40 Amazing Facts From Behind The Scenes Of Boy Meets World

Lee Norris lit up Boy Meets World as the bookish Stuart Minkus. But did you know that he almost went by another surname? Yes, Stuart Minkus was almost Stuart Lempke, until the creators discovered something odd. Indeed, despite the unusual moniker, they learned there was already a Stuart Lempke in Philadelphia, where the series is set. What were the chances?

Remember Joshua Matthews? Well, he entered the Boy Meets World universe during the sixth season, being born in the episode “Resurrection.” But did you know that the younger sibling of Eric and Cory was portrayed by a number of different babies? And that the final one to play him was Daniel Jacobs, the young son of the show’s creator? It’s true! Interestingly, Daniel – who had already appeared briefly as a different character – wasn’t meant to be in the finale. But the cast child actor was interrupting filming instead of staying silent. So, Jacobs phoned his wife, and Daniel was carted in as a replacement!

Probably the most-loved character on Boy Meets World is Shawn Hunter. Well, that would almost certainly be the verdict if we were only polling teenage girls in the ’90s, anyway. But the actor who plays the school’s bad boy and leather-jacket-wearing hunk, Rider Strong, was not keen on that status and the inevitable hassle that came with it. He later told Cosmopolitan magazine, “I was never super-comfortable with it, to be honest. I’m not a shy person, but I’m not the guy who wants to get his picture taken and wants to be front and center.”

You probably watched Boy Meets World and at some point thought to yourself, “What an unusual name Topanga is.” We did too! So why was that name chosen? Well, the actress who played her, Danielle Fishel, spilled the beans to Entertainment Weekly magazine. She revealed series creator Michael Jacobs was driving down the highway “when production called and said, 'We need a name for this character!' Fishel then said, “He happened to be driving past Topanga Canyon, so he said, ‘Topanga.’ He says that if they had called him two miles later, I would’ve been named Canoga, which is the next exit.” How cool!

It would be hard to imagine Boy Meets World without Topanga. But according to website Diply.com, the character wasn’t intended to become a regular. Thankfully Fishel’s fine performance and positive fans’ reactions ensured that the role grew in importance. And that’s just as well, because we can’t imagine the show without Topanga and Cory’s epic love story.

As a coming-of-age school drama, Boy Meets World obviously featured a lot of scenes within the classroom. But the set itself became a genuine learning institution, too. Yes, in the early years of the show, Rider Strong, Danielle Fishel, Ben Savage and Will Friedle were all still in school, and needed to continue their own education. Fishel later explained to Parade magazine, “When we started the show, we had little sectioned-off areas for each one of us to try to focus and work with our own individual teachers. But it always ended up being more like a regular school classroom with all of us chiming in and learning little bits of what everyone else was learning.”

Shawn Hunter’s hairdo in Boy Meets World was sort of the male “Rachel” of the ’90s. And much like Jennifer Aniston, Strong despised the cut that made him a heartthrob. In a 2013 chat with Cosmopolitan, the actor revealed, “I hated my hair. I came to the audition with that hairstyle, got the part, and the director Michael Jacobs never let me cut it from there on out. A bunch of girls at a sleepover told me to wear my hair like that — parted down the center — and I was 12, so I listened.” Well, we thought you looked smart, Rider!

Danielle Fishel is practically synonymous with the role of Topanga. So would it shock you if we told you that the role almost went to another actress? Well, it’s true. Actress Marla Sokoloff was in the box seat for the gig, until the producers got frustrated with her inability to follow instructions. Fishel thought she’d blown her chance after initially playing the character too cheerfully in the auditions. But the actress stayed up all night to practice, nailing the part the following day and even earning a standing ovation from the writers and creator Michael Jacobs!

There are numerous touching love stories in Boy Meets World. One of them is between Mr. Feeny and the Dean, Lila Bolander. They get married in the series after some courtship. But did you know the show quietly reflected reality and that they were together in real life? Well, it’s true. Indeed, the happy couple William Daniels and Bonnie Bartlett married in 1951, have three children together and are still wedded well into their 90s! Aww!

