Summer Love (a.k.a. Beach Story) - S5-E9
Continuity mistake: When the seagulls start flying above Arnold and Summer, they are both holding hands. In the next shot, they're not. (00:11:26)
Summer Love (a.k.a. Beach Story) - S5-E9
Continuity mistake: When Helga sprinkles bread crumbs around Arnold and Summer, six seagulls come and fly above them. In the next shot, the shadows of the seagulls are visible, but there are only two seagull shadows. Then when both look up at them, there are only five seagulls flying above them instead of six. (00:11:26)
Summer Love (a.k.a. Beach Story) - S5-E9
Continuity mistake: When Arnold talks to Helga after overhearing her, he tells her that he heard everything she said. As Helga says, "You did?", the lifeguard stand that was behind her suddenly isn't there. Then when Arnold and Summer walk away from her, they are suddenly a lot further away from the lifeguard stand than they were before. (00:11:47 - 00:12:12)
Summer Love (a.k.a. Beach Story) - S5-E9
Continuity mistake: When Arnold walks up to Helga after overhearing her, a surfboard suddenly appears behind Helga, which wasn't there before. A few shots later, it disappears. (00:11:42 - 00:12:07)
Monkeyman! / Buses, Bikes and Subways - S5-E1
Continuity mistake: Monkeyman!: When Sid tells the kids that Gerald should tell the legend of Monkeyman, Arnold is squinting. In the next shot, he's not. (00:01:41)
The High Life / Best Friends - S2-E10
Continuity mistake: Best Friends: During the fashion show, in the close-up of Arnold showing off the antennas on his costume, the curtains that he came out of are missing. They are also missing in the shot after Arnold tells Gerald, "Just smile and move, okay?" (00:22:22 - 00:22:50)
Helga's Masquerade / Mr. Green Runs - S5-E2
Continuity mistake: Helga's Masquerade: When Arnold compliments Lila's bows, she says, "In fact, I'm certain I wear them just, every old day." Ironically, her right bow disappears mid-shot, and it remains missing in the following shot. It comes back shortly after. (00:01:50)
The Beeper Queen / Oskar Can't Read? - S4-E4
Continuity mistake: Oskar Can't Read?: When Oskar comes home at the end, Ernie and Mr. Hyunh are standing on Arnold's left. As they walk inside the house, they are on Arnold's right. (00:22:36)
Arnold & Lila / Grand Prix - S3-E13
Continuity mistake: Arnold and Lila: On the bus, when Arnold tells Lila that he doesn't like her like her, Lila is smiling at him. In the next shot, she is suddenly frowning. (00:07:01)
Love and Cheese / Weighing Harold - S4-E7
Continuity mistake: Love and Cheese: When Arnold and Lila's boat starts sinking, it starts to move backwards and hits a huge rock at the edge of the waterfall. When Lila almost falls and Arnold holds her up, the rock is gone. It reappears in the following shots. (00:10:07 - 00:10:40)
Grandpa's Sister / Synchronized Swimming - S4-E12
Continuity mistake: Synchronized Swimming: In the pool scene at the beginning, we see a close-up shot of Connie and Maria. In the next shot, they are nowhere to be found. The three kids surrounding the pool in the beginning also disappear. (This happens because the opening shots are reused from the episode "Sixth Grade Girls.") (00:12:01)
Runaway Float / Partners - S2-E20
Continuity mistake: Runaway Float: When the beeper float first starts to speed out of control, in one of the shots, Helga is wearing her regular outfit, not her beeper costume. On top of that, the kids on the float are smiling and waving, not freaking out like they were before. (00:08:39)
Runaway Float / Partners - S2-E20
Continuity mistake: Runaway Float: When Arnold first sees the beeper float, he says, "How can they control that thing?", and Gerald is sitting on the curb to the right of Arnold. In the next shot, Gerald is suddenly behind him. Arnold is also a lot further away from the curb than he originally was. (00:08:16)
Girl Trouble / School Dance - S3-E18
Continuity mistake: Besides the fact that when Helga is sharpening her pencil, the desk arrangement changes, one of the students visible when she looks at Arnold is...Helga.
Longest Monday / Eugene's Pet - S2-E4
Continuity mistake: In "Longest Monday" at one point in the episode, Arnold and Gerald run off of a bus and down an alley. Two fifth graders come chasing after them. In the next scene, you see Arnold and Gerald hiding in the sewer under the 5th graders. Arnold then crawls through a very narrow tube, and Gerald follows. You then see the end of the tube and Gerald come out of the it first, and Arnold climbs out last. It would be impossible for Arnold and Gerald to switch places inside the tube because it was way too narrow.
Mud Bowl / Gerald Moves Out - S2-E9
Continuity mistake: When Gerald catches his little sister destroying his cassette tape, the book she is wrapping changes color from blue to green. (00:12:30)
Continuity mistake: When the four boys form their line (just before the adults call out "Arnold"), watch Harold's tooth; it goes from the right side of his mouth (as you look at him) to his left side.
The Little Pink Book/Field Trip - S1-E2
Continuity mistake: On the "Presidents of the United States" sign behind Helga, the word "United" becomes "Nvited"
Parents Day - S5-E6
Continuity mistake: In the scene where Arnold's parents leave for the last time, Grandma's hair is dark at first, then it becomes purplish-gray.
Continuity mistake: When Lila is finishing her first joke, Rhonda suddenly switches from her French outfit to her "usual" one; also, during the Jell-O incident, her beret disappears and then reappears.
Answer: The show is based in present day times. Plus most cars aren't old fashtioned, I recall seeing a limo and not to mention a cherry picker, etc.