky (for once in his life) because he says “Now I gots two mommy’s”.

[@Vassileva85]

My father beat me when I was four (1989) and I never seen him again, parents divorced and he never so much as paid a dime of child support or sent a letter. As an adult he tried to reconnect through a sob story that I knew was a lie. It was difficult keeping my anger down as I told him that he was a stranger and I wanted nothing to do with him. He had no interest in apologizing for everything I had to endure due to his absence. He passed away in 2013 and I didn’t feel guilt, we don’t owe our parents anything.

[@tictac9229]

I owe mine a lot

[@LvUhcX]

❤ 👏

[@iateyursandwiches]

I mean..that's true you don't owe him anything and you don't have to be put up with him just cause he's your dad. But I do think its important to forgive others because ultimately it frees you and makes you feel better. Idk, I'm just skeptical of people being able to live their best life of acceptance and love if they harbor spite/grudges, especially when it's your own family.

[@crishnaholmes7730]

@@iateyursandwicheswhy is that

[@CrocusSeal]

@@iateyursandwiches I know you mean well, friend. But it's really tacky to tell other people to forgive. That's their own process and feelings.

[@MJ-98]

As a fellow victim, so to speak, of shitty dad syndrome, this video made me cry. Your poem was beautiful. Thank you for sharing it and your views on this show.

[@eddi5344]

the poem was wrote by ginger in the show

[@Sandman2007]

@@eddi5344a victim 😅

[@claref86]

This really hits home. As a child of an absentee father, It just makes me remember how much my dad missed my life or even if he really cares now.

[@offbeatkiki]

It's ultimately his loss. I know it feels the reverse most of the time but it doesn't reflect poorly on us and we will move on and grow to become exactly who we're meant to be. He just won't see it. Big hugs.

[@vale.v0id]

I don't really remember this episode, but I do remember future episodes when the dad comes back, Carl rejects him and Ginger tries to reconnect. I remember feeling a lot of empathy toward Ginger because her relationship with her dad was very similar to the one me and my brother have with our dad. The way this series dealt with abandonement, breakups, body changes, peer pressure, etc. was incredible. I love this show I'd love to watch it again.

[@m2kaay]

Father issues are the biggest traumas of all, and I, too, suffered during that time in adolescence with daddy abandonment.

[@canutellwhosthis]

What about mother issues? Some mothers move to Arizona.

[@kameyoedwards88]

People really don't understand how seeing yourself in a cartoon can ease so much unknown trauma. I always saw myself as hey Arnold because my parents had both died and I had lived with my grandparents. They were so many days where I was just like Arnold wondering what my parents could be doing now with me if they weren't gone. Just knowing that another character felt like that ease that shame and guilt that I had inside myself. Don't stop doing what you're doing because you're changing lives.

[@bleaf_]

I think this show spoke to me without me even knowing it was just because Ginger was a sensitive passionate soul like I was. And despite having both parents married, I would have given anything just to have one parent as supportive as hers. I felt like I was being abandoned every single day I got inside the car after school and got met with what I can only describe as pure disdain, for my decisions, my hobbies, my performance as a student, my personality, my everything. No, I wasn't left without food or shelter, but I did not receive support or understanding of any kind. Meanwhile Ginger gets to navigate the ordeal of growing up with support and understanding, and Carl gets to be Carl without judgement. Sure, his mom may not get him, but she lets him be himself. Ginger didn't have a perfect life but she got to be herself, and I think that spoke to me without me even realizing. Also I just found the show very charming. Thanks for this video, I loved it.

