Season 3

This article is about Season 3 of Arthur. You may be looking for Season 3 of Postcards from Buster.

Season 3 of Arthur premiered in the United States on November 16, 1998 on PBS.

Production

This season, like the first two, was released on DVD in Europe only.

This was the last season to use cel animation. Starting with the next season, the show switched to digital ink and paint.

Episodes

Screenshot	Title	Number	Episode	Original Airdate
	"Buster's Back"	51	1a	November 16, 1998
	Buster is coming home and Arthur is excited. He is also afraid that Buster will have changed too much, so he reads up on all the places Buster had visited. His fears worsen when Buster doesn't call back or come over.
	"The Ballad of Buster Baxter"	51	1b	November 16, 1998
	Art Garfunkel guest stars as a guitar playing moose who sings "The Ballad of Buster Baxter". Buster has returned to Elwood City. He's surprised by how much has changed and feels left out because of the things he didn't get to experience while he was away. Arthur decides to throw a party for him.
	"D.W. All Fired Up"	52	2a	November 17, 1998
	D.W. is afraid of the upcoming fire drill at her preschool, so her family names her a fire warden and run fire drills in their house.
	"I'd Rather Read It Myself"	52	2b	November 17, 1998
	D.W. wants to prove to the Tibble Twins that she can read so she picks up one of Arthur's books and makes up a story because the twins can't read either. They are impressed as she rehashes events from the last two seasons into a sci-fi/fantasy adventure story about her.
	"Arthur Goes Crosswire"	53	3a	November 18, 1998
	When Arthur and Muffy are assigned to work on a project together, he begins to act more and more like her. His friends try to turn him back into Arthur before it's too late.
	"Sue Ellen and the Brainasaurous"	53	3b	November 18, 1998
	Sue Ellen and the Brain are assigned to work on a project together (same assignment as "Arthur Goes Crosswire"). Francine and Buster say it will be easy as the Brain does almost all of the work by himself. Sue Ellen wants to help, but he doesn't let her. This turns into a struggle that nearly ruins their project.
	"Background Blues"	54	4a	November 19, 1998
	Mr. Ratburn's class is asked to research their ancestors. Muffy and Francine try to one-up each other with who theirs were, even after each find nothing interesting. Even though Muffy is eventually caught lying about hers, Francine continues with her lie.
	"And Now Let's Talk to Some Kids"	54	4b	November 19, 1998
	On every continent, there are stories of children who "stand out" for their strange abilities and advanced knowledge. They are said to have knowledge of things they shouldn't or couldn't know. The ancient Greeks, Egyptians and many other cultures have legends about exceptional children who are the offspring of humans and the gods. Could the stories be more than mere myth? Is it possible there are children being born on Earth today who can access their alien DNA--a connection that endows them with special gifts and the power to transform society?
	"The Chips are Down"	55	5a	November 20, 1998
	Arthur and Buster are sorting potato chips and find a big green one. D.W. eats it so they trick her into think it's poisonous. Binky eats one, too, and they both make the best out the last days of their lives. They search in the Mojave Desert, where there is a structure built to bestow everlasting life--and according to the architect, the blueprint was provided by an extraterrestrial visitor. Known as the Integratron, it has been called a work of genius, but could it actually provide the key to immortality?
	"Revenge of the Chip"	55	5b	November 20, 1998
	D.W. does not like to be reminded of the events in "The Chips are Down". Throughout the day, all of the kids and adults tease her about the green chip incident. She is furious that this went public, and blames Arthur but finds out it was her mom who told other people. She apologizes, but D.W. is upset again and runs off when her mom starts telling the story to someone else.
	"Binky Rules"	56	6a	November 23, 1998
	When graffiti stating "Binky Rules" mysteriously appears on the walls of the school, everyone thinks that Binky wrote it. Graffiti, tattoos, piercings, and body modification account for a nearly one-billion-dollar industry. But are these practices being adopted by mainstream society as a bold form of self-expression or could it be motivated by a profound link to our ancestors? By studying these human hieroglyphs, might we uncover other worldly secrets?
	"Meet Binky"	56	6b	November 23, 1998
	Binky, the unknown band from "Binky Rules", has their first concert. Arthur gets to visit them backstage and struggles with whether or not he should bring his friends along and decides to do so at the last minute. They get to meet Binky backstage because Arthur's father is catering for them. When they meet them, they realize that they are actually holograms. Värttinä guest stars as Binky.
	"Arthur Rides the Bandwagon"	57	7a	November 24, 1998
	Arthur doesn't like the new Woogle fad, but when everyone else has one, he tries to get one. Frustrated after several failed attempts, he starts playing with a bottle cap and starts a new fad.
	"Dad's Dessert Dilemma"	57	7b	November 24, 1998
	In 1947 the U.S. military collected the debris of what they claimed was a crashed weather balloon outside of Roswell, New Mexico. But new evidence may prove the conspiracy theorists right--that the wreckage actually belonged to an extraterrestrial spacecraft. If true, could remnants of it still exist that the recovery teams overlooked?
	"Popular Girls"	58	8a	November 25, 1998
	Francine accidentally takes her sister Catherine's backpack to school and discovers a magazine called "Popular Girl". Reading it convinces Sue Ellen and Fern to change their personality to become more likable.
	"Buster's Growing Grudge"	58	8b	November 25, 1998
