D.W. Blows the Whistle

Summary
Deputized as a Junior Safety Officer, D.W. sees it as a license to tattle.

Plot
In a fantasy sequence, we see Arthur and The Brain road race against Muffy and Francine. Muffy and Francine pass Arthur and The Brain to take the lead. But when they are on top of the canyon, Arthur and The Brain regain the lead, causing Muffy and Francine to crash into a rock. While they are still racing, Arthur and the Brain are pulled over by DW (dressed in a police uniform), which causes Muffy and Francine to win the race. She tells them that they got a ticket for no license plate, no turn signals, and that the numbers on the car create a distraction. Arthur protests and says that it's a race course, but he and the Brain are sent to jail. Brain can't believe how strict DW is, but Arthur says that she gets carried away.

---Title Card---

At the Elwood City Public Library, Officer Safety gives a lesson on the ABC's of safety, "Always Be Careful" to DW and her classmates. After the presentation, Ms. Turner tells the children to line up because there is something special that they will receive. DW is given a safety whistle along with her friends. Then she fantasizes about being dubbed and sworn in as "The Princess of Safety". She is also given a safety pony, which makes her so overjoyed that she hugs him. Following the fantasy sequence, Officer Safety tells the children, "Safety is everybody's responsibility!" Without worry, DW promises him that she will be safe.

We now see DW, Kate, and Jane walk out of the library. DW asks Jane if she can bring her safety whistle with her when they go see Mary Moo Cow on Ice. She says yes, but she warns her not to blow it while at the show. When walking down the street, a mother is closing the car door with groceries in her hands while a boy named Matthew is playing with a ball. However, the ball bounces in the street and he tries to go after it. DW notices the situation right away and blows her whistle to warn the mother. Just in time, Matthew's mother grabs him before he gets hit by a car. Afterwards, she thanks DW for saving his life. DW is proud that she used the whistle to stop Matthew in time.

Arthur, on the other hand, is in shock about what happened. He is so shocked that he accidentially drops a wrench on his foot. DW believes that she is now the Junior Safety Officer. Arthur and The Brain are building a car for the Ratburn Rally Race. DW becomes a critic of the car and states it as "a pile of junk" with wheels. Arthur, in anger, replies, "Who asked you?" Jane tells them to calm down, but DW blows her safety whistle claiming that the car is unsafe and has no seatbelts. Jane, however, thinks that is a good point. The Brain also agrees, but DW leaves after she says that it's better to be safe than sorry.

Later in the evening, Arthur is playing with two toy race cars in the bathtub. DW blows the whistle multiple times and states little things that could be dangerous and unsafe, which annoys Arthur and her parents.

At school, while setting up dominoes, Francine believes that DW has become a "safety monster". Muffy agrees and says that she got blowed at for having long hair as a safety hazard. Binky said that he got in trouble just for saying hi to her, which is really a safe thing. But he said that it was because that he shouldn't talk to strangers. Arthur is really tired of all this whistle nonsense and wishes that he can catch her doing something unsafe. The Brain suggests following DW around. Arthur likes the suggestion and that they can blow the whistle on her. Then, Binky pushes the dominoes and they fall over.

After school, Arthur and his friends spy on DW. Binky sees that her shoe is unbuckled, but she buckles it back up anyways. In Muffy's limo, Francine and Muffy watch the monitor screens. Muffy claims that DW is skipping on the sidewalk without a helmet. Francine tells her that she does it all the time. Then Muffy and Francine notice DW and hide. DW looks for a second, then keeps walking. The Brain notices that she is coming to an intersection. Arthur is hiding in a trash can and ask what's going on and the Brain says that she is heading towards them. An ice cream cone is lying on the street, which is unsafe. Arthur then tells everyone to get their whistles just in case she picks it up and eats it. When DW picks up the cone, she states that it could be dangerous and puts it away in the trash can. Little does she realize that Arthur is inside the trash can hiding. Afterwards, DW visits Mrs. Tibble. Arthur, now covered in chocolate ice cream, says that the plan is not working and says that she's the safest person in Elwood City. Francine says that thankfully she won't be at the Ratburn Rally, but Arthur is afraid about that.

