Entertainment

The 'Hey Arnold!' Theme Remixes You Totally Need

by Kristie Rohwedder

When discussing The Great Television Theme Songs In Television History, omitting the Nickelodeon cartoons of the ‘90s (aka the Nicktoons, not be confused with the Nicktoons channel) from the conversation would be a grave error. Not only were programs like Doug, Angry Beavers, Rugrats, Rocko's Modern Life, and Hey Arnold! excellent 'toons, but they boasted some of the best theme tunes in the history of the boob tube. Now, much fun as it would be to dig into every last Nicktoon theme song, I've chosen to zero in on one piece of music this fine Monday: the Hey Arnold! theme. Why? Because Monday marks the 11 year anniversary of the Hey Arnold! series finale, of course.

Written by Hey Arnold!composer Jim Lang, the show's theme is a jazzy track that builds up to Helga G. Pataki’s iconic—yes, iconic, and no, I am not one to throw that word around willy-nilly—catchphrase: “Move it, Football Head.” In a word, the song is Brainy-punching-good.

Fans of Hey Arnold! have paid tribute to the beloved animated series' theme with remixes, covers, and Talking Tom renditions. And yes, I've rounded up the very best YouTube has to offer. But before I share those, let us listen to the original song that launched the 1,000 tribute videos* I watched this morning:

*OK, 1,000** is a bit of an exaggeration.**OK, 1,000 is a major exaggeration. I watched, like, 20 videos. I'm only mortal.

Ugh. So good. So, so good. As promised, here are some of my favorite renditions of the Hey Arnold! theme song:

This dubstep remix

This sounds like something from Spring Breakers and I'm all about it.

This 8-bit remix

It's like Super Mario Bros. and Hey Arnold! gave birth to a piece of music.

This theme song + Stoop Kid mashup

A mashup of the theme song and Stoop Kid (aka the kid who is afraid to leave his stoop)? I'll take it!

This cover by Mr. Mime

No, Pokémon Mr. Mime did not record a cover of the Hey Arnold! theme; Mr. Mime is an IRL jazz band. *Snaps fingers in lieu of applause.*

This Talking Tom work of art

Talking Tom (ugh, love that app) really can sing anything. I gotta make this my new ringtone, STAT.

Image: Nickelodeon