Stolen Bike

"Stolen Bike"
Season/Series:	1
Number in season:	29B
Original Airdate:	November 14, 1996 February 13, 1997 January 22, 2002
Credits
Written by:	Kathy Waugh
Storyboard by:	Angus Bungay
Episodes
Previous "My Club Rules"	Next "Arthur's First Sleepover"
Read transcript

"Stolen Bike" is the second half of the twenty-ninth episode in the first season of Arthur. It was later adapted into the book The Mystery of the Stolen Bike.

Summary

Francine is so determined to get a shiny new bike that she finally decides to let her old one get "stolen."

Plot

The episode opens up at school with Arthur and all of his friends hanging out until Francine tells everyone to move aside and gets into her bike. Arthur remembers when Francine was on two wheels and all of the rest of them were riding tricycles back when they were little kids.

He then tells the viewers that there one problem with Francine's bike: she has outgrown it, to which Francine yelps in pain as she rides it off the screen.

Title Card

The Frenskys are having dinner, but Francine's mom informs her that they can't afford a new bicycle for her until next year. Francine reacts sorrowfully and insists that it's unfair, then exclaims that she will "die" without a bike, which shocks Francine's dad. He tells her not to give up and be brave. When Catherine says, "Oh, Dad, grow up," Oliver says that she's right. He then had an idea.

They went down into the basement and there Oliver Frensky tells Francine to hold that flashlight still. He then presents to her new bike, which apparently has seen better days and blows the dust off. He tells her the he rode this to school every day and it was in great shape and Francine thanked her dad for her new bike since she thinks it's big enough but her Dad says there's one or two things he wants to check out, such as the brakes. He was then seen riding it out in the park.

The very next day, Buster puts a lock on his bicycle at School until Francine arrives with her bike. Then Muffy arrives on her bike and asks bluntly to Francine what she's riding on, to which the latter replies that it's her new bike. Buster adds in by wondering what century the bike came from. Muffy brags to Francine that she couldn't get one like hers when she brought out a security remote, but Francine did told Muffy she just got this one until the basket came loose and separated itself.

At class, Mr. Ratburn shows the Classmates a slideshow about the history about the Wheel, and he asks anyone early sumerians might have done with their new wheel. then Buster got out his desk, raise his hand up until his shadow appear on the screen and he answers "Built Frensky's Bicycle?" which made everyone in the classroom laugh. Then Muffy tells Buster to stop picking on Francine and then her shadow appeared on the screen as well.

after class, Francine then decided to hide her new bicycle into a pile of garbage and puts it by the bushes and will come back for it until all of her friends show up. Muffy ask where we're you and Buster ask why she has leaves in her hair and Arthur asks where's her bike. but then she told them it was somewhere and she feels like walking and Arthur told Francine that they'll be at the Sugar Bowl.

that night Francine was in bed throwing back at her ball until her dad appears and ask her about that bike and he ask if she's alright and Francine told his dad why he should have got her a new one, but Oliver Frensky told her they don't have enough money and kiss her good night.

the next day, Francine was walking to school until she was shocked to see her bike get thrown away to the garbage truck and she think that bike just belongs out to the dump. then Arthur and Buster came back in their bikes and ask her to do wheelies before school starts but she can't because of her bike got stolen, at class Brain told Francine if he was sure her bike was stolen while she end up drawing a donkey on a note pad. then Sue Ellen and Muffy heard about Francine's Bike that got stolen and she thinks it was pretty old, Buster tells Muffy not to panic after she thought it was an antique and Brain suggest to tell Mr. Haney.

at Mr. Haney's Office, he explains how Francine's Bike got stolen. then we get an Imagine spot that Francine was on bike to her way home to do some chores until she was being chase by a Garbage Truck with a big claw and Francine was trap by the two evil sanitary people and escape from the clutches of the truck itself and drove off when the imagine spot ends with a puff of smoke. Mr. Haney had no idea these kind of trucks we're roaming the streets of Elwood City, then Francine ask him if she can go home now since she don't feel well.

as Francine was walking home from school, Arthur and Buster think there was something fishy about Francine's story. Muffy thinks the bike eating truck was fishy, Brain thinks Francine musn't want to find out who really took her bike and Buster points out thinking that is somebody they all know.

the Frensky's we're in the living room watching Bionic Bunny on Televison while Catherine paints her nails and once heard about that robbers on helicopters thing and she believes it while mrs. Frensky brought out a bowl of popcorn and told her that she was having a tough day and she's not helping. then Francine tells her mom to forget about it and her Dad told her how she feels and he thinks it will find his way back somehow and Catherine tells him that it's a bike not a dog. while Francine was about to brush her teeth, she sees Catherine in the mirror and tells her to go away, and tells Francine how she chase those robbers; then Francine reply that she was lost and wander around with amnesia until she hit her head on a rock and all her memory came back, then Catherine tells her that was from a movie that they saw last week and she'll have to do better than that if she wants a new bike. Francine then went to her dad and told him good night while he was looking though there some papers and ask him something else but she was alright with that.

