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{{youmay|the episode|[[D.W. Blows the Whistle (DVD)|the DVD]]}}{{Episode infobox
{{youmay|the episode|[[D.W. Blows the Whistle (DVD)|the DVD]]}}
{{Episode infobox
|ep. name = D.W. Blows the Whistle
|ep. name = D.W. Blows the Whistle
|image = D.W. blows the whistle.jpg
|image = D.W. blows the whistle.jpg
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|prev. episode = [[Love Notes for Muffy]]
|prev. episode = [[Love Notes for Muffy]]
|next episode = [[Francine Redecorates]]|writers = [[Barry Rinehart]]<br>[[Ian Saunders]]
|next episode = [[Francine Redecorates]]|writers = [[Barry Rinehart]]<br>[[Ian Saunders]]
|storyboarders = [[Robert Yap]]|number = 16B|titlecard = D.W. Blows the Whistle Title Card.png|can = September 14, 1998<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20120413104003/http://ww3.tvo.org/program/157024/arthur</ref>}}{{EpisodeHeader|2|16|2}}
|storyboarders = [[Robert Yap]]|number = 16B|titlecard = D.W. Blows the Whistle Title Card.png|can = September 14, 1998<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20120413104003/http://ww3.tvo.org/program/157024/arthur</ref>}}
{{EpisodeHeader|2|16|2}}
==Summary==
==Summary==
Deputized as a Junior Safety Officer, D.W. sees it as a license to tattle.
Deputized as a Junior Safety Officer, [[D.W. Read|D.W.]] sees it as a license to tattle.
==Plot==
==Plot==
In a fantasy sequence, we see Arthur and The Brain road race against Muffy and Francine. Muffy and Francine pass Arthur and The Brain to take the lead. But when they are on top of the canyon, Arthur and The Brain regain the lead, causing Muffy and Francine to crash into a rock. While they are still racing, Arthur and the Brain are pulled over by D.W. (dressed in a police uniform), which causes Muffy and Francine to win the race. She tells them that they got a ticket for no license plate, no turn signals, and that the numbers on the car create a distraction. Arthur protests and says that it's a race course, but he and the Brain are sent to jail. Brain can't believe how strict D.W. is, but Arthur says that she gets carried away.
In a fantasy sequence, we see [[Arthur Read|Arthur]] and [[The Brain]] road race against [[Muffy Crosswire|Muffy]] and [[Francine Frensky|Francine]]. Muffy and Francine pass Arthur and The Brain to take the lead. But when they are on top of the canyon, Arthur and The Brain regain the lead, causing Muffy and Francine to crash into a rock. While they are still racing, Arthur and the Brain are pulled over by D.W. (dressed in a police uniform), which causes Muffy and Francine to win the race. She tells them that they got a ticket for no license plate, no turn signals, and that the numbers on the car create a distraction. Arthur protests and says that it's a race course, but he and the Brain are sent to jail. Brain can't believe how strict D.W. is, but Arthur says that she gets carried away.


<center>
<center>
---Title Card---
 
'''D.W. Blows the Whistle'''
</center>
</center>


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We now see D.W., Kate, and Jane walk out of the library. D.W. asks Jane if she can bring her safety whistle with her when they go see Mary Moo Cow on Ice. She says yes, but she warns her not to blow it while at the show. When walking down the street, a mother is closing the car door with groceries in her hands while a boy named Matthew is playing with a ball. However, the ball bounces in the street and he tries to go after it. D.W. notices the situation right away and blows her whistle to warn the mother. Just in time, Matthew's mother grabs him before he gets hit by a car. Afterwards, she thanks D.W. for saving his life. D.W. is proud that she used the whistle to stop Matthew in time.
We now see D.W., Kate, and Jane walk out of the library. D.W. asks Jane if she can bring her safety whistle with her when they go see Mary Moo Cow on Ice. She says yes, but she warns her not to blow it while at the show. When walking down the street, a mother is closing the car door with groceries in her hands while a boy named Matthew is playing with a ball. However, the ball bounces in the street and he tries to go after it. D.W. notices the situation right away and blows her whistle to warn the mother. Just in time, Matthew's mother grabs him before he gets hit by a car. Afterwards, she thanks D.W. for saving his life. D.W. is proud that she used the whistle to stop Matthew in time.


