Maria Pappas

Maria Pappas is a third grader in Mr. Ratburn's class at Lakewood Elementary School.
==Biography==
===Early life===
Maria is not in the class picture of Mrs. Robertson's kindergarten class from three years ago."Brain's Shocking Secret" This implies she came to Lakewood in a later year or was in a different class.
Maria was present at Lakewood Elementary in second grade,"Arthur's Eyes" but was not in Mr. Marco's class."Arthur and the True Francine" Sometime during this year, she walked into the girls' bathroom when Arthur had accidentally entered moments before.
===Third grade===
thumb|left|Maria and some of her friends from class
When Principal Haney announced that Maria and her new classmates were going to be in Ratburn's class, she screamed with everyone else. However, she enjoyed Ratburn's puppet show of Jack and the Beanstalk."Arthur and the Real Mr. Ratburn" She did not qualify to participate in the Spell-a-thon but she did watch from the audience."Arthur's Spelling Trubble" On a field trip to Rainbow Rock State Park, she did not find any fossils."Buster's Dino Dilemma" When Arthur lost a library book, Binky investigated if she or others had stolen it."Arthur's Lost Library Book" Before a big test, Buster bounced a crumbled piece of paper off her head, which annoyed her."Buster Makes the Grade" Maria played the role of a reporter for the class play about Thomas Edison."Francine Frensky, Superstar" In the winter, she went ice skating with John."Sue Ellen Moves In" After Prunella's half-birthday, Maria went to her to have her fortune told through the Cootie Catcher."Misfortune Teller" She went on the class field trip to Crosswire Motors, the Ice Cream Shop, and the Elwood City Dump."My Dad, the Garbage Man" When Mr. Ratburn lost his voice and his sister was substitute teacher, Maria found Ms. Ratburn's teaching style to be too easy. She was overjoyed when her regular teacher returned."Arthur's Substitute Teacher Trouble" Hoping to check out a copy of the new Scare-Your-Pants-Off Club book, she waited outside the library until it opened."The Scare-Your-Pants-Off Club" Muffy rallied Maria and the rest of her class to take a stand against whoever stole Francine's bike, whom, at the time, they believed to be Binky."Stolen Bike"
Maria was present when Mister Rogers visited the school."Arthur Meets Mister Rogers" On a trip to the Elwood City Art Museum, Maria partnered with Brian and Jenna to write a report on a work of art. She wore a green mask for their project."Binky Barnes, Art Expert" Maria signed up with everyone else (except Binky) for the TV-Free Week."Arthur's TV-Free Week" She and Steve competed in the Brother-and-Sister race in the Annual Picnic.
Maria went scuba diving with Muffy in the Crosswire Mansion swimming pool when Arthur delivered news that Buster was coming home."Buster's Back" When the Magic Toolbox team came to film an episode with her class, Maria had to say something about the Solar System."And Now Let's Talk to Some Kids" Maria bought a yellow/orange Woogle, but later abandoned it in favor of the new bottle cap trend."Arthur Rides the Bandwagon" Over spring break, she took a camp at the community center. One class was a karate class hosted by Mr. Ratburn."Popular Girls" She and her class competed at the Medieval Fair"The Return of the King" and she was in the Library Card song."Arthur's Almost Live Not Real Music Festival"
She read a book at the library."D.W.'s Library Card" She went on the teacup ride with Steve at the amusement park."Muffy's New Best Friend" When Buster found out he had asthma, Maria went with her class inside Buster's lungs to see what asthma is. The tour may or may not have been a real experience."Buster's Breathless" Prunella invited Maria to her birthday party, and she had a good time."Prunella Gets it Twice" She watched the school talent show."To Beat or Not to Beat" At Mill Creek Mall, she met with a boy in Mrs. Fink's class."Prunella's Prediction" She was reading a book at the library, but Francine mistook her for Arthur."Buster's Best Behavior"
When the school population had a lice situation, she probably caught it from trying on Muffy's hat during the school assembly."The Lousy Week" She said something to Francine that upset her."Francine Goes to War" She and Fern jumped rope in the park."Muffy Gets Mature" Over winter break, she went shopping in the Mill Creek Mall and attended Muffy's Christmas party."Arthur's Perfect Christmas"
