Grandpa Dave's Memory Album

Summary
Grandpa Dave is moving closer to the family and the kids are thrilled. But something isn't quite right; he is forgetting all sorts of things. Francine's grandmother helps the kids understand that Grandpa Dave loves them just as much as he always has.

Plot
Francine's grandmother Bubby talks to the viewers about what it's like being old, such as the good and bad things. Before she can tell the viewers about her new friend, the show has to start.

Grandpa Dave's Memory Album

After the title card, D.W. comes rushing into Arthur's room shouting that Grandpa Dave is coming. She also tells Arthur to move the cot in D.W.'s room, causing Arthur to frown.

After moving the cot, the scene cuts to the Elwood City train station. Grandpa tells Arthur that he has grown a lot. Arthur declines and says that it has only been a few months.

Then at home, the kids have fun playing with their grandfather like playing catch, singing, and playing hide and seek. But something isn't quite right. He forgets that they were playing and goes inside. When Arthur and D.W. go inside to ask what happened, Grandpa Dave forgets Arthur's name. Jane has to remind him. She tells the kids that she will be taking him to a doctor appointment and that they will have a family meeting when they get back. Arthur looks out the window surprised that he had forgotten his name, and blames D.W. for spending too much time with him. That evening, Grandpa Dave states that he's having trouble remembering and that it is no one's fault. Later, D.W. tries to get Arthur to help her build a memory book, but Arthur declines.

The next day, Arthur got hit by a frisbee and Bubby inspected him. Then Francine arrives and they can tell Arthur is upset. At Francine's apartment, Bubby explains that people change. The next night, Arthur, D.W., and Francine made a memory book for Grandpa Dave. Bubby showed him more pictures, thus finishing the episode.

Major

 * Dave
 * Arthur Read
 * D.W. Read
 * Bubby
 * Francine Frensky

Minor

 * Jane Read

Cameo

 * David Read

Mentioned (and pictured)

 * Aunt Lucy
 * Lucy's husband

Trivia

 * Bubby breaks the fourth wall in this episode when she says, "It's public television."
 * In the U.S., this is the last episode featuring the family picture title card.

Episode connections

 * The pizza party from "Is That Kosher?" is mentioned again. Bubby mentions that Arthur ought to have changed the date, referencing how Francine tried to fast for Yom Kippur before the pizza got to her.
 * Pictures from Aunt Lucy's wedding in "D.W. Thinks Big" D.W. mentions are in Grandpa Dave's memory album.

Cultural references

 * Alzheimer's is a serious disease that affects the person's brain, mainly the memory part of it. In Grandpa Dave's case, he has the early stages of Alzheimer's where it is easy to get lost and forget who people are. While not named as such in the episode, Marc Brown has confirmed it in a live-reading of Arthur's New Puppy in 2020.
 * Drinnens Pickles-37 varieties, is a parody of Heinz Ketchup- 57 varieties.
 * When D.W. tells Arthur that he looks more like an Arnold, that is a reference to Arnold from Hey Arnold.

Errors

 * In the photo album wedding scene at Aunt Lucy's wedding from D.W. Thinks Big, Lucy and her husband's hair colors are switched.

Production notes

 * This is the second and last episode to have Joan Rivers as the voice actress of Bubby, due to her death in September 2014.
 * This episode has the second-longest intro with 2 minutes and 15 seconds before the title card.
 * This is the first (and so far only) time Bubby and Arthur speak to each other.