- “Stoop Kid's scared to leave his stoop! I'm spreadin' the word!”
- ―Harold after seeing Stoop Kid never leaves his stoop
"Stoop Kid" is the second segment of the third episode of Hey Arnold!
Summary[]
During a gamer of football in the street, Arnold kicks the ball and it unfortunately lands on the steps of a stoop belonging to a boy known only as Stoop Kid, a very grouchy boy who lives on the stoop and is very protective of it. Gerald explains the story of Stoop Kid's origin and stresses to Arnold that he will never get his football back as he never leaves his stoop. Arnold decides to use the direct approach and ask Stoop Kid for it back. But he becomes nervous when Stoop Kid urges him dangerously to go ahead and pick it up so he leaves it and goes back to Gerald and says that getting it back will be harder than he thought.
Arnold then tries waiting in a dustbin for Stoop Kid to leave his stoop. After hours of waiting, he eventually decides to just sneak up when Stoop Kid isn't looking, grab the football and run away. Gerald advises he not do this, saying that Stoop Kid would just chase him down, but Arnold replies smugly that Stoop Kid can't chase him if he never leaves his stoop. Sure enough, Arnold seizes his chance, grabs the football and runs away with it. Stoop Kid angrily shouts at him as he goes, telling him to come back and face him, and not leaving his stoop as Arnold said. Arnold and Gerald deduce that Stoop Kid never leaves his stoop out of fear. The other kids hear this and begin laughing at Stoop Kid's expense.
That night, as Arnold is coming home from grocery shopping, he hears Stoop Kid wailing and goes to find out what's wrong. Stoop Kid tells him to go away that he's upset at being ridiculed by the neighborhood. Arnold tells him that if he were to leave his stoop, the ridicule would stop and even offers to help. Eventually Stoop Kid reluctantly agrees. When trying to test Stoop Kid with a blindfold and luring him with an ice cream sundae don't work, Arnold tells him that there is a great world to explore out there but he will never see it if he never leaves his stoop, and even shows him pictures of the Spanish steps in Rome and the Pyramid of the Sun in Mexico. Seeing these other places he could visit, Stoop Kid is finally urged to leave his stoop.
The rest of the neighborhood hears his declaration and everyone comes to watch, including a newspaper and camera crew. Stoop Kid is at first fearful as he hadn't expected to be watched by so many people, but Arnold urges him to keep on. Remembering the words "I think I can" from The Little Engine That Could, Stoop Kid finally takes a step off of his stoop. The next day, Stoop Kid thanks Arnold for helping him conquer his fear, but says that he'd prefer to stay where he is. Just then, Harold comes by, having missed the previous day's events because he was on a trip, and proceeds to tease Stoop Kid. Stoop Kid responds by leaping off the stoop and angrily chasing Harold down the street.
Home video releases[]
- DVD
- Hey Arnold!: Season 1 (both versions)
- Hey Arnold!: Stoop Kid and Other Stories
- Hey Arnold!: The Complete Series
- Out of the Vault Collection
- iTunes
- Hey Arnold!: Volume 1