What's in a Name?

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"What's in a Name?"
Season/Series:	15
Number in season:	7b
Original Airdate:	April 6, 2012 May 23, 2013 January 26, 2011 October 16, 2010 December 31, 2012
Credits
Written by:	John Marsh
Storyboard by:	Gerry Capelle Robert Yap
Episodes
Previous "Prunella the Packrat"	Next "Muffy's Classy Classics Club"
Read transcript

"What's in a Name?" is the second half of the seventh episode in the fifteenth season of Arthur.

Summary

Muffy threatens to reveal Binky's real name, Shelley, after she thinks his winning the class award for most improved student is undeserved after she got week-long recess timeout for using her phone during his speech.

Plot

Arthur is busy when D.W. brings in a new stuffed animal and she makes him help her name her stuffed animal. Arthur goes over how it's an elaborate process, and as such, D.W. must be blind-folded and spun around, then the first letter of the first thing she sees will be the first letter of the objects name. Then she drinks milk with cinnamon and chants random words before kicking her legs and sipping the drink through her curly straw. She then takes a nap with the doll under the pillow where she proceeds to dream of the doll or stuffed animal. Arthur mentions then she eventually gets a name. The penguin shall be named Xeno! Arthur then asks why names are so important to some people.

What's In a Name?

Mr. Ratburn, holding a trophy shaped like a lightbulb inside a laurel wreath, announced a second Thinky award for the semester due to a student's significant improvement. George excitedly believed he'd won, but Mr. Ratburn corrected him, reminding him of his previous Thinky. To George's disappointment, he sat back down.

Meanwhile, Binky was doodling in his notebook. Mr. Ratburn called his attention, and Binky claimed he was working on math. Surprisingly, Mr. Ratburn revealed that Binky had won the award for his improved grades and focus. Binky was overjoyed, but Muffy scoffed at his achievement. Mr. Ratburn noticed Binky's positive behavior and asked him to share a few words. As Binky thanked his friends, Muffy rudely interrupted with her cellphone. Binky demanded her silence.

Mr. Ratburn scolded Muffy for repeated phone use that day, noting it had happened four times. As a consequence, he confiscated her phone, gave her a week-long recess timeout, and assigned extra work. Muffy was shocked. When the bell rang for recess time, the kids began to leave. Mr. Ratburn told Binky he could finish his speech on Monday. As Muffy was about to leave for recess with the others, Mr. Ratburn reminded her of her timeout, which started immediately. Disappointed, Muffy sat back down. Binky shrugged as he walked past her, leaving Muffy feeling upset.

During recess, Muffy stood by the window, watching the other kids enjoy themselves outside at the playground. She sighed and turned to her task of stapling papers at Mr. Ratburn's desk. Just then, Mr. Haney entered the room. He expressed surprise that Muffy would choose to stay inside on such a beautiful day, unaware that she got punished. He joked about the perfect weather and the upcoming rain. Muffy, however, still remained upset. Mr. Haney handed her a class list, asking her to verify the names. As Muffy checked the list, she spotted her own name and then noticed a familiar one: Shelley Barnes. A mischievous smile appeared on her face as she realized who Shelley Barnes was.

At the end of the day she sits in her limo as Binky walks by. She then confronts him over it, but Binky denies this accusation and she shows him the class list to prove how right she is. It is then Muffy threatens to reveal his name on Monday.

At home, Mrs. Barnes even tells him that his name is really Shelley. Binky is noticeably upset and mentions how annoyed he is by being named Shelley. She tries to tell him that she will keep it a secret and right away Binky sends a message to Muffy and asks her what she wants in order to keep his secret a secret. Unfortunately, he is unable to provide either thing and he lays in bed that night imagining what everybody will do when they hear of his real name. He expects that everybody will mock him, including Mr. Ratburn.

It is then Mrs. Barnes comes into the room with some food. She then shows him a very old photo of his great grandfather: Shelley Barnes.

Binky asks her about his position in the circus and she mentions he eventually owned the circus. Originally he was in a, somewhat-bad circus and nobody really had fun. While nine years old, Shelley would help the trapeze artist prepare, a heartbroken clown, the lion tamer as his apprentice. Eventually nobody would come anymore and one day while on a walk, Shelley found his talent! He became known as the world's strongest boy and with all of the money they were making, they managed to fix the problems. Such as providing a real, friendly lion, a trapeze artist partner, and they gave the old lion (a cat) to the sad clown. So Shelley saved the circus.

Binky begins to feel a happier now, knowing how amazing his ancestor was and soon the following Monday he resumes his speech. But not before Muffy interrupts and asks to introduce Binky, really planning on giving away his secret. However, she then quits, stating that she was never really going to spoil his secret. At the front of the class Binky then reveals it himself! Arthur questions this and Binky explains how he just found out his real name was Shelley. But he still wishes to be known as Binky, but maybe someday he will become Shelley.

Characters

• Binky Barnes
• Muffy Crosswire
• Arthur Read
• The Brain
• George Lundgren
• Nigel Ratburn
• Francis Haney
• Mrs. Barnes
• Wally
• D.W. Read (intro only)
• Buster Baxter(cameo)
• Francine Frensky(cameo)
• Sue Ellen Armstrong(cameo)
• Fern Walters(cameo)
• Jenna Morgan(cameo)
• Alex(cameo)
• Maria Pappas(cameo)
• Otis(cameo)
• Thora Read (mentioned in fantasy)

Trivia

• This episode is not to be confused with the Barney & Friends episode of the same name.
• This episode is one of the few in the series to feature non-mammalian anthropomorphic animal characters, as there are bird-people in the flashback to the life of Binky's great-grandfather
• Moral:
  • Don't make fun of other peoples names for your own benefits.
  • Don't give people silly names for your own benefits.
  • Don't keep a secret from other people for your own benefits.

Episode connections

• The ending uses music from the Trucks movie from "The Agent of Change."
• In this episode, George thinks he's won the "Thinky," until Mr. Ratburn corrects him to say Binky was the actual winner. This is a subversion of the ongoing running gag in which George tends to win most awards and contests.
  • George had already won the "Thinky" in the episode "The Trouble with Trophies."

Cultural references

• D.W.'s naming ceremony is somewhat similar to a Sikh's naming ceremony as she or he has to point to a random thing which will be the first letter of the toy's name but in Sikhism she or he have to open the holy book at a random page and the first letter on that page will be the first letter of the baby's name.

Gallery

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  Main images

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  Shelly Barnes

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  1507b New Title Card

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  1507b Title Card