The forum pages are fully operational! See this link for the latest forum topics, where users can collaborate or discuss certain topics in one place!

Difference between revisions of "Francine Frensky"

From Arthur Wiki
Jump to navigationJump to search
(Adding categories)
 
(25 intermediate revisions by 16 users not shown)
Line 3: Line 3:
|gender=Female
|gender=Female
|animal=Monkey<ref>http://www.pbs.org/parents/arthur/help/answers/faq_friends.html ([https://web.archive.org/web/20171102021621/http://www.pbs.org/parents/arthur/help/answers/faq_friends.html archived page])</ref>
|animal=Monkey<ref>http://www.pbs.org/parents/arthur/help/answers/faq_friends.html ([https://web.archive.org/web/20171102021621/http://www.pbs.org/parents/arthur/help/answers/faq_friends.html archived page])</ref>
|age=8<ref>http://pbskids.org/arthur/print/tradingcards/cards.html#pg-francine2</ref>
|age=8<ref>http://pbskids.org/arthur/print/tradingcards/cards.html#pg-francine2</ref> 9 ([[Arthurs First Day]])
|portrayer=[[Jodie Resther]] (1996-present)<br>[[Marcella Evans]] (Living Books games)
|voice_actor=[[Jodie Resther]] (1996-present)<br>[[Marcella Evans]] (Living Books games)
|family=*[[Oliver Frensky]] (father)<br>[[Laverne Frensky]] (mother)<br>[[Catherine Frensky]] (older sister)<br>[[Bubby]] (maternal grandmother)<br>[[Bubby's husband]] (maternal grandfather)<br>[[Francine's grandfather]] (paternal grandfather) <br>[[Nana]] (maternal or paternal great-grandmother) <br>[[Vingo Frensky]] (great-great-grandfather)<br>[[Seth]] (cousin)<br>[[Seth's mother]] (aunt)<br>[[Seth's father]] (uncle)<br>[[Francine's cousin]] (cousin)
|family=[[Oliver Frensky]] (father)<br>[[Laverne Frensky]] (mother)<br>[[Catherine Frensky]] (older sister)<br>[[Bubby]] (maternal grandmother)<br>[[Bubby's husband]] (maternal grandfather)<br>[[Francine's grandfather]] (paternal grandfather) <br>Nana (maternal or paternal great-grandmother) <br>[[Vingo Frensky]] (great-great-grandfather)<br>[[Seth]] (cousin)<br>[[Seth's mother]] (aunt)<br>[[Seth's father]] (uncle)<br>[[Francine's cousin]] (cousin)
|favorite color=Red<ref>http://pbskids.org/arthur/print/tradingcards/cards.html#pg-francine2</ref><ref>[[Francine Redecorates]]</ref><ref>[[And Now Let's Talk to Some Kids]]</ref><br>Purple (second favorite)<ref>[[Francine Redecorates]]</ref>
|favorite color=Red<ref>http://pbskids.org/arthur/print/tradingcards/cards.html#pg-francine2</ref><ref>"[[Francine Redecorates]]"</ref><ref>"[[And Now Let's Talk to Some Kids]]"</ref><br>Purple (second favorite)<ref>[[Francine Redecorates]]</ref>
|cartoon first appeared= "[[Arthur's Eyes (episode)|Arthur's Eyes]]"
|cartoon_debut= "[[Arthur's Eyes (episode)|Arthur's Eyes]]"
|book first appeared= [[Arthur's Nose]]
|book_debut= ''[[Arthur's Nose]]''
|hair = Brown
|hair = Brown
|residence = [[Westboro Apartments]], [[Elwood City]]
|residence = [[Westboro Apartments]], [[Elwood City]]
|eye=Brown<ref>"[[Buster's Growing Grudge]]" (see [[:file:Growing grudge eyes 1.jpg|picture]])</ref>|birthday = Within the [[Pisces]] [[zodiac]] sign<ref>In ''[[Arthur - It's Only Rock 'n' Roll]]'', [[Mrs. MacGrady]] says Francine is a Pisces. The duration of this zodiac sign is on average between February 20 and March 20 in the real world.</ref><br>Winter<ref>In [[The Friend Who Wasn't There]], [[Muffy Crosswire|Muffy]] is shopping from Francine's birthday.</ref><br>Soon after [[Lisa]]'s birthday party<ref>[[D.W.'s Very Bad Mood]]</ref>
|eye=Brown<ref>"[[Buster's Growing Grudge]]" (see [[:file:Growing grudge eyes 1.jpg|picture]])</ref>|birthday = Within the [[Pisces]] [[zodiac]] sign<ref>In "[[Arthur - It's Only Rock 'n' Roll]]", [[Mrs. MacGrady]] says Francine is a Pisces. The duration of this zodiac sign is on average between February 20 and March 20 in the real world.</ref><br>Winter<ref>In "[[The Friend Who Wasn't There]]", [[Muffy Crosswire|Muffy]] is shopping from Francine's birthday.</ref><br>Soon after [[Lisa]]'s birthday party<ref>"[[D.W.'s Very Bad Mood]]"</ref>
|grade = 3rd
|grade = 3rd
|complexion = Peach <small>(living books)</small><br>Light brown <small>(s1-s5)</small><br>Brown <small>(s6-present)</small>}}'''Francine Alice Frensky'''<ref>"[[Arthur and the True Francine]]"</ref> is the daughter of [[Oliver Frensky|Oliver]] and [[Laverne Frensky]], and the sister of [[Catherine Frensky]]. She is an athletic girl in [[Nigel Ratburn|Mr. Ratburn]]'s third grade class at [[Lakewood Elementary School]].
|complexion = Peach <small>(Living Books)</small><br>Light brown <small>(s1-s5)</small><br>Brown <small>(s6-present)</small>}}'''<font color=red>Francine Alice Frensky</font>'''<ref>"[[Arthur and the True Francine]]"</ref> is the daughter of [[Oliver Frensky|Oliver]] and [[Laverne Frensky]], and the sister of [[Catherine Frensky]]. She is an athletic girl in [[Nigel Ratburn|Mr. Ratburn]]'s third grade class at [[Lakewood Elementary School]].


==Physical appearance==
==Physical appearance==
Line 24: Line 24:
Her swimwear is a yellow maillot. In the summertime, she often wears a yellow T-shirt with a red stripe in the middle and on the sleeves and a pair of red shorts. Her formal clothes consist of a pink collar blouse, gray pants and white shoes.
Her swimwear is a yellow maillot. In the summertime, she often wears a yellow T-shirt with a red stripe in the middle and on the sleeves and a pair of red shorts. Her formal clothes consist of a pink collar blouse, gray pants and white shoes.


In later seasons, her formal clothes are changed to a white blouse, a black necklace, red pants and black shoes. In Season 1, she originally wears a pink T-shirt, blue overall shorts, pink socks and brown shoes.
In later seasons, her formal clothes are changed to a white blouse, a black necklace, red pants and black shoes. In [[Season 1]], she originally wears a pink T-shirt, blue overall shorts, pink socks and brown shoes.


Her basketball uniform consists of an orange T-shirt and yellow shorts, which both have reddish-orange accents, and she has a yellow #5 on the back of the shirt. Her baseball uniform consists of a yellow baseball cap and a yellow T-shirt with the orange #6 on the back, and the LW logo is sometimes shown on the front, and sometimes the front is blank.
Her basketball uniform consists of an orange T-shirt and yellow shorts, which both have reddish-orange accents, and she has a yellow #5 on the back of the shirt. Her baseball uniform consists of a yellow baseball cap and a yellow T-shirt with the orange #6 on the back, and the LW logo is sometimes shown on the front, and sometimes the front is blank.
Line 36: Line 36:
She also has a pair of Dame Edna-style movie star glasses that are pink in the books, but green in the cartoon show; although they do not have any glass in the frames.
She also has a pair of Dame Edna-style movie star glasses that are pink in the books, but green in the cartoon show; although they do not have any glass in the frames.


