Bailey's PBS Memories 4: Special Arthur Edition
It is the end of an era.
I’ve been holding off on discussing Arthur in my PBS Memories series because of the special place the show holds in my heart. However, with the recent announcement that the beloved animated series will be ending next year after 25 seasons, I’ve decided to dedicate this entire post to my favorite PBS Kids show.
This may sound shocking (considering how heavily I associate myself with ’90s nostalgia), but I didn’t watch many cartoons growing up... Sure, I’d catch the odd Angry Beavers or Muppet Babies episode now and again, but there were only really three animated series that I faithfully watched in my childhood, and Arthur was the best of them. I was 5 years old when Arthur premiered in 1996. Having read and enjoyed some of the original children’s books by Marc Brown, I eagerly anticipated the television adaptation as promos began appearing. After watching the premiere, I was hooked, and amazed at just how closely I related to this perpetually stressed out young aardvark (also, kudos to the show for teaching me how to spell that, by the way).
As a primarily 'PBS kid,' Arthur stood out to me from all of the other series that PBS offered children at the time. Most series were specialized educational programs, focusing on reading, science, history, etc., and then there were programs like Shining Time Station and The Adventures of Dudley the Dragon, which were more narrative, but also sort of condescending to kids. You could tell that an adult’s hand was behind every episode. Then there was Arthur, and Arthur was about life. Real life from an eight-year-old’s perspective, focusing on the life problems the eight-year-olds faced: school, siblings, friendships, and so much more. The series understood being a kid like nothing I had ever seen. It wasn’t talking down to kids or necessarily trying to impart specific knowledge. It was preparation for the turbulent, stressful world of elementary school. Arthur wasn’t a cartoon to me, but rather a serious show that tackled the big issues: bullying, peer pressure, embarrassment, the complications of friendship, plus mistakes and how to rectify them, among other things. Simply listing these themes minimizes the brilliance of Arthur.
I never felt that I was getting a 25-minute lesson on friendship. The thematic heart of the series was interwoven with stellar character development, hilarious writing, and an impossibly wonderful understanding of the world of young people. I watched it every day. I rejoiced at new episodes and was equally as enthusiastic about reruns. It was that good. From kindergarten to (not shamefully at all) eighth grade, I turned to Arthur day after day until I eventually stopped being a regular viewer, only occasionally checking in to see how the series had evolved. While the animation style became clearly (and a little disturbingly) different, its heart remained the same. And yes, I did tune in for Mr. Ratburn’s wedding and wept in delight that same-sex marriage was being represented on a wide-reaching animated program for kids (and in 2019 it was well-overdue).
As an adult, I was pleased to know that kids today were growing up with the same characters I knew and loved in their own time, but in a way that would speak directly to them. I knew this because Arthur has always kept up with the times. Arthur ushered in kids from the Furby-esque landscape of the ‘90s, and how they affected the social standings of kids on the playground, to the rise of the internet as a mainstream tool for all ages. So much of Arthur’s staying power stems from the show's ability to be at once topical and yet timeless through its expertly developed cast of characters.
I had wanted to end this review with a top ten list of my favorite Arthur episodes, but as my list swiftly reached fifty, I realized that it was a nearly impossible task (and maybe a separate post for another day…). Every episode is its own little complex roller coaster of childhood experience. All I will say is that when the series is complete, there had better be a complete series box set that I can purchase to watch this beautiful series in its entirety. It’s a series that will live on in my heart, and 25 years worth of other hearts, as a master-class in capturing the serious business that is childhood. Thank you for everything, Arthur.
What’s your favorite memory from Arthur? Will you tune in for the series finale? Did any of you keep watching beyond the target audience age of 4-8? Let me know in the comments below, and somebody crank “The BINKY Song”!
Copyright © 2021 Bailey Lizotte
