Season 1

Season 1 of Arthur premiered in the United States on September 2, 1996 on PBS.

Episodes

Screenshot	Title	Season	Number	Original Airdate
	"Arthur's Eyes"	1	1a	September 2, 1996
	After waking up one morning, D.W finds pictures of Arthur before he had glasses. He tells her the story of when he first started needing glasses and the teasing that followed.
	"Francine's Bad Hair Day"	1	1b	September 2, 1996
	Francine is the most athletic person in Elwood City. So when a new student comes to school, she must choose between following in glamour or following her own personality.
	"Arthur and the Real Mr. Ratburn"	1	2a	September 9, 1996
	Arthur and his friends are horrified when he learns that their 3rd grade teacher will be the infamous Mr. Ratburn. He is described by Prunella as a cruel vampire with hypnotic powers who eats nails for breakfast without milk. When Arthur and Buster investigate, they learn that there is another side to his character.
	"Arthur's Spelling Trubble"	1	2b	September 9, 1996
	Arthur practices for the spelling bee and competes against Prunella and the Brain, last year's winner and the smartest kid in his class, respectively. Even with the support of his family (except for D.W.) he is nervous and becomes more nervous when the Prunella is the only other competitor left. Arthur triumphs in the spelling bee.
	"D.W. All Wet"	1	3a	September 16, 1996
	On a hot summer day, D.W. and her preschool class are taken to the aquarium on a field trip. When a shark swims by the rest of her class, D.W.'s friends hide while she teases it, but when an octopus appears, D.W. is the only one afraid. The Reads go to the seashore to escape from the summer heat and everyone is having a wonderful time, except for D.W. who won't swim because she thinks there are octopi in the water.
	"Buster's Dino Dilemma"	1	3b	September 16, 1996
	Buster and Arthur make a long-awaited field trip to a dinosaur museum. On his own, Buster discovers a fossilized dinosaur footprint and takes it home. Despite it being against museum rules, Buster doesn't want to relinquish his find.
	"D.W.'s Imaginary Friend"	1	4a	September 23, 1996
	D.W. has a new imaginary friend named Nadine who follows her everywhere. When Arthur and Buster find out about a new amusement ride, they don't want D.W. to come along and embarrass them because she would bring Nadine along too.
	"Arthur's Lost Library Book"	1	4b	September 23, 1996
	Everyone loves the Scare-Your-Pants-Off series and the new book is coming out. Arthur is the first to borrow it along with many other books at the same time, but when he collects the library books scattered around the house, he can't find the Scare-Your-Pants-Off book.
	"Arthur's Pet Business"	1	5a	October 7, 1996
	Arthur wants a dog very badly but his parents will not allow him to have one until he proves he is responsible enough. Arthur starts his own pet business to prove he is responsible, which includes watching over the unfriendly dog Perky.
	"D.W. the Copycat"	1	5b	October 7, 1996
	Arthur doesn't like to play with D.W. because she likes "baby" stuff and not the stuff he likes, so D.W. starts acting and dressing like Arthur and following him around, even into the bathroom. Arthur's friends start excluding him because they don't want D.W. around.
	"Locked in the Library"	1	6a	October 14, 1996
	Francine, who has been friends with Arthur since preschool, is mad at him for telling everyone she looks like a marshmallow when she wears a white sweater. Mr. Ratburn assigns both of them to work together on a project on heroes. With Francine still mad at Arthur, they go to the library together to research their project and get locked in for the weekend. As they try to find a way out, they realize their friendship.
	"Arthur Accused!"	1	6b	October 14, 1996
	Arthur is in charge of the fundraiser for the Elwood City Fire Department. He leaves a bags of quarters from the fundraiser for Mrs. McGrady, who is distracted by a phone conversation. When she doesn't receive the quarters, Arthur is accused of stealing all the raised money, giving Buster his first case as a Private Eye.
	"Arthur Goes to Camp"	1	7a	October 21, 1996
	Arthur and his friends go to Camp Meadowcroak where everything is a competition between girls and boys. The final day arrives and Meadowcroak must work together to compete against Camp Horsewater to win the all-camp scavenger hunt.
	"Buster Makes the Grade"	1	7b	October 21, 1996
	Buster's marks continue to fall and he will have to repeat third grade if he doesn't get a B on the next test. Arthur, Francine and Muffy tutor him, but he still doesn't seem interested in studying. After a dream of himself repeating the third grade for the thirty-third time with Mr. Ratburn, he is motivated to study.