[@MissJasmine305]

ATBG was so important to me as a kid and it's episodes like this that made it so important. I was a lot like Ginger as a kid and had a very similar family situation. My dad was a lot like Jonas Foutley, making promises he couldn't keep and reaching out only occasionally (and a lot of times only due to feeling guilty for being gone). In fact me & my little brother had almost the exact same reactions to our dad as Ginger & Carl did towards theirs. Being able to see a family of characters so similar to me and my family made me feel better. Like I wasn't alone. Also def agree about Lois being one of the best cartoon moms in animation history. 👍

[@emilysmith2965]

“He’s not a bad person, but he may not change.” Exactly how it feels to have absent or emotionally unavailable parents. You don’t get what you need, they might say that they’re trying, but they just never had it to give in the first place.

[@lesteryaytrippy7282]

Let me just say this series holds up to this day, especially its art style and animation! It's so weird and kooky but full of shape language on each character! A lot of adult genre animation's art are also weird but just so ugly. As Told By Ginger is so beautiful!!

[@liannadunten7326]

I am 100% on board with a series of As Told by Ginger analyses. This is one of the most brilliant shows ever made for children and it kills me that it's faded to obscurity.

[@skyliner114]

word! beautiful sentiment. i always thought my dad was a Jonas but it was my mother barring him from my life. i fell on hard times and moved in with him & his family as a 28 year old and i'm getting to know him finally. it's weird. unfortunately this came at the cost of my relationship with my mother, who turned out to be severely unhinged.

[@ToxicSoupMan]

Hearing about all your guy's experience makes my parent's divorce hurt a little less now. Neither parent was an absentee, but for a few years we, my siblings and i, were used as leverage against each parent, held over each others heads constantly with court battles and custody hearings. It took me so long to realize i never really recovered from that trauma or that it was traumatic to begin with up until recently. I now live with my father helping him get by because despite everything that happened with us as children, despite how they used us, their kids, as weapons against each other, they both just wanted us because they loved us and refused a life without us present. My dads done somw stupid things, yes, but i feel like now that im older, i can finally understand why, even if i cant agree with it personally, he believed he was doing the right thing, my mom, too.

[@MicWellz]

As told by ginger was one of my favorite shows as a kid. I don’t know many other ppl that love it like I do. But it will always have a special place in my heart

[@sonnysumo8172]

Beautifully written script and poem Kiki. It just goes to show that you can’t push aside the real hardships kids face in cartoons made for them. Showing them and how to confront and process them in a smart way can really help your audience transition into adulthood in a more healthy way.

[@Miles-ud6rh]

I cried at this episode. It hits way to close to home. Louis was the best mom on television for this.

[@midsummerdream2957]

It's so rare that I see ATBG talked about, and it was pivotal to my middle school and early high school years. I related so much to Ginger, and it was the first show I felt actually related to my life and experiences.

[@Texas113]

That poem that you wrote at the end was beautiful, and I’m very glad that you took the time to talk about this episode of as told by ginger and the impact that the whole show had on you ❤❤

[@furonguy42]

I'm always so grateful when you share your more personal connections with the media you talk about. There's no obligation to do that, and I know that if I were making video essays, I couldn't bring myself to share many of my similar experiences. It takes a lot of confidence, bravery and trust to be so open with your audience. I watch a lot of video essayists, but you're the only one that helps me feel 'seen' in terms of my real life struggles. Thank you.

[@kaitlyn__L]

I can relate a lot to the second half of this video, and I’m not ashamed to say it made me cry. I especially relate to the bittersweet way that kids’ media can remind one of previously-buried memories, or of childhood rites of passage one was denied. Reparenting oneself is a heck of an ordeal. The poem was wonderful by the way, it sucks that I can say similar things. About boundaries ignored, a desire to leave them behind completely, the strange feeling when it’s been a decade-plus since you last had to talk with them. I’ve never seen this show, always wanted to but I don’t think it was shown on free-to-air TV in the UK. I remember catching snippets at my friends who had satellite places. I really need to watch this show. I’ve been going through some kids’ shows from my past and also some more recent ones over the past few years, some for the first time and some I haven’t seen since they were new. This has definitely been added to the list, it sounds like it handles sensitive topics and character growth basically like King of the Hill.

