Arthur - Where is the Show Going?

I remember finding the Arthur book where D.W. refuses to eat spinach at a restaurant. It was just like that episode I remember seeing which got me started watching Arthur.

I kinda remember it differently... I seem to recall the episode ending with D.W. being all, "What? Everyone knows I love spinach!", with Arthur being all oh brother-like, but I remember the book ending with D.W. grimmacing when she realizes she's eating spinach, with Arthur having sort of nyah-nyah look on his face.

Not quite. I think I either read or had the book... I can't remember if it had the same subplot about going to Grandma's birthday party, but I do know the fairy tale theme wasn't present in the restaurant outside of the kid's menu. But the most prominent change is that D.W. isn't exactly happy at the end of the book when she discovers that she ate spinach. Similar to how the book version of Arthur's Chicken Pox, she wasn't happy to have caught it at the end.

Now, for Teacher Trouble... when they adapted that into an episode, they actually split the story up into 2 parts to make 2 different episodes.... now, the book combines the fact that they get in the rat's class and the spelling bee at the end (this book, actually, I got this one autographed by Marc Brown YEARS before it became popular outside the book series). With the TV show, they added the segment about Buster and Arthur stalking him to find out if he really was evil, and prolonged the spelling be preparations both to fill out episodes.

I'd dare say the only episode that was really close to the book was Arthur's eyes... the only major change being the picture day segment was removed and made its own episode (and appears to take place later in time) and the fact the story was told in flashback form... I think the bit about Bionic Bunny's actor wearing glasses was also added, but I know the teacher had a similar pair. Arthur's Tooth was also kinda close.

Oh yeah. I do remember the ending of that book being shorter than the episode for some reason. Also, I loved that fairy tale themed restaurant where they ate Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum Twin Lobsters, Wicked Witch of the West Weenies. And Little Bo Peep's Pot Pie. I can just imagine what the rest of the menu is like.

Another major difference I seem to remember is "Arthur's Tooth": I remember in the book, different characters tried to show Arthur different tricks to make it look like he's lost a tooth (like covering a teeth with raisins and such), but they didn't have such a sequence on the episode.

Also, didn't the book version of "Arthur's First Sleepover" end with D.W. being humiliated at her "discovery" of the fake alien being in the paper?

And Binky actually WANTED to punch Arthur's Tooth in. Only other major difference I can think of at the top of my head was the fact they put in a Power Rangers parody.

I think I flipped through it, and the story ended before she joins the sleepover. That I know. I remember most of the Arthur books I read almost 20 years ago and took out of the school library so unless I directly had them, I can't remember much of them.

Remember when the Tibbles were human in the books?

Yep... Mrs. Tibble WAS human, and she was introduced in "Arthur's Halloween" basically using the old "The old loney woman in the huge mansion is not a witch no matter how much she looks like one" bit (that was stolen from Fat Albert... wonder if that stole it from anywhere else) so naturally, they had to make the Tibble Twins human too, even though it's completely confusing in terms of how the book series anthro'd the characters... that is, after Arthur's nose, when they were less humanlike.

Two words: Boo Radley.

Shameless plug in honor of yesterday's episode

One day I went to the library,
I saw this book it was great,
It was so good I couldn't put it down,
Even when it got pretty late.

And then that night I had a scary dream,
I mixed my own secret poition,
Add a smudge of sludge, some eyes of flies,
And a tiny drop of suntan lotion.

I started shaking,
My stomach aching,
My knees were shaking,
My brain was breaking!

I started turning green,
Feeling mean,
It was like in that story,
I started feeling strange,
And deranged,
It was pure allegory!

(Allegory: a story where the characters stand for abstract ideas, for instance, good and evil)

'CAUSE I WAS
JEKYLL JEKYLL HYDE JEKYLL HYDE HYDE JEKYLL
JEKYLL JEKYLL HYDE JEKYLL HYDE
JEKYLL JEKYLL HYDE JEKYLL HYDE HYDE JEKYLL
JEKYLL JEKYLL HYDE JEKYLL HYDE

When I awoke I was me again,
I hid that book out of sight,
It was so good I couldn't keep away,
So I took it out again that night.

