Gerald Johanssen gets written up as the loyal best friend with great hair, which sells him short. Because he is also the kid who tells Arnold not to get involved, doubts people on principle, and sulks when somebody else takes the spotlight.
So that is what makes him interesting. Hey Arnold! gave its coolest character a set of small, recognisable flaws, and then let him be right about half the time.
The Hair, and What to Call It
So the hair is the first thing anybody mentions, and yet it usually gets described wrongly. It is a hi-top fade.
- The style belongs to late-eighties and early-nineties hip hop culture.
- Still, fans most often compare it to the Kid ‘n Play look.
- Meanwhile, Helga Pataki calls him “Tall Hair Boy” throughout the series.
- It adds noticeably to his height among the tall and lanky fourth graders.
The Number 33
Meanwhile, the red shirt is famous, though most write-ups miss the detail printed on it.
- His shirt carries the number 33, and he wears 33 on sports uniforms too.
- Yet in flashbacks to when he was younger, the shirt simply reads 3.
- Also, he pairs it with blue jeans and red and white high-top sneakers.
- The Jungle Movie swaps the shirt for a red hooded sweatshirt, number intact.
Keeper of the City’s Urban Legends
Notably, Gerald is the group’s authority on neighbourhood folklore, and the show treats it as a real social role.
- He holds a deep store of city legends, and calls them urban legends himself.
- Stoop Kid is the best known of the tales he passes on.
- However, he never reveals where the stories come from.
- The telling matters as much as the content, and he performs them properly.
Gerald Is Not the Nice One
However, this is where most summaries flatten him into a loyal sidekick. The series is far less flattering, and far more interesting.
- He is markedly less willing than Arnold to help strangers.
- In fact, he regularly tries to talk Arnold out of getting involved at all.
- He doubts people quickly and holds grudges against anyone who crosses him.
- He hesitates to warn his own brother that a girlfriend is manipulating him.
The Middle Child Problem
Even so, his behaviour makes far more sense once you look at his position at home.
- Jamie O is his older brother, and he picks on Gerald constantly.
- Meanwhile, Timberly is his younger sister, and she takes the rest of the attention.
- His parents are Martin Johanssen and Mrs. Johanssen, and there is an Uncle Maurice.
- Gerald sits in the middle, overlooked from both directions.
Gerald and Phoebe
Meanwhile, Phoebe Heyerdahl is the relationship most articles leave out entirely. That is odd, given how the story ends.
- The series strongly implies a mutual crush across its whole run.
- Notably, Phoebe is Helga’s best friend, mirroring the Arnold and Gerald pairing.
- In The Jungle Movie she kisses him on the cheek before the rescue.
- The film closes with the two walking to school hand in hand.
Class President, and Rhonda’s Geek List
Now, Gerald considers himself the coolest kid at P.S. 118. His classmates broadly agree, with one memorable exception.
- He serves as class president at school.
- Rhonda Wellington Lloyd draws up a Cool List and a Geek List.
- Then Arnold lands on the Cool List, while Gerald lands on the Geek List.
- Rhonda’s grudge traces back to Gerald running for class president.
What Gerald Can Do
Notably, his talents are more specific than the general impression suggests, and one repeated claim is wrong.
- In “Gerald’s Tonsils”, he performs as a soloist in the chorus.
- In “Arnold As Cupid”, he is briefly seen playing the violin.
- Besides that, he is athletic, and he sells watches in “The High Life”.
- There is no episode establishing him as a guitarist.
The Voice, and the Tonsils Explanation
Meanwhile, Gerald’s voice carries one of the better production stories in nineties animation.
- Jamil Walker Smith voiced him across the entire original run.
- However, Smith went through puberty partway through, and his voice dropped.
- The show wrote the change in as a side effect of Gerald’s tonsils coming out.
- From then on his recordings were digitally pitched back up.
Nobody Could Agree How to Spell Johanssen
Finally, the surname is wildly inconsistent across the series, which is a production oddity worth knowing.
- Season one renders it Johanson, with a single S.
- Then season two switches to Johanssen.
- The credits for “The High Life” print Johannsen.
- Meanwhile, the Urban Adventures tape credits go with Johansson.
Frequently Asked Questions About Gerald Johanssen
A few of the questions that come up most about this character.
Who voices Gerald Johanssen? Jamil Walker Smith in the original series and Hey Arnold!: The Movie. Benjamin Flores Jr. voiced him in The Jungle Movie.
What is Gerald’s hairstyle called? A hi-top fade, a style associated with late-eighties and early-nineties hip hop. Helga nicknames him “Tall Hair Boy”.
Why does Gerald’s shirt say 33? Fans read it as a Scottie Pippen reference, though Craig Bartlett says that is a coincidence. As a younger child his shirt reads 3.
Does Gerald end up with Phoebe? Yes. The Jungle Movie ends with Gerald and Phoebe walking to school hand in hand as a couple.
Who are Gerald’s siblings? Jamie O, his older brother, and Timberly, his younger sister. Gerald is the middle child.
Why did Gerald’s voice change? Jamil Walker Smith hit puberty during production. The show explained it as a result of Gerald having his tonsils removed, then pitched his recordings up.
Is Gerald a guitarist? No. He sings a chorus solo in “Gerald’s Tonsils” and plays violin briefly in “Arnold As Cupid”, but no episode shows him on guitar.
Gerald has lasted because he was never simply the confident best friend.
He was a middle child who built a reputation from scratch, guarded it carefully, and occasionally let it make him small. So what is your favourite Gerald moment from the series?
Let me know in the comments.