50 Facts About Boy Meets World That'll Surprise You
For those of us that grew up in the 90s, Boy Meets World was a staple on our televisions. Watching Cory grow up and tackle all the same things we were all going through at the same time, made us feel like a part of the show. Not to mention, I think we all had a huge crush on Topanga, so it had us all wishing we were Cory. Because the show was so relatable, a huge fanbase grew for the show that still continues on to this day, if you are part of this fanbase, read through this gallery and check out some of the facts that may surprise you.
Mr. Turner played a vital role until he didn’t
Mr. Turner is the second disappearing character in Boy Meets World. He played a vital role in the show while the main characters were in high school as Shawn lived with him for a while. But after Mr. Turner got into a motorcycle accident in the fourth season, the character was never shown again in the show, and the other characters almost never mentioned him again.
Apparently, the character was never written into the show due to concerns about the fit but then he appeared in three episodes of its spinoff, Girl Meets World. Cory's parents were still shown every so often even as the characters grew older so you would imagine Mr. Turner would also be shown but this just wasn't the case.
Danielle Fishel was the second Topanga
The "Topanga" character in the show was a pivotal one so the producers ensured they completely nailed its casting and story arc. Even though she got to play Topanga for most of the show, Danielle Fishel wasn’t the first actress to play Topanga as another actress had tried to play the character but failed to impress the producers.
Fishel first portrayed the character with an upbeat personality but the producers wanted a more calm character so the actress practiced her part some more and tried again. All we can say is thank the heavens they went with Danielle Fishel at the end.
One Character’s name was changed
Lee Norris’ character was called Stuart Lempke in the original screenplay of Boy Meets World but in the end, the producers settled on Stuart Minkus instead after they found there was a real person going by the same name. This could have been problematic for the show because they would have had to have been more careful with how they presented the character.
The real Stuart Lempke even lived in Philadelphia where the show was shot and its events take place. The character of Stuart Minkus accompanied Shawn, Topanga, and Cory while the trio was in elementary school. He was an intelligent character that was a favorite of Mr. Feeny.
Lindsay Ridgeway took over the role of Morgan Matthews in Season Three
The first two seasons of Boy Meets World featured another actress in the role of Morgan Matthews but the role was taken over by Lindsay Ridgeway only a couple of episodes into season three. The reason Lily Nicksay was replaced for the role wasn’t revealed at the time or after but she did make some reunion appearances along with other members of the show’s cast.
Nicksay also made an appearance on one episode of the show’s spinoff show, Girl Meets World. Looking at Lily Nicksay's profile on IMDb reveals that she wasn't an active actress at the time so we can assume the change didn't happen due to a conflict of schedules.
A character’s name was inspired by a canyon
The wish of the producers of Boy Meets World seemed to align perfectly with the stars just when they needed it the most. This happened when the producers didn’t have all the character names down yet and needed to name the Topanga character.
Fortunately, Michael Jacobs happened to be driving past the Topanga Canyon after he got the call from the production team so he responded with the canyon’s name. He probably would have found another name for the character if the call had come moments later.
Rider Strong hated his character’s haircut
Shawn’s haircut was a major bone of contention on the show because although fans loved the character’s haircut, the actor that played the character felt differently about it. Rider Strong hated his haircut even though it was the same haircut he auditioned in, pretty funny if you ask us.
After the audition ended and Strong got the role, the director couldn’t see his character wearing another haircut so he refused to let Strong cut his hair afterward. Strong didn’t get to cut that hair off until the show ended, but by then it was the hair America would recognize him in.
The Child Actors got schooled on set
The show itself is centered around classrooms so it isn’t shocking to learn that the child actors had a classroom on set. The likes of Fishel, Strong, Savage and Will Friedle were all in school while they starred in Boy Meets World.
Because they had to keep up with school stuff while being child actors, they had sections of the set cut off into areas where they could all have quick study sessions with their individual teachers but it often ended up like a regular school classroom. Just like their characters on the show, the kids weren't too thrilled when it came down to having to be in a real classroom.
