Maria Pappas

Maria is a third grader in Mr. Ratburn's class at Lakewood Elementary School.

Introduced as a background character in the first episode, Maria has made consistent subsequent appearances throughout the television series. Her place in Mr. Ratburn's class alongside the main characters has allowed her substantially more screen time than most background students around Lakewood. The only other background character like this is Alex, who is also often seen with Maria.

Maria is among the few background Lakewood students to receive a name available to the audience. This happened in "MacFrensky", an episode from season 13 (see name section for more detail).

In the transition from to, Maria received a Flash model for season 16, which was the first season to use them. Even though the animation studio had expanded its resource of background character Flash models by season 18, she has continued to appear at the same frequency. Maria will even be featured in the season 19 episode "Maria Speaks".

Life before Lakewood
Maria is not in the class picture of Mrs. Robertson's kindergarten class from three years ago, meaning that she came to Lakewood at a later year than the majority of her current classmates did.

Second grade
Maria was present at Lakewood Elementary in second grade, but was not in Mr. Marco's class, unlike most of her third grade classmates. Her most noteworthy event during this year was walking into the girls' bathroom when Arthur had accidentally entered moments before.

Seasons 1-5


When Principal Haney announced that Maria and her classmates were going to be in Ratburn's class, she screamed with everyone else. However, she enjoyed his puppet show of Jack and the Beanstalk. She did not qualify to participate in the Spellathon, but she did watch from the audience. On a field trip to Rainbow Rock State Park, she did not find any fossils. Before a big test, Buster bounced a crumbled piece of paper off her head, which annoyed her. Maria played the role of a reporter for the class play about Thomas Edison. In the winter, she went ice skating with John. After Prunella's half-birthday, Maria went to her to have her fortune told through the Cootie Catcher. She went on the class field trip to Crosswire Motors, the Ice Cream Shoppe, and the city dump. When Mr. Ratburn lost his voice and his sister was substitute teacher, Maria found Miss Ratburn's teaching style to be too easy. She was overjoyed when her official teacher returned. Hoping to check out a copy of the new Scare-Your-Pants-Off book, she waited outside the library until it opened. Muffy rallied Maria and the rest of her class to take a stand against whoever stole Francine's bike, whom, at the time, they assumed to be Binky.



Maria was present when Mister Rogers visited the school. On a trip to the art museum, Maria partnered with Brian and Jenna to write a report on a work of art. She wore a green mask for their project. Maria signed up with everyone else (except Binky) for the TV-Free Week. She and Jenna played on a merry-go-round in the school playground. She and Steve competed in the Brother-and-Sister race in the Annual Picnic.



Maria went scuba diving with Muffy in the Crosswire Mansion swimming pool when Arthur delivered news that Buster was coming home. When the Magic Toolbox team came to film an episode with her class, Maria had to say something about the Solar System. Maria bought a yellow/orange Woogle, but later abandoned it in favor of the new Bottlecap Clicking trend. She had some of the cakes which Arthur's dad made. Over spring break, she took a camp at the community center. One class was a karate class hosted by Mr. Ratburn. She competed with her class at the Medieval Fair and she was in the Library Card song.



She read a book at the library. When Buster found out he had asthma, she went with her class inside Buster's lungs to see what asthma is. The tour may or may not have been a real experience. Prunella invited Maria to her birthday party, and she had a good time. She watched the school talent show. At Mill Creek Mall, she met with a boy in Mrs. Fink's class. She was reading a book at the library, but Francine mistook her for Arthur.

When the school population had a lice epidemic, she probably caught it from trying on Muffy's hat during the school assembly. She said something to Francine that upset her. She and Fern jumped rope in the park. Around the winter holiday break, she went shopping in the Mill Creek Mall.

Seasons 6-10
Maria helped raise money for the school band to purchase new uniforms and musical instruments. She attended the school's Athlete of the Year Award Ceremony.



