100 Fun Facts About Arthur (PBS)

What kind of animal is Arthur Read?

An aardvark was simply the first animal that came to mind: asked by his young son for a story about a weird animal, Arthur's creator started at the top of the alphabet.

In which fictional city is the PBS series Arthur set?

Elwood City marked its centenary in the special 'Elwood City Turns 100!', where Larry King turned up to interview Arthur and his friends.

Which children's author created Arthur, first as a bedtime story for his son Tolon?

Marc Brown has hidden the names of his own children, Tolon, Tucker and Eliza, in the illustrations ever since the second Arthur book.

The first picture book about Arthur, published in 1976, was named after which feature of his?

His nose: in 'Arthur's Nose' he is so unhappy with his long snout that he visits a rhinologist for a new one, then decides to keep the one he has.

Arthur's first TV story, shown on PBS in October 1996, was about him getting what?

Glasses: when classmates call him four-eyes he tries to go without them, until he learns that the actor who plays his favourite TV hero wears a pair too.

In Arthur's 2022 finale, what has the grown-up Arthur become?

Graphic novelist: the grown-up Arthur reads his friends his first book, a comic about his own childhood that opens with the show's very first story.

Which show has since passed Arthur as America's longest-running children's animated series?

SpongeBob SquarePants, on air since 1999, took the record because it never stopped: Arthur's own run had ended in 2022, after 25 seasons.

Which PBS station developed Arthur with the books' author after phoning him in January 1993?

WGBH Boston's producer simply rang him up; he said he always turned such offers down, but thought PBS would be the right home for Arthur.

In which country did Arthur's voice cast record the show?

Canada: the cast there were mostly child actors, so Arthur himself was recast again and again as each boy's voice broke.

Who performed Arthur's reggae theme song, 'Believe in Yourself'?

Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers sang the original; the Backstreet Boys later covered it over the closing credits of their own Arthur special.

Which song does D.W. play over and over on CD, driving her brother Arthur to despair?

'Crazy Bus' was written and sung by head writer Joe Fallon; when the CD vanishes, D.W. blames Arthur, but their father had taken it to a reunion by mistake.

What grade is Arthur in for nearly all of the show's 25 seasons?

Third grade lasted 25 years for the eight-year-old: Arthur only started fourth grade in the 2021 special 'Arthur's First Day'.

What do Arthur's parents, David and Jane Read, do for a living?

Chef and accountant: David caters from the family kitchen and Jane does her clients' taxes from the den, so both parents work at home.

What do D.W.'s initials stand for?

Dora Winifred is a hand-me-down: D.W. was named after the late sister of Theo, the patriarch of the Read family farm.

What is the name of D.W.'s imaginary friend, a squirrel who acts as her conscience?

Nadine is calm where D.W. is not, turning up with sensible advice whenever D.W. feels guilty or scared; D.W. rarely takes it.

Which pair in Arthur's household secretly hold conversations that nobody else can understand?

Kate and Pal chat freely because babies and animals understand each other in the show; Kate starts to lose the gift as she grows and learns to talk.

Which description fits Arthur's best friend, Buster Baxter?

A rabbit with asthma: when his friends learn of the diagnosis they treat Buster as fragile, even contagious, until he explains that it changes nothing.

What job does Francine Frensky's father do?

Sanitation engineer Oliver Frensky is proud of his job at the city dump, and makes light of it when his teenage daughter Catherine is embarrassed.

In Arthur, what does the Brain's family shop sell?

Ice cream: when a hurricane wrecks the family's parlour despite careful preparations, the Brain is so shaken that he needs a therapist's help.

Why is Binky Barnes older than the rest of his class at Lakewood Elementary?

He was held back a year, which Binky is oddly proud of; the class bully also keeps quiet about his love of ballet and butterflies.

Sue Ellen Armstrong has lived all over the world because her father does what job?

Diplomat: her father's postings kept the family moving from country to country, so Sue Ellen joined Arthur's class partway through the school year as the new kid.

Which classmate of Arthur's is a shy moose who does ventriloquism with a giraffe dummy called Wally?

George Lundgren is so timid that he often lets Wally, his sassier alter ego, do the talking, and confides his school troubles to the dummy.