Maria helped raise money for the school band to purchase new uniforms and musical instruments."Buster's Sweet Success" Playing with a doll, she was surprised when Hammer walked by her house."The Boy with His Head in the Clouds" She attended the school's Athlete of the Year Award Ceremony."The Good Sport"
thumb|left|At the Lapp family's farm
Maria and her mother went to Crown City and bought pretzels from a shop in the Crown City Subway station."Muffy Goes Metropolitan" She had a role in the school's city centennial play, "Oh, Elwood!", as a present-day student."Elwood City Turns 100!" She went on a field trip to Lapp Farm in Amish Country and helped with the barn-raising."Buster's Amish Mismatch" She tried the static electricity exhibit and went on the overnight field trip at the Science Museum."The World of Tomorrow" When there was a fire in the teachers' lounge, she evacuated the building with her class and made it to safety. For the next few weeks, her class would attend school at Mighty Mountain."April 9th" She became a big fan of U Stink at the PTA rally, and was even more excited when U Stink played alongside the Backstreet Boys at a concert."Arthur - It's Only Rock 'n' Roll"
thumb|right|Maria's desk group
She partnered with a preschooler to do a cross-school team project."D.W., Dancing Queen" On a hot day, she, Muffy, and Fern had agreed to put a dust ruffle on the side of their desk group. After a long series of escalating tension, Maria joined in the classroom riot. When Mr. Haney told them to stop, she helped clean up the classroom before the teacher returned."Desk Wars" She had ice cream at the Ice Cream Shop with her mother."Big Horns George"
As part of the Lakewood Elementary Choir, she practiced the song "In the Good Old Summer Time" to perform in Crown City. After a closed road forced the bus to take a detour, she sang in a diner with her choir."Tipping the Scales" She enrolled in the Elwood City Kids' Circus camp with her friends. On performance night, she juggled pins alongside Arthur and Buster."Francine's Big Top Trouble" She watched a soccer game."Arthur Weighs In" and rallied for Arthur and Brain in the checkers championships."A is for Angry" Maria and Fern got treats from the Ice Cream Shop."Buster the Myth Maker" On a sunny day, she and Alex read together from a book."Binky Goes Nuts"
thumb|right|Hearing Mr. Ratburn assigning homework
After watching the classic horror film, The Squirrels, Maria was too frightened to go outside, but seeing a real squirrel in class changed her mind."The Squirrels" As an end-of-the-year assignment, Mr. Ratburn challenged his class to choose one food that would sustain them if they were stranded on a desert island. Maria chose cheese as her food."Desert Island Dish" She waited with the class for the school bus to arrive for a field trip to the zoo, but the request for the bus was never delivered, so they had an impromptu spelling bee instead."Buster's Special Delivery"
Maria played a game of hide and seek with her friends."Germophobia"
She practiced rock climbing in the gym and went rock climbing for real on a mountain."The Chronicles of Buster" She and Alex went to see a movie"I Owe You One" and she went with her mother to the Sugar Bowl."The Perfect Game"
When Buster discovered a list of numbers and names of students, Maria was number 23. However, it was later learned that this number had no significance."Arthur's Number Nightmare" On Mr. Ratburn's Student of the Month chart, Maria had the fourth lowest score, slightly behind Fern."MacFrensky" Maria was shocked to hear that Mrs. MacGrady had cancer."The Great MacGrady" At the community center, she read a book."When Carl Met George" Maria attended a swim meet where she talked to a boy before the race began."D.W. Swims with the Fishes" Maria briefly became a member of the Lakewood Pride Committee and ran in the track meet against Mighty Mountain."The Pride of Lakewood"
Maria watched the free throw contest between Brain (with Lydia) and Sam Scarborough"The Wheel Deal" and George's report on Buster."The Buster Report" Muffy's new playground amusement park idea did not interest her."The Play's the Thing" She was interested, though, to see George walk all the way to Elwood City from Crown City."The Long Road Home"
When George went on a radio show to win money for the school, Maria listened to the broadcast from the assembly in the school auditorium."Fifteen" In the same auditorium, she listened to Binky performing music for the clarinet."I Wanna Hold Your Hand" Maria and her mother went to David's Toys."Cents-less" She took the Stoddard Wilkins Elementary Aptitude Test, but did not take Mrs. MacGrady's relaxation lesson with the rest of her class."S.W.E.A.T."
