50 Fun Facts About Girl Meets World

On which network did Girl Meets World premiere on June 27, 2014?

Disney Channel drew about 5.2 million viewers for the premiere, even though it had already released the pilot to users of its apps a month earlier.

Which Boy Meets World teacher appears in the Girl Meets World pilot to tell Cory, 'Well done, Mr. Matthews'?

Mr. Feeny, played once more by William Daniels, appears in front of a 'Stay in School' billboard of himself just long enough to say it; when Cory looks again, only the billboard is there.

Who plays Riley Matthews in Girl Meets World?

Rowan Blanchard was 11 when she won the part, and she also sings the show's theme song, 'Take On the World', as a duet with her co-star.

Which future pop star plays Riley's best friend Maya Hart in Girl Meets World?

Sabrina Carpenter, years before 'Espresso' topped charts worldwide, shared the screen with her own sister: Sarah Carpenter turns up as a classmate named Sarah.

In Girl Meets World, what subject does Cory Matthews teach Riley's class?

History, and Cory does not stop at middle school: when Riley's class moves up in season 3, he moves up too and is teaching them again on their first day of high school.

Who plays Riley's father, Cory Matthews, in Girl Meets World?

Ben Savage, who first played Cory as a boy in 1993, also stepped behind the camera on the spin-off and directed several episodes himself.

Before moving to New York, Cory and Topanga of Girl Meets World grew up in which city?

Philadelphia was the setting of Boy Meets World; in season 2 the family drives back there to dig up a time capsule that Cory and his friends had buried fifteen years earlier.

In Girl Meets World, Farkle is the son of which Boy Meets World character, Topanga's old academic rival?

Stuart Minkus, the class brain of Boy Meets World's first season, returns with Lee Norris back in the role, and he and Topanga pick their old rivalry straight back up at the school's career day.

Where does Riley first meet Lucas Friar in the Girl Meets World pilot?

On the subway, where Maya lets go of Riley's grip just as the train brakes and she lands in his lap; her parents had only just agreed to let the girls ride it alone.

What secret about Lucas's past does his old friend Zay let slip in Girl Meets World?

He was expelled from school back in Austin after stepping in when Zay got into trouble with other students, and his father's transfer to New York gave him a fresh start.

In 'Girl Meets Boy', why can Maya cope when Cory confiscates everyone's phones?

She does not own a smartphone, so she alone is not lost without one. In the library she proves a gifted artist with just pencil and paper, and Cory ends up handing her a phone of her own.

Which annual tradition does Riley skip for her first school dance in 'Girl Meets Father'?

Riding the Coney Island Cyclone with her father, a ritual since she was small; Cory copes by turning up as a chaperone and claiming the last dance with both Riley and Maya.

In Girl Meets World, which older girl from down the hall dates Riley's little brother?

Ava Morgenstern, played by Ava Kolker, bosses her little boyfriend around, and Topanga cannot stand her at first; once Ava's snobbish mother turns up at a book club, Topanga sees where the attitude comes from.

In Girl Meets World, what job does Maya's mother Katy hold while dreaming of being an actress?

Waitress Katy is so afraid of embarrassing her daughter that she misses Career Day and the art fair, then sends Maya's favourite tuna melt along with Riley instead.

What is Topanga's profession when Girl Meets World begins?

Lawyer Topanga ends up with a second career: she inherits a neighbourhood bakery from its elderly owner, Mrs. Svorski, and renames it Topanga's.

In 'Girl Meets 1961', Riley learns about which ancestor who kept a journal?

Her great-grandmother Rosie McGee met the other friends' ancestors in a Greenwich Village café in 1961, and her journal muses that 'Topanga' is a beautiful name, a hint at how Riley's mother got hers.

Which Boy Meets World bully turns up in Girl Meets World as the middle school's janitor?

Harley Keiner, who used to terrorise Cory at school, now keeps the halls clean at the school where Cory teaches, and the two old enemies have become good friends.

