The success of Arthur allowed it to get 22 seasons on PBS with more on the way. Arthur debuted in 1996 with the show featuring an aardvark character interacting with other animals as they dealt with their school and home lives. The series related with the younger audience that wanted to be entertained with the show that featured compelling stories along with the educational nature of being on PBS.
We will look at all the ways that Arthur proved to be a show ahead of its time. Not many viewers could have predicted the show would last until at least 2020 with more episodes ordered. The ability to tell stories ahead of its time allowed the series to continue thriving on the air. Find out just which moments help set the tone for what the show would represent. These are time instances of Arthur being ahead of its time.
Arthur Showed the importance of libraries
Many children’s shows of the 90s advocated for the importance of reading, but Arthur was the top show that tried to showcase the coolness of libraries. The main passion of Arthur Read is his love of reading. Arthur even had amazing problems regarding it like checking out too many books or getting locked in a library with pizza and ice cream.
However, the biggest instance of Arthur highlighting libraries came in the musical episode titled “Arthur’s Almost Live Not Real Music Festival.” All the kids get together to sing and deliver an elaborate dance to the song “Having Fun Isn’t Hard When You’ve Got A Library Card.” Many kids would grow up to become adults loving libraries and dancing to the catchy tune thanks to Arthur.
Arthur Struggled with Buster leaving
One of the most emotional storylines in Arthur history came when his best friend Buster Baxter was moving away to visit his father for a short time. Buster was scheduled to return, but Arthur dealt with the heartache of losing his best friend for at least many months.
The episode featured Arthur having to come to grips with it and acknowledge the positives of Buster getting to see his father. Arthur gets emotional and sheds a tear in the episode. The rest of Season 2 misses the presence of Buster as we all related to Arthur there.
Francine Felt embarrassed about her dad's job
Francine Frensky often dealt with pressure due to the snobby nature of her best friend Muffy Crosswire. An episode titled “My Dad, The Garbage Man” featured her getting embarrassed about the class visiting her father’s workplace at the dump site.
Muffy makes a comment about the smell of garbage when the school bus passes a garbage truck to make it even worse for Francine. The episode ends with Francine realizing she should trust her dad as he still made a fun day for the class trip. Any kid in a similar situation would relate to Francine’s struggle, especially back in the '90s.
Binky's sensitive side
The character arc of Binky Barnes told the story of a misguided bully trying to hide his sensitive side. Binky is introduced as the school bully and the leader of the Tough Customers gang. The group tries to find a way to stop him until new student Sue Ellen refuses to back down to Binky’s threats.
Binky’s softer side comes out as he confides in Arthur that being the toughest made him feel like he was finally the best at something. The real interests of Binky come out during the show’s progression with his desire to catch butterflies, play music and dance.
Arthur Hits D.W.
Many parents must deal with the task of their children fighting each other at some point given the unpredictable nature of kids. The episode titled “Arthur’s Big Hit” focuses on the story of Arthur hitting D.W. for the first time after she breaks his model airplane after weeks of hard work.
Arthur spends the entire episode not understanding why his parents and friends are upset with him over the action. Binky ends up hitting Arthur out of peer pressure leading to Arthur feeling what D.W. felt in the moment. Arthur apologizes to her at the end, as the show told the story of a real situation for many families.
Buster's mom's story as a single mom
Bitzi Baxter is one of the few single parents on the show as she works for a newspaper and raises Buster on her own. The pressures of being the only active parent and being a child with one parent are explored throughout the series.
Buster moving away to take a trip with his father for a short time was a huge episode regarding this story. However, it was the special holiday episode of “Arthur’s Perfect Christmas” that best portrayed this story. Bitzi struggles with overcompensating during Christmas time as a single parent before learning that Buster just wants to spend the day with her, calling it Baxter Day.
DW Learns swear words
Children learning about swear words are often hidden from television shows directed at younger demographics. The producers of Arthur felt it would be entertaining and important to create an episode titled “Bleep,” which focused on D.W. learning about cursing for first time.
D.W. hears a swear word at a store when a teenager backtalks his mother. Kids at the playground convince her that the words will lead to adults following your order. Predictably, D.W. gets into a world of trouble with her family and neighbors before learning what the word actually means and why it’s offensive to some.
Kids Dealt with PTSD
“April 9th” is one of the most beloved Arthur episodes and arguably the best from the later seasons. The full episode features various kids dealing with the aftermath of witness a fire at their school. This episode was ahead of its time in showing how kids can deal with PTSD after a traumatic incident.
Sue Ellen struggles after losing her diary, Arthur is paranoid after his father was stuck inside the school for quite some time, and Binky is terrified after seeing the smoke. Each story comes from the same source of the fire as the kids process it alone and together in a deeper episode
Arthur's insecurity about getting glasses
The first episode of Arthur titled “Arthur’s Eyes” connected with many children all over the world. Glasses are considered cool in today’s society, but kids were often teased for wearing them in the '90s, especially back when the schoolyard was an intimidating place.
Arthur’s friends tease him in the episode when he’s the first of them to have to use glasses. The insecurities make him want to go with bad vision rather than getting teased by his peers. Many kids felt at one with Arthur as it helped them realize glasses could be cool and part of their identity.
DW copied Arthur to spend time with him
The relationships between siblings growing up are always tricky. Younger siblings typically want to spend time with an older sibling while the older sibling wants to spend time with their friends. “D.W. The Copycat” is the episode that goes in depth about this on Arthur.
Upon realizing he doesn’t want to spend time with her, D.W. completely changes her look, interest and general personality copying Arthur. He enjoys it before the act gets tiring. D.W. makes him realize that she has her own interests but wants to spend time with him in a complex moment for the Arthur/D.W. relationship.