Almost 30 Years Later, This Is Still the Best Animated Series About Unrequited Love

There are a lot of shows where the main characters are hopelessly in love with someone who doesn't care. But it hits differently when the same vibe comes from a child, right?

When Hey Arnold! premiered in 1996, it quickly became a staple of ‘90s animated television. Set in the fictional city of Hillwood, the series followed Arnold, a genuinely pure-hearted and wise-beyond-his-years kid, as he navigated the ups and downs of childhood.

As his story unfolds, so does Helga Pataki's. And almost immediately we learn that she has a huge crush on Arnold. But she was too scared to reveal her true feelings towards him, so she has decided instead to wear the mask of a bully.

Helga's unrequited love for Arnold was a storyline that went beyond typical romantic tropes to present a more realistic portrayal of adolescent crushes. What makes the cartoon unique is that unlike many animated series that oversimplified emotional experiences, Hey Arnold! showed the painful reality of having feelings for someone who may never return them.

Helga Pataki’s Character Was Pretty Deep For a Kids’ Show

Despite the fact that they were all just school kids, Helga's love was not portrayed as a fleeting or superficial emotion — it was complicated, intense, and full of vulnerability. The show allowed her to express her love in both blatant and subtle ways.

On the one hand, she would go out of her way to torment Arnold, making his life miserable, while secretly treasuring a love poem she'd written about him. On the other hand, viewers could see the quiet moments when Helga was alone, filled with frustration, longing, and a deep sadness as she tried to reconcile her feelings with the reality that Arnold would likely never notice her.

“A lot of the things that Helga does aren’t things you want to do in real life, but there was definitely something about her character at the time that tapped into an unspoken truth for a lot of people,” Helga’s voice actor, Francesca Marie Smith, said back in 2017 during a New York Comic Con panel (via Polygon).

Frankly, that was what Hey Arnold! was all about: every character had their own problems and flaws, and they were given the opportunity to deal with them. That's why, 30 years later, the honest portrayal of Helga's emotional journey remains one of the best examples of unrequited love. And Hey Arnold! Is definitely a standout in the animated series genre.

Hey Arnold! Is available to stream on Prime Video and AppleTV+.