Who reprises his Boy Meets World role as Cory's best friend in Girl Meets World?

Rider Strong returns as Shawn in a Christmas episode, where Shawn admits he left New York when Riley was born because he felt left behind once his best friend had started a family.

In Girl Meets World, Maya has a long-running crush on which member of the Matthews family?

Joshua, Cory's teenage brother, keeps reminding Maya of their age gap, but in season 3 he finally admits there could be a chance for the two of them in the future.

Whom does Cory call in to mediate Riley and Maya's feud in 'Girl Meets Mr. Squirrels'?

Eric gets the call because Cory remembers him settling a feud back in their college days; he hears both girls out, then shows the whole class that such troubles are normal at their age.

In Girl Meets World's second season, Cory's goofball older brother is recruited to run for which office?

New York senator: he is picked as a patsy to make the sitting senator look good, but his speech about making elections matter to children wins him the seat.

In Girl Meets World, which astronomical news shocks Riley in season 2?

Pluto is no longer a planet, Maya informs her, years after the rest of the world found out; Riley is attached enough to put her 'Pluto ball' into the class time capsule.

When detention splits in two in 'Girl Meets Rules', what does 'Rileytown' stand for?

Order and structure: the quieter students stay put in Rileytown while the rebels walk out to found Mayaville, until each side learns that it needs the other for balance.

In Girl Meets World, new English teacher Harper Burgess gets in trouble for teaching which graphic novel?

The Dark Knight Returns, Frank Miller's Batman story, nearly costs her the job, and Cory's too when he defends her, until the superintendent, Cory's own old teacher Mr. Turner, takes her side.

In 'Girl Meets Yearbook', who reinvents himself as a regular guy named Donnie?

Farkle becomes 'Donnie Barnes, regular guy' after the yearbook gives him a category all his own, while Riley turns gloomy; Lucas protests that both should go back to being themselves.

In Girl Meets World, Charlie Gardner beats Lucas to asking Riley to which event?

The semi-formal dance: Lucas had simply assumed that he and Riley were going together, so Charlie's polite invitation forces her to work out how she really feels.

Which rival school does Smackle invite her debate nemesis to join in Girl Meets World?

Einstein Academy is where she thinks a newly certified genius belongs, but after sitting in on Cory's class she decides her rival is better off staying with his friends.

Which famous feud frames the class lesson on resolving conflicts in Girl Meets World's bullying episode?

Burr vs. Hamilton inspires Riley to challenge Maya to a duel of her own, fought at the bakery with ice cream cones instead of pistols.

In 'Girl Meets Texas', what contest do Riley and Maya mistakenly enter Lucas into?

Bull riding: having heard that he once fell off a sheep at a children's rodeo, they sign him up to redeem himself without grasping the danger, and Maya's panic shows Riley how she really feels about him.

Which other sitcom's title pair drop in on a Girl Meets World Halloween episode?

Austin & Ally stars Ross Lynch and Laura Marano turn up in character as Austin Moon and Ally Dawson in the show's second Halloween special, a set of spooky tales narrated by Riley's little brother.

What is the name of Maya's absent father, who appears in 'Girl Meets the Forgiveness Project'?

Kermit turns up at the bakery after reading Maya's forgiveness letter and explains why he left to start another family; her anger fades, but she tells Cory she still cannot forgive him.

Which Jane Austen novel mirrors Riley and Maya in 'Girl Meets the New Year'?

Sense and Sensibility is the class text; a classmate who has only seen the film says a relationship needs both qualities, and Riley turns his own line back on him at her rooftop New Year's party.

In 'Girl Meets STEM', what does Riley notice about who drops the marble in the science experiment?

Only girls do it, while their male lab partners keep the calculations; Riley rallies the girls, and the teacher reveals that this was the real experiment, since theirs is the age when girls drift away from science.

Why does Riley want to redo her bedroom in 'Girl Meets the Bay Window'?