Maria welcomed Ladonna to class when she moved to Elwood City."Based on a True Story" She participated in the first annual Lakewood Derby."Muffy Takes the Wheel" When Lakewood started using the HUGO 3.0, Maria was interested at first, but she later cheered for Brain when he defeated the computer."Get Smart" She tried reading at the library, but the Shush Customers were too loud."The Last Tough Customer" After earning points in the IRP system, she looked at toy trucks among the prizes available."Buster's Book Battle"
Maria tried the ring toss game at the fair."Crime and Consequences" She went to the new ice cream shop Yumbobo, but when Buster and Brain introduced Brain's Blending Lab, she returned to the Ice Cream Shop."Brain Freeze"
Maria went with Steve to Wonder World when it opened a new roller coaster, The Buzzard. After waiting in line, they rode on it together."D.W. & Bud's Higher Purpose" When Jenna had a birthday party, Maria went to her house to celebrate."Best Wishes" Maria attended a pageant performed by the preschool class last fall, according to Arthur's memory of the event."The Pageant Pickle" After Hurricane Sadie, Maria attended Ladonna's surprise birthday party at the Tree House. Later, she and Jenna bought ice cream at the Ice Cream Shop's reopening."Shelter from the Storm"
Maria went to Muffy's dad's drive-in movie."Brain Sees Stars" She and her class played a game of baseball with Sue Ellen's pen pal Tenzin before he had to leave for home."Wish You Were Here" She watched George's puppet show at the PTA variety show."Dueling Detectives!" On a rainy day, someone held an umbrella for Maria when she had to wait in a line."Buster Isn't Buying It" Mr. Ratburn appointed Maria as the lead reporter for the Lakewood Elementary News. Initially excited for the opportunity, she was overcome with nervousness due to her stutter and could not do the show. By practicing talking with her friends and a speech therapist, Maria was able to host the next show a few weeks later."Maria Speaks" When Buster and George tried to distract the Tough Customers with the sound of an ice cream truck, Maria also fell for the trick."Too Much of a Good Thing" While she did not enter the Little Miss Crocus pageant, Maria went with Beulah to get a paper about it."Little Miss Meanie" At the end of the school year, Maria and her whole class sang a song for Mr. Ratburn."The Last Day"
Maria cheered for Brain when he won the statewide science competition."Buster's Second Chance" She made a caveman cave diorama out of a volleyball. Maria later attended Arthur's piano recital."Arthur and the Whole Truth"
Maria worked as the "cat wrangler" at Lakewood's Cat Adoption Talent Show and helped families fill out adoption papers.
Maria wished Ladonna goodbye on the day her family left to move to Oregon."When Duty Calls"
==Personality==
===Quietness===
Maria is usually a bit shy. In spite of this, however, she does often participate in class lessons. She is also willing to have lines in a class play, so long as they aren't solo lines. This is because she has a stutter and did not want everyone to know about it. However, with practice her speaking has improved and her confidence with it.
She once said something that upset Francine.
===Grades===
Maria received a 'C' on one of Mr. Ratburn's quizzes."All Worked Up" On an oral report for history, the grade she received was a 'B'."Brain Gets Hooked" She is not the best speller in her class. On the 'Student of the Month' chart, Maria ranks low compared to most other students; she had the fourth lowest (or ninth highest) score, slightly behind Fern at eighth highest.
===Sports===
Maria follows several sports, such as basketball and soccer. She herself participates on the track and field team.
===Music===
Maria is a member of the Lakewood Elementary Choir. She also plays the tambourine for the school band"Brother, Can You Spare a Clarinet?" and has a guitar in her bedroom.
===Other interests===
Maria has a butterfly collection, a pet fish, and pictures of marine animals in her room. She also likes cats."Binky Can't Always Get What He Wants"
When the new Scare-Your-Pants-Off Club book was released, Maria waited outside the library to get it. Maria is also a fan of the Magic Cat books. She can frequently be found reading in the library."Sue Ellen's Lost Diary"
Maria plays hopscotch"The Long, Dull Winter" and jump rope. She rallied for Arthur and Brain in the checkers play-offs. She is also a fan of Bionic Bunny."Buster Gets Real""Buster's New Friend" The music by the Finnish band BINKY was a favorite of hers."Meet Binky"
Maria owns a doll which she occasionally plays with, though she may also like toy trucks. Maria has another doll that looks like her.
