In the history of Nickelodeon’s original animated universes, referred to as “NickToons,” there have been some downright bizarre faces that have made up the cable network’s roster. Cat Dog, Ren & Stimpy, Invader Zim, The Angry Beavers, and SpongeBob SquarePants are strange enough on their own, but there is one Nicktoon that didn’t last long on the network. During the run of Hey Arnold!, there was one character that appeared during the earlier episodes of the animated series, but would eventually be nixed, according to the creator of the beloved franchise. Needless to say, the story behind the character known as Lana Vail is a strange one.
In a resurfaced interview, Hey Arnold! Creator Craig Bartlett discussed the long-lost character Lana, who made Arnold pretty uncomfortable. Earlier in the series, Lana was presented as a member of Arnold’s boarding house, created to be a foil to the titular character. Specifically, Lana was slated to make fun of Arnold and “make him feel uncomfortable on purpose” in some scenes that might have made the audience just as uneasy as Arnold himself. Lana did appear in the series sparingly, often seen in the background, but was only given one line. Specifically, she appeared in the show’s sixth episode, asking Arnold to turn on the air conditioning. Needless to say, the original plans had been quickly put to bed by the time the show aired.
Hey Arnold was one of the earliest series that helped introduce the world to the NickToons, debuting on Nickelodeon in 1996. Netting five seasons and a movie, the franchise had some unanswered questions that many fans had been dying to see. Luckily, Bartlett and the crew responsible for bringing the series to life released the long-awaited movie that would take Arnold and friends into the jungle, while also revealing the fate of Arnold’s parents. Throughout the series, Arnold’s adventurous mom and dad were seemingly stranded in the Amazon, but in 2017’s Hey Arnold! The Jungle Movie saw them return.
In the film that arrived almost fifteen years following the original series finale, not only did Arnold’s parents return, but the series finale took the opportunity to finally reveal Helga’s feelings for Arnold. Needless to say, Lana did not make an appearance in this movie, though the boarding house did expand thanks to Arnold’s folks joining the community. To date, Craig Bartlett hasn’t hinted at the franchise making a comeback, though Arnold and his friends do still appear from time to time. Typically, Nickelodeon will bring back some of its classic animated characters via new video games that bring the band back together. Nickelodeon Extreme Tennis: Next! will arrive later this month, seeing Arnold and several other Nicktoons playing a part in the bizarre sports game.
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