She wore these glasses on occasions in the books: ''[[Arthur's Eyes (book)|Arthur's Eyes]]'' and ''[[Arthur's Teacher Trouble]]''; and in the episodes "[[Arthur's Eyes]]," "[[Arthur's Spelling Trubble]]," and "[[Sick as a Dog]]." She hasn't worn those glasses again after ''Arthur's Teacher Trouble'' and after the cartoon show's first season.
She wears these glasses on occasions in the books: ''[[Arthur's Eyes (book)|Arthur's Eyes]]'' and ''[[Arthur's Teacher Trouble]]''; and in the episodes "[[Arthur's Eyes]]", "[[Arthur's Spelling Trubble]]", and "[[Sick as a Dog]]". She hasn't worn those glasses again after ''Arthur's Teacher Trouble'' and after the cartoon show's first season.


She originally had completely flat hair down her cheeks in her first appearance in ''[[Arthur's Nose]]'', even though ''Arthur's Eyes'' and all later books and adaptations have changed her hairstyle into a flip.
She originally had completely flat hair down her cheeks in her first appearance in ''[[Arthur's Nose]]'', even though ''Arthur's Eyes'' and all later books and adaptations have changed her hairstyle into a flip.


She also originally wore dresses in the earliest Arthur books. In ''[[Arthur's Valentine]]'' and all later books and adaptations, she mostly wore masculine clothes and only wore dresses for extra special occasions like for Picture Day in “[[Francine's Bad Hair Day]]” and for her older cousin, [[Seth]]’s Bar Mitzvah in Francine’s Split Decision.
She also originally wore dresses in the earliest Arthur books. In ''[[Arthur's Valentine]]'' and all later books and adaptations, she mostly wore masculine clothes and only wore dresses for extra special occasions like for Picture Day in "[[Francine's Bad Hair Day]]" and for her older cousin, [[Seth]]’s Bar Mitzvah in "[[Francine’s Split Decision]]".
Her hair was originally a light brown tone, but became darkened to a medium tone in ''Arthur's Teacher Trouble'' and all later books and adaptations.
Her hair was originally a light brown tone, but became darkened to a medium tone in ''Arthur's Teacher Trouble'' and all later books and adaptations.


Line 51: Line 51:


===Alternate hairstyles===
===Alternate hairstyles===
Even though Francine doesn't like having her hair done like her best friend [[Muffy Crosswire|Muffy]] does, she has had a few alternate hairstyles in the series. Her signature hairstyle is a straight flip, even though it's not flat. In "[[Arthur's Valentine]]," she had wavy hair when she became Arthur's secret admirer while at a cinema sitting in seat 3B. In "[[Francine's Bad Hair Day]]," Muffy urged her to get her hair done for school pictures, and Francine first wanted the Prom Queen hairstyle that Muffy was getting. Francine had a dream where she was playing kickball and had super-long hair that could be used to retrieve the ball or reach a base. When Francine checked out the results, she was given a tightly curled hairstyle instead. After "Francine's Bad Hair Day," she has since kept her signature hairstyle. In the end of "[[The Lousy Week]]," she and Muffy were both given a buzz cut to eliminate lice from reproducing in their hairs.
Even though Francine doesn't like having her hair done like her best friend [[Muffy Crosswire|Muffy]] does, she has had a few alternate hairstyles in the series. Her signature hairstyle is a straight flip, even though it's not flat. In ''[[Arthur's Valentine]]'', she has wavy hair when she becomes Arthur's secret admirer while at a cinema sitting in seat 3B. In "[[Francine's Bad Hair Day]]", Muffy urges her to get her hair done for school pictures, and Francine first wants the Prom Queen hairstyle that Muffy was getting. Francine has a dream where she's playing kickball and has super-long hair that can be used to retrieve the ball or reach a base. When Francine checks out the results, she is given a tightly curled hairstyle instead. After "Francine's Bad Hair Day", she has since kept her signature hairstyle. In the end of "[[The Lousy Week]]", she and Muffy are both given a buzz cut to eliminate lice from reproducing in their hairs.


<gallery captionalign="left" orientation="none">
<gallery captionalign="left" orientation="none">
Line 67: Line 67:


===Future life===
===Future life===
As a teenager and as an adult in the future, Francine appears to have grown more feminine by wearing dresses and other feminine clothing despite not liking to wear dresses. Also, her hairstyle is slightly different when growing up. As an elderly woman, her hairstyle was the same as when she went to Lakewood Elementary School and she was wearing a light teal blouse jacket, a white blouse with a pendant underneath the jacket, a periwinkle dress and white high-heeled pumps; and was wearing barrettes again. She also appears to be married to Arthur on many futuristic occasions.
As a teenager and as an adult in the future, Francine appears to have grown more feminine by wearing dresses and other feminine clothing despite not liking to wear dresses. Also, her hairstyle is slightly different when growing up. As an elderly woman, her hairstyle is the same as when she went to Lakewood Elementary School and she's wearing a light teal blouse jacket, a white blouse with a pendant underneath the jacket, a periwinkle dress and white high-heeled pumps; and is wearing barrettes again. She also appears to be married to Arthur on many futuristic occasions.


<gallery orientation="none">
<gallery orientation="none">
Line 75: Line 75:


===Other media===
===Other media===
In the [[Living Books]] computer games like ''[[Arthur's Teacher Trouble (game)|Arthur's Teacher Trouble]]'' and ''[[Arthur's Birthday (game)|Arthur's Birthday]],'' which are both based on their respective books, Francine had light auburn hair and a pale cream-colored complexion. Francine's voice sounded less masculine in those two games and was voiced by [[Marcella Evans]] before the cartoon show replaced her with Jodie Resther.
In the [[Living Books]] computer games like ''[[Arthur's Teacher Trouble (game)|Arthur's Teacher Trouble]]'' and ''[[Arthur's Birthday (game)|Arthur's Birthday]]'', which are both based on their respective books and even predate the cartoon, Francine had light auburn hair and a pale cream-colored complexion. Francine's voice sounded less masculine in those two games and was voiced by [[Marcella Evans]] before the cartoon show replaced her with Jodie Resther.


In the later games during the 32-bit era of computers and software such as ''[[Arthur's Thinking Games]]'', her appearance was the same as she looks in the cartoon show.
In the later games during the 32-bit era of computers and software such as ''[[Arthur's Thinking Games]]'', her appearance was the same as she looks in the cartoon show.
Line 90: Line 90:
Francine is very determined, perhaps even restless, and if she doesn't have an immediate knack for a certain sport or skill, she can become frustrated.
Francine is very determined, perhaps even restless, and if she doesn't have an immediate knack for a certain sport or skill, she can become frustrated.


Arthur once described her as a "[[Draw!|sore winner]]." She also likes horses, and once accompanied [[Harry Mills]] to a horse race. She envies Catherine because she is a better horse rider. ([[Francine Frensky, Olympic Rider]].)
Arthur once described her as a "[[Draw!|sore winner]]." She also likes horses, and once accompanied [[Harry Mills]] to a horse race. She envies Catherine because she is a better horse rider. ("[[Francine Frensky, Olympic Rider]]".)


Francine is an excellent singer and drummer. However, she can't do both at the same time very well. Even though Francine does fairly well in school, she does struggle from time to time.
Francine is an excellent singer and drummer. However, she can't do both at the same time very well. Even though Francine does fairly well in school, she does struggle from time to time.


At one point she even resorted to plagiarizing an entire paper (Even though one must note she didn't know that it was wrong at the time, and had a nightmare of herself 20 years older where she was being sued for plagiarism).
At [[Francine's Pilfered Paper|one point]] she even resorts to plagiarizing an entire paper (even though one must note she didn't know that it was wrong at the time, and had a nightmare of herself 20 years older where she was being sued for plagiarism).


Though she claims she's the best player in every sport, she is proven wrong in some of them: in baseball, her skills needed plenty of improvement as seen in "[[Arthur Makes the Team]]", and in the episode "[[The Big Blow-Up]]" where she showed resentment toward the Brain for his superior skills in soccer and when she refused to admit that she was kicking the ball out of bounds and had an attitude when the Brain called her out on it.
Though she claims she's the best player in every sport, she is proven wrong in some of them: in baseball, her skills needed plenty of improvement as seen in "[[Arthur Makes the Team]]", and in the episode "[[The Big Blow-Up]]" where she showed resentment toward [[Alan Powers|the Brain]] for his superior skills in soccer and when she refused to admit that she was kicking the ball out of bounds and had an attitude when the Brain called her out on it.