If she could only take one food to a desert island, she would bring a plate of cheese.
==Relationships==
===Relatives===
Maria's mother was with Maria at the Ice Cream Shop, The Sugar Bowl, and David's Toys.
Maria's older brother Steve also goes to Lakewood. They often talk with each other between classes and at lunchtime. The two were confirmed to be related by their participation in the brother-and-sister race at the Annual Picnic."Sue Ellen's Little Sister" They also go on amusement park rides together, such as the spinning teacup ride and The Buzzard, a roller coaster.
===Friends===
;Binky Barnes
Maria encouraged Binky after he missed his opportunity to star in a TV commercial.
;Fern Walters
They have been seen outside of school together, enjoying dessert snacks.
;Jenna Morgan
Maria and Jenna are good friends. They play together and visit each other's houses. For a time, Jenna was one of the only people who knew Maria's secret about her trouble speaking.
;Muffy Crosswire
Maria follows Muffy's blog on her smartphone.
;Prunella Deegan
Despite being one school grade apart, Maria was invited to Prunella's birthday party.
;Sue Ellen Armstrong
Seen walking together at the Harvest Day Celebration.
==Physical appearance==
Maria is an anthropomorphic rabbit with a cream complexion. She wears a sky blue skirt, a cyan-and-light pink striped shirt, white knee socks, and light brown shoes. She has light brown hair in the form of a .
Not including her ears, she is a few inches taller than Arthur. In some instances, though, her height has varied from preschooler size to Prunella's height.
Hair (s2) (APC)This image from "Arthur's Perfect Christmas" (s7) (s9) (s11) (s18) (s19)	Complexion (s2)This image from "Binky Barnes, Art Expert" (2x02a) (APC) (s7)This image from "Buster's Amish Mismatch" (7x07b) (s9)This image from "Castles in the Sky" (9x01a) (s11)This image from "Germophobia" (11x01b) (s18)This image from "Best Wishes" (18x04a) (s19)This image from "Maria Speaks" (19x06a)
==Behind the scenes==
===Appearances===
This list contains 232 items 
*: (217)
*1x01a "Arthur's Eyes"
*1x02a. "Arthur and the Real Mr. Ratburn"
*1x02b. "Arthur's Spelling Trubble"
*1x03b. "Buster's Dino Dilemma"
*1x04b. "Arthur's Lost Library Book"
*1x06a. "Locked in the Library!
*1x06b. "Arthur Accused!"
*1x07b. "Buster Makes the Grade"
*1x10a. "Arthur's Birthday"
*1x10b. "Francine Frensky, Superstar"
*1x11a. "Arthur's Baby"
*1x12a. "Arthur Writes a Story"
*1x12b. "Arthur's Lost Dog"
*1x13b. "Buster's New Friend"
*1x17b. "Arthur, World's Greatest Gleeper"
*1x21a. "Sue Ellen Moves In"
*1x22b. "Team Trouble"
*1x23a. "Bully for Binky"
*1x23b. "Misfortune Teller"
*1x24a. "Arthur's Tooth"
*1x26a. "My Dad, the Garbage Man"
*1x27b. "Arthur's Substitute Teacher Trouble"
*1x28a. "I'm a Poet"
*1x28b. "The Scare-Your-Pants-Off Club"
*1x29a. "My Club Rules"
*1x29b. "Stolen Bike"
*2x01a. "Arthur Meets Mister Rogers"
*2x01b. "Draw!"
*2x02a. "Binky Barnes, Art Expert"
*2x02b. "Arthur's Lucky Pencil"
*2x05a. "Arthur's Underwear"
*2x05b. "Francine Frensky, Olympic Rider"
*2x07a. "Arthur's TV-Free Week"
*2x07b. "Night Fright" 
*2x08a. "Arthur vs. the Piano"
*2x08b. "The Big Blow-Up"
*2x09a. "Lost!"