Maria and her mother went to Crown City and bought pretzels from a shop in the Crown City Subway station. She had a role in the school's city centennial play, "Oh, Elwood!", as a student in modern clothing. She went on a field trip to the Lapp Farm in Amish Country and helped with the barn-raising. She tried the static electricity exhibit and went on the overnight field trip at the Science Museum. When there was a fire in the teachers' lounge, she evacuated the building with her class and made it to safety. For the next few weeks, her class would attend school at Mighty Mountain. She became a big fan of U Stink at the PTA rally, and was even more excited when U Stink played alongside the Backstreet Boys at a concert.



She partnered with a preschooler to do a cross-school team project. On a hot day, she, Muffy, and Fern had agreed to put a dust ruffle on the side of their desk group. After a long series of escalating tension, Maria joined in the classroom riot. When the principal told them to stop, she helped clean up the classroom before the teacher returned. Playing with a doll, she was surprised when Hammer walked by her house. She had ice cream at the Ice Cream Shop with her mother.



As part of the Lakewood Elementary Choir, she practiced the song "In the Good Old Summer Time" to perform in Crown City. After a closed road forced the bus to take a detour, she sang in a diner with her choir. She enrolled in the Elwood City Kids' Circus camp with her friends. On performance night, she juggled pins alongside Arthur and Buster. She watched a soccer game. and rallied for Arthur and Brain in the checkers championships. When Buster told Arthur about an incredible rumor he had read, she overheard him and thought it was strange. Later, she and Fern got treats from the Ice Cream Shop. On a sunny day, she and Alex read together from a book.



After watching the classic horror film, The Squirrels, Maria was too frightened to go outside, but seeing a real squirrel in class changed her mind. As an end-of-the-year assignment, Mr. Ratburn challenged his class to choose one food that would sustain them if they were stranded on a desert island. Maria chose cheese as her food. She waited with the class for the school bus to arrive for a field trip to the zoo, but the request for the bus was never delivered, so they had an impromptu spelling bee instead.

Seasons 11-15


Maria played a game of hide and seek with her friends.

She practiced rock climbing in the gym and went rock climbing for real on a mountain. She and Alex went to see a movie and she went with her mother to the Sugar Bowl.



When Buster discovered a list of numbers and names of students, Maria was number 23. However, it was later learned that this number had no significance. On Mr. Ratburn's Student of the Month chart, Maria had the fourth lowest score, slightly behind Fern. Maria was shocked to hear that Mrs. MacGrady had cancer. At the community center, she read a book.. Maria attended a swim meet where she talked to a boy before the race began. Maria briefly became a member of the Lakewood Pride Committee and ran in the track meet against Mighty Mountain.



Maria watched the free throw contest between Brain (with Lydia) and Sam Scarborough and George's report on Buster. Muffy's new playground amusement park idea did not interest her. She was interested, though, to see George walk all the way to Elwood City from Crown City.



When George went on a radio show to win money for the school, Maria listened to the broadcast from the assembly in the school auditorium. In the same auditorium, she listened to Binky performing music for the clarinet. She took the Stoddard Wilkins Elementary Aptitude Test, but did not take Mrs. MacGrady's relaxation lesson with the rest of her class.

Seasons 16-18


Maria welcomed Ladonna to class when she moved to Elwood City. She participated in the first annual Lakewood Derby. When Lakewood started using the HUGO 3.0, Maria was interested at first. However, she was one of the first to be critical of the machine upon its insistence of Mr. Ratburn's err. Maria cheered for Brain's defeat of the computer. She tried reading at the library, but the 'Shush Customers' were too loud. After earning points in the IRP system, she looked at toy trucks among the prizes available.

She listened to Francine's report on and tried the ring toss game at the fair. Maria went to the new ice cream shop Yumbobo, but when Buster and Brain introduced Brain's Blending Lab, she returned to the Ice Cream Shop.

