'Hey Arnold!', 'Rugrats' or 'Recess'? Quiz

Answer: Rugrats

'Rugrats' was an animated show produced by Nickelodeon that had a long initial run from 1991 to 2004. In the show, an imaginative group of babies and toddlers were often portrayed devising adventurous plans from the comfort of their playpen. The show had a reboot in 2021 after a seventeen-year break.

The group of toddlers were led by the fearless one-year old Tommy Pickles, son of Didi and Stu, and when the group needed to escape their playpen he would make use of a screwdriver to undo the latch on the gate. Didi is portrayed as a loving mother to Tommy, but perhaps too keen on following the parenting advice of Dr. Lipschitz rather than relying on her own instinct.

Answer: Rugrats

Whereas Tommy Pickles was the courageous leader of the group, two-year old Chuckie Finster was more of a worrier. Chuckie had a distinctive look, with his wild orange/red hair, purple spectacles and blue top featuring a ringed planet emblazoned on the front. In an effort to bring balance to group discussions in the playpen, Chuckie would often say, "Maybe this isn't such a good idea".

Chuckie was originally voiced by Christine Cavanaugh but, for the last few years of the initial run of 'Rugrats', this role was performed by Nancy Cartwright (an artist who also provided her voice to Bart from 'The Simpsons').

Answer: Rugrats

Angelica Pickles, cousin of Tommy Pickles and daughter of Drew and Charlotte, was often portrayed exploiting two key advantages in order to achieve her aims. The first advantage was that she was amongst the eldest (three years old) of the babies and toddlers which meant that she could often persuade the rest of the group to go along with her plans and ideas. The second advantage was that Angelica was old enough to talk "adult" and was therefore in the position of being able to communicate with both the babies and the parents!

Angelica loved toys and her prized possession was her doll, Cynthia.

Answer: Rugrats

Three-year old Susie Carmichael was a recurring - rather than main - character in 'Rugrats' and her primary role in the show was as a rival to Angelica Pickles. Whereas Angelica would use fair means or foul to get what she wanted, Susie preferred to stand up for what is right.

This meant she would often be an ally for the younger members of the group, helping them to resist Angelica where it was required.

Answer: Hey Arnold!

'Hey Arnold!' depicted the life of Arnold Shortman, a nine-year old kid who lived with his grandparents (Phil and Gertrude) in the city of Hillwood. The show was broadcast on Nickelodeon from 1996 to 2004 and ran for one hundred episodes.

Arnold had a distinctive appearance with a "football-shaped" head and a large mop of blonde hair that was split into two by a tiny blue baseball cap. Arnold's bedroom in the attic of his grandparent's boarding house is a memorable image from the show; he was able to see the stars through the glass ceiling!

Answer: Hey Arnold!

Helga Pataki - a distinctive looking character with a large pink bow in her hair - frequently tried to bully Arnold and could be heard calling the title character "football head" as a means to make him feel bad. This was done to hide a secret - Helga was in love with Arnold! This infatuation went as far as Helga creating a shrine of Arnold that was hidden away at the back of her closet.

Answer: Hey Arnold!

Throughout the one-hundred episode run of 'Hey Arnold!', Gerald Johanssen was Arnold's best friend. His hairstyle was rather unusual; a close comparison would be the hair of Marge Simpson (though Gerald's hair was black rather than blue). Another character from the show, Helga Pataki, was a fan of a barb and - in addition to calling Arnold "football head" - she would call Gerald "tall hair boy".

Gerald exhibited a cool vibe and was depicted wearing a red sports sweater with "33" on the front. He was in a relationship with Phoebe Heyerdahl, a sensitive soul who was one of the cleverest members of the gang.

Answer: Hey Arnold!

Rhonda Lloyd was a supporting character in 'Hey Arnold!' who was given the nickname of "princess" by Helga Pataki; this was in reference to Rhonda's spoiled and haughty personality. Smartly dressed in red and black, Rhonda saw herself as the most fashionable person in P.S. 118, the school she attended along with Arnold and the crew.

Answer: Recess

'Recess' (1997 - 2001) was an engaging cartoon that mostly focused on the lives of a group of fourth graders studying at Third Street Elementary School. As given away by the name of the show, the majority of scenes took place on the school playground during recess.

Theodore Jasper Detweiler, or T. J. to his friends (and enemies), was the leader of this group and whilst he often got the gang in trouble with his pranks, he would usually be able to get them back out of trouble again using his charm! T. J. wore a trademark red baseball cap (back to front, of course) and made use of a number of catchphrases including "tender", a word he said when he liked something.

Answer: Recess

Ashley Spinelli - mostly referred to just by her surname - was the feisty character of the group of fourth graders in 'Recess'. This tough image was amplified by Spinelli's love of wrestling and she was often seen trying to resolve matters on the playground through physical intimidation.

This could sometimes be effective, though her methods were certainly seen by the teachers at Third Street Elementary School - such as Miss Finster - as very questionable indeed! Detention for Spinelli!

Answer: Recess

'Recess' character Gus Griswold came from a military family and, as a result of this, found himself having to move around a lot. Gus was introduced in the second episode of the first season - rather than the pilot - and this helped position him as the "The New Kid", a nickname that followed him around for a while on the playground.

Whilst the status of newcomer and an often outwardly timid personality led to Gus being labelled as someone unable to assert himself, he demonstrated on a number of occasions that looks can be deceiving. In the right circumstances Gus would come out of his shell and show another side of himself, not least when playing dodgeball.

Answer: Recess

No group dynamic is really complete unless it embraces someone who possesses a fine intellect and in 'Recess' the brains were brought by Gretchen Grundler. Though gifted in a broad range of academic subjects, Gretchen was particularly interested in the sciences; she would often use her powers of mind and her handheld computer called Galileo (this was well before the era of modern mobile phones) to help the gang achieve their aims on the playground.