Cory and Shawn’s friendship in Boy Meets World is one of the main arcs of the series, and a crucial part of its success. But it all could have been very different. That’s because creator Michael Jacobs initially had a plan for Cory to have numerous close pals, whose personalities and travails would be covered in the teen drama. But auditions for these prospective roles did not go well, so Jacobs and the writers agreed to ditch the idea and focus more on Shawn and Cory’s bromance.

As good as Boy Meets World is, there are some continuity errors that left us scratching our heads. For instance, in the first season, Cory, Topanga and Shawn, are sixth-graders. But by the premiere of the following one, the characters are all ready to enter high school. Next, in Season Four’s “I Ain’t Gonna Spray Lettuce No More,” they are said to be in the 11th. By the fifth it’s their senior year and college in number six. Somewhere in there, a couple of grades went AWOL. Maybe they were all really clever or something and skipped grades?

Boy Meets World could have lost one of its main characters at the start of Season Six. Yes, by the time Season Five had finished, Rider Strong was contemplating quitting and going off to college. But thankfully creator Michael Jacobs managed to convince the floppy-haired bad boy to stay on, whilst allowing him to go and take classes in the morning before filming. For the record, Strong completed his degree before eventually earning an English major at the prestigious Columbia University!

Did you ever pay any attention to the name of the school whilst watching Boy Meets World? If not, don’t worry. We’ll tell you that it was called John Adams High School. Which is interesting in itself. As the actor who played Mr. Feeny, William Daniels, played U.S. revolutionary statesman John Adams in both the film and musical versions of 1776. Cool, huh?

Remember the episode of Boy Meets World where Cory and Topanga finally locked lips for the first time? Well, Fishel revealed in her book Normally, This Would Be Cause for Concern: Tales of Calamity and Unrelenting Awkwardness that it was not only a landmark kiss for Topanga. It was her first too. Website 22 words also reports that it was Ben Savage’s as well. Nice to get some practice, we guess.

Poor Topanga. During the entirety of Boy Meets World, the John Adams High School alum had a revolving cast of parents, and probably didn’t know who it was going to be from one day to the next. Yes, Michael McKean, Peter Tork and Mark Harelik portrayed her poppa at different times and her mom flip-flopped between Marcia Cross and Annette O’Toole. Confusing for her. No wonder she needed a hug!

Topanga didn’t just have a cast of revolving parents. No, the poor girl also had a disappearing sister. The exotically Nebula appeared in “She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not” from the first season, but Topanga’s older sis then seemingly disappears into the ether. If it was any consolation, Topanga was not the only character to mysteriously lose a sister, with Shawn Hunter’s sibling Stacy – who he calls on the phone in the “Cory’s Alternative Friends” episode – also vanishing, never to be mentioned again. Weird!

You probably know Willie Garson as Stanford Blatch from Sex and the City. But did you know the versatile actor turned up as three separate characters in Boy Meets World? Firstly, he appeared in two episodes from the first season, playing the deputy boss of the Market Giant supermarket, where Cory’s poppa earns his keep. A few seasons later he surfaces again as Mervyn, the man who vies for a position at the Matthews’ store. Finally, in the show’s seventh season, Garson plays the minister who officiates the union of Cory and Topanga.

You may have thought whilst watching Boy Meets World that the guy who plays Cory looks familiar. Perhaps you’d seen him somewhere else, in another popular sitcom? Well, it might be actor Ben Savage’s brother Fred that you’ve seen. He portrayed Kevin Arnold on The Wonder Years, a similarly themed show about growing up in suburban USA. Ironically, The Wonder Years ended just as Boy Meets World began, back in 1993.

Trina McGee put in a fine performance as Angela Moore in Boy Meets World. And her character’s relationship with Rider Strong’s Shawn Hunter was groundbreaking at the time, as one of the first interracial ones both on a major network TV show and a series targeted at teens. But the actress – who is ten years older than the actor who played her on-screen love interest – had to audition a full five times to get the part!

