Arthur (TV series)
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Template:Infobox television Arthur is the name of a Canadian-produced animated television series that airs on PBS Kids GO! in the United States and on CBC in Canada. In the United States, timeslots vary greatly from station-to-station. The series made its debut on September 2, 1996. The series is based on the Arthur books by author Marc Brown which were first published in 1976 (the first of them was "Arthur's Nose"), 20 years prior to its popularity after the show was launched. The main character, Arthur (full name Arthur Timothy Read) is an aardvark in the third grade who has two younger sisters: precocious four-year-old D.W. (short for "Dora Winifred") and baby Kate. Arthur's sibling rivalry with D.W. is often a theme of most episodes of the show.
The series focuses on the daily lives of a group of anthropomorphized animal elementary school characters, who deal with various problems such as school plays, classroom assignments, and so forth. Various social issues are also raised by the show, and a diverse range of characters are purposefully used. Among issues raised include asthma, blindness, dyslexia, divorce, and food allergies.
Arthur is set in the fictional Elwood City. While the show's producers have stated that Elwood City has no specific location (so as to allow the viewers to imagine it is located wherever they wish), various fans have suggested it as being set in locations in the Northeast United States such as Massachusetts.
The show's opening theme song is the reggae song Believe in Yourself (a/k/a "Rhythm of the Street", or "What A Wonderful Kind of Day"), performed by Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers. Each half-hour show contains two self-contained episodes, separated by a live-action vignette titled A Word From Us Kids featuring schoolchildren doing a project that is usually related to the subject of the first episode (this vignette is not included in the international versions of the show).
The series often contains a few 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, Joshua Redman, Frank Gehry, and even Yo-Yo Ma, the noted cellist, 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) Mary Moo Cow (a possible parody of Barney and Friends), Love Ducks and Vidiboobies (both a parody of the Teletubbies). Also present were Power Rangers spoofs like Fighty Fluoride Scour Rangers and Terrific Turbo-Trooper Toy T-Bot Team (Although the former was just a short film used to teach oral hygiene in class while the latter is rather violent and is banned from the Read household. It is therefore possible that the former is actually intended to be a parody of the latter). 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).
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.
In August of 2004, news was announced that an Arthur comic strip was planned for release in 2005 [1], but 2005 came and went and disappoined fans found no Arthur comic strip in their local newspapers. It was later found out that the deal fell through in the last minute. [2]
In 2005, Mainframe Entertainment announced the direct to video production of Arthur.[3]
At the very end of 2005, viewers learned that the tenth season of Arthur would most likely begin airing in late April or early May 2006. On March 1, 2006, viewers found out that the exact premiere date is May 15, 2006. One of the new stories 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. Damon participates, despite having recently signed as a free-agent with the New York Yankees.
Popularity & Recent Criticisms
When Arthur first aired in 1996, it became unusually popular with adults for a show targeted at grade school children. The show incorperates 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.
Controversy has surrounded some of the show's contents, including occasional references to yoga and spiritualism; one character consulted evil spirits to learn how to do better in class. Additionally, some say the characters (most notably Arthur, D.W., and Francine) and plots of the show have an anti-parent feel that advocates snobbiness, rivalry, pride, attitude, and disrespect to parents and siblings. One example is Francine's father telling his daughter to "be a good loser". She responds with "that's the most stupid thing I ever heard".
Recently the show has been accused of jumping the shark. In the vein of Rugrats, many fans feel the show has "been on too long for its own good". Detractors of the new episodes point out that the show seems to be "stealing" or "ripping off" ideas from other cartoons. For an example, *Bleep*'s plot line is noticably similar to that of the SpongeBob SquarePants episode Sailor Mouth, while the episode where Elwood City makes the world's largest pizza is almost completly identical to an episode of Hey Arnold!. Many of the characters have also undergone dramatic voice changes in the past several seasons; Arthur himself 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 suddenly regressed in both age and maturity (especially considering his second voice, that of Justin Bradley, sounded almost as if he'd hit early puberty). Cameron Ansell also is said to be a bad choice for Arthur, as complaints say Arthur sounds as if he shrunk back to 5 years old. D.W.'s voice has changed three times, although the difference is not as noticeable; Brain has also had three voices, and the Tibble twins fluctuate from having identical voices to having different ones. Francine and Buster have had the same voices ever since 1996.
