Arthur, World's Greatest Gleeper

Summary
Arthur thinks it would be cool to be a Gleeper—until he finds out what "gleeping" really means.

Plot
Arthur and Buster sit at the only available lunch table with the Tough Customers. Buster claims that Arthur is the world's greatest "gleeper" to stop the teasing, only to find out later that "gleep" means "steal." Arthur lets the lie grow into a school wide rumor.

The Tough Customers confronted Arthur at recess and made him part of their group. After recess Arthur was walking around and everyone is treating him different. Francine is mad at Arthur because Binky Barnes told Francine that Arthur is the world's greatest gleeper.

During lunch the Tough Customers talk to Arthur asking what he has stole lately. Later, Arthur attempted to tell Molly that he is not a gleeper. After Mr. Haney warns him that if he had nothing to do with he won't get in trouble, but if he did he would be.

After the recess bell rang he lets Arthur go back to class. On his way to his class, Arthur saw the Tough Customers, and they are curious what punishment Arthur got from Mr. Haney. Arthur said he just gave him a warning. Just when Arthur was going to tell them he is not a "gleeper" Binky thought that Arthur sold out on them, and bet Arthur told on them.

The Tough Customers got mad at him. They demanded Arthur to prove that he is a gleeper by stealing ice cream bars from the school cafeteria, and Arthur decided that he had no other option. When Arthur tried to do it he saw Mrs. MacGrady, which surprised him. Arthur told her to turn him in to Mr. Haney for stealing.

Arthur began to get worried that the Tough Customers will beat him up. After that Rattles is on Arthur and hitting him in the head with a ball and calling him a big liar and Binky tells Arthur that he should never have lied. Francine came to Arthur, and she was glad that he told the truth. Arthur and Francine are friends once again.

Major

 * Arthur Read
 * Binky Barnes
 * Molly MacDonald (speaking debut)
 * Rattles (speaking debut)
 * Kiefer

Minor

 * Leah MacGrady
 * Buster Baxter
 * Francine Frensky
 * Francis Haney
 * Muffy Crosswire
 * The Brain
 * 3rd Grade Male Dog (Number 2)
 * Otis (speaking debut)

Cameo

 * Prunella Deegan
 * Sue Ellen Armstrong
 * Fern Walters
 * George Lundgren
 * 3rd Grade Male Cat
 * Kenny
 * Beulah McInnerny
 * 3rd Grade Male Dog (Number 3)
 * Jessica
 * Maria Pappas
 * 3rd Grade Female Cat (Number 2)
 * 3rd Grade Male Rat
 * 3rd Grade Male Dog
 * 3rd Grade Female Aardvark
 * Luke
 * Brian
 * Helen
 * Alex
 * 4th Grade Female Aardvark
 * Mary
 * 4th Grade Male Dog
 * Jenna Morgan
 * Ms. Tingley

Mentioned

 * Millicent Crosswire

Quotes

 * "Didn't You Hear? Arthur Gleeps Stuff."
 * "Arthur Gleeps Rings."
 * "Arthur Keeps Beans."
 * "Arthur is sweet on Francine, Man!"
 * "Arthur Eats Fancy Spam!"
 * "Hey, Did You Hear? Arthur Gleeps Spam! He's Tough."
 * "Arthur Gleeps Stuff."

A poetic demonstration of a rumor spreading.

Trivia

 * Muffy tells Mr. Haney to shave Arthur's head, referencing how he appears to have no hair.
 * When Molly says she picks the toughest kid in the whole school (Arthur) part of her bangs are standing off, revealing her right eye. This is one of, if not the, first episodes to show Molly's eyes.

Cultural references

 * The word "gleep" is not a real word in the English language, and thus was likely only conceived for the purposes of this episode.
 * The word "goofus" is a portmanteau of "goofy doofus", even though the word only exists in this story.
 * Skipped a louie means "Ditching class" and Pulled a Fizzler means "Pulled the Fire Alarm".
 * Mrs. MacGrady quotes.

Episode connections

 * Just like in "Arthur Accused!", if Buster hadn't spoken up for him, Arthur wouldn't have gotten into trouble.
 * This subject of stealing would again come into focus in "Nerves of Steal", in which case Buster is the one who steals and Arthur ultimately does get in trouble because of his actions.

Errors

 * During the intro, Francine can be seen playing the violin with Muffy, despite the fact that she normally plays the drums.
 * Arthur's sweater is a brighter color than in other episodes.
 * Right before Arthur opens the cafeteria freezer, the entire screen is purple.
 * During the intro, when she is playing kickball, Fern is bizarrely miscolored for a few frames.

Home video
DVD:
 * Arthur: The Complete Series One