Which shy classmate of Arthur's is a dog who loves poetry and solving mysteries?

Fern Walters is the quietest of the gang, yet she speaks her mind when pushed, and her love of Sherlock Holmes makes her the class detective.

In the 2019 episode 'Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone', whom does Arthur's teacher marry?

Patrick, a kindly chocolatier, is the surprise: the class spends the episode dreading a marriage to bossy Patty, who turns out to be Mr. Ratburn's sister.

Which Arthur episode supplied the clenched-fist still that became a huge internet meme in 2016?

'Arthur's Big Hit' is the one where he punches D.W. for wrecking his model plane; in July 2016 the frame of his balled fist spread across Twitter as a reaction image.

Which PBS host stays at Arthur's house as himself in a 1997 episode, to Arthur's embarrassment?

Fred Rogers plays himself: Arthur hides the visit, sure his friends think Mister Rogers' Neighborhood is a baby show, until the man himself wins over the class.

Which comedian voiced Bubby, Francine's grandmother, in two Arthur episodes?

Joan Rivers played Bubby in 'Is That Kosher?', where Francine vows to fast for Yom Kippur and then absent-mindedly bites into a slice at Arthur's pizza party.

Which movie star appeared as himself in the episode 'The Making of Arthur'?

Matt Damon, drawn as one of the show's animals, asks viewers of his TV programme to send in home movies, which sets off a film-making craze among Arthur's friends.

Which award did Arthur win in 2000 for telling stories from a child's point of view without talking down?

A Peabody Award: the judges praised Arthur's easygoing attitude and the way it lets children work through their own problems, without moralizing.

Which hip-hop artist released 'Wonderful Everyday', a reworking of the Arthur theme song, in 2014?

Chance the Rapper had been performing the cover at his shows, then released a studio version with Wyclef Jean and Jessie Ware to mark his Lollapalooza set.

Whenever something unexplained happens in Arthur, what does Buster Baxter insist is behind it?

Aliens are Buster's answer to everything, so he is thrilled when real astronaut Mike Fincke turns up to help the gang with their model rocket.

Which original voice of Arthur returned to voice the character's adult self in the finale 'All Grown Up'?

The finale flashed forward to show what became of the gang; Yarmush had voiced Arthur in the show's earliest seasons.

In Arthur's song, having fun isn't hard when you've got which card?

A library card: D.W. wants one so badly in a later episode that she has to learn to write her own name to get it.

Which two four-year-old bear brothers terrorise D.W. at preschool?

The Tibble twins once copied a violent cartoon so faithfully that they swung a playground swing into D.W.'s face and sent her to the emergency room.

Arthur's Principal Haney left to build a school on which continent?

Africa: his dream was a school in Tanzania; the off-screen exit came after the 2014 death of Walter Massey, who had voiced the absent-minded principal from the start.

Which of Arthur's grandparents is shown in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease?

Grandpa Dave forgets even Arthur's name, so Arthur and D.W. fill an album with family photographs to help him hold on to his memories.

Which rabbit with a strong Southern accent joined Arthur's class in the show's later seasons?

Ladonna Compson arrives from Louisiana and wins friends with tall tales about her old life, until the Brain catches her making one up.

Which member of staff at Arthur's school is diagnosed with cancer in 'The Great MacGrady'?

The lunch lady's story is dedicated to its co-writer Leah Ryan, who died before the episode aired.

Where was Arthur's creator born in 1946?

He later settled in New England, which is why the show's town looks so much like suburban Boston.

Arthur's spoof of Harry Potter is a book series about which boy wizard?

Henry Skreever won Prunella a best friend: sent a Braille copy by mistake, she lent it to Marina, a blind girl who loves the books as much as she does.

Where did the show's production move for its final seasons, from season 20 onward?

Production of the final season was already complete by the end of 2019, though it aired in 2022.

Which Arthur spin-off followed Buster's travels with his pilot father?

Postcards from Buster showed real children through Buster's camcorder; one episode, with a family headed by two mothers, drew a rebuke from the US education secretary.

Which superhero stars in Arthur's favourite TV show?

Bionic Bunny is only an actor in a suit, Wilbur Rabbit, and a TV special about the man behind the cape changes how Arthur sees himself in the show's first story.

