Arthur (season 1)

The first season of the television series Arthur was originally broadcast on PBS in the United States from October 7[1] to November 15, 1996 and contains 30 episodes with each episode containing two 11-minute segments. Like seasons 2 and 3, this season was released on DVD in Europe only.

Arthur
Season 1
Country of originUnited States
Canada
No. of episodes30 (60 segments)
Release
Original networkPBS
Original releaseOctober 7 (1996-10-07) 
November 15, 1996 (1996-11-15)
Season chronology

Episodes

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleWritten byStoryboarded byOriginal air date
1a1a"Arthur's Eyes"Joe FallonGerry CapelleOctober 7, 1996 (1996-10-07)
When D.W. sees pictures of a baby Arthur without his glasses, Arthur tells her the story of why he got glasses, and how he dealt with Francine teasing him for them.
1b1b"Francine's Bad Hair Day"Kathy WaughJean SarôOctober 7, 1996 (1996-10-07)
With school picture day coming, Muffy tries to give Francine a new makeover, which clashes with Francine's active lifestyle.
2a2a"Arthur and the Real Mr. Ratburn"Joe FallonJohn Pagan & Norm RoenOctober 8, 1996 (1996-10-08)
Arthur and his friends are horrified when they learn that their third grade teacher will be the infamous Mr. Ratburn. After Arthur and Buster follow him outside of class, they learn that he is not mean after all.
2b2b"Arthur's Spelling Trubble"Joe FallonJean LajeunesseOctober 8, 1996 (1996-10-08)
Arthur practices for the school spelling bee and competes against Prunella, the reigning champion, and Brain, the smartest kid in his class.
3a3a"D.W. All Wet"Kathy WaughSylvain ProteauOctober 9, 1996 (1996-10-09)
The Reads go to the beach during the summer, but D.W. refuses to swim because she thinks there are octopuses in the water.
3b3b"Buster's Dino Dilemma"Matt SteinglassRaymond LebrunOctober 9, 1996 (1996-10-09)
Buster and Arthur discover a fossilized dinosaur footprint on a class trip to a state park. Buster takes it home, against site rules, but later feels guilty and confesses.
4a4a"D.W.'s Imaginary Friend"Ken ScarboroughSylvain ProteauOctober 10, 1996 (1996-10-10)
When Arthur and Buster find out about a new amusement park ride, they do not want D.W. and her imaginary friend to come along.
4b4b"Arthur's Lost Library Book"Joe FallonJean LajeunesseOctober 10, 1996 (1996-10-10)
Arthur is the first to borrow a new book from the library, but he cannot find it while going to return it. He suspects his friends have taken it, and the thief turns out to be Binky.
5a5a"Arthur's Pet Business"Joe FallonJean LajeunesseOctober 11, 1996 (1996-10-11)
Arthur starts his own pet-sitting business to prove he is responsible enough to get a dog of his own, which includes watching over unfriendly dog Perky. When Perky goes missing on the day her owner is picking her up, Arthur fears that he is not a good pet owner. Perky gives birth, and Arthur adopts one of her puppies as payment.
5b5b"D.W. the Copycat"Joe FallonStéfanie GignacOctober 11, 1996 (1996-10-11)
D.W. starts acting and dressing like Arthur and following him around. Arthur's friends start excluding him because they do not want D.W. around.
6a6a"Locked in the Library!"Kathy WaughJohn FlaggOctober 14, 1996 (1996-10-14)
Francine is mad at Arthur for a joke he made at her expense, and Mr. Ratburn assigns them to work together on a project. They go to the library together and lose track of time, getting locked inside when the library closes. As they try to find a way out, Francine and Arthur must put aside their grudges and learn to work together.
6b6b"Arthur Accused!"James GreenbergJean SarôOctober 14, 1996 (1996-10-14)
Arthur is in charge of a fundraiser, and is accused of stealing the quarters he raised. Buster, acting as a detective, tries to prove Arthur's innocence.