[@tagussie]

I just wanted to let you know, your poem made me cry

[@mck1632]

Your poem made me cry. My dad shot himself when I was 8. And he caused a lot of trouble before that. Thank you for your work, and for tackling this subject especially.

[@CrocusSeal]

I'm so sorry.

[@mck1632]

Thank you. It's okay. It's been a long time.@@CrocusSeal

[@laurisawitch0707]

My dad wasn't around and he would come around sporadically. I remember some amount of emptiness and heartbreak feeling like he would come around becuase sometimes he did and sometimes he didnt. My dad has untreated mental illness and a heroin addiction. I don't necessarily see him as a father, hes more of an older brother. A child who had a child, and had no clue how to be a parent, but at least had the grace to excuse himself instead of being a toxic force in most of my life. I hope he changes for himself, but he also without family support from my grandparents or aunts or uncles he has little to no reason to even try.

[@SpoonDono]

Thank you Kiki. As Told by Ginger always resonated with me for all of the different facets they contributed to life. My parents never divorced, but there are times where I don't feel like I have a father. It feels like I have a jealous sibling clawing at my ankles some of the time, and like I have a very depressed grandfather the other times. I care for him a lot and always hope he moves past this. He's almost 70. So's my mom. She's not perfect either, but I've seen her far more often as a mother. There are times where she leans on me very hard for emotional support regarding issues with my dad...since I was a preteen. And other times where she had to understand my emotions instead of just being here for me, instead of just being visibly confused. I have more hope for her happiness as I think she'd be willing to see a therapist and not lie about her life. We get to a point where we realize our parents are not perfect. They're flawed just like us. And we want to go through life not making those same mistakes. And we want to go through life not 'messing up' our own kids as much, if we want children. We don't want to 'mess up' any one else's children either. The children's television that showcase real issues, even if the universe is complete fantasy, can help so many children. Teenagers. Adults. They can have a similar model for their own lives or someone else's life. It encourages working through really tough stuff. I'm glad to still see some programming like this exists and is being made today.

[@theamazingdoubleA]

Dang crying on a Sunday. This video was really close to home. This episode used to make my mom and I sooooo sad but it also turned it into a show we could watch together to help understand what we were BOTH going through. Cant image it's easy to be the parent that stays either. So I just really resonated with this video. Thanks for this.

[@RainbowJemHxC]

I want to say please create more. And truth be told your puss in boots video really helped me. I love watching new videos and you opening up or even taking a selfie gave me a push. Thanks to you I feel less alone and more confident with myself. I want to say thank you and I appreciate everything you have done in my life. I hope to create art like you. One that moves people and makes people feel. Please keep being you and never stop creating. Your art is just amazing.

[@ImYourCherryBomb]

My birth mother abandoned me at a park when I was 6-7 because her new boyfriend didn’t want a kid around. My birth dad, when given the choice between raising me with his moms help or going with my birth mom, chose my birth mom. My birth dad never bothered with me again, which I recently found out my birth mom has been stalking me, both online and in real life for years. I get the pain, even if sometimes I forget it’s there.

[@onionbubs386]

That's horrible, I'm so sorry your parents failed you. You did nothing wrong. I hope your heart can find peace.

[@ImYourCherryBomb]

@@onionbubs386 thank you

[@AGolfHitter]

You need to move away asap.

[@ImYourCherryBomb]

@@AGolfHitter luckily it seems she lost me after I changed apartments, now her current address is on the other side of the country, thank flipping god. I do plan on legally changing my name this year though, which will hopefully make it harder for her. I’d like to get a restraining order but since she hasn’t tried to make contact in like 7 years ad has just followed me like a creep, I doubt the courts will help.

