Arthur and the Haunted Tree House

"Arthur and the Haunted Tree House"
Original Airdate:	October 23, 2017
Credits
Written by:	Peter K. Hirsch
Storyboard by:	Al Jeffery Cilbur Rocha Dev Ramsaran Daniel Miodini Michel Carbonneau
Episodes
Previous "Special: D.W. and the Beastly Birthday"	Next "Special: The Rhythm and Roots of Arthur"
Read transcript

"Arthur and the Haunted Tree House" is a one-hour TV special that premiered on October 23, 2017 on PBS.

Synopsis

"This Halloween is sure to be the spookiest ever for Arthur and his friends. While trick-or-treating, Francine meets an elderly woman with a very mysterious past, while Binky finds himself at Mr. Ratburn’s amazing haunted house (that’s scarier than math class!). And as for Arthur, Buster and Ladonna? Their tree house sleepover seems to be haunted...but by what?"

Plot

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Characters

Major

• Arthur Read
• Buster Baxter
• Ladonna Compson
• Muffy Crosswire
• Francine Frensky
• D.W. Read
• Bud Compson
• Binky Barnes
• Grandma Thora
• Jane Read
• David Read
• Bailey
• Ethel Saperstein
• Nigel Ratburn

Minor

• Mrs. Pariso
• Golem
• Zelda
• Mr. Bellamy
• Mr. Lancaster
• Mrs. Lancaster
• Baby Kate
• Mr. Krueger
• Mrs. Krueger
• Mr. and Mrs. Krueger's daughter
• Mr. Saperstein
• Mary

Cameo

• Brain
• Emily
• Oliver Frensky
• Laverne Frensky
• 3rd Grade Male Rat
• Molly
• James
• Mr. Haney
• Inky Krueger
• Stanley
• 3rd Grade Female Aardvark
• Beulah McInnerny
• Mr. McInnerny
• Maria Pappas
• Mrs. Tibble
• Timmy Tibble
• Tommy Tibble
• Marie-Hélène
• Mrs. Higgenbottom
• Ken

Mentioned

• Catherine Frensky
• Pal

Trivia

• Bailey's full name is revealed to be Bailey Carson Belvedere III in this episode.
• The list of apartments Francine can trick-or-treat at in her building are as follows: 3, 15, 17, 28, 118, 121, 136, 142, 144, 221 (Mr. Bellamy), 224 (Mrs. Parizeau), 227, 229 (Mr. and Mrs. Lancaster), 237 (Mr. and Mrs. Saperstein)
• Moral: Dont try to ruin other people's party just because you weren't invited.
• Karma: D.W. scared Arthur, so she got scared back.
• Timeline:
  • D.W. mentions her blankie she lost from D.W.'s Blankie.
  • She also mentions her fear of octopuses.

Cultural references

• Room 237 is a reference to the movie The Shining.
• The Krueger family is a reference to the horror franchise A Nightmare on Elm Street, as their address is 1428 Elm Street.
• Mr. Ratburn's haunted house references Edgar Allan Poe's stories.
• The doll, Zelda, resembles Annabelle from The Conjuring franchise.

Episode connections

• Halloween also takes place in the episode "Hic or Treat". As such, Arthur, Buster, Francine, and Mr. and Mrs. Read all have the same costumes.
  • However, Arthur's costume is white instead of green.
• The Brain is seen wearing the bear mascot costume from the Ice Cream Shop in "Brain Freeze".
• Mr. Haney wears a Louisianan face mask, which is seen again in "Muffy Misses Out".
• When Arthur goes up to the attic near the beginning of the episode, a copy of "The Mysterious Hand" can be found in the foreground. This was the primary book featured in "Arthur's Lost Library Book".
• When Muffy recollects walking through the cemetery with Francine, a gravestone can be seen with the writing "YOMAMA". This is a reference to DW's humorously incorrect pronunciation of Yo-Yo Ma in the episode "My Music Rules".

Errors

• During U.S. airings on PBS, the opening title card is narrated by Ladonna, and she narrates, "Arthur and the Haunted Tree House, Part 1", but there is no Part 2 title card later on.
• When Ladonna is getting ready to leave Arthur's house, the pink sweatshirt from Mrs. Read that she is wearing briefly turns green.

Production notes

• It is one of two hour-long specials produced as part of the Oasis Animation production deal (alongside Seasons 20 and 21); the first being D.W. and the Beastly Birthday.
• Of the eight Arthur specials, this is the first special to not feature musical segments with original songs.
  • The second was An Arthur Thanksgiving.
  • The third was Arthur's First Day.

Costumes

Most costumes have appeared in previous or season 21 episodes, sometimes in fantasies or dreams. In order of appearance:

• Mary: cheerleader
• Otis: ghost
• aardvark girl: cowgirl
• blonde girl: valkyrie, seen in Camp Elysium video in “The Last Day”
• Beulah McInnerny: Hula dress, seen in “Little Miss Meanie”
• Maria Pappas: mime, seen in flashback in “Maria Speaks”
• Timmy and Tommy Tibble: mimes, seen in “The Pageant Pickle”
• Thora Read: wolf in grandmother's dress from Little Red Riding Hood
• Ladonna Compson: spider
• Arthur Read: Frankentist, seen in “Hic or Treat”
• Buster Baxter: Candyboy, seen in “Hic or Treat”
• Francine Frensky: prom queen, seen in “Hic or Treat”
• James MacDonald: prince, seen in "The Princess Problem"
• Mrs. Lancaster: angel or fairy
• Mr. Lancaster: prisoner
• Emily Leduc: tree, seen in “All About D.W.”
• Muffy Crosswire: Alice from Alice in Wonderland
• Bailey Belvedere: Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland
• Francine (flashback): clown, seen in dream in “Flippity Francine”
• Muffy (flashback): princess, seen in “Fountain Abbey”
• Binky Barnes: Puffy McPuffmeister, a wrestler
• Kate Read: Little Red Riding Hood
• D.W. Read: nurse, seen in “D.W.s Baby” and “One Ornery Critter”
• Bud Compson: prince, seen in “The Princess Problem”
• Mrs. Krueger: medieval lady
• Mr. Krueger: pirate, seen on TV in “Binky’s ‘A’ Game”
• Cat lady: Catwoman, seen in fantasy in “The Case of the Girl with the Long Face”
• Mrs. Read: witch, seen in “Hic or Treat”
• Mr. Read: sandwich, seen in “Hic or Treat”
• Mrs. Saperstein: Alice from Alice in Wonderland
• Mr. Saperstein: golem
• Mr. Haney: carnival mask, seen in "Muffy Misses Out"
• Unknown: Puk-Puk, seen in “Brain Freeze”
• Unknown: polar bear, used by Brain in “Brain Freeze”
• Unknown: spacesuit, used by D.W., Emily and Bud in fantasy in “Some Assembly Required”

Gallery

Screenshots

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  The Spectrum TV Promotional Poster for the Special

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  PBS Promotional Poster

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  Street in Mindelplatz, design P.Belec

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  The Golem Lab, design P. Belec

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Videos

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