She always talks in a masculine, brash tone. At the start of the show, Francine was very rude and hot tempered.
She always talks in a masculine, brash tone. At the start of the show, Francine was very rude and hot tempered.


This attitude was attempted to be tamed by a challenge from [[Muffy Crosswire]], by the entire class rebellion during a play about Thomas Edison, but neither of these lasted permanently. It wasn't until [[Fern Walters]] made drawings about Francine, which motivated everybody else to also make drawings about Francine, when Francine started to calm down. ([[Meek for a Week]], [[Francine Frensky, Superstar]], [[Draw!]].)  
This attitude is attempted to be tamed by a challenge from Muffy, by the entire class rebellion during a play about Thomas Edison, but neither of these lasts permanently. It isn't until [[Fern Walters]] makes drawings about Francine, which motivates everybody else to also make drawings about Francine, when Francine starts to calm down. ("[[Meek for a Week]]", "[[Francine Frensky, Superstar]]", "[[Draw!]]".)


Francine also has a soft side. She will try to help her friends if they are having a big problem, but sometimes, if somebody says something about her whilst she's trying to help, Francine sometimes misinterprets it as criticism and leaves the room.
Francine also has a soft side. She will try to help her friends if they are having a big problem, but sometimes, if somebody says something about her whilst she's trying to help, Francine sometimes misinterprets it as criticism and leaves the room.


Francine does not like wearing dresses or having her hair done, which she believes would make her look foolish and less like herself as she stated in "[[Francine's Bad Hair Day]]". She prefers to wear clothes that normally worn by boys, thus making her a tomboy. Despite that she does not want to have her hair done, her hair length remains the same.
Francine does not like wearing dresses or having her hair done, which she believes would make her look foolish and less like herself as she states in "[[Francine's Bad Hair Day]]". She prefers to wear clothes that are normally worn by boys, thus making her a tomboy. Despite that she does not want to have her hair done, her hair length remains the same.


==Family==
==Family==
Francine lives with her [[Oliver Frensky|father]] and [[Laverne Frensky|mother]], and sister, [[Catherine Frensky|Catherine]], in Apartment #3 at [[Westboro Apartments]], with the least amount of living space compares to her friends' homes. She also has a pet cat named [[Nemo]]. Francine's extended family (including [[Bubby]]) has been seen on a few occasions such as in ''[[Arthur's Perfect Christmas]]'', "[[Background Blues]]", and "[[Is That Kosher?]]". Her father works as a garbage man at the [[Elwood City Dump]], which embarrassed her. Her mother is unemployed and usually stays at home. She is constantly jealous of Catherine for being a more advanced horseback rider ("[[Francine Frensky, Olympic Rider]]") and acrobatics ("[[Francine's Big Top Trouble]]"). She and Catherine also argued over room decorations, letting Catherine move into the living room ("[[Francine Redecorates]]"). However, Catherine can be sometimes helpful to her. Her family does not often spend enough time together, although they do enjoy bowling ("[[The Frensky Family Fiasco]]"). Her father sometimes calls her "Franky." ("[[I Don't Want to Wake Up]]")  
Francine lives with her [[Oliver Frensky|father]], [[Laverne Frensky|mother]] and sister, [[Catherine Frensky|Catherine]], in Apartment #3 at [[Westboro Apartments]], with the least amount of living space compared to her friends' homes. She also has a pet cat named [[Nemo]]. Francine's extended family (including [[Bubby]]) has been seen on a few occasions such as in ''[[Arthur's Perfect Christmas]]'', "[[Background Blues]]", and "[[Is That Kosher?]]". Her father works as a garbage man at the [[Elwood City Dump]], which embarrassed her. Her mother is unemployed and usually stays at home. She is constantly jealous of Catherine for being a more advanced horseback rider ("[[Francine Frensky, Olympic Rider]]") and acrobat ("[[Francine's Big Top Trouble]]"). She and Catherine also argue over room decorations, letting Catherine move into the living room ("[[Francine Redecorates]]"). However, Catherine can be sometimes helpful to her. Her family does not often spend enough time together, although they do enjoy bowling ("[[The Frensky Family Fiasco]]"). Her father sometimes calls her "Franky." ("[[I Don't Want to Wake Up]]")


Due to her family's poverty, they were unable to replace her old bike she had since outgrown and was left with no choice but to ride her father's old bike that had seen better days, and discarded it (which she claimed was stolen until she told the truth). Finally, her father finally found it and managed to restore it. ("[[Stolen Bike]]")
Due to her family's poverty, they were unable to replace her old bike she had since outgrown and are left with no choice but to ride her father's old bike that had seen better days, and discard it (which she claims was stolen until she tells the truth). Finally, her father finds it and manages to restore it. ("[[Stolen Bike]]")


They are a Jewish family who celebrates Hanukkah in ''[[Arthur's Perfect Christmas]]'' and Yom Kippur in "[[Is That Kosher?]]".
They are a Jewish family who celebrate Hanukkah in ''[[Arthur's Perfect Christmas]]'' and Yom Kippur in "[[Is That Kosher?]]".