[@wanderinggstars]

wow I really gotta rewatch as told by Ginger it's been a while! I am reminded of home movies, and how they handle the divorced dad plot. I really love the scene where Brendan is anxious to answer the phone

[@racquelrobinson3030]

I was scrolling on my FYP and I saw this video. I genuinely enjoyed the show. I couldn't grow up with it, but I watched it when I was in my late teens. I also have abandonment issues. So I clicked on your video. I wanted good background noise as I did something. Then I just started to cry. I recently started therapy and can never really talk about my dad because my defense mechanism of laughing gets triggered. For the first time in a long time I truly decided to feel the hurt and it was so sudden but good. I remembered the situations I got myself into as a result of my dad not being around and what I did for love and such bad lapse in judgement.Second guessing if I'm good enough and if I'm always the problem in any sort of relationship. Thank you more than you could know for this video. I'm going to rewatch ATBG. Ut was in fact a great show.

[@offbeatkiki]

I'm so glad this video could be as cathartic for you as it was for me. Big hugs.

[@ThePurringNinja]

As Told By Ginger was one favorite shows growing up. I would be glued to the TV every time it came on, it such an interesting show. Ginger and Carl's mom is an incredible mother, she's so patient, understanding and kind towards children and always shows how much she loves them with all her heart and cares about their needs and wants. She can be a little clueless sometimes, but she always knows how make her kids feel better even when she doesn't fully understand what they're going through. Ginger's poem is heart wrenching and I just feel so bad for her. Her father really didn't care to be a father at all with Ginger or Carl. I haven't watched the show since I was a kid, but I still remember this show fondly.

[@bubblyxbunny]

I rewatched As told by ginger as an adult recently and this episode related a lot to me. I do know my father, but I know the broken promises all too well. I remember being so excited waiting for him to pick me up but I also remember the pain of him not showing up. My mom would sign cards from my dad, send flowers that were signed from my dad. I bawled my eyes out calling my mom telling her how much I appreciate her and I remember what she did for me being there emotionally, after watching this episode. Lois reminds me of my mom a lot, she’s very very kind. Stern too don’t get me wrong lmfao. My dad tries to message me videos from instagram and tries to be closer but I’m protecting myself emotionally. I know my dad isn’t perfect, and he loves me in his own way. Thank you for this video, you’re amazing ❤

[@NeriSiren]

That was a fantastic poem! Much more edge than Ginger’s, since your relationship with your dad is different than Ginger’s turned out to be with hers. It’s almost like if her story had gone differently, your version of “Hello, Stranger” could’ve been how *she* rewrote hers in a later season. Also, the picture of you with the box of BloPens is SUCH NeriSiren (me!) In The 90s vibes and I love it.

[@onionbubs386]

Far too many dads out there are like this, and yet many people blame single mothers for "driving them away" when in reality, so many of these single mothers are practically begging their children's father to have some form of involvement in their children's lives, and get nothing in return. I'm fortunate enough to have a great father, but my husband wasn't so lucky. In the eight years we've known each other, I have never met his dad. And we intend to keep it that way. He wasn't invited to or even informed of our wedding, and when we have kids, he'll have no involvement in their lives. You can't walk out on your kids for several years and then try to come back and act like nothing ever happened without even bothering to apologize. Every now and then he'll call to ask for money, but he always gets hung up on. If our kids ever ask about him, we're telling them his name is pendejo, because it might as well be.

[@MadMadamGrimm]

I felt this episode so hard. I had one card from my dad that was sent to me on my first birthday. It wasn’t even signed Dad either. I finally met him and I wasn’t impressed. Mom was more of a dad than him. Eventually I got a Step Dad who’s awesome!

[@GranTorieno]

Starting a much needed break from work with this on a Friday night. Yessssss omg welcome back, bless you for your gift of creativity and sharing it with the world!

