Arthur (TV series)

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Arthur is an American and Canadian-produced animated series that airs on PBS Kids and PBS Kids GO! in the United States and on CBC in Canada. The series, which debuted in 1996 on PBS, was based on the Arthur books by author Marc Brown which were first published in 1976.

The series focuses on the daily lives of a group of anthropomorphic animal elementary school characters, who deal with various problems such as school plays, classroom assignments, and jealousy. The main character, Arthur (full name Arthur Timothy Read) is an aardvark (though he looks more like a bear) in the third grade who has two younger sisters, the precocious four-year-old D.W. and baby Kate. Arthur's rivalry with D.W. is a frequent theme of the show.

The show's opening theme song is the reggae song "Believe in Yourself", performed by Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers. Each half-hour episodes contains two self-contained stories, separated by a live-action vignette titled A Word From Us Kids which features schoolchildren doing a project that is usually related to the subject of the first half of the episode. This vignette is not included in the international versions of the show.

Arthur is set in the fictional Elwood City, though as one episode shows it was meant to be called Elmwood. While the show's producers have stated that Elwood City has no specific location, in the spin-off series Postcards from Buster, the character Buster once indicates that Elwood City is Munster, Indiana and his school is Frank Hammond Elementary School.

The series has dealt with a various social and health issues including asthma, dyslexia, divorce, and food allergies.

The series often contains in-jokes for older viewers (such as parents or older siblings), with Art Garfunkel, the late Mister Rogers, Taj Mahal, Koko Taylor, The Backstreet Boys, Michelle Kwan, Theodore Roosevelt and J.P. Morgan (complete with mutual loathing) in a flashback episode, Joshua Redman, Frank Gehry, and even Yo-Yo Ma, having appeared in animated form on the show. The show makes fun of conventions in children's programming. The characters watch fictional cartoons like The Bionic Bunny Show (a possible parody on Superman and The Six Million Dollar Man, The Bionic Bunny Show was also a 1984 children's book that Marc Brown illustrated), Dark Bunny (a possible parody of Batman), Spooky Poo (a possible parody of Scooby-Doo). The characters also listen to music from fictional groups like Crazy Bus and holographic pop group Binky (not to be mistaken with the character Binky Barnes. Also could be a parody of the real virtual group, Gorillaz).

Cookie Jar Entertainment (formerly CINAR Animation) and WGBH produced 125 Arthur cartoons from 1996 to 2005. In October 2004, the spin-off series Postcards From Buster, began airing on PBS Kids GO!

In August 2004, news was announced that an Arthur comic strip was planned for release in 2005 [link], but the comic strip has never appeared and apparently this project was halted [link]. In 2005, Mainframe Entertainment announced the direct to video production of Arthur.[link]

On May 15, 2006 the show kicked off its tenth season on PBS and celebrated the 30th anniversary of the first Arthur book with the episode Happy Anniversary. One of the new stories in the current season of the show will be titled "Operation D.W.!" and will be about D.W. making her first visit to the hospital. This story ties in with a [new website] --- "Arthur's Guide to Children's Hospital Boston," which features helpful information for children visiting the hospital delivered by the characters of the show. Another [new story] will feature the players Johnny Damon, Mike Timlin and Edgar Renteria of the Boston Red Sox (2004 World Series champions) becoming members of the Elwood City baseball team, the Greebs. Damon and Renteria will both be seen as bear-people, while Timlin becomes a deer-person. Both Damon and Renteria participate, despite having recently signed as a free-agent with the New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves respectively. Also, in Season 10, it is widely thought that Daniel Handler starred as "Persimmony Glitchet", a take-off of Lemony Snicket, although there is no proof as the credits did not list a Mr. Daniel Handler or Lemony Snicket. The tenth season came to an end on May 26, 2006. From Season 1 to 10, The show was in hand-drawn animation.

On May 2007, Season 11 will be on CGI animation. Some CGI animated characters excluding Jenna, Steve, and unnamed rabbit girl from Mr. Ratburn's class.

Popularity

When Arthur first aired in 1996, it became unusually popular with adults for a show targeted at grade school children. The show incorporates a fair amount adult-oriented humor and pop culture references that older audiences can appreciate. For example, the episode in which Buster enters a contest to make his own TV show references the adult programs South Park and Beavis & Butthead. And the 2003 episode "Bleep" contains a reference to The Sopranos, or the "Altos" as they are referred to.

Recent controversy

Controversy has surrounded some of the show's contents, including occasional references to yoga and spiritualism; one character consulted spirits to learn how to do better in class. Additionally, some say the characters (most notably Arthur and D.W.) and plots of the show have an anti-parent/kindness feel that advocates snobbiness, disobedience, whining, complaining, rivalry, pride, attitude, and disrespect to parents and siblings. One example is Francine's father telling his daughter, after she lost an award to another student, to "be a good sport." Francine responds by saying, "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" Teachers, adults, and parents are often portrayed to be dorky, bossy, unintelligent, and unimportant, as well as bending too easily to kids' demands. The kids often disobey their parents, however, later in the episode, the child in question usually learns a lesson or moral and apologize to their parents.

Recently the show has been accused of jumping the shark. Detractors of the new episodes point out that the show seems to be "ripping off" ideas from other cartoons. For an example, "*Bleep*'s" plot line is noticeably similar to that of the SpongeBob SquarePants episode "Sailor Mouth", while the episode where Elwood City makes the world's largest pizza is very similar to an episode of Hey Arnold! In some newer episodes, Arthur's infant sister Kate and dog Pal are able to talk to each other, much like characters in Rugrats. This is also similar to the mutual understanding between the youngest child and family pet in the TV show Family Guy.

Many of the characters have undergone dramatic voice changes in the past several seasons; Arthur has had four voices since the premiere of the show, the last two remarkably higher-pitched than the first, giving Arthur the impression of having regressed in both age and maturity (especially considering his second voice, that of Justin Bradley, sounded almost as if he'd hit early puberty). D.W.'s voice has changed three times, although the difference is not as noticeable; Brain has had three voices, and the Tibble twins fluctuate from having identical voices to having different ones. Also, Sue Ellen's voice had changed dramatically, since season 10. Other characters, including Francine, Buster, Muffy, Binky and Fern, have had the same voices since 1996.

