Fern Walters

Fern Walters is a third grade student in Mr. Ratburn's class at Lakewood Elementary. She is generally viewed as a quiet girl with a love of poetry and mysteries.

Because of her shy personality, her mother, Doria Walters, often signs her up for various activities to get her involved in social gatherings with peers. Fern herself sometimes thinks that she is too quiet, once referring to herself as "invisible". Although Fern is shy, when something goes wrong she will speak her mind on behalf of what she believes to be the right thing.

Fern is well known as a talented and realistic raconteur, especially when it comes to horror and mystery stories. She loves solving mysteries, and once solved a real mystery in the episode "Fern's Slumber Party." Fern is also talented musically. She is a great singer and can perform music from several genres, such as rock (as seen in Arthur - It's Only Rock 'n' Roll), or pop, which we see in Phony Fern. She plays the flute and is in the school band with Arthur and his friends. Her favorite authors are Agatha Christie, Mary Shelley, and Persimmony Glitchet. Fern's favorite books are the Sherlock Holmes mysteries and Frankenstein.

Physical appearance
Fern is an anthropomorphic dog with tannish gray fur. She is usually seen wearing a long sleeved purple blouse with yellow buttons, matching it with yellow pants and brown loafers. She always wears a bow on her head, usually bright red, but it sometimes is another color to go with a different outfit.

In some media, such as at the Arthur attraction at the Boston Children's Museum and on an Arthur puzzle by Ravensburger, she is depicted with a pale green jacket with green spots.

Alternate apparel
She also wears a light purple nightgown with dark purple linings and the occasional winter wear consisting of a dark pink top with a black skirt. She is also seen wearing a karate uniform. She also wears a purple one-piece swimsuit with a red collar.

Personality
Fern is depicted as introverted and quiet at first, worried about mixing with her peers. As Binky says in "I'm a Poet", Fern "never says anything". However, following that episode, she starts to become involved more socially with her friends, interacting with them and helping some of them with their problems.

One of Fern's most notable talents is her flair and aptitude for writing poetry and stories, which was first highlighted in "I'm a Poet" and strengthened in "Fernlets by Fern" and "Fern and Persimmony Glitchet". In addition, Fern also has a great deal of imagination, helping her write very good stories. As evidenced, she has a quick wit for playing tricks, and on one occasion she fooled even Brain into believing a yarn concerning giant worms in "War of the Worms". In the special "Arthur: It's Only Rock 'n' Roll", it is revealed that she is a great singer.

However, some of Fern's major flaws stem from her stubbornness and headstrong attitude, which can be very trying to others at times and can potentially lead to arguments, including a particularly venomous altercation with Francine.

Fern also has a small talent for acting, as seen in "No Acting, Please". She is a midfielder for Lakewood Elementary Soccer Team.

Future Life
If the intro to the episode, "The Election", really happens, she will either be President Muffy's running mate or a member of her party.

Family
Fern has a small family, consisting of her mother and father. Her mother first appears in "Fern's Slumber Party" and her father appears in the episode "Phony Fern", but is also first mentioned in the former.
 * Doria Walters - As Fern's mother, she persistently encourages Fern to join new groups in order to make friends and become more socially active. She also worries that Fern is too quiet, and generally worries about her in this regard. She refers to Fern as "Ferny" sometimes.
 * Mr. Walters - As Fern's father, he is a very kind, caring and cautious person. He loves his family very much, but sometimes he worries about Fern's safety, so he gave her a cell phone in "Phony Fern". He is also good at computers and has even taught Fern some things about them.

Friends

 * Sue Ellen Armstrong - Fern and Sue Ellen are often seen together in the backgrounds of some scenes. They become better friends when they both make a pact in the episode "Popular Girls", and they are shown to be running around (in the background) in the episode "Mr. Alwaysright." They also give each other advice, as seen in "Sue Ellen and the Brainasaurous". They are most likely best friends as in most seasons they are always shown in the background together. In "All the Rage" when Muffy sees Sue Ellen's diary Fern and Sue Ellen are goofing around in a photo booth accompanied by heart, showing that they are very close friends.
 * Muffy Crosswire - Fern and Muffy become good friends when they both have the same cell phone, the Portilex-360. However, things might have changed when Fern downgrades to a simpler phone. They still seem to be portrayed as close friends in the later seasons, as they are seen watching a movie and auditioning for the same part in a play. In earlier seasons they have been shown to be friends, although not very close but close enough to be invited to Muffy's annual party several times as seen in "Jenna's Bedtime Blues", and later on in "Desk Wars" when they both made a dust ruffle.
 * Francine Frensky - They are not friends at first because Francine sees Fern as a boring person, based on her thoughts on Fern in the episodes "I'm a Poet", "Draw!", and "Fern's Slumber Party". Despite this, they seem to confide in each other and appreciate the same type of stories. Fern was partnered up Francine in "Fernfern and the Secret of Moose Mountain". Despite their differences, they were able to work together to get to the top of the mountain. They seem to have become friends in later seasons.
 * George Lundgren - Fern and George are seen role-playing in the "Phony Fern" and "The Case of the Girl with the Long Face" and also seen with George at the episode "The Return of the King". In the earlier seasons, when they were used as background characters, they were often seen together with Jenna. In "Fern's Flights of Fancy", Fern had acknowledged George as 'the best friend a writer could have', confirming the close friendship between the two.

Fern is considered to be friends with all of the main kids in Lakewood Elementary, as she is seen with them on many occasions."

