For many kids growing up in the 1990s, the cartoons and live-action shows on Nickelodeon were staples of entertainment. Sitting down and imagining ourselves being the ones to take on the Aggro Crag on "Guts," or wondering what adventure Tommy and his baby friends would embark on in "Rugrats," were things we would do whenever tuning in.
There is one show, however, that has aged well in the 13 years since it has been off the air. For essentially being a children's show in the 90s, "Hey Arnold" was ahead of its time. Its main cast was made up of children of all colors, shapes, sizes, and social classes. Various episodes handled some heavy subjects such as alcoholism, domestic violence, bullying, and poverty, in realistic ways. It centered around a 9-year-old boy with a football-shaped head, named Arnold. Arnold was an orphan who lived with his grandparents, and he was generally the voice of reason for his friends and family. He was an all-around good kid, smart, honest, caring, helpful. He was the friend that every kid wished they had. The show spoke to us, and we were able to relate to these kids.
"Hey Arnold" was on for five seasons, from 1997-2002, but the "official" final episode aired in 2004. "Hey Arnold: The Movie" hit theaters in June 2002, and it was originally meant to be a TV movie. Creator and executive producer, Craig Bartlett, had then been planning on releasing a sequel, called "The Jungle Movie," that was to act as the curtain call on the series. However, the original movie flopped at the box office, causing Nickelodeon to abruptly cancel "Jungle," leaving fans with little to no closure. Bartlett revealed that there had been a falling out between him and the network, which led them to completely cancel the series. They aired only one more episode in 2004, two years after the release of "Hey Arnold: The Movie."
That is when the years-long campaign for "The Jungle Movie" began, which various voice actors of the show, as well as Mr. Bartlett himself, got involved in. Petitions, emails, and letters to Nickelodeon were written. A Facebook group was also created, and it was originally dedicated to getting Nickelodeon to allow the movie to be made. It has since been changed to a celebration of saving it. As of this writing, there are 22,940 members in the group.
On Nov. 24, 2017, "The Jungle Movie" finally aired on Nickelodeon. It not only let us see all of these characters again, but it also answered many of the lingering questions. Bartlett attended New York Comic-Con said that if "Jungle" is successful, they may make another full season of the show that would take place after the film.
It was more than just childhood nostalgia that made the return so sweet, it was the resolution. It was the short escape from the real world as we got to watch Arnold, Helga, Gerald, and the rest of the gang, in action. And it was all because of the fans.
