Arthur

## Overview

The show is about a an anthropomorphic 8-year-old aardvark boy who lives in the fictional town of Elwood City and is in the third grade at Lakewood Elementary School. The adventures (mainly the early ones) are based on the books published by Marc Brown.

## Cast

* Arthur Read
	+ **Nickname:** "Four Eyes" (but only Francine calls him that)
	+ **Age:** 8
	+ **Grade:** Third
	+ **Teacher:** Mr. Ratburn
	+ **Favorite things:** Pal (his dog), pancakes, Grandma Thora, video games, summer camp
	+ **Greatest fear:** Having to play with D.W., babysitting the Tibble Twins
	+ **Hobbies:** Reading, playing in the treehouse, training Pal, hanging out with Buster
	+ **Future careers:** Teacher, doctor, explorer, vet, or maybe Bionic Bunny's animal trainer
	+ **Favorite quote:** "You know what would make the world perfect? If there were no little sisters!"
	+ **Voiced by:** Michael Yarmush (1996–2000), Justin Bradley (2001), Mark Rendall (2002–2003), Cameron Ansell (2004–2005)
* D.W. Read
	+ **Nickname:** "Dim Wit"
	+ **Real name:** Dora Winifred
	+ **Age:** 4 (and three-quarters)
	+ **Grade:** Pre-school
	+ **Teacher:** She doesn't know
	+ **Favorite things:** Getting presents, telling Arthur what to do
	+ **Greatest fear:** Being ignored
	+ **Hobbies:** Gymnastics, riding her two-wheeler, trick or treating
	+ **Future careers:** Ballerina, Princess, Actress, President
	+ **Favorite quote:** "After Binky pulverizes Arthur, can I have his room?"
	+ **Voiced by:** Michael Caloz (1996–1998), Oliver Grainger (1999–2001), Jason Szwimmer (2002–2005)
* Nadine
	+ **Age:** Ageless
	+ **Job:** Being D.W.'s imaginary friend
	+ **Favorite Things:** Playing with D.W.
	+ **Greatest Fear:** Having somebody else see her
	+ **Hobbies:** Keeping D.W. out of trouble
	+ **Future career:** Visible
	+ **Favorite quote:** "D.W., shouldn't you ask your mommy?"
	+ **Voiced by:** Hayley Reynolds
	+ Only credited in Season 8.
* Mr. and Mrs. Read
	+ **Nicknames:** "Mom" and "Dad"
	+ **Ages:** N/A ("That's not polite to ask, dear.")
	+ **Job:** Parents
	+ **Favorite things:** Arthur, D.W., and Baby Kate
	+ **Greatest fear:** Untrained puppies
	+ **Hobbies:** Sleeping late
	+ **Future careers:** Ride down the Amazon on a raft, live on a remote desert island with no telephone
	+ **Favorite quote:** "Kids, wouldn't you like to spend the day at Grandma Thora's?"
	+ **Voiced by:** Sonja Ball and Bruce Dinsmore
* Baby Kate
	+ **Age:** Cute as a button
	+ **Job:** Baby
	+ **Favorite things:** Arthur and D.W.
	+ **Greatest fear:** The dark
	+ **Hobbies:** Dropping her pacifier, putting mashed potatoes on her face
	+ **Future "career":** Toilet trained
	+ **Favorite quote:** "Galoob."
	+ **Voiced by:** Tracy Braunstein (2001–2005)
* Muffy Crosswire
	+ **Nickname:** Only Francine knows her parents call her "Muffin"
	+ **Age:** 8
	+ **Grade:** Third
	+ **Teacher:** Mr. Ratburn
	+ **Favorite things:** Being rich, having long, curly hair, diving for sunken treasure in her bathtub
	+ **Greatest fear:** That no one will come to her birthday party
	+ **Hobbies:** Looking through her closet, playing with Francine, braiding her hair
	+ **Future careers:** To establish the Muffy cosmetics line, "If you don't look good, I'm not making money."
	+ **Favorite quote:** "Vomitrocious!"
	+ **Voiced by:** Melissa Altro
* Binky Barnes
	+ **Age:** 9
	+ **Grade:** Third
	+ **Teacher:** The Rat (Mr. Ratburn)
	+ **Favorite things:** Sleeping, eating
	+ **Greatest fear:** Being laughed at, scary sounds at night
	+ **Hobbies:** Wrestling, playing the clarinet
	+ **Future careers:** A boxer or the guy who plays Godzilla in the movies
	+ **Favorite quote:** "What are you laughing at?"
	+ **Voiced by:** Bruce Dinsmore
* The Brain
	+ **Real Name:** Alan
	+ **Age:** 8
	+ **Grade:** Third
	+ **Favorite things:** His atlas and computer modem
	+ **Greatest fear:** Aliens landing while camping in Arthur's backyard
	+ **Hobbies:** Meteorology, ichthyology, skipping rocks
	+ **Future career:** The first person on Mars
	+ **Favorite Quote:** "Is that Arthur's sister or some frightening scientific experiment gone wrong?"
	+ **Voiced by:** Luke Reid (1996–1999), Steven Crowder (2000–2001), Alex Hood (2002–2005)
* Buster Baxter
	+ **Nickname:** "Antenna Ears"
	+ **Age:** 8
	+ **Grade:** Third
	+ **Teacher:** Mr. Ratburn
	+ **Favorite things:** Comic books, dinosaurs, snakes dinosaurs, video games, dinosaurs
	+ **Greatest fear:** Haunted houses, flunking third grade
	+ **Hobbies:** Hanging around with Arthur
	+ **Future "career":** Getting older
	+ **Favorite Quote:** "Are you going to eat that cupcake?"
	+ **Voiced by:** Daniel Brochu
* Francine Frensky
	+ **Nickname:** Frankenstein
	+ **Age:** 8
	+ **Grade:** Third
	+ **Teacher:** Same as Arthur (Mr. Ratburn)
	+ **Favorite things:** Teasing Arthur, annoying Arthur, playing with Arthur, getting better grades than Arthur
	+ **Greatest fear:** Wearing a dress
	+ **Hobbies:** Horses
	+ **Future careers:** Soccer star, baseball star, football star
	+ **Favorite Quote:** "I am one of the nicest people in the whole school, and if you don't know that, you're a dope."
	+ **Voiced by:** Jodie Resther
* Mr. Ratburn
	+ **Nickname:** "The Rat"
	+ **Age:** N/A ("Never mind.")
	+ **Grade:** N/A (he *teaches* the third grade)
	+ **Favorite things:** Building puppets, giving LOTS of homework, gourmet cooking
	+ **Greatest Fear:** He doesn't know the meaning of the word
	+ **Hobbies:** Chess, crossword puzzles, making checklists, playing along with Jeopardy!
	+ **Future careers:** Continue to mold disorderly third graders into fine, upstanding citizens
	+ **Favorite Quote:** "Arthur Read, have you finished those multiplication tables?"
	+ **Voiced by:** Arthur Holden (also the voice actor for Bionic Bunny)