Cast

The kids

• Alan "The Brain" Powers: a bear. Brain is an only child. He is afraid of water and public speaking, and his greatest loves are mathematics and science. Despite his intelligence, however, he often has a tendency to think and act irrationally, and tends to overcomplicate things. Brain's real name is Alan; however, only his parents and teachers refer to him by his actual name, and even Mr. Ratburn has been known to call him Brain sometimes. Brain's parents also run an ice cream shop. He is also of African descent, because in the holiday episode of Arthur, he is celebrating Kwanzaa.
• Alberto Molina: Arthur's teenaged new neighbor who moved in after Mr. Sipple moved out, introduced in season 6. The Molinas are originally from Ecuador, and Alberto enjoys reading "El Conejo Bionico," the Spanish version of Bionic Bunny.
• Arthur Timothy Read: The title character. Arthur is an aardvark. He wears glasses, a yellow sweater, and blue jeans. Arthur has been known to fidget with his glasses at times when he's lying. There is some slight confusion as to Arthur's middle name --- it is stated to be Timothy by Mrs. Read in a fourth season episode, but show/book creator Marc Brown once stated that he didn't know Arthur to have any middle name.
• Binky Barnes: A bulldog, Binky acts as the class bully, though he sometimes is seen getting along with the other kids in his school. Part of Binky's hostility can be traced to his embarrassment at being held back a grade, and as well as peer-pressure from his fourth-grade friends. Although he can be brusque, Binky enjoys ballet and playing the clarinet. He has also been known to pick up litter, chase after butterflies and help out in the community. He has a peanut allergy and is afraid of the dark. Binky is the unofficial head of a group of bullies called the Tough Customers. He somehow manages to maintain this group, despite his more recent non bullyish tendencies. Binky and Mr. Read are voiced by the same person. The actor changed between the first season and all subsequent ones, apparently because the actor was an adult.
• Buster Baxter: a rabbit. Buster is Arthur's best friend and a food lover, he is a big fan of "Bionic Bunny". His parents are divorced and he lives with his mother, although he occasionally travels around the world with his father, who is a pilot. He suffers from asthma, likes to tell jokes, sometimes seems to be obsessed with aliens and stars in a spin-off series called Postcards from Buster. Buster Baxter also plays his tuba in the band. Buster had a brief leave of absence from the middle to the end of Season 2 as he went touring with his dad but returned at the start of Season 3.
• Catherine Frensky: a monkey. Francine's older sister. Like most teenage girls, she reads teen magazines and hogs the phone regularly. Her name is also sometimes listed as Katherine Frensky.
• Dora Winifred "D.W." Read: an aardvark. Is Arthur's younger sister, and is often annoying, causing both of them sibling rivalry. Loves the television show Mary Moo Cow and the band/song "Crazy Bus". D.W. attends preschool with the Tibble twins and Emily. Unlike many young children her age these days, D.W. cannot read more than a few words. She relies on Arthur, her parents and others to read stories to her. D.W. strongly dislikes her full name, cannot stand hearing it, and insists on being referred to as "D.W." At times D.W. can out-smart Arthur and can trick him in to getting him to do things that she wants. D.W. wears a pink jumper dress and pink leg tights (in the Marc Brown Arthur books D.W.'s leg tights were white with pink stripes).
• Emily: a rabbit. Emily attends preschool, and is D.W.'s closest friend. D.W. is often jealous of Emily, because she receives a higher allowance than D.W. and has a French au pair. Emily originally had short yellow hair and a red floral-patterned dress until Season 6, when Emily returned from her vacation to France with longer yellow hair and a blue floral-patterned dress.
• Fern Walters: a dog. Fern is very quiet, shy, and somewhat of an introvert. She is interested in poetry, mysteries (particularly Sherlock Holmes), singing, and reading the comic book adventures of ZutZut (a parody of the Tintin comics). Her mother is constantly trying to get her to become more extroverted, and even Fern herself sometimes worries she is "too quiet." She is known for her realistic story-telling, especially when telling scary stories.
• Francine Alice Frensky: a monkey. Francine is a tomboy who loves sports. And also drumming and singing. (But she cannot do both at the same time.) Her blunt, outspoken demeanor can sometimes have a negative effect on her relationships with friends and relatives. Her family is less affluent than other families depicted in Arthur; Francine's father is a sanitation engineer and the family lives in a two bedroom apartment. They are Jewish.
• George Nordgren: a moose. George's family is Swedish. In earlier episodes, he is shy and talks through the use of a ventriloquist's dummy in the form of a giraffe named Wally. He also has reading problems because of dyslexia and one time got into listening to blues music. George also has a winning streak in the periodic Lakewood Elementary School talent shows especially since his talent in the shows was bouncing around on a pogo stick. He helps Arthur's baseball team beat a team lead by the seemingly invincible Francine by use of strategy and observation rather than skill and power.
• James MacDonald: a rabbit. Molly's little brother who attends D.W.'s preschool class. He goes unnamed until the eighth season, when D.W. is jealous of Emily's having kissed a boy and decides to pursue James romantically.
• Jenna Morgan: a cat. Jenna is a minor character in Arthur's grade. She plays badminton, helps coach soccer, received an Athlete of the Year award from Michelle Kwan, and is allergic to milk. Jenna suffers from nocturnal enuresis.
• Kaitlyn "Baby Kate" Read: an aardvark. Baby Kate is Arthur and D.W.'s baby sister. She's been shown to be able to communicate with Pal and other animals in some of the episodes.
• Lisa: a rabbit. Another member in D.W.'s preschool class. One time Lisa caused D.W. to be in a very bad mood when she didn't invite her to her party.
• Marina Datillo: a rabbit. Prunella's best friend. She is blind and is obssesed with Henry Screever, the show's parody of Harry Potter. She and Prunella met when Prunella unwillingly received a Braille edition of the latest Henry Screever and let Marina borrow it, and since then they have become inseparable. Marina is notably good at yoga and joined Prunella and her mother, Wanda, in their early-morning yoga routine.
• Mary Alice "Muffy" Crosswire: a monkey, like Francine, and an only child like, Brain. As it happens, Muffy is Francine's best friend, though they are opposite in many ways. She is the wealthiest girl in school, i.e. the stereotypical rich/spoiled girl. She tends to be extremely self-centered, and like Francine, her behavior occasionally leads her into trouble with her friends. Muffy has a love for boy bands, opera, and shopping. Additionally, it is revealed in Arthur, It's Only Rock 'n' Roll that Muffy plays the tambourine. She also plays violin in the school band. Her father is the owner of a car dealership, Crosswire Motors -- the main source of the family's fortune. In the first season of the program, Muffy has buck teeth. These disappear in all future seasons.
• Molly MacDonald: a rabbit-person. Molly is close friends with Binky, and is a member of a group of bullies called the Tough Customers (well, about as tough as they could get). She is known to be good at giving advice. She has a little brother named James who is in D.W.'s preschool class.
• Prunella: a rat. Prunella is a grade above Arthur and his friends, and as a result is somewhat snobbish and condescending towards the younger kids. She is interested in yoga and psychic and paranormal phenomena. Like Marina, she is also obssesed with Henry Screever, the show's parody of Harry Potter. She sometimes talks in a very dramatic manner.
• Rubella: a rat. Prunella's older pre-teen sister. She is very spiritual and obsessed with psychic and paranormal phenomena. She is typically depicted as a mystical, and she often talks in a very dramatic tone.
• Sue Ellen Armstrong: a cat. Sue Ellen is a recent transfer to Arthur's school. Her father is a diplomat, and so her family has lived in various spots around the world. She is interested in world culture as well as martial arts.
• Timmy Tibble: a bear. Timmy is one half of the Tibble twins, a pair of identical twins, who live with their grandmother. They often get into trouble, lending them the nickname "The Terrible Tibbles." They attend the same preschool as D.W. (In early Arthur books, the Tibble Twins are humans, but most newer books now have them as bears). Timmy wears a blue kerchief and blue pajamas.
• Tommy Tibble: a bear. The other half of the Tibble twins who live with their grandmother. They often get into trouble, lending them the nickname "The Terrible Tibbles." They attend the same preschool as D.W. (In early Arthur books, the Tibble Twins are humans, but most newer books now have them as bears). Tommy wears a red kerchief and red pajamas.
• Vicita Molina: Arthur's new neighbor who moved in after Mr. Sipple moved out, introduced in season 6. She's three and seven-eighths, in her own proud words, and often plays with D.W. and the Tibbles. Her family is from Ecuador.