Trivia

 * Fern spoke for the first time in the episode 'Arthur and the True Francine', when she asks Muffy, at one of her sleepovers, if she has ever lied before.
 * She doesn't have a visible hairstyle like the rest of the girls.
 * Fern doesn't have an uncle.
 * According to Muffy in Surprise! Fern is a handwriting expert.
 * Though Fern doesn't have any health conditions in the original dub, in the Finnish dub she is lactose-intolerant.

Appearances

 * Specials
 * Arthur's Perfect Christmas (Cameo)
 * Arthur - It's Only Rock 'n' Roll
 * D.W. and the Beastly Birthday
 * Season 1
 * Arthur's Eyes 10101
 * Francine's Bad Hair Day 10102
 * Arthur and the Real Mr. Ratburn 10201
 * Arthur's Spelling Trubble 10202
 * Buster's Dino Dilemma 10302
 * Arthur's Lost Library Book 10402
 * Arthur and the True Francine 11402
 * Arthur's Tooth 12401
 * I'm a Poet 12801
 * Season 2
 * Draw! 20102
 * Arthur the Unfunny 21302
 * Fern's Slumber Party 21502
 * Love Notes for Muffy 21601
 * Francine Redecorates 21701
 * Arthur the Loser 21702
 * Season 3
 * Sue Ellen and the Brainasaurous 30302
 * Binky Rules 30601
 * Meet Binky 30602
 * Popular Girls 30801
 * Season 4
 * Arthur's Big Hit 40102
 * Muffy's New Best Friend 40202
 * Season 5
 * The Lousy Week 50501
 * You Are Arthur 50502
 * The Election 50601
 * Sleep No More 50701
 * Season 6
 * The Boy Who Cried Comet 60501
 * Rhyme for Your Life 60801
 * Season 7
 * Francine's Split Decision 70201
 * Muffy Goes Metropolitan 70202
 * Ants in Arthur's Pants 70301
 * Waiting to Go 70402
 * Elwood City Turns 100! 705
 * Jenna's Bedtime Blues 70602
 * Prunella Sees the Light 70901
 * April 9th 710
 * Season 8
 * Fernfern and the Secret of Moose Mountain 80201
 * Arthur's Snow Biz 80301
 * Bugged 80302
 * Fernkenstein's Monster 80401
 * D.W., Dancing Queen (Cameo) 80402
 * Vomitrocious 80501
 * Desk Wars 80701
 * Season 9
 * Castles in the Sky 90101
 * Tipping the Scales (singing only) 90102
 * Francine's Big Top Trouble (Cameo) 90201
 * George Blows His Top (Cameo) 90202
 * Arthur Weighs In (Cameo) 90301
 * The Law of the Jungle Gym 90302
 * A is for Angry 90702
 * The "A" Team 90801
 * D.W. Beats All 90901
 * Buster the Myth Maker 90902
 * Binky Goes Nuts 91001
 * Breezy Listening Blues 91002
 * Season 10
 * Happy Anniversary 1001
 * The Squirrels 100201
 * Fern and Persimmony Glitchet 100202
 * Flaw and Order 100502
 * D.W., Bossy Boots (Cameo and prologue) 100702
 * Binky vs. Binky (Cameo) 100801
 * Do You Speak George? 100901
 * What's Cooking? (Cameo) 101001
 * Buster's Special Delivery (Cameo) 101002
 * Season 11
 * Arthur Sells Out (Cameo) 110201
 * Prunella Packs It In 110302
 * Phony Fern 110401
 * Brain's Shocking Secret 110402
 * The Making of Arthur (Cameo) 110601
 * Dancing Fools (Cameo) 110602
 * Mr. Alwaysright (Cameo) 110702
 * Francine's Pilfered Paper (cameo) 110801
 * Spoiled Rotten! (Cameo) 110902
 * Season 12
 * War of the Worms 120701
 * Do You Believe in Magic? (Cameo) 120902
 * The Perfect Game (Cameo) 121001
 * Season 13
 * The Great MacGrady (Cameo) 1301
 * The Silent Treatment 130201
 * Kung Fool 130202
 * Brain Gets Hooked 130302
 * MacFrensky (Cameo) 130401
 * No Acting, Please 130501
 * Fernlets by Fern 130801
 * Prunella and the Haunted Locker 130802
 * The Pride of Lakewood 130902
 * Season 14
 * The Wheel Deal (Cameo) 140101
 * The Buster Report (Cameo) 140102
 * The Agent of Change (Cameo) 140201
 * The Play's the Thing (Cameo) 140302
 * Tales of Grotesquely Grim Bunny 140501
 * Arthur Unravels 140801
 * All the Rage (Cameo) 140802
 * Best Wishes (Cameo) 141002
 * Season 15
 * Fifteen (Cameo) 1501
 * I Wanna Hold Your Hand (Cameo) 150201
 * Buster's Secret Admirer 150301
 * Cents-less (Cameo) 150401
 * Buster the Lounge Lizard (Cameo) 150402
 * To Eat or Not to Eat 150501
 * S.W.E.A.T. (Cameo) 150502
 * Prunella the Packrat (Cameo) 150701
 * What's in a Name? (Cameo) 150702
 * Through the Looking Glasses 150902
 * The Trouble with Trophies 151002
 * Season 16
 * The Last Tough Customer 160601
 * Brain's Chess Mess 160602
 * Fern and the Case of the Stolen Story 160901
 * Season 17
 * Ladonna Compson: Party Animal 170202
 * Crime and Consequences 170802
 * Season 18
 * The Case of the Girl with the Long Face 180301
 * Season 19
 * Brain Sees Stars 190102
 * Wish You Were Here 190202
 * Dueling Detectives! 190402
 * Season 20
 * Fern's Flights of Fancy 200201

Gallery

 * Fern Walters/Gallery