==Friends==
==Friends==
*[[Arthur Read]] - Arthur is one of Francine's best friends. Though they are best friends, Francine seems to always pick on Arthur, such as calling him a "four-eyes" when he first got glasses in ''Arthur's Eyes'' and a "baby" for not having lost a tooth in "[[Arthur's Tooth]]''"''. In some episodes it seems Francine likes Arthur although in the episode "[[Arthur and the Square Dance]]''"'' when Francine thinks that Arthur loves her, she says that's the grossest thing she's ever heard although in the end it was revealed that it was just a rumor and Arthur and Francine vowed to never let a silly thing like love come between them again. In the episode, "[[And Now Let's Talk to Some Kids]]", Arthur and Francine are shown to be an old couple in the future watching the video of them on the ''Magic Toolbox'' segment: ''And Now Let's Talk to Some Kids''. According to "[[Locked in the Library!]]" from Season 1, they met each other for the first time since preschool during a flashback; but she attended Arthur's third birthday party during a flashback in "[[Desperately Seeking Stanley]]" from Season 8, which the time they met each other for the first time is, therefore, a retcon.
*[[Arthur Read]] - Arthur is one of Francine's best friends. Though they are best friends, Francine seems to always pick on Arthur, such as calling him a "four-eyes" when he first gets glasses in ''Arthur's Eyes'' and a "baby" for not having lost a tooth in "[[Arthur's Tooth]]". In some episodes it seems Francine likes Arthur although in the episode "[[Arthur and the Square Dance]]" when Francine thinks that Arthur loves her, she says that's the grossest thing she's ever heard although in the end it was revealed that it was just a rumor and Arthur and Francine vow to never let a silly thing like love come between them again. In the episode, "[[And Now Let's Talk to Some Kids]]", Arthur and Francine are shown to be an old couple in the future watching the video of them on the ''Magic Toolbox'' segment: ''And Now Let's Talk to Some Kids''. According to "[[Locked in the Library!]]" from Season 1, they met each other for the first time since preschool during a flashback; but she attended Arthur's third birthday party during a flashback in "[[Desperately Seeking Stanley]]" from [[Season 8]], which means the time they met each other for the first time is a retcon.
*[[Muffy Crosswire]] - Francine and Muffy met during second grade and became best friends when they found out they had the same middle name, Alice. They always manage to find something to do together even though they are different in many ways: Muffy is feminine and lives in an exceedingly rich family in an overly spacious estate, Francine is tomboyish and lives in a rather low-class family in a cramped apartment, and in the episode "[[Poor Muffy]]" the wealth differences between the two were revealed. Muffy stood up to [[Buster Baxter]] and mistakenly [[Binky Barnes]] about Francine's "unfashionable hand-me-downs" and cheap possessions, such as Francine's bicycle in "[[Stolen Bike]]". They often clash over Francine's tomboyish attitude or Muffy's selfishness, such as in the episode, "[[Meek for a Week]]", "[[Muffy's New Best Friend]]", and the TV special, ''[[Arthur's Perfect Christmas]]'', but they have always made up in the end.  
*[[Muffy Crosswire]] - Francine and Muffy met during second grade and became best friends when they found out they had the same middle name, Alice. They always manage to find something to do together even though they are different in many ways: Muffy is feminine and lives in an exceedingly rich family in an overly spacious estate, while Francine is tomboyish and lives in a rather low-class family in a cramped apartment, and in the episode "[[Poor Muffy]]" the wealth differences between the two are revealed. Muffy stands up to [[Buster Baxter]] and mistakenly [[Binky Barnes]] about Francine's "unfashionable hand-me-downs" and cheap possessions, such as Francine's bicycle in "[[Stolen Bike]]". They often clash over Francine's tomboyish attitude or Muffy's selfishness, such as in the episode, "[[Meek for a Week]]", "[[Muffy's New Best Friend]]", and the TV special, ''[[Arthur's Perfect Christmas]]'', but they always make up in the end.
*[[Buster Baxter]] - Buster is a frequent annoyance of Francine, but they maintain a good friendship anyway.
*[[Buster Baxter]] - Buster is a frequent annoyance of Francine, but they maintain a good friendship anyway.
*[[Binky Barnes]] - Binky plays with Francine, Fern, Molly, and Mrs. MacGrady as [[U Stink]] in "[[Arthur - It's Only Rock 'n' Roll]]."
*[[Binky Barnes]] - Binky plays with Francine, Fern, [[Molly MacDonald|Molly]] and [[Leah MacGrady|Mrs. MacGrady]] as [[U Stink]] in "[[Arthur - It's Only Rock 'n' Roll]]".
*[[Fern Walters]] - Fern plays with Francine, Binky, Molly, and Mrs. MacGrady as [[U Stink]] in "[[Arthur - It's Only Rock 'n' Roll]]." In "[[Draw!]]" Francine insults Fern by calling a "mouse."
*[[Fern Walters]] - Fern plays with Francine, Binky, Molly, and Mrs. MacGrady as [[U Stink]] in "[[Arthur - It's Only Rock 'n' Roll]]". In "[[Draw!]]" Francine insults Fern by calling her a "mouse."
*[[Jenna Morgan]] - In "[[The Good Sport (episode)|The Good Sport]]", Francine made Jenna feel guilty about the Athlete of the Year award, but they made up in the end. In "[[Jenna's Bedtime Blues]]", Francine is the only one who knows Jenna's secret about her wetting the bed because she used to wet the bed.
*[[Jenna Morgan]] - In "[[The Good Sport (episode)|The Good Sport]]", Francine makes Jenna feel guilty about the Athlete of the Year award, but they make up in the end. In "[[Jenna's Bedtime Blues]]", Francine is the only one who knows Jenna's secret about her wetting the bed because she also used to wet the bed.
*[[George Lundgren]] - In "[[Vomitrocious]]," Francine used to make fun of George's nosebleeds but learns her lesson when she vomits. In "[[Dancing Fools]]," Francine dances with George.
*[[George Lundgren]] - In "[[Vomitrocious]]", Francine makes fun of George's nosebleeds but learns her lesson when she vomits. In "[[Dancing Fools]]", Francine dances with George.
*[[Alan Powers|The Brain]] - They are on the same soccer team, yet they have argued in "[[The Big Blow-Up]]". Francine tried to give the Brain tips for TV in "[[And Now Let's Talk to Some Kids]]", but he's working on his science project.
*[[Alan Powers|The Brain]] - They are on the same soccer team, yet they argue in "[[The Big Blow-Up]]". Francine tries to give the Brain tips for TV in "[[And Now Let's Talk to Some Kids]]", but he's working on his science project.
*[[Alex]] - In "[[Francine Frensky, Superstar]]," he is one of the reporters in Francine's show about [[Sir Isaac Newton]]. In "[[Elwood City Turns 100!]]" Alex asks Francine what Elwood City is like today, and she answers him through the closing number "[[That's Elwood City]]."
*[[Alex]] - In "[[Francine Frensky, Superstar]]", he‘s one of the reporters in Francine's show about [[Sir Isaac Newton]]. In "[[Elwood City Turns 100!]]", Alex asks Francine what [[Elwood City]] is like today, and she answers him through the closing number "[[That's Elwood City]]".
*[[D.W. Read]] - There is only one episode in which Francine did not like D.W. Francine created [[Parade Float Club|The Parade Float Club]] in the episode "[[My Club Rules]]" in an attempt to keep D.W. away from them. D.W. took over their club anyways, and Francine blamed Arthur for trying to get D.W. out of the club. The rest of the episodes involving Francine & D.W., to Arthur's annoyance, has the two cooperating with each other. D.W. took her side in "[[Locked in the Library! (episode)|Locked in the Library!]]", invited to Francine's party at "[[D.W.'s Very Bad Mood]]" after Lisa didn't invite her, and in "[[Arthur's Big Hit]]" Francine felt awfully sorry for D.W. after Arthur hit her in the arm. Arthur is embarrassed by D.W. and tries to keep her away from his friends. But Francine insists on knowing what D.W. is talking about such as in "[[D.W.'s Imaginary Friend]]" and "[[D.W.'s Lost Blankie]]".
*[[D.W. Read]] - There’s only one episode in which Francine doesn't like D.W. Francine created [[Parade Float Club|The Parade Float Club]] in the episode "[[My Club Rules]]" in an attempt to keep D.W. away from them. D.W. took over their club anyways, and Francine blamed Arthur for trying to get D.W. out of the club. The rest of the episodes involving Francine & D.W., to Arthur's annoyance, have the two cooperating with each other. D.W. takes her side in "[[Locked in the Library! (episode)|Locked in the Library!]]", is invited to Francine's birthday party in "[[D.W.'s Very Bad Mood]]" after Lisa doesn't invite her, and in "[[Arthur's Big Hit]]" Francine feels very sorry for D.W. after Arthur hit her in the arm. Arthur is embarrassed by D.W. and tries to keep her away from his friends. But Francine insists on knowing what D.W. is talking about, such as in "[[D.W.'s Imaginary Friend]]" and "[[D.W.'s Lost Blankie]]".


