The Big Picture
Hey Arnold! was a groundbreaking children’s cartoon series that addressed themes of diversity and maturity. The proposed spin-off, The Patakis, focused on Helga and her dysfunctional family as teenagers and adults. Although the spin-off was rejected by Nickelodeon due to its intended older audience, there is still potential for a different version of the show today. Hey Arnold! aired on Nickelodeon for five seasons from 1996 to 2004. Despite being a children’s show, Hey Arnold! explored urban life, diversity, and adult themes with remarkable depth and sincerity ahead of its time. Over the past two decades, rumors of Hey Arnold revivals have circulated, and Netflix even released the one-off movie, Hey Arnold: The Jungle Movie, in 2017. However, there has been speculation about a specific spin-off series for years. Recently, a show-bible for The Patakis mysteriously appeared online, confirming its existence. An anonymous 4Chan user posted images from the show-bible, focusing on Helga Pataki and her troubled family. Although the original post has been removed, copies of the bible pages can be found on the Hey Arnold Fandom Wiki, and series creator Craig Bartlett confirmed their authenticity in an interview. RELATED: The Magic of ’90s Cartoons ‘The Patakis’ Would Revisit Helga Six Years After ‘Hey Arnold’ Image via Nickelodeon The Patakis’ show-bible, dated April 21st, 2000, presents a cartoon that follows Helga’s life six years after the events of Hey Arnold. Like in the original series, Helga is still moody and deeply in love with Arnold. However, she is now fifteen years old, and Arnold has moved away, intensifying her teenage angst during a transformative time. Each episode would begin with Helga writing a letter to Arnold before flashing back to the story. At the end, she would file the letter away, never sending any. Throughout the show, Helga would seek acceptance from herself and others. In The Patakis, she would still long for her parents’ attention, but unlike before, there is a chance she might receive it. In the pilot episode, Helga would be accepted into an alternative high school for gifted students. However, being in the spotlight wouldn’t be all she hoped for as it would bring unexpected conflicts and challenges. What Would ‘The Patakis’ Have Looked Like? Image via Nickelodeon The show-bible features sketches and descriptions of Helga and her family, reflecting their evolved identities in the new show. The drawing of Helga shows her slightly taller and more awkward than in the original series. She wears tomboyish jeans, boots, a blue t-shirt, and a brown beanie. Interestingly, her signature pink bow still hides beneath her hat. Despite her exterior changes, she remains the same complex and talented character, now with heightened adolescence-related troubles. The other Pataki family members, including her father Big Bob, her mother Miriam, and her older sister Olga, would also undergo development since the original series. Big Bob would still be the aggressive, overweight father figure, but he would now resemble a mob boss, wearing a tracksuit and running a suspiciously prosperous electronics business. Bartlett even compares him to Tony Soprano in the show-bible. Miriam would be on the path to recovery after hitting rock bottom, working a stressful job at a local television station while facing her own struggles. Olga, who was once the family’s pride and joy, would have graduated college and pursued an acting career. However, her lack of success would diminish her status, with Helga taking center stage with her newfound talents. The sketch of Miriam depicts her as tired as ever, and Olga appears more casual than her appearance in Hey Arnold. Other familiar characters, such as Helga’s best friend Phoebe, Bob’s associate Nick Vermicelli, and other neighborhood kids, would also make appearances in the spin-off. Originally conceptualized in 2000 during Hey Arnold’s fifth and final season, it is likely that The Patakis was intended to be hand-drawn and cel animated, similar to the original show. However, with the advancements in animation technology, it’s improbable that the show would retain the same style if it were produced today. The Jungle Movie already made the transition to digital animation in 2017. Why Didn’t ‘The Patakis’ Happen? Image via Nickelodeon The Patakis was not meant to be a children’s show like Hey Arnold. It aimed to target a teenage and adult audience by delving into the lives of a teenage Helga and her troubled family. The show’s intention was to launch Helga “into the late-night arena,” with comparisons drawn to The Wonder Years, Malcolm in the Middle, All In The Family, and The Simpsons. These family-focused shows touched on mature topics and humor that may have been inappropriate for younger viewers. Due to its more adult themes, The Patakis was not suited for Nickelodeon. Instead, creator Craig Bartlett pitched it to Nick at Nite and MTV, both affiliated with Nickelodeon’s parent company, Viacom. Nick at Nite, known for airing reruns, was not interested in developing an original animated series. MTV believed the concept was too similar to Daria. Consequently, both networks passed on The Patakis, and the show remained untouched for over twenty years until the show-bible resurfaced. In the interview, Bartlett views the recovered show-bible as an ancient artifact and acknowledges its crudeness. Although he still shows enthusiasm for the idea, he believes the show would evolve differently if given the chance to revisit it today. He would approach it as a fresh project, drawing inspiration from his past notes. Despite the current climate being favorable for The Patakis to be developed, as evidenced by Paramount+ reviving other Nickelodeon shows and the mainstream success of adult animation, the concept would likely undergo significant changes from its initial vision in the early 2000s.
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Khushi Patel is a science fiction author who lives in Austin, Texas. She has published three novels, and her work has been praised for its originality and imagination. Khushi is a graduate of Rice University, and she has worked as a software engineer. She is a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America, and her books have been nominated for several awards.
