| “ | Save your new ageisms for the saps, Granola Boy! | „ |
| ~ Curly before attacking Mr. Simmons with a kickball. |
Thaddeus Gammelthorpe, better known by his nickname Curly, is a supporting character in Hey Arnold!.
He is a fourth grade elementary student known for his bizarre and borderline psychotic behavior, having a tendency to overreact over anything he perceives as injustice towards him (even if said injustice was unintentional), among other trivial things. He is also known for his obsessive one-sided crush towards his fellow classmate, Rhonda. Such demeanor has led him to commit several questionable and outright villainous acts throughout the series.
Several different actors have voiced Curly; in most episodes, he was voiced by Adam Wylie. Other voice actors include Haley Joel Osment (in the episode "Deconstructing Arnold"), Steven Hartman (in "Downtown as Fruits"), and Michael Welch (in episodes "Ghost Bride" and "Curly's Girl"). In Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie, he was voiced by Nicolas Cantu.
Biography[]
| “ | Arnold: Curly's acting a little strange today. Gerald: Today? He's strange everyday! |
„ |
| ~ Arnold and Gerald's remarks about Curly. |
Curly's background is largely unknown and was never explored in great detail in the show. He, like most kids among the cast, is an elementary schooler who resides in Hillwood and attends P.S. 118, being a part of Arnold's class.
Among his peers, Curly is notorious for being antisocial, impulsive, and wildly unpredictable. Whether randomly or in certain situations, he tends to become maniacal and either reacts inappropriately to the matter at hand, or outright incite chaos should the opportunity presents itself. This is seen when, after catching the ball during a game of football in the episode "New Bully on the Block", he begins an impromptu ballet dance while scoring a touchdown, only to immediately run off from the game with the ball in hand. In more extreme examples, in the episode "Cool Party", he admits to have bitten off a chicken's head after another student recalled the incident. Later in the same episode, he storms a local zoo and is seen riding a giraffe stampeding with other wild animals that he released from captivity.
Curly is also demonstratively vindictive. He is easily agitated whenever things don't go his way, no matter how trivial, and will set off at the slightest hint of wrongdoing he feels is directed towards him. Unsurprisingly, this often puts him in direct conflict against other kids and adults alike, as he would go to great lengths to retaliate and escalate the situation at hand. An example of this can be seen in the episode, “False Alarm”. Here, he let another classmate, Eugene, borrow his favorite pencil. When Eugene returned it, it was sharpened down to a stub and had chew marks all over it. In response, an enraged Curly set up an elaborate plan to frame Eugene for pulling the fire alarm at school in an attempt to get him expelled. In another episode, "Ghost Bride", he wanted to tell his version of the urban legend, the Ghost Bride, but was turned down by the group. Outraged, he decided to imitate the legend herself by donning a wedding gown and veil, then set off into the cemetery to give chase to the kids with a hammer, scaring them into thinking he's the real Ghost Bride.
His most infamous act occurred in the episode "Curly Snaps". In this episode, Curly was scheduled to become the Ball Monitor for the whole week. However, due to an error in Mr. Simmons' agenda, that role was instead mistakenly given to Sid. After failing to convince the teacher that he was supposed to be the next Ball Monitor, Curly “snapped” and locked himself in Principal Wartz' office after stealing a bag of kickballs. From there, he wrecked havoc upon the school by throwing kickballs at students and school staff from the transom window above the door, all while broadcasting his demands and grievances over the intercom. After a round of negotiations, with Arnold acting as mediator and Mr. Simmons discovering and admitting to his mistake, Curly was assigned the role of Ball Monitor for all of next week, bringing an end to the chaotic ordeal.
Later seasons revealed that Curly has a crush on Rhonda, much to the latter's chagrin. His love for Rhonda is visibly one-sided; he has shown to be rather brash and assertive towards her, frequently making unwanted advances and, at one point, even coerced her to go on a 'date' with him (as shown in the episode "Curly's Girl"). His actions tend to be a great source of embarrassment and disgust for Rhonda, who would often scold and lash out against him in return. Despite this, there exist moments where she tolerates and even expresses appreciation for Curly, even if his love for her remains unrequited.
Quotes[]
| “ | Curly: Okay, okay, I did it! I confess! I planted the peanut butter. I made the shoeprints. I left the glasses at the scene of the crime! Arnold: But why, Curly? Curly: Because three months, two weeks and four days ago, Eugene borrowed my favorite pencil, the pencil I got last summer at Wankyland. And then when he finally returned it, it had chew marks all over it! AND he sharpened it down to the middle part! I couldn't sleep. I couldn't eat. All I can think about was EUGENE writing with my pencil. EUGENE chewing on my eraser. And EUGENE sharpening. Sharpening! SHARPENING! And then when he FINALLY gives it back to me, he says [mocking Eugene's voice]: "Oh, here Curly!" ...like it was NO BIG DEAL! I couldn't just take that lying down. I had to do something. So I got this plan, see? The fire alarm! I'd pull it, and then I'd frame Eugene for the crime! All I needed to do was plant the right clues. The peanut butter, the glasses, and to top it all off, the pencil! Bingo! He'd be branded for life! |
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| ~ Curly giving his motives to frame and expel Eugene from P.S. 118, in the episode "False Alarm". |
| “ | Principal Wartz: So you admit you pulled the fire alarm? Curly: Thaaaat's riiiight! I DID IT! I pulled the fire alarm! And I'd do it again, too! See? [laughs manically as he pulls multiple fire alarm stations throughout the school.] Wartz: Stop that! |
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| ~ Curly at the end of "False Alarm". |
| “ | Principal Wartz: Son, open this door now! You're in my office! What are you possibly think you're doing? Curly: I'm NOT opening this door! I'm not coming out! I'm mad as heck, and I'm not going to take it anymore! Wartz: What are you talking about? Curly: Turns out I am NOT the ball monitor this week! I wanted the responsibility! Oh, I can taste it! And I'm not having a fine day! In fact, something has gone terribly, terribly WRONG! |
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| ~ An enraged Curly arguing with the principal, in the episode "Curly Snaps". |
| “ | Curly: HEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRE'S CURLY! Wartz: [gets hit by a kickball] OH! D'ah! Curly: That's one! One for me and four hundred and ninety eight to go! |
„ |
| ~ Curly beginning his reign of terror in "Curly Snaps". |
| “ | Give daddy some sugar. | „ |
| ~ Curly before forcibly kissing Rhonda in "Deconstructing Arnold". |
| “ | Curly: Psst! Do you need an inside man? I can be the camp snitch. Lasombra: Sorry, kid. You're too loco even for us villains. |
„ |
| ~ Curly attempting to woo Lasombra and join his side, only to be turned down in "Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie". |
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