Other characters include:

* **Grandma Thora** - Arthur and D.W.'s grandmother. Voiced by Joanna Noyes. Not credited in Season 7.
* **Grandpa Dave** - Arthur and D.W.'s grandfather. Voiced by A.J. Henderson. Not credited in Seasons 3 onwards.
* **Prunella** - A fourth grade student in Lakewood Elementary School. Voiced by Tammy Koslov.
* **Sue Ellen** - A third grade student in Lakewood Elementary School. Voiced by Patricia Rodriguez. Not credited in Season 9.
* **Mr. Haney** - The principal of Lakewood Elementary School. Voiced by Walter Massey. Not credited in Season 7 onwards.
* **Mrs. MacGrady** - The cafeteria lady of Lakewood Elementary School. Voiced by Bronwen Mantel. Not credited in Seasons 3 onwards.

Credited as of Season 3:

* **Fern** - A third grade student in Lakewood Elementary School. Voiced by Holly G. Frankel. Not credited in Season 5.
* **Tommy Tibble** - A preschool-age boy and twin brother of Timmy. Voiced by Jonathan Koensgen (1996–2001), Aaron Grunfeld (2002–2003) and Tyler Brody-Stein (2004–2005).
* **Timmy Tibble** - A preschool-age boy and twin brother of Tommy. Voiced by Ricky Mabe (1996–2000) and Samuel Holden (2001–2005).
* **Emily** - A preschool-age girl and best friend of D.W. Voiced by Vanessa Lengies (1996–2002) and Sally Isherwood (2003–2005). Not credited in Seasons 5 or 7.

Credited as of Season 4:

* **Oliver Frensky** - Francine's father. Voiced by Mark Camacho. Not credited in Season 6.
* **George** - A third grade student in Lakewood Elementary School. Voiced by Mitchell Rothpan (1996–2002), Evan Smirnow (2003) and Eleanor Noble (2004–2005). Not credited in Season 5.
* **Rubella** - Prunella's older sister. Voiced by Eramelinda Boquer. Only credited in Season 4.

Credited as of Season 5:

* **Bitzi Baxter** - Buster's mother. Voiced by Ellen David. Not credited in Season 6.
* **Ed Crosswire** - Muffy's father. Voiced by A.J. Henderson, who also voiced Grandpa Dave.
* **Mrs. Barnes** - Binky's mother. Voiced by Jane Wheeler. Only credited in Season 5.

