Phil (Hey Arnold!)
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| Phil | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | The Little Pink Book |
| Created by | Craig Bartlett |
| Portrayed by | Dan Castellanetta |
| Information | |
| Nickname(s) | Steely Phil |
| Gender | Male |
| Age | 81 (as of episode "Grandpa's Birthday") |
| Occupation | retired |
| Family | Mitzi (sister) |
| Spouse(s) | Grandma |
| Children | Miles |
Phillip (voiced by Dan Castellanetta) is a character on the Nickelodeon cartoon Hey Arnold! who owns the local boarding house. He is Arnold's grandfather, Pookie/Gertrude's husband, and Miles' father. His nickname is Steely Phil. The nickname Steely comes from his undying support of American steelworkers.[citation needed]
Although he gives often poor advice, and is rather goofy, Phil is a good grandfather, and loves Arnold. He calls Arnold by the nickname "Short Man". Phil gave the impression that he may have multiple grandsons in 'Grandpa's Sister' when he responded disagreeingly to a claim Arnold made about being his only grandson.
Phil has accomplished many things during his lifetime, though Arnold claims most of his stories are made up. He was a private in WWII, and through a strange chain of events, took out a company of German troops and made way for the American forces going to the Battle of the Bulge. He was also a champion Chinese checkers player and tied for first place with his long time checkers rival in the last city tournament. It was also revealed Phil never graduated from elementary school as a youth, being forced to drop out in order to aid his family during the Depression. In the episode "Back to School", he attended Arnold's school and successfully completed the sixth grade.
Though Phil has come across many people who has been considered his rival, his archenemy is the rich Rex Smythe Higgins III. Their lifelong feud began at a boat competition when the two where children. Grandpa also is in peak physical condition for his age and can bench 200 pounds according to Gerald. He also has a deep and unconditional love for his only grandson, Arnold. In many episodes, Phil goes out of his way in order to please Arnold, but knows that he can never replace Arnold's parents. In the episode "Helga's Locket", he even took an awkwardly affection to Helga's infamous locket of Arnold. However, Phil loves to prank people and never passes up a chance for a good laugh at his grandson's expense.
In one episode, Grandpa reveals that Gertrude and he were in the same class as children during the Great Depression (there were no jobs back then). She had a huge crush on Phil, but could only express it by picking on him, much as Helga does with Arnold. This is a further hint of an eventual relationship for Arnold and Helga.
