Hey Arnold! Creator Craig Bartlett Talks Legacy & Laughter At MultiCon

MultiCon Takes Us Back To The 90s

Hey Arnold Is currently streaming on Paramount Plus and on Pluto TV. On both the Nickelodeon brand, and the streaming efforts, there’s just something magical about Hey Arnold. Along with a group of iconic Nicktoons, craig Bartlett and his team managed to define multiple generations childhoods through The Adventures of Arnold Shortman. Bartlett took the trip to Los Angeles to celebrate charities doing important work and talk about this landmark series. Check out what he had to say to us on the red carpet right here down below.

And, if you want to revisit Arnold and his friends, you can watch Hey Arnold streaming on Paramount+.

Hey Arnold’s Craig Bartlett hits the red carpet

The landmark Nicktoon’s original run may have ended years ago. Burt, people still come up to Craig Bartlett and ask about old football head. The series creator stopped by the red carpet to talk to us about Hey Arnold and it’s enduring pop culture impact. Along with Bartlett, writer Joe Purdy, Rachel Lipman, Jamil Walker-Smith and Anndi McAfee all appeared in the special anniversary panel for the show.

We had to thank the creator for his time, as not a moment passed where someone wasn’t asking him about Stoop Kid or sharing a moment about the series. It’s not every day you get to talk to someone who played such a big role in shaping the childhood of so many people. Hey Arnold! has this kind of warm nostalgic tone. Everything from the Jazz music that comprises the soundtrack, to the relaxed color palette really amps up that timeless nature of the show.

Iconic Moments That Still Speak To Fans

When I asked Bartlett about a favorite moment from the series run on Nickelodeon, he explained that fans usually come up to him with their own personal experiences of the show. He told us, “Yeah, it’s usually fans sharing how Hey Arnold affected their lives, and how big it was for their childhoods overall.” When I asked about Gen Z reacting to the series, he revealed that their responses might be the most surprising of all.

“It really reaches across generations,” Bartlett revealed. “It’s not seperated into age, everyone who talks to me feels like the show speaks to their specific experience of childhood. I just find that really special.”

To be fair, it’s hard not to feel that way about the kids at P.S. 118. I brought up the classic episode where Helga and the class go to the opera. (For those of you playing at home, that’s “What’s Opera Arnold?” from 1997.) In that entry, Helga finds herself mashing up multiple different Opera specials. Bartlett admits that in that instance, he just took a bunch of influence from great cartoons that had come before.

“I was just doing Chuck Jones and looking back at the old Looney Tunes stuff,” Bartlett recalled the 1957 Merrie Melodies short. “There’s such a history of these classic cartoons using music and riffing on it like that. We just wanted to do our own spin. I’m really glad people still love that one!”

About “Hey Arnold”

Football-headed Arnold lives with his offbeat grandparents and pet pig in a boarding house filled with eccentrics. With his best buddy Gerald, Arnold endures playground bullies, crushes and everything else that comes with big-city life.