Hey Arnold first aired in October of 1996. What do you guys think the city the show takes place in, Hillwood in Washington State, would be like nowadays?
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Furthermore, how do you think the lives of various characters have gone on to be like since then? Who has passed away, and how did the rest of the community react? What sites have since been closed or torn down, and which still stand?
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Ok. What sort of events will have happened to the community since the events of the Jungle Movie? Assuming it only took place a few years after the show's original run, it would probably be the early 2000's at that point. What sort of events happened that could affect Hillwood? Have any of Arnold's classmates, neighbors, or family members died? What happened to Arnold's family since his parents came back? That sort of thing.
Like, I always expect for it to be Eugene to be the first of Arnold's classmates to be the one to die. Probably slip on an icy puddle and bang his head the wrong way, and enters a coma he doesn't come out of. Would be darkly ironic, considering everything he lived through only to die from a relatively everyday occurence in winter.
As for the first person to die at all, well, I hate to say it, because they're awesome, but either Grandpa Steely Phil or Grandma Gertie, maybe Great Aunt Mitzie soon after. I don't imagine the other grandparent would live long afterwards. And, since they raised Arnold from such a young age, he'd take it pretty hard.
Another relatively young death may be Harold, if he doesn't get his weight under control. As for community events, I'm unsure what would happen to Sunset Arms Boarding House once Arnold's Grandparents pass away. Would Arnold's parents care for it? Or would they decide to move to San Lorenzo, bringing Arnold with them? I suppose the tenants would need to move. Not sure where else Oscar Kokoshka could afford, so he'd be homeless, what with his wife already having left him prior to the Jungle Movie.
Big Bob, with his temper, and already having graying hair, might have a heart attack. Whether he lives or dies would be up in the air. Don't figure Olga would be able to handle her father dying well. Miriam, either. Helga would probably look to Arnold for comfort, along with Phoebe Heyerdahl.
The Sewer King, advancing in age, will either need to move out of the sewer or die from health affects from exposure to mold and disease down there. I suppose Big Caesar may need to be exposed as existing by Arnold to save him from being killed during an ecological disaster of some sort at his lake, leading to him living in the sea turtle's old exhibit at the aquarium, which has surely changed hands due to the frickups there and ill-treatment of critters.
I suppose Miss Costello the Florist has passed away by now. Maybe someone else has taken up her floral shoppe. I would hope so, her plants helped pretty up the urban landscape. I would guess Mr. Green would either have retired and given over the Meat shop to Harold, if Harold isn't dead by now from being fat, or passed away himself.
Gerald's family may be doing OK, since Gerald's dad was a Vietnam War veteran. I would imagine Gerald and Phoebe are doing OK as a couple, they both had good heads on their shoulders. If the crime rate of Hillwood had gone up, I imagine they would have moved.
I personally think it's a toss up of whether Arnold would want to leave Hillwood after his grandparents passed away. He helped the community so much, so if his parents tried to move, I don't know what sort of things could happen. Maybe he'd run away, but quickly return home to his parents. Probably would want to say goodbye to all his friends first. Speaking of friends, Dino Spumoni would be dead by now, sadly.
Stinky's family has probably been evicted by corrupt laws against their farmhouse by now, and moved to the farmland shown outside of Hillwood. Sid was always kind of an idiot, and has either gotten himself in jail somehow or is working a dead-end job somewhere. Curly is probably in a mental health facility or a Special Education Housing Facility on medication.
Those two crooks that appeared every now and again are either in jail, dead, or on government subsidized housing. I would guess that Scheck is still in prison, along with Vermicelli. I think Ernie would still be in the demolition business as an old man, he loves explosions too much to quit. I'm sure Mr. Hyunh is being taken care of well by his daughter.
Rhonda is probably selling clothes, perfume, or something along those lines under one of her father's companies'. Her friend who liked big has probably become a naturalist and moved to San Lorenzo to study the arthropod life there.
I would suppose that the coach obsessed with winning all the time is possibly still with his wife. Whether they broke up and remarried multiple times before then is another matter.
Wolfgang and his idiot pal probably got into construction, if they didn't end up petty street toughs and arrested. Same for that one bully kid with the learning disability Arnold helped.
I imagine that, as a historical landmark, the Sunset Arms Boarding House is still up, along with the theater Dino Spumoni used to play at. Dinoland may still be open, as all kids of all generations seem enthralled by Dinosaurs, although hopefully it's kept up to safety code. If anyone gets harmed or even killed there, it would probably be shutdown.
Hopefully, San Lorenzo wouldn't screw over the Green Eyed People from their rainforest home. It's always a possibility, and who knows with how crazy South America is with cartels now, how that's going.
Filled with hoodrats and shopping carts all over the place.