Maria went with Steve to Wonder World when it opened a new roller coaster, "The Buzzard". After waiting in line, they rode on it together. She was interested when she heard George was able to grant wishes. When Jenna had a birthday party, Maria went to her house to celebrate. In a dream, Prunella imagined Maria in a crowd watching her perform gymnastics. When Muffy imagined that she was descended from royalty, she imagined Maria or one of her ancestors as an aristocratic dinner guest of her great-great-grandmother.

Future life
In a possible glimpse into the future, an adult Maria is in the crowd behind President Mary Alice Crosswire at the new president's inauguration. Maria wears a trench coat and holds a notepad, suggesting she will be a journalist.

Quietness
Maria is usually a bit shy. In spite of this, however, she does often participate in class lessons. She is also willing to have lines in a class play, so long as they aren't solo lines. She once said something that upset Francine, although exactly what she said is unknown.

Average student
Maria received a 'C' on one of Mr. Ratburn's quizzes. On an oral report for history, the grade she received was a 'B'. She is not the best speller in her class. On the 'Student of the Month' chart, Maria ranks low compared to most other students; she had the fourth lowest (or ninth highest) score, slightly behind Fern at eighth highest.

Interests
When the new Scare-Your-Pants-Off Club book was released, Maria waited outside the library to get it. She can frequently be found in the library reading other books, too. The music by the Finnish band BINKY was a favorite of hers.

Maria follows several sports, such as basketball and soccer. Maria plays hopscotch and jump rope. She rallied for Arthur and Brain in the checkers play-offs. She is also a fan of Bionic Bunny. Maria owns a doll which she occasionally plays with, though she may also like toy trucks. She presumably likes cheese, considering how she brought a plate of cheese for the 'one food to bring to a desert island' project.

Club activities
Despite never talking, Maria is a member of the Lakewood Elementary Choir. Maria also plays the tambourine for the school band. She participates on the Track and Field team and was a member of the Lakewood Pride Committee during its short existence. She also often visits the community center.

Relatives
Maria's mother was with Maria at the Ice Cream Shop, the Sugar Bowl, and David's Toys.

Maria's older brother Steve also goes to Lakewood. They often talk with each other between classes and at lunchtime. The two were confirmed to be related by their participation in the brother-and-sister race at the Annual Picnic. They also go on amusement park rides together, such as the spinning teacup ride and "The Buzzard", a roller coaster.

Physical appearance
Maria is an anthropomorphic rabbit with a cream complexion. She wears a light blue skirt, a dark blue and pink striped shirt, and brown shoes. She has orange-brown hair in the form of a.

Not including her ears, she is a few inches taller than Arthur. In some instances, though, her height has varied from preschooler size to Prunella's size.

