The Squirrels (episode)

Summary
After watching the classic horror movie The Squirrels, Arthur and his friends are scared to step out onto the playground—or just about anywhere else.

Plot
After watching a horror movie called The Squirrels on TV, Arthur and Buster, and everyone, except Binky who hasn't watched it, becomes scared of them. Binky wonders why everyone runs home, and refuse to go outside during recess.

One day, Arthur goes to a video store, and rents a baby show about people in squirrel costumes (with the cashier saying a lot of people are getting baby shows about squirrels lately since the movie), hoping it will take his fear away from squirrels: this doesn't work. The next day, Mr. Ratburn explains to the class what squirrels are really like: this also doesn't work. Arthur realizes that he'll have to face his fears, and calls Buster, who comes over. They sit by Arthur's front door, and feed some squirrels acorns. The squirrels charge then charge at them, and Arthur and Buster quickly run into the house, and trip, and the squirrels scamper around them, but luckily Mrs. Read sees, and chases them off with her broom. When Arthur and Buster stand up, they look and see an injured squirrel on that they had landed on.

Mrs. Read, Arthur, and Buster quickly rush to the emergency animal hospital, where the squirrel is treated. The veterinarian explains to Arthur and Buster that squirrels are harmless creatures and they're more afraid of people than people are of them. He also adds that he can understand that they were afraid, because he gets a lot of calls about squirrels every time the movie The Squirrels shows on TV.

The next day, Arthur and Buster take the squirrel to Mr. Ratburn's class, and explain what happened to it. Everyone except Binky is scared until they take a closer look at it. They soon feel better.

Later that day, Binky goes inside the same video store Arthur had visited, and sees a VHS copy of The Squirrels, and wonders if it's any good. So, he rents it.

The next day, Arthur, Buster, and the other kids let the squirrel go free in the park. Buster mentions that The Birds is on that night, and they all agree to watch it, leaving viewers to think they'll be scared of birds next. Binky walks by, and Francine asks if he wants to play. He says no, and when a squirrel walks up to him, he screams and runs home.

Major

 * Arthur Read
 * Buster Baxter
 * Binky Barnes

Minor

 * The Brain
 * Francine Frensky
 * Nigel Ratburn
 * Bitzi Baxter
 * D.W. Read
 * Jane Read
 * David Read

Cameo

 * Muffy Crosswire
 * Fern Walters
 * George Lundgren
 * Sue Ellen Armstrong
 * Jenna Morgan
 * Maria Pappas
 * Alex

Cultural references

 * The horror film they watch, The Squirrels, is based on the 1963 film The Birds, by Alfred Hitchcock.
 * As an added bonus, at the end of the episode, Buster mentions that a movie called The Birds will be on that night.
 * Mr. Ratburn shows real photographs of squirrels, not drawn as a cartoon.
 * Silly Squirrels is a parody of Care Bears.
 * The case artwork Silly Squirrel School DVD Arthur chooses to rent is based off the case artwork for the 1989 VHS Richard Scarry's Best ABC Video Ever, produced and distributed by Random House Home Video.
 * The beginning of this episode is one of the clips that can play in Binky's Facts and Opinions.

Home Video
DVD:
 * Arthur: Season 10

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