Arthur, on the other hand, is in shock about what happened. He is so shocked that he accidentially drops a wrench on his foot. D.W. believes that she is now the Junior Safety Officer. Arthur and The Brain are building a car for the Ratburn Rally Race. D.W. becomes a critic of the car and states it as "a pile of junk" with wheels. Arthur, in anger, replies, "Who asked you?" Jane tells them to calm down, but D.W. blows her safety whistle claiming that the car is unsafe and has no seatbelts. Jane, however, thinks that is a good point. The Brain also agrees, but D.W. leaves after she says that it's better to be safe than sorry.
Arthur, on the other hand, is in shock about what happened. He is so shocked that he accidentally drops a wrench on his foot. D.W. believes that she is now the Junior Safety Officer. Arthur and The Brain are building a car for the Ratburn Rally Race. D.W. becomes a critic of the car and states it as "a pile of junk" with wheels. Arthur, in anger, replies, "Who asked you?" Jane tells them to calm down, but D.W. blows her safety whistle claiming that the car is unsafe and has no seatbelts. Jane and even Brain note that D.W. has a point in what she's saying and feel it would be a good idea to add some seatbelts, and D.W. notes, "Better to be safe than sorry."


Later in the evening, Arthur is playing with two toy race cars in the bathtub. D.W. blows the whistle multiple times and states little things that could be dangerous and unsafe, which annoys Arthur and her parents.
Later in the evening, Arthur is playing with two toy race cars in the bathtub. D.W. blows the whistle multiple times and states little things that could be dangerous and unsafe, which annoys Arthur and even their parents.


At school, while setting up dominoes, Francine believes that D.W. has become a "safety monster". Muffy agrees and says that she got blowed at for having long hair as a safety hazard. Binky said that he got in trouble just for saying hi to her, which is really a safe thing. But he said that it was because that he shouldn't talk to strangers. Arthur is really tired of all this whistle nonsense and wishes that he can catch her doing something unsafe. The Brain suggests following D.W. around. Arthur likes the suggestion and that they can blow the whistle on her. Then, Binky pushes the dominoes and they fall over.
'''At school, while setting up dominoes, Francine notes that D.W.'s become a "safety monster" and Arthur's friends complain that D.W.'s been blowing her whistle at them for ridiculous reasons:'''
* Muffy says that just yesterday, Arthur's sister blew the whistle at her for having long hair, claiming that "long hair is a safety hazard."
* Binky claims that he got in trouble just for saying "Hi" to her, with D.W. justifying it by claiming that he shouldn't talk to strangers. (even though he already knows her)
Brain eventually suggests he, Arthur and the others follow D.W. around to try and catch her doing something unsafe—Arthur thinks this is a great idea, because then they could all blow the whistle on his sister. After school, Arthur and his friends spy on D.W.. Binky sees that her shoe is unbuckled, but she buckles it back up anyways. In Muffy's limo, Francine and Muffy watch the monitor screens. Muffy claims that D.W. is skipping on the sidewalk without a helmet. Francine tells her that she does it all the time. Then Muffy and Francine notice D.W. and hide. D.W. looks for a second, then keeps walking. The Brain notices that she is coming to an intersection. Arthur is hiding in a trash can and ask what's going on and the Brain says that she is heading towards them (and trips). An ice cream cone is lying on the street, which is unsafe. Arthur then tells everyone to get their whistles just in case she picks it up and eats it. When D.W. picks up the cone, she states that it could be dangerous and puts it away in the trash can. Little does she realize that Arthur is inside the trash can hiding. Afterwards, D.W. visits Mrs. Tibble. Arthur, now covered in chocolate ice cream, says that the plan is not working and says that she's the safest person in Elwood City. Francine says that thankfully she won't be at the Ratburn Rally, but Arthur is afraid about that.


