2.11 "Hey Arnold!" - "The High Life" Quiz

Answer: 19

The episode begins with Gerald looking into the rollerblade store in awe. He tells Arnold that he would do anything to get his hands on a pair of those rollerblades. The two boys are looking into the store window where the rollerblades are displayed. Besides the blades, there was also a blue jersey that read "BLA" and had the number 19 on it. 19 is a prime number because it can only be divided by one and by itself.

Answer: Mow lawns

Gerald tells Arnold that he will make enough money to buy himself a pair of rollerblades by selling Mr. Wacko's watches. Arnold warns that it looks like a rip-off, but Gerald doesn't listen to him. Gerald then tries to convince his dad to sign a form that authorizes the boy to sell watches.

His dad is uncomfortable with it and instead suggests that Gerald could earn money by mowing lawns or selling newspapers. Gerald responds that money from those activities is "small change" and ultimately, his father does agree to let Gerald sell watches.

Answer: Mr. Potts

Gerald touts the characteristics of Mr. Wacko's watches, such as their being waterproof and indestructible. At first, the audience doesn't believe him because one of the watches does break. However, Gerald reveals that the watch that broke wasn't actually a real Wacko watch.

He then has Mr. Potts hit another watch with a sledgehammer. This time, the watch doesn't break and remains intact and shiny.

Answer: Golden Circle

Mr. Wacko is somewhat surprised that Gerald sold all of his inventory so soon. He then congratulates Gerald and announces he has gained admission into the "golden circle", which he describes as one "reserved for our best salesmen". Wacko also explains that boxes of watches will now be delivered automatically to Gerald so that he can sell more of them.

Answer: His parents having to bail him out

Gerald leaves Mr. Wacko's office excited to sell more watches. However, Wacko soon reveals a dark side of his business, as he narrates: "he'll get himself in a hole and his parents will have to bail him out, just like all the others". Apparently, Wacko is running a pyramid scheme that involves recruiting innocent children to sell his watches, and then having their parents give Wacko money when the children can't sell anymore.

Answer: The arcade

Gerald's incredible success selling watches allows him to momentarily live "the high life". He is making so much money that he now wears a tie and is able to play multiple games at the arcade at the same time. He seems to be having a lot of fun!

Answer: A business card

Gerald now appears to have taken his role as a salesman too seriously, so much so that he is now making plans to buy fancy computers and even entertaining calls with a company's president. Gerald's father again tells his son that he doesn't feel too good about the watches. Gerald ignores him and condescendingly hands his dad a business card so that he can contact him at another time.

Answer: Policemen

When Gerald walks into the diner trying to find more customers, he is surprised to find that everyone there is already wearing one of his watches, including several policemen who were eating at the diner. Gerald becomes disheartened when he realizes there's no one else left in town to sell to.

Answer: Arnold

Gerald realizes that he saturated the market and now is in deep trouble. Being a supportive friend, Arnold comes up with an idea: Gerald should use reverse psychology to sell the watches back to Mr. Wacko. Gerald succeeds at the mission by convincing Wacko to repurchase the watches so he can then sell them at a higher price.

However, the money Gerald makes with this sale is only enough to break even after paying his dad back for the outstanding phone and fax bills.

Answer: Making money is expensive

At the end of the episode, Gerald is left without a single dollar, and he comes to the conclusion that "making money is expensive". Gerald appears to have been caught up in a pyramid scheme but has now learned a valuable lesson. He loses his last dollar to Timberly, who shamelessly takes the money from Gerald. Hence, Gerald ends up without any money and without the rollerblades he wanted.

It is remarkable that this episode aired in the late 1990s, in a way foreshadowing the avalanche of multilevel marketing schemes that would inundate the world in the 21st century. It was a great lesson for children watching "Hey Arnold!" to learn.