[@samwinchester9362]

God, the poem you made hit hard. My mom passed in 2006, and that's when i moved out of the state with my abusive grandparents. I cut contact with them about two years ago, but this year around the anniversary of my mom's passing was especially hard. I don't have a lot of hard evidence on what happened during those years, or the years before that lead me to living with them, cause I lost it all during my own move to be with my chosen family about three years ago now, just before Covid hit. All i have is the inbox, and a few old photos of a kid not allowed to be a person. And a letter from my mom before she got out of jail. It's hard to deal with feeling like someone you knew and someone you loved disappeared and was replaced by a monster. Before my mom died, my grandparents weren't perfect, but they weren't do what they did bad. It makes you feel out of place, no history to fall back on. But we have the people we choose. The support system we make and the people who choose to know and love us. As Told By Ginger was such a good show- I was young enough a lot of it went over my head at the time, but i might give it a rewatch sometime soon. Thank you for the video.

[@Y2Kikii]

I only kinda half watched As Told By Ginger as a kid but now looking back I really did have a lot in common with ginger. I too had a very estranged relationship with my dad. And my mom too would sign things as my dad, like presents. It's really nice to be able to see the reality of family dynamics like this in cartoons.

[@hurricanejaney]

i never really liked As Told by Ginger growing up. i was always far more entertained by sci-fi/fantasy cartoons than slice of life. but watching it as a 25-year-old with a fully developed brain, damn, it hits. this episode and the one where Ginger’s teacher signs her up for counseling after misinterpreting a poem of hers are my absolute favorites. they don’t sugarcoat anything. i love that the writers of ATBG didn’t dumb things down for their audience. kids aren’t stupid, and many of them are living through situations just like these. it’s so much better to represent and contextualize them than gloss over/ignore them.

[@harveysengersmusic247]

O wauw, i remember this one from back in the day. They also overdubbed the poem so striking in my native Dutch language. I grew up with "shitty mom syndrome", and that scene strangly helped with me not feeling alone in having so many moments of beeing convinced that if i'd really try to make beautiful moments out of encounters, my mom would turn around... only to find out that it doesnt work like that. These cartoons truely where the first steps into getting tools towards the path of self worth, and, eventually, beeing a graduating member of the class of "we made it".

[@hammerr3]

This and the Little Seal Girl, also the one where Carl’s elderly friend dies. Almost no kid shows today have such good writing

[@yowaikemen]

I loved this series as a child.

[@MustacheDuctTape]

Ginger really hit something in my soul back in the day, and I think looking back on it now, understanding all my own trauma and abuse, it makes...sense why I felt kinship with her in the show. Thank you for reminding me of this episode, and for your poem. I'm also in the same boat, and in my case my dad is thankfully passed. Your poem and conviction in the video as a whole really held my emotions and tugged at my tear ducts. Thank you, exponentially thank you.

[@NoParkingBerry]

Five years ago, I discovered you through your great retrospective of this underrated Nicktoon. Five years later, you made a wise decision to revisit "As Told by Ginger", specifically with a review of my personal favorite episode on top of that! Not only is it enlightening to hear you praise this beautiful, relatable episode, but it was just as sweet hearing how much "Ginger" made such a huge impact on you, both as a person and content creator. Also, your new spin on the titular poem of "Hello Stranger" was awesome!

[@AllTheArtsy]

I loved this growing up and yeah it is a little bit underrated, I feel, compared to like... Hey Arnold or the Rugrats. Now I want to rewatch the series again!

[@MrGamer07100]

Glad I grew up in that era. I was a viewer.

[@jessiefyler3751]

I'm sorry that happened to you and as a kid no less. I hope you are getting better and I'm especially glad that you were able to block them from your life. You deserve way better than what you got. ❤️❤️❤️

[@cannibalisticrequiem]