After school, Arthur and his friends spy on D.W.. Binky sees that her shoe is unbuckled, but she buckles it back up anyways. In Muffy's limo, Francine and Muffy watch the monitor screens. Muffy claims that D.W. is skipping on the sidewalk without a helmet. Francine tells her that she does it all the time. Then Muffy and Francine notice D.W. and hide. D.W. looks for a second, then keeps walking. The Brain notices that she is coming to an intersection. Arthur is hiding in a trash can and ask what's going on and the Brain says that she is heading towards them (and trips). An ice cream cone is lying on the street, which is unsafe. Arthur then tells everyone to get their whistles just in case she picks it up and eats it. When D.W. picks up the cone, she states that it could be dangerous and puts it away in the trash can. Little does she realize that Arthur is inside the trash can hiding. Afterwards, D.W. visits Mrs. Tibble. Arthur, now covered in chocolate ice cream, says that the plan is not working and says that she's the safest person in Elwood City. Francine says that thankfully she won't be at the Ratburn Rally, but Arthur is afraid about that.
He fantasizes about the race. Just before Mr. Ratburn starts the race, D.W. blows her whistle and commands to stop the race with her megaphone. She then says that the Rally is unsafe and tells everyone to remain calm and to have the fire department come to make sure the cars are safe. Afterwards, flat tires are put on with pillows and now D.W. says that they can begin the race. They move at a very slow place. Coincidentally, two snails are by Brain's car. One of the snails says, "This is my kind of race!" D.W. also tells the snails to slow down.


He fantasizes about the race. Just before Mr. Ratburn starts the race, D.W. blows her whistle and commands to stop the race with her megaphone. She then says that the Rally is unsafe and tells everyone to remain calm and to have the fire department come to make sure the cars are safe. Afterwards, flat tires are put on with pillows and now D.W. says that they can begin the race. They move at a very slow place. Coincidentally, two snails are by Brain's car. One of the snails says, "This is my kind of race!" D.W. also tells the snails to slow down.
In reality, Arthur's friends are in shock. He reassures them by saying that D.W. won't be there. But while having dinner later that evening David and Jane inform Arthur that he has to bring D.W. to the race with him tomorrow and keep an eye on her because they have to drop Kate off at Grandma Thora's house, which Arthur protests, questioning on why they can't just get someone else to watch her. When Arthur claims that D.W. will just end up ruining the Ratburn Rally by blowing her whistle at everything, D.W. denies this and claims that she'll only be blowing her whistle if she sees someone not being safe. However, David and Jane end up siding with Arthur, starting off with David noting that D.W. has been getting pretty carried away with all of her whistle-blowing. D.W. tries justifying her actions by claiming that she's just doing what Officer Safety taught her and the other preschoolers to do, but Jane claims that she's not making thing safer for the people around her, she's just being a tattletale. Jane elaborates by explaining to her oldest daughter that the point of Officer Safety's lesson to her and her classmates was to just let others know when someone's about to do something that's ''actually'' dangerous. David ultimately finishes the discussion by saying, "So tomorrow Arthur, you'll bring D.W. to the race with you and D.W., you will not bother Arthur." Arthur then gives his sister a dirty look when she looks over at him.


In reality, Arthur's friends are in shock. He reassures them by saying that D.W. won't be there. Back at home, D.W. blows the whistle because the saucepan on the stove has its handle sticking out. This prompts Dave to turn the saucepan handle inwards. Arthur's parents tell him to take D.W. to the race, but he asks why. Jane says it's because that they have to drop Kate off at Grandma Thora's house before coming to the race. Arthur suggests getting a babysitter because she's gonna blow the whistle during the race. D.W. protests and doesn't believe so. She says she'll blow it when she sees someone doing something really unsafe. However, both David and Jane agree with Arthur in that D.W.'s been getting carried away with the whistle-blowing. D.W. tries defending herself by saying she's doing what Officer Safety taught her and the other preschoolers at the library, but Jane says that Officer Safety taught them that they should let others know when they're doing something that's dangerous--D.W. isn't doing that, she's just being a tattletale. D.W. finally accepts this and Arthur reluctantly agrees to take D.W. to the race with him, but gives his sister a dirty look.
The next day at the race, D.W. observes the course while Muffy questions why she's there and she and Francine initially get mad at Arthur for bringing his sister—however, Arthur defends himself by explaining that he never wanted to bring her in the first place and that his parents made him do so. Francine claims that if she hears one blow from D.W.'s whistle, "[D.W.'s] gonna be one sorry little tattletale." When D.W. notes how steep the hill is, Arthur comes over with Muffy and Francine and tells D.W. to go away, sit down and not cause any distractions. D.W. then tells him that he's not the boss of her before walking away.