Only credited in Season 7:

* **Jenna Morgan** - A third grade student in Lakewood Elementary School. Voiced by Brigid Tierney.
* **Mr. Morris** - The janitor in Lakewood Elementary School. Voiced by Al Gravelle.

Only credited in Season 9:

* **Molly** - One of the Tough Customers in Lakewood Elementary School. Voiced by Maggie Castle.

## Production

On March 13, 1995, Cinar and WGBH joined in an agreement to produce the show, with a release set for 1996. At that time, 6 million Arthur books were sold. Random House Home Video also agreed to be the distributor for the episodes on VHS, while Cinar itself distributed the show internationally. Executive producer Carol Greenwald mentioned that it was the first time an animated series premiered as a daily show on PBS.

## List of episodes

* Season 1 (1996)
* Season 2 (1997)
* Season 3 (1998)
* Season 4 (1999)
* Season 5 (2000)
* Season 6 (2001)
* Season 7 (2002)
* Season 8 (2003)
* Season 9 (2004-2005)
* Season 10 (2006)
* Season 11 (2007)
* Season 12 (2008-2009)
* Season 13 (2009-2010)
* Season 14 (2010-2011)
* Season 15 (2011-2012)
* Season 16 (2012-2013)
* Season 17 (2013-2014)
* Season 18 (2014-2015)
* Season 19 (2016)
* Season 20 (2016-2017)
* Season 21 (2017-2018)
* Season 22 (2019)
* Season 23 (2019)
* Season 24 (2021)
* Season 25 (2022)

## Broadcast history

Main article: Television broadcast timeline for Arthur

### Funding credits

Chuck E. Cheese's replaced Lego as a temporary underwriter for the show in late 2002, then followed by more various ones from 2004 through 2009. Also, the PBS Kids GO! logo replaced the standard PBS Kids logo as of early 2005 on Seasons 5–7.

As of October 13, 2014 (the same day when Discovery Family replaced the Hub Network), the fundings and closing credits for Arthur are now in 1080i HD.

## Home media timeline

### VHS

* Arthur's Eyes / Francine's Bad Hair Day (March 25, 1997)
* Arthur's Pet Business / D.W. the Copycat (March 25, 1997)
* Arthur Writes a Story / Locked in the Library! (March 25, 1997)
* Arthur's Teacher Trouble / Arthur's Spelling Trubble (July 29, 1997)
* D.W.'s Imaginary Friend / Arthur's Lost Library Book (July 29, 1997)
* Arthur's Baby / D.W.'s Baby (July 29, 1997)
* Arthur's New Puppy / Buster's Dino Dilemma (February 10, 1998)
* Arthur's Chicken Pox / Arthur and the True Francine (February 10, 1998)
* D.W.'s Blankie / The Perfect Brother (February 10, 1998)
* Arthur's First Sleepover / Arthur's Lost Dog (April 14, 1998)
* D.W. Rides Again / Arthur's Cousin Catastrophe (April 14, 1998)
* Arthur Makes the Team Arthur's Perfect Christmas/ Meek for a Week (April 14, 1998)
* Arthur's Tooth / Sick as a Dog (July 28, 1998)
* D.W., the Picky Eater / Buster and the Daredevils (July 28, 1998)
* Arthur's Birthday / Buster's New Friend (February 9, 1999)
* Arthur's TV-Free Week / Night Fright (February 9, 1999)
* Arthur's Computer Adventure / Arthur vs. the Piano (April 6, 1999)
* Arthur's Family Vacation / Grandpa Dave's Old Country Farm (April 6, 1999)
* Arthur Gets Lost / Arthur Cleans Up (September 7, 1999)
* Arthur's Treasure Hunt / The Chips are Down (September 7, 1999)
* Arthur: The Music Video (September 7, 1999)
* Arthur Goes to Hollywood (March 21, 2000)
* Arthur's Famous Friends (March 21, 2000)
* Arthur's Scary Stories (August 1, 2000)
* Arthur's Perfect Christmas (September 12, 2000)
* Arthur's Mystery Files (January 30, 2001)
* Arthur's Storybook (January 30, 2001)
* Arthur's Celebration (May 8, 2001)
* Arthur Goes to the Doctor (September 11,2001)
* Arthur's Best School Days (September 11, 2001)
* Arthur Makes a Movie (January 22, 2002)
* Arthur Goes on a Field Trip (January 22, 2002)
* The Good Sport (June 11, 2002)
* Arthur's Great Summer (June 11, 2002)
* Arthur's Family Fun (January 14, 2003)
* Arthur's Snow Day (January 14, 2003)
* Arthur's Best Friends (June 10, 2003)
* Arthur's Tasty Treats (June 10, 2003)
* Arthur Cracks the Case (September 2, 2003)
* Arthur Gets Spooked (September 2, 2003)
* Arthur Saves the Day (January 27, 2004)
* Arthur's Pet Follies (January 27, 2004)
* Parents Are From Pluto (June 8, 2004)
* D.W. Thinks Big (June 8, 2004)
* Arthur's Double Dare (August 3, 2004)
* Arthur's School of Hard Knocks (August 3, 2004)
* Arthur's Music Medley (October 5, 2004)
* Arthur's Terrible Teasers (October 5, 2004)
* Arthur's Money Matters (February 1, 2005)
* The Big Riddle (February 1, 2005)

