MARC BROWN

Reflects on the Final Season of Arthur

by Melissa Fales

Arthur, the Emmy-winning, longest-running animated kids’ television show, came to the end of its storied run on February 21, and creator Marc Brown has released a new book to commemorate the occasion. Believe in Yourself: What We Learned from Arthur offers new illustrations as well as a mix of funny and poignant quotes and life lessons that viewers learned along with the popular, perennially 8-year-old aardvark and his friends over the past 25 years. “A few years ago, we made a conscious decision to end the show on year 25,” says Brown. “I knew I was going to do a book to celebrate the series. I knew that I wanted to write it both for the adults who grew up with Arthur and the kids who are just getting to know him. I thought this type of book was the best way to bring that all together. It’s probably as close as I’ll ever get to a memoir.”     

The character of Arthur Read was born over 40 years ago when Brown’s young son asked for a bedtime story about an animal. That story evolved into Arthur’s Nose, the first of the nearly 30 Arthur books Brown has written. PBS produced almost 250 episodes of the Arthur television show. One reason Brown believes Arthur has been so popular is the way children naturally gravitate to the anthropomorphic animals, such as Francine, a monkey, and Buster, a rabbit. “They’re all based on kids in my third-grade class,” says Brown. “That must make them feel real. Arthur has always been only one part of an ensemble cast and I think that reflects the real world. Arthur makes mistakes; a lot of them. And he has to rely on his friends and family for help many times. But kids see that he is a good person and that he has a good heart.”

Another factor Brown attributes to the franchise’s longevity is the high regard it has for children, to the point where Brown says he considers them his bosses. “I think that level of respect helps to make it likeable and watchable for kids,” he says. “We respect the dignity of childhood, and we have a lot of fun with it. We never talk down to kids. And we always tell them the truth.” 

Looking back, Brown says he’s been proud of the way Arthur has tackled some difficult topics, such as racism. “Several years ago, I was in Washington, D.C., for a fundraiser and two tables over from me, I saw Congressman and Civil Rights Activist John Lewis,” says Brown. “I got my nerve up, went over and introduced myself, and asked him if he would consider being a guest star on Arthur.” Lewis appeared in a 2017 episode called “Arthur Takes a Stand,” in which he talked to kids about standing up for what you believe in. A 2019 episode called “Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone” saw Arthur’s teacher, Mr. Ratburn, marrying another man. Brown says these types of real-life scenarios are characteristic of the Arthur brand and its standards of kindness, diversity, and inclusion.  

The title of the keepsake book, Believe in Yourself, alludes to the catchy Arthur theme song, performed by Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers, which Brown believes also factors strongly into the show’s appeal. Brown says he enjoyed selecting the quotes and the lessons to include in Believe in Yourself. “These are the types of things Arthur and his friends have been learning for years,” Brown says. “Things like ‘be nice,’ ‘know who you are,’ ‘it’s not all about you,’ which is something we all have to remember, and of course, ‘believe in yourself.’” 

Brown admits that seeing Arthur come to an end has been bittersweet. “But my God, he says, “it’s been on TV for 25 years. I could never have imagined that we’d have that long of a run.” The success of Arthur is one thing, but Brown says he feels personally successful, too. “True success is doing what you love to do,” he says. “When I was six years old, watching my dad get up and go to a railroad job every day, a job that he truly despised, I made a mental note at that young age that I wanted to get a job I loved. Now it may have taken getting fired from a few jobs for me to get here, but I finally did get a job I love. I feel so lucky that I’m able to say that.” 

Brown assures fans they needn’t worry that Arthur will disappear entirely. PBS will continue to show reruns of Arthur and Brown believes they will stand the test of time. “Arthur will live on, we just won’t be making any new episodes,” he says. “These are not subjects that are going to be going out of date. They are topics that will continue to remain relevant to children for generations to come.”

And fans will have different opportunities to keep up with their favorite aardvark. “We still want to stay engaged with kids and we’re looking for new ways for them to interact with Arthur,” says Brown. “We’re developing a podcast and we’re looking at creating some educational games. We’re even looking at public service announcements to be shown on PBS. There is so much technology out there and we intend to take advantage of it to give Arthur and his friends some new adventures.” 

For more information about Marc Brown and Arthur, visit marcbrownstudios.com.