Follow the Bouncing Ball

"Follow the Bouncing Ball"
Season/Series:	14
Number in season:	6a
Original Airdate:	April 22, 2011; September 19, 2011; November 1, 2010;
	Credits
Written by:	Peter K. Hirsch
Storyboard by:	Ivan Tankushev
	Episodes
Previous; "Pet Projects"	Next; "Buster Baxter & the Letter from the Sea"
	Read transcript

"Follow the Bouncing Ball" is the first half of the sixth episode in the fourteenth season of Arthur.

Summary[edit]

Alberto's beloved soccer ball - signed by his favorite Ecuadorian soccer star, El Boomerang - is lost! Is it the same soccer ball bounding all over town, eluding potential captors?

Plot[edit]

Arthur, Buster, Francine, Muffy, and Brain walk around and look at dinosaurs, and Muffy takes a picture of one. Brain warns her that they can't interact with the dinosaurs, and they must stay within a certain path to avoid changing the future. A box of raisins accidentally falls out of Buster's pocket while the others are about to return to the present, so Buster returns to take it back. When Arthur, Buster, Francine, Muffy, and Brain return to the present through a locker at school, they are shocked to discover that they are half-lizard, and Mr. Ratburn calls them in to take a fly-catching class. Arthur then points out to the viewers that one small action can change a lot, and then he eats a fly and comments, "Mmm. Tasty!"

Follow the Bouncing Ball

After the title card, George is seen setting up dominoes to break a record, with Buster videotaping it, but Francine kicks a soccer ball and accidentally sets them off, causing George to yell, "No!". Buster gets mad at Francine, saying that George was about to set a record. Muffy, who is also passing through, gives George a coupon for his pain and suffering: "10% off wiper fluid at Crosswire Motors". The tape in Buster's video camera then runs out. Muffy then explains to Buster and George that whenever Francine gets a new soccer ball, she likes to score a goal right away.

At the soccer field, Muffy accidentally blocks the ball that Francine kicks. It rolls into some tall grass, and when Francine goes to search for it, she finds a ball that's dirty. Alberto runs into the grass as well, and takes Francine's soccer ball without realizing it.

Arthur watches Alberto doing tricks with his soccer ball. Alberto then looks for the writing on his ball, El Boomerang, but is unable to find it. He decides to go back to the park to look for it.

It turns out that Francine is looking for her brand new soccer ball as well. She is unable to find it and wonders if El Boomerang belongs to whoever took her ball. Vicita runs back with Alberto, telling him that she saw Muffy with El Boomerang.

At the Ice Cream Shop, Brain helps Francine figure out who the ball belonged to, stating that whoever signed it was a lefty. Buster then walks in, still angry about her wrecking George's dominoes, but Francine responds that he didn't look upset. Buster then plays the video for her at his house and shows that George was really upset, and Francine also notices Alberto and his dad in the video. She runs out to go and ask them, and Buster throws El Boomerang to Francine. She misses, and the soccer ball bounces throughout Elwood City, finally ending up in the back of a truck.

Alberto explains to Francine the history of El Boomerang, and Francine starts feeling bad about losing it. She offers her new ball to Alberto, but he declines, saying that it should go to someone who really needs it. Francine decides to give the ball to George, who is setting up more dominoes at his house, as an apology. George puts the soccer ball on a shelf, but it rolls off and knocks over his dominoes again. As George screams "No!" once again, Francine and Muffy wonder about where El Boomerang is. The ball is still in the back of the truck, and it falls off and bounces down the street, finishing the episode.

Characters[edit]

Trivia[edit]

Killer's whimper when the ball rolls to her is one of Pal's stock whimpers.
The audio of Thora shouting "Oh!" is reused from the episode "Bleep".
Running Gag: George saying "No!"
Timeline: Alberto's soccer ball, El Boomerang, appears in episodes following this one until "The Long Road Home".

Cultural references[edit]

Muffy and Vicita misunderstand each other, because in Ecuador (and nearly every country outside North America) football (or fútbol) refers to association football rather than American football. Muffy then mentions handball, which also refers to a different sport outside North America.
The opening scene is based on A Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury.

Errors[edit]

When George moans in present time, there is no sign of Alberto or his father, but on Buster's video, both of them are there.
The Spanish spelling of boomerang is actually bumerang.
During the cold open, when Muffy tries to get the Apatosaurus pack's attention, her right arm disappears for a split-second.
Lizards do not catch insects with their tongues.
In the close-up shot of Muffy holding El Boomerang while Francine searches for her ball, "El" is missing from the signature.