Which state's public television network refused to air Mr. Ratburn's 2019 wedding episode?

Alabama Public Television showed a rerun instead, so a Methodist church in Birmingham screened the episode itself and threw a wedding party to go with it.

Which live-action segments with real schoolchildren aired between the two stories of most Arthur episodes on PBS?

A Word from Us Kids filled the minutes that commercials take elsewhere; PBS carries none, and broadcasters abroad simply cut the segments.

Arthur's teacher Mr. Ratburn, feared for his homework, has a famous weakness for which treat?

Cake is his soft spot; the stern teacher's other secret, much to Arthur's surprise, is a love of cartoons.

Which classical star faces off against jazz saxophonist Joshua Redman in the Arthur episode 'My Music Rules'?

Yo-Yo Ma turns out to like Redman's jazz as much as Redman likes classical music, which ends the feud their young fans had been stoking.

Which classmate of Arthur's is driven around by Bailey, her family's chauffeur and butler?

Muffy Crosswire is the richest girl in town thanks to her father's car dealership, and tends to assume that money, Bailey or Daddy can fix anything.

Which tech company sold talking Arthur and D.W. dolls in 1998 that could interact with the TV show?

Microsoft's ActiMates dolls responded to compatible episodes and tapes, so a toy Arthur could talk along with his own show; the line was dropped in 2000.

Arthur's Missing Pal (2006) was the first Arthur film made in which style?

3-D computer animation, by the studio Mainframe Entertainment, tells how Pal runs away after Arthur forgets to feed him, sending Arthur and his friends on a search.

Which boy band guest-starred as themselves in the hour-long Arthur special It's Only Rock 'n' Roll?

Backstreet Boys inspire Francine to start a band called U Stink, which turns Arthur and Buster away at the auditions. The rejects answer by forming We Stink.

Which real quiz show host voiced the host of Riddle Quest when Arthur became a contestant on it?

Alex Trebek played a spoof of himself named Alex Lebek. In the final round Arthur has to choose between winning and sticking with his friends.

What kind of animal is Muffy Crosswire, the wealthy classmate of Arthur with red braids?

A monkey, like her best friend Francine, though the books and the earliest episodes drew her with two buck teeth.

In Arthur's 'The Contest', the friends are briefly redrawn in the style of which adult cartoon?

South Park joins The Sopranos, Titanic and Star Wars among the many spoofs that won the children's series a cult following with older viewers.

Which civil rights leader and congressman voiced himself in the story 'Arthur Takes a Stand'?

John Lewis joins a sit-in led by Arthur, who wants the school to hire help for its overworked lunch lady. She had once joined the March on Washington beside him.

Which Olympic figure skater presents the Athlete of the Year Award in Arthur's 'The Good Sport'?

Michelle Kwan hands the prize to quiet Jenna, leaving Francine fuming and anything but a good sport. The story even makes Kwan a graduate of Lakewood Elementary.

Which folk-rock singer voiced the singing moose who narrates Arthur's 'The Ballad of Buster Baxter'?

Art Garfunkel sings the tale of Buster coming home from his time away to find his friends changed. Their surprise party nearly falls flat because nobody remembers to invite him.

Which bestselling author voiced Buster Baxter's uncle Bob in Arthur's 'Fright Night'?

R. L. Stine played Bob Baxter, the brother of Buster's mother, in one of the show's final seasons. He spooks his nephew with a bedtime tale about a creature called the lycanbunny.

In the flash-forward ending the Arthur finale, grown-up Arthur is about to publish what kind of book?

A graphic novel about his own childhood, opening with the day he got his first pair of glasses, which is exactly how the series itself began.

On Arthur, Binky Barnes reveals which secret passion after fearing a green potato chip has poisoned him?

Ballet is the bully's hidden talent, confessed when he believes he is close to death. He later performs a whole dance about eating the green chip.

On Arthur, what is the name of the gang of school bullies that counts Binky Barnes as a member?

The Tough Customers also include Molly, who turned bully after being picked on when she was little, and Rattles, a leather-jacketed tough with a fondness for knitting.

What is the name of the Crosswire family's loyal chauffeur and butler on Arthur, a grey bloodhound?

