About the work

Hey Arnold! Arnold, Gerald, and Helga Style Guide Original Art (Nickelodeon, c. 1996-2004). "They say he lost his mind, went crazy on that day. He ran his train right off the tracks, and drove it straight to- hey!" Reminiscent of a scene from the episode 2 segment "Haunted Train", Helga, Gerald, and Arnold make a soulful appearance complete with jazzy harmonica in this original ink drawing created for the Hey Arnold! series style guide. In media and animation a style guide, sometimes known as a design or show bible, is an exhaustive compendium that typically includes character information and model sheets, setting and story, and other important information to help keep all aspects of the show cohesive from episode development to consumer products. Hey Arnold! debuted in late 1996 as Nickelodeon's 6th original Nicktoon; it was created by Craig Bartlett as a zany slice of life series following a fourth-grader who lives in his grandparents' urban boarding house. This exceptional ink illustration featuring a rather exasperated Helga watching Gerald snap along to Arnold's harmonica tunes closely resembles the scene beginning near the 17:06 mark of season 1's "Haunted Train" segment when the trio explores the abandoned train station after a thrills-and-chills tale from Grandpa Phil earlier in the day. The artwork has been hand-drawn in black ink with whiteout art corrections to an image size of 9" x 7.75" on bond paper trimmed to 10.75" x 10.25". With typical studio handling and edge wear including the noted trimming and minor corner creasing, overall this spirited illustration is in Very Good to Fine condition.