Arthur's New Friend

"Arthur's New Friend"
Original Airdate:	April 25, 2000 (release date)
Credits
Written by:	Peter K. Hirsch
Episodes
Previous N/A	Next "Special: Arthur's Perfect Christmas"

Arthur's New Friend is a video produced by Kideo.

Product description

Winner of the iParenting Media award, Arthur will star with your child in the first ever photo personalized DVD! Watch your child, Arthur, DW, Buster, and the Gang as they remember the time they planned a special party for your child! Experience the adventures that your child goes on with Arthur and hear him say your child’s name again and again!

Plot

The short starts with Arthur looking for his photo album in his drawers and under the bed. Then D.W. shows up and tells Arthur it's time to read Hopalong The Frog to her because he had promised. Then D.W. notices the viewers and tells them maybe they read Hopalong the Frog. Arthur then tells her to go bug Mom and Dad, he and gives her his pizza slice. After D.W. leaves, Arthur finds his scrapbook and shows the viewers pictures of him with Pal and the President. He also showed them one picture of his new friend and remembers that day.

After the title card, Arthur gets a letter from the mailman saying his new friend is coming. So he decides to give a party. At school, Buster suggests a space-themed party, and Muffy suggests a medieval-themed party. Francine suggests a sports party, Sue Ellen suggests a karate party, Binky suggests a music party, and Mr. Ratburn suggests a book of Brain Teasers. After school, Brain suggests a day with his new friend. At home, Arthur starts to worry about his decisions on what to do. Then his friends show up and get ready for the party. Even David makes a chocolate cake. Then Arthur's new friend shows up, and D.W. takes a picture.

We shift back to the opening scene and Arthur thanks his new friend for a good time. Then D.W. comes in and plays the song F-U-N by Mary Moo Cow, which annoys Arthur, and the short ends with the latter chasing the former.

Characters

• Arthur Read
• You
• D.W. Read
• Pal
• Mr. Higgins
• Jane Read
• David Read
• Kate Read
• Pickles the Clown
• Binky Barnes
• Muffy Crosswire
• Sue Ellen Armstrong
• Francine Frensky
• The Brain
• The Great Zamboni
• Buster Baxter
• Troll (Arthur's New Friend)
• Dragon
• Prunella Deegan
• Nigel Ratburn
• George Lundgren (cameo)
• Two reporters (cameo)
• Brainy Ailens (cameo)
• 3-Eyed Aliens (cameo)
• Fern Walters (cameo)
• Alex (cameo)
• Maria Pappas (cameo)
• Bionic Bunny (cameo)
• President (mentioned and pictured)

Songs

• F-U-N
• Party in Space
• Mozart's duet for clarinet and xylophone
• Let's Hang Out
• Believe in Yourself (kazoo instrumental)

Trivia

• Philip Penalosa provided Arthur's singing voice for this episode. He would be singing once again for songs in Arthur's Perfect Christmas.
• This special is different from the other specials of Arthur, because this special lasts 18 minutes.
• This is the first Arthur production to feature Steven Crowder as the Brain. He continued to voice him throughout seasons 5 and 6.
• This special episode is a direct-to-video release only; it never aired on television. Each video was customized using a viewer-submitted photo and first name, which were used throughout the episode.
• 4th wall break: During the real party, Binky is playing the Arthur theme song, "Believe in Yourself", on the kazoo.
• Timeline:
  • Hopalong the Frog from "D.W.'s Library Card" is seen again.
  • D.W. uses her Polaroid camera from "Arthur's First Sleepover"
  • D.W. uses her CD player from "Play it Again, D.W.".
  • Arthur shows photos of when Pal was a puppy and when he met the president.

Cultural references

• During Buster's "Space Party" fantasy, Brain's costume resembles Spock from Star Trek.
• Binky's costume for the "Space Party" was Saturn.
• Muffy says that if the other guests do not like her party idea, Arthur should "let them eat cake", a phrase commonly misattributed to Marie Antoinette.
• Binky's music ideas are "Mozart's duet for clarinet and xylophone" and "Beethoven's concerto for 20 kazoos".

Episode connections

• Muffy was wearing a princess dress and hat from "Sue Ellen's Lost Diary", and will wear it again in Arthur's Perfect Christmas.
• Binky being cast as the villain in Muffy's fantasy is similar to Arthur, Buster, and Brain's stories in "Arthur's Faraway Friend" and "The Ballad of Buster Baxter".
• D.W. bangs on a pot to wake up Arthur, similar to what she did in "Arthur and the Crunch Cereal Contest" and "Arthur's Chicken Pox".
• D.W. wants to play Tower of Cows and Confuse the Goose.
• When Jane puts a picture of You on the wall, her line, "Okay?" was recycled from the episode, "D.W. All Wet".

Gallery

Promotional images

• 

Screenshots

• 

  This is Andy on Arthur Wiki.