Binky Barnes

Shelley  "Binky" Barnes is a 3rd grader in Mr. Ratburn's class at Lakewood Elementary School. He is the leader of a club of bullies called the Tough Customers. However, he does have a softer side.

Physical appearance
Binky Barnes is an anthropomorphic bulldog and usually wears a long sleeved orange-pecan button up shirt, dark blue slacks, a light blue belt buckle, and brown loafers. He usually wears his shirt tucked into his pants. In the chapter book Arthur and the World Record, Binky says that the tallest man in the world (8 feet, 11 inches) is twice as tall as he is, meaning that Binky measures around 4 feet, 5-1/2 inches.

For formal occasions, Binky will wear a gray polka dotted suit with a top front pocket on the right-hand side of the jacket. Binky kept 3 pencils in this pocket. The suit also has two pockets, one on each side, with the pocket on the left-hand side being slightly above the one on the right. The suit has two buttons and a black sleeve patch, one on each sleeve. He also wears a white collar shirt, a light green tie, matching trousers and black shoes. He wears green pajamas and green slippers for bed.

Personality
Though Binky is generally portrayed as the typical school bully (more so in the earlier episodes and books), he also has a softer side: he dances ballet, plays the clarinet and flute, and is a lepidopterologist (butterfly collector), but wants to keep the butterflies alive while in his collection. He usually keeps these interests private and rarely tells or shows others about them.

Binky is a keen cyclist, as well. We see in numerous episodes that Binky cycles to school and enters most cycling tournaments in Elwood City. His most treasured possession is his Lance Armstrong t-shirt.

Binky also enjoys the works of various poets and classical music composers, such as Frédéric Chopin, the great romantic composer.

He is secretly afraid of the dark and worried about having a physical confrontation with Sue Ellen - as Binky has actually never had to fight anyone during all the years he was considered to be a bully. He is also afraid of Santa Claus, though claims not to be. He is Forward and Goalkeeper for the Lakewood Elementary Soccer Club.

Binky seems to thoroughly enjoy art as one time he put a lot of effort into correcting a picture in an art gallery, which was hung in a different way to that which the artist intended.

Family

 * Mrs. Barnes: Binky's mom is a nurse who loves her son very much, and probably isn't very aware of his bullying habits. She's very well-meaning, but occasionally can be a worry wart, as evidenced after she discovered Binky had a serious peanut allergy, during which she kept a constant watch on him. Binky seems to love her very much, as he made put a lot of effort trying to make her a rhyming card for her birthday.
 * Mr. Barnes: Little is known of Binky's dad since he only appears occasionally, other than the fact that he too is very loving towards his son.
 * Mei-Lin Barnes: Binky's baby sister Mei-Lin is from China and was adopted by the Barnes family very recently. At first, Binky didn't know how to open up to his new sister, but with patience and some hard work, the two of them developed a very strong bond. Binky takes good care of his sister and works hard to raise her along with his parents and is excited when Mei-Lin shows signs of growth, as he was thrilled when she learned to stand by herself.

Future Life
In the intro to the episode, "The Election", it is revealed that Binky will be a member of The United States Secret Service. At the end of "The Contest" Binky is shown to have updated his wardrobe as a teenager to incorporate a leather jacket, a white shirt, jeans, and sunglasses.

Quotes
"I was scared of the dark too, but I was more scared of Binky Barnes."

- Buster Baxter

"Sometimes I just can't figure Binky out. It's like he's two different people: Bully Binky and, uh... that other guy. I think I like the other guy best."

- Arthur Read

Trivia

 * Binky has an interest for Chinese food.
 * According to the chapter book "Arthur and the World Record", Binky is 4.458 feet (about 4 feet 5 ½ inches).
 * Binky had to repeat third grade due to what was implied to be his poor academic performance, a fact he is proud of, given certain circumstances. Thus, he should have been in the fourth grade with the Tough Customers and Prunella. He is 9 years old and not the same age as the other 3rd graders, though in "Binky vs. Binky," a form he has says he is 10 years old.
 * He is allergic to peanuts as revealed in "Binky Goes Nuts." However, he was originally allergic to pollen in "Francine's Bad Hair Day", but in later episodes seems to have love for flowers (especially during the song "Library Card" in "Arthur's Almost Live Not Real Music Festival") and has no allergic reactions to pollen. This is an inaccuracy not noted in the show.
 * He is considered the best member of the school band due to his expertise with the clarinet, rivaled only by Sue Ellen on the saxophone, coming at a close second to Binky.
 * In the episode "Bully for Binky", Binky seems to not like ballet. But in the later seasons, Binky has grown to have an affinity for it and is shown to be extremely talented at ballet.
 * Binky hates going on the Science Museum field trip because he was held back and already knows what will happen.
 * Binky's Birthday according to him is next month in "Brother Can You Spare a Clarinet?, when you calculate Arthur birthday plus the time Arthur said, you could determine that Binky's Birthday is in October because the episode is based in September. It is confirmed that Binky's birthday is sometime between September and May, because a score card in "Binky vs. Binky" says that he was 10 in that episode, which took place in May.
 * Despite bullying George a lot, Binky has been seen hanging out with him. In some episodes, he's even seen playing with him.
 * As seen in "Night Fright," Binky is revealed to have a nightlight so that he would not have nightmares. Binky also sings about this in the song "My Night Light."
 * Binky's character was based on a fourth grader known to Marc Brown with a potato-like nose who tortured him and his fellow classmates at recess.
 * In "The Long, Dull Winter," is is revealed that he weighs more than Sue Ellen, Muffy, and Fern combined, as he was still at the bottom on a see-saw with all of the girls on the other side. However, the see-saw may have been frozen in place by the cold weather.
 * In "Sue Ellen's Lost Diary," it is revealed that Binky likely has a crush on Sue Ellen.

