The Long, Dull Winter

"The Long, Dull Winter"
Season/Series:	3
Number in season:	15B
Original Airdate:	January 1, 1999 May 31, 1999
Credits
Written by:	Joe Fallon
Storyboard by:	Jeremy O'Neill
Episodes
Previous "Arthur and D.W. Clean Up"	Next "D.W.'s Library Card"
Read transcript

"The Long, Dull Winter" is the second half of the fifteenth episode in the third season of Arthur.

Summary

Arthur and his friends are feeling dreary, but can't put a finger on why. It eventually dawns on them that their listless feeling is a result of the fact that there have been no major holidays in quite some time, so they plan to try inventing a new one.

Plot

It's winter in Elwood City, and time seems to be going by especially slowly. Arthur and his friends feel gloomy and wonder what's wrong. Then they realize the problem: there haven't been any holidays recently. So, everyone begins trying to figure out a new holiday.

D.W. wants the holiday to be Pony Day. Grandma Thora recalls the time the Graf Zeppelin flew over Elwood City. Arthur searches on.

Buster's idea is Give Me Candy Day, where everyone gives candy to him, and then he gives the remainder of what he ate to all the little children.

Francine thinks a holiday should be about relaxing and having fun, so they should have a holiday special.

Brain's idea is Igneous Rock Day, because he thinks a holiday should be about something that lasts for all time. Binky's idea is to have 24 hours of nonstop fireworks. Muffy doesn't care what the holiday is; she just wants to sell merchandise.

Arthur says that all of their ideas are too commercial, and it's not what a holiday is all about. Afterwards, they realize there is a holiday coming up: Valentine's Day. The episode finishes with Arthur finding out that D.W.’s idea of “Pony Day” was published in the newspaper. Binky mentions to Arthur he has a whole year to think of a new holiday.

Characters

Major

• Arthur Read
• Buster Baxter
• Francine Frensky
• Muffy Crosswire
• Brain
• Binky Barnes

Minor

• Sue Ellen Armstrong
• Fern Walters
• D.W. Read
• Thora Read
• Mary Moo Cow
• Kate Read

Cameo

• Jane Read
• Alex
• Prunella Deegan
• George Lundgren
• Fletcher
• 4th Grade Male Rabbit
• Edwin
• Lisa
• James MacDonald
• Emily
• Kyle
• Maryann
• Liam
• Amanda Hulser
• Maria Pappas
• Lucy
• 3rd Grade Female Aardvark
• 3rd Grade Male Cat
• 3rd Grade Male Dog (Number 3)
• Jenna Morgan
• 3rd Grade Male Rat
• 3rd Grade Female Aardvark (Number 2)

Songs

• "There's Nothing To Do Today Day"

Trivia

• This is the last episode to air on PTV Park before it rebranded to PBS Kids.
• This is the last episode to use the 1993-99 PBS Kids logo with the P-Pals holding the e/i balloon.
• This episode was going to be the series finale of the show since many other cartoons at the time concluded after their 65th episode, but PBS decided to renew it for Season 4.
• In "The Play's the Thing", George was able to balance Binky on the see-saw, so this see-saw might have been frozen stuck, and Binky was tricking them.
• Buster is drawing a picture of Arthur at the beginning.
• This episode is the opposite of "The Short, Quick Summer".
• In the movie Arthur and Buster watch, the animation of the building being demolished is recycled from "D.W.'s Baby."
• A different flashback of little Thora seeing a zeppelin was shown in “Clarissa is Cracked”.
• This is the last episode where Michael Caloz voices D.W. before his departure from the show due to reaching puberty.
  • This is also the last episode to use hand drawn animation.
• Moral: Just because someone's ideas are about her/himself instead of something important doesn't mean you have to reject her/his ideas for your own personal benefit.

Production notes

• This is the last episode in which Peter Alves is the post-production supervisor.
• This is the last episode in which Louise Marach is the production accountant.

Errors

• At the beginning in Mr. Ratburn's classroom, Prunella can be seen sitting at a desk even though she is supposed to be in fourth grade. This is the second time after "Locked in the Library!"

Cultural references

• The Kid Who Got Clothes for Christmas is a spoof on A Charlie Brown Christmas, as the dog is wearing Charlie Brown's shirt.
• In the movie, the Stone Age man throwing a bone in the air is a reference to a similar scene in 2001: A Space Odyssey.
• The LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin, named after the inventor of zeppelins, visited New York State in October 1928 and again in August 1929.
• In Binky's imagine spot about fireworks, a sound recording of Big Ben chiming is used for the park's clock tower.

Home Video

DVD

• Arthur: The Complete Series 4

Gallery

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  Hairy Mary's Scary Hairy Halloween-O-Rama Boo!

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  The Kid Who Got Clothes For Christmas