Character mistake: Helga makes Arnold sit in a plate of chocolate pudding as a prank. Arnold then asks Grandpa on the phone to bring him a new pair of pants. When Grandpa arrives, he asks Arnold, "What's that on your pants?" The pudding is not on Arnold's pants; it's on the back of his shirt. (00:06:25)
Other mistake: When we first see Arnold walking Helga home after school, as Arnold says, "I never meant for this to happen," Arnold and Helga are briefly duplicated. As the shot continues, Arnold's backpack duplicates repeatedly. (00:11:22)
Continuity mistake: Helga makes Arnold sit in a plate of chocolate pudding as a prank, leaving a huge chocolate pudding stain on the back of his shirt. Then, when Arnold picks up the gift box from Grandpa and returns to the cafeteria, the chocolate pudding is gone from his shirt but reappears later on when Arnold and Helga are at Slausen's Ice Cream. (00:12:37)
Gerald's Game / Fishing Trip - S5-E15
Continuity mistake: Gerald's Game: When Arnold asks Gerald if he was in the alley near Dr. Steiglitz's office, Gerald is holding three books, with a purple book on top, and a green book on the bottom. Right before he drops them, the two books have switched places, and the purple book changes to blue. (00:03:24)
Gerald's Game / Fishing Trip - S5-E15
Continuity mistake: Gerald's Game: When Arnold asks Gerald if he was in the alley near Dr. Steiglitz's office, there is nothing in the bottom shelf of Gerald's locker. When Gerald puts his book "The King Rules" in his locker, some books appear in the bottom shelf. (00:03:34)
Gerald's Game / Fishing Trip - S5-E15
Other mistake: Gerald's Game: When Arnold is watching Gerald and the other boys play The King Rules through the window, as Gerald says, "There are a lot of terms," Arnold blinks, and his eyes are briefly not coloured in. (00:04:58)
Gerald's Game / Fishing Trip - S5-E15
Other mistake: Gerald's Game: When Arnold is watching Gerald and the other boys play The King Rules through the window, as Gerald says, "Are you implying that I'm not going to be king forever?", his eyebrows duplicate as he blinks. (00:05:16)
Gerald's Game / Fishing Trip - S5-E15
Revealing mistake: Gerald's Game: When Arnold and Gerald are playing The King Rules together, as Arnold says, "I'm not going to quit, Gerald," his mouth briefly disappears. (00:09:49)
Continuity mistake: At the start, Lila is sitting on a bench near the school wall. However, in the shot where Sheena says, "Oh, that's wonderful," Lila and the bench are missing; then they reappear a moment later. (00:01:13)
Continuity mistake: When Rhonda asks Lila if she wants to take the marriage predictor test, Lila is holding three books, but she is only holding one book in the next shot. (00:01:42)
Continuity mistake: When Pea Pod Kid is taking Rhonda's marriage predictor test, Sid is walking down the stairs behind them. In the next shot, he disappears. (00:03:44)
Revealing mistake: In Arnold's nightmare, when Bob points out that a stork is flying off their roof, his legs are incorrectly layered behind his cape. (00:12:50)
Continuity mistake: Phoebe is going into the school in one scene, but as the camera moves she vanishes while on screen.
Character mistake: The first time Arnold tries Rhonda's marriage predictor test, he says his favorite number is five, but Rhonda actually makes six moves. The second time, Arnold says it's three, but Rhonda counts off four.
On The Lam / Family Man - S5-E17
Character mistake: In the wrestling match, the bell rings after the referee counts to 3 - but he's counting while a wrestler is on the mat stomach-first; a pin requires the loser to be on his back.
On The Lam / Family Man - S5-E17
Other mistake: A security guard in the train yard is drinking from a carton of milk depicting the boys. However, they had only been declared missing that afternoon. It is impossible to put out milk cartons that quickly.
Grandpa's Packard / Phoebe's Little Problem - S5-E19
Continuity mistake: Phoebe's Little Problem: When Phoebe tells the lunch lady what she wants and she questions her choices, the lunch lady is standing behind the counter, as she should be. When she is shown again two shots later, she is standing in front of the counter, when she should be behind it. (00:04:03)
Grandpa's Packard / Phoebe's Little Problem - S5-E19
Other mistake: Phoebe's Little Problem: When Arnold goes into Phoebe's room to cheer her up, the birdcage is reflected in the mirror on the wall, but the birdcage is too far to the right of the mirror, so it shouldn't be reflected. This error is shown again in a later shot where Phoebe tells Arnold, "And I'm very good at checkers." (00:09:13 - 00:09:45)
Grandpa's Packard / Phoebe's Little Problem - S5-E19
Audio problem: Phoebe's Little Problem: When Harold wets his pants at the end, Stinky can be heard saying, "Harold wet his pants," but in the shot, he is actually laughing. (00:11:39)
Simmons' Documentary / Big Bob's Crisis - S5-E20
Continuity mistake: Simmons' Documentary: When Mr. Simmons explains the documentary and the kids leave the classroom, Arnold is holding a purple book. In the next shot, it changes direction while in his hand. (00:01:50)
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.