Gerald Johanssen

Infobox character
colour = red
name = Gerald Martin Johanssen


caption =
first = Downtown as Fruits
last = The Journal
nickname = Tall Hair Boy, King
gender = Male
age = 9
born =
death =
occupation = Student, Diplomat
family = Martin Johanssen (father)
Mrs. Johanssen (mother)
Jamie O. (brother)
Timberly (sister)
spouse =
children =
relatives =
episode =
portrayer = Jamil Walker Smith
creator =Craig Bartlett

Gerald Martin Johanssen is a fictional character in the Nickelodeon animated television series "Hey Arnold!". He is the titular character's best friend. Gerald is often acknowledged as the token character for the show. He was voiced by Jamil Walker Smith throughout the entire run of the series, even as Smith went through puberty (the voice change was explained away when "Gerald's Tonsils" were removed).

Gerald has known Arnold for years (if the scenes from "Eugene's Bike", "Helga on the Couch" and "The Journal" are of any indication), and was great friends with his parents. Besides being Arnold's friend, Gerald also has a good deal of knowledge of many legendary stories in the city, or "urban legends" as he calls them ("Stoop Kid" was the first he told, while "Ghost Bride" was the last). He apparently gets these myths from a source he has nicknamed "Fuzzy Slippers", mentioned in many episodes as his reliable assistant. Also, until Arnold taught him, Gerald did not even know how to ride a bicycle ("Gerald's Secret"). Gerald's catchphrases usually were "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?", "You're a bold kid".

At school, Gerald is the class president ("Cool Party", "Mr. Green Runs"), and considers himself very cool, and apparently, so do his friends. When it was revealed that Arnold was on Rhonda's so-called "Cool List", and that Gerald was on her other list known as "The Geek List" (due to a grudge Rhonda had against him over running for class president), many classmates were surprised to find this out ("Cool Party"). He seems to know a great deal of children's street culture.

His most distinct features are his tall, Kid 'n Play-style hair (classmate Helga often calls him "Tall Hair Boy"), and his shirt with the number 33 on it (he also wears 33 on sports uniforms, probably as a reference to either Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or Patrick Ewing, (see picture).

Family

* Timberly Johanssen - Gerald's little sister. She is usually causing trouble due to her desire for attention or naturally childish behaviour. Unlike all the other children on the show, Timberly seems to get older throughout the series: At her first appearance, she is mentioned to be four years old, but she already attends the first grade in "Timberly Loves Arnold".
* Jamie O. Johanssen - Gerald's older brother, who causes trouble for him.
* Martin Johanssen - Gerald's sometimes strict father, complains about wasting electricity
* Mrs. Johanssen - Gerald's very kind mother, keeps family together