Some Assembly Required

Summary
D.W. can't wait to test out her new play set! But while it is being built she will have to settle for the box. With the help of Bud and Emily, D.W. realizes her imagination is way better than any toy!

Plot
The Reads get a big box containing a play-set for D.W. Arthur recounts how his dad used to play flashlight tag (which he believes means tagging a flashlight) and how in his grandma's days, kids kicked a can. He himself had to go to the park to play on a jungle gym, but now, it comes to you.

Some Assembly Required

Mr. and Mrs. Read start assembling the play-set. D.W. has invited Emily and Bud over, but the assembly takes time. While Arthur prepares lemonade and ices cupcakes, the parents suggest that the young kids play with the box. D.W. warns against falling in love with a box, which you will just end up losing on recycling day. Bud and Emily, however, want to play space settlers. D.W. reluctantly agrees, after Bud offers her the position of captain.

In the kids' fantasy, the S.S. Dwembiludy lands on the moon, where the kids are attacked by a giant moon hamster (actually Pal). D.W. distracts it with a ball.

Arthur brings out the cupcakes. In the kids' imagination, he is a giant robot carrying zilonium crystals, though Emily and Bud would rather see cupcakes. D.W. agrees that they can eat the crystals after de-arthurizing them. While Emily distracts the robot, Bud gets the cupcakes. D.W. examines a strange structure which the parent robots are building, and takes an ornamental part. Meanwhile, Bud eats one of the crystals and starts turning into Arthur. D.W. and Emily take him to their spaceship, pursued by Robot Arthur.

Inside the ship, D.W. uses a machine to de-arthurize Bud, while Emily does the same to the crystals. Emily finds out that the ornament is part of a spaceship. D.W. believes that the robots are planning to give everybody on Earth arthuritis. At that moment, Bud calls a time-out to go to the bathroom.

When the kids go to the house, Mr. Read informs D.W. that the play-set is almost finished, but she does not really care. When the kids return, Arthur is just folding up the box for the recycling. The parents have finished setting up the play-set, but D.W. shows no enthusiasm, because she wants the box back. Resigned, the parents go inside for a coffee break.

The kids wonder how they will get off the moon. Bud suggests using the robots' spaceship (the play-set). D.W. agrees and they decide to go to Mars next. The parents see them having fun on the play-set. Mrs. Read is glad that D.W. came around, while Mr. Read suggests giving her empty boxes for Christmas.

Characters

 * Bud Compson
 * D.W. Read
 * Emily
 * Arthur Read
 * Jane Read
 * David Read
 * Pal
 * Robot Arthur
 * Moon Hamster(cameo)
 * Brobots(cameo)

Trivia

 * Timeline:
 * Pal's doghouse is in the yard. It is built in "Buster's Amish Mismatch."
 * Emily does midair cartwheels to distract a Brobot. She is shown to be good at gymnastics in "D.W. Flips."

Episode connections

 * D.W. previously imagines things to do with a box in "Read and Flumberghast."
 * D.W. imagines what arthuritis looks like. She first says it (as a pun on 'arthritis') in "Crushed."
 * When Bud calls a time-out, he uses the same hand symbol that Ms. Morgan uses to signal a time-out in "Attack of the Turbo Tibbles."
 * D.W. states that Brobots love to knit. Arthur has an interest in knitting in "Arthur Unravels."