Appearances

 * Specials
 * Arthur's Perfect Christmas
 * Arthur - It's Only Rock 'n' Roll
 * D.W. and the Beastly Birthday
 * Arthur and the Haunted Tree House
 * Season 1
 * Arthur's Eyes 10101
 * Francine's Bad Hair Day 10102
 * Arthur and the Real Mr. Ratburn (Cameo) 10201
 * Arthur's Spelling Trubble (Cameo) 10202
 * Buster's Dino Dilemma 10302
 * D.W.'s Imaginary Friend (Cameo) 10401
 * Arthur's Lost Library Book 10402
 * Arthur's Pet Business 10501
 * D.W. the Copycat 10502
 * Locked in the Library! 10601
 * Arthur Accused! 10602
 * Arthur Goes to Camp 10701
 * Buster Makes the Grade 10702
 * Arthur's Birthday 11001
 * Francine Frensky, Superstar 11002
 * Arthur's Baby 11101
 * Arthur's Lost Dog (Cameo) 11202
 * Buster's New Friend 11302
 * Arthur the Wrecker (Cameo) 11401
 * Arthur and the True Francine (Cameo) 11402
 * Arthur and the Crunch Cereal Contest 11601
 * Meek for a Week 11701
 * Arthur, World's Greatest Gleeper 11702
 * Arthur Writes a Story 11201
 * Arthur's Lost Dog (Cameo) 11202
 * Buster's New Friend (Cameo) 11302
 * Arthur the Wrecker 11401
 * Arthur and the True Francine (Cameo) 11402
 * Arthur and the Crunch Cereal Contest 11601
 * Meek for a Week (Cameo) 11701
 * Arthur, World's Greatest Gleeper 11702
 * Arthur's Chicken Pox 11801
 * D.W. Rides Again (Cameo) 11901
 * Arthur Makes the Team 11902
 * Arthur's Almost Boring Day 12001
 * Sue Ellen Moves In 12101
 * Team Trouble 12202
 * Bully for Binky 12301
 * Misfortune Teller 12302
 * Arthur Cleans Up 12502
 * Poor Muffy 12602
 * D.W.'s Blankie 12701
 * Arthur's Substitute Teacher Trouble 12702
 * I'm a Poet 12801
 * Season 2
 * Arthur Meets Mister Rogers 20101
 * Draw! 20102
 * Binky Barnes, Art Expert 20201
 * Arthur's Lucky Pencil 20202
 * Buster and the Daredevils 20302
 * Arthur's Underwear 20501
 * Francine Frensky, Olympic Rider 20502
 * Buster Baxter, Cat Saver 20601
 * Arthur's TV-Free Week 20701
 * Night Fright 20702
 * Arthur vs. the Piano 20801
 * The Big Blow-Up 20802
 * Lost! 20901
 * The Short, Quick Summer 20902
 * Arthur's Mystery Envelope 21002
 * Buster Hits the Books 21102
 * Arthur's Faraway Friend 21201
 * Arthur and the Square Dance 21202
 * Water and the Brain 21301
 * Sue Ellen's Lost Diary 21401
 * Grandma Thora Appreciation Day 21501
 * Fern's Slumber Party 21502
 * Love Notes for Muffy 21601
 * D.W. Blows the Whistle 21602
 * Arthur the Loser 21702
 * Arthur vs. the Very Mean Crossing Guard 21801
 * D.W.'s Very Bad Mood 21802
 * D.W.'s Name Game 21901
 * Finders Key-pers 21902
 * How the Cookie Crumbles 22001
 * Sue Ellen's Little Sister 22001
 * Season 3
 * Buster's Back 30101
 * The Ballad of Buster Baxter 30102
 * Arthur Goes Crosswire 30301
 * Sue Ellen and the Brainasaurous 30302 (cameo)
 * The Chips are Down 30501
 * Revenge of the Chip 30502
 * Binky Rules 30601
 * Meet Binky 30602
 * Arthur Rides the Bandwagon 30701
 * Dad's Dessert Dilemma 30702
 * Popular Girls 30801
 * Buster's Growing Grudge 30802
 * Arthur's Treasure Hunt 30901
 * The Return of the King 30902
 * Arthur's Almost Live Not Real Music Festival 31102
 * What Scared Sue Ellen? 31201
 * Arthur's Dummy Disaster 31301
 * Francine and the Feline 31302
 * The Long, Dull Winter 31502