Whew! This video was something! I thought it was beautiful the way you captured Ginger's emotions when reading "Hello Stranger", but it fully hit me once you read your version. Thank you for choosing to share a bit of your private life with us. As someone who has had to deal with depression for a majority of their life (from age 11 to... well, I'm going to be 36 on July 26th), and as someone who also has/had an abusive parent, your poem nearly brought me to tears. As Told By Ginger holds a special place in my childhood as well, specifically the episode "And She Was Gone" because it was the first time I heard the thoughts in my head mentioned-- even validated, by an outside source that didn't immediately dismiss it as "attention seeking" or that "I had no reason to be feeling those feelings", and even though Ginger herself didn't struggle with depression, I felt seen in a way I hadn't before. As someone with diagnosed MDD (Major Depressive Disorder or clinical depression) I _have_ experienced those certain thoughts and ideations at different points of my life (and like the depression itself, it has vacillated in intensity over the years depending on circumstance and my own well-being), and that "And She Was Gone" poem has really resonated at different times during my life. But hearing all the things you've accomplished in your life gives me hope for my own, as cheesy and "cringe" as that sounds. Apologies for oversharing. Your video hit me in a way I wasn't expecting. You absolutely deserve more subscribers for the work you put into these videos. 💞

[@TheLyricalWrdsmth]

I remember seeing this episode when I was a kid and I think that was when I really started to process my own parents' divorce. The show made me so thankful to have a father who refused to give up on the relationship he had with me despite losing the he had with my mother. I remember wanting to be like Darren, to care for my friends, especially when they're hurting. I'll always be thankful this show was on TV when I was a kid.

[@mathieuleader8601]

I always liked when the dripping venom formed the time on the clock when the nightmare ended

[@CrocusSeal]

I grew up with this show. When you played that promo Nickelodeon clip from 2000 I was able to quote it word for word despite not having watched it for 23 years. This show was playing on the hospital TV when I spent the night there after attempting suicide when I was 18. I'm grateful for this show and how it kept me company.

[@style.exe.]

clicked immediately lmao, definitely an underrated gem

[@snbsixteen6stars201]

you did an amazing job at residing the poem of ginger, this series is still my number one favorite series

[@squidward645]

I only met my father 1 time when I was 13, I'm going to be 33 soon. This show resonated with me a lot when I was a kid.

[@girlie89]

The Suite Life of Zack and Cody dealt with shitty dad syndrome pretty well. Not only with Zack and Cody but also with London Tipton. Her father was always working and her mother was never around. I miss shows that used to cover stuff like this because it's so real

[@Lyoko2516]

Plus Zack and Cody only see their father sporadically.

[@bcrunch4232]

@@Lyoko2516 yeah, though for some reason, Kurt still feels more active then london’s dad.

[@Lyoko2516]

@@bcrunch4232Exactly. :)

[@shura-s4z]

i had both parents growing up to a degree I found out at one point the divorced, and got back together my mom was pregnant with me by him so i don't know the whole story it still a kind of messy , but growing up it was toxic fighting , and could barley feal the love even what was there. at one point the separated when was you i can remember . the the space he was gone, the awkward silence lingering in the house. which is the sad thing , i can remember the hard times a lot more with him there than the happy ones because he never seemed to understand his actions had. mow he has memory loss of that it like he got an out but i still get haunted by the ghost. A big hug to all those out there , just know there people hat care.

[@amihodges4899]

This was very vulnerable, thank you for sharing.

[@ezraoberheim1081]

Shitty Dad Syndrome is a great way to put it. I had a shitty biodad who left and then a shitty stepdad who was around but not available for us at all and abusive on top of it. Shows like this were the only thing to show at the time that NOT having a perfect family was OKAY.

[@Izzy-cp8yt]

This show as a whole has always been one of my favorites. I started watching it long before I was the same age as the characters, and so Ginger always played a sort of older sister role for me. I was a horribly, painfully sheltered kid, so I didn't have a lot of guidance or resources for common, age appropriate problems. I also didn't get to go to middle school, so this show let me live vicariously through those years. I genuinely think this show made me a better person, and it definitely made me who I am.

[@oooh19]

How’d you not to go middle school? Did you skip 3 grades and go to high school way earlier or were you homeschooled?