Shawn ended up keeping his Leather Jacket
After Boy Meets World ended, Shawn’s popular jacket became a nice souvenir for Rider Strong who played the character of Shawn. Disney didn’t let the actors walk away with anything from the set but they didn’t know Strong had a leather jacket just like the one owned by his character.
So when he swapped this for the original Shawn jacket, no one noticed something was amiss. The sad bit is the jacket got lost after it was stolen from Strong’s car. I guess you could say this was a bit of karma, but I think we can all agree that the jacket was an important piece of memorabilia that should have been treasured properly.
The producers didn’t let two actors do scenes together
Friedle and Strong have Boy Meets World in common, and the pair are reportedly still quite close today. As a result of their bond, the pair’s friendship and synergy meant that scenes between them were a bit more awkward and because of this, producers of the show decided to limit scenes in which both characters were featured.
They would often stare at each other and start laughing which caused scenes to take longer to shoot than normal so they only featured in a handful of scenes together. However, the producers did a great job of making the separation not obvious to viewers at home, as they were sometimes in the same room together just not acting together.
The cast loved the "And There Was Shawn" episode
The "And There Was Shawn" episode of Boy Meets World is the favorite episode of various members of the show’s cast, including Friedle and Strong. The episode was filmed in 1998, drawing inspiration from 90s horror films like Scream.
Jennifer Love Hewitt made an appearance as Jennifer Love Fefferman in the episode while also dating Friedle in real life. Going by the word of the actors on set, the cast was laughing so hard that they struggled to get through the filming of this episode.
The school grades of the characters were ambiguous
Back on the school theme of Boy Meets World, the characters were in high school so several references were made to the school grades at different points. However, there were also leaps as the show skipped some school grades altogether.
For instance, the characters were in sixth grade in the first season then seventh graders in the second season’s premiere. However, they were already in the 11th grade only a season after. And by the fifth season, the characters were already high school seniors. We're betting some kids were confused while watching the show as they saw how fast the cast was completing school, while their years were dragging on.
A lot of the show’s guest actors became movie stars
Linda Cardellini, who later became a star on Freaks and Greeks, featured on Boy Meets World for a couple of episodes, doing her best to break up Topanga and Cory but she ultimately failed. Adam Scott became a star on Parks and Recreation after featuring on Boy Meets World as the school bully, Griff Hawkins, in season two.
Brittany Murphy featured on the show as Trini for only two episodes in the same year that Clueless was aired. Other future stars like Julie Benz and Charisma Carpenter also appeared on the show. Always great to go back and watch a series as good as Boy Meets World only to recognize some familiar faces.
Five Different Actors played Topanga’s parents
In line with the earlier assertion about Topanga’s family tree and business being all over the place in Boy Meets World, you might have seen how different actors were depicted as Topanga’s parents over the course of the show.
In fact, her parents were portrayed by five different actors in the show: three actors, Michael McKean, Mark Harelik, and Peter Tork all took turns playing her father while her mother was played by the duo of Marcia Cross and Annette O’Toole. This was less obvious than a disappearing sister, but still, an inconsistency that bothered some.
Blake Sennett was featured as a school bully
Blake Sennett’s appearance in Boy Meets World is definitely one of the most intriguing guest appearances on the show. Sennett, who wasn’t yet famous at the time, went on to become the lead guitarist for a band called Rilo Kiley and he was also the frontman of The Elected.
As a child actor, Sennett was referred to as Blake Soper. He didn’t win a lot of fans for his work on Boy Meets World as he appeared as a school bully in the show, and as we know, most kids associate the actual person with what they see on the screen.
Rider Strong nearly quit the show for college
Rider Strong’s role as Shawn in the show made him one of the most important actors on the show’s set but he nearly bailed on the show entirely at one point. The actor approached the show’s producers because he was thinking about quitting acting in order to focus on college.
Fortunately for Boy Meets World fans, Jacobs managed to convince the actor to do both together and so he did. Strong enrolled in Columbia University and by taking morning classes and working in the evenings, he managed to make it work.
The son of the show's creator made an appearance
In the sixth season of the show, Cory and Eric’s younger brother, Joshua Matthews was born. The role was played by different babies at different points until the son of the show's creator, Michael Jacobs, appeared as Joshua Matthews.
