The End of an Era

The PBS show Arthur aired its final episode on Monday and I am reliving all of the show’s best moments.

As a kid, I always loved to come home from school and turn the television to PBS and watch shows like Sesame Street, Caillou, and Arthur. Arthur was written by a man who was from my hometown of Erie, PA, Marc Brown. Brown went to the same high school as my sister and uncle (although at different times).

After seeing the news that Arthur had aired its final episode, I felt nostalgic and like a piece of my childhood was gone. Although it had been years since I had seen an episode I had occasionally read articles about how the show was continuing to cross barriers and change how people think about families, friendships, mental health, and other adult issues.

One episode in particular that I thought of was when there was a fire at Arthur’s school and some of the students had struggled with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). For example, Sue Ellen lost her diary in the fire, Binky was scared of smoke, and Arthur, whose father was at the school on the day of the fire and took a little longer to get out of the building than everyone else, was scared of losing his dad. This episode is considered one of the best episodes of the 25 season series, because it was one of the first shows to show how kids deal with PTSD.

A more lighthearted episode was when Muffy (the newer wealthy girl), Francine (the athletic girl who is Muffy’s best friend), and Sue Ellen go to the World Girls Store (the show’s version of the American Girl Doll store). As a girl who was obsessed with American Girl dolls growing up and even had their catalog sent to my house which I loved to look through, this was my favorite episode. I enjoyed watching the three best friends walking through the store and into the factory behind the hospital section of the store. Throughout the episode Sue Ellen is looking for a Tibetan loom for her doll, Pema. Francine is given money from Muffy to buy what she wants, which turns out to be a female golfer doll named Babe. Muffy is obsessed with finishing her collection of World Girl dolls. The girls developed in some way by the end of the episode. Muffy realized that she was being selfish by keeping all the dolls and their accessories. Francine decided to treat herself with things she wants. Sue Ellen learned to adapt to things that are out of her control.

The show had episodes geared toward educating kids on things not being addressed by their parents or their schools. They had episodes that featured themes like blindness, autism, dyslexia, dementia, and the LGBTQ community. The show also discussed gender conformity and immigrants. Arthur wasn’t like any other kid show because it didn’t educate kids on numbers or letters but rather being empathetic and kind to your friends, families, and strangers. And let’s not forget that amazing theme song by Ziggy Marley, Bob Marley’s son. Arthur had a good run and will be missed.