Shawn Hunter is widely recognized as the heartthrob of the show, a status enhanced by his soon-iconic black leather jacket. Interestingly, despite Disney not allowing cast members to take any items off set, Strong secretly took the cool piece of clothing with him when he started college in New York. But the actor revealed to CNN that it was stolen from him when someone broke into his vehicle. And in a panic, he purchased a new one and replaced it on the last day of shooting!

Right at the beginning of Boy Meets World, Topanga is depicted as a strict vegetarian. However, towards the end of the series the high schooler appears to have given in to her carnivorous instincts. That’s because she is shown tucking into a meaty pepperoni pizza! Welcome to the dark side, Miss Lawrence.

Before she made it big on Freaks and Geeks, Linda Cardellini guest-starred on Boy Meets World. Cardellini portrayed a brown-haired temptress called Lauren who almost succeeded in driving a wedge between Topanga and Cory. But thankfully, her wicked scheme failed. Still, word has swirled round that the actress herself was as difficult as the character she played. Infamously, it emerged she dumped her Freaks and Geeks co-star Jason Segel because he’d put on weight.

In Boy Meets World, actor Matthew Lawrence portrays Jack, the elder brother of Rider Strong’s Shawn Hunter. But it might surprise you that in real life Strong is exactly a couple of months his senior. Lawrence was born on February 11, 1980, while Strong entered the world back on December 11, 1979.

Let’s go back in time for a minute, all the way to April 1997, and the Season Four episode “Cult Fiction.” In that episode, the popular teacher Mr. Turner is involved in a motorcycle smash. But for some reason, the writers of Boy Meets World never informed viewers whether he survived or not. Until Girl Meets World that is, which brought the much-needed news that he lived and recuperated, as well as the heartwarming fact that the tutor wed the nurse who tended him back to health. Perhaps they realized their mistake!

The relationship between Cory and Topanga is a key part of Boy Meets World’s appeal. And interestingly, Savage and Fishel – who portray the characters – once went on a real-life date. Yes, Fishel told Parade, “When we were 16, after four years of kissing and playing boyfriend and girlfriend, we were like, ‘Hey, do we really like each other, or do we just pretend we like each other five days a week?’ So we went out to dinner one time.” The pair would realize they were more like siblings by the end of the evening, though.

Maitland Ward appeared on Boy Meets World as it reached the college years. But the Californian didn’t specifically audition for the show. No, Ward had tried out for Zoe, Duncan, Jack & Jane, another sitcom created by Michael Jacobs. Although she didn’t get the part in that show, Jacobs was impressed enough to cast her as Eric and Jack’s sultry red-haired roommate Rachel.

The eagle-eyed among you might have spotted this neat bit of trivia. In one particular episode, Mr. Feeny mentions the famous ’60s coming-of-age movie The Graduate, stating it was “a great film.” So? What’s significant about that? Well, the actor who plays the educator is William Daniels, who appeared as the father of the Dustin Hoffman character in the Hollywood classic!

Ever wonder why Will Friedle’s Eric and Rider Strong’s Shawn suddenly stopped enjoying much screen time together on Boy Meets World? The truth is it was because the duo – who got on brilliantly off-screen – couldn’t stop laughing and joking when filming! Ultimately, Jacobs and the writers had to decide between themselves to limit the number of scenes they had together, or else they’d never finish shooting and get to go home!

How come there were a few episodes of Boy Meets World that were light on Cory content and particularly heavy on Eric? Will Friedle explained why his character got more of a storyline in some shows at New York Comic Con in 2018. He revealed, “If you saw a touching episode with Eric, it meant that was the week Ben had his SATs. Like, sometimes people tell me they love the episode with Tommy. Yeah, Ben was taking a test.” Charming!

The William Daniels-portrayed Mr. Feeny was a popular character with audiences of Boy Meets World. And lead actor Ben Savage revealed to Collider that the show quietly reflected reality, in that the young cast members “revered the character and the man.” Savage continued, “When he'd come on set, we'd talk, we'd listen and we'd absorb… He always taught us things, and there was so much to absorb from him.”