And then I dreamed we had this test in school,
I gotta say it was weird,
We had to give the answers in semaphore,
And for extra credit grow a beard.

I couldn't take it,
Just couldn't take it,
In one swift motion,
I grabbed my potion!

I said, "Mr. Hyde has arrived!"
Tossed my flags to the floor,
Made a major speech
Told the teach, "This is all a big bore!"
Ran down all the halls, wrote on walls, even stole second base!
I was superbad, sure was glad I wasn't wearin' my face!

'CAUSE I WAS
JEKYLL JEKYLL HYDE JEKYLL HYDE HYDE JEKYLL
JEKYLL JEKYLL HYDE JEKYLL HYDE
JEKYLL JEKYLL HYDE JEKYLL HYDE HYDE JEKYLL
JEKYLL JEKYLL HYDE JEKYLL HYDE

It was too much,
I simply had to stop,
I threw that potion away,
But it didn't matter if I drank the stuff,
I just kept on changing anyway!

'CAUSE I WAS
JEKYLL JEKYLL HYDE JEKYLL HYDE HYDE JEKYLL
JEKYLL JEKYLL HYDE JEKYLL HYDE
JEKYLL JEKYLL HYDE JEKYLL HYDE HYDE JEKYLL
JEKYLL JEKYLL HYDE JEKYLL HYDE

Just when it seemed like there was no way out,
I saw the book was overdue,
The book lady asked, "Are you returning?"
I thought, and I said,
"No, renew!"

********

Getting back on the subject of the Arthur books and such, has anyone ever read the Bionic Bunny spin-off book? I remember reading it with a "reading buddy" when I was in grade 5 or so with the second graders, and my reading buddy chose it: it was basically a spoof of behind-the-scenes stuff where we read the story of how Wilbur Rabbit shoots an episode of Bionic Bunny and such. It was pretty good.

I'm so annoyed that I had to take my Poop version of that one down out of fear that all the other stuff was pulled down. My actions were voluntary, mind you.

I WAS HECKLE
I WAS JECKEL
JECKEL HECKLE HECKLE JECKEL

I WAS FROZEN TODAY!

Ahh I remember that episode vividly! It scared me haha

After all these years, you know what JUST now occured to me?

We've given the idea that the "music fest" is pretty much going to be library-themed, or at least centered around reading (the whole "Having Fun Isn't Hard When You've Got a Library Card" intro and outro), but really, only Brain's MV actually involved the library and reading... Arthur's was about his dad's terrible cooking, and Ratburn's was about homework (of course).

The thing was basically an ad for the fact a soundtrack was coming out and they wanted to tie it to the show somehow.

Seems like the last 2 music videos were just lame clipshows, while Jekyll Jekyll Hyde Hyde Jekyll and the Library bit had some great new animation.

I've been reading that some folks on YT actually want "Jekyll Jekyll Hyde" to be the next Rick Roll, lol.

And did anyone else besides me kind of find Bionic Bunny in the crowd during the closing of the song just slightly out-of-place?

I really love that Jekyll Jekyll Hyde song. And did you notice how instead of singing, Brain actually recited it? I thought that worked very well.

What annoyed me was that I commented on a lot of the episodes that were posted on YT, and a good number of my comments became really high-rated ones, with lots of thumbs up... so there's all that intelligent, witty, and observational commentary right down the drain.

But hey, Drtooth, future reference, instead of pulling them altogether, maybe you should just private them, or make them unlisted.

Kind of like on Whose Line, how Colin Mochrie basically shouted all of his hoedowns, rather than sing them.

I guess this shows that even though someone can't sing, there are other ways they can be part of musical numbers.

Hoohoohoo, I know I'm thinking way too much into this, but, here's something interesting...

We were introduced to Ratburn's sister, Miss Ratburn, when she had to substitute for him in an earlier season.

During "Desk Wars", many seasons later, Ratburn has to leave class to take an emergency phonecall, which turns out to be from his sister, telling him he's an uncle.

So... hidden message in a kiddie show there, probably, maybe, sort of...