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 N/A
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?"

Appearances

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

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)

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.
• Arthur holds a Torch in the attic where a doll, who resembles Annabelle from The Conjuring franchise. the back of her hair can be supposed this name "Zelda" is a reference to the Legend of Zelda video game 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.
• The Brain is seen wearing the bear mascot costume from the Ice Cream Shop in "Brain Freeze".

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 four Arthur specials, this is the first and only special to not feature musical segments with original songs.

Gallery

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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

• ARTHUR A Haunted Tree House?
• ARTHUR Trick-or-Treat!