Arthur Sells Out

Summary
To earn the money he needs to buy a new video game, Arthur plans to sell his old toys through his school's Web site. At first, sales are slow - until Muffy helps Arthur discover how to sell the "sizzle" and not the "steak." His toys fly off the (cyber) shelf, but is bending the truth to earn money worth losing his friends?

Plot
The commercial for a new game, Dark Bunny: Revenge of the Moomies is playing. Arthur and Buster think that they need it. Buster doesn't realize how Arthur is going to be able to afford it. He understands if he asks his folks they will object and tell him to buy it with his own money.

However, Buster comes up with an idea. He takes Arthur to his garage and calls all of his old toys "a gold mine". Arthur doesn't feel the same way. He just thinks that it is junk, but Buster calls it "merchandise". Buster suggests to Arthur that he sells it on the website of the school newspaper, since they have a section for selling objects. Buster explains how easy it is, and how some people will buy anything. Arthur goes to his garage, his room, and anywhere else with toys. After getting a lot of toys, he is ready to sell it on the website. He checks his email, and he has nothing new. He checks again, nothing. Again, still nothing. At the Sugar Bowl, Arthur, Buster, and Muffy are discussing it. Muffy thinks that the site doesn't have enough "pizzaz" to it and it also needs a sales pitch, branding, eye candy, etc. Arthur doesn't understand it.
 * "For Sale
 * Lots of old toys. If interested email ToyGuy22"

So at Arthur's house, Muffy takes pictures of the toys with her camera. She takes many pictures, and then downloads them onto Arthur's computer. While making the website Muffy is a marketing master. For example, instead of old say retro.

The next day, mostly everything that Arthur was trying to sell is sold, even the Woogle. Muffy tells him that he needs a celebrity to endorse the shop. She teaches him some more marketing techniques. However, some things don't sell, mostly the old toys. He still tries to sell them.
 * "Stuffed hippo for sale. Smells just like the real thing! Like having a real live hippo without the danger".

Pal brings him an old Robotron figure with a broken arm. Once again he uses false advertising as an attempt to sell it  (he describes the toy as "perfect for display" and does not mention the faulty arm). He also sells toy soldiers that he says are large, but he actually just put them in a bigger box. D.W. rebels against this, but Arthur thinks that she just does not understand marketing.

Since the toys won't sell online, Arthur, Buster, and Muffy plan to hold a garage sale. James comes and immediately takes interest in the Robotron figure, resulting in Arthur finally has enough money for the video game. However, after a short while, James notices the toy's arms fall off easily. Buster thinks that Arthur should give James his money back, but Muffy says that he doesn't have to as long as Arthur didn't lie. Arthur doesn't know what to do. Buster wants Arthur to give James his money back, but Muffy thinks the opposite. Arthur retorts "Let the buyer beware". Buster, surprised and angered by this, leaves the scene with James, and offers to fix his Robotron. Muffy then admits to Arthur that his advertising could be considered misleading, and tells him the worst punishment is house arrest, to Arthur's dismay.

At the video game store, Arthur is about to buy the new video game, but then changes his mind and tells the cashier that he just needs to look at something. On the way home from the store, Arthur finds James and Buster playing "Robotron Arm Toss", a new game that Buster made up. It turns out that Arthur didn't buy the video game, but a new Robotron toy for James instead.

At Muffy's Mansion, Muffy bought the game "just to see what all the fuss was about". They turn it on, and it first it seems good. But when they start the game it has poor graphics and glitches, poor sound, a generic explorer character rather than Dark Bunny, and a Game Over screen after the first few moments of gameplay. The three are disappointed and Arthur says to Muffy "If you ever need someone to sell it for you, don't call me." Having seen too much, Muffy throws it into the trash.

Major

 * Arthur Read
 * Buster Baxter
 * Muffy Crosswire

Minor

 * D.W. Read
 * Jane Read
 * James MacDonald

Cameo

 * Molly MacDonald
 * Alan Powers
 * Binky Barnes
 * Sue Ellen Armstrong
 * Fern Walters

Trivia

 * When Buster and James are playing the Robotron arm toss game, the target that they are shooting at is a chalk drawing of Arthur's head.
 * Moral:Do Not Scam.

Episode connections

 * Among Arthur's old toys is a white Bell X-1 model plane. Orange models appeared in "Arthur's Big Hit" and "Bleep."
 * The toys Arthur managed to sell include the Woogle Grandma Thora gave him in "Arthur Rides the Bandwagon" and the Roboton CyberToy seen in "Nerves of Steal."

Cultural references

 * When Arthur, Muffy and Buster are putting the disk of the game inside the console, it can be seen that the console highly resembles a , which is a 128-bit console published by.

Errors

 * Arthur says that the only celebrity he knows is Beauregard Poulet, although he and Muffy rescued Wilbur Rabbit (who plays Bionic Bunny) in the episode "Arthur Goes Crosswire."

Home Video
DVD:
 * Arthur: Season 11
 * Arthur's Germophobia