[@Izzy-cp8yt]

@@oooh19 Homeschooled. Technically homeschooled all of K-12, but K-5 I was allowed to do art and music classes at the local elementary school. In high school I managed to get myself some art classes and one English class at the local high school. But middle school was strictly off limits for me. When I say I was sheltered, and was *SHELTERED* 😅

[@_Cet_Cet]

didnt expect this random video i clicked on to make me tear up, thank you i needed it❀

[@LadySaphira]

As a felllow member of the shitty dad club, your poem hit me right in the soul. I've had people know me my entire life and not understand how having an absent father has influenced me like nthe way I feel understood by your poem.

[@iluvnumberstations]

i usually never comment on videos, but this struck me. both ginger’s poem and yours made me so emotional for the first time in forever. it’s so hard to process pain- especially because having issues with your father is considered “embarrassing”. but something about being able to see yourself reflected safely within the confines of art- a cartoon or even a poem, is so comforting. it’s a release.

[@hiroramos2819]

Honestly with all that you've been saying about working on this video, I didn't expect it to turn up so beautiful and personal to you. While I have never watched As Told by Ginger, I appreciate how much it means to you and other people 💜

[@berniekatzroy]

As told by Ginger was way ahead of its time like quite a good amount of shows in the 90s and early 2000s. The EP where ginger is in the hospital and Carl goes into the mini prayer room did something few shows when it came to religion. Louis sees him and says she thought Carl was an aethist, found the clip a few months back and was like wow, I missed that. The show was extremely realistic although cooky

[@LagannDriller024]

Hello there! First time viewer I’ve never seen as told by ginger As a kid I just never got into it But as an adult now I can see why it’s good I love hearing others talk about the show It is so interesting to me I just wanted to say you performed the poems beautifully and I hope you are doing well And I’m glad you are getting the support you need!! Keep doing what you are doing because this video was amazing

[@robmanj]

I'm old. My dad is dead. I found his obituary three years after he died. That was two days ago. I never laid eyes on him. I needed this video to find me when it did. I don't know why.

[@simariocrossing]

Welcome back! I never watched the show but I’m interested to hear your analysis :)

[@simariocrossing]

That poem is/was powerful I love getting to see you open and real like this

[@redhood4105]

ToonirificTariq did a video on as told by ginger that was awesome had me going back and revisiting the whole thing! Might do the same after this…

[@Yuukire]

It is absolutely THE most underrated show of its time. It's the first show that made me feel something. I still remember how it made me feel as a kid with abandonment trauma and with many confusions on life at the age of 10. A bojack horseman phenomenon that no one acknowledges 😞

[@heyitsnovaa]

Amazing video as always. You’ve made an impact on me and many in the community. I wouldn’t be here without you. Thank you

[@Beatlesfan1993]

I love how you ended the video with your poem. Even though we go through pain in life, we learn to grow from it to become a better person. Thank you for sharing your experiences.

[@angelk5743]

My best friends and I call ourselves The No Dad Club. I find a lot of comfort in being around others who understand the complicated relationship we all have with fatherhood. Thank you for making this video and for sharing your own vulnerability. Take care ❤

[@Yezel93]

I was just watching an episode where they are going to celebrate Hanukkah, and hoodys is asking Carl if he ever asked Santa Claus for a wish. Because he carl doesn’t believe in Santa. And Carl said he wish for something stupid like wishing his dad was around for the holidays and Hoodys says it’s not stupid at all. It made me so sad 😞

[@oooh19]

I loved and still love ATBG. Please do an analysis on the friendships of the show like how Courtney ended up being a way better and more loyal less selfish friend than Dodie

[@167logan]

It's very subtle but throughout the series Jonah is an alcoholic. In this episode he is in active addiction. In the Christmas episode he is speaking with his friends. They tell each other to go in peace. I looked it up and it is a common phrase in AA.

[@snbsixteen6stars201]

also, i love the retrospect on your part with how far you came after your first ginger vid, you rock kiki

[@vedwalker3974]

This was a beautiful video. Thank you for covering such an important milestone in a lot of people's lives through such a universal medium.