Spoiler Warning Plot and/or ending details follow.
Cast
Spoiler warning Plot and/or ending details follow.
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 maths 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.
- Alberto Molina: Arthur's teenaged new neighbor who moved in after Mr. Sipple moved out, introduced in season 6. The Molinas are Spanish, originally from Ecuador, and Alberto enjoys reading "El Conejo Bionico", the Spanish version of Bionic Bunny.
- Arthur Timothy Read: The title character. Wears glasses, a yellow shirt, 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 Thomas 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. The same person who does the voice of Mr. Read also does the voice of Binky. Listen for a major change in his voice between the first season and all subsequent ones. As his voice actor is an adult, this was apparently a deliberate change.
- 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 with his father, who is a pilot. He suffered 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, often annoying. Loves the television show Mary Moo Cow and the annoying song "Crazy Bus". D.W. attends preschool with the Tibble twins amd 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. She and her family 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: 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 has problems with wetting the bed.
- 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. 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 (badly) 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. Molly is close friends with Binky, and is a member of a group of hooligans 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.
- Rubella: a rat. Prunella's older pre-teen age sister. She is very spiritual and obsessed with psychic and paranormal phenomena.
- 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 the Arthur books, the Tibble Twins are humans, although some books had them as bears as well). 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 the Arthur books, the Tibble Twins are humans, although some books had them as bears as well.) 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
- Mike: Buster's friend. He was chosen as Buster's "older brother" on a guidance programme Buster was enrolled in the episode Buster's New Friend.
- 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."
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Alouicious Zimmerplotz: Alouicious 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 "Hopalong the Frog" book but Aloucious told D.W. that he checked out "Chippy the Choo Choo" instead.
- Unnamed rabbit girl: She doesn't speak in the whole series. Otherwise, she wears stripes and blue skirt.
Spoilers End here
The adults
- Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong: both are cats and are Sue Ellen's parents. Her father is a diplomat and her mother is a homemaker with a penchant for exotic clothes.
- Bailey: a dog. Muffy's chaffeur and sometimes the Crosswire Family's butler.
- 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 US in the spin-off Postcards from Buster series.
- Boris: a goat. Ringmaster of the Elwood City kid circus.
- Ms. Brian: a rabbit. The Lakewood Elementary School Art teacher
- David 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.
- 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 Read: 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 "generations".
- 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 her interests.
- Herbert Haney: a bear. Mr. Haney is the lovable yet absentminded principal of Arthur's school. He, like George, also has 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. Marcos: 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 New Mexico to live with his daughter after breaking his leg during the fire at Lakewood, and he plays the accordian nicknamed "Beatrice". Like Buster, he suffers from asthma and believes in aliens.
- Nigel "Emil" 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 and screws in a cereal bowl for breakfast. The Emil part of his name comes from a strange inconsistency in one of the episodes in which his name was announced to be Mr. Emil Ratburn instead.
- Oliver Frensky: a monkey. Francine's dad, who works as an sanitation engineer for the local city dump. He is somewhat childish but optimistic in nature. He coaches the baseball 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.
- 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
- 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 tendancy 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 anthromorphized, 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).
- 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.
- Toady Wartface: D.W.'s pet toad, replaces Spanky but never seen again until an appearance in a season 7 episode (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.
- Alfonz: The cat Buster rescued from a tree that made him a hero and cat saver at one time.
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 that gets killed by Arthur's father which D.W. finds out and names him Bucky.
- 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 outdoors, 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 broter. Introduced in the episode Flea to be you and me.
