Arthur Bounces Back

Summary
Arthur wants Moon Boots and tries different ways to get money to buy them.

Plot
Intro: Arthur is seen in a yard jumping high, talking about things that you just have to have. You bug your parents until they get those things for you, although they are not that big of a deal once you finally get them. He shows that when he got hockey gloves, they ended up buried in his closet; the telescope he got ended up under his bed; and his Bionic Bunny walkie-talkies ended up on his dad's tool shelf in their basement. Arthur then assures that the next thing he got would be different. Mrs. Tibble from off-screen interrupts Arthur, asking him if he's working, or just "lollygagging". With that, Arthur leaves to get back to work.

- Arthur Bounces Back - Arthur, D.W. and their mom go to Mill Creek Mall to buy new coats for the fall, although Arthur prefers to wait in the car. D.W. has fun trying on different coats; Arthur stands bored and reluctantly tries one on. Arthur leaves to go to a toy store, where he enjoys trying out different toys: a wind-up monkey playing cymbals; a small, bouncy red ball; and a truck that can transform. He meets Muffy, with whom he is amazed that her father is getting her all the toys she wants. Then, Arthur notices a pair of shoes on the shelf called Moon Boots, and imagines himself jumping high enough to land on the moon.

At home, Arthur tells his parents about the Moon Boots, which are only ten dollars. Through dinner, he tries to convince them to buy the boots for him, saying that they would be good for the whole family. His parents then tell Arthur to buy them with his own money, and that if he does so, he will appreciate them even more. He starts to look for money for the Moon Boots: he finds a self-written note in his piggy bank that says he owes himself money; he finds a penny in the laundry; he finds his misplaced lollipop in the living room sofa. Arthur then decides to go to Grandma Thora's house with flowers, but she tells him that his parents already called her and told her to not give him any money for Moon Boots. Back at his house, Arthur starts to fret about not getting the money quickly enough. His mom suggests doing things around the house to earn it.

First, Arthur opens a lemonade stand, but a brown dog grabs a bag of lemons and he chases after it. Next, he tries a kissing booth, only for a few girls to laugh as they passed by. Finally, he becomes a fortune teller, but then it starts to rain. Later, D.W. offers to loan Arthur some of her birthday money; however, Arthur is in rejection at the idea after she tells him that in exchange, he has to be her servant for a year, calling her "Your Highness" and doing all her chores. After watching a Moon Boots commercial, Arthur agrees to clean out the garage in exchange for two dollars from his mom. Mrs. Tibble notices Arthur and the garage, and mistakenly thinks Arthur is having a garage sale. She finds a necklace among the boxes and offers to pay him ten dollars, to which Arthur happily accepts. Arthur finally buys his Moon Boots, and is eager to try them on. His mom gives him money for his Moon Boots after his good work on the garage, although Arthur starts to feel regret for already buying them. His dad then asks Arthur that he hopes Arthur put everything back where he found it in the garage because he hid Arthur's mom's birthday present there, and it turns out that he got the necklace for Arthur's mom. Realizing that his dad will not forget about it, Arthur tells him that he did not put the necklace back where he found it, and that he will go get it.

Arthur explains the situation to Mrs. Tibble at her house: she will give him back the necklace, and Arthur will get back her ten dollars when he returns his Moon Boots. Mrs. Tibble accepts, complimenting him for being "a very honest young man". Arthur helps her rake up the leaves that fell in her yard, and comes up with an idea. Buster notices Arthur, and asks to try the Moon Boots out. Arthur then says that he needs them to get all the leaves in exchange for the necklace from Mrs. Tibble. Arthur then starts jumping with the Moon Boots, knocking leaves off of her tree.

Major

 * Arthur Read
 * Jane Read
 * David Read
 * Mrs. Tibble (debut)

Minor

 * D.W. Read
 * Thora Read
 * Buster Baxter
 * Muffy Crosswire
 * Ed Crosswire
 * 3rd Grade Female Cat (Number 2) (speaking debut)

Background

 * Kate Read
 * Helen
 * Patrick
 * Unknown Male Adult Bear
 * Dave (debut, in picture)
 * Jessica
 * Nancy
 * Beulah McInnerny
 * Steve
 * Toy Store Worker (debut)

Trivia

 * The kids in the Moon Boots advertisement are the same kids that go to Lakewood Elementary School. They are identical to the 4th Graders that are seen around the school.
 * Arthur is seen trying on the Moon Boots shortly before his father comes out to talk to him about organizing the garage; but in the next shot, he has a bare foot, and socks must be worn underneath Moon Boots.
 * The red and yellow coat which D.W. tries on must have been bought, as it later appears in other episodes.

Errors

 * In the intro, there are some Bionic Bunny Walkie-Talkies that are shown damaged on one of the shelves in the basement, although the ones that Arthur owns have not been damaged.
 * When the Reads' Car drives up to the mall, D.W. appears to be standing in the trunk.

Cultural references

 * Moon Boots is a parody of Moon Shoes.
 * The wind-up monkey in the store is similar to Minkey the Monkey who is seen in a Wee Sing video: "Grandpa's Magical Toys".
 * In one scene, there are toys that look like Bert and Ernie from Sesame Street, another show that aired on PBS.

Home video
DVD:
 * Arthur's Money Matters
 * Arthur: The Complete Series One