The first appearance of the character Arnold Shortman from the short "Arnold Escapes from Church" There is no copyright notice on the short itself and was not registered within 5 years according to the copyright database: https://publicrecords.copyright.gov/search?page_number=1&query=%22arnold%20escapes%22&field_type=%22keyword%22&records_per_page=10&sort_order=%22asc%22&type_of_work=%22motion_picture%22&model=%22%22 . Therefore this short and the earliest iterations of the characters depicted in are likely in the public domain, however Nickelodeon and Paramount still own trademarks on the lat
You can stream "Arnold Escapes From Church" free and legally on alltube, via the Internet Archive.
Yes — it is in the public domain and can be watched and shared freely.