It feels like ages since the last update, but here we are again, diving into the warm, cozy world of Thanksgiving specials! This time, we’re putting the spotlight on everyone’s favorite football-headed kid, Hey Arnold, and his take on Turkey Day. Interestingly, when you think about Nickelodeon cartoons and Thanksgiving, the list is surprisingly short. Rugrats, Hey Arnold, and As Told by Ginger seem to be the only ones that really tackled Thanksgiving episodes. Perhaps even fewer than cartoons featuring something as whimsical as Marvin The Tap Dancing Horse.
In this episode, the city is buzzing with Thanksgiving preparations. Arnold bikes past a rather ambitious recreation of the Mayflower ship, ready to set sail – a concept that’s equal parts cool and questionable. Did they renovate an old ship, or actually build a Mayflower replica from scratch? It’s one of those cartoon logic moments you just have to roll with.
Arnold bikes past the Mayflower recreation for the Thanksgiving play
Arnold can’t linger to ponder nautical mysteries, though. He’s running late for his class’s Thanksgiving Pageant Play. These elementary school Thanksgiving plays are a classic trope in cartoons and TV, but honestly, does anyone remember actually doing these? My own Thanksgiving school memories involve coloring cornucopias and reading stories about turkeys evading farms – definitely no elaborate historical plays.
Mr. Simmons, bless his heart, seems to have written this particular play himself, and it’s…intense. For a fourth-grade production, the dialogue is dripping with sentimentality, the kind that makes you slightly queasy. Mr. Simmons might want to stick to teaching and leave playwriting to the professionals. However, there’s a moment of pure comedic gold when he shouts “STAY FROSTY!” during scene changes as the kids panic. That’s genuinely hilarious.
Mr. Simmons directs the Thanksgiving play with intensity
The play itself is a historical journey through Thanksgiving, starting with the Pilgrims and culminating in a 1950s Thanksgiving scene. In this final scene, Helga and Arnold are cast as the Son and Daughter. Surprisingly, Helga seems quite into the role of a traditional 1950s woman. You’d expect her to rebel against such a stereotype, but perhaps she sees it as a chance to experience a “perfect” Thanksgiving, something she feels she’s always missed.
The play concludes, Mr. Simmons gets misty-eyed (seriously, dude, get a grip!), and the kids are dismissed for their Thanksgiving break.
The students perform the Thanksgiving play Mr. Simmons wrote
While everyone else is excited for Thanksgiving, Arnold and Helga are decidedly not. Arnold’s Grandma Pookie thinks it’s the Fourth of July every year and insists on celebrating accordingly. Helga’s Thanksgiving is always a disaster: her mom is usually drunk and burns the stuffing, Big Bob is glued to the TV, and she’s constantly overshadowed by her “perfect” sister Olga.
You can sympathize with Arnold’s frustration about celebrating the Fourth of July in November, but Helga’s situation feels more genuinely upsetting. At least Arnold is surrounded by his quirky but loving family. Helga’s family dynamic is…well, it’s a lot.
Thanksgiving Day arrives at the boarding house, and Grandpa Phil is in full Fourth of July mode, assigning roles like grilling hot dogs and hanging red, white, and blue flags. Arnold suggests they try a real Thanksgiving this year, but everyone just laughs him off. Grandma Pookie is confused, and they’re all going to play along, as always.
Grandpa Phil decorates for the 4th of July Thanksgiving
Even though Arnold is annoyed, it’s actually kind of touching that the boarding house residents just go along with Pookie’s dementia-fueled holiday confusion. They could force her to celebrate a “normal” Thanksgiving, but they prioritize her happiness, which is sweet. Arnold, however, is determined to find a real Thanksgiving experience, so he takes off.
Meanwhile, at Helga’s house, Miriam is “tired” (read: hungover) and, predictably, burns the stuffing again. Helga tries to be cheerful, wishing her dad a happy Thanksgiving and showing him her homemade centerpiece, but Big Bob is engrossed in football. Ouch. That’s a little heartbreaking.
Helga tries to celebrate Thanksgiving with her disinterested father
Miriam nearly sets the kitchen ablaze. Luckily, super-achiever Olga arrives to save the day, taking over the cooking and promising a beautiful feast. But, of course, she enlists the entire family to help. Why is everyone so resistant to helping Olga cook? They want to eat, right? Do they expect her to do everything herself? The Pataki family dynamics could be a whole separate analysis!
Helga participates for a while, but at dinner, when it’s time to say what they’re thankful for, she snaps. She declares she’s thankful for nothing in her stupid family. Big Bob tries to send her to her room, but Helga flees to the streets, hoping to find something better.
Helga and Arnold bump into each other, and realizing they’re both having terrible Thanksgivings, they decide to stick together. Arnold tries to be optimistic, but Helga is having none of it. They decide to check out Mr. Simmons’ Thanksgiving, remembering how perfect the Thanksgiving he wrote about for the play seemed.
Arnold and Helga decide to visit Mr. Simmons for Thanksgiving
While their logic is understandable, if I were a teacher and two students showed up at my door on Thanksgiving, I’d be a little concerned.
Mr. Simmons, however, is delighted to see them and doesn’t question their presence or consider calling their parents. He welcomes them into his dining room and introduces them to his family. It turns out he named the characters in the play after his own family members. But instead of being perfect 1950s people, Mr. Simmons’ family is…awful. They’re depressing, rude, and self-absorbed.
This is also where we meet Mr. Simmons’ “friend,” who, based on context and Mr. Simmons’ coded gay identity, is likely his boyfriend. This also explains why Mr. Simmons’ Mother is so openly hostile towards him.
Mr. Simmons introduces Arnold and Helga to his dysfunctional family
The sheer awfulness of the Simmons family makes Arnold and Helga deeply uncomfortable. They retreat to the kitchen to discuss it. Mr. Simmons overhears and explains that despite his family’s difficulties, he loves them and is thankful for them, which is why he brings them together every year.
This revelation is a turning point for Arnold and Helga. If Mr. Simmons can handle that family, they can handle theirs. They head back home.
Helga returns home to find her family in a frenzy, calling the police and putting up flyers to find her. This display of concern touches her deeply, enough for her to forgive them, and she joins in a group hug with her family. Aw.
Helga returns home to a relieved and loving family
Arnold comes back to Grandpa Phil, who is apparently freezing on the roof, surrounded by deserted Fourth of July decorations. When Arnold asks what’s going on, Phil explains that chaos erupted after Arnold left. When they realized he was looking for a “real” Thanksgiving, they decided to throw him a surprise party, complete with traditional Thanksgiving food (and fireworks, naturally). Awww.
Arnold returns to a surprise Thanksgiving party
And that’s Arnold’s Thanksgiving.
THOUGHTS: This is a truly great Thanksgiving special. Many specials focus on the simplistic lesson of being thankful for what you have. “Arnold’s Thanksgiving” goes deeper, showing that nobody has a “perfect” Thanksgiving, and every family has its own brand of weirdness. (Of course, they are kids – they haven’t yet discovered the adult joy of wine-induced naps on the couch after Thanksgiving dinner). Helga’s storyline with her somewhat abusive family resonated more powerfully than Arnold’s disappointment with his family’s quirky November Fourth of July tradition. The kids’ realization after witnessing the Simmons family dynamic felt earned, and the ending is genuinely heartwarming.
Perhaps, in some abstract way, the chaotic charm of Thanksgiving, with all its imperfections and family eccentricities, is as wonderfully absurd and delightful as imagining Marvin the tap dancing horse taking center stage at your Thanksgiving dinner. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