 * Season 4
 * Arthur's Big Hit 401b
 * Binky Barnes, Wingman 407a
 * 1001 Dads 408a
 * Season 5
 * The Lousy Week 505a
 * You Are Arthur 505b
 * Season 7
 * Francine's Split Decision 702a
 * Muffy Goes Metropolitan 702b
 * Prunella Sees the Light 709a
 * April 9th 710
 * Season 8
 * Thanks a Lot, Binky 802b
 * Arthur's Snow Biz 803a
 * Bugged 803b
 * Fernkenstein's Monster 804a
 * D.W., Dancing Queen 804b
 * Vomitrocious 805a
 * Sue Ellen Chickens Out 805b
 * Desk Wars 807a
 * Big Horns George 810a
 * Season 9
 * Castles in the Sky 901a
 * Tipping the Scales 901b
 * Francine's Big Top Trouble 902a
 * George Blows His Top 902b
 * Arthur Weighs In 903a
 * The Law of the Jungle Gym 903b
 * Buster's Green Thumb 904a
 * Lights, Camera... Opera! 905a
 * All Worked Up 905b
 * Arthur Makes Waves 906a
 * A is for Angry 907b
 * D.W. Beats All 909a
 * Binky Goes Nuts 910a
 * Breezy Listening Blues 910b
 * Season 10
 * The Squirrels 1002a
 * Fern and Persimmony Glitchet 1002b
 * Desert Island Dish 1003a
 * Feeling Flush (cameo) 1004a
 * Flaw and Order 1005b
 * Arthur Changes Gears 1006b
 * D.W., Bossy Boots (Cameo and prologue) 1007b
 * Binky vs. Binky 1008a
 * Do You Speak George? 1009a
 * What's Cooking? (cameo) 1010a
 * Buster's Special Delivery (cameo) 1010b
 * Season 11
 * Germophobia 1101b
 * Arthur Sells Out (cameo) 1102a
 * Prunella Packs It In 1103b
 * Brain's Shocking Secret 1104b
 * Strangers on a Train (fantasy) 1105b
 * The Making of Arthur 1106a
 * Dancing Fools 1106b
 * Mr. Alwaysright 1107b
 * Francine's Pilfered Paper 1108a
 * Spoiled Rotten! (cameo) 1109b
 * Big Brother Binky 1110
 * Season 12
 * Is That Kosher? 120101
 * The Chronicles of Buster 120501
 * Do You Believe in Magic? 120902
 * The Perfect Game (cameo) 121001
 * Season 13
 * The Great MacGrady 1301
 * MacFrensky (cameo) 130401
 * The Good, the Bad, and the Binky 130402
 * Prunella and the Disappointing Ending (cameo) 130502
 * The Secret Guardians 130702
 * Fernlets by Fern 130801
 * Prunella and the Haunted Locker 130802
 * The Pride of Lakewood 130902
 * The Secret Origin of Supernova 130102
 * Season 14
 * The Wheel Deal (Cameo) 140101
 * The Buster Report 140102
 * The Agent of Change 140201
 * Nicked by a Name 140301
 * The Play's the Thing 140302
 * Falafelosophy 140401
 * Muffy and the Big Bad Blog 140702
 * All the Rage 140802
 * D.W., Queen of the Comeback 140901
 * The Long Road Home 141002
 * Season 15
 * Fifteen 150101
 * I Wanna Hold Your Hand 150201
 * Buster's Secret Admirer 150301
 * Cents-less 150401
 * Buster the Lounge Lizard 150402
 * To Eat or Not to Eat 150501
 * S.W.E.A.T. 150502
 * Prunella the Packrat 150701
 * What's in a Name? 150702
 * Muffy's Classy Classics Club 150801
 * Through the Looking Glasses 150902
 * The Trouble with Trophies 151002
 * Season 16
 * Fern and the Case of the Stolen Story 1609a
 * So Funny I Forgot to Laugh 1610a
 * Season 17
 * Binky's Music Madness 1710a
 * Season 18
 * Best Wishes 1804a
 * Season 19
 * Postcards from Binky 1906b
 * The Last Day 1910


 * Season 20
 * Buster's Second Chance 2001a
 * Cereal 2002b
 * Mutiny on the Pitch 2006b
 * Ladonna's Like List 2007b


 * Season 21
 * Binky's 'A' Game 2101a