At the race, D.W. observes the course while Muffy wonders why she is here. Francine believes she will ruin the whole race with the whistle. Then Arthur explains that he had to bring her here by his parents' force. Francine warns him that if she hears one blow from D.W.'s whistle, she'll be a sorry tattletale. D.W. believes the hill is very steep. Arthur then tells her to sit down and not to cause any distractions. D.W. then tells him that he's not the boss of her.
Mr. Ratburn then steps onto the podium and welcomes everyone to the Ratburn Rally. He tells the crowd he really likes the creativity of the cars and let the races begin. D.W., way in the back of the crowd, complains that she can't see anything and questions how she'll be able to tell if people are being safe or not. She looks up at a nearby tree and decides to climb it to get a better view of the race. Eventually, she climbs to the highest part of the tree—but just as she's about to blow her whistle after she sees a tire from a car spring loose, she drops her whistle and quickly realizes that she can't climb down. Realizing just how (genuinely) dangerous her situation is, D.W. starts screaming for help—this gets the attention of Francine and Arthur, the latter of whom advises D.W. to stay put while Muffy runs to get help from Mr. Ratburn. Mr. Ratburn calls the fire department, who get D.W. down to the ground safely. Then the firefighter gives D.W. her whistle, who ironically turns out to be Officer Safety after he tells her to be safe.


Mr. Ratburn then steps onto the podium and welcomes everyone to the Ratburn Rally. He tells the crowd he really likes the creativity of the cars and let the races begin. D.W., in the back of the crowd, gets angry and says that she can't see the race. She then gets an idea of climbing up a tree to get a better view. While the race is going on, she climbs higher and higher. However, she climbed too high and is swaying side to side on the branch due to the high wind. Back at the race course, a tire springs loose. D.W. thinks that's unsafe, but as she is about to blow her whistle, it falls out of her hands and lands on the ground. Frightened, D.W. yells for help. Francine notices her in the tree and gets Arthur. He tells her to hang on while Muffy gets Mr. Ratburn. D.W. is scared, but Arthur reassures her that they'll get her down and not to move. Afterwards, the fire department arrives and safely lowers D.W. to the ground. Then the firefighter gives D.W. her whistle, who ironically turns out to be Officer Safety after he tells her to be safe.
Arthur's parents arrive and ask what's all the commotion about. Arthur, not wanting his parents to get mad or worried, simply tells them that "some girl" got stuck in tree, not specifying that it was D.W. After David and Jane both hope the girl is alright, D.W. (feeling guilty) admits that the girl was her, and acknowledges that it was really stupid of her to have climbed the tree that high (even though she did so anyway). Realizing the danger that their daughter put herself in, Jane questions why she did so—Arthur admits that the situation was partly his fault, as he had told D.W. to go away and not bother him and his friends. David and Jane are at least glad that the kids are safe.


Arthur's parents arrive and ask what the commotion is about. He says that "a girl" was stuck in the tree, not specifying that it was his sister, so that his parents don't worry. His parents hope that she was alright. But then D.W. admits by saying she was the girl who got stuck in the tree. She gets upset and said that she never should've climbed that high. Jane asks why she would do something dangerous like that. Arthur then admits that the situation was partly his fault, as he had told D.W. to go away and not bother him and his friends. Thankfully, they were safe and that they should know better. Afterwards, it is Arthur and the Brain's turn to race against Muffy and Francine. Before the race starts, D.W. notices Arthur's helmet strap is loose. She tries to blow the whistle, but instead, she tells him that his helmet strap is not fastened. Arthur thanks her for the reminder. Then Mr. Ratburn waves the green flag and the race goes on.
Afterwards, it's time for Arthur and Brain to race against Muffy and Francine—just before their race is about to start, D.W. notices that Arthur's helmet strap isn't fastened. Just as she's about to blow her whistle, she reconsiders and runs up to Arthur to tell him. Arthur thanks her for the reminder and fastens his helmet. Then Mr. Ratburn waves the green flag and the race goes on.


