To Eat or Not to Eat

Summary
A brand new candy bar is in town! But why is it making everyone behave so strangely? And what exactly is this ingredient called Tri-Enzomated Zorn Jelly, anyway?

Plot
Buster sees a commercial on TV for a new candy bar called Big Boss bars. He immediately starts seeing all of his friends eating the bars, including Binky, who buys large amounts of Big Boss bars from the Sugar Bowl in order to sell them to people and earn money. Buster plans to try the candy bar, but before he eats the candy, he notices that there are several ingredients on the nutrition label that he hasn't heard of before. Buster also notices that after his friends finish enjoying the candy, they become tired, sluggish and begin to have headaches. After going to the library and talking to the Brain to learn more about the ingredients, he finds out that some of the ingredients in the candy bar come from beetles and may be radioactive. When Buster tells his mother, she proclaims that they should take a tour of the candy factory.

When Buster and his mother visit the factory, they quickly discover that the ingredients in the candy are addictive. Mrs. Baxter writes the article in her newspaper about it, exposing the candy factory's secret and ending the sales of Big Boss Bars. While Binky tries unsuccessfully to sell the now unwanted Big Boss bars, Buster admits of being proud that he never tried the candy while he eats healthy food.

Major

 * Buster Baxter
 * Binky Barnes
 * The Brain
 * Bitzi Baxter

Minor

 * George Lundgren
 * Fern Walters
 * Arthur Read
 * Leah MacGrady
 * Paige Turner
 * Supreme Dog

Cameo

 * Jenna Morgan
 * 3rd Grade Female Cat (Number 2)
 * 3rd Grade Female Aardvark
 * Luke
 * 3rd Grade Female Aardvark (Number 2)
 * 3rd Grade Male Dog
 * Muffy Crosswire
 * 3rd Grade Male Rat
 * Kenny
 * 3rd Grade Male Cat
 * Otis
 * Alex
 * 3rd Grade Male Rabbit

Cultural references

 * The title of this episode is a parody of the line "To be or NOT to be", from the famous Shakespeare play, Hamlet.
 * This is the second episode whose title is a parody of that line. The first was "To Beat or Not to Beat."
 * Buster remarks the Big Boss Bars will last for centuries thanks to all the chemicals in them. This is a reference to the urban legend that have so many chemicals, they have an indefinite shelf life.
 * Cochineal, which is often used as dye, comes from beetles.
 * Buster’s fantasies are very similar to, a type of crime movie genre popular in the 1940s and 1950s.

Home Video
DVD:
 * Arthur Goes Back to School