7a7a"Arthur Goes to Camp"Rowby GorenSylvain ProteauOctober 15, 1996 (1996-10-15)
Arthur and his friends go to Camp Meadowcroak, where everything is a competition between girls and boys. When a rival camp pranks them, the two factions must work together to beat the rival camp in the annual scavenger hunt.
7b7b"Buster Makes the Grade"Peter HirschNadja CozicOctober 15, 1996 (1996-10-15)
Buster falls behind with his schoolwork, and is threatened with repeating third grade if he does not improve. Arthur, Muffy, and Francine tutor him, but he struggles to pay attention.
8a8a"Arthur's New Puppy"Joe FallonHana KukalOctober 16, 1996 (1996-10-16)
Arthur must train his new puppy, Pal, to behave.
8b8b"Arthur Bounces Back"Tom HertzJohn FlaggOctober 16, 1996 (1996-10-16)
Arthur wants Moon Boots and tries to get money to buy them. Desperate for money, he sells his mother's necklace, then regrets it and tries to get it back.
9a9a"Arthur Babysits"Joe FallonGerry CapelleOctober 17, 1996 (1996-10-17)
Arthur thinks that babysitting is an easy job until he volunteers to babysit Tommy and Timmy Tibble, twins with a bad reputation of being destructive and mean.
9b9b"Arthur's Cousin Catastrophe"Terence TaylorJean Charles FinkOctober 17, 1996 (1996-10-17)
Arthur's parents host a family reunion. Arthur tries to avoid his cousin Mo after bad experiences with her at past reunions, while his parents deal with their eccentric relatives.
10a10a"Arthur's Birthday"Joe FallonStéfanie GignacOctober 18, 1996 (1996-10-18)
Arthur and Muffy have their birthday parties on the same day and neither can change the date. While their friends are split over whose party to attend, Arthur and Francine then work together to merge the two parties into one everyone can enjoy.
10b10b"Francine Frensky, Superstar"Joe FallonDarren BreretonOctober 18, 1996 (1996-10-18)
Feeling sorry for Francine never getting a good part in the class play, the whole class vouches for her to star as Thomas Edison in the next play. However, the role goes to Francine's head, causing her to take control of the play, and the rest of the cast revolt.
11a11a"Arthur's Baby"Joe FallonGerry CapelleOctober 21, 1996 (1996-10-21)
On Kate's 1st birthday, Arthur remembers when his mom first told him and D.W. that she is pregnant. Arthur is nervous, wondering what it will be like to have a new baby in the house. When Kate is born, Arthur is worried that she hates him, since she cries whenever he is nearby.
11b11b"D.W.'s Baby"Joe FallonGerry CapelleOctober 21, 1996 (1996-10-21)
In a flashback, D.W. feels jealous of the attention Kate is receiving and runs away with Grandma Thora.
12a12a"Arthur Writes a Story"Joe FallonGerry CapelleOctober 22, 1996 (1996-10-22)
When Arthur is assigned to write a story, he writes about how he got Pal (from "Arthur's Pet Business"). Afraid that people will find it boring, Arthur begins fictionalizing the events using advice from different people. Once he realizes how strange the story is, he changes it back and learns that the truth is still interesting.
12b12b"Arthur's Lost Dog"Joe FallonSylvian ProteauOctober 22, 1996 (1996-10-22)
Kate wants a balloon at a street carnival, confusing Arthur's parents, who are unaware of why Kate is crying. Pal runs off to get a balloon, but Arthur thinks he is running away from him.
13a13a"So Long, Spanky"Peter K. HirschJean LajeunesseOctober 23, 1996 (1996-10-23)
D.W.'s pet bird, Spanky, dies. She leaves a can of flowers on Spanky's grave after his funeral, but finds a toad in it. The toad reappears several times, following D.W., but she is annoyed that it will not leave her alone. When the toad does not reappear, D.W. realizes that she misses it.
13b13b"Buster's New Friend"Matt SteinglassJean LajeunesseOctober 23, 1996 (1996-10-23)
Arthur and Buster work on a project together, but Buster does not have the time for the project or for Arthur, instead talking about his new friend, Mike. When Buster keeps forgetting about him, Arthur decides to end his friendship with Buster, until he learns who Mike really is and Buster apologizes.
