Downtown as Fruits

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“Downtown as Fruits”

Hey Arnold! episode

‎
Arnold and Gerald dressed as fruits.

Episode no.

Season 1
Episode 1

Written by

Craig Bartlett, Joe Ansolabehere & Steve Viksten

Directed by

Tuck Tucker & Larry Leichliter

Production no.

Original airdate

October 7, 1996

Episode chronology
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–	"Eugene's Bike"

"Downtown as Fruits" is the first half of the first episode of Season One of the Nickelodeon animated television series Hey Arnold!. It originally aired on October 7, 1996. The second half of this episode is "Eugene's Bike."

[edit] Synopsis

Helga is directing a play that presents the essence of each food group. A bored and resentful Arnold and Gerald are the fruits, a banana and strawberry respectively. While on the bus on their way to the show, Arnold and Gerald decide to purposefully miss their stop as a way of punishing Helga for being a bossy, demanding director.

Unfortunately, the boys keep on riding until the end of the line, where they end up stranded with no way of contacting a ride back. Luckily, an unknown driver throws a bag of money at their feet, which the boys promptly use to buy normal clothes. Shortly after they leave the scene, two shady characters dressed as a banana and a strawberry enter the premise.

Meanwhile, back at P.S. 118, Helga stalls by making each segment longer and goes back and fourth between whether or not she loves Arnold or hates him for ruining her show. The boys spend their money at a pool hall, where the "real" banana and strawberry discover that Arnold and Gerald have the money. The boys make a break for it and hide in the Great Zamboni Jones's shop. While in the midst of the “psychic,” the boys decide to fix their karmic energy by returning to the play. They collect their discarded costumes from a dumpster and donate the rest of the money to a family with a flat tire, and return just in time for their song, "It's Fruits!" which is met with thunderous applause.

[edit] Trivia

First appearance of Monkeyman. He is seen briefly running past Arnold's house before he leaves for the show.
The boy in the Peapod costume is henceforth always referred to as "Peapod Kid."