PBS Kids is celebrating Arthur as it marks 30 years since the children’s show first premiered in October 1996 and became a cultural phenomenon.
It’s time to walk down the street of memory lane with Arthur.
The PBS Kids’ long-running animated children's TV series about everyone’s favorite anthropomorphic brown aardvark is celebrating its 30th anniversary.
And yes, you don’t need D.W. to confirm that you read that right. It’s been three decades since Arthur first premiered on PBS Kids in October 1996, with PBS Kids running a marathon of fan-favorite episodes to celebrate on Nov. 7 and 8.
“30 years ago, we premiered on @PBSKIDS, and it's been a wonderful kind of time since,” the show’s official Instagram account wrote, reflecting on the show’s legacy. “Thank you for letting us into your homes and communities. Here's to future generations learning to believe in themselves, work together, and make things better!”
The sitcom—based on Marc Brown’s Arthur Adventure children’s book series—followed Arthur Read, his best friend Buster, his sister D.W. and more in their adventures in Elwood City.
While technically a kids’ show, Arthur examined a wide variety of topics beyond doing your homework, such as the struggles of growing up, family dynamics, mental health conditions and, of course, the importance of obtaining a library card.
The series ran for a record-breaking 25 seasons with over 250 episodes before saying goodbye for good in 2022. At the time, Arthur made history as the longest running children’s show in the U.S.
Though millennials were ready to ball their hands in a fist learning the show about their beloved bespectacled character was coming to an end, Arthur signed off with a bittersweet conclusion.
After all, the final episode, titled “All Grown Up,” had fans taking off their glasses to dry their tears as the show fast-forwarded into future, revealing where Arthur and his friends were up to 20 years later.
As for our main character? He became a graphic novelist, with the sitcom becoming meta and unveiling that Arthur was his memoir all along.
While there are no longer new episodes of the children’s program, it’s always a wonderful kind of day to rewatch an episode or two. But most of all, Arthur will never truly leave the cultural conversation, partially thanks to the show living on through memes—something Brown himself has acknowledged.
“I am amazed that these young people who grew up with Arthur, that these characters have stayed with them and made an impression on how they think,” the author told E! News in 2022. “The fact that they're using a character's personality as a reference point in their social media, I find that very interesting. And it makes me pleased that these characters have become that iconic that other people understand what they're saying.”
To see where Arthur and the gang ended up in the series finale, grab your library card and keep reading…
With a 2010 Justin Bieber hair swoosh and a bit of stubble, Arthur is now the author of a graphic novel called—you guessed it—Arthur, which tells the story of his childhood.
Buster is a now a (very tired looking) school teacher.
D.W. is a police officer, and to be honest, it checks out.
Muffy is running for mayor of Elmwood City. She certainly has our vote!
She a fresh new hairdo and large gold hoops, she is now the head of an athletic apparel company.
Arthur may no longer be on TV but Binky sure is!