14a14a"Arthur the Wrecker"Joe FallonStéfanie GignacOctober 24, 1996 (1996-10-24)
Arthur is addicted to a new computer game, disobeying his mother's rules to play it. When the computer shuts off while Buster visits, they believe that have broken the computer, and look for Brain so he can help them fix it before Arthur's mom comes home.
14b14b"Arthur and the True Francine"Kathy WaughAngus BungayOctober 24, 1996 (1996-10-24)
In a flashback to second grade, Muffy arrives to town and becomes quick friends with Francine. When Francine tries to study for a test, Muffy chooses to enjoy her lavish lifestyle instead. When their teacher confronts them after the test, pointing out theirs are the exact same, Muffy lies about cheating, causing Francine to be punished with detention. When Francine is needed for a crucial softball game, and Muffy's lies finally catch up to her, she finally comes clean, allowing Francine to return to the game.
15a15a"Arthur's Family Vacation"Thomas LaPierreFrançois BrissonOctober 25, 1996 (1996-10-25)
Arthur's family goes on a catastrophic road trip, until Arthur finds things he enjoys doing with them.
15b15b"Grandpa Dave's Old Country Farm"Matt SteinglassJohn Pagan & Norm RoenOctober 25, 1996 (1996-10-25)
Arthur and D.W. go to visit their Grandpa Dave, who lives on an old, rundown farm. Grandpa Dave does not want help running it. Arthur and D.W. are concerned by the state of things and try to help him fix up the farm with the help of one Grandpa Dave's friends.
16a16a"Arthur and the Crunch Cereal Contest"Peter K. HirschJean LajeunesseOctober 28, 1996 (1996-10-28)
Arthur is determined to win a year's supply of Crunch cereal by composing a jingle. He hears D.W. singing a song about Nadine and copies it. Arthur feels guilty, so he mails it with D.W.'s name instead of his, and it wins the contest.
16b16b"D.W. Flips"Peter K. HirschGerry CapelleOctober 28, 1996 (1996-10-28)
D.W. is jealous of Emily's performance in their gymnastics class. D.W. is determined to be better than her, which endangers her when she climbs on a high balance beam. Afterward, D.W. and Emily apologize to one another and become friends.
17a17a"Meek for a Week"Joe FallonJean Charles FinkOctober 29, 1996 (1996-10-29)
Annoyed by Francine's attitude, Muffy bets that she cannot be nice for a week. Noticing how straining the bet is on Francine, Arthur, Buster, and the Brain try to get her to lose her temper.
17b17b"Arthur, World's Greatest Gleeper"Matt SteinglassMyron BornOctober 29, 1996 (1996-10-29)
Buster claims that Arthur is the world's greatest "gleeper" to stop them from being teased by Binky and his friends, only to find out later that "gleep" means "steal." Arthur lets the lie grow into a school-wide rumor, which alienates him from his friends, while Binky's gang pressure him into their ranks.
18a18a"Arthur's Chicken Pox"Kathy WaughRussel CrispinOctober 30, 1996 (1996-10-30)
Arthur gets chicken pox, and D.W. is jealous of the attention he gets while Grandma Thora takes care of him.
18b18b"Sick as a Dog"Joe FallonJean Charles FinkOctober 30, 1996 (1996-10-30)
Arthur is sad when Pal has to stay at the vet overnight for being sick. He blames D.W. for this, but when the vet tells him that Pal had been eating non-human food, he has to apologize to D.W. and learn how to properly take care of Pal.
19a19a"D.W. Rides Again"Joe FallonGerry CapelleOctober 31, 1996 (1996-10-31)
D.W. wants a two-wheel bike for a bike-riding fundraiser after the Tibble twins tease her for her tricycle. She tries to learn to ride it with Arthur's assistance.
19b19b"Arthur Makes the Team"Tom HertzJean LajeunesseOctober 31, 1996 (1996-10-31)
Arthur and his friends try out for the baseball team, and Arthur struggles with catching the ball while Francine is unable to throw accurately. When Francine wishes for her father to kick Arthur off the team, thinking he is the reason for the team not doing well, he makes Arthur and Francine coach each other to get better.