Background characters and one-timers

• Adil: Arthur's pen pal from Istanbul, Turkey. Just like Arthur, he has an "annoying" little sister and a best friend. He appears in only one episode, Dear Adil.
• Aloysius Zimmerplotz: Aloysius Zimmerplotz had trouble writing his own name correctly and often runs out of room. He was mentioned briefly in the episode where D.W. and the Tibbles want to get their own library card, when Timmy compares his name to D.W.'s. After D.W. got her own library card, she questioned Aloucious if he checked out the "Hop-Along the Frog" book but Aloucious told D.W. that he checked out "Chippy the Choo Choo" instead.
• Cora: Cora is the daughter of Jessica (Mrs. Read's sister) and Richard. She became the flower girl for her aunt Lucy's wedding during "D.W. Thinks Big". Cora made D.W. feel bad about not feeling important. This is the only time she has been called by name.
• Jenny: Not to be mistaken as unnamed rabbit girl, she is a rabbit who wears a polka-dotted purple skirt, and has shoulder-length blonde hair. Her name is only revealed in Arthur's Reading Race.
• Mike: Buster's friend. He was chosen as Buster's "older brother" on a guidance program Buster was enrolled in the episode Buster's New Friend.
• Monique: She is Arthur's cousin. He gets scared of her when she comes over for a family reuinion because she practiceed martial arts on him in the past among many things. Instead, Monique wants to show Arthur her piano skills.
• Rattles: Another member of the Tough Customers, in fourth grade at Lakewood. Rattles has been a Tough Customers member since the first season of the program.
• Slink: One half of the two "daredevils" from Mighty Mountain, across town, introduced in the episode Buster and the Daredevils. He is a part of Binky's Tough Customers group, although seemingly he doesn't attend Lakewood Elementary. He wears a t-shirt with a lightning bolt on it. He is a rabbit-person like Molly. It was once suggested he could be her brother, but Molly is already known to have a little brother named James. He and his friend Toby (see below) once played a Beavis and Butthead parody video game called "Peabrain and Nuthead."
• Steve: a rabbit. Steve is a male minor character who is normally seen in background and Buster said was "in" in the season 1 episode Buster Makes the Grade. Apparently, Steve faded further into the background in Season 2 and is rarely seen, although in the Season 7 episode "Elwood City Turns 100" Steve makes a brief speaking part while sitting in the audience watching the "Oh Elwood!" musical and in the episode Dino Dilemma when he exited the bus, he was saying the dinosaur names with Binky.
• Tenzen: He lives in Tibet. He is Sue Ellen's sponsored "brother."
• Thruster: A rabbit, who resembles Buster in the future. Binky sees him when he dreams in which he (Binky) ended up in the “World of Yesterday” museum exhibit instead of the “World of Tomorrow” exhibit after being asleep for 200 years. Thruster only appears once in this episode.
• Toby: The other half of the two "daredevils" from Mighty Mountain across town. A one-off character introduced in the episode Buster and the Daredevils. Unlike Slink, he is not part of the Tough Customers.
• Unnamed rabbit girl: She wears a blue striped shirt and has brunette hair. She does not speak throughout the show.

The adults

• Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong: both are cats and are Sue Ellen's parents. Mr. Armstrong is a diplomat and Mrs. Armstrong is a homemaker with a penchant for exotic clothes.
• Bailey: a dog. Muffy's chaffeur and sometimes the Crosswire Family's butler. He also has a notable talent in creating kinetic art, and follows Muffy's orders without question, even when told to drive the Crosswire limo in quite dangerous fashion.
• Mr. Barnes: a bulldog. Binky's father.
• Mrs. Barnes: a bulldog. Binky's mother, a nurse.
• Bitzi Baxter: a rabbit. Buster's mom, the editor of the Elwood City Times. She's overprotective of Buster and a frantic character. She dated a man named Harry who works at the newspaper for a couple seasons. Buster developed a real attachment to Harry, but Bitzi broke up with him because, although they really like each other, she wanted more time to pursue other interests.
• Bo Baxter: a rabbit. Buster's father, who is divorced. He is a pilot. Buster flies with him around the United States in the spin-off Postcards from Buster series. In Postcards from Buster, he is shown with short brown hair and glasses. However, in Arthur, he looks almost exactly like Harry, Bitzi Baxter's former boyfriend.
• Ms. Brian: a rabbit. The Lakewood Elementary School Art teacher
• David "Nigel" Read: an aardvark. Arthur and D.W.'s father. Mr. Read runs a catering business from home and is frequently shown garnishing trays of hors d'oeuvres in the family kitchen. In some older episodes, his first name is said to be "Nigel.", creating strange inconsistencies.
• Doria Walters: a dog. Fern's mother.
• Ed Crosswire: a monkey. Muffy's father, the owner of a car dealership called "Crosswire Motors". He is the coach of the soccer team.
• Dr. Frederick Fugue: a dog. Once taught Arthur piano lessons and later filled in for Ms. Krasny to take Mr. Ratburn's class to Crown City for a singing chorus field trip.
• Fritz Langley: a rat. Caretaker of the Elwood City Community Garden who sometimes suffers from arthritis in his hands while working.
• "Grandma" Thora Read: an aardvark. Grandma Thora is Arthur and D.W.'s paternal grandmother, who is quite caring, but tends towards being a bad cook. Grandma Thora is based on Brown's own grandmother Thora, who encouraged him by saving his childhood drawings in a bottom drawer.
• "Grandpa" Dave: an aardvark. Grandpa Dave is Arthur and D.W.'s maternal grandfather. He lives on the family farm which has been in the family for 125 years.
• Harry Mills: a rabbit. Works at Bitzi's newspaper as a sports writer. Bitzi started dating him for a couple of seasons, but then broke off because she wanted more time to pursue other interests.
• Herbert Haney: a bear. Mr. Haney is the lovable yet absentminded principal of Arthur's school. He, like George, suffers from dyslexia.
• Dr. Iris: a cat. She was the eye doctor who suggested that Arthur needed glasses in the first episode "Arthur's Eyes". (In the original Arthur book "Arthur's Eyes", Dr. Iris is a fox.)
• Jane Read: an aardvark. Arthur and D.W.'s mother. Mrs. Read is a work-at-home tax accountant.
• Jessica: an aardvark, Jane's sister. She is married to Richard and has a daughter, Cora. She appears in the episode "D.W. Thinks Big" for her sister Lucy's wedding.
• Ms. Krasny: a bear. The Lakewood Elementary School Music teacher.
• Laverne Frensky: a monkey. Francine's mother.
• Loretta: Arthur's aunt on his dad's side. She is somewhat overbearing and uses the word "dear" a lot when speaking to Arthur's mother at the family reunion.
• Lucy: an aardvark, Jane's younger sister. She appears in the episode "D.W. Thinks Big", where D.W. rescues the ring at Lucy's wedding.
• Mr. Marco: Arthur's former teacher (persumably second grade). He appears as Arthur's teacher instead of Mr. Ratburn in some episodes in season 1.
• Marie-Helene: a rabbit. Emily's French nanny.
• Millicent Crosswire: a monkey. Muffy's mother who likes opera.
• Mr. Molina: Arthur's new neighbor. Moved into Mr. Sipple's house when he moved out in Season 6.
• Mrs. Molina: Arthur's new neighbor. Moved into Mr. Sipple's house when he moved out in Season 6.
• Ms. Morgan: D.W.'s preschool teacher.
• Mr. Morris: a dog. Mr. Morris was the school janitor at Lakewood Elementary in Elwood City. He recently moved to Roswell, New Mexico to live with his daughter after breaking his leg during the fire at Lakewood, and is seen in Postcards from Buster when Buster visited New Mexico, yet the potental daughter isn't seen in the show. He plays the accordion nicknamed "Beatrice". Like Buster, he suffers from asthma and believes in aliens.
• Nigel Emil "Charles" Ratburn III: a rat. Mr. Ratburn is Arthur and his friends' teacher. His passions are homework and puppetry; he also enjoys magic tricks and spent a summer working at Jack's Joke Shop. He is also knowledgeable about Japanese lutes, such as the Biwa, but is noticeably incompetent with computers. Even Prunella made a joke about Mr. Ratburn one time that he eats nails in a cereal bowl for breakfast. He is a fanatic of the show "Spooky Poo," the show's parody of Scooby Doo. The Charles part of his name comes from a strange inconsistency in the episode #50802 "Bitzi's Beau" in which his name was announced to be Mr. Nigel Charles Ratburn instead.
• Oliver Frensky: a monkey. Francine's dad, who works as an sanitation engineer for the local city dump. He states he was formerly a volunteer firefighter. He is somewhat childish but optimistic in nature. He coaches the soccer team.
• Paige Turner: a rabbit. Ms. Turner is the friendly but strict librarian at the Elwood City Library.
• Patty Jones: a cat. The woman who played Mary Moo Cow, who later appeared as a newscaster for the T.V. show "Stock Market Today".
• Mr. Powers: a bear. Brain's father.
• Mrs. Powers: a bear. Brain's mother, who owns and runs the ice cream shop. Mrs. Powers originally had brown hair for the first season, but later seasons show Mrs. Powers with yellow hair (despite evidence that Brain's family is African-American.)
• Rodentia Ratburn: A rat . Mr. Ratburn's sister, who once filled in for Mr. Ratburn for a day when he was sick. Her teaching methods are notably similar to those of Mrs. Sweetwater.
• Sarah MacGrady: a bear. Mrs. MacGrady is the lunch lady at Lakewood Elementary school, where Arthur and his friends study. She is full of unconventional wisdom, and is Grandma Thora's bingo buddy.
• Mr. Sipple: a rabbit. Arthur's odd next-door neighbor from Season 1 to 6, who enjoys barbecuing fish late at night and comes from a place where making faces on a bike means bring the biker a cabbage. He moves out in Season 6, and the Molinas move in to his home.
• Miss Sweetwater: a rabbit. She is also a third grade teacher in another Lakewood Elementary School class, she mostly does fun things to her students like singing songs (such as "I Like Fudge") on her guitar. One time Miss Sweetwater had an argument in the teacher's lounge with Mr. Haney telling him "I didn't move your cheese!"
• Mrs. Tibble: a marsupial-like animal. The grandmother of Tommy and Timmy Tibble. (In the Arthur books, Mrs. Tibble is a human)
• Miss Tingley: a rabbit. Principal Haney's secretary. One time she was afraid of Miss Sweetwater's singing and Mr. Haney's sawing-in-half magic trick.
• Wanda: a rat. Prunella and Rubella's mother. She enjoys yoga and granola.
• Wilbur Rabbit: a rabbit. The actor who plays Bionic Bunny. Wears glasses exactly like Arthur's.
• Mrs. Woods: a rabbit. Perky's owner. Her grouchy dog, Perky (aka Jaws), is Pal's mother.