Alternate apparel

 * In the fall, she wears a magenta jacket, a magenta jacket with buttons, or a blue jacket.
 * In the winter, she wears a green-blue jacket, a pink scarf, pink mittens, purple leggings, and snow boots.
 * For cold weather, she sometimes instead wears a pink sweater, teal sweatpants, and green-blue sneakers.
 * In the summertime she wears a pink T-shirt with light blue stripes and a white collar, a light blue dress, and her usual brown shoes.
 * For hot weather, she will also wear a light blue T-shirt and dark blue shorts.
 * She wore a light blue and pink swimsuit while swimming at Muffy's mansion.
 * She also wore an orange swimsuit with an orange scuba mask, oxygen tank, and black flippers when scuba diving with Muffy in her pool.
 * She has had two different types of formal clothes. One was a white shirt, a blue dress, long white socks, and brown shoes. She wore this outfit for a class picture, albeit in Brain's dream. Her other outfit was worn at Muffy's Christmas party: a green dress with a red collar and red sash, long red socks, and black Mary Jane shoes.
 * At Prunella's birthday party, she wore a pink sweater with a dark blue collar and her usual light blue skirt.
 * For sleeping, Maria wears pink pajamas.
 * Her gym clothes are a light blue T-shirt, dark blue shorts, white socks, and red and white sneakers.
 * When she participates in track and field, she wears the new green and yellow uniform.
 * She also wore a karate uniform when learning karate at the community center.
 * At circus camp, she wore a white T-shirt and teal pants. At the circus performance, she wore a purple T-shirt with yellow sleeves and a yellow star design, red- and tan-striped tights, and purple shoes.
 * Her costume for the Thomas Edison play was a dark blue top hat, a burgundy coat, olive green trousers, a white collared shirt, and a magenta necktie.
 * Her costume for the Elwood City centennial play was a white long-sleeved shirt, a pink vest, jeans, dark blue sneakers, and a pink baseball cap.
 * After Buster ate the remainder of his fundraiser chocolates, he imagined the school band with makeshift instruments and old uniforms. Maria was wearing a dark blue button-down shirt with gold highlights and gold shirt cuffs, gold suspenders, an alizarin crimson skirt, and tan cowboy boots with gold stripes.
 * In Arthur's imagination, she wore a purple-gray cap and a green trench coat.
 * Maria wore a surgical mask, hairnet, and medical scrubs when she and the class were making ice cream. She wore a surgical mask again in one of Francine's imagination sequences.
 * For her group's art project, she and her project partners wore cultural masks.
 * She was briefly seen with a haircut when she and her mother went to the Ice Cream Shoppe.
 * At a presidential inauguration in the possible future, Maria wears a brown trench coat.
 * In Muffy's imagination, Maria or an ancestor wears a short-sleeve lavender dress with a white collar.

Glasses
One time in second grade when she was talking with John in the hallway, Maria was wearing glasses. She wore her glasses through the first days of third grade, but stopped wearing them after that year's Spellathon. It is implied that now she wears contact lenses instead.

Nose
Maria's nose is normally a "Y"-shaped nose typical of rabbits. On several occasions, however, her nose has appeared like an aardvark's nose. Other times, she has had a bear's nose or a cat's nose.

Design
Maria and Alex were created to keep the classroom from looking too empty. Both Maria and Steve were designed based on background characters from the 1986 book Arthur's Teacher Trouble. Though Maria had previously appeared in the 1979 book Arthur's Eyes and the 1985 book Arthur's Tooth, her design for the cartoon was mainly taken from her appearance in Arthur's Teacher Trouble.

In Arthur's Teacher Trouble, Maria had glasses. This was carried over to one brief scene in the episode "". However, she did not have the glasses in Robert Waldren's original layout of the scene. Additionally, in the original layout Maria had an aardvark nose, instead of a rabbit nose. Although this was kept in the final version of the scene, it was not permanent for her design; she has a rabbit nose in almost all later appearances.

Name
The name 'Maria' was decided prior to the show's premiere, as were many other characters. The purpose of naming background characters was for the storyboard artists to have names to use. On the "Mr. Ratburn's Class" lineup model sheet, she is labelled "#2 Maria". Maria is likely named after her designer or someone who worked at Cinar at the time.

Her name was first revealed to the audience in the season 13 episode, "MacFrensky", in which her name is visible on the student-of-the-month chart.

Besides the in-series revelation, the ARTHUR crew confirmed the name on several occasions. Replying to a direct question from a fan, the official ARTHUR Facebook page posted in 2012: "That's Maria. She's in my class at Lakewood Elementary." At the Q&A session of the 2013 New York Comic Con panel, the ARTHUR crew officially announced Alex's and Maria's names.

Speaking roles
Maria is currently the only student in Mr. Ratburn's class to not have a solo speaking role in the TV series.

On several occasions, she has spoken when everyone is talking at once, therefore making her words indistinct. Because she is usually in the background, she is often too far away to be heard over the main characters' dialogue. Other times, she has spoken the same words that other people did, in unison with them. While the words are clear, her own voice is not.