20a20a"Arthur's Almost Boring Day"Joe FallonStefanie GignacNovember 1, 1996 (1996-11-01)
Arthur and his friends are assigned to write about what they do over the weekend, but the rain ruins plans. Arthur and D.W. bother each other and are sent to Grandma Thora's, where Thora shows them old home movies and comic books that allow Arthur to have a great school project.
20b20b"The Half-Baked Sale"Ken ScarboroughJean LajeunesseNovember 1, 1996 (1996-11-01)
Grandma Thora is oblivious to the fact that she is a poor cook, and when she bakes cookies for a school bake sale, Arthur and D.W. try to stop her bad cooking from ruining it while not hurting her feelings.
21a21a"Sue Ellen Moves In"Joe FallonGerry CapelleNovember 4, 1996 (1996-11-04)
Rumors circulate about Sue Ellen Armstrong and her family, who have just moved into the neighborhood. Buster jumps to the false conclusion that they are aliens and tries to expose them, but everyone else learns about how Sue Ellen traveled the world and change their opinions of her.
21b21b"The Perfect Brother"Joe FallonStefanie GignacNovember 4, 1996 (1996-11-04)
Brain spends the weekend with the Reads while his parents visit an ice cream convention. Brain is neat, finishes his homework early, and reads to D.W., making Arthur look bad. When Brain invites Arthur over to his house, Arthur learns that Brain is not neat and was just acting polite because he was a guest.
22a22a"D.W.'s Snow Mystery"Joe FallonGerry CapelleNovember 5, 1996 (1996-11-05)
D.W. keeps a snowball in the freezer from "the best day of her life," but it goes missing. Buster, as a detective, investigates, listening to biased accounts of those present the day the snowball disappeared. They argue and accuse each other, and eventually, D.W. lets the incident go as the first snowfall of the year appears.
22b22b"Team Trouble"Joe FallonGerry CapelleNovember 5, 1996 (1996-11-05)
Arthur, Buster, and Francine are assigned to do a group project on Ancient Rome. They separately work on a comic book, which ends up being inconsistent and not working due to disagreements. They learn that they have to work together to make a good project.
23a23a"Bully for Binky"Joe FallonGerry CapelleNovember 6, 1996 (1996-11-06)
Binky bullies Sue Ellen, who demands that he apologize. When he does not, she challenges him to a fight to settle it. He gets nervous when he finds out she knows Tae Kwon Do, and tries to beat her in music instead. When Sue Ellen is better than him in that as well, Binky accepts that Sue Ellen is tougher than him.
23b23b"Misfortune Teller"Joe FallonLuc SavoieNovember 6, 1996 (1996-11-06)
For her half-birthday, Prunella's older sister, Rubella, gives her a cootie catcher. Rubella claims that it can tell the future and the answers it gives do come true. Arthur and his friends begin following the advice of the cootie catcher. When the cootie catcher is ruined, they realize that they should not let it control their lives.
24a24a"Arthur's Tooth"James GreenbergJean Charles FinkNovember 7, 1996 (1996-11-07)
Arthur has a loose tooth, but he is the only one in his class that has not lost any of his baby teeth yet. He tries to pull it out to get Francine to stop mocking him. Arthur learns that people lose their baby teeth at different ages and tells Francine, only for her to accidentally hit him with a ball and knock out his loose tooth.
24b24b"D.W. Gets Lost"Joe FallonKevin CurrieNovember 7, 1996 (1996-11-07)
D.W. wants earrings because her friend Emily has them. D.W.'s mom takes her shopping for earrings, and while at the superstore, D.W. wanders off and gets lost. When she sees that Emily's earrings have turned her ears green, D.W. changes her mind.
25a25a"D.W. Thinks Big"Judy RothmanGerry CapelleNovember 8, 1996 (1996-11-08)
At Aunt Lucy's wedding, Arthur is the ringbearer and their dramatic cousin Cora is the flower girl, and D.W. is "too little" to help out. However, when the wedding ring gets lost in the pipe organ at the wedding, D.W.'s smaller size allows her to crawl in and retrieve it.
