User:PrettyCoolStairs

Hello there. I am a major fan of Arthur. I have seen every episode at least once and the vast majority several times. I was born just a couple years before the series premiere, so I was practically raised on this show. Seasons 3-4 and 6-7 are my favorites.

While on the Arthur Wikia, I enjoy adding random tidbits of information (character appearances, object appearances). I also like to provide insight about episode connections, since I have seen each episode.

Personally, I'm a mix of George, Brain and Arthur -- I'm reserved, smart, and anxious lol.

Generally, I like to group the seasons as follows: 

* Season 1-2 - setting the stage - nothing really extraordinary here, but there were a few weird/"out there" moments that added to the charm of the show from the very start, along with important events in the series (Mister Rogers as a guest star, introduction of D.W.'s snowball as one of the longest running gags of the show, Buster's multi-episode absence while he traveled)

* Season 3-4: a lot of outstanding stories in this era with iconic episodes (green potato chip, "Having fun isn't hard when you've got a library card," the Woogle fad, the catchy "BINKY" song, Art Garfunkel's musical interludes, "The Blizzard", etc.)

Season 5: weird transition of Arthur's voice, slightly sub-par animation, and fairly plain plots.

Season 6-8: new voices for Arthur and D.W. and new animation/coloring make these years stand out. A few more eventful episodes (the school fire in "April 9th", the school musical in "Elwood City Turns 100!", the introduction of Pal and Kate episodes (whether you like them or not), the infamous "Bleep" episode

Season 9-11: good animation, annoying voices. Some decent stories, but mostly mediocre.

Season 12-15: seriously slacking in the animation department. Stories and plots are hit or miss. Example: When Carl Met George (hit) and In My Africa (miss)

Season 16-19: pains me to watch these seasons as the Flash animation is absolutely horrendous, even as it slowly improves year to year. Arthur and D.W.'s voices hurt my ears in S16-S17. A couple decent episodes, but still hard to watch with stiff animation.

Season 20-23: Continual progression with animation quality. Voices are bearable and storylines are pretty ok. Includes the revival of hour-long specials, which are not entirely that bad either. Shorter seasons yield better stories.

Favorite episodes (work in progress)

My ever-changing list of top episodes per season, usually limited to top 5:

1. Season 1 : Lots of episodes to pick from...
   1. Arthur Accused!
   2. The Half-Baked Sale
   3. D.W. Gets Lost
   4. Poor Muffy
   5. Grandpa Dave's Old Country Farm
   6. Honorable mentions- Arthur's Cousin Catastrophe - D.W.'s Snow Mystery
2. Season 2 : Another superb season.
   1. Draw!
   2. Arthur's Knee
   3. Arthur's Faraway Friend
   4. Love Notes for Muffy
3. Season 3 : Might be my all-time favorite season. So many iconic episodes found in this season.
   1. The Chips are Down/Revenge of the Chip - Interesting pair of episodes. The dynamic between D.W. and Binky is really sweet and funny. Seeing Mom apologize to D.W. for breaking her promise is really mature. It's uncommon to see something like that in a kids show. I like how the two stories are unique yet still closely connected.
   2. Buster's Back/The Ballad of Buster Baxter
   3. Binky Rules/Meet Binky - Good music, good story, good characters. Another good pair
   4. The Return of the King
   5. Arthur's Almost Live Not Real Music Festival
   6. Honorable mentions- And Now Let's Talk to Some Kids - Arthur Rides the Bandwagon/Dad's Dessert Dilemma
4. Season 4 :
   1. The Blizzard
   2. The Contest
   3. Arthur's Big Hit
   4. That's a Baby Show
   5. The Fright Stuff
5. Season 5 : 
   1. Nerves of Steal
   2. Arthur's Family Feud
   3. Sleep No More
6. Season 6 : Interesting episodes that pushed the series into more unusual plots, with improved animation and color!
   1. Sue Ellen Gets Her Goose Cooked/Best of the Nest
   2. The Secret Life of Dogs and Babies (I voted for this episode during the PBS Kids "Vote-a-rama")
   3. D.W.'s Backpack Mishap
7. Season 7 : This is my one of my favorite seasons along with Season 6; essentially any episode could have been top 3.
   1. Elwood City Turns 100!
   2. April 9th
   3. Francine's Split Decision
   4. Don't Ask Muffy
   5. Waiting to Go
8. Season 8 : This is a decent season with several good episodes, but this is where I feel the quality of the series overall starts to head downhill in terms of good character development and realistic stories.
   1. Desk Wars
   2. Bleep
   3. Arthur's Snow Biz
   4. Kiss and Tell
   5. Fernkenstein's Monster
9. Season 9 : I distinctly remember not liking Arthur's new voice ever since this season premiered.
   1. The Law of the Jungle Gym
   2. Emily Swallows a Horse
   3. Three's a Crowd
   4. Arthur Makes Waves
   5. Tipping the Scales
10. Season 10
    1. Flaw and Order
    2. Do You Speak George?
    3. The Squirrels
    4. Buster's Special Delivery
    5. Fern and Persimmony Glitchet
11. Season 11 : Bad season IMO; couldn't pick any other episode worthy of being in top 3 :P
    1. Brain's Shocking Secret
    2. Phony Fern
    3. Dancing Fools
12. Season 12 : New style of animation... slightly messy and not as good, but perhaps more like Season 1's unique, off-model style? My top three for this season are all Frensky-centric episodes :)
    1. The Frensky Family Fiasco
    2. Matchmaker, Match Breaker
    3. Is That Kosher?
13. Season 13 :
    1. When Carl Met George - arguably one of the best episodes of the "modern" seasons.
    2. The Pride of Lakewood
    3. The Great MacGrady - it's a shame this episode is a lost episode because of Lance Armstrong.
14. Season 14 : Probably my least-viewed season. Partially because I think PBS airs it less frequently, and also I just don't really like the season much.
    1. All the Rage
    2. D.W. Unties the Knot
    3. The Long Road Home
15. Season 15 : Interesting season with many episodes being a huge hit while others were downright bad.
    1. Fifteen
    2. Buster the Lounge Lizard
    3. Buster's Carpool Catastrophe
    4. The Butler Did... What?
16. Season 16 : Horrendous animation - stiff movements, inconsistent line thickness, random character color changes. A few good episodes, but the rest are junk with the animation and voice differences.
    1. Get Smart
    2. Night of the Tibble
    3. The Last Tough Customer
17. Season 17 :
    1. Framed!
    2. Opposites Distract
    3. Molina's Mulligan
18. Season 18 :
    1. The Tattletale Frog
    2. The Tardy Tumbler
    3. Shelter from the Storm
    4. Whip. Mix. Blend.
19. Season 19 :
    1. The Last Day (This totally could have served as the Series Finale- very well done)
    2. Mr. Ratburn's Secret Identity (somewhat similar to Arthur's Teacher Trouble, yet still has an excellent story)
    3. Besties
    4. One Ornery Critter
    5. Too Much of a Good Thing
20. Season 20 : Much-improved animation but still stiff in some parts. Better writing, too.
    1. Buster's Second Chance
    2. Cereal
    3. Bunny Trouble
21. Season 21 :
    1. Arthur Takes a Stand - very well done episode, even with a "curriculum-based" objective.
    2. The Master Builders
    3. Take a Hike, Molly
    4. Sue Ellen & the Last Page
22. Season 22
    1. Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone
    2. Muffy's House Guests
    3. The Longest Eleven Minutes
23. Season 23
    1. D.W. and Dr. Whosit
    2. When Duty Calls