Arnold Shortman

Arnold Shortman is the main protagonist of the Nickelodeon animated television series Hey Arnold!. His head is shaped like an American football, thus earning him the nickname "Football Head". Throughout the series' run, he was voiced by at least five different voice actors: J.D. Daniels (who did his voice in the pilot), Toran Caudell (who was also the voice of the bully Wolfgang), Phillip Van Dyke, Spencer Klein (who did his voice in the movie), and, Alex D. Linz who did April Fool's Day and The Journal, Mason Vale Cotton (who did his voice in the second movie)

Personality
He is Kind, caring, brave, calm, quiet, self-less, smart, and wise.

idealist who always sees the best in people despite how unkind, outlandish or sneaky some of them may be. "Football Head" as his peers and grandparents call him, often goes out of his way to help others even if it's not in his best interest to do so. Arnold is also a bit of a daydreamer in the earlier episodes. Although he can be a bit irritable when he's pushed too far.

Arnold resides in a boarding house called the Sunset Arms and goes to an elementary school simply named P.S. 118. Arnold's excellent upbringing is due to the way his paternal grandparents and boarding house residents raised him. He's a respectable young gentleman at home and at school with his peers and teachers.

Arnold has often been shown to be ignorant and blind when it comes to romance and love. For example, he never figured out Helga was "Cecile" in "Arnold's Valentine" (even though it was obviously her), and he doesn't seem to process Helga's incomplete love declarations in "Grudge Match" and the chapter book "Arnold's E-Files". Furthermore, he continually refused to accept that Lila Sawyer didn't return his feelings despite being told so repeatedly. Sometimes, Arnold is shown to be a bit shallow, as he only liked Lila and Ruth because they were pretty and never really took time to know them.

Arnold has a natural gift for giving advice and guidance to others. He often helps the other kids and even adults with their problems. In "Oskar Can't Read" Arnold helps Oskar Kokoshka learn how to read for the first time and in "Oskar Gets a Job" Arnold helps him find a Job. He has even helped his Grandpa Phil on several occasions in the episode "Steely Phil", Arnold helps Phil overcome his fear of facing Robbie Fisher in the city Chinese Checkers tournament and in ""Grandpa's Sister"" Arnold helps him reconnect with his sister Mitzi after 70 years. During the episode "Chocolate Boy" Arnold helps Chocolate Boy kick his addiction to chocolate a change that could potentially have saved his life.

In early episodes, Arnold is shown to be somewhat gullible such as the episode, Cool Jerk, where he starts hanging out with a gangster.

Jazz music is his favorite genre. He is a self-taught harmonica player and plays music a few times throughout Seasons 1 and 2.

Arnold's bedroom is full of interesting technology: a remote control that commands everything in his room, a powerful computer and a collapsible couch. His entire ceiling comprises of an expansive skylight that includes a trapdoor where people on the roof can come in. Most of his room is blue since it his favorite color.

Arnold is a natural athlete with impeccable baseball and football skills; he's often playing sports with his friends at Gerald Field.

Arnold also has impressive skills in video editing as seen in the episode "Freeze Frame" and Hey Arnold!: The Movie.

Though his religion is never explicitly mentioned on the show, it is implied that he belongs to the Roman Catholic faith in a comic titled "Arnold Eats His Dinner". He is involved in a prayer which includes a mention of the Holy Ghost (God). He is also seen attending church in "Arnold Escapes From Church."

Hey Arnold
The familiar, cel-animated Arnold came about in the mid-1990's when Nick picked up the new series. In the TV series, Arnold is a 4th grader who lives in a boarding house with his paternal grandparents, Phil and Gertrude. Apart from the animation style, Nick's Arnold now wears a sweater, with his plaid shirt untucked (often mistaken for a kilt). Only Arnold's beloved cap remained from the original wardrobe. He no longer wore a school uniform in the TV series because he attends a public school. Now he wears a dark blue jacket to go with his outfit.

Birth
Arnold was born in San Lorenzo, in a temple of the mysterious Green-Eyed People during a volcanic eruption. His birth "silenced all of nature" and the volcano.

According to the episode "The Journal", Arnold was born while his parents were on an earlier expedition in the jungle to bring medicine to the natives. His birth coincided with the eruption of a nearby volcano, which the locals believed to be an indication that Arnold would one day become a messiah of sorts who would save the world from a great danger. Arnold was not told of these events until later in the series when it was revealed by his grandfather. It is unknown how the "prophecy" may have fit into the series had it continued.

In a chat, Craig Bartlett mentioned that he was supposed to be semi-worshiped by the Green-Eyed people, and that a football-headed figure is an important symbol for their culture.

He was born on the 7th day of an unknown month ("Married"). Some fans agree that he was born on October 7th, the day the first episode of the series aired for the first time. But that would create a flaw on the history, since Arnold's parents left him on October 5th, and they celebrated his 1st birthday some time before leaving the Boarding House once and for all. Though others believe that Arnold's parents may have disappeared before his second birthday.

Additionally, in a logged chat Craig Bartlett said, "...Arnold is like me in that he has to think things over a long time, before coming to a decision. That I believe is a Libra characteristic. Go Libras." (See the chat transcript) This implies Arnold being a Libra, which would make his birthday fall sometime between September 24th to October 23rd. It is most likely on October 7, as in ("Married"), he mentions his birthday is on the 7th of a month.