==Characters==
==Characters==
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*[[3rd Grade Female Cat (Number 2)]]
*[[3rd Grade Female Cat (Number 2)]]
*[[3rd Grade Male Rat]]
*[[3rd Grade Male Rat]]
=== Mentioned ===
* [[Mary Moo Cow]]


==Trivia==
==Trivia==
*This is the first episode when D.W. learns about fire safety. Fire safety will be discussed again in "[[D.W. All Fired Up]]".
*It is possible that Francine and Muffy paid Cop D.W. to pull over Arthur and Brain so they could win the race since Cop D.W. did not go after them- only Arthur and Brain. It is possible that Cop D.W. just made up those crimes she accused Arthur and Brain of doing, just so she could put them in jail.
*Mom and Dad were gonna drop Kate off at Grandma Thora's. In the scene where Mr. Ratburn says, "Will the first racers please approach the starting line?", Grandma Thora is seen in the crowd with her back to the camera. Also later on when Arthur tells D.W. they'll get her down their Dad is seen in the crowd looking worried.
*This is the first episode to use the Arthur Taking a Bath title card.
*Mom and Dad could've done two things to ensure D.W. wouldn't disturb anybody at the race:
*'''Timeline:''' [[D.W. Read|D.W.]] mentions she actually climbs the tree in [[Arthur's Knee]], even though this episode never even aired yet since then.
**Drop off D.W. with Kate at Grandma Thora's.
*'''Irony:''' 
**Not let D.W. bring her whistle with her.
**'''Mrs. and Mr. Read could have done at least one of two things to ensure D.W. wouldn't disturb Arthur or anyone else at the Ratburn Rally:'''
***1.) They could have dropped her off at Grandma Thora's house alongside Kate.
***2.) They could have just made D.W. leave her whistle at home, so even if Arthur was still forced to bring D.W. to the race with him, there would have been a better chance of her not disturbing anyone.
**What ultimately puts a halt to D.W.'s obsession with safety is when she goes so far as to climb a high tree so she can get a better view of the race and blow the whistle on anyone who makes a safety mistake.
*'''Karma:'''
**D.W. went overboard with safety, so she got in trouble climbing the tree.
**Arthur told D.W. to go away, causing D.W. to climb a tree and get him in trouble with D.W.
*'''Moral:''' Safety is important, but you shouldn't go overboard with it.
=== Errors ===
* Mrs. and Mr. Read were gonna drop Kate off at Grandma Thora's. In the scene where Mr. Ratburn says, "Will the first racers please approach the starting line?", Grandma Thora is seen in the crowd with her back to the camera. Also later on when Arthur tells D.W. they'll get her down their Dad is seen in the crowd looking worried.
* While at the race, [[Arthur Read|Arthur]] is wearing his racing clothes known as his black pants and blue racing shirt with the number 29 on it, but after [[D.W. Read|D.W.]] climbs the tree and a racer's race car that looks like an airplane breaks down just as everyone gasps, as well as [[D.W. Read|D.W.]] dropping her whistle and calling for help, he's seen wearing his regular clothes a few times.
===Production Notes===
*Many program scheduling systems mistakenly label this episode as the previous episode, "[[Grandma Thora Appreciation Day]]/[[Fern's Slumber Party]]".<ref>https://www.ket.org/episode/ARUR%20%20000216/</ref><ref>https://nhpbs.org/schedule/summary.aspx?progId=Arthur216</ref><ref>https://www.wgby.org/episode/38606</ref>
=== Episode connections ===
* [[D.W. Read|D.W.]]'s whistle appears again in "[[D.W. Aims High]]."
* Fire safety is discussed again in "[[D.W. All Fired Up]]."
 
== Home Video ==
'''DVD:'''
* [[Arthur: The Complete Series 3]]


===Production Notes===
*This is the first episode to use Arthur Taking A Bath as a title card.
==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}
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[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:Arthur episodes]]
[[Category:Arthur episodes]]
[[Category:1997]]

Latest revision as of 16:34, 29 April 2024

This article is about the episode. You may be looking for the DVD.
"D.W. Blows the Whistle"
D.W. blows the whistle.jpg
D.W. Blows the Whistle Title Card.png
Season/Series: 2
Number in season: 16B
Original Airdate: United States April 13, 1998[1]
Canada September 14, 1998[2]
Credits
Written by: Barry Rinehart
Ian Saunders
Storyboard by: Robert Yap
Episodes
Previous
"Love Notes for Muffy" 		Next
"Francine Redecorates"
Read transcript

"D.W. Blows the Whistle" is the second half of the sixteenth episode in the second season of Arthur.

