Kids are from Earth, Parents are from Pluto

Summary
Lakewood Elementary is hosting a Parents Open House. How will the kids survive their parents' embarrassing antics?

Plot
Arthur starts the show off by pointing out the differences between parents and children. According to him, adults are more than just larger versions of children because they care too much about warm clothing in winter and words like 'sale' and 'clearance'. Then Arthur says, "But nothing is as weird as a bunch of parents getting together."

--Kids are from Earth, Parents are from Pluto--

The episode starts at the Lakewood Elementary School. Arthur and his friends are worried about the upcoming parent's open house night, an annual event at the school where all parents are welcome.

Each of Arthur's friends is worried about how their parents will act this year because last year's open house didn't go so well.

Francine is worried that her father will fall asleep again, Arthur is worried that his father will tell more bad jokes, Binky is afraid that his parents will call him baby names (like Binky Winkums), and Brain is worried that his parents will fail the traditional pop quiz.

Sue Ellen is new to the school so she isn't worried about her parents, but Arthur thinks that she should be. He tells her that when she first moved to Elwood City, Buster thought her parents were aliens because they acted so multi-culturally.

Sue Ellen starts to worry about her parents then. She wishes that her mother wouldn't wear such exotic dresses and she fears her dad talks too much about all the places they've been.

When she gets home after school, Sue Ellen notices her mother wearing a strange dress again. Then, while at a grocery store, her father starts talking about different cultures. Sue Ellen convinces her mother to let her help pick out the clothes for the open house, and she tells her father to be less talkative that evening.

The night of the open house arrives quickly, and Mr. Ratburn decides to scrap the traditional pop quiz, much to Brain's surprise. Instead, he has each of the parents tell the class about themselves. Sue Ellen's parents give a really short and boring speech.

They make hardly any conversations the whole night, just like their daughter wanted, but Sue Ellen gets more annoyed by how boring they are now and tells them to act like themselves again, which her mom and dad both like and agree with.

Arthur's father continues telling bad jokes, Francine's father falls asleep again, and now Sue Ellen's parents are once again acting strange. But the children eventually realize that they actually like their parents for who they really are anyway.

The episode finishes with all the parents watching Sue Ellen's mother dancing while Sue Ellen's father plays the drums, and clapping in a circle. Jane remarks that it's too bad the kids won't join them; they must be too embarrassed. David, who is wearing a tie on his forehead while dancing himself, says sarcastically, "Embarrassed? I can't imagine why!"

Major

 * Buster Baxter
 * Sue Ellen Armstrong
 * Mr. Armstrong
 * Mrs. Armstrong
 * Arthur Read
 * Binky Barnes
 * Alan Powers
 * Buster Baxter
 * Francine Frensky

Minor

 * Oliver Frensky
 * David Read
 * Jane Read
 * Mr. Barnes
 * Mrs. Barnes
 * Mrs. Lundgren
 * Mr. Powers
 * Mrs. Powers
 * Millicent Crosswire

Cameo

 * Bitzi Baxter
 * Ed Crosswire
 * Laverne Frensky
 * Mr. Lundgren
 * George Lundgren
 * Francis Haney
 * Muffy Crosswire
 * Leah MacGrady
 * Jenna Morgan
 * Alex
 * Luke
 * John
 * Maria Pappas
 * Helen
 * Mary
 * Fern Walters

Cultural references

 * The title is a reference to a novel called "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus".

Errors

 * In the classroom during the open house, Francine and her parents aren't seen in a wide view of the classroom, but Francine is later seen sitting at a desk beside her father.
 * Throughout, Sue Ellen's father's skin color changes from caramel to a paler color
 * When Sue Ellen tells her parents that being normal is boring, her father's eyebrows can be seen switching from brown to black and back to brown in a quick flash.
 * When Mrs. Lundgren is taking to Mr. Armstrong in the cafeteria, her hair is brown instead of black and she has a lighter complexion.
 * The central cross on Mrs. Armstrong's Union Jack dress is blue, even though it is red on the actual flag.

Episode Connections

 * Sue Ellen Moves In

Production notes

 * The mid-show feature for this episode is called "And Now a Word from Us Parents," a one-time special where the parents talk about their children.