Arthur (TV series)

*Arthur*
Arthur
	File:Arthur logo.jpg The Arthur logo all Arthur fans are familiar with
Created by	Marc Brown
Starring	Justin Bradley, Melissa Altro, Evan Smirnow, Jodie Resther, Michael Yarmush, Mitchell David Rothpan, Jessica Kardos, Alex Hood, Alexina Cowan, Cameron Ansell, Tamar Koslov, Sally Isherwood, Oliver Grainger, Jason Szwimer, Mark Rendall, Danny Brochu, Bruce Dinsmore, Sonja Ball, Arthur Holden, Patricia Rodriguez, Michael Caloz, Lou Reid, Stephen Crowder, Joanna Noyes, Tracy Braunstein
Country of origin	United States, Canada
No. of episodes	126 (to date)
Production
Running time	30 minutes per episode
Original release
Network	PBS
Release	September 2, 1996 –; current

Arthur is the name of a Canadian produced animated 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, so check schedule listings. 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, 20 years prior to its popularity after the show was launched. The title 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 the show.

The series centers around 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, 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 "Rhythm of the Street (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, 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, Dark Bunny, 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) produced 125 Arthur cartoons from 1996 to 2005. In October 2004, the spinoff series Postcards From Buster, began airing on PBS Kids.

In 2005, Mainframe Entertainment announced the direct to video production of Arthur.[1]

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. Little is known about the new season at this time, except that 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.

Cast

The kids

Alan "Brain" Powers: a bear. Brain is an only child. He is afraid of water and public speaking, and his greatest loves are math 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. Brain's parents run an ice cream shop.
Alberto Molina: Arthur's new neighbour who moved in after Mr. Sipple moved out, introduced in season 6.
Arthur Timothy Read: an aardvark. The title character. Wears glasses, a yellow shirt, and blue jeans. Arthur has been known to fidget with glasses at times when he's lying. There is some slight confusion as to Arthur's middle name --- it is stated 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, a food lover, a big fan of "Bionic Bunny," and a conspiracy theorist. His parents are divorced and he lives with his mother, although he occasionally travels with his father, who is a pilot.
Catherine Frensky: a monkey. Francine's older sister. Like most teenage girls, she reads teen magazines and hogs the phone regularly.
Dora Winifred "D.W." Read: an aardvark. Is Arthur's younger sister, often annoying. Loves the television, Mary Moo Cow, and "Crazy Bus". D.W. attends preschool with the Tibble Twins. 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."
Emily: a rabbit. Not to be confused with Emily the Rabbit from Claire Masurel and Susan Calitri's childrens book series, Emily attends preschool, and is DW'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.
Fern Walters: a dog. Fern is very quiet, shy, and somewhat of an introvert. She is interested in poetry and mysteries (particularly in Sherlock Holmes) and, most recently, singing. Her mother is constantly trying to get her to become more extroverted, and even Fern herself sometimes worries she is "too quiet."
Francine Alice Frensky: a monkey. Francine is a tomboy who loves sports, drumming and singing. 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 although he stopped doing so in later episodes, and often gets his antlers tangled in his surroundings. He also has reading problems because of dyslexia.
James MacDonald: Molly's little brother who attends D.W.'s preschool class. He goes unnamed until the ninth season.
Jenna Morgan: a cat. Jenna is a minor character in Arthur's grade. She plays badminton 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 in some of the episodes.
Marina Datillo: Prunella's best friend. She is blind and is obssesed with Henry Screever, the show's parody of Harry Potter.
Mary Alice "Muffy" Crosswire: a monkey. Muffy is Francine's best friend, and is the wealthiest girl in school. 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. Her father is the owner of a used car dealership, Crosswire Motors-- the main source of the family's fortune. In the first season of the program, Muffy has buckteeth. 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 has a little brother named James who is in Molly's preschool class.
Prunella: a rat. Prunella 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 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.
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.
Vicita Molina: Arthur's new neighbour who moved in after Mr. Sipple moved out, introduced in season 6.

