This is a list of characters from the Nickelodeon animated TV series Hey Arnold!, where most residents live in the fictional coastal city of Hillwood, in the state of Washington. Main Arnold Shortman Arnold Phillip Shortman (voiced by J.D. Daniels in the pilot, Lane Toran in season 1, Phillip Van Dyke in seasons 2–3, Spencer Klein in season 4, 17 out of 20 episodes in season 5, and Hey Arnold! The Movie, Rusty Flood as a baby and young toddler in "Parents Day" and "Helga on the Couch", Alex D. Linz 2 out of 20 episodes from season 5, "April Fools Day", The Journal, Mason Vale Cotton in Hey Arnold! The Jungle Movie, and Zane VanWicklyn in Nickelodeon Extreme Tennis and Nickelodeon Kart Racers 3: Slime Speedway) is a 9-10-year-old dreamer and an idealist who is wise beyond his years, and who always tries to see the best in people and do the right thing. His parents, Miles, and Stella left to go to San Lorenzo when he was almost two years old but never came back to Hillwood. Whenever he sees someone in trouble, especially Helga, Arnold goes out of his way to help them out, even if it's not sensible to do so. Arnold often acts as the stable center to those around him, whether he's around his "family" in his paternal grandparents' boarding house, or around his friends at school. He lives in Sunset Arms boarding house with his grandparents, Phil and Gertrude. Arnold has had two major crushes in the series; one on sixth-grader Ruth McDougal (through most of season 1) and one on a classmate named Lila Sawyer (from season 3–5). However, his most catalytic relationship is with his classmate and frenemy Helga Pataki. Helga is secretly in love with him, though to keep these feelings secret she bullies Arnold. Arnold is completely unaware of this fact for most of the series, other than the occasional hint from Helga and other classmates. Helga revealed her secret to Arnold during Hey Arnold! The Movie, but Arnold gave Helga the opportunity to take back her confession, attributing it to "the heat of the moment". In the made-for-TV sequel Hey Arnold! The Jungle Movie, Arnold returns Helga's feelings with a kiss of his own, after thanking Helga for her help in finding his parents and using her locket to help activate the device that releases the cure to