<P> Bartlett's idea for the show is based on a minor character named Arnold whom he created while working on Pee - wee's Playhouse . The executives enjoyed the character, and Bartlett completed the cast by drawing inspiration from people he grew up with in Portland, Oregon, and Seattle, Washington . Bartlett created the pilot episode in his living room in 1994 and official production began in 1995 . The animators worked to transform Arnold from clay animation to cel animation, leading to the series' premiere . The show finished production in 2001 after 5 seasons and 100 episodes . A feature film based on the series, Hey Arnold!: The Movie, was released in 2002 . All five seasons have been released on DVD . </P> <P> A television film adaption of the series, Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie, has been green - lit . It is expected to pick up from where the series ended and will resolve unanswered plot lines of the story . The film is scheduled to premiere in November 2017 . </P> <P> Hey Arnold! stars nine - year - old Arnold (voiced by Toran Caudell; Phillip Van Dyke; Spencer Klein; Alex D. Linz and Mason Vale Cotton) and his neighborhood friends: Gerald (voiced by Jamil Walker Smith and Benjamin Flores Jr .), a street - smart character who generally serves as the leader of the group, and Helga (Francesca Smith), a girl who bullies Arnold in order to hide the fact that she is in love with him . Bartlett drew inspiration from people he grew up with when creating the characters for the show . </P> <P> Arnold lives with his eccentric but loving paternal grandparents, Phil (Dan Castellaneta) and Gertrude (Tress MacNeille), proprietors of the Sunset Arms boarding house, in the fictional city of Hillwood . In each episode, he often helps a schoolmate or boarding home tenant solve a personal problem, or encounters a predicament of his own . Many episodes involve urban legends usually told by Gerald, such as superheroes or headless horsemen . </P>

Who did the voice of arnold in hey arnold