[@thewitchykitty5789]

This is probably one of your best videos yet. At least to me. It honestly surprised me how much I really related to it, especially the poem at the end. It's like you put into words the same things I wish I could articulate about my own father. Like the scattered chaotic mess of emotions about it in my head for a moment took shape and were clear, and it really touched me. Thanks for this and for those kind words at the end, it really means a lot.

[@TheRociprincess]

when i was a kid, i never like-like the show, the drawing didn't click to me, but this is the only episode I stayed to watch and with someone with a deadbeat father and it was always me trying to reach out, it broke my heart and that episode made stop trying to reach out to him... I watched the show ever since and that's why I hated when they reintroduce her father, the guy was in a rough patch in his life and it was kind of understandable why he couldn't be in his kids life even when he wanted to, bc my father actively avoided me and my mom, meanwhile his wife was the only one good to me when i used to visit him, bless her forever.

[@patty.cakes.]

As Told By Ginger, Pepper Ann & Hey Arnold 💗 hold a special place in my heart 🥰

[@harmonicajay91]

This may be the only As Told By Ginger story I think I saw. I grew up without cable so whenever I could see Nickelodeon, it was a treat.

[@gremlin5241]

I had my dad. I loved him. He was an awful person. Sometimes you are better without a parent, even if it hurts.

[@pop_witch]

I just came across your channel tonight. I’ve been reminiscing over the past week with nostalgia shows. I was not expecting your poem at the end to hit me as hard as it does. I took my first step with therapy today and keep writing down the things I eventually want to talk about. It didn’t even cross my mind to include my biological father. He was literally never there. I’ve had him blocked for approximately 2 or more years. Prior to this he would basically parade me on social media as being a father who was there and was SO proud of me. I tried to talk to him calmly one day that I have been uncomfortable with him trying to force a place into my life that he did not deserve. To say he threw a fit and blamed the entire world for his shortcomings would be an understatement. In a way his absence was a blessing in disguise. It still doesn’t keep your inner child from feeling the brunt of that pain and abandonment. We’re going to work on this healing journey together. Take care ❤️‍🩹

[@Maria-yy6et]

Your poem felt personal. It’s hard to grieve a person who is still alive and present. While my father continues to be in my life it’s mostly as a necessary evil and something I can’t escape. So instead I avoid time with him and his phone calls, I protect my brother who never really knew my father the way I did in my early years, and I survive knowing that for the sake of my mental health he can’t ever be in my life the way I wish he could.

[@KamikazeDreamer]

A bit by chance I stumbled across your channel very recently. I had been meaning to revisit certain cartoons and one of them was As Told By Ginger. I was actually talking to my siblings about this show in particular recently and lo and behold, a video essay appears. I grew up a fan of other Klasky Csupo cartoons but this is the only one I remember very little about, but came to find many people years later talking about it and really connected with it. You're one of them and clearly there is a really personal nerve this show strikes that really makes me excited to revisit it and maybe find an appreciation I just didn't have as a kid. This was a show I have random vivid memories of with a few episodes and moments with Hello Stranger being one of them so now is the perfect time to really jump back in I've checked out a handful more of your vids and you touch on a fair amount of cartoons I love and of course some pretty incredible covers. Already a big fan of this channel and really wish I could've found it sooner. Looking forward to more!

[@SproutNoDoubt]

I loved this show growing up because it didn’t shy away from hard topics and it comforted me through some hard times without even knowing it at the time.

[@Greendawn-di3dl]

I always liked this show. I always thought it was because I thought ginger was cute, but in reality it was because the show spoke to my insecurities in my subconscious. I'm not much of an emotional person but legit the poem did hit me; my dad disappeared young and died recently. I never really had a relationship with him despite him having the same intrests, it was like a best friend at arms reach. I had my reasons, so did he. Such is life. Great video, truly.