Minor characters

• Boris: a goat. Ringmaster of the Elwood City kid circus.
• Carl Patcheeva: a dog. Won a "combination pot holder and bath mat" gadget in 2002 in Arthur, It's Only Rock 'n' Roll.
• Uncle Fred: an aardvark. Arthur's clumsy uncle and his mother's brother, introduced in 2000 in Arthur's Perfect Christmas. It is slightly stated that he has a tendency to knock down Christmas trees.
• Ranger Jackie: Ranger of Moose Mountain state park.
• Ranger Ruth: Ranger for the dinosaur fossil tourist attraction where Buster once took a found fossil home from the field trip to the state park.
• Sally: Arthur's one time babysitter in 2001 (later a babysitter for Buster) who is an expert in playing the video game Dark Bunny 6: Curse of the Moo Mummy. Arthur develops a brief crush on her, despite the fact that she has a boyfriend named Cory.

Imaginary friends

• Nadine: a squirrel. D.W.'s imaginary friend. Only D.W. can see her.
• Snooter: a pet pig owned by Nadine that was discovered under the couch by Nadine and D.W. at one time.

Pets

• Amigo: The Molinas' pet dog. About twice the size of Pal.
• Killer: Grandma Thora's pet dog that she found as a stray.
• Nemo: Francine's pet cat. Like Pal, he isn't anthropomorphized, but he's shown to be capable of communicating with Pal in a few of the episodes.
• Pal: Arthur's small pet dog, who (like the other pets of the characters on the show) isn't anthropomorphized, though a series of episodes have shown him as being able to communicate with Baby Kate (and vice-versa). During these communications, Pal speaks in a tenor voice with an English accent.
• Perky: Mrs. Wood's dog, and Pal's mother.
• Spanky: D.W.'s pet bird, and a one-off character. Died in the same episode he was introduced in Season 1 episode So Long, Spanky.
• Toady Wartface: D.W.'s pet toad, replaces Spanky in So Long, Spanky but never seen again until an appearance in season 7 episode The great sock mystery (in which she revealed that she escaped from D.W.), and never seen again since.
• Rory: Uncle Fred's pet dog. White in color, about two to three times the size of Pal. Introduced and only seen in the episode Arthur's Perfect Christmas
• Alfonz: The cat Buster rescued from a tree that made him a hero and cat saver in the episode Buster Baxter, Cat Saver.

Other animals or pets whose owner is unknown

• Alan Greenspaniel: A dog, and a one-off character parody of Alan Greenspan introduced in the episode The Great Sock Mystery
• Bucky: A fish and one-off character that gets caught by Mr. Read in the episode D.W.'s Deer Friend, which D.W. names Bucky. It was to be the Reads' dinner, but instead ends up buried in a funeral by insistance of D.W..
• Hans: A dog. Mr. Toad's transport. Apparently a one-off character introduced in the episode The Great Sock Mystery.
• Mr. Toad: A toad, and another one-off character introduced in the episode The Great Sock Mystery. He rides on a dog named Hans. Apparently, Toady Wartface knew him since they were tadpoles.
• Walter: A deer that D.W. meets in the episode D.W.'s Deer Friend. D.W. wants to take Walter home but her parents say no.
• Pepe: An Italian circus flea introduced in the episode Flea to be you and me.
• Salè: Another Italian circus flea, Pepe's brother. Introduced in the episode Flea to be you and me.

