ARNOLD

What do you do when you live with two weird grandparents in a boarding house where kids aren't allowed? How do you deal with a dim-witted bully and a ferocious girl named Helga who could beat you up with both hands tied behind her back? What do you do if your head looks like a football? If your name is Arnold, you just make the best of it. Arnold has his share of problems, all right, but he always has a solution. Where does Arnold dream up these solutions? His room. This is no ordinary place to crash. It has a fully automated sunroof, remote control lighting and a stereo you've got to hear to believe! In other words, it's totally state-of-the-Arnold.

GERALD

Known as the Teller of Urban Tales, Gerald is at his best telling the legends and folklore of the neighborhood. He's an expert at getting his best friend Arnold into some sticky situations--luckily, he's also a master at getting himself out of them! Being best friends with Football Head also means Gerald knows there's an Arnold\" way to do everything. He may not always know what that is, for Arnold, it's cool with Gerald.

HELGA

Oh, the bittersweet, tortured existence of Helga Pataki! How she loves Arnold! And how she wants to punch his face in! Helga is someone who can't let her guard down. But she still has to vent her feelings somehow, and that's when three different things come into play: The Little Pink Book, The Five Avengers and Old Betsy. The Little Pink Book is where Helga lets her sensitive side show. Chock-full of love poems to Arnold, she guards the book with her life. The Five Avengers and Old Betsy help Helga express her less gentle side--they're her two fists!

GRANDMA

Grandma is a former librarian with an endless supply of energy. She seems addicted to play-acting: She's as likely to call her grandson Kimba as she is to call him Arnold. For the most part, Arnold puts up with it, but for a fourth grader, sometimes enough is enough!

GRANDPA

Grandpa is wise and well-grounded. Unfortunately, he's been around the block too many times to teach life's lessons in a way that Arnold can understand. He's also likely to forget what he's talking about in mid-sentence, which doesn't help.