25b25b"Arthur Cleans Up"Matt SteinglassJean Charles FinkNovember 8, 1996 (1996-11-08)
After complaining about the state of the park, Arthur's dad happily volunteers him and his friends to clean it up. Arthur's friends are not pleased with the idea and do not help him, leaving Arthur to do the job himself with only Francine's father advising him. When Arthur manages to get Binky and his gang to help out, his friends change their minds.
26a26a"My Dad, the Garbage Man"Kathy WaughJean SarôNovember 11, 1996 (1996-11-11)
Mr. Ratburn's class goes on field trips to several of the students' parents at work to learn about careers. Francine is embarrassed by her dad's job as a garbageman and tries to cover it up by informing her classmates that he is in a secret organization and just pretends to be a garbageman for cover. When they figure out that he really is a garbageman, they are impressed and find it cool.
26b26b"Poor Muffy"Ken ScarboroughGerry CapelleNovember 11, 1996 (1996-11-11)
Muffy is allergic to the new carpet in her house, so she stays with Francine while the carpeting is being removed. During Muffy's stay, Francine cannot handle Muffy's spoiled attitude and Muffy cannot deal with the less-than-wealthy condition in which Francine's family lives.
27a27a"D.W.'s Blankie"Tom HertzStéfanie GignacNovember 12, 1996 (1996-11-12)
D.W. cannot find her blankie and enlists the help of Arthur to search for it, retracing her steps over Elwood City.
27b27b"Arthur's Substitute Teacher Trouble"Joe FallonNadja CozicNovember 12, 1996 (1996-11-12)
Mr. Ratburn loses his voice and his sister, Rodentia, substitutes for him. Rodentia is a kindergarten teacher, and although the class is glad to have some easy work at first, they soon get bored and they realize they miss Mr. Ratburn's tougher classes.
28a28a"I'm a Poet"Joe FallonKevin CurrieNovember 13, 1996 (1996-11-13)
Fern is the only one in class to enter a poetry contest, which is to be judged by famous poet Jack Prelutsky. The others think poetry is uncool, and start making fun of her. Fern challenges them all to write poems for the competition, and in doing so, they find writing poetry fun.
Guest star: Jack Prelutsky as himself.
28b28b"The Scare-Your-Pants-Off Club!"Terence TaylorAngus BungayNovember 13, 1996 (1996-11-13)
When their favorite series of books is banned from the library by a parental organization who believe scary books are bad for children, Arthur and his friends get together a petition to get them back — all except Muffy that is, as it turns out her father is a leading figure in the parental group. Everyone gets a surprise when the books' author arrives to defend her books, and it happens to be Muffy's father's former teacher.
29a29a"My Club Rules"Joe FallonGerry CapelleNovember 14, 1996 (1996-11-14)
Arthur and his friends create a club to exclude D.W., but they cannot agree on the rules. Everyone starts creating their own clubs with strange rules, alienating those who want to join.
29b29b"Stolen Bike"Kathy WaughAngus BungayNovember 14, 1996 (1996-11-14)
Francine's bike is too small for her, so her dad finds his old bike, except she is embarrassed by the rusty old bike. She hides it and pretends it is stolen. The bike then gets thrown out, and when Francine's dad finds it, they work on fixing it up.
30a30a"Arthur's First Sleepover"Joe FallonJean LajeunesseNovember 15, 1996 (1996-11-15)
Arthur has a sleepover with Buster and Brain, even with all the talk of UFOs. D.W. wants to join them so that she can take a picture of a UFO. The boys do not agree, so D.W. plays a prank on them with fake UFOs in retaliation, and they then turn the tables on her.
30b30b"Arthur's New Year's Eve"Joe FallonDarren BreretonNovember 15, 1996 (1996-11-15)
Arthur has never stayed up until midnight on New Year's Eve. His friends all have different claims on what happens at midnight, so Arthur tries to stay up until New Year's Eve to find out what occurs. He is disappointed when he sleeps through it, although Grandma Thora reassures him that the following year will be exciting.

References

  1. "Arthur on TV". Archived from the original on December 25, 1996. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
General references
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