Arthur: the amazing kids tv show

Arthur is an American/Canadian animated educational television series for children, created by Cookie Jar Group (formerly known as Cinar) and WGBH for the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). The show is set in the fictional American city of Elwood City, and revolves around the lives of 8-year-old Arthur Read, an anthropomorphic aardvark,[1] his friends and family, and their daily interactions with each other. There is a strong emphasis on the educational value of books and libraries as well as relationships with friends and family members.

The television series is based on the Arthur book series, which are written and illustrated by Marc Brown. WGBH Boston along with Cinar (now Cookie Jar Group) began production of the animated series in 1994, and aired its first episode on September 2, 1996. Since its debut, the show has broadcast 344 full and mini episodes in 175 30-minute long episodes, and has recently finished its 14th season. Seasons 16 and 17 are currently being produced.

Arthur became one of the highest-rated shows on PBS Kids for several years since its debut, averaging almost 10 million viewers weekly in the U.S. It is aired in a total of 83 countries; PBS in the United States, Radio-Canada, Knowledge and TVOKids in Canada, ABC1/ABC2 and Nickelodeon in Australia, and BBC One/CBBC in the UK. It is the longest-running children's animated series in the U.S., and the second longest-running animated series in the U.S., behind The Simpsons.

Popularity with older fans

The Brain, Francine and Arthur animated in the style of South Park, from the infamous episode "The Contest" (#404)
Although Arthur is directed primarily toward a child and preteen audience, over the years it has gained a substantial cult following among older viewers. The show regularly incorporates satirical parodies of adult-oriented topics and references to pop culture, including, but not limited to, parodies of South Park, Jeopardy!, The Sopranos, Beavis and Butt-head, the Indiana Jones adventures, the James Bond series of films, The Adventures of Tintin, Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist, The Jerry Springer Show, Oprah, Law & Order, Charlie Rose, Antiques Roadshow, Mystery!, The Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds, Macbeth, and That '70s Show. Many of the references and topics covered are ones with which the target audience most likely would not be familiar. In the episode Desert Island Dish, Francine holds up a cage containing a swallow and then shows a coconut, saying the bird was carrying the coconut. This is a subtle reference to Monty Python and the Holy Grail and could likely only be picked up by older audiences.[9] Another example is the episode "Meet Binky", in which Arthur learns that his favorite band Binky is composed of holograms and that their music is actually recorded by two older, unattractive individuals; a reference to the Milli Vanilli scandal, something which the show's intended audience may be unfamiliar with.
The series is also noted for its self-referential humor. In one episode, Arthur's class is unnerved by an impending appearance in the regular mid-episode interstitial of a popular educational program, "The Magic Tool Box", a play off of the popular children's program The Magic School Bus, which, coincidentally, also aired on PBS. The interstitial is called Let's Talk to Some Kids, a reference to Arthur's own interstitial, And Now a Word from Us Kids, and is presented the same way the And Now a Word from Us Kids is presented—with hand-held "camera work" and children who speak in stilted sentences. Also, there was an episode where the gang wanted to enter a contest sponsored by a cartoon they watched (Andy & Co.) that was very similar to Arthur itself.
The series also features a discernible, complex continuity, which is uncommon in children's cartoons. Although the episodes themselves are not in chronological order (a single episode may have one story that takes place in the winter and another that takes place in the summer), many episodes are rife with references to past events within the series' continuity, in particular D.W.'s missing snowball for which she blames Arthur, and Buster's cat saving incident. These are often intended to amuse long-time viewers.

Ironhide wrote:I was always puzzled by the fact that all the characters were animals yet Arthur had a pet dog.

Shadow wrote:

Ironhide wrote:I was always puzzled by the fact that all the characters were animals yet Arthur had a pet dog.

Like Mickey Mouse?

StayDead wrote:http://arthur.wikia.com/wiki/Arthur_Wiki

strawberry float yeah Arthur.