Fern Walters

Fern Walters is one of the main characters in the Arthur books and television series. Fern is a shy and quiet student who loves poetry and mysteries. Her mother often signs her up into classes to get her involved in many things, an effort born of her concerns that Fern is too quiet. Fern herself sometimes thinks that she is too quiet; she once referred to herself as "invisible". Although Fern is shy, she will speak her mind if something is wrong. Fern gets upset easily, but she is rendered with determination easily too ("Draw!").

Fern is well known as a talented and realistic raconteur, especially when it comes to horror and mystery stories. She loves solving mysteries as she onced solved a case in the episode "Fern's Slumber Party". Fern is also talented musically. She is a great singer and can perform music from several genres, such as rock ("Arthur, It's Only Rock and Roll") or pop ("Phony Fern"). She also plays the piccolo, and is in the band with Arthur and his friends. Fern is voiced by Holly Gauthier-Frankel.

Appearance
Fern is an anthropomorphic dog with tan fur. She is usually seen wearing a long sleeved purple blouse with yellow buttons, matching it with yellow pants and brown loafers. She also wears a bright red bow on her head; this bow can vary in color depending on her current activity.

Personality
Fern is depicted as introverted and quiet at first, worried about mixing with her peers. As Francine says in the episode I'm A Poet, Fern "never says anything". However, following that episode, she starts to become involved more socially with her friends, interacting with them and helping some of them with their problems too. One of Fern's most notable talents is her flair and aptitude for writing poetry and stories, which was first highlighted in the episode "I'm A Poet" and strengthened in Fernlets From Fern and Fern And Persimmony Glitchet. In addition, Fern appears to have a great deal of imagination, as shown in Fernfern And The Secret Of Moose Mountain. However, some of Fern's major flaws stem from her stubbornness and headstrong attitude, which can be very trying to others at times and can potentially lead to arguments, including a particularly venomous altercation with Francine. Fern also has a small talent for acting, as seen in No Acting, Please. As evidenced, she has a quick wit for playing tricks, and on one occasion she fooled even Brain into believing a yarn concerning giant worms in War Of The Worms. Fern's worst fear is that she will be invisible to others, which was elaborated upon in Popular Girls.

Family
Fern has a small family, consisting of her mother and a father. It seems that Fern is an not a only child, as she has a little sister in D.W.'s preschool class. Her mother first appears in Fern's Slumber Party and her father appears in the episode Phony Fern, but is also first mentioned in the episode Fern's Slumber Party.
 * Doria Walters - As Fern's mother, she persistently encourages Fern to join new groups in order to make friends and become more socially active. She also worries that Fern is too quiet, and generally worries about her in this regard. She refers to Fern as "Ferny" sometimes.

Friends

 * Sue Ellen Armstrong - Fern and Sue Ellen are often seen together when they hang out. They become better friends when they both make a pact in the episode Popular Girls. They also give each other advice, as seen in the episode Sue Ellen and the Brainasaurus.
 * Muffy Crosswire - Fern and Muffy become good friends when they both have the same cellphone, the Portalex 360. They text and talk to each other constantly. They seem to be portrayed as close friends in the later seasons, as they are seen watching a movie and auditioning for the same part for a play.


 * Francine Frensky - It is not known if they are truly close friends because, after all, Francine made fun of Fern, as did Fern to Francine. Despite this, they seem to confide in each other and appreciate the same type of stories.


 * George Lundgren - Fern and George are seen role-playing in the episode Phony Fern.

Fern is considered to be friends with all of the main kids in Elwood City, as she is seen hanging out with the main group of friends in the episode Do You Speak George?.