The next day, Francine was walking to school until she pass by her friend Muffy and Buster thinking what happened to her bike. Buster thinks that some guys swiped Francine's Bike and shows her a wanted poster with Binky Barnes on it and a reward for $1.00 and Buster thinks it had to be binky and who else is big enough to steal a bike and Francine tells him to forget about it and Muffy tells her there only trying to help.

On the Playground, the kids gather around Muffy to know about Francine's Stolen Bike thinking that Binky was the one to blame and it's up to them to make a confession by threating him, then everyone just whistle while no one wasn't interesting in volunteering until Arthur points out to Muffy that Binky Barnes was approaching and everyone gasp, just until Binky stared right into Muffy's face right until he answers Muffy's question that he didn't steal Francine's bike and he didn't do it at all, then Muffy wonders who did and it turns out that it was Francine all along. She told her that she didn't steal it she just threw it away and told Muffy to Binky alone and everyone cheered until now Muffy thinks everyone hates her thanks to Francine.

Francine then went to the dump in search of her bicycle until at last her dad found it, since now that the thieves got scared and throw it into the trash. Francine told him that it was her not some thieves, he ask why she did it and it was because she didn't want anybody to make fun of her, since now that she didn't hurt his feelings and apologizes. Francine then asks her dad if he did ride that bike to school and then says, "How about it, Dad? All it needs is some paint."

Oliver thinks for a bit, and then says, smiling, "What are we waiting for?"

Days later, Catherine and Mrs. Frensky went out to see a very special surprise that was waiting outside. Mr. Frensky then gives out a speech to Francine's new and completely restored bicycle and presents the moment of truth, the test drive. Francine gives her dad her bike helmet, and tells him to go first. His wife tells him to be careful and Catherine tells him "Don't let anyone see you."

He tells them not to worry, and that he'll just take it for a little spin around the block, just to make it sure it's absolutely safe. He then does exactly that, and the episode finishes.

Characters

• Francine Frensky
• Arthur Read
• Buster Baxter
• Muffy Crosswire
• The Brain
• Oliver Frensky
• Catherine Frensky
• Sue Ellen Armstrong
• Binky Barnes
• Nigel Ratburn
• Laverne Frensky
• Francis Haney
• Fern Walters (cameo)
• George Lundgren (cameo)
• Jenna Morgan (cameo)
• Prunella Deegan (cameo)
• Alex (cameo)
• Maria Pappas (cameo)
• Bionic Bunny (cameo on Frensky's Television Set)

Trivia

• Irony: Francine hates riding her dad's old bike because it's falling apart and decrepit. It turns out that the bike only needed some repairs and a paint job. If Francine had suggested this at the beginning of the episode, she wouldn't have been mocked.
• Karma: Muffy made everyone accuse Binky, so when Francine proved them wrong, they got angry at Muffy.
• Timeline: This episode along with with "Poor Muffy" confirms reasons for Francine's family's poverty, in this one her mother confirms that they don't have the money to buy her a brand new bike.
• Moral: Try to make the best out of a bad present.

Errors

• While Francine is brushing her teeth, the #1 on the front of her pajama top is missing, but reappears after she finishes brushing her teeth.
• Straight after Oliver pulls the cover off of the completely restored bicycle, it is first shown smaller and about the size of Francine's old bicycle she had outgrown, but later shows its actual size.
• Prunella suddenly appears when everyone begins to gang up on Binky. She would not have had time to come in if she weren't there in the first place.

Cultural references

• When Oliver Frensky believes Francine's Bike thinks it will find his way back and Catherine tells him that it's a Bike, not a Dog, Is apparently a reference to the 1940 Novel as well as the 1943 Motion Picture "Lassie Come Home" or the 1961 Novel as well as the 1963 Classic Walt Disney Motion Picture "the Incredible Journey".

Gallery

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  Everyone ganging up on Binky.

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References