To leave her childhood behind as high school looms; Maya objects, and the two end up sitting in the window beside their younger selves, talking over how much they have changed.

Where do Riley and her friends start ninth grade in Girl Meets World?

Abigail Adams High School greets them with three seniors who pen the freshmen into a corner called 'the hole', a hazing that turns out to be meant kindly, to keep the friends from drifting apart as the seniors' own group did.

In Girl Meets World, what alter ego does Riley create on her high school's social network?

Jexica shares all of Riley's interests and grows so popular that other students start coming to school dressed as her, and it turns out that Lucas knew who she was all along.

In 'Girl Meets Permanent Record', Riley gets a D on her first high school test in which subject?

Spanish is the test she flunks while Maya, for once, gets an A; after studying hard Riley earns an A-minus on the next one and learns that a single bad grade is not her whole record.

In Girl Meets World, where do Riley and Maya visit Shawn after Maya loses her edge?

His home in upstate New York is where he admits Cory once changed him just as Riley has changed Maya; Cory's reminder of his 'reckless spontaneity' sends the girls back to find Maya's edge.

Where does Cory take his Girl Meets World class on a two-part season 3 field trip to experience nature?

Mount Sun Lodge is the ski lodge that nearly ended Cory and Topanga in Boy Meets World; this time it is Riley who gets hurt, spraining her foot as she steps off the bus.

In Girl Meets World, what does Evan, the lodge worker Riley talks to all night, hope to become?

A Sherpa, because he likes helping people reach places they never thought they could go. His parting 'My mother says hello' tells Cory he is the son of Lauren, the girl from that old ski trip.

Whose wedding makes Maya anxious in 'Girl Meets I Do'?

Shawn and Katy's wedding worries her because her father once walked out on her mother. She dares Shawn to prove he is ready, and he does, leading them up to a roof already decorated for the ceremony.

In 'Girl Meets Bear', who removed the face from Riley's teddy bear three years earlier?

Auggie left the bear faceless years ago, yet Riley still treasures it; the hunt for it turns up something else, the boxing-gloves necklace Cory's father once gave him and Cory believed lost.

What is the name of Riley and Maya's favourite TV show, binged in 'Girl Meets Her Monster'?

Red Planet Diaries costs Riley her media privileges when she skips her shift at her mother's bakery to keep watching; she moves in with Maya in protest before coming home to apologise.

In 'Girl Meets Hollyworld', why has Maya 'kidnapped' actress Anastasia Boulangerie?

To get her mother a movie role: Katy is up for a part playing herself, and the kidnapped star turns out to be her childhood best friend from Arkansas, who then persuades the director to cast Katy.

In Girl Meets World, which classic story does Riley rework into a play for Maya?

A Christmas Carol becomes 'A Christmas Maya', staged to lift Maya's holiday gloom; it shows her that her mother's best gift was never a toy but the chance to go to school with Riley.

What is unusual about the Girl Meets World episode 'World Meets Girl'?

It is a behind-the-scenes special in which the cast show fans around the set and take the audience's questions; it aired two days after the writers revealed there would be no fourth season.

Which country's 1831 independence does Cory finally teach in the Girl Meets World finale?

Belgium 1831 had sat untaught for years. Cory tells of a kingdom that expected to stay together forever until Belgium chose to go its own way, just as the friends face losing Riley to a family move.

After Girl Meets World was cancelled in 2017, fans campaigned for which service to pick it up?

Netflix was the fans' hope because the characters were outgrowing a children's channel; the show's creator shopped it around for four months before conceding in May 2017 that no deal could be made.

Girl Meets World's 72nd and final episode is titled 'Girl Meets' what?

Girl Meets Goodbye gathers the Boy Meets World family for a last reunion, including, in a surreal touch, both actresses who played Cory's sister Morgan, as Topanga decides whether to move away.

Who plays Riley's mother, Topanga, in Girl Meets World?

Danielle Fishel also moved behind the camera during the run, directing several episodes, which launched a second career as a television director.