Summary[edit]

Deputized as a Junior Safety Officer, D.W. sees it as a license to tattle.

Plot[edit]

In a fantasy sequence, we see Arthur and The Brain road race against Muffy and Francine. Muffy and Francine pass Arthur and The Brain to take the lead. But when they are on top of the canyon, Arthur and The Brain regain the lead, causing Muffy and Francine to crash into a rock. While they are still racing, Arthur and the Brain are pulled over by D.W. (dressed in a police uniform), which causes Muffy and Francine to win the race. She tells them that they got a ticket for no license plate, no turn signals, and that the numbers on the car create a distraction. Arthur protests and says that it's a race course, but he and the Brain are sent to jail. Brain can't believe how strict D.W. is, but Arthur says that she gets carried away.

D.W. Blows the Whistle

At the Elwood City Public Library, Officer Safety gives a lesson on the ABC's of safety, "Always Be Careful" to D.W. and her classmates. After the presentation, Ms. Turner tells the children to line up because there is something special that they will receive. D.W. is given a safety whistle along with her friends. Then she fantasizes about being dubbed and sworn in as "The Princess of Safety". She is also given a safety pony, which makes her so overjoyed that she hugs him. Following the fantasy sequence, Officer Safety tells the children, "Safety is everybody's responsibility!" Without worry, D.W. promises him that she will be safe.

We now see D.W., Kate, and Jane walk out of the library. D.W. asks Jane if she can bring her safety whistle with her when they go see Mary Moo Cow on Ice. She says yes, but she warns her not to blow it while at the show. When walking down the street, a mother is closing the car door with groceries in her hands while a boy named Matthew is playing with a ball. However, the ball bounces in the street and he tries to go after it. D.W. notices the situation right away and blows her whistle to warn the mother. Just in time, Matthew's mother grabs him before he gets hit by a car. Afterwards, she thanks D.W. for saving his life. D.W. is proud that she used the whistle to stop Matthew in time.

Arthur, on the other hand, is in shock about what happened. He is so shocked that he accidentally drops a wrench on his foot. D.W. believes that she is now the Junior Safety Officer. Arthur and The Brain are building a car for the Ratburn Rally Race. D.W. becomes a critic of the car and states it as "a pile of junk" with wheels. Arthur, in anger, replies, "Who asked you?" Jane tells them to calm down, but D.W. blows her safety whistle claiming that the car is unsafe and has no seatbelts. Jane and even Brain note that D.W. has a point in what she's saying and feel it would be a good idea to add some seatbelts, and D.W. notes, "Better to be safe than sorry."

Later in the evening, Arthur is playing with two toy race cars in the bathtub. D.W. blows the whistle multiple times and states little things that could be dangerous and unsafe, which annoys Arthur and even their parents.

At school, while setting up dominoes, Francine notes that D.W.'s become a "safety monster" and Arthur's friends complain that D.W.'s been blowing her whistle at them for ridiculous reasons:

  • Muffy says that just yesterday, Arthur's sister blew the whistle at her for having long hair, claiming that "long hair is a safety hazard."
  • Binky claims that he got in trouble just for saying "Hi" to her, with D.W. justifying it by claiming that he shouldn't talk to strangers. (even though he already knows her)

Brain eventually suggests he, Arthur and the others follow D.W. around to try and catch her doing something unsafe—Arthur thinks this is a great idea, because then they could all blow the whistle on his sister. After school, Arthur and his friends spy on D.W.. Binky sees that her shoe is unbuckled, but she buckles it back up anyways. In Muffy's limo, Francine and Muffy watch the monitor screens. Muffy claims that D.W. is skipping on the sidewalk without a helmet. Francine tells her that she does it all the time. Then Muffy and Francine notice D.W. and hide. D.W. looks for a second, then keeps walking. The Brain notices that she is coming to an intersection. Arthur is hiding in a trash can and ask what's going on and the Brain says that she is heading towards them (and trips). An ice cream cone is lying on the street, which is unsafe. Arthur then tells everyone to get their whistles just in case she picks it up and eats it. When D.W. picks up the cone, she states that it could be dangerous and puts it away in the trash can. Little does she realize that Arthur is inside the trash can hiding. Afterwards, D.W. visits Mrs. Tibble. Arthur, now covered in chocolate ice cream, says that the plan is not working and says that she's the safest person in Elwood City. Francine says that thankfully she won't be at the Ratburn Rally, but Arthur is afraid about that.