	Buster has never been mad at anyone for long, but he holds a grudge against Binky for telling the joke he was going to tell. This culminates to an onstage rant during a school talent show and Arthur has to set things right.
	"Arthur's Treasure Hunt"	59	9a	November 26, 1998
	Theorists ask whether the truth of humankind's origins can be found in the mysterious relics revered by ancient cultures for thousands of years and found on display in museums, temples and churches.
	"The Return of the King"	59	9b	November 26, 1998
	According to legend, an ancient curse was placed upon the tomb of King Tutankhamun, and when that tomb was opened in 1922, a series of terrible events occurred. A curse was also placed on King Tut's father Akhenaten, and during the rehearsal of a play dramatizing the lifting of this curse, similar tragedies followed. Could a curse truly exist, but in the form of alien technology that is protecting an incredible secret about our past? Is there hidden power in the words inscribed on so-called "magic bricks" found in King Tut's tomb, or in those contained in the play to lift Akhenaten's curse that are connected to some extraterrestrial force? Ancient Astronaut theorists suggest that The Pharaohs' Curse was put in place to protect not only the truth about an otherworldly event in our past, but also an extraterrestrial device--a device that some believe still exists today, buried deep beneath the Earth... on Oak Island.
	"Attack of the Turbo Tibbles"	60	10a	November 27, 1998
	There is evidence that suggests we experienced 20th century alien contact. In 1942, the Los Angeles involved the US military and Air Defense allegedly fighting a UFO. WWII Allied Air Force planes were buzzed by balls of light that some think could have been extraterrestrial. And the alleged crash of a flying saucer in Roswell, New Mexico in 1947 propelled the world into the age of UFOs. For decades, some people have been searching for the sounds of extraterrestrial intelligence, while others have been sending messages out into deep space. What would happen if aliens answered… or came calling? What protocols exist to determine who would speak on behalf of mankind, and how might we communicate? What happens if they return? Some believe they already have.
	"D.W. Tricks the Tooth Fairy"	60	10b	November 28, 1998
	D.W. wants a tooth pulled out so that she can get money from the tooth fairy. When her plan doesn't work, she tries to trick the tooth fairy with a fake one.
	"Double Tibble Trouble"	61	11a	December 28, 1998
	Tommy Tibble is sad and less active because Timmy is sick. Although D.W. would like to have them less hyperactive, she and Tommy try to help Timmy out by playing like a Tibble.
	"Arthur's Almost Live Not Real Music Festival"	61	11b	December 28, 1998
	Arthur and Buster have an imaginary music festival featuring the whole cast in songs based on their lives, themselves, and the library.
	"What Scared Sue Ellen?"	62	12a	December 29, 1998
	Sue Ellen is hard to scare and is frightened by a mysterious howl in the woods. She enlists the help of Arthur, Buster, and Binky to investigate the noise.
	"Clarissa is Cracked"	62	12b	December 29, 1998
	D.W. borrows Grandma Thora's porcelain doll, Clarissa, and she cracks her the day she is supposed to return her. Arthur gets the help of Mr. Ratburn to try to fix her.
	"Arthur's Dummy Disaster"	63	13a	December 30, 1998
	George becomes more popular with his ventriloquist dummy, Wally, and starts a short-lived ventriloquism fad at school. He starts acting less rationally as Wally starts falling apart, because before Wally, nobody noticed him.
	"Francine and the Feline"	63	13b	December 30, 1998
	Francine's family gets a new cat that Francine renames Nemo after her sister, Catherine, named him Rose Petal. Arthur is a dog person and doesn't like him, thinking he is trying to kill Pal. He dislikes him so much that it may end his friendship with Francine.
	"Mom and Dad Have a Great Big Fight"	64	14a	December 31, 1998
	Arthur and D.W. overhear their parents arguing and fear that it will split their family.
	"D.W.'s Perfect Wish"	64	14b	December 31, 1998
	D.W. isn't as excited about her fifth birthday as her previous ones because according to Emily, after she turns five, she will no longer be a kid. Arthur goes over past events (from previous episodes) with her to cheer her up. This works and she goes on to her birthday party to make a wish.
	"Arthur and D.W. Clean Up"	65	15a	January 1, 1999
	Arthur and D.W. need to clean their rooms and work together to get things done quicker. However, they each are picky about what stays and goes and how it all goes together.
	"The Long, Dull Winter"	65	15b	January 1, 1999
	Arthur and his friends are feeling different, but can't put a finger on it. They eventually realize that they haven't had a holiday in a while, so they embark on making a new one.

Trivia

• Buster returns home in the this season's premiere, after having spent 17 episodes of Season 2 traveling with his dad.
• This season is the last one to consist of more than 10 episodes (20 segments). It is also the first season to have an odd number of episodes, the next one being Season 20.
• This was originally planned to be the last season, due to many cartoons at the time ending at the 65th episode. The show's popularity prevented it from ending, so it was renewed for a Season 4.
• Many of this season's episodes have the plot of the first and second segments related to each other. Examples include "Buster's Back/The Ballad of Buster Baxter", "The Chips are Down/Revenge of the Chip", and "Binky Rules/Meet Binky".
• The Brain's voice is noticeably more mature in this season because Luke Reid is getting older though Luke Reid would continue voicing the character throughout Season 4. D.W's voice also got a little mature due to Michael Caloz getting older, as this was the last season he voiced D.W. At the end of this season, Michael Caloz's voice became deep enough that he was replaced by Oliver Grainger in the next season.