Daniel Jacobs had already featured as another character in the same season but no one probably noticed that. He wasn’t supposed to feature again as another character but he was cast for the character when the other child actor slated for it got a bit too chippy for the producers.
An actress got her role without an audition
Getting a role on a popular show is something worth celebrating, but getting one without having to sweat it out in an intense audition is even better. The issue is an opportunity like that is rarely the case but it happened on Boy Meets World.
While the show was in its college years, its cast was joined by Maitland Ward who apparently didn’t have to audition for the role because she had already auditioned for another of Jacob’s shows, Zoe, Duncan, Jack & Jane. Jacobs didn’t cast her for that show but then he called her to feature as Rachel McGuire in Boy Meets World.
There was an online poll about Topanga and Cory
Topanga and Cory’s relationship made them an iconic TV couple, one that fans loved and eagerly followed. Jacobs wanted the characters to get married at the end of the show but ABC had other ideas because they thought the characters were too young to get married at 20 years old.
As a way of proving his point, Jacobs suggested they try an Internet Poll for members of the audience to vote; when they did vote, the majority of the audience wanted to see them marry and they soon did. You can see ABC's point of not wanting to advertise getting married too young, but the producers made it work perfectly by also showing why getting married at a young age could be troublesome.
Fishel’s tattoo was only shown in one scene
Fishel’s tattoo was only shown in the final scene. The scene was filmed in one go so the production crew had to set up four cameras to enable them to get all the action. While filming the scene, a curious writer inquired what the tattoo was and got Chinese Letters in response.
The actress hadn’t rocked pigtails before that point so when she did, the Chinese Letters tattoo on the actress’ neck was revealed for all who looked closely to see. In total Fishel had 4 tattoos at that point in her life, but the other ones were easy to cover up.
Cory was supposed to have more than one BFF
Before the show was fully in motion, Cory was intended to have more than one best friend as the original plan was for him to have two best friends. Because of this, there was a different friend in front of Cory at the table in the first three episodes but because the other actors didn’t bond so well with Cory and Shawn, they were all replaced until they were all sacked.
The chair in the lunchroom got its "Death Chair" moniker from the unsuccessful actors as the actors that were replaced all sat on it at different points. Crazy to think how the show would have ended up if indeed Cory had two best friends to deal with and help him in his journey.
Lovers on the show and in Real-life
The cycle of real-life and on-screen relationships between characters and actors on this popular show is a classic case of art imitating real-life. Dean Bolander and Mr. Feeny are love interests in Boy Meets World; they eventually got married on the show and apparently, they were also a couple in real-life, a married one at that.
For those thinking the actors met on set, they had been together for a while and were even married long before the production of the show ever began. You could imagine how the episode of the two getting married brought back memories for them.
Parental Guidance Content
At the end of the day, Boy Meets World is a very family-friendly show with lots of safe content to enjoy but it also features three different episodes that were all banned by the Disney Channel. The episodes are "The Truth About Honesty," "If You Can’t Be With The One You Love," and "Promi-ses Promi-ses."
All these episodes of the show were banned from TV mostly because they contain controversial subjects and vices ranging from premarital sex to underage drinking. Because times have changed since Boy Meets World aired, companies like Disney are a little more aware of what they air now due to the backlash they may face.
Trina McGee’s endless auditions
Once Trina McGee got the role of Angela on the show, she became a fan favorite as she instantly developed strong chemistry with Rider Strong. A chemistry that was quickly adored by fans wanting to finally see Shawn happy in the show since he had been through so much.
However, she didn’t have it going so easy behind the scenes as landing the role was quite the chore for her; unlike Maitland Ward who didn’t even have to audition, McGee had to audition for the character of Angela five times before she won the part. Hers is a case of persevering and never giving up in the face of adversity.
Shawn’s sister basically disappeared
For a short while on Boy Meets World, Shawn had a sister named Stacy that most fans don’t remember. The reason is she wasn’t kept around long enough to stick to memory; Shawn was shown calling his sister on the phone in the "Cory’s Alternative Friends" episode.