Significant toys belonging to the characters on the show

• Clarissa: A china doll Grandma Thora owned since she was a child. When D.W. borrowed the doll, the doll cracked, only to be repaired like new by Mr. Ratburn.
• Stanley: An old stuffed teddy bear owned by Arthur for years that became ragged and torn even when Arthur tried to sell it at a yard sale to Vicita (and having Vicita rename it "Chico") until it was passed on to Mrs. Tibble repaired the doll for Arthur to make it look like new.
• Quackers: A talking duck doll that D.W. got for Christmas rather than the "Tina the Talking Tabby" doll she wanted mostly.
• Polly Locket: A take off of the Barbie doll and a play on the Polly Pocket dolls. These dolls have secret compartments in their faces. One time Prunella got two Polly Locket dolls for her birthday.
• Wally: a giraffe ventriloquist dummy owned by George. He was supposedly given to D.W. by George at the end of Arthur's Dummy Disaster, but he was returned to George sometime later, off series, for unspecified reasons.
• Woogles: Potato-shaped talking squeezable figures in many colors and many names like Archie, Tiny Einney, and Snuffles, which were a take off on the Beanie Baby craze. Arthur never attempted to get his own (except for a present from Grandma Thora) but got a rip-off of a Woogle called a "Poogle" named Charles. Arthur soon replaced the Woogle fad with a musical juice cap fad.
• Techno-Trout: A toy belonging to Buster, mentioned in Arthur's Perfect Christmas. It has a speckled belly.
• Cyber-Cod: A toy that looks similar to Techno-Trout, but has a different color scheme and instead of a speckled belly it has kung-fu fin action. It is Buster's Christmas present in Arthur's Perfect Christmas
• Cindy Crawfish make-up kit: A toy make-up kit received by Muffy received in Arthur's Perfect Christmas.

Characters That Are Based on Real People

• Jack Prelutsky: Jack Prelutsky appears on the episode I'm a Poet, as the judge of a poetry contest. At the end of the contest since he can't decide who's the winner, so he says "I hate contests. You all win."
• Mr. Rogers: Mr. Rogers appears on the episode Arthur Meets Mr. Rogers. He visits Arthur's house and Arthur is embarrassed because he thinks that Mr. Rogers Neighborhood is a baby show. Other people think that too but when Mr. Rogers comes for a visit to Arthur's class, but they all change their mind when Binky says "Wow, can I have your autograph too?" to Arthur.
• Art Garfunkel: Art Garfunkel appears in two Arthur episodes. He first appears in the episode The Ballad of Buster Baxter, and then later appears in Elwood City Turns 100! as one of the guests that Muffy invites to the play.
• Yo-Yo Ma: Yo-Yo Ma appears in the episode My Music Rules with Joshua Redman. He is the musician that D.W. invites.
• Joshua Redman: Joshua Redman also appears in the episode My Music Rules as Francine's second-cousin-twice-removed, who they call "Uncle Josh." He gets invited by Arthur and Francine.
• Alex Trebek (called Alex Lebek in the episode to make it not so obvious): Alex Trebek appears in the episode Arthur and the Big Riddle as the host of the Riddle Show
• Michelle Kwan: Michelle Kwan appears in the episode The Good Sport, as the host of the Athlete of the Year Award at Lakewood Elementry. It is alson said that she graduated from Lakewood Elementry in that series.
• Larry King: Larry King appears in the "And Now a Word From Us Kids" section of the episode Elwood City Turns 100! and interviews the gang.
• Click and Clack, The Tappet Brothers (Tom and Ray Magliozzi): The Car Talk hosts appear in the episode Pick a Car, Any Car, where Arthur calls them about their car when it is about to go to the junkyard.
• Arthur Ganson: Arthur Ganson appears in the episode Muffy's Art Attack.
• Koko Taylor: Koko Taylor appears in the episode Big Horns George, and is Alan "The Brain"'s favorite blues mucisian.
• Taj Mahal: Taj Mahal also appears in the episode Big Horns George with Koko Taylor.
• Frank Gehry: Frank Gehry appears in the episode Castles in the Sky, and helps the gang create a new tree house, although, they don't know he is Frank Gehry until he gives him a signed photo of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.
• Mike Timlin: Mike Timlin appears in the episode The Curse of the Grebes, playing a member of the Elwood City Grebes.
• Johnny Damon: Johnny Damon also appears in The Curse of the Grebes, also playing a member of the Elwood City Grebes.
• Edgar Renteria: Edgar Renteria also appears in The Curse of the Grebes also playing a Grebe.
• Ming Tsai: Ming Tsai appears in the episode What's Cooking?.
• The Backstreet Boys (Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, A.J. McLean, and Kevin Richardson): The Backstreet Boys appear in the episode Arthur, It's Only Rock n' Roll.

Episode list

Season 1 (2 September 1996 - June 1997)

• 1: Arthur's Eyes / Francine's Bad Hair Day (1-1) (pilot episode)
• 2: Arthur and the Real Mr. Ratburn (a/k/a Arthur's Teacher Trouble) / Arthur's Spelling Trubble (1-2)
• 3: D.W. All Wet / Buster's Dino Dilemma (1-3)
• 4: D.W.'s Imaginary Friend / Arthur's Lost Library Book (1-4)
• 5: Arthur's Pet Business / D.W. the Copycat (1-5)
• 6: Locked in the Library / Arthur Accused! (1-6)
• 7: Arthur Goes to Camp / Buster Makes the Grade (1-7)
• 8: Arthur's New Puppy / Arthur Bounces Back (1-8)
• 9: Arthur Babysits / Arthur's Cousin Catastrophe (1-9)
• 10: Arthur's Birthday / Francine Frensky, Superstar (1-10)
• 11: Arthur's Baby / D.W.'s Baby (1-11)
• 12: Arthur Writes a Story / Arthur's Lost Dog (1-12)
• 13: So Long, Spanky / Buster's New Friend (1-13)
• 14: Arthur the Wrecker (a/k/a Arthur's Computer Disaster) / Arthur and the True Francine (1-14)
• 15: Arthur's Family Vacation / Grandpa Dave's Old Country Farm (1-15)
• 16: Arthur and the Crunch Cereal Contest / D.W. Flips (1-16)
• 17: Meek for a Week / Arthur, World's Greatest Gleeper (1-17)
• 18: Arthur's Chicken Pox / Sick as a Dog (1-18)
• 19: D.W. Rides Again / Arthur Makes the Team (1-19)
• 20: Arthur's Almost Boring Day / The Half-Baked Sale (1-20)
• 21: Sue Ellen Moves In / The Perfect Brother (1-21)
• 22: D.W.'s Snow Mystery / Team Trouble (1-22)
• 23: Bully for Binky / Misfortune Teller (1-23)
• 24: Arthur's Tooth / D.W. Gets Lost (1-24)
• 25: D.W. Thinks Big / Arthur Cleans Up (1-25)
• 26: My Dad, the Garbage Man / Poor Muffy (1-26)
• 27: D.W.'s Blankie / Arthur's Substitute Teacher Trouble (1-27)
• 28: I'm a Poet (guest starring Jack Prelutsky) / The Scare-Your-Pants-Off Club! (1-28)
• 29: My Club Rules / Stolen Bike (1-29)
• 30: Arthur's First Sleepover / Arthur's New Years Eve (1-30)

Season 2 (September 1997 - May 1998)