Bailey was called James in his first appearance, and is probably named after the show's director, Greg Bailey. He follows Muffy's orders without question, however extreme they get.

What kind of business made Ed Crosswire, the father of Arthur's classmate Muffy, a very wealthy man?

A used car dealership called Crosswire Motors made his fortune. Ed never went to college, though Ivy University later gave him an honorary degree.

What is the first name of Mr. Ratburn, the strict teacher of Arthur's class at Lakewood Elementary?

Nigel Ratburn is rumoured to be the hardest teacher in the school, yet he drives a small red convertible and has a famous weakness for cake.

Binky Barnes, the class bully on Arthur, goes by a nickname; what is his real first name?

Shelley is the bulldog's given name. Behind the hard-man act he plays the clarinet and catches butterflies.

The creator of Arthur based strict Mr. Ratburn on his own middle-school teacher of which subject?

Algebra was the class, taught at Westlake Middle School in the author's home town. He has said his own childhood shaped the whole series.

Which instrument does Arthur study, first with kindly Mrs. Cardigan and later with the fearsome Dr. Fugue?

Piano lessons turn harsh under Dr. Fugue, a strict teacher who fires many of his students. He named his pet cat after a Beethoven piece.

Which preschool TV show, loathed by Arthur, does D.W. start a petition to save when it is cancelled?

Mary Moo Cow is her favourite show, and no petition can bring it back, much to her brother's relief.

On Arthur, which food allergy forces Binky Barnes to give up his favourite restaurant meals?

Peanuts are the problem, since his favourite dishes are cooked in peanut oil. Jenna, who is allergic to milk, shows him there are ways to cope.

Which illness threatens to keep Arthur from a family trip to the circus, making a jealous D.W. fake it too?

Chicken pox brings Grandma over to nurse him, and all that attention is what makes his little sister pretend to have it as well.

After a class trip to the aquarium, Arthur's sister D.W. becomes terrified of which sea creature?

Octopuses scare her so much that she will not swim at the lake. She gets over it when Arthur fakes an attack, and a lifeguard adds that they are never found in lakes.

After D.W. buries her pet bird Spanky on Arthur, which animal turns up at the grave and keeps following her?

A toad hops out of the can of flowers she left for Spanky. She finds it a pest until it vanishes one morning, then keeps it as her new pet.

Spying on their feared new teacher Mr. Ratburn, Arthur and Buster discover him staging what?

A puppet show explains the heads they overheard him ordering, which the boys had taken as proof that he meant them harm.

Which word does Arthur spell correctly to win the Lakewood Elementary Spellathon after Prunella gets it wrong?

Preparation suits a boy who gave up fun with his friends to study for the contest. Prunella, the previous year's winner, had just misspelled it.

On Arthur, Binky Barnes dreads fighting classmate Sue Ellen once he learns she knows which martial art?

Tae Kwon Do makes him try to beat her at music instead, and she is better at that too. He ends up accepting that she is the stronger of the two.

At Aunt Lucy's wedding, ring bearer Arthur accidentally throws the ring where, leaving D.W. to crawl after it?

Into the organ pipes it goes, and only D.W. is small enough to fetch it. Her reward is to be both ring bearer and flower girl.

What does Arthur start in order to prove he is responsible enough to own a dog?

A pet-sitting business lands him a grouchy dog named Perky, who turns out to be expecting. Her grateful owner lets him keep one of the puppies.

What treasured souvenir does Arthur's sister D.W. keep in the family freezer, only for it to vanish?

A snowball goes missing, and Buster and Francine investigate while everyone gives a biased account. D.W. drops the matter only when the year's first snow begins to fall.

D.W. is banned from restaurants on Arthur after throwing a tantrum over a salad made with which vegetable?

Spinach sets off the tantrum, so Arthur coaches her to try new foods in time for Grandma's birthday dinner at a fairytale restaurant.

In the Arthur story 'Lost!', where does Arthur fall asleep on his way to a swimming lesson and miss his stop?

On a city bus, he dozes off over a book and wakes at the edge of town. A friendly driver named Sam, met at a diner, takes him home.

After laughing at a classmate's embarrassing accident, Arthur suffers recurring nightmares about losing what at school?

