My Club Rules

Summary
The kids can't agree on the rules for Arthur's new club, and suddenly the gang is starting their own clubs.

Plot
The episode starts by Arthur saying that whatever team or club you join, there has got to be rules. Then he provides examples such as what will happen if there were no rules while playing soccer. The next example is at a library with one book. He says that if you want to join a library you must agree to return the books back to the library on time or it's no library. At the swimming club, he narrates that to join the club, you have to know how to swim. Binky then says that it's a waste of time so he jumps to the pool and thinks he is drowning and so he starts crying. Then in the next example Arthur is riding his bike until he stops at the Tibbles' house because the Tibble twins and a tree are blocking his path. They tell him that he has to pay $1 and hop on one foot. Arthur then says that maybe not always.

Title Card 

Mr. Ratburn and Mr. Haney tell the class about The Strawberry Festival parade and have three weeks to complete their costumes and float. Mr. Ratburn tells them that he will wear a strawberry shortcake with real strawberries and Mr. Haney says he will be the king of a desert island. Francine tells Arthur to start working on it and he said he already invited everyone to the treehouse.

At the treehouse they all talk of their ideas and they all seemed to agree to use the Brain idea about wearing their baseball uniform. Then D.W. comes to the treehouse and wants to be on the parade. Francine suggests to Arthur that the tree house is used by "The Parade Float Club" and only members are allowed. D.W. asks how to be a member and Francine passes Arthur a note which says you have to kick a ball out of the yard.

At the yard Muffy and Francine give her a bowling ball. But she complains that she might break her foot. D.W. asks everybody else to follow their own rules and kick the ball also. Francine passes Arthur a note which says to cancel the kicking rule and instead to draw a funny picture of Mr. Ratburn.

At the living room everybody participates in this rule. D.W. finishes her picture first. She drew a picture of Mr. Ratburn but everybody is quiet. Francine speaks for everybody and says that the picture must be funny to qualify. But then Buster starts to laugh. Arthur reads a note from Brain saying that you have to be a third grader. Francine and Binky question why The Brain waited so long to provide a suggestion.

At the treehouse they think of their success in shooing away D.W. Read. Muffy and Francine suggest they implement more rules such as: Buster not eating all of the snacks, keep the treehouse clean, and money to repair the treehouse. Muffy says to raise funds everybody should start paying $1 every week which shocks everybody including Francine, who only has 50¢ every week. Muffy kindly offers to take care of Francine but storms about nobody else gets any breaks. Arthur protests and says that the treehouse has always been free. Muffy plans to build her own club and Buster starts agreeing with some of the ideas Muffy and Francine mentioned before leaving as well.

Then she officially opens the Muffy Club Headquarters. Inside the Muffy Club there is TV, refrigerator, Microwave Oven, basketball net, and bookshelves. Muffy says $1 for her and Francine and $2 for Buster which means not only is Buster the only member that has to pay, but also double the rate. When asking why she says because "he eats like a pig" which he thinks it is not fair then he quits the club.

Buster then tries to go back to the treehouse but Sue Ellen tell him he can't because he was "a dirty traitor". At his condo Buster opens The reading comic book under the blanket club. At school the friends are playing soccer but despite being in the same team the clubs they made makes them lose the game. It also affects eating together at lunch. Sue Ellen leaves The Parade Float Club.

At the treehouse the Brain is bored because a rule is to read comic books all the time which causes him to quit along with Binky which leaves Arthur alone. At Muffy's, Muffy makes Francine to resign because she failed to show up yesterday. Francine said that she was sick but Muffy threatened Francine by calling the cops if she does not leaves her property.

At Buster's, Sue Ellen complains that no air is coming but Buster says its the reading comic book under the blanket so she quits. At the Brain's he talks about a germ but Binky is much more focusing scratching his ear. Brain asks him is he having fun. He says no. Angrily he yells that it is The Fun Club.

At school Arthur invites Francine to come to the sugar bowl but she has a club meeting. He tries with Sue Ellen but he interrupted her Reading And Walking Club meeting.

Everybody has split up. D.W. is puzzled that everybody has abandoned The Tree House and also The Parade Float Club. She enters and starts drawing. At the other clubs everyone seems to be bored. Muffy presses her remote. Brain plugs and unplugs his lamp. Buster gasps for air and realizes that Sue Ellen is right.

Arthur throws a baseball at the tree that has the treehouse and when he comes to get it he hears some humming from the treehouse and goes up only to see D.W. reading his comic books. Asking why is she here, she said that she was waiting for his friends. She asks where are they. He says that he does not know.

But Buster, Muffy, and everyone that used to be part of the old club and reunite and they start playing cards. When Brain asks what is the name of the club and what does it do, D.W. sternly says that she was there first so it is her club. She has taken over The Tree House and also The Parade Float Club. She says there is only one rule to follow: that her idea for the float for the parade must be used. She is a queen with four servants. This inadvertently excludes three of the members from The Strawberry Festival Parade but is otherwise seems fair considering everybody joined together just in time for The Strawberry Festival Parade.

At the parade Mr. Haney's 60 foot fake tree is nearly falling, Mr. Ratburn's float is getting eaten by birds, while D.W.'s is ancient Egypt queen sitting on a big chair with Arthur, Buster, Muffy, and Francine holding it. Muffy and Francine love the float and then wonders why Arthur excluded D.W. in the first place. Arthur is upset and is grumbling about being tricked by his sister.

Major

 * Arthur Read
 * Buster Baxter
 * The Brain
 * D.W. Read
 * Sue Ellen Armstrong
 * Binky Barnes
 * Francine Frensky
 * Muffy Crosswire

Minor

 * Timmy and Tommy Tibble
 * Kiefer
 * Nigel Ratburn
 * Francis Haney

Cameo

 * Alex
 * Maria Pappas
 * Rattles
 * Fern Walters
 * Jenna Morgan
 * George Lundgren
 * Molly MacDonald
 * Prunella Deegan
 * Mrs. Tibble
 * George Lundgren
 * Jenna Morgan
 * Brian
 * Luke
 * Patrick
 * Nancy
 * Helen
 * Emily

Trivia

 * This is one of the only times that a character references that they are all animals, when Buster says "I'm only made of fur!".

Episode connections

 * Francine had previously been offered an Ancient Egyptian costume in "Francine's Bad Hair Day".
 * The Strawberry Festival is the focus of several other episodes.

Errors

 * On the float for Jack's Joke Shop, it says 'Bill's Joke Shop'.

Production

 * A boy, a cream dog with floppy ears, appears as a student in Mr. Ratburn's class. In other episodes he is in the 4th grade.

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