*2x11b. "Buster Hits the Books"
*2x14a. "Sue Ellen's Lost Diary"
*2x15a. "Grandma Thora Appreciation Day"
*2x15b. "Fern's Slumber Party"
*2x16a. "Love Notes for Muffy"
*2x16b. "D.W. Blows the Whistle"
*2x18a. "Arthur vs. the Very Mean Crossing Guard"
*2x18b. "D.W.'s Very Bad Mood"
*2x20b. "Sue Ellen's Little Sister"
*3x01a. "Buster's Back"
*3x01b. "The Ballad of Buster Baxter"
*3x03a. "Arthur Goes Crosswire"
*3x03b. "Sue Ellen and the Brainasaurus"
*3x04a. "Background Blues"
*3x04b. "And Now Let's Talk to Some Kids"
*3x05b. "Revenge of the Chip"
*3x06b. "Meet Binky"
*3x07a. "Arthur Rides the Bandwagon"
*3x07b. "Dad's Dessert Dilemma"
*3x08a. "Popular Girls"
*3x08b. "Buster's Growing Grudge"
*3x09a. "Arthur's Treasure Hunt"
*3x09b. "The Return of the King"
*3x11b. "Arthur's Almost Live Not Real Music Festival"
*3x12a. "What Scared Sue Ellen?"
*3x13a. "Arthur's Dummy Disaster"
*3x15a. "Arthur and D.W. Clean Up"
*3x15b. "The Long, Dull Winter"
*4x01a. "D.W.'s Library Card"
*4x01b. "Arthur's Big Hit"
*4x02b. "Muffy's New Best Friend"
*4x03a. "Buster's Breathless"
*4x05b. "The Rat Who Came to Dinner"
*4x06b. "Prunella Gets it Twice"
*4x07a. "Binky Barnes, Wingman"
*4x07b. "To Beat or Not to Beat"
*4x08a. "1001 Dads"
*4x08b. "Prunella's Prediction"
*4x09b. "Buster's Best Behavior"
*4x10b. "That's a Baby Show!"
*5x01a. "Arthur and the Big Riddle"
*5x01b. "Double Dare"
*5x02a. "Kids are from Earth, Parents are from Pluto"
*5x03a. "It's a No-Brainer"
*5x05a. "The Lousy Week"
*5x05b. "You Are Arthur"
*5x06a. "The Election"
*5x06b. "Francine Goes to War"
*5x08b. "Bitzi's Beau"
*5x10b. "Muffy Gets Mature"
*6x02b. "Buster's Sweet Success"
*6x03a. "Prunella's Special Edition"
*6x04b. "Brother, Can You Spare a Clarinet?"
*6x05a. "The Boy Who Cried Comet"
*6x06a. "Citizen Frensky"
*6x07a. "The Boy with His Head in the Clouds"
*6x09a. "The Good Sport"
*7x02a. "Francine's Split Decision"
*7x02b. "Muffy Goes Metropolitan"
*7x03a. "Ants in Arthur's Pants"
*7x05. "Elwood City Turns 100!"
*7x06b. "Jenna's Bedtime Blues"
*7x07b. "Buster's Amish Mismatch"
*7x08a. "The World of Tomorrow"
*7x10. "April 9th"
*8x01b. "Bitzi's Break-up"
*8x03b. "Bugged"
*8x04a. "Fernkenstein's Monster"
*8x04b. "D.W., Dancing Queen"
*8x05a. "Vomitrocious"
*8x07a. "Desk Wars"
*8x10a. "Big Horns George"
*9x01a. "Castles in the Sky"
*9x01b. "Tipping the Scales"
*9x02a. "Francine's Big Top Trouble"
*9x02b. "George Blows His Top"
*9x03a. "Arthur Weighs In"
*9x03b. "The Law of the Jungle Gym"
*9x05b. "All Worked Up"
*9x07b. "A is for Angry"
*9x09b. "Buster the Myth Maker"
*9x10a. "Binky Goes Nuts"
*9x10b. "Breezy Listening Blues"
*10x01. "Happy Anniversary" 
*10x02a. "The Squirrels"
*10x03a. "Desert Island Dish"
*10x08a. "Binky vs. Binky"
*10x09a. "Do You Speak George?"
*10x10a. "What's Cooking?"