As a featured character
The 2013 New York Comic Con panel reported that "we may hear from [Alex and Maria] in the future". On May 9, 2014, the ARTHUR Twitter page plainly declared, "Maria will be featured in her very own episode in Season 19."

Depiction in other media


In the Living Books computer games that are based on the books, Maria had a light yellow complexion and brown hair in Arthur's Teacher Trouble. When the player clicks on the poster behind her, the drawing comes to life and looks between Maria's ears. Clicking on Maria herself makes her say, "I thought I'd win," which is her only distinct speaking line to date. It is unknown exactly who voiced her, since the voice actors for minor characters were listed together with no distinction.

A puzzle produced by Fortune East Group depicts Maria with a white complexion and blonde hair.

Quotes

 * See also: Maria

Appearances
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Arthur

 * 101a.
 * 102a. Arthur and the Real Mr. Ratburn
 * 102b. Arthur's Spelling Trubble
 * 103b.
 * 107b. 
 * 110a.
 * 110b. Francine Frensky, Superstar
 * 112a.
 * 117b. Arthur, World's Greatest Gleeper
 * 121a. Sue Ellen Moves In
 * 122b. Team Trouble
 * 123a. Bully for Binky
 * 123b. Misfortune Teller
 * 126a. My Dad, the Garbage Man
 * 127b. Arthur's Substitute Teacher Trouble
 * 128b. The Scare-Your-Pants-Off Club
 * 129b. Stolen Bike
 * 201a. Arthur Meets Mister Rogers
 * 201b. Draw!
 * 202a. Binky Barnes, Art Expert
 * 205a.
 * 207a. Arthur's TV-Free Week
 * 208a. Arthur vs. the Piano
 * 208b. The Big Blow-Up
 * 209a. Lost!
 * 215a. Grandma Thora Appreciation Day
 * 215b. Fern's Slumber Party
 * 216a. Love Notes for Muffy
 * 218a. Arthur vs. the Very Mean Crossing Guard
 * 218b. D.W.'s Very Bad Mood
 * 220b. Sue Ellen's Little Sister
 * 301a. Buster's Back
 * 303b. Sue Ellen and the Brainasaurus
 * 304b. And Now Let's Talk to Some Kids
 * 305b. Revenge of the Chip
 * 306b. Meet Binky
 * 307a. Arthur Rides the Bandwagon
 * 307b. Dad's Dessert Dilemma
 * 308a. Popular Girls
 * 308b. Buster's Growing Grudge
 * 309b. The Return of the King
 * 311b. Arthur's Almost Live Not Real Music Festival
 * 313a. Arthur's Dummy Disaster
 * 315b. The Long, Dull Winter
 * 401a.
 * 401b. Arthur's Big Hit
 * 402b. Muffy's New Best Friend
 * 403a. Buster's Breathless
 * 405b. The Rat Who Came to Dinner
 * 406b. Prunella Gets it Twice
 * 407b. To Beat or Not to Beat
 * 408b. Prunella's Prediction
 * 409b. Buster's Best Behavior
 * 505a. The Lousy Week
 * 505b. You Are Arthur
 * 506a. The Election
 * 506b. Francine Goes to War
 * 508b. Bitzi's Beau
 * 510b. Muffy Gets Mature
 * 602b. Buster's Sweet Success
 * 603a. Prunella's Special Edition
 * 604b. Brother, Can You Spare a Clarinet?
 * 605a. The Boy Who Cried Comet
 * 606a. Citizen Frensky
 * 607a. The Boy with His Head in the Clouds
 * 609a.
 * 702b. Muffy Goes Metropolitan
 * 703a. Ants in Arthur's Pants
 * 705. Elwood City Turns 100!