==Trivia==
==Trivia==
*She is modeled after [[Marc Brown]]'s sister, Bonnie,{{Cite}} and her last name "Frensky" is a play on author [[Stephen Krensky]]'s last name,{{Cite}} a friend of Marc Brown's.
*She’s modeled after [[Marc Brown]]'s sister, Bonnie,{{Cite}} and her last name "Frensky" is a play on author [[Stephen Krensky]]'s last name,{{Cite}} a friend of Marc Brown's.
*She is voiced by [[Jodie Resther]] and is one of the few characters whose voice over remains unchanged since [[Season 1]].
*She is voiced by [[Jodie Resther]] and is one of the few characters whose voiceover remains unchanged since [[Season 1]].
*Francine and her family are shown to be [[Judaism|Jewish]]. They celebrate traditional Jewish holidays like [[Hanukkah]] and [[Yom Kippur]] and are also seen having a [[Bar Mitzvah]] for Francine's cousin, [[Seth]].
*Francine and her family are shown to be {{W|Judaism|Jewish}}. They celebrate traditional Jewish holidays like {{W|Hanukkah}} and {{W|Yom Kippur}} and are also seen having a {{W|Bar_and_bat_mitzvah|Bat/Bar Mitzvah}} for Francine's cousin, Seth.
* Francine is a big fan of horses.<ref>"[[Francine Frensky, Olympic Rider]]"</ref><ref>"[[Francine Goes to War]]"</ref>
* Francine is a big fan of horses.<ref>"[[Francine Frensky, Olympic Rider]]"</ref><ref>"[[Francine Goes to War]]"</ref>
* Her favorite color is red as she stated in "[[And Now Let's Talk to Some Kids]]".<ref>http://pbskids.org/arthur/print/tradingcards/cards.html#pg-francine2</ref>
* Her favorite color is red as she stated in "[[And Now Let's Talk to Some Kids]]".<ref>http://pbskids.org/arthur/print/tradingcards/cards.html#pg-francine2</ref>
* The first sport Francine was seen playing is kickball.
*The first sport Francine was seen playing is kickball.
* In the early ''Arthur'' books, Francine was a fanatic of a series known as ''[[Rat Woman]]'' (a play on ''{{W|Catwoman}}''), but that series has not been seen or mentioned in any of the later books or cartoon show.
*In the early ''Arthur'' books, Francine was a fanatic of a series known as ''[[Rat Woman]]'' (a play on ''{{W|Catwoman}}''), but that series has not been seen or mentioned in any of the later books or cartoon show.
* Her birthday is mentioned in "[[D.W.'s Very Bad Mood]]", but it has never been confirmed the month and day of her birthday. However, she is eight years old, especially when the episode or book would take place during the second semester of her third-grade year.
* Her birthday is mentioned in "[[D.W.'s Very Bad Mood]]", but the month and day of her birthday have never been confirmed. However, she’s eight-years-old, especially when the episode or book would take place during the second semester of her third-grade year.
* She enjoys journalism and once started a school newspaper called ''[[The Frensky Star]]''.
* She enjoys journalism and once started a school newspaper called ''[[The Frensky Star]]''.
* The place Francine wants to visit the most is the {{W|FIFA World Cup|World Cup}} Finals.<ref>http://pbskids.org/arthur/print/tradingcards/cards.html#pg-francine1</ref>
*The place Francine wants to visit the most is the {{W|FIFA World Cup|World Cup}} Finals.<ref>http://pbskids.org/arthur/print/tradingcards/cards.html#pg-francine1</ref>
* Francine wants to be a musician, actress, drummer, stage director, and soccer star when she grows up.
*Francine wants to be a musician, actress, drummer, stage director and soccer star when she grows up.
*She doesn't like [[cherry soda]].<ref>"[[Meek for a Week]]"</ref>
*She doesn't like cherry soda.<ref>"[[Meek for a Week]]"</ref>
*In the [[Play Maker]] section on the TV show's website, her shirt color is erroneously referred to as brown when it is actually red.
*In the Play Maker section on the TV show's website, her shirt color is erroneously referred to as brown when it is actually red.
*Besides Arthur and his family, Francine is the only character from ''[[Arthur's Nose]]'' who appears in the [[Arthur (TV series)|television series]], making her one of the oldest characters in the Arthur canon.
*Besides Arthur and his family, Francine is the only character from ''[[Arthur's Nose]]'' who appears in the [[Arthur (TV series)|television series]], making her one of the oldest characters in the Arthur canon.
==Appearances==
==Appearances==
===Specials===
*Specials
**[[Arthur's Perfect Christmas]]
**''[[Arthur's Perfect Christmas]]''
**[[Arthur - It's Only Rock 'n' Roll]]
**"[[Arthur - It's Only Rock 'n' Roll]]"
**[[D.W. and the Beastly Birthday]] (cameo)
**[[D.W. and the Beastly Birthday]] <small>(cameo)</small>
**[[Arthur and the Haunted Tree House]]
**"[[Arthur and the Haunted Tree House]]"
===Episodes===
==== Arthur ====
*Season 1
*Season 1
**10101: [[Arthur's Eyes (episode)|Arthur's Eyes]]
**10101: "[[Arthur's Eyes (episode)|Arthur's Eyes]]"
**10102: '''[[Francine's Bad Hair Day]]'''
**10102: "'''[[Francine's Bad Hair Day]]'''"
**10201: [[Arthur and the Real Mr. Ratburn]]
**10201: "[[Arthur and the Real Mr. Ratburn]]"
**10202: [[Arthur's Spelling Trubble]]
**10202: "[[Arthur's Spelling Trubble]]"
**10301: [[D.W. All Wet]]
**10301: "[[D.W. All Wet]]"
**10302: [[Buster's Dino Dilemma (episode)|Buster's Dino Dilemma]]
**10302: "[[Buster's Dino Dilemma (episode)|Buster's Dino Dilemma]]"
**10401: [[D.W.'s Imaginary Friend]]
**10401: "[[D.W.'s Imaginary Friend]]"
**10402: [[Arthur's Lost Library Book]]
**10402: "[[Arthur's Lost Library Book]]"
**10501: [[Arthur's Pet Business (episode)|Arthur's Pet Business]]
**10501: "[[Arthur's Pet Business (episode)|Arthur's Pet Business]]"
**10502: [[D.W. the Copycat]]
**10502: "[[D.W. the Copycat]]"
**10601: [[Locked in the Library! (episode)|'''Locked in the Library!''']]
**10601: "[[Locked in the Library! (episode)|'''Locked in the Library!''']]"
**10602: [[Arthur Accused! (episode)|Arthur Accused!]] (cameo)
**10602: "[[Arthur Accused! (episode)|Arthur Accused!]]" <small>(cameo)</small>
**10701: [[Arthur Goes to Camp (episode)|Arthur Goes to Camp]]
**10701: "[[Arthur Goes to Camp (episode)|Arthur Goes to Camp]]"
**10702: [[Buster Makes the Grade (episode)|Buster Makes the Grade]]
**10702: "[[Buster Makes the Grade (episode)|Buster Makes the Grade]]"
**10801: [[Arthur's New Puppy (episode)|Arthur's New Puppy]]
**10801: "[[Arthur's New Puppy (episode)|Arthur's New Puppy]]"
**10901: [[Arthur Babysits (episode)|Arthur Babysits]]
**10901: "[[Arthur Babysits (episode)|Arthur Babysits]]"
**11001: [[Arthur's Birthday (episode)|Arthur's Birthday]]
**11001: "[[Arthur's Birthday (episode)|Arthur's Birthday]]"
**11002: '''[[Francine Frensky, Superstar]]'''
**11002: "'''[[Francine Frensky, Superstar]]'''"
**11101: [[Arthur's Baby (episode)|Arthur's Baby]]
**11101: "[[Arthur's Baby (episode)|Arthur's Baby]]"
**11102: [[D.W.'s Baby]]
**11102: "[[D.W.'s Baby]]"
**11201: [[Arthur Writes a Story (episode)|Arthur Writes a Story]]
**11201: "[[Arthur Writes a Story (episode)|Arthur Writes a Story]]"
**11202: [[Arthur's Lost Dog]]
**11202: "[[Arthur's Lost Dog]]"
**11302: [[Buster's New Friend (episode)|Buster's New Friend]]
**11302: "[[Buster's New Friend (episode)|Buster's New Friend]]"
**11402: [[Arthur and the True Francine (episode)|'''Arthur and the True Francine''']]
**11402: "[[Arthur and the True Francine (episode)|'''Arthur and the True Francine''']]"
**11601: [[Arthur and the Crunch Cereal Contest (episode)|Arthur and the Crunch Cereal Contest]]
**11601: "[[Arthur and the Crunch Cereal Contest (episode)|Arthur and the Crunch Cereal Contest]]"
**11701: '''[[Meek for a Week]]'''
**11701: "'''[[Meek for a Week]]'''"
**11702: [[Arthur, World's Greatest Gleeper]]
**11702: "[[Arthur, World's Greatest Gleeper]]"
**11801: [[Arthur's Chicken Pox (episode)|Arthur's Chicken Pox]]
**11801: "[[Arthur's Chicken Pox (episode)|Arthur's Chicken Pox]]"
**11802: [[Sick as a Dog]]
**11802: "[[Sick as a Dog]]"
**11901: [[D.W. Rides Again (episode)|D.W. Rides Again]]
**11901: "[[D.W. Rides Again (episode)|D.W. Rides Again]]"
**11902: [[Arthur Makes the Team (episode)|Arthur Makes the Team]]
**11902: "[[Arthur Makes the Team (episode)|Arthur Makes the Team]]"
**12001: [[Arthur's Almost Boring Day]]
**12001: "[[Arthur's Almost Boring Day]]"
**12002: [[The Half-Baked Sale]] (Cameo)
**12002: "[[The Half-Baked Sale]]" <small>(cameo)</small>
**12101: [[Sue Ellen Moves In]]
**12101: "[[Sue Ellen Moves In]]"
**12102: [[The Perfect Brother]]
**12102: "[[The Perfect Brother]]"
**12201: [[D.W.'s Snow Mystery]]
**12201: "[[D.W.'s Snow Mystery]]"
**12202: [[Team Trouble]]
**12202: "[[Team Trouble]]"
**12301: [[Bully for Binky]]
**12301: "[[Bully for Binky]]"
**12302: [[Misfortune Teller]]
**12302: "[[Misfortune Teller]]"
**12401: [[Arthur's Tooth (episode)|Arthur's Tooth]]
**12401: "[[Arthur's Tooth (episode)|Arthur's Tooth]]"
**12502: [[Arthur Cleans Up]]
**12502: "[[Arthur Cleans Up]]"
**12601: '''[[My Dad, the Garbage Man]]'''
**12601: "'''[[My Dad, the Garbage Man]]'''"
**12602: '''[[Poor Muffy]]'''
**12602: "'''[[Poor Muffy]]'''"
**12701: [[D.W.'s Blankie]]
**12701: "[[D.W.'s Blankie]]"
**12702: [[Arthur's Substitute Teacher Trouble]]
**12702: "[[Arthur's Substitute Teacher Trouble]]"
**12801: [[I'm a Poet]]
**12801: "[[I'm a Poet]]"
**12802: [[The Scare-Your-Pants-Off Club]]
**12802: "[[The Scare-Your-Pants-Off Club]]"
**12901: '''[[My Club Rules]]'''
**12901: "'''[[My Club Rules]]'''"
**12902: '''[[Stolen Bike]]'''
**12902: "'''[[Stolen Bike]]'''"
**13001: [[Arthur's First Sleepover (episode)|Arthur's First Sleepover]]
**13001: "[[Arthur's First Sleepover (episode)|Arthur's First Sleepover]]"
**13002: [[Arthur's New Year's Eve]]
**13002: "[[Arthur's New Year's Eve]]"
*Season 2
*[[Season 2]]
**20102: '''[[Draw!]]'''
**20102: "'''[[Draw!]]'''"
**20201: [[Binky Barnes, Art Expert]]
**20201: "[[Binky Barnes, Art Expert]]"
**20202: [[Arthur's Lucky Pencil]]
**20202: "[[Arthur's Lucky Pencil]]"
**20301: [[D.W., the Picky Eater (episode)|D.W., the Picky Eater]]
**20301: "[[D.W., the Picky Eater (episode)|D.W., the Picky Eater]]"
**20302: [[Buster and the Daredevils]]
**20302: "[[Buster and the Daredevils]]"
**20401: '''[[Arthur Makes a Movie]]'''
**20401: "'''[[Arthur Makes a Movie]]'''"
**20501: [[Arthur's Underwear (episode)|Arthur's Underwear]]
**20501: "[[Arthur's Underwear (episode)|Arthur's Underwear]]"
**20502: '''[[Francine Frensky, Olympic Rider]]'''
**20502: "'''[[Francine Frensky, Olympic Rider]]'''"
**20601: [[Buster Baxter, Cat Saver (episode)|Buster Baxter, Cat Saver]]
**20601: "[[Buster Baxter, Cat Saver (episode)|Buster Baxter, Cat Saver]]"
**20602: [[Play it Again, D.W.]]
**20602: "[[Play it Again, D.W.]]"
**20701: [[Arthur's TV-Free Week]]
**20701: "[[Arthur's TV-Free Week]]"
**20702: [[Night Fright]]
**20702: "[[Night Fright]]"
**20801: [[Arthur vs. the Piano]]
**20801: "[[Arthur vs. the Piano]]"
**20802: [[The Big Blow-Up]]
**20802: "[[The Big Blow-Up]]"
**20901: [[Lost!]]
**20901: "[[Lost!]]"
**20902: [[The Short, Quick Summer]]
**20902: "[[The Short, Quick Summer]]"
**21001: [[D.W. Goes to Washington]]
**21001: "[[D.W. Goes to Washington]]"
**21002: [[Arthur's Mystery Envelope (episode)|Arthur's Mystery Envelope]]
**21002: "[[Arthur's Mystery Envelope (episode)|Arthur's Mystery Envelope]]"
**21102: [[Buster Hits the Books]]
**21102: "[[Buster Hits the Books]]"
**21201: [[Arthur's Faraway Friend]]
**21201: "[[Arthur's Faraway Friend]]"
**21202: '''[[Arthur and the Square Dance]]'''
**21202: "'''[[Arthur and the Square Dance]]'''"
**21301: [[Water and the Brain]]
**21301: "[[Water and the Brain]]"
**21302: [[Arthur the Unfunny]]
**21302: "[[Arthur the Unfunny]]"
**21401: [[Sue Ellen's Lost Diary]]
**21401: "[[Sue Ellen's Lost Diary]]"
**21402: [[Arthur's Knee]]
**21402: "[[Arthur's Knee]]"
**21501: [[Grandma Thora Appreciation Day]]
**21501: "[[Grandma Thora Appreciation Day]]"
**21502: [[Fern's Slumber Party]]
**21502: "[[Fern's Slumber Party]]"
**21601: '''[[Love Notes for Muffy]]'''
**21601: "'''[[Love Notes for Muffy]]'''"
**21602: [[D.W. Blows the Whistle]]
**21602: "[[D.W. Blows the Whistle]]"
**21701: '''[[Francine Redecorates]]'''
**21701: "'''[[Francine Redecorates]]'''"
**21702: [[Arthur the Loser]]
**21702: "[[Arthur the Loser]]"
**21801: [[Arthur vs. the Very Mean Crossing Guard]] (cameo)
**21801: "[[Arthur vs. the Very Mean Crossing Guard]]" <small>(cameo)</small>
**21802: [[D.W.'s Very Bad Mood]]
**21802: "[[D.W.'s Very Bad Mood]]"
**21902: [[Finders Key-pers]]
**21902: "[[Finders Key-pers]]"
**22001: [[How the Cookie Crumbles]]
**22001: "[[How the Cookie Crumbles]]"
**22002: [[Sue Ellen's Little Sister]]
**22002: "[[Sue Ellen's Little Sister]]"
*Season 3
*[[Season 3]]
**30101: [[Buster's Back]]
**30101: [[Buster's Back]]
**30102: [[The Ballad of Buster Baxter]]
**30102: [[The Ballad of Buster Baxter]]
Line 518: Line 517:
**210501: [[Slink's Special Talent]] (Cameo)
**210501: [[Slink's Special Talent]] (Cameo)
**210502: [[Take a Hike, Molly]] (Opening)
**210502: [[Take a Hike, Molly]] (Opening)
season 22
*Season 22
 