*10x10b. "Buster's Special Delivery"
*11x01b. "Germophobia"
*11x04b. "Brain's Shocking Secret"
*11x06a. "The Making of Arthur"
*11x07b. "Mr. Alwaysright"
*11x08a. "Francine's Pilfered Paper"
*11x08b. "Buster Gets Real"
*12x01a. "Is That Kosher?"
*12x02b. "The Frensky Family Fiasco"
*12x03b. "Bats in the Belfry"
*12x05a. "The Chronicles of Buster"
*12x07a. "War of the Worms"
*12x07b. "I Owe You One"
*12x09b. "Do You Believe in Magic?"
*12x10a. "The Perfect Game"
*13x01. "The Great MacGrady"
*13x02a. "The Silent Treatment"
*13x02b. "Kung Fool"
*13x03a. "Arthur's Number Nightmare"
*13x03b. "Brain Gets Hooked"
*13x04a. "MacFrensky" 
*13x05b. "Prunella and the Disappointing Ending"
*13x06a. "When Carl Met George"
*13x06b. "D.W. Swims with the Fishes"
*13x08a. "Fernlets by Fern"
*13x08b. "Prunella and the Haunted Locker"
*13x09b. "The Pride of Lakewood"
*14x01a. "The Wheel Deal"
*14x01b. "The Buster Report"
*14x03b. "The Play's the Thing"
*14x05a. "Tales of Grotesquely Grim Bunny"
*14x07b. "Muffy and the Big Bad Blog"
*14x08a. "Arthur Unravels"
*14x08b. "All the Rage"
*14x09a. "D.W., Queen of the Comeback" (Flashback) 
*14x10b. "The Long Road Home"
*15x01. "Fifteen"
*15x02a. "I Wanna Hold Your Hand"
*15x03a. "Buster's Secret Admirer"
*15x04a. "Cents-less"
*15x04b. "Buster the Lounge Lizard"
*15x05b. "S.W.E.A.T."
*15x07a. "Prunella the Packrat"
*15x07b. "What's in a Name?"
*15x09b. "The Trouble with Trophies"
*16x01. "Based on a True Story"
*16x02a. "Flippity Francine"
*16x02b. "Muffy Takes the Wheel"
*16x04a. "Get Smart"
*16x06a. "The Last Tough Customer"
*16x07b. "Brain's Biggest Blunder"
*16x08a. "Buster's Book Battle"
*16x10a. "So Funny I Forgot to Laugh"
*16x10b. "The Best Day Ever"
*17x03b. "Buster Bombs"
*17x04a. "Opposites Distract"
*17x05a. "All Thumbs"
*17x06a. "Speak Up, Francine"
*17x08b. "Crime and Consequences"
*17x09a. "Caught in the Crosswires"
*17x10b. "Brain Freeze"
*18x01b. "D.W. & Bud's Higher Purpose"
*18x02b. "Surprise!"
*18x03a. "The Case of the Girl with the Long Face"
*18x03b. "The Substitute Arthur"
*18x04a. "Best Wishes"
*18x04b. "The Tardy Tumbler"
*18x05a. "Fountain Abbey"
*18x05b. "Arthur Calls It"
*18x08a. "Arthur Read: Super Saver"
*18x09a. "The Pageant Pickle"
*18x10. "Shelter from the Storm"
*19x01b. "Brain Sees Stars"
*19x02a. "Sue Ellen Adds It Up"
*19x02b. "Wish You Were Here"
*19x04b. "Dueling Detectives!"
*19x05a. "Buster Isn't Buying It"
*19x06a. "Maria Speaks"
*19x07b. "Too Much of a Good Thing"
*19x08b. "Little Miss Meanie"
*19x09a. "Mr. Ratburn's Secret Identity"
*19x09b. "Besties"
*19x10. "The Last Day" 
*20x01a. "Buster's Second Chance"
*20x01b. "Arthur and the Whole Truth"
*20x02a. "Fern's Flights of Fancy"
*20x01a. "Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone
*20x01b. "The Feud"
*22x02a. "When Rivals Came to Roost"
*22x03b. "Binky Can't Always Get What He Wants"
*22x04a. "Muffy's Car Campaign" 
*22x04b. "Truth or Poll"
*23x02. "When Duty Calls"
*: (3)
*1x05. "Among the Hmong"
*2x04. "The Case of the Coin Purloined"
*4x01. "Finding Family in Chennai"
*Specials: (4)
*Arthur's Perfect Christmas
*Arthur's New Friend
*Arthur - It's Only Rock 'n' Roll
*D.W. and the Beastly Birthday
*Books: (3)
*Arthur's Teacher Trouble 
*Arthur Lost and Found
*Arthur's Off to School
*Games: (1)
*Arthur's Teacher Trouble
*Online: (4)
*Arthur Comics: So Funny I Forgot to Laugh!