• 31: Arthur Meets Mr. Rogers (guest starring Fred Rogers as Mr. Rogers) / Draw! (2-1)
• 32: Binky Barnes, Art Expert / Arthur's Lucky Pencil (2-2)
• 33: D.W., the Picky Eater / Buster and the Daredevils (2-3)
• 34: Arthur Makes a Movie / Go to Your Room, D.W. (2-4)
• 35: Arthur's Underwear / Francine Frensky, Olympic Rider (2-5)
• 36: Buster Baxter, Cat Saver / Play it Again, D.W. (a/k/a D.W. and the Crazy Bus Song) (2-6)
• 37: Arthur's TV-Free Week / Night Fright (2-7)
• 38: Arthur vs. the Piano / The Big Blow-Up (2-8)
• 39: Lost! / The Short, Quick Summer (2-9)
• 40: D.W. Goes to Washington / Arthur's Mystery Envelope (2-10)
• 41: D.W.'s Deer Friend / Buster Hits the Books (2-11)
• 42: Arthur's Faraway Friend / Arthur and the Square Dance (2-12)
• 43: Water and the Brain / Arthur the Unfunny (2-13)
• 44: Sue Ellen's Lost Diary / Arthur's Knee (2-14)
• 45: Grandma Thora Appreciation Day / Fern's Slumber Party (2-15)
• 46: Love Notes for Muffy / D.W. Blows the Whistle (2-16)
• 47: Francine Redecorates / Arthur the Loser (2-17)
• 48: Arthur vs. the Very Mean Crossing Guard / D.W.'s Very Bad Mood (2-18)
• 49: D.W.'s Name Game / Finders Key-pers (2-19)
• 50: How the Cookie Crumbles / Sue Ellen's Little Sister (2-20)

Season 3 (September 1998 - May 1999)

• 51: Buster's Back / The Ballad of Buster Baxter (guest starring Art Garfunkel) (3-1)
• 52: D.W., All Fired Up / I'd Rather Read It Myself (3-2)
• 53: Arthur Goes Crosswire / Sue Ellen and the Brainasaurus (3-3)
• 54: Background Blues / And Now Let's Talk to Some Kids (3-4)
• 55: The Chips Are Down / Revenge of the Chip (3-5)
• 56: Binky Rules/Meet Binky (3-6)
• 57: Arthur Rides the Bandwagon / Dad's Dessert Dilemma (3-7)
• 58: Popular Girls / Buster's Growing Grudge (3-8)
• 59: Arthur's Treasure Hunt / The Return of the King (3-9)
• 60: Attack of the Turbo Tibbles / D.W. Tricks the Tooth Fairy (3-10)
• 61: Double Tibble Trouble / Arthur's Almost Live Not Real Music Festival (3-11)
• 62: What Scared Sue Ellen? / Clarissa is Cracked (3-12)
• 63: Arthur's Dummy Disaster / Francine and the Feline (3-13)
• 64: Mom and Dad Have a Great Big Fight / D.W.'s Perfect Wish (3-14)
• 65: Arthur and D.W. Clean Up / The Long, Dull Winter (3-15)

Season 4 (September 1999 - November 1999)

• 66: D.W.'s Library Card / Arthur's Big Hit (4-1)
• 67: Hide and Snake / Muffy's New Best Friend (4-2)
• 68: Buster's Breathless / The Fright Stuff (4-3)
• 69: The Contest / Prove It! (4-4)
• 70: The Blizzard / The Rat Who Came to Dinner (4-5)
• 71: D.W. Tale Spins / Prunella Gets it Twice (4-6)
• 72: Binky Barnes, Wingman! / To Beat or Not to Beat (4-7)
• 73: 1001 Dads / Prunella's Prediction (4-8)
• 74: What is that Thing? / Buster's Best Behavior (4-9)
• 75: My Music Rules (guest starring Yo-Yo Ma and Joshua Redman) / That's a Baby Show! (4-10)

Season 5 (September 2000 - November 2000)

• 76: Arthur and the Big Riddle (guest starring Alex Trebek) / Double Dare (5-1)
• 77: Kids are From Earth, Parents are From Pluto / Nerves of Steal (5-2)
• 78: It's a No-Brainer / The Shore Thing (5-3)
• 79: The World Record / The Cave (5-4)
• 80: The Lousy Week / You Are Arthur (5-5)
• 81: The Election / Francine Goes to War (5-6)
• 82: Sleep No More / Pet Peeved (5-7)
• 83: The Last of Mary Moo Cow (guest starring the cast of ZOOM in the "A Word from Us Kids" mid-show segment) / Bitzi's Beau (5-8)
• 84: Just Desserts / The Big Dig (5-9)
• 85: Arthur's Family Feud / Muffy Gets Mature (5-11)

Season 6 (September 2001 - November 2001)

• 86: Sue Ellen Gets Her Goose Cooked / Best of the Nest (6-1)
• 87: Arthur Plays the Blues / Buster's Sweet Success (6-2)
• 88: Prunella's Special Edition / The Secret Life of Dogs and Babies (6-3)
• 89: Muffy's Soccer Shocker / Brother Can You Spare a Clarinet? (6-4)
• 90: The Boy Who Cried Comet! / Arthur and Los Vecínos (6-5)
• 91: Citizen Frensky / D.W.'s Backpack Mishap (6-6)
• 92: The Boy with His Head in the Clouds / More! (6-7)
• 93: Rhyme for Your Life / For Whom the Bell Tolls (6-8)
• 94: The Good Sport (guest starring Michelle Kwan) / Crushed (6-9)
• 95: Arthur Loses His Marbles / Friday the 13th (6-10)

Season 7 (October 2002 - November 2002)

• 96: Cast Away / The Great Sock Mystery (7-2)
• 97: Francine's Split Decision / Muffy Goes Metropolitan (7-3)
• 98: Ants in Arthur's Pants / Don't Ask Muffy (7-4)
• 99: To Tibble the Truth / Waiting to Go (7-5)
• 100: Elwood City Turns 100! (First full 30 minute Arthur episode, also guest starring Larry King in the "A Word From Us Kids" mid-show segment) (7-6)
• 101: Prunella Sees the Light / Return of the Snowball (7-7)
• 102: D.W.'s Time Trouble / Buster's Amish Mismatch (7-8)
• 103: The World of Tomorrow / Is There a Doctor in the House? (7-9)
• 104: Pick a Car, Any Car (guest starring Tom and Ray Magliozzi, the Car Talk guys) / Jenna's Bedtime Blues (7-10)
• 105: April 9th (parts 1 and 2) (7-11)

Season 8 (September 2003 - December 2003)

• 106: Dear Adil / Bitzi's Break Up (8-1)
• 107: Fernfern and the Secret of Moose Mountain / Thanks A Lot, Binky (8-2)
• 108: Arthur's Snow Biz / Bugged (8-3)
• 109: Fernkenstein's Monster / D.W., Dancing Queen (8-4)
• 110: Vomitrocious! / Sue Ellen Chickens Out! (8-5)
• 111: Postcards from Buster (8-6)
• 112: Desk Wars / Desperately Seeking Stanley (8-7)
• 113: Muffy's Art Attack / Tales from the Crib (guest starring Arthur Ganson)(8-8)
• 114: Flea to Be You and Me / Kiss and Tell (8-9)
• 115: Big Horns George (guest starring Koko Taylor, and Taj Mahal) / *Bleep* (8-10)