Cory and Shawn are undoubtedly the biggest bromance on Boy Meets World. And such is their closeness, there are in fact just three episodes out of 158 – spanning seven seasons – where they do not appear together in at least one scene! Website IMDb identifies “By Hook or By Crook,” “Stormy Weather,” and “The Witches of Pennbrook” as the anomalies in the series.

Wondering which episode the cast enjoyed shooting the most? Well, word on the street is that it was “And Then There Was Shawn,” the 17th episode of Season Five. It first aired on February 27, 1998, and was inspired by the horror films of the time. Jennifer Love Hewitt guest-starred in it, and interestingly, was courting Friedle off-screen back then.

Boy Meets World was probably a lot of fun for most of the actors. But one in particular who had a blast was Will Friedle. And no wonder, given the amount of kissing he got to do. Betsy Randle, aka Amy Matthews, joked that the alter ego of the series’ eligible bachelor Eric “took advantage of situations that required him to kiss on camera.” Indeed, the amorous actor got to smooch with Jennifer Love Hewitt and future Terminator 3 star Kristanna Loken on the show. Lucky guy!

Every school has a bully, and John Adams’ resident bully was Harley. But did you notice how he was portrayed by two different actors? Initially it was Danny McNulty, until Kenny Johnston briefly stepped in. Gosocial.co reported that the change was made due to McNulty enduring some issues with his mental health. Thankfully he was not permanently replaced by Jacobs and the producers and when he felt well enough to return, sneaked back into his role.

The central romance of Boy Meets World is between Cory and Topanga. To begin with, they were close pals before going on to date. Of course, at the end of the series the loved-up pair marry. But it nearly wasn’t to be, until fans intervened! Yes, although show creator Michael Jacobs was in favor of on-screen nuptials, ABC bigwigs were against it, believing they weren’t old enough. But an online poll was set up, and fans of the show almost unanimously voted yes to wedded bliss!

As a coming of age drama, Boy Meets World covers a good deal of the teen experience. This includes dating, errant behavior and the like. Still, there are three episodes among the 158 that the Disney Channel refuses to show. That’s because they depict teen drinking, premarital sex and, ahem, Topanga mooning Shawn. Those episodes, in case you were interested, are Season Five episodes 18 and 22 – “If You Can’t Be with the One You Love” and “Prom-ises Prom-ises,” respectively – plus Season Six’s 20th episode, “The Truth About Honesty.”

Now Disney – whose subsidiary is ABC – was very particular about the kind of content it deemed acceptable on Boy Meets World. But the PG-rated show let one specific thing slip through the net on the last episode. Yes, Danielle Fishel had covered up a tattoo of Chinese characters on the back of her neck – usually with her long hair – for as long as she had sported it. But the ink is visible in the finale as the actress is sitting in the classroom. Oops!

Did you ever look at the John Adams High School building the kids in Boy Meets World attend and think, hmm, that looks familiar? Well, if you did, you wouldn’t be wrong! That’s because it has featured in a slew of movies and TV shows including Grease, Pretty in Pink, School of Rock, The Wonder Years, A Nightmare on Elm Street as well as a Van Halen music video! It is actually called John Marshall High School, and its famous alumni include actor Leonardo DiCaprio, physician David Ho and musician will.i.am.

If you got emotional watching the end of Boy Meets World, then you weren’t alone. And we’re not talking about us – although we did tear up a bit – but the cast members. Yes, the scene in which Topanga, Cory et al receive words of encouragement from Mr. Feeny and a warm hug had the actors turning on the waterworks for real. It was so moving that they could only do one take! What a special connection they all had!

One last thing about that final episode. If you go right back to the beginning in 1993 and watch the very first entry in the Boy Meets World universe, you’ll notice how it begins with Mr. Feeny speaking directly to Cory in the classroom. And the series is bookended neatly and deliberately by the beloved teacher issuing his “Class dismissed” call to the students. What a way to end!