Toy characters
- 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.
- Clarisa: A china doll Grandma Thora owned since she was a child. And when D.W. borrowed the doll, the doll suddenly cracked and later it was repaired like new by Mr. Ratburn.
- 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. And one time Prunella got 2 Polly Locket dolls for her birthday.
- Wally: a giraffe ventriloquist dummy owned by George.
- Woogles: A take off on the Beanie Baby craze which were potato shaped talking squeezable figures in many colors and many names like Archie, Tiny Einney, and Snuffles. 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.
Episode list
Season 1 (September 1996 - June 1997)
- 1: Arthur's Eyes / Francine's Bad Hair Day (1-1)
- 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 (7-5)
- 99: To Tibble the Truth / Waiting to Go (7-6)
- 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) (7-7)
- 101: Prunella Sees the Light / Return of the Snowball (7-8)
- 102: D.W.'s Time Trouble / Buster's Amish Mismatch (7-9)
- 103: The World of Tomorrow / Is There a Doctor in the House? (7-10)
- 104: Pick a Car, Any Car (guest starring the Car Talk guys) / Jenna's Bedtime Blues (7-11)
- 105: April 9th (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 (pilot for Postcards from Buster spin-off series, no "A Word From Us Kids" mid-show segment was in this episode) (8-6)
- 112: Desk Wars / Desperately Seeking Stanley (8-7)
- 113: Muffy's Art Attack (guest starring Arthur Ganson) / Tales from the Crib (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 (December 2004 - April 2005)
- 116: Castle in the Sky (guest starring Frank Gehry) / Tipping the Scales (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! (guest starring Rodney Gilfry) / 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 2006)
- 126: Happy Anniversary
- 127: The Squirrels / Fern and Persimmony Glitchet
- 128: Desert Island Dish / The Secret About Secrets
- 129: Feeling Flush / Family Fortune
- 130: D.W. Aims High / Flaw and Order
- 131: The Curse of the Greebes / Arthur Changes Gears
- 132: Unfinished / D.W., Bossy Boots
- 133: Binky VS. Binky / Operation D.W
- 134: Do You Speak George? / World Girls
- 135: What's Cooking? / Buster's Special Delivery
Specials
- Special 1: Arthur's Perfect Christmas (5-10)
- Special 2: Arthur, It's Only Rock and Roll (guest starring The Backstreet Boys) (7-1)
- Special 3: Arthur and Buster Thanksgiving Spectacular (10-1)
- Unproduced Special: Arthur's Halloween Special
- Direct To Video 1: Arthur's Missing Pal
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. 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
- 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 hilarious 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 (Arthur Theme Song, performed by Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers)
- I Want it That Way (performed by the Backstreet Boys) (Incomplete)
- Row, Row, Row your Boat (performed by Fern)
- Skinnamarink (performed by D.W during audition held by Francine) (Incomplete)
- Unknown jingle (performed by George in background during audition held by Francine) (Incomplete)
- 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) (Incomplete)
- Manager of My Dreams (performed bt 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) (Incomplete)
- 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) (Incomplete)
- 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 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. Microsoft discontinued the Actimates line shortly before season 5 aired, and recent seasons of Arthur have not included any Actimates code.
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.
- There have been 5 episodes 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", and "My Fair Tommy".
- Funders for Arthur on PBS over the years have been: Juicy Juice, Polaroid, Baby Gap, Post Alpha-Bits, Lego, Chuck E. Cheese's, Teddy Grahams, Rhodes 60 Second Cinnamon Rolls, and Danimals.
- 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."
- 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 Read plays the piano, Binky Barnes, the clarinet, Buster Baxter, the tuba, Fern Walters, the flute, Francine Frensky, the drums, Molly McDonald, the guitar, Muffy Crosswire, the violin (a Stradivarius) and the tambourine, Brain, the cello, and Sue Ellen Armstrong, the alto saxophone.
- 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 T.V. 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 a few Arthur episodes 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.