Season 9 (2004 - May 2005)

• 116: Castles in the Sky / Tipping the Scales (guest starring Frank Gehry) (9-1)
• 117: Francine's Big Top Trouble / George Blows His Top (9-2)
• 118: Arthur Weighs In / The Law of the Jungle Gym (9-3)
• 119: Buster's Green Thumb / My Fair Tommy (9-4)
• 120: Lights, Camera, Opera! / All Worked Up! (9-5)
• 121: Arthur Makes Waves / It Came From Beyond (9-6)
• 122: Three's a Crowd / "A" is for Angry (9-7)
• 123: The "A" Team / Emily Swallows a Horse (9-8)
• 124: D.W. Beats All / Buster the Myth Maker (9-9)
• 125: Binky Goes Nuts / Breezy Listening Blues (9-10)

Season 10 (May 15, 2006 - May 26, 2006)

• 126: Happy Anniversary (10-1)
• 127: The Squirrels / Fern & Persimmony Glitchet (10-2)
• 128: Desert Island Dish / The Secret About Secrets (10-3)
• 129: Feeling Flush / Family Fortune (10-4)
• 130: D.W. Aims High / Flaw and Order (10-5)
• 131: The Curse of the Grebes (guest stars Edgar Renteria, Mike Timlin and Johnny Damon)/ Arthur Changes Gears (10-6)
• 132: Unfinished / D.W., Bossy Boots (10-7)
• 133: Binky vs. Binky / Operation D.W. (10-8)
• 134: Do You Speak George? / World Girls (10-9)
• 135: What's Cooking? (guest star Ming Tsai)/ Buster's Special Delivery (10-10)

Specials

• Special 1: Arthur's Perfect Christmas (5-10) (Premiered November 23, 2000)
• Special 2: Arthur, It's Only Rock and Roll (guest starring The Backstreet Boys) (7-1) (Premiered September 1, 2002)
• Special 3: Arthur and Buster Thanksgiving Spectacular (10-1)
• Unproduced Special: Arthur's Halloween Special
• Direct To Video 1: Arthur's Missing Pal
• Special order only: Kideo's Arthur's New Friend

Music albums

Arthur is a very musical show. While it is not a children's program where characters regularly burst into song, such as Blue's Clues or Bear in the Big Blue House, it does have a fair number of associated songs. To date, a total of three albums have been released:

Arthur and Friends: The First Almost Real Not Live CD

[The First Almost Real Not Live CD] was the first album for the series, issued in 1998. Many of the songs on this CD aired in shorter forms on the TV story "Arthur's Almost Live Not Real Music Festival." Others were heard at other times on the program and some were never seen on the TV show. Tracks on this CD included the show's main title theme, "Library Card" (a lively number about how much fun it is to have a library card), multiple tracks of D.W.'s favorite song "Crazy Bus" (by former show writer / executive story editor Joe Fallon "Toolbox"), "The Ballad of Buster Baxter" (a more complete form than that heard on the television story) and "Jekyll And Hyde" (which explores the Brain's wild side.)

Tracks on this CD

• 01. Believe in Yourself (Theme Song)
• 02. Library Card
• 03. Crazy Bus/No Way!
• 04. Arthur vs. the Piano
• 05. The UFO Song
• 06. Meek for a Week
• 07. Jekyll and Hyde
• 08. My Dog Pal
• 09. Matalij ja Mustii (The Binky Song)
• 10. Crazy Bus/I Said No, D.W.!
• 11. My Night Light
• 12. Go to Sleep
• 13. Thinking Tune
• 14. Lucky Pencil
• 15. Homework
• 16. Poetry Club
• 17. The Ballad of Buster Baxter (performed by Art Garfunkel)
• 18. Leftovers Goulash
• 19. Crazy Bus

Arthur's Perfect Christmas

Issued in 2000, [Arthur's Perfect Christmas] features many songs from the television special, including "Boogie Woogie Christmas" and "Baxter Day." New tunes on this CD include a rock version of "Silent Night" performed by Fern and "Here We Come A'Wassailing."

Tracks on this CD

• 01. Perfect Christmas
• 02. Jingle Bells
• 03. The First Noel
• 04. Boogie Woogie Christmas
• 05. Here We Come A Wassailing
• 06. O Little Town Of Bethlehem
• 07. Silent Night
• 08. Fum, Fum, Fum
• 09. It's Kwanzaa Time!
• 10. What Child Is This?
• 11. What's The Use Of Presents?
• 12. Baxter Day
• 13. I'm Not Scared Of Santa
• 14. We Three Kings
• 15. Chanukah, Oh Chanukah
• 16. Sevivon
• 17. Chanukah Blesshing
• 18. Sankta Lucia
• 19. Nu Ar Det Jul Igen
• 20. Angels We Have Heard On High
• 21. Bring A Torch Jeanette, Isabella
• 22. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
• 23. O Tannenbaum
• 24. Joy To The World
• 25. Perfect Christmas Reprise

Arthur's Really Rockin' Music Mix

The most recent CD, [Arthur's Really Rockin' Music Mix] was issued in 2001. This CD contains only one song heard on the program, a remixed version of the main title theme. A short version of this remix was played during the closing credits in the sixth season. All other tunes on this album are new. They are intended as a mix of various song styles, including zydeco, tango, jazz, blues and even country western. Songs include "Two Sides of the Story" (the country western song --- a tune based on the events of the story "Arthur's Family Feud"), "Fern's Detective Tango" (based loosely on the story "Binky Rules") and "D.W.'s Brass in Pocket" (based on the classic Pretenders tune "Brass in Pocket.") There's even a riotous retelling of the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears by Sue Ellen, featuring Binky as Baby Bear, with lines such as "I'm too big to be a baby. Can't I be their cousin from down south who's a professional race car driver?"

Tracks on this CD

• 01. Believe In Yourself (Arthur Theme Remix)
• 02. I Don't Want to Wake Up
• 03. Pop Quiz from Ratburn
• 04. Has Anybody Seen My Invisible Friend?
• 05. Two Sides of the Story
• 06. I Can't Snap My Fingers
• 07. Fly, Butterfly, Fly!
• 08. D.W.'s Brass in Pocket
• 09. Elwood City: A Report
• 10. Muffy's Soccer Song
• 11. My Brain
• 12. Only the Frensky
• 13. Mrs. Wha-cha-ma-call-it
• 14. Fern's Detective Tango
• 15. My Echo Doesn't Sound Like Me
• 16. Goldilocks and The Bears Trio as Told by Sue Ellen

Music from Arthur, It's Only Rock 'n' Roll

There were also several tunes in the special "It's Only Rock 'n' Roll" but to date, these have not been released to CD. However, they were made available by WGBH's press relations and can be found as MP3s on some sites and on the Yahoo Arthur group. These songs are "Nothing But the Music," "Manager of My Dreams" and another remix of the main title theme. These songs (with the exception of the original version of "Nothing But the Music") all feature performances from the Backstreet Boys. Additionally, this special included the Backstreet Boys song "I Want it That Way." and a snippet of "Larger than Life".

