Arnold (Gary Coleman) or Webster (Emmanuel Lewis)?

What happens when young African-American orphans are taken in by rich white folk? Inevitably hilarity and adorableness ensues. Although completely diff’rent television programs, it may have been easy to confuse Webster and Diff’rent Strokes as the same show. But I say the more the merrier. Who didn’t love the charming exploits of Arnold and Webster?

Arnold’s catchphrase, “Whatchoo talkin’ ’bout, Willis?”, gained him recognition on cuteness radars around the world. Often concocting a scheme to get out of trouble, Arnold had Mr. Drummond wrapped around his finger. What will he think of next?

Do you want to hear something cute about Webster? Many people thought the purpose of him calling his adopted guardian “Ma’am” was to be formal and polite. When asked, he explained that “Ma’am” was as close as he could come to calling somebody besides his mother “Mom”. Definitely the cutest 12 to 16-year-old playing a 5 to 8-year-old I’ve ever seen.

Although both programs were situational comedies with a laugh track, neither was afraid to get serious. These “very special episodes” are the ones that tend to stand out in my mind. Remember when Arnold and Dudley almost get molested by the pedophile bike shop owner (played my Mormon-actor Gordon Jump)? And the Webster episode where he finds a secret passageway that leads to a hidden room with a creepy doll rocking in a chair haunts me still today.