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My Club Rules
| "My Club Rules" | |
|---|---|
  | |
| Season/Series: | 1 |
| Number in season: | 29A |
| Original Airdate: | May 26, 1997 |
| Credits | |
| Written by: | Joe Fallon |
| Storyboard by: | Gerry Capelle |
| Episodes | |
| Previous "The Scare-Your-Pants-Off Club" |
Next "Stolen Bike" |
| Read transcript | |
"My Club Rules" is the first half of the twenty-ninth episode in the first season of Arthur.
Summary
The kids can't agree on the rules for Arthur's new club, and suddenly they're all starting their own clubs.
Plot
Elwood City's Strawberry Festival is approaching. There's a parade, and it after hearing from Mr. Haney in class that anyone can have a float in it, Arthur's gang want to be in the parade.
They're not alone -- Mr. Haney is going to be in a "King of Button Island" float, and Mr. Ratburn is going to be in a strawberry themed float with real strawberries.
* * *
So Arthur's gang want to be in the parade, and they're in Arthur's treehouse trying to come up with ideas; the parade is in three weeks, and they need to get started for their float. The kids have drawn their ideas on large sheets of paper, and Brain is presenting them to the group so they can decide on a float idea.
Buster's suggestion is a pizza-themed float. They can stand on a pizza shaped base, dressed up as the pizza "food groups": pepperoni, mushrooms, anchovies, etc.
Nobody looks too impressed by this idea.
Brain suggests they parade down the street joined together as a double-helix strand of DNA. It would be educational, if nothing else...
This idea isn't popular either. It's the old "Brain's too scientific for everyone" issue again.
There's always their backup plan -- they dress up in their baseball uniforms, and walk down the street.
Everyone relizes that this idea stinks too, but it's the best they've come up with.
Just then, Francine notes that Arthur's "wonky" sister D.W. is coming up the rungs to the treehouse; she's only going to bother them. But how can they keep her out?
Arthur says that he has an idea -- if this was "The Parade Float Club", then D.W. couldn't bother them, since she wouldn't be a member. Everyone thinks this is a brilliant idea.
When D.W. pops her head in, they tell her to go away, since she's not a member of the club.
D.W. asks how she can join.
Nobody thought about this. After some quick thinking, Arthur's gang come up with the following. The only way to get into the club is to pass a test. If you pass, then you're in. If you fail, then forget it.
The test Arthur devises is simple. While the rest of his friends look on, Arthur places a bowling ball on the grass in his yard. Arthur tells D.W. that in order to join the club, all she has to do is kick the ball out of the yard.
D.W.: I'll break my foot if I kick that.
Arthur insists that she kick it, or else she can't join the club. D.W. tells Arthur to kick it then. Since everyone in the club supposedly passed the test, they should all be capable of doing it.
Francine grumbles to Arthur. Arthur and the gang quickly discuss things. Arthur turns to D.W..
Arthur: The kicking rule is hereby cancelled.
In its place is a new rule. In order to get into the club, you must draw a funny picture of Mr. Ratburn.
* * *
All of Arthur's gang, and D.W., set to work drawing pictures of Mr. Ratburn in the treehouse. D.W. finishes hers, and it is passed around. Buster really likes D.W.'s picture and laughs. Uh oh. Is she in? More discussion.
Arthur comes out with another rule. In order to be in the club, you have to be in Arthur's grade. So D.W.'s out. Francine thinks that this is the best rule yet. D.W. looks sad, but rules are rules, and she leaves Arthur's gang in peace.
* * *
This club business leads to trouble though. Soon, Muffy and Francine are beginning to think of the "float club" as a proper club. They decide that they need some real rules.
• For one thing, Buster eats all the snacks. There should be a rule about that.
Muffy thinks that they also should start charging dues -- Arthur's treehouse is filthy, and could use some new linoleum. Muffy suggests a dollar a week.
Arthur says that that isn't how they've done things in the past -- they've never charged dues, and everything's been fine.
Muffy and Francine leave. Muffy says she can do better. Her club is going to have computer games.
Muffy: We don't need this old shack!
The two leave, but the damage has been done -- Buster says that he's going to check out Muffy's club, since it's going to have computer games which sounds cool. Arthur gets angry, which doesn't help, and says they'll be fine without Buster.
* * *
Muffy sets up a club in a guest house on the Crosswire's estate. Francine and Buster looks impressed. They should be. Muffy's clubhouse has proper furniture, and a fireplace with a portrait of Muffy, the club founder above it. Muffy has a remote control. She presses a button, and the fireplace and painting rotate to reveal a fridge full of food and a TV. Buster looks very pleased with the fridge.
Muffy says that dues are $1 each a week, and $2 for Buster, all payable to her.
Francine protests, saying she only gets 50 cents a week allowance. Muffy says she'll pay for Francine. Buster protests too -- why should he have to pay double?
Muffy: 'Cause you eat like a pig!
Buster says that he doesn't need this club. Muffy says they don't need him -- Buster quits.