After that episode, no reference was made to Stacy again and Shawn was depicted as not having a sister. The producers decided to write out Stacy after deciding Shawn didn’t need a sister, especially with all the family issues that would be revealed about Shawn as the show went on.
William Daniels and his character served as mentors
Because there were so many child actors on the set of the show, there had to be some adults ready to take on mentorship roles. In this light, both an actor and the character he portrayed served as mentors to the show’s other characters.
William Daniels and his character, Mr. Feeny, were quite similar because both of them were fond of teaching the young actors on set about film and acting while also giving them valuable life tips and hacks. So in essence he really was a "Mr. Feeny" to the cast, except in real life his advice was taken with a bit more gratitude than in the show.
Will Friedle reportedly loved kissing on set
The character of Amy Matthews (Cory's Mother) was played by Betsy Randle. Randle believed Will Friedle, who portrayed Cory’s brother and playboy, Eric, loved kissing so he took advantage of scenes in which he was required to kiss on set, even though when actors kiss, they aren't supposed to show emotion.
There were plenty of opportunities to take advantage of as the actor got to be part of several on-screen kisses. If what Randle believes is the case in reality then Friedle was essentially paid to do what he enjoys doing; kiss a couple of pretty faces.
Topanga was portrayed as a Vegetarian at first
Apparently, the producers of Boy Meets World had a change of heart about Topanga’s love for meat. While the show was starting out, the character was portrayed as a full-blown vegetarian but as the events wore on, her love for meat changed and she was shown enjoying a pepperoni pizza at one point.
Therefore, Topanga's love for veggies was an on-and-off affair that ended with her changing her mind about meat at a point during the events of the show. Had the show been filmed in today's time, this is something that may have caught the attention of many, but back in the 90s, it wasn't too big of a deal.
Two characters appeared in every episode
Fans watched Cory Matthews live the life of a kid growing up in Philadelphia on Boy Meets World. Cory interacted with different characters, picking up friends and foes along the way. However, by the time the show was concluded, Cory and Shawn were the only two actors on the show’s cast to appear in all episodes of the show.
The first scene of the show was shot in the middle school cafeteria and it featured Hunter and Matthews, so it was only right for the last scene to be their college graduation. A fitting ending so that audiences could see the two boys they followed all throughout school finish strong.
One actor played three different characters
Willie Garson’s ability to play three different characters on Boy Meets World proves his boundless abilities as an actor. Garson’s first appearance on the show was in its first season where he starred as Leonard Spinelli, the assistant manager of the supermarket.
His second appearance was as another character, Mervyn, who turned up at the Matthews’ outdoor gear store. Garson was once again featured in the show’s seventh season, this time as the minister that was present at Cory and Topanga’s wedding.
There was more than one reference to William Daniels
Several fans of the show believe the name of the school the characters attend is a subtle reference to Williams Daniel who plays Mr. Feeny. For starters, the school is called John Adams High School and Daniels had featured as John Adams in the movie 1776.
Again, in an episode of Boy Meets World, Mr. Feeny referenced a movie, The Graduate, praising it for being a good movie as you’d come to expect considering Daniels was again featured in that movie as Benjamin Braddock’s father. Always nice to see shows celebrate their cast in unique ways.
Mr. Feeny opened and closed out the series
It was only fitting that the original series was closed out by Mr. Feeny considering it was he who opened it in the first place. Boy Meets World’s pilot episode started with a conversation between Mr. Feeny and Cory, something we would continue to see a lot of as the show progressed.
In the series finale, Feeny was coordinating the classroom when he bid Cory and company farewell for the last time after they graduated from college. As a result, the scene is Ben Savage’s finest memory from his time on the show’s set; the moment when filming ended, the actors were filled with the kind of dread that only comes from departing something you’ve grown into and love.
One of the Bullies was recast on Mental Health grounds
The character of Harley was one of the high school bullies in Boy Meets World. The character was portrayed by two actors at different points as the character had to be recast after Danny McNulty, who had the role originally, had to step away from the show while he suffered some mental health issues.
While he was away, fans saw Kenny Johnston play the role instead but then the role was always McNulty’s so, as soon as McNulty felt better, he got the role back. You would think they would use a different character until McNulty's return, but they opted just to change the actor instead.