Starting with the March 21, 2000 releases, all Arthur videos carried the Sony Wonder logo.

### DVD

Sony Wonder released more than 50 different titles from 2002 to 2006. Any DVDs with episodes from Seasons 7 and 8 were distributed by Our Time Family Entertainment.

* Arthur's Best School Days (June 11, 2002)
* Arthur Goes to the Doctor (June 11, 2002)
* Arthur's Great Summer (June 11, 2002)
* The Good Sport (June 11, 2002)
* Arthur's Scary Stories (July 16, 2002)
* Arthur: The Music Video (October 1, 2002)
* Arthur's Celebration (October 8, 2002)
* Arthur Goes to Hollywood (January 14, 2003)
* Arthur's Family Fun (January 14, 2003)
* Arthur's Famous Friends (January 14, 2003)
* Arthur's Snow Day (January 14, 2003)
* Arthur Writes a Story (June 10, 2003)
* Arthur's Best Friends (June 10, 2003)
* Arthur's Baby (June 10, 2003)
* Arthur's Tasty Treats (June 10, 2003)
* Arthur's Teacher Trouble (September 2, 2003)
* Arthur's Pet Business (September 2, 2003)
* Arthur Cracks the Case (September 2, 2003)
* Arthur Gets Spooked (September 2, 2003)
* Arthur Saves the Day (January 27, 2004)
* Arthur's Lost Library Book (January 27, 2004)
* Arthur Makes The Team (January 27, 2004)
* Arthur's Pet Follies (January 27, 2004)
* Arthur's Eyes (June 8, 2004)
* Arthur's Family Vacation (June 8, 2004)
* Parents Are From Pluto (June 8, 2004)
* D.W. Thinks Big (June 8, 2004)
* Arthur's New Puppy (August 3, 2004)
* Arthur's Double Dare (August 3, 2004)
* Arthur's First Sleepover (August 3, 2004)
* Arthur's School of Hard Knocks (August 3, 2004)
* Arthur Gets Along (September 7, 2004) (distributed by Our Time)
* Arthur's Chicken Pox (October 5, 2004)
* Arthur's Music Medley (October 5, 2004)
* Arthur's Terrible Teasers (October 5, 2004)
* D.W.'s Blankie (October 5, 2004)
* Arthur's Tooth (February 1, 2005)
* Arthur's Money Matters (February 1, 2005)
* Arthur's Treasure Hunt (February 1, 2005)
* The Big Riddle (February 1, 2005)

Any new titles shown below were only released on DVD:

* Arthur's Family Ties (March 8, 2005) (distributed by Our Time)
* Arthur Goes Crosswire (May 10, 2005)
* Arthur Makes a Movie (May 10, 2005)
* Arthur Goes on a Field Trip (May 10, 2005)
* You Are Arthur (May 10, 2005)
* D.W. Rides Again (June 14, 2005)
* D.W., the Picky Eater (June 14, 2005)
* Arthur's Computer Adventure (June 14, 2005)
* Arthur Gets Lost (June 14, 2005)
* Nerves of Steal (August 2, 2005)
* Arthur's First Crush (August 2, 2005)
* Growing Up with Arthur (August 30, 2005) (distributed by Our Time)
* D.W. Blows the Whistle (November 1, 2005)
* Arthur Loses His Marbles (November 1, 2005)
* Arthur Rides the Bandwagon (April 4, 2006)
* Arthur's Club Rules (April 4, 2006)
* The Boy With His Head In The Clouds (June 6, 2006)
* Arthur's Big Hit (June 6, 2006)

When the show was available on iTunes by June 2011, Seasons 1-9 were not part of the distribution in North America.

## Weblinks

* http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/arthur (1996-1999)
* http://pbskids.org/arthur (1999-present)
	+ Version 1: October 13, 1999–September 2001
	+ Version 2: September 27, 2001–2011

## Gallery

1. ↑ Arthur on PBS (1996)
2. ↑ Arthur on PBS Kids (2000)
3. ↑ Arthur on PBS Kids (2001)
4. ↑ Arthur on IMDb