His pants vanish in dream after dream once he laughs at Binky for splitting a pair in class. The nightmares end only after his own rip in the cafeteria.

On a family trip to Washington, D.C., whom does Arthur's sister D.W. meet after wandering off from the White House tour?

The President gets an unplanned visitor because D.W. would rather be at Pony Land than touring landmarks, and slips away from the group.

What must Arthur's little sister D.W. learn to do before the library will issue her own card?

Learning to write her name wins D.W. the card, but by then the book she wanted so badly has already been taken out by someone else.

Why does Mr. Ratburn move in with Arthur's family in 'The Rat Who Came to Dinner'?

Snow damaged his roof, and Arthur braces for nonstop homework, only to find his teacher is far more fun at home than in class.

In the Arthur story 'April 9th', which disaster at Lakewood Elementary sends its pupils to a rival school?

A fire leaves each child shaken in a different way: Sue Ellen loses her diary, and Binky, who saw the flames, is left traumatised.

Which elementary school is the biggest rival of Lakewood Elementary, where Arthur and his friends study?

Mighty Mountain is home to Isabella, a chess master nicknamed Los Dedos for drumming her fingernails as she beats the Brain game after game.

At which summer camp do Arthur and his friends team up to beat prank-playing rival Camp Horsewater?

Camp Meadowcroak starts as a boys-against-girls contest, until a spooky prank from Horsewater unites the campers to win the annual scavenger hunt.

Which inventor does Francine play in a class play on Arthur, growing so bossy that she feuds with the cast?

Thomas Edison was a part her classmates pushed for, feeling sorry about the roles she usually got. They regretted it once she took charge.

Which famous architect voiced himself on Arthur, helping the friends design a replacement tree house?

Frank Gehry pitches in without the kids realising who he is, until he hands them a signed photo of his Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.

With help from radio's Click and Clack, Arthur finds what stuck in the exhaust pipe of the family car?

A baby rattle belonging to his infant sister was causing the funny noises. Tom and Ray Magliozzi of Car Talk voiced the Tappet brothers who helped him find it.

Which host of TV cooking shows judged the children's cooking contest at Arthur's school?

Ming Tsai judged the contest where Arthur ruined a chocolate cake by using baking soda instead of baking powder, and so stumbled on a recipe for brownies.

Which comic actress voiced Patty, the older sister who plans Mr. Ratburn's wedding on Arthur?

Jane Lynch voiced Patty in the story where Arthur and his friends are stunned to learn that their teacher is getting married, with his pupils among the guests.

Which Broadway star voiced Dr. Paula, who helps the Brain overcome his fear of wind after a hurricane on Arthur?

Idina Menzel played the therapist the Brain visits after seeing his family's ice cream shop wrecked by the storm.

Players from which real baseball team voiced three stars of the long-cursed hometown Grebes on Arthur?

Red Sox players Édgar Rentería and Mike Timlin were among the voices of the Grebes, who persuade Buster that he is not the team's jinx.

Which December holiday does the family of Arthur's brainy friend Alan Powers, the Brain, celebrate?

Kwanzaa is what the Powers family keeps while running the ice cream parlour where his classmates gather after school and at weekends.

Which Jewish holiday is Francine observing with her visiting grandmother Bubby when Arthur's pizza party tempts her?

Yom Kippur brings her grandmother Bubby to visit, and Francine sets out to go 24 hours without food just as the pizza arrives.

Crown City, the nearby metropolis that Arthur's friends visit for culture and concerts, stands in for which real city?

New York is the model for Crown City, where Sue Ellen once took Muffy to an Ethiopian restaurant and a poetry slam instead of the shops.

In the Arthur finale's flash-forward, grown-up D.W. writes a ticket for an old friend while working as what?

A police officer is what the bossy preschooler grows into, and she tickets her old playmate Bud the moment he comes back to town.

In the Arthur finale's flash-forward, what job does grown-up Binky Barnes hold twenty years later?

A TV weatherman is the grown-up bully's surprise career, while his old classmate Muffy is busy running for mayor.

Binky Barnes becomes a big brother on Arthur when his parents adopt baby Mei Lin from which country?

China is where the Barnes family travels to meet Mei Lin, a year after deciding to adopt. Binky soon finds that life with a baby sister is harder than he expected.