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 across town. Introduced in the episode Buster and the Daredevils. He is a part of Binky's Tough Customers group. 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 is friend Toby (see below) once played a Beavis and Butthead parody video game called "Peabrain and Nuthead."
Rattles: Another of the Tough Customers, with Slink, but not from across town. Unlike Slink, though, Rattles appears in the first season of the program.
Steve: a rabbit. Steve is a male minor character that 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 since.
Toby: The other half of the two "daredevils" from across town. A one-off character introduced in the episode Buster and the Daredevils. Unlike Slink, he is not part of the Tough Customers.

The Grown-ups

Bitzi Baxter: a rabbit. Buster's mom, who's working with the local newspaper. 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 they 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.
"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 "generations".
David "Dave" 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.
Ed Crosswire: a monkey. Muffy's father who is the owner of a used car dealership called "Crosswire Motors"
Harry Mills: someone who works at Bitzi's workplace. 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.
Jane Read: an aardvark. Arthur and D.W.'s mother. Mrs. Read is a work-at-home tax accountant.
Laverne Frensky: a monkey. Francine's mother.
Mr. Marcos: Arthur's former teacher (persumably 2nd 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.
Mr. Molina: Arthur's new neighbour. Moved into Mr. Sipple's house when he moved out in Season 6.
Mrs. Molina: Arthur's new neighbour. Moved into Mr. Sipple's house when he moved out in Season 6.
Ms. Morgan: D.W.'s teacher.
Mr. Morris: a dog. Mr. Morris was the school janitor at Lakewood Elementary in Elwood City. He has recently moved to New Mexico and plays the accordian.
Nigel "Emil" Ratburn: a rat. Mr. Ratburn is Arthur and his friends' teacher. His passions are homework and puppetry. The Emil part of his name comes from a strange inconsistancy 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.
Paige Turner: a rabbit. Ms. Turner is the librarian in Elwood City Library.
Mr. Powers: a bear. Brain's father
Rodentia Ratburn: A rat . Mr. Ratburn's sister.
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: Arthur's neighbour from Season 1 to 6. He moves out in Season 6, and the Molinas move in to his home.
Miss Tingley: A rabbit. Pricipal Haney's secretary.
"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.
Wilbur Rabbit: a rabbit. The actor who plays Bionic Bunny. Wears glasses exactly like Arthur's
Mrs. Woods: Perky's owner. Her dog, Perky, is Pal's mother.

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.

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.
Nadine: a squirrel. D.W.'s imaginary friend. Only D.W. can see her.
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.

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 / 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 / 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 / Mis-fortune 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 / 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 / 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. (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 (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 / That's a Baby Show! (4-10)

Season 5 (September 2000- November 2000)

76: Arthur and the Big Riddle / 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 / 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 / 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! (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 / Jenna's Bedtime Blues (7-10)
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! (8-6)
112: Desk Wars / Desperately Seeking Stanley (8-7)
113: Muffy's Art Attack / Tales from the Crib (8-8)
114: Flea to Be You and Me / Kiss and Tell (8-9)
115: Big Horns George / *Bleep* (8-10)

Season 9 (December 2004- April 2005)

116: Castle in the Sky / 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! / 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

TBA: Operation D.W.!

Specials

Special 1: Arthur's Perfect Christmas (5-10)
Special 2: Arthur, It's Only Rock and Roll (7-1)
Special 3: Arthur and Buster Thanksgiving Spectacular (10-1)
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 ever 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.)

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."

Arthur's Really Rockin' Music Mix

The most recent CD, Arthur's Really Rockin' Music Mix was issued in 2001. In fact, this album was actually released on 9/11. 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?"

There were also several tunes in the special "It's Only Rock and 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."

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 seems to have discontinued the Actimates line, 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.
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 "dumbed down" to either allow younger children who are just learning to read to use the caption or for providing a simple explaination of what is being said to younger children. Also, Arthur broadcasts in the US carry a DVS SAP audio track to aid vision-impaired folks in grasping what is happening onscreen.

External links

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