**220401: [[Muffy's Car Campaign]]
==== Postcards from Buster ====
*Season 23
* [[Meet Me at the Fair]] (mentioned)
**230301: [[The Pea and the Princess]]
* [[Buster and Beatrice]] (cameo)
*Season 24
**240102: [[Arthur's Big Meltdown]]
*''Postcards from Buster''
**[[Meet Me at the Fair]] (mentioned)
**[[Buster and Beatrice]] (cameo)


==References==
==References==

Latest revision as of 05:08, 17 February 2024

Francine Frensky
Francine 706b.png
Age 8[1] 9 (Arthurs First Day)
Grade 3rd
Gender Female
Animal Monkey[2]
Birthday Within the Pisces zodiac sign[3]
Winter[4]
Soon after Lisa's birthday party[5]
Eye color Brown[6]
Hair color Brown
Complexion Peach (Living Books)
Light brown (s1-s5)
Brown (s6-present)
Favorite color Red[7][8][9]
Purple (second favorite)[10]
Residence Westboro Apartments, Elwood City
Family Oliver Frensky (father)
Laverne Frensky (mother)
Catherine Frensky (older sister)
Bubby (maternal grandmother)
Bubby's husband (maternal grandfather)
Francine's grandfather (paternal grandfather)
Nana (maternal or paternal great-grandmother)
Vingo Frensky (great-great-grandfather)
Seth (cousin)
Seth's mother (aunt)
Seth's father (uncle)
Francine's cousin (cousin)

Book debut Arthur's Nose
Cartoon debut "Arthur's Eyes"
Voiced by Jodie Resther (1996-present)
Marcella Evans (Living Books games)

Francine Alice Frensky[11] is the daughter of Oliver and Laverne Frensky, and the sister of Catherine Frensky. She is an athletic girl in Mr. Ratburn's third grade class at Lakewood Elementary School.