Cory was a Flirt
Cory didn’t win a lot of fans over with his serial cheating habit. The first cheating incident most fans remember is the one involving Lauren but this wasn’t the only time he cheated. While Topanga was homesick and Cory was supposed to go get her some ice cream, he was instead kissing a girl in her basement.
Again, he flirted and danced with several girls at a party while pretending to be Shawn and even nearly slept with a college girl to get back at Topanga. The producers wanted a more realistic take on what couples go through during this phase as opposed to always showing things as perfect.
Rider Strong became a Teen Heartthrob
Rider Strong’s character, Shawn Hunter, was Cory Matthews’ best friend and a teen heartthrob on the show. He was loved by fans for his black leather jacket and good looks which made him very popular in high school, a look that was very "in" for the times.
The guys wanted to be Shawn and all the girls wanted him so it was only a matter of time before fans began to flock around Strong in real-life. He, however, didn’t enjoy all the attention he got as he didn’t like being the center of attention.
Nebula appeared in just one episode
The Topanga family tree is far from the most stable thing on the show so it wasn’t shocking for fans to see members of the family disappearing from the show. Nebula, who is Topanga’s elder sister, shares one thing in common with Stacy who we talked about earlier; they’re both one-episode wonders.
Nebula was featured in one episode of the show but the character wasn’t mentioned again after that point, and Topanga was instead portrayed as the only child of her parents. This was never explained, so we think the creators of the show just expected fans to play along.
The fanbase was split between Cory
As the show’s main character, Cory wasn’t exactly a role model as he made several questionable decisions and often came off as selfish and domineering. This was illustrated in his relationship with Topanga; Cory didn’t respect her decision to wait until they get married and kept pushing her to go faster than she wanted to when he really should have respected her wishes and left her alone.
Cory wasn’t so great with his parents either; he constantly demanded handouts and lashed out when he didn’t get them. Although Cory was a really likable character, there have been many threads online with debates as to if Cory was a great leading character because of all this.
Topanga Dropped Her Hippie Ways
When Boy Meets World’s filming commenced, Topanga Lawrence was depicted as a confident flower girl, the kind to prepare presentations for class projects along with Cory as she did in the "Alternative Friends" episode of season 1.
The character had lots of charm which separated her from Cory until her personality changed later on in the show. All of a sudden, her hippie persona was gone and in its place was a girl that prioritized her schoolwork while also ensuring her grades remained impressive.
The show has lots of dirty jokes
The irony of Boy Meets World is that the producers intended it for young viewers but at the end of the day, the show contains dirty jokes that young viewers probably shouldn’t be exposed to. In one instance, Eric told a girl to rock a turtleneck on the phone before admitting to his mother that he sucked a neck.
In another instance, Cory suddenly got sexually frustrated while planning his wedding with Topanga, next he asked Topanga to let him touch something because he hadn’t gotten anything sexually in their time together. These were definitely pushing the edge of the show, but maybe producers figured their audience was also growing, just like the characters in the show.
Boy Meets World teaches valuable life lessons
One thing the creators of Boy Meets World got right with their direction of the show is how the show manages to teach young viewers valuable life lessons. This makes the show quite educational, in line with the needs of its young viewers.
An example of valuable life lessons from the show is the scene in which an important life lesson on women came from Topanga in an episode; she talked about women being seen as dating objects and that men that fail to see women beyond that would always be lonely.
Another episode addressed Child Abuse
"The Dangerous Secret" episode discusses the dangers of child abuse and how the menace can be addressed. This is further proof of how the show sought to address important issues like how it addressed premarital sex and underage drinking as well.
Claire would sometimes spend the night over at Shawn’s because her father would abuse her and her mother every now and then. In the episode, Shawn helped her define the way teenagers and their friends can respond to cases of abuse from parents.
The show was created on a slim budget
Because Boy Meets World was created on a slim budget, a lot of the set was re-used whenever the producers could do so. It is because of this slim budget that Mr. Feeny’s office was always moved around a lot during different episodes.