Music in the special (including incomplete music)

• Believe in Yourself (The usual Arthur theme, performed by Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers)
• I Want it That Way (performed by the Backstreet Boys) (partial)
• Row, Row, Row your Boat (performed by Fern)
• Skinnamarink (performed by D.W during audition held by Francine) (partial)
• Unknown jingle (performed by George in background during audition held by Francine) (partial)
• Nothing But the Music (PTA fundraiser version performed by U-Stink)
• Our name's We Stink (a song Arthur, Buster and George wrote for their band) (partial)
• Manager of My Dreams (performed by Muffy and The Backstreet Boys)
• Three variants of an incomplete song with the lyrics "Well I thought I saw, the other night..." (performed by Binky, Fern and Molly) (partial)
• Nothing But the Music (final performance by U-Stink and The Backstreet Boys)
• Larger than Life (performed by the Backstreet Boys in the background as U-Stink disbands backstage) (partial)
• Believe in Yourself - reprise (Arthur Theme Song, performed by The Backstreet Boys)

Actimates

In 1998, both Arthur and D.W. were made into Microsoft Actimates, sophisticated toy dolls who could interact with children, with each other, with certain computer software and the Arthur website, and also with the Arthur television show and videos. Coded information that the Actimates could read and react to is present in many early Arthur episodes, and forms a thin bar-code-like strip along the left edge of the screen. This is typically invisible when viewed on a normal television, but can be seen by other means, such as watching Arthur on a computer screen by using a TV tuner card. To get the Actimates to interact with the TV show or the videos, a transmitter device called a TV Pack must be purchased separately and connected to the video-out connector of the TV set, while to have the Actimates to interact with the specialized computer software and the website, another transmitter device called a PC Pack must be purchased separately and be connected to the MIDI/game port connector of the PC. The Arthur website had a separate programming page for downloading a browser plug-in that enables the site to use special scripting to control the Actimates.

Due to the difference in functions between the PC Pack and TV Pack, the actimates will not interact with the Arthur TV Show if the show is being watched on a computer monitor using a tuner card with the PC Pack plugged in. Likewise, it will not interact with a TV that is connected to a computer and has a PC Pack is plugged into the TV.

Microsoft discontinued the Actimates line shortly before season 5 aired, most possibly due to a lawsuit pertaining to patent infringement[link] and the fact that sales were dropping. Recent seasons of Arthur have not included any Actimates code. Newer videos and DVD releases of the show does not carry Actimates code either. The enhancements on the website were removed when the site was redesigned in 2002 and thus the Actimates would no longer interact with the website. Likewise, re-releases of the Actimates software do not interact with the Actimates because the library that controls the PC Pack has been replaced with a dummy library file (reports state that the software will resume interaction with the Actimates if the library file is replaced with the original one).

Trivia

• In Arthur's Perfect Christmas it is revealed that Francine's family is Jewish, and it is implied that the Brain's family is African American by their Kwanzaa celebration.
• This was one of few shows to override the WGBH sting logo with the theme music to the show itself, ostensibly because the infamous ident's music would scare the target audience.
• The show has a parody of Beavis and Butt-Head titled Peabrain and Nuthead.
• There have been 6 episodes to date where Arthur does not make an appearance: "Prunella Sees the Light", "FernFern and the Secret of Moose Mountain", "Thanks a Lot, Binky!", "Big Horns George", "My Fair Tommy", and "World Girls".
• Arthur's birthday is on May 25. The character celebrated his 25th birthday on the same day in 2001.
• In the episode That's A Baby Show, Catherine says "Oh, brother," but closed captions say "That is stupid."
• One episode featured stories done in the style of other shows. For example: Buster's story The Day the Earth was Saved was done in South Park, while Muffy's story is Beavis and Butthead-style and Brain's story is based on Dexter's Laboratory. Arthur's story was done in Dr. Katz.
• Arthur is broadcast with two distinct caption tracks in the US - Standard and simplified. The simplified caption track is inconsistent with the show and will show text that is simplified to either allow younger children who are just learning to read to use the caption or for providing a simple explanation of what is being said to younger children. There's also word that some broadcasts of Arthur carry a third Spanish language caption track. Also, Arthur broadcasts in the US carry a DVS SAP audio track to aid vision-impaired folks in grasping what is happening onscreen.
• At the beginning of I'd Rather Read it Myself, Timmy says it's eleventy -twelve but captions say it's 6.
• The movers on the show are ducks, even though some people confuse them with platypi.
• Arthur plays the piano and keyboards; Binky, the clarinet; Buster, the tuba; George, the flute; Francine, the drums; Molly, the guitar; Muffy, the violin and the tambourine; the Brain, the cello; Fern, the bass and the piccolo; Mrs. MacGrady, the kazoo and keyboards; and Sue Ellen, the saxophone. Fern and Francine also sing.
• Arthur's eyes in the first season (mainly seen in the first episode Arthur's Eyes) are shown to be regular drawn eyes, similar to Buster, D.W., etc. But in the second season, his eyes were changed to have dots instead.
• Long before the television series, Arthur appeared in a 1983 episode of the PBS show Reading Rainbow in an animated reading of the book "Arthur's Eyes" narrated by Bill Cosby. A 1988 Reading Rainbow episode featured an animated reading of the somewhat Arthur related The Bionic Bunny Show book narrated by Gene Klaven.
• Arthur appeared as a guest in hand puppet form in a 1999 episode of Mister Rogers Neighborhood (which Mister Rogers made a visit to Marc Brown's house, and later Arthur made a visit to the Neighborhood of Make Believe) and Mister Rogers appeared in an Arthur episode in animated form as an aardvark himself.
• Two Cinar-produced shows have been spoofed on a few Arthur episodes: The Busy World of Richard Scarry and Wimzie's House.
• It is revealed in one episode that D.W.'s birthday is March 1.
• This show has parodies on the Harry Potter books (the Henry Screever books), the A Series of Unfortunate Events books that are by Lemony Snicket (the Horrendously Horrible Happenings books that are by Persimmony Glitchet), the Animorphs books (Vegemorphs, which was the name real life parody of Animorphs), and the Goosebumps books (Scare Your Pants off Club).
• In one episode, Francine and Buster are shown playing a bubble hockey game where the teams are apparently wearing the shirts of the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins. However, a close look will reveal that the "CH" on the Habs' shirts has been replaced with Montreal-based Cinar's logo, while the Boston shirts have WGBH's sting logotype on them. Future episodes which involve hockey also have players wearing the sweaters of the "teams", and in one episode it can be inferred that WGBH/Bruins are Elwood City's "home" team.
• The best friends of Arthur and DW are rabbits.
• In "Ferkenstine's Monster", Fern calls the monster the Thing while the captions say it's a bug.

Funding

• Corporation for Public Broadcasting (1996)
• "Viewers Like You" (1996-today)
• Arthur Vining Davis Foundation
• Polaroid (1996)
• Juicy Juice (1996)
• Baby Gap (1996)
• Post Alpha-Bits Cereal (1999)
• Chuck E. Cheeses (2002-up)
• Rhodes 60-second Cinnamon Rolls (2005-up)
• Lego (2000)

External links

• [PBS Kids: Arthur]
• [Elwood City Downtown Core]
• [The Arthur yahoo group - one of the oldest Arthur discussion places on the Internet!]
• [1998 Actimates press release]
• [WGBH Arthur Pressroom - News and Pictures, Series Fact Sheet]

 

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