Physical appearance

Francine is an anthropomorphic monkey with a brown complexion. She has short brown hair with a bobcut hairstyle, which she puts barrettes on to pin it up (her clips are red in the books, but yellow in the cartoon show).

She is typically seen wearing a red shirt, blue jeans, red and white sneakers, white socks and doesn't wear any shirt underneath like some of her friends.

Her sleepwear is a cream-colored pajama top with a big light green #1 on the front and light green pajama pants with stripes.

Her swimwear is a yellow maillot. In the summertime, she often wears a yellow T-shirt with a red stripe in the middle and on the sleeves and a pair of red shorts. Her formal clothes consist of a pink collar blouse, gray pants and white shoes.

In later seasons, her formal clothes are changed to a white blouse, a black necklace, red pants and black shoes. In Season 1, she originally wears a pink T-shirt, blue overall shorts, pink socks and brown shoes.

Her basketball uniform consists of an orange T-shirt and yellow shorts, which both have reddish-orange accents, and she has a yellow #5 on the back of the shirt. Her baseball uniform consists of a yellow baseball cap and a yellow T-shirt with the orange #6 on the back, and the LW logo is sometimes shown on the front, and sometimes the front is blank.

Her football uniform consists of a very large white shirt with a black #11 on the front and a red football helmet with a black stripe and white face mask.

During cool weather outside of winter, she wears a black button-up #5 jacket with white sleeves and the #5 on the left front end and on the rear.

During the wintertime, she wears a white stocking cap with a fluffy red ball on top, an orange winter coat, a blue and white striped scarf, white mittens and brown boots.

She also has a pair of Dame Edna-style movie star glasses that are pink in the books, but green in the cartoon show; although they do not have any glass in the frames.

She wears these glasses on occasions in the books: Arthur's Eyes and Arthur's Teacher Trouble; and in the episodes "Arthur's Eyes", "Arthur's Spelling Trubble", and "Sick as a Dog". She hasn't worn those glasses again after Arthur's Teacher Trouble and after the cartoon show's first season.

She originally had completely flat hair down her cheeks in her first appearance in Arthur's Nose, even though Arthur's Eyes and all later books and adaptations have changed her hairstyle into a flip.

She also originally wore dresses in the earliest Arthur books. In Arthur's Valentine and all later books and adaptations, she mostly wore masculine clothes and only wore dresses for extra special occasions like for Picture Day in "Francine's Bad Hair Day" and for her older cousin, Seth’s Bar Mitzvah in "Francine’s Split Decision". Her hair was originally a light brown tone, but became darkened to a medium tone in Arthur's Teacher Trouble and all later books and adaptations.

Gallery

Storytime 1.JPG
The full image gallery for Francine Frensky may be viewed at Francine Frensky/Gallery.

Alternate hairstyles

Even though Francine doesn't like having her hair done like her best friend Muffy does, she has had a few alternate hairstyles in the series. Her signature hairstyle is a straight flip, even though it's not flat. In Arthur's Valentine, she has wavy hair when she becomes Arthur's secret admirer while at a cinema sitting in seat 3B. In "Francine's Bad Hair Day", Muffy urges her to get her hair done for school pictures, and Francine first wants the Prom Queen hairstyle that Muffy was getting. Francine has a dream where she's playing kickball and has super-long hair that can be used to retrieve the ball or reach a base. When Francine checks out the results, she is given a tightly curled hairstyle instead. After "Francine's Bad Hair Day", she has since kept her signature hairstyle. In the end of "The Lousy Week", she and Muffy are both given a buzz cut to eliminate lice from reproducing in their hairs.

  • Francine with a tightly curled hairstyle

  • Francine with super-long hair and bangs in her dream

Past life

When Francine was a toddler, she wore an orange short-sleeved shirt and yellow overalls shorts. Her hair was also a bit shorter when she was a toddler. She started wearing barrettes when she was in pre-school and wore a white shirt, pink pants, and sneakers. When she moved into second grade, she started wearing her usual red long-sleeved shirt, blue jeans, and red and white sneakers.

  • Francine as a toddler (4 years old)

  • Francine as a preschooler (4 years old) in the episode "Locked in the Library!"

Future life

As a teenager and as an adult in the future, Francine appears to have grown more feminine by wearing dresses and other feminine clothing despite not liking to wear dresses. Also, her hairstyle is slightly different when growing up. As an elderly woman, her hairstyle is the same as when she went to Lakewood Elementary School and she's wearing a light teal blouse jacket, a white blouse with a pendant underneath the jacket, a periwinkle dress and white high-heeled pumps; and is wearing barrettes again. She also appears to be married to Arthur on many futuristic occasions.

  • Francine as a teenager

  • Francine as an elderly woman

Other media

In the Living Books computer games like Arthur's Teacher Trouble and Arthur's Birthday, which are both based on their respective books and even predate the cartoon, Francine had light auburn hair and a pale cream-colored complexion. Francine's voice sounded less masculine in those two games and was voiced by Marcella Evans before the cartoon show replaced her with Jodie Resther.

In the later games during the 32-bit era of computers and software such as Arthur's Thinking Games, her appearance was the same as she looks in the cartoon show.

Personality and skills

Francine complaining to Arthur about Muffy ignoring her regarding Chanukah

Francine is very athletic and loves sports, especially soccer, football, kickball, bowling, and baseball. The only sports she doesn't excel at are badminton and figure skating (which she dismisses as "girly", despite being a girl herself).

Francine is very determined, perhaps even restless, and if she doesn't have an immediate knack for a certain sport or skill, she can become frustrated.

Arthur once described her as a "sore winner." She also likes horses, and once accompanied Harry Mills to a horse race. She envies Catherine because she is a better horse rider. ("Francine Frensky, Olympic Rider".)

Francine is an excellent singer and drummer. However, she can't do both at the same time very well. Even though Francine does fairly well in school, she does struggle from time to time.

At one point she even resorts to plagiarizing an entire paper (even though one must note she didn't know that it was wrong at the time, and had a nightmare of herself 20 years older where she was being sued for plagiarism).

Though she claims she's the best player in every sport, she is proven wrong in some of them: in baseball, her skills needed plenty of improvement as seen in "Arthur Makes the Team", and in the episode "The Big Blow-Up" where she showed resentment toward the Brain for his superior skills in soccer and when she refused to admit that she was kicking the ball out of bounds and had an attitude when the Brain called her out on it.

She always talks in a masculine, brash tone. At the start of the show, Francine was very rude and hot tempered.

This attitude is attempted to be tamed by a challenge from Muffy, by the entire class rebellion during a play about Thomas Edison, but neither of these lasts permanently. It isn't until Fern Walters makes drawings about Francine, which motivates everybody else to also make drawings about Francine, when Francine starts to calm down. ("Meek for a Week", "Francine Frensky, Superstar", "Draw!".)

Francine also has a soft side. She will try to help her friends if they are having a big problem, but sometimes, if somebody says something about her whilst she's trying to help, Francine sometimes misinterprets it as criticism and leaves the room.

Francine does not like wearing dresses or having her hair done, which she believes would make her look foolish and less like herself as she states in "Francine's Bad Hair Day". She prefers to wear clothes that are normally worn by boys, thus making her a tomboy. Despite that she does not want to have her hair done, her hair length remains the same.