* * *
Buster comes back to Arthur's treehouse. He tries to come in, but while he was away, the remaining members, (Arthur, Sue Ellen, Binky, and Brain) wrote up some rules for their club. One of the rules is that Buster is not allowed in. Arthur reads from their new charter. Why isn't Buster allowed to rejoin the club? Because Buster is a...
Arthur: ...dirty traitor for joining Muffy's stinking club.
Buster looks sad, but accepts his fate, and leaves. However, inside the treehouse, a rift forms... should they have kept Buster from returning? Arthur starts to get angry, and says that anyone who wants to leave can go too. This proves to be fatal for the club; everyone starts to leave. Arthur says that he can go it alone -- he doesn't need anyone else.
* * *
Buster founds a club. He sets up the headquarters -- he sits under a table with a blanket on it. He starts reading a comic book. Sue Ellen comes over, since she's just left Arthur's club.
Buster invites her to come under the blanket.
Sue Ellen does, but looks displeased -- It smells under Buster's tablecloth, since there's lots of old food scattered around.
Buster says that eating's a major component of the "Reading Comic Books Under the Blanket Club", and if she doesn't like it, then she can leave.
* * *
The "I hate you since you're not in my club" attitude spills over with negative effects at school:
• The fact that everyone is everyone's enemy doesn't do wonders for their next soccer game -- everyone refuses to work as a team, and they lose because of this.
• There's trouble in the cafeteria -- people refuse to sit with members of rival clubs.
* * *
Sue Ellen quits Buster's club, because it not only smells bad -- (Sue Ellen says that the lack of air under the blanket makes it hard to breathe...) but also because Buster's club involves no other activity except reading comic books -- it's boring.
* * *
Francine has trouble with the Muffy club. Muffy refuses to let her get past the front door; she doesn't know the new password.
Francine: Salt and pepper? Peas and carrots?
Muffy says that Francine is out of the club, since she missed a meeting. No excuses.
Muffy: Get off my property or I'm calling the police!
* * *
Nobody else's club fares much better.
• Brain's "Fun Club" isn't. Binky gets bored looking at paramecium through a microscope. When he says as much, Brain says that if Binky isn't having fun, then he'll have to leave, since the "Fun Club" is only for people who like to have fun, like him.
• Sue Ellen starts up the "Single Person Reading and Walking Club" -- no one can join it but her.
• Arthur's "Exciting Club" isn't, since it's just him.
• Muffy sits alone in her clubhouse, idly flicking the button to cycle between displaying the TV & refrigerator and the fireplace and painting. She's bored.
The final word comes from Buster. He begins to feel sick under his blanket, and scrambles out, panting.
Buster: Sue Ellen is right! There is no air in there!
* * *
D.W. is sitting alone in Arthur's treehouse. Arthur scrambles up the ladder. Can he join her? It's lonely without anyone else to play with. D.W. asks where everyone is. Arthur tells her how the rival clubs have wrecked everything.
One by one, Arthur's friends have all realized that they're better off without all of the petty clubs. They all return to the treehouse, and are all welcomed back.
Soon everyone is back.
They all agree that seperate clubs was a bad idea. But what to do about the float for the Strawberry Festival?
D.W. takes charge. Since she was here first, (which is right... she let everyone return to the treehouse) she'll have the final say on what they do for the parade. Everyone agrees that this is reasonable.
* * *
The parade arrives. The residents of Elwood City all come out in force to watch the big parade.
• Mr. Haney rides in a float as the "King of Button Island" -- he's perched on the top of a tall palm tree which wobbles and shakes. Mr. Haney looks quite ill.
• Mr. Ratburn's float has him dressed up in a strawberry-inspired outfit, with a big strawberry hat. He's riding on a big strawberry shortcake. The "real strawberries" was probably not a great idea -- Mr. Ratburn is having to fend off lots of birds who want to eat his outfit.
• There are other floats, like the one from Bill's Joke Shop -- it has a big snake that pops out off a can on it.
The float created by Arthur's gang comes into view.
It's D.W., dressed as an Egyptian princess, carried on a throne-stretcher (there's gotta be a word for it...) by four attendants. Everyone cheers as D.W. waves to the crowd.
Francine and Muffy are the rear attendants/carriers. They're all decked out in Egyptian slave outfits. Francine looks at Muffy and says that D.W.'s idea was great, and that...
Francine: ...I never knew why we didn't invite her in the first place!
Muffy nods in agreement, and D.W. keeps waving to everyone
Characters
Major Roles
Minor Roles
Background
- Alex
- Maria
- Rattles
- Fern
- Jenna
- George
- Molly
- Prunella
- Mrs. Tibble
- George
- Jenna
- Brian
- Luke
- Patrick
- Nancy
- Helen
- Emily
Trivia
- This is one of the only times that a character references that they are all animals, when Buster says "I'm only made of fur!".
Episode connections
- Francine had previously been offered an Ancient Egyptian costume in "Francine's Bad Hair Day".
Errors
- On the float for Jack's Joke Shop, it says 'Bill's Joke Shop'.
Gallery
Screenshots
External links
References