*Arthur family healthAppears in "April 9th Story"
*Arthur's Top 20Appears in "Train Puzzles"
*Buster's Growing Grudge
===Development and design===
Maria first appeared in Marc Brown's 1986 book Arthur's Teacher Trouble. Although a similar rabbit girl had been appearing as early as Arthur's Eyes (1979), Maria's design for the TV series was based on an unnamed background character in Arthur's Teacher Trouble.Earwig (October 15, 2013). "Re: Arthur @ NY Comic Con 2013". Reply #18. Elwood City Central Forum. Create a Forum. Retrieved October 25, 2013. 
According to Peter K. Hirsch, Maria (and Alex) were created to keep the classroom from looking too empty.Liu, Ed (October 17, 2013). "NYCC 2013: The “Arthur: Aardvark for the Ages” Panel Was a Wonderful Time of Day". Toon Zone News. Retrieved October 25, 2013. Like many other recurring extras, Maria was given a name for the storyboard artists' convenience. On one reference sheet from 1996, she is labelled "#2 Maria".Earwig (February 9, 2013). Arthur class size comparison.pdf (PDF; must be logged in to view). "Re: The Named Characters Speculation". Reply #9. Elwood City Central Forum. Create a Forum. Retrieved September 21, 2013. Maria is likely named after someone who worked at Cinar at the time.
thumb|left|Maria's name, in "MacFrensky"
Maria's given name appeared in written form in "Arthur's Number Nightmare" (2009). However, the context of this episode could not narrow down the name to this character. "MacFrensky", which aired the next day in the U.S., proved that the last unnamed girl in Mr. Ratburn's class was Maria. The Arthur crew has since confirmed this on social mediaArthur (December 28, 2012). "That's Maria. She's in my class at Lakewood Elementary". Facebook. Retrieved December 28, 2012. and at live appearances.
Maria's surname, Pappas, first appeared in written form in "The Last Day", airing in the U.S. on May 23, 2016. A day later, it was confirmed in dialogue of "Maria Speaks".
At New York Comic Con in October 2013, Peter K. Hirsch mentioned Alex and Maria by name. The ARTHUR Facebook page added, "[...] we may hear from them in the future". An episode featuring Maria was announced May 9, 2014.@ArthurRead (May 9, 2014). "Maria will be featured in her very own episode in Season 19. Stay tuned :)". Twitter. Retrieved May 12, 2014. Its title, "Maria Speaks", was revealed May 2015.KET (May 1, 2015). "KET - Arthur - Maria Speaks/Postcards from Binky". KET. Retrieved May 2, 2015. The episode aired May 24, 2016 on PBS Kids.
===Depiction in other media===
*In the Living Books computer games that are based on the books, Maria had a light yellow complexion and brown hair in Arthur's Teacher Trouble. When the player clicks on the poster behind her, the drawing comes to life and looks between Maria's ears. Clicking on Maria herself makes her say, "I thought I'd win," which was her first distinct speaking line ever. It is unknown exactly who voiced her, since the voice actors for minor characters were listed together with no distinction.
*Postcards from Buster
*A puzzle produced by Fortune East Group depicts Maria with a white complexion and blonde hair.
==Quotes==
Note: These do not include quotes from "Maria Speaks" or "Binky Can't Always Get What He Wants".
;Quotes by Maria
;Quotes about Maria
==Gallery==
==Notes and references==
Category:Rabbits
Category:Female
Category:Pappas family
Category:Kids
Category:3rd Graders
Category:Mr. Ratburn's Students
Category:Brown hair
Category:Original Characters
Category:Characters
Category:A to Z
Category:Characters with medical conditions
Category:Secondary Characters