Here’s another cartoon with a certain social issue as its theme that could’ve come off as preachy and uninteresting, but is made a lot more interesting and appealing by the character going through the issue, and even offers a unique perspective. The issue in question is feminism mostly involving stereotypes of what girls should be like. It comes into play when all the girls, except Helga, are invited to a slumber party held by the popular rich girl, Rhonda. You see, the consensus is that girls are into things like gossiping, the latest fashion, and making themselves look beautiful with makeovers. As anyone can easily tell, Helga isn’t like that. She enjoys being bossy and mean, doesn’t care much about her appearance, and would rather do things like play sports. Most people wouldn’t really see this as a big deal, but these traits of Helga are precisely why she wasn’t invited to the party, and it gets even worse when many people around her claim that she’s not really a girl. The fact that the teasing Helga gets is a result of her interests may be shallow and just plain wrong, but it works because it’s clearly what the people behind this show are going for. What sells their vision is how effected Helga is by others not treating her like a girl just because her interests and customs are different . She may have come off as a bully from what we’ve seen in this season, but that doesn’t change the fact that what she’s going through isn’t fair or right, which in turn makes it easy to feel for her. Now, for the unique way of getting the message across, we have Helga go on to prove that she really is a girl by giving herself a makeover by really dolling herself up with makeup, basically doing what is stereotypically associated with girls. Then when presenting herself at Rhonda’s party, she becomes a big hit with everyone, even though you can tell from her line delivery that it’s just an act. What’s unique about this is what Helga’s act eventually leads to and how far she’s led to go with these girly stereotypes. The girls at the party don’t just give makeovers and talk of fashion, they also give each other facial masks to make themselves look young even though they’re only 9. Rather than conforming to their ways, Helga actually makes the smart decision by refusing the offer and then calls the girls out for being this ridiculous with their makeovers. What’s more, when the other girls wonder what else they can do, it’s Helga who shows them other options, leading to an interesting outcome to the boys popping in on the party. So, in the end, Helga proves herself as a dynamic character for humanly conforming to norms due to teasing, but ultimately making a name of her true self. This in turn does a lot of justice for the feminism issue and this cartoon. 9.5/10
The Old Building
This
is a simple story of Arnold getting caught in the middle of a conflict whose
appeal lies within the little things added in to spice things up. Here, we’re introduced to one of the many
diverse residents of the boarding house Arnold lives in. His name is Ernie, a short fellow whose job
and main passion is demolition with wrecking balls. His love for demolition which is sometimes combined
with his short temper makes him a highly entertaining character for the cast,
and in this cartoon he and Arnold have an interesting dynamic where Ernie gives
some demolition talk and Arnold goes along with what’s said without really
understanding. As for the conflict, it
all has to do with the titular old building called the Circle Theater. Ernie’s set to demolish it for his 500th
demolition. At the same time, Grandma is
set to protect the building from being torn down for, as part of a scene that
gives depth to her relationship with Grandpa, the Circle Theater was where she
had her first date with him. How does
Arnold relate to this conflict? He
agrees to help Ernie destroy the Circle Theater, but after hearing Grandma’s
story, he forgets his commitment to Ernie and agrees to help save it, only to
remember his promise to Ernie later on.
This is a highly believable conflict for Arnold. I mean, he’s agreed to help destroy and
protect the same building, and he can tell that both Ernie and Grandma have
good reasons for doing what they want to do with the Circle Theater, so of
course he wouldn’t want to let either one down (though it’s not really
understandable why Ernie doesn’t consider demolishing something else). However, in the end, Arnold pulls off some
impressive problem-solving skills. He
remembers one thing both sides of the conflict have in common which is the
famous jazz singer Dino Spumoni who Grandma heard sing at the Circle Theater
all those years ago, and who inspired Ernie to go into demolition with one of
his songs. He calls Dino who explains
how much the Circle Theater means to him and Ernie is moved to not destroy it
since it’s a part of Dino’s history satisfying everyone. This cartoon is also the first mention of
Dino Spumoni on this show, and as a lover of music, from his first song
“Smashed,” he’s a nice addition to the cast for adding some jazzy class. Plus he gets several cartoons to develop his
character, with one coming at the end of this particular season. As for this cartoon as a whole, it’s a basic
story, but the likable characters, strong believable conflict, and the first of many
memorable Dino Spumoni songs make it a charming watch. 9/10
The Rankings
1. Stoop Kid
2. Arnold’s Hat
3. Helga’s Makeover
4. Downtown as Fruits
5. The Old Building
6. Field Trip
7. The Little Pink Book
8. Eugene’s Bike
Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the fifth episode of this season: "6th Grade Girls"/"The Baseball."
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