Family

Francine lives with her father, mother and sister, Catherine, in Apartment #3 at Westboro Apartments, with the least amount of living space compared to her friends' homes. She also has a pet cat named Nemo. Francine's extended family (including Bubby) has been seen on a few occasions such as in Arthur's Perfect Christmas, "Background Blues", and "Is That Kosher?". Her father works as a garbage man at the Elwood City Dump, which embarrassed her. Her mother is unemployed and usually stays at home. She is constantly jealous of Catherine for being a more advanced horseback rider ("Francine Frensky, Olympic Rider") and acrobat ("Francine's Big Top Trouble"). She and Catherine also argue over room decorations, letting Catherine move into the living room ("Francine Redecorates"). However, Catherine can be sometimes helpful to her. Her family does not often spend enough time together, although they do enjoy bowling ("The Frensky Family Fiasco"). Her father sometimes calls her "Franky." ("I Don't Want to Wake Up")

Due to her family's poverty, they were unable to replace her old bike she had since outgrown and are left with no choice but to ride her father's old bike that had seen better days, and discard it (which she claims was stolen until she tells the truth). Finally, her father finds it and manages to restore it. ("Stolen Bike")

They are a Jewish family who celebrate Hanukkah in Arthur's Perfect Christmas and Yom Kippur in "Is That Kosher?".

Friends

  • Arthur Read - Arthur is one of Francine's best friends. Though they are best friends, Francine seems to always pick on Arthur, such as calling him a "four-eyes" when he first gets glasses in Arthur's Eyes and a "baby" for not having lost a tooth in "Arthur's Tooth". In some episodes it seems Francine likes Arthur although in the episode "Arthur and the Square Dance" when Francine thinks that Arthur loves her, she says that's the grossest thing she's ever heard although in the end it was revealed that it was just a rumor and Arthur and Francine vow to never let a silly thing like love come between them again. In the episode, "And Now Let's Talk to Some Kids", Arthur and Francine are shown to be an old couple in the future watching the video of them on the Magic Toolbox segment: And Now Let's Talk to Some Kids. According to "Locked in the Library!" from Season 1, they met each other for the first time since preschool during a flashback; but she attended Arthur's third birthday party during a flashback in "Desperately Seeking Stanley" from Season 8, which means the time they met each other for the first time is a retcon.
  • Muffy Crosswire - Francine and Muffy met during second grade and became best friends when they found out they had the same middle name, Alice. They always manage to find something to do together even though they are different in many ways: Muffy is feminine and lives in an exceedingly rich family in an overly spacious estate, while Francine is tomboyish and lives in a rather low-class family in a cramped apartment, and in the episode "Poor Muffy" the wealth differences between the two are revealed. Muffy stands up to Buster Baxter and mistakenly Binky Barnes about Francine's "unfashionable hand-me-downs" and cheap possessions, such as Francine's bicycle in "Stolen Bike". They often clash over Francine's tomboyish attitude or Muffy's selfishness, such as in the episode, "Meek for a Week", "Muffy's New Best Friend", and the TV special, Arthur's Perfect Christmas, but they always make up in the end.
  • Buster Baxter - Buster is a frequent annoyance of Francine, but they maintain a good friendship anyway.
  • Binky Barnes - Binky plays with Francine, Fern, Molly and Mrs. MacGrady as U Stink in "Arthur - It's Only Rock 'n' Roll".
  • Fern Walters - Fern plays with Francine, Binky, Molly, and Mrs. MacGrady as U Stink in "Arthur - It's Only Rock 'n' Roll". In "Draw!" Francine insults Fern by calling her a "mouse."
  • Jenna Morgan - In "The Good Sport", Francine makes Jenna feel guilty about the Athlete of the Year award, but they make up in the end. In "Jenna's Bedtime Blues", Francine is the only one who knows Jenna's secret about her wetting the bed because she also used to wet the bed.
  • George Lundgren - In "Vomitrocious", Francine makes fun of George's nosebleeds but learns her lesson when she vomits. In "Dancing Fools", Francine dances with George.
  • The Brain - They are on the same soccer team, yet they argue in "The Big Blow-Up". Francine tries to give the Brain tips for TV in "And Now Let's Talk to Some Kids", but he's working on his science project.
  • Alex - In "Francine Frensky, Superstar", he‘s one of the reporters in Francine's show about Sir Isaac Newton. In "Elwood City Turns 100!", Alex asks Francine what Elwood City is like today, and she answers him through the closing number "That's Elwood City".
  • D.W. Read - There’s only one episode in which Francine doesn't like D.W. Francine created The Parade Float Club in the episode "My Club Rules" in an attempt to keep D.W. away from them. D.W. took over their club anyways, and Francine blamed Arthur for trying to get D.W. out of the club. The rest of the episodes involving Francine & D.W., to Arthur's annoyance, have the two cooperating with each other. D.W. takes her side in "Locked in the Library!", is invited to Francine's birthday party in "D.W.'s Very Bad Mood" after Lisa doesn't invite her, and in "Arthur's Big Hit" Francine feels very sorry for D.W. after Arthur hit her in the arm. Arthur is embarrassed by D.W. and tries to keep her away from his friends. But Francine insists on knowing what D.W. is talking about, such as in "D.W.'s Imaginary Friend" and "D.W.'s Lost Blankie".

Trivia

  • She’s modeled after Marc Brown's sister, Bonnie,[citation needed] and her last name "Frensky" is a play on author Stephen Krensky's last name,[citation needed] a friend of Marc Brown's.
  • She is voiced by Jodie Resther and is one of the few characters whose voiceover remains unchanged since Season 1.
  • Francine and her family are shown to be Jewish. They celebrate traditional Jewish holidays like Hanukkah and Yom Kippur and are also seen having a Bat/Bar Mitzvah for Francine's cousin, Seth.
  • Francine is a big fan of horses.[12][13]
  • Her favorite color is red as she stated in "And Now Let's Talk to Some Kids".[14]
  • The first sport Francine was seen playing is kickball.
  • In the early Arthur books, Francine was a fanatic of a series known as Rat Woman (a play on Catwoman), but that series has not been seen or mentioned in any of the later books or cartoon show.
  • Her birthday is mentioned in "D.W.'s Very Bad Mood", but the month and day of her birthday have never been confirmed. However, she’s eight-years-old, especially when the episode or book would take place during the second semester of her third-grade year.
  • She enjoys journalism and once started a school newspaper called The Frensky Star.
  • The place Francine wants to visit the most is the World Cup Finals.[15]
  • Francine wants to be a musician, actress, drummer, stage director and soccer star when she grows up.
  • She doesn't like cherry soda.[16]
  • In the Play Maker section on the TV show's website, her shirt color is erroneously referred to as brown when it is actually red.
  • Besides Arthur and his family, Francine is the only character from Arthur's Nose who appears in the television series, making her one of the oldest characters in the Arthur canon.

Appearances

References

  1. ↑ http://pbskids.org/arthur/print/tradingcards/cards.html#pg-francine2
  2. ↑ http://www.pbs.org/parents/arthur/help/answers/faq_friends.html (archived page)
  3. ↑ In "Arthur - It's Only Rock 'n' Roll", Mrs. MacGrady says Francine is a Pisces. The duration of this zodiac sign is on average between February 20 and March 20 in the real world.
  4. ↑ In "The Friend Who Wasn't There", Muffy is shopping from Francine's birthday.
  5. ↑ "D.W.'s Very Bad Mood"
  6. ↑ "Buster's Growing Grudge" (see picture)
  7. ↑ http://pbskids.org/arthur/print/tradingcards/cards.html#pg-francine2
  8. ↑ "Francine Redecorates"
  9. ↑ "And Now Let's Talk to Some Kids"
  10. ↑ Francine Redecorates
  11. ↑ "Arthur and the True Francine"
  12. ↑ "Francine Frensky, Olympic Rider"
  13. ↑ "Francine Goes to War"
  14. ↑ http://pbskids.org/arthur/print/tradingcards/cards.html#pg-francine2
  15. ↑ http://pbskids.org/arthur/print/tradingcards/cards.html#pg-francine1
  16. ↑ "Meek for a Week"



Retrieved from "https://arthurwiki.com/w/index.php?title=Francine_Frensky&oldid=414375"