He fantasizes about the race. Just before Mr. Ratburn starts the race, D.W. blows her whistle and commands to stop the race with her megaphone. She then says that the Rally is unsafe and tells everyone to remain calm and to have the fire department come to make sure the cars are safe. Afterwards, flat tires are put on with pillows and now D.W. says that they can begin the race. They move at a very slow place. Coincidentally, two snails are by Brain's car. One of the snails says, "This is my kind of race!" D.W. also tells the snails to slow down.

In reality, Arthur's friends are in shock. He reassures them by saying that D.W. won't be there. But while having dinner later that evening David and Jane inform Arthur that he has to bring D.W. to the race with him tomorrow and keep an eye on her because they have to drop Kate off at Grandma Thora's house, which Arthur protests, questioning on why they can't just get someone else to watch her. When Arthur claims that D.W. will just end up ruining the Ratburn Rally by blowing her whistle at everything, D.W. denies this and claims that she'll only be blowing her whistle if she sees someone not being safe. However, David and Jane end up siding with Arthur, starting off with David noting that D.W. has been getting pretty carried away with all of her whistle-blowing. D.W. tries justifying her actions by claiming that she's just doing what Officer Safety taught her and the other preschoolers to do, but Jane claims that she's not making thing safer for the people around her, she's just being a tattletale. Jane elaborates by explaining to her oldest daughter that the point of Officer Safety's lesson to her and her classmates was to just let others know when someone's about to do something that's actually dangerous. David ultimately finishes the discussion by saying, "So tomorrow Arthur, you'll bring D.W. to the race with you and D.W., you will not bother Arthur." Arthur then gives his sister a dirty look when she looks over at him.

The next day at the race, D.W. observes the course while Muffy questions why she's there and she and Francine initially get mad at Arthur for bringing his sister—however, Arthur defends himself by explaining that he never wanted to bring her in the first place and that his parents made him do so. Francine claims that if she hears one blow from D.W.'s whistle, "[D.W.'s] gonna be one sorry little tattletale." When D.W. notes how steep the hill is, Arthur comes over with Muffy and Francine and tells D.W. to go away, sit down and not cause any distractions. D.W. then tells him that he's not the boss of her before walking away.

Mr. Ratburn then steps onto the podium and welcomes everyone to the Ratburn Rally. He tells the crowd he really likes the creativity of the cars and let the races begin. D.W., way in the back of the crowd, complains that she can't see anything and questions how she'll be able to tell if people are being safe or not. She looks up at a nearby tree and decides to climb it to get a better view of the race. Eventually, she climbs to the highest part of the tree—but just as she's about to blow her whistle after she sees a tire from a car spring loose, she drops her whistle and quickly realizes that she can't climb down. Realizing just how (genuinely) dangerous her situation is, D.W. starts screaming for help—this gets the attention of Francine and Arthur, the latter of whom advises D.W. to stay put while Muffy runs to get help from Mr. Ratburn. Mr. Ratburn calls the fire department, who get D.W. down to the ground safely. Then the firefighter gives D.W. her whistle, who ironically turns out to be Officer Safety after he tells her to be safe.

Arthur's parents arrive and ask what's all the commotion about. Arthur, not wanting his parents to get mad or worried, simply tells them that "some girl" got stuck in tree, not specifying that it was D.W. After David and Jane both hope the girl is alright, D.W. (feeling guilty) admits that the girl was her, and acknowledges that it was really stupid of her to have climbed the tree that high (even though she did so anyway). Realizing the danger that their daughter put herself in, Jane questions why she did so—Arthur admits that the situation was partly his fault, as he had told D.W. to go away and not bother him and his friends. David and Jane are at least glad that the kids are safe.