 * 706b. Jenna's Bedtime Blues
 * 707b. Buster's Amish Mismatch
 * 708a. The World of Tomorrow
 * 710. April 9th
 * 803b. Bugged
 * 804a. Fernkenstein's Monster
 * 804a. D.W., Dancing Queen
 * 805a. Vomitrocious
 * 807a. Desk Wars
 * 810a. Big Horns George
 * 901a. Castles in the Sky
 * 901b. Tipping the Scales
 * 902a. Francine's Big Top Trouble
 * 902b. George Blows His Top
 * 903a. Arthur Weighs In
 * 907b. A is for Angry
 * 909b. Buster the Myth Maker
 * 910a. Binky Goes Nuts
 * 1002a. The Squirrels
 * 1003a. Desert Island Dish
 * 1008a. Binky vs. Binky
 * 1009a. Do You Speak George?
 * 1010a. What's Cooking?
 * 1010b. Buster's Special Delivery
 * 1101b. Germophobia
 * 1104b. Brain's Shocking Secret
 * 1107b. Mr. Alwaysright
 * 1108a. Francine's Pilfered Paper
 * 1108b. Buster Gets Real
 * 1203b. Bats in the Belfry
 * 1205a. The Chronicles of Buster
 * 1207b. I Owe You One
 * 1209b. Do You Believe in Magic?
 * 1210a. The Perfect Game
 * 1301b. Prunella and the Disappointing Ending
 * 1302a. The Silent Treatment
 * 1303a. Arthur's Number Nightmare
 * 1303b. Brain Gets Hooked
 * 1304a. MacFrensky
 * 1305. The Great MacGrady
 * 1306a. George and the Missing Puzzle Piece
 * 1306b. D.W. Swims with the Fishes
 * 1309b. The Pride of Lakewood
 * 1401a. The Wheel Deal
 * 1401b. The Buster Report
 * 1403b. The Play's the Thing
 * 1407b. Muffy and the Big Bad Blog
 * 1408a. Arthur Unravels
 * 1408b. All the Rage
 * 1410b. The Long Road Home
 * 1501. Fifteen
 * 1502a. I Wanna Hold Your Hand
 * 1503a. Buster's Secret Admirer
 * 1504a. Cents-less
 * 1504b. Buster the Lounge Lizard
 * 1505b. S.W.E.A.T.
 * 1506a. Prunella the Packrat
 * 1506b. What's in a Name?
 * 1509b. The Trouble with Trophies
 * 1601. Based on a True Story
 * 1602a. Flippity Francine
 * 1602b. Muffy Takes the Wheel
 * 1604a. Get Smart
 * 1606a. The Last Tough Customer
 * 1607b. Brain's Biggest Blunder
 * 1608a. Buster's Book Battle
 * 1610a. So Funny I Forgot to Laugh
 * 1610b. The Best Day Ever
 * 1703b. Buster Bombs
 * 1704a. Opposites Distract
 * 1705a. All Thumbs
 * 1706. Speak Up, Francine
 * 1708b. Crime and Consequences
 * 1709a. Caught in the Crosswires
 * 1710b. Brain Freeze
 * 1801b. D.W. & Bud's Higher Purpose
 * 1802b. Surprise!
 * 1803a. The Case of the Girl with the Long Face
 * 1803b. The Substitute Arthur
 * 1804a. Best Wishes
 * 1804b. The Tardy Tumbler
 * 1805a. Fountain Abbey
 * 1805b. Arthur Calls It
 * 1809a. The Pageant Pickle
 * 1905a. Buster Isn't Buying It
 * 1906a. Maria Speaks

Postcards from Buster

 * 105. Among the Hmong

Specials

 * Arthur's Perfect Christmas (2000)
 * Arthur's New Friend
 * Arthur, It's Only Rock 'n' Roll (2002)

Books

 * Arthur's Eyes (1979)
 * Arthur's Tooth (1985)
 * Arthur's Teacher Trouble (1986)
 * Arthur Lost and Found (1998)
 * Arthur's Off to School (2004)

Games

 * Arthur's Teacher Trouble (1992)

Online activities
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 * Arthur Comics: So Funny I Forgot to Laugh! (2013)