Hey Arnold! was one of the best Nickelodeon shows. The theme song was catchy, the bubble gum shrine was creepily hilarious, and Arnold’s room was awesome. There were also many memorable characters on the show, like Dino Spumoni, the obvious parody of Dean Martin and the rest of the Brat Pack. However, the one that comes to mind is Stoop Kid. He was a sad boy who sat on one of the front steps of his apartment building and never really left it throughout the show.
Stoop Kid was abandoned by his parents. His father was never in the picture and his mother eventually left because she felt she couldn’t take care of Stoop Kid on her own. But why the stoop? One day, Stoop Kid’s mother told her son that she was going to run an errand and she would be right back. She told him to wait on the stoop for her and to not move. Stoop Kid took these words seriously and had been on the stoop since then waiting for his mother to return.
Stoop Kid sits on his stoop and makes fun of people who walk by. Without parents, he never learned the difference between right and wrong. Also, he takes out his anger and depression on people who walk by.
Stoop Kid is also reading The Little a Engine that Could; a book about optimism and the strength to push yourself to achieve something you thought was impossible. Stoop Kid eventually realized that his mother was never coming back, but he knew no other life than the one on the stoop. He knew he had to put his two feet on the streets of New York City, but he needed inspiration. That’s where Arnold came in. Arnold helped Stoop Kid come to terms with himself and move on.