Afterwards, it's time for Arthur and Brain to race against Muffy and Francine—just before their race is about to start, D.W. notices that Arthur's helmet strap isn't fastened. Just as she's about to blow her whistle, she reconsiders and runs up to Arthur to tell him. Arthur thanks her for the reminder and fastens his helmet. Then Mr. Ratburn waves the green flag and the race goes on.

Characters[edit]

Major[edit]

Minor[edit]

Cameo[edit]

Mentioned[edit]

Trivia[edit]

  • It is possible that Francine and Muffy paid Cop D.W. to pull over Arthur and Brain so they could win the race since Cop D.W. did not go after them- only Arthur and Brain. It is possible that Cop D.W. just made up those crimes she accused Arthur and Brain of doing, just so she could put them in jail.
  • This is the first episode to use the Arthur Taking a Bath title card.
  • Timeline: D.W. mentions she actually climbs the tree in Arthur's Knee, even though this episode never even aired yet since then.
  • Irony:
    • Mrs. and Mr. Read could have done at least one of two things to ensure D.W. wouldn't disturb Arthur or anyone else at the Ratburn Rally:
      • 1.) They could have dropped her off at Grandma Thora's house alongside Kate.
      • 2.) They could have just made D.W. leave her whistle at home, so even if Arthur was still forced to bring D.W. to the race with him, there would have been a better chance of her not disturbing anyone.
    • What ultimately puts a halt to D.W.'s obsession with safety is when she goes so far as to climb a high tree so she can get a better view of the race and blow the whistle on anyone who makes a safety mistake.
  • Karma:
    • D.W. went overboard with safety, so she got in trouble climbing the tree.
    • Arthur told D.W. to go away, causing D.W. to climb a tree and get him in trouble with D.W.
  • Moral: Safety is important, but you shouldn't go overboard with it.

Errors[edit]

  • Mrs. and Mr. Read were gonna drop Kate off at Grandma Thora's. In the scene where Mr. Ratburn says, "Will the first racers please approach the starting line?", Grandma Thora is seen in the crowd with her back to the camera. Also later on when Arthur tells D.W. they'll get her down their Dad is seen in the crowd looking worried.
  • While at the race, Arthur is wearing his racing clothes known as his black pants and blue racing shirt with the number 29 on it, but after D.W. climbs the tree and a racer's race car that looks like an airplane breaks down just as everyone gasps, as well as D.W. dropping her whistle and calling for help, he's seen wearing his regular clothes a few times.

Production Notes[edit]

Episode connections[edit]

Home Video[edit]

DVD:

References[edit]

  1. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20010316024757/http://www.ket.org/visions/apr98/VL980413.html
  2. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20120413104003/http://ww3.tvo.org/program/157024/arthur
  3. ↑ https://www.ket.org/episode/ARUR%20%20000216/
  4. ↑ https://nhpbs.org/schedule/summary.aspx?progId=Arthur216
  5. ↑ https://www.wgby.org/episode/38606



Episodes
Season 2
  1. Arthur Meets Mister Rogers / Draw!
  2. Binky Barnes, Art Expert / Arthur's Lucky Pencil
  3. D.W., the Picky Eater / Buster and the Daredevils
  4. Arthur Makes a Movie / Go to Your Room, D.W.
  5. Arthur's Underwear / Francine Frensky, Olympic Rider
  6. Buster Baxter, Cat Saver / Play it Again, D.W.
  7. Arthur's TV-Free Week / Night Fright
  8. Arthur vs. the Piano / The Big Blow-Up
  9. Lost! / The Short, Quick Summer
  10. D.W. Goes to Washington / Arthur's Mystery Envelope
  11. D.W.'s Deer Friend / Buster Hits the Books
  12. Arthur's Faraway Friend / Arthur and the Square Dance
  13. Water and the Brain / Arthur the Unfunny
  14. Sue Ellen's Lost Diary / Arthur's Knee
  15. Grandma Thora Appreciation Day / Fern's Slumber Party
  16. Love Notes for Muffy / D.W. Blows the Whistle
  17. Francine Redecorates / Arthur the Loser
  18. Arthur vs. the Very Mean Crossing Guard / D.W.'s Very Bad Mood
  19. D.W.'s Name Game / Finders Key-pers
  20. How the Cookie Crumbles / Sue Ellen's Little Sister
Full list
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