He fantasizes about the race. Just before Mr. Ratburn starts the race, DW blows her whistle and commands to stop the race with her megaphone. She then says that the Rally is unsafe and tells everyone to remain calm and to have the fire department come to make sure the cars are safe. Afterwards, flat tires are put on with pillows and now DW says that they can begin the race. They move at a very slow place. Coincidentally, two snails are by Brain's car. One of the snails says, "This is my kind of race!" DW also tells the snails to slow down.

In reality, Arthur's friends are in shock. He reassures them by saying that DW won't be there. Back at home, DW blows the whistle because the stove has food inside and Dave doesn't want to burn it. Arthur's parents tell him to take DW to the race, but he asks why. Jane says it's because that they have to drop Kate off at Grandma Thora's house before coming to the race. Arthur suggests getting a babysitter because she's gonna blow the whistle during the race. DW protests and doesn't believe so. She says she'll blow it when she sees someone doing something really unsafe. Dave thinks that she's been getting carried away with the whistle, but DW says that she's doing everything that Officer Safety said at the library. Jane says that the reason why she blowing the whistle is because she's being a tattletale. DW finally accepts and Dave tells Arthur to take her to the race. Afterwards, DW is told not to bother Arthur at the race. Then Arthur gives her a dirty look.

At the race, DW observes the course while Muffy wonders why she is here. Francine believes she will ruin the whole race with the whistle. Then Arthur explains that he had to bring her here. Francine warns him that if she hears one blow from DW's whistle, she'll be a sorry tattletale. DW believes the hill is very steep. Arthur then tells her to go away and not to cause any distractions. DW then tells him that he's not the boss of her.

Mr. Ratburn then steps onto the podium and welcomes everyone to the Ratburn Rally. He tells the crowd he really likes the creativity of the cars and let the races begin. DW, in the back of the crowd, gets angry and says that she can't see the race. She then gets an idea of climbing up a tree to get a better view. While the race is going on, she climbs higher and higher. However, she climbed too high and is swaying side to side on the branch due to the high wind. Back at the race course, a tire springs loose. DW thinks that's unsafe, but as she is about to blow her whistle, it falls out of her hands and lands on the ground. Frightened, DW yells for help. Francine notices her in the tree and gets Arthur. He tells her to hang on while Muffy gets Mr. Ratburn. DW is scared, but Arthur reassures her that they'll get her down and not to move. Afterwards, the fire department arrives and safely lowers DW to the ground. Then the firefighter gives DW her whistle, who ironically turns out to be Officer Safety after he tells her to be safe.

Arthur's parents arrive and ask what the commotion is about. He says that a girl was stuck in the tree. His parents hope that she was alright. Afterwards, DW admits by saying she was the girl who got stuck in the tree. She gets upset and said that she never should've climbed that high. Jane asks why she would do something dangerous like that. Arthur claims that the incident was his fault as well since he told her to go away and not bother him. Thankfully, they were safe and that they should know better. Afterwards, it is Arthur and the Brain's turn to race against Muffy and Francine. Before the race starts, DW notices Arthur's helmet strap is loose. She tries to blow the whistle, but instead, she tells him that his stap is loose. Arthur thanks her for the reminder. Then Mr. Ratburn waves the green flag and the race starts.

Characters

 * D.W. Read
 * Arthur Read
 * Jane Read
 * David Read
 * Kate Read
 * Emily (doesn't speak)
 * Francine Frensky
 * Muffy Crosswire
 * Binky Barnes
 * Alan "The Brain" Powers
 * Grandma Thora (mentioned and seen but doesn't speak)
 * Nigel Ratburn
 * Officer Safety
 * Alex (doesn't speak)
 * Mrs. Tibble
 * Matthew (rat)
 * Matthew's mother
 * Herbert Haney (doesn't speak)
 * Sarah MacGrady (doesn't speak)
 * Fern (doesn't speak)
 * George (doesn't speak)

Trivia

 * This is the first episode when D.W. learns about fire safety. Fire safety will be discussed again in "D.W. All Fired Up".
 * Mom and Dad were gonna drop Kate off at Grandma Thora's. In the scene where Mr. Ratburn says Will the first racers please approch the starting line? Grandma Thora is seen in the crowd with her back to the camera. Also later on when Arthur tells D.W. they'll get her down their Dad is seen in the crowd looking worried.

Production Notes

 * This is the first episode to use Arthur Taking A Bath as a title card.