	"Arthur's New Puppy"	1	8a	October 28, 1996
	Arthur's new puppy, Pal (from "Arthur's Pet Business"), is exactly what he wanted, but Arthur must train Pal to be a good dog or Pal will have to move out of the house.
	"Arthur Bounces Back"	1	8b	October 28, 1996
	Arthur wants Moon Boots and tries different ways to get money to buy them. His mom wants him to clean the garage for $2. As he is cleaning it, Mrs. Tibble comes by, thinking there's a yard sale and buys a necklace, giving Arthur enough money to buy the Moon Boots. It turns out that the necklace is to be a gift from his dad to his mom and he has to earn the necklace back by doing chores.
	"Arthur Babysits"	1	9a	November 4, 1996
	Arthur thinks that babysitting is the easiest job in the world until D.W. volunteers him to Tommy and Timmy Tibble. Prunella describes her sister's only time babysitting the them as an experience that still gives her nightmares. Arthur can't control the Tibble twins and thinks he loses them while playing hide-and-seek but scares them out of hiding and into a scared but manageable state.
	"Arthur's Cousin Catastrophe"	1	9b	November 4, 1996
	Arthur's family is hosting a family reunion. Arthur spends his time avoiding his cousin Mo because of experiences from past family reunions but finds out that she isn't as bad as he thinks
	"Arthur's Birthday"	1	10a	November 11, 1996
	Arthur and Muffy have their birthday parties on the same day and neither can change the date. This splits the boys and the girls. Arthur and Francine come up with a plan to remedy the situation.
	"Francine Frensky, Superstar"	1	10b	November 11, 1996
	Francine has often had bad roles in school plays where she gets injured. She finally gets a safer role as the lead, when Mr. Ratburn decides they will dramatize the story of Thomas Edison. While she is trying to make the best of a good opportunity for her to shine, she alienates her friends as she studies for the role and bosses them around, leading them to retaliate during dress rehearsal.
	"Arthur's Baby"	1	11a	November 18, 1996
	Arthur and D.W.'s mom is pregnant with their baby sister Kate. Arthur is nervous, wondering what it would be like to have a new baby in the house. When the baby does come, he is worried that the baby hates him, as she always seems to cry when he's around. It's not until Arthur is forced the babysit that he realizes how wrong he is.
	"D.W.'s Baby"	1	11b	November 18, 1996
	Arthur tells D.W how she acted when Kate was born, starting after Kate was brought home for the first time in "Arthur's Baby." D.W. is excited but frustrated when she doesn't get to help with Kate. Kate's crib is moved into D.W.'s room but D.W. soon finds drawbacks to sharing a room with a baby. D.W. soon becomes jealous over the attention Kate is getting. She tries to get rid of Kate. When that doesn't work, she runs away thinking that the family doesn't need her.
	"Arthur Writes a Story"	1	12a	November 25, 1996
	Arthur needs to write a story for homework, so he decides to write about how he got Pal ("Arthur's Pet Business.") He is afraid that no one will like his story after D.W. informs him that it's boring. He begins fictionalizing the events and revising his story using advice from different people, as he tries to write a good story.
	"Arthur's Lost Dog"	1	12b	November 25, 1996
	It is Downtown Day in Elwood City and the Reads are downtown attending the event. They pass a clown carrying balloons. Kate begins to cry and no one knows why, except for Pal who knows she wants a balloon. Pal runs off after a clown to get a balloon, but Arthur thinks he's running away from him.
	"So Long, Spanky"	1	13a	December 2, 1996
	D.W.'s pet bird, Spanky, dies. She leaves a can of flowers on Spanky's grave after his funeral but finds a toad in there. Arthur takes her to the pet store to buy a new pet to replace Spanky, but they don't find one. The toad reappears several more times, following D.W., but she hates the toad since it won't leave her alone. When it doesn't reappear, she realizes that she misses it.
	"Buster's New Friend"	1	13b	December 2, 1996
	Arthur and Buster are doing a project together, but Buster doesn't seem to have the time for the project or for Arthur or anyone else. All he does is talk about his new friend Mike. Arthur decides to return everything related to Buster. At Buster's house they become friends again and he finds out Mike isn't just another kid to replace Arthur.
	"Arthur the Wrecker"	1	14a	December 9, 1996
	Arthur is addicted to a new computer game, Deep Dark Sea, playing even when he shouldn't. When he gets to a new area he's excited about, he calls up Buster. When it appears that they have broken the computer, they look for Brain to help them fix it, but he can't find the problem.