Sometimes his office would be the girls' washroom, other times the boys’ washroom and sometimes it would be the room beside the phone. At other points in the show, both the guidance counselor's office and the girls’ washroom were used as the teacher’s office.
The syndication of the show was very successful
Reruns of Boy Meets World began in off-network syndication in September 1997 and ran until September 2000. The syndication was so successful that in 2014, ABC Family aired it twice a day; during its daytime schedule and evening schedule.
The show was also aired on MTV2 on weekends in the same year. The show’s syndication had 1.825 million viewers during a June 2014 prime-time airing. Starting from 2016, Teen Nick also began to air 2 episodes of the syndication daily from 10 pm. Wish it was on that many times during its original run, as fans couldn't get enough.
The show had a different plot initially
The original plot of Boy Meets World is quite different from the way the show’s events eventually played out. The show’s original plot was about a kid living next to his school principal but in the end, the plot just evolved into something different as the show explored the dynamics of a teenager trying to get through life with the help of family, friends, and his school teacher.
The show had its fair share of awkward moments at the end of the day but those moments would have been dwarfed by the awkwardness of the original plot. However, Mr. Feeny still lived next door to Cory in the show so they at least kept the idea around, this lead to some serious tough talks between student and teacher.
It is the only ABC TGIF show to last longer than 2 seasons
ABC’s TGIF was a popular Friday night sitcom block that aired several popular shows. However, of all the shows that have aired on TGIF, Boy Meets World is the only one that managed to remain on ABC’s Friday nights for more than 2 seasons.
The show remained on Friday nights throughout its run while other popular sitcoms were shifted to other nights at different points. Other shows would premier on Friday night only to be moved to another day of the week or released to another TV network entirely.
Mr. Feeny’s origin was contentious
Mr. Feeny was Cory’s sixth-grade teacher and the Matthews family neighbor. The character's origin is a bit contentious because, throughout the course of the show, he was listed as being from England and an army vet that served in the Second World War.
However, at other times, he would be described as a Boston native with Cory and Shawn making jokes about his Boston roots and his love for Tennessee Ernie Ford songs. Eric on the other hand loved to bug Mr. Feeny about being English.
The show’s director was a member of the United States Air Force
Jeff McCraken directed about 51 episodes of Boy Meets World from 1995 to 2000. This number equates to about a third of the series, meaning McCraken directed more episodes of the show than any other director.
McCraken was also a member of the United States Air Force and is himself an actor that has guest-starred on shows like The Torkelsons, LAX, and several broadway productions to varying success. McCraken’s work on Boy Meets World led to iconic episodes like "Brave New World," "Cult Fiction," and "Chick Like Me."
Only ABC showed accurate introductions
Throughout the seven-year run of Boy Meets World, only ABC managed to show the original theme video played at the beginning of each episode. ABC set the pace in this regard, and ABC Family followed suit. However, for the show's broadcast syndication and its airing on Disney Channel starting from 1997, season four's opening title sequence was used.
This version quietly replaced the original two seasons' opening credits but those of the remaining seasons were left as they were. So if you would like to see who's a real fan or not, just ask them which opening video was played with the original theme song.
Cory's love for Philadelphia sports teams
In the early seasons and beginning of Boy Meets World’s long reign on air, the character Cory was depicted as a huge fan of Philadelphia sports teams like the Phillies, Flyers, 76ers, and Eagles. However, once he and Topanga became official, the character's interest in those teams basically disappeared.
He even did the one thing a loyal Philly sports fan would never do; hang a Los Angeles Dodgers hat in his college dorm room. Sports disloyalty doesn't get worse than that, but if it's for love we would imagine most sports fans will give it a pass.
The locker with many owners
In Cory's first year of middle school, the show was already in its second season. This is when the locker with many owners was introduced to viewers. The locker in question is the one that's right beside Mr. Turner's classroom.
The ownership of this locker changed all the time; first, it was Frankie's, then Cory's, then Eric's. The locker was even Shawn's at one point as it basically belonged to a different person every time it was shown. With as many lockers as a middle school has, the odds of all our characters landing the same one are pretty slim. And to top things off, the locker wasn't always the same, sometimes it was a giant locker as shown above, and other times it was two lockers on top of one another.