	"Arthur and the True Francine"	1	14b	December 9, 1996
	Muffy and Francine were best friends since second grade, when Muffy was a new student. Muffy and Francine decide to study together for an upcoming math test, but Muffy continually procrastinates, claiming that she knows her addition and subtraction. When the test day comes, Muffy cheats off of Francine's test and claims that she would never cheat, getting Francine into trouble which almost costs her her friendship with Francine.
	"Arthur's Family Vacation"	1	15a	December 16, 1996
	Arthur wants to go back to Camp Meadowcroak (from "Arthur Goes to Camp") with Buster for the summer and tries to get out of the family vacation to the beach. He changes his mind with the mention of lobster and after several impediments, they finally make it to the beach. They lose their hotel reservation and stay in a leaky rundown hotel. Things eventually start to get better.
	"Grandpa Dave's Old Country Farm"	1	15b	December 16, 1996
	Arthur and D.W. go to visit their Grandpa Dave who lives on an old rundown farm. The farm has been in the family for 150 years and Grandpa Dave doesn't want help running it. Arthur and D.W. are concerned by the state of things and try to help him fix up the farm with the help of one Grandpa Dave's friends.
	"Arthur and the Crunch Cereal Contest"	1	16a	January 6, 1997
	Arthur finds an entry form for a jingle writing contest for Crunch Cereal and he's determined to win the year's supply of Crunch Cereal. He starts a band with some of his friends, Mrs. McGrady and Grandma Thora, but he has nothing for them to play. Without a tune, he hears D.W. singing a song about Nadine and plagiarizes it. He feels guilty, later, as he is about to mail it.
	"D.W. Flips"	1	16b	January 6, 1997
	D.W. wants to take gymnastics class after seeing a gymnast on TV, but her mom gives several examples of D.W. never finishing what she wants to do. She gets her way and goes to her first class. Emily is there and D.W. doesn't like her because she seems to do everything perfectly. D.W. is determined to be better than her and ends up making a new friend.
	"Meek for a Week"	1	17a	January 13, 1997
	Muffy bets Francine she can't be nice to everyone for a whole week and she can't tell anyone about why she's being nice. Arthur and his friends are worried when Francine starts acting nice for no apparent reason and are worried she may "pop" if she continues bottling up her anger. They try fruitlessly to diffuse her.
	"Arthur, World's Greatest Gleeper"	1	17b	January 13, 1997
	Arthur and Buster sit at the only available table with the Tough Customers. Buster claims that Arthur is the world's greatest "gleeper" to stop the teasing, only to find out later that "gleep" means "steal." Arthur lets the lie grow into a schoolwide rumor.
	"Arthur's Chicken Pox"	1	18a	January 20, 1997
	Arthur gets chicken pox. D.W. is jealous of the attention and extra freedom he gets while Grandma Thora is taking care of him. In an attempt to regain the lost attention she fakes having chicken pox. In the end D.W. catches the chicken pox from Arthur and ends up missing a family trip to the circus.
	"Sick as a Dog"	1	18b	January 20, 1997
	Pal eats things other than dog food, like pancakes and old gummy worms. He gets ill. Arthur thinks D.W. had something to do with it. Arthur finds out it's the foods Pal has eaten.
	"D.W. Rides Again"	1	19a	January 27, 1997
	D.W. gets a new bike and needs to learn how to use it. Arthur teachers her the basics and she learns to ride by herself without training wheels in time for the bike-a-thon.
	"Arthur Makes the Team"	1	19b	January 27, 1997
	Arthur and his friends are trying out for the baseball team and everyone wants to be the pitcher. Arthur makes the team but he's the worst player. Arthur and Francine, who can't pitch, work together to improve their baseball skills.
	"Arthur's Almost Boring Day"	1	20a	February 3, 1997
	Arthur and his friends are assigned to write about what they do over Saturday, but it rains and ruins plans. Arthur and D.W. are sent over to Grandma Thora's. Without anything better to do, they help her clean out her attic and find some interesting things, including old home movies.
	"The Half-Baked Sale"	1	20b	February 3, 1997
	Arthur's grandmother, Grandma Thora, cannot cook. When she decides to bake cookies for the bake sale, Arthur tries to think up ways to stop her bad cooking from ruining it. He decides to buy all of her cookies before anyone else can. When the janitor finds the cookies in the Janitor's closet, Arthur has to tell the truth.
	"Sue Ellen Moves In"	1	21a	February 10, 1997
	Rumors are circulating about the new family that has moved in and Buster thinks that they may be aliens, even after he's met Sue Ellen. When Buster's mom invites Sue Ellen's over for dinner, he finds out that Sue Ellen isn't an alien, but just a kid who has lived in various places around the world.
	"The Perfect Brother"	1	21b	February 10, 1997
	The Brain is spending the weekend with the Reads because his parents are going to an ice cream convention. Arthur thinks this will be like having a brother around, but the Brain is neat, finishes his homework early, and reads to D.W., making Arthur look bad. However, Arthur discovers that the Brain is not so neat when the Brain invites Arthur over.
	"D.W.'s Snow Mystery"	1	22a	February 17, 1997
	D.W. kept a snowball in the freezer from the best day of her life, but it's missing. Buster, as a detective, investigates, listening to biased accounts of those present the day the snowball disappeared. They argue and accuse each other but everyone, except D.W., lets the incident go as the first snowfall of the year appears.
	"Team Trouble"	1	22b	February 17, 1997
	Arthur, Buster and Francine are assigned to do a group project on Ancient Rome. They discuss how they're going to do the project, each coming up with their own idea and eventually decide to draw a comic book. Each has their own idea of what to draw and after a failure to communicate have a mis-matched comic book. They argue over this and finally realize that they need to work together to finish the project.
	"Bully for Binky"	1	23a	February 24, 1997
	Binky has a reputation for being a bully. He bullies Sue Ellen, who is still a new student ("Sue Ellen Moves In"), and she demands that he apologize. When he doesn't, she challenges him to a fight to settle it. He gets nervous when he finds out she knows Tae Kwon Do. He decides to beat her at music but loses, so he apologizes to her so they wouldn't have to fight.
	"Misfortune Teller"	1	23b	February 24, 1997
	For her half-birthday, Prunella's big sister, Rubella, gives her a cootie catcher. Rubella claims that it can tell the future and the answers it gives do come true. Arthur and his friends begin following the advice of the cootie catcher. When the cootie catcher goes missing and turns up ruined by the washing machine, Arthur and his friends realize that they don't need the cootie catcher to run their lives.
	"Arthur's Tooth"	1	24a	March 3, 1997
	Arthur has a loose tooth, but he is the only one in his class that hasn't lost any of his baby teeth yet. He unsuccessfully tries various ways to get it out so that Francine would stop calling him a baby. Francine, later, unintentionally knocks Arthur's tooth out.
	"D.W. Gets Lost"	1	24b	March 3, 1997
	D.W. wants earrings because her friend, Emily, has earrings. She asks her mom and dad, but they claim her ears will turn green. After D.W.'s persistence, Mrs. Read takes D.W. to shopping for earrings only if she approves of them. While at the superstore, D.W. wanders off when her mom is distracted. Lost, she runs into Emily, whose ears have turned green. Emily directs D.W. back to her mom, who hasn't noticed that she left. D.W. no longer wants earrings.
	"D.W. Thinks Big"	1	25a	March 10, 1997
	At Aunt Lucy's wedding, Arthur is the ringbearer and their dramatic diva cousin Cora is the flower girl, but D.W. is too little to do anything. However, when the wedding ring gets lost in the pipe organ at the wedding, D.W.'s size helps her.
	"Arthur Cleans Up"	1	25b	March 10, 1997
	Arthur and Buster are playing frisbee in the park when their frisbee lands in a polluted fountain. Arthur's dad overhears Arthur and Buster talking about the park and Arthur involuntarily becomes the leader of a cleanup crew of kids. Arthur's friends aren't pleased with the idea after their parents had been informed and don't help him. But with the help of Francine's dad, Mr. Frensky, and a few volunteers, they manage to clean up the park.
	"My Dad, the Garbage Man"	1	26a	April 21, 1997
	Mr. Ratburn's class is going on field trips to several of the students' parents at work to learn about careers. Francine is embarrassed by her dad's job as a garbage man.
	"Poor Muffy"	1	26b	April 21, 1997
	Muffy is allergic to the new carpets in her house, so she decides to stay with Francine while the carpeting is being removed. She brings with her some of the things from her room including TVs, wardrobes, and sculptures. During Muffy's stay, Francine cannot deal with Muffy's spoiled attitude and Muffy cannot handle the less-than-wealthy condition in which Francine's family lives.
	"D.W.'s Blankie"	1	27a	April 28, 1997
	D.W. can't find her blankie and enlists the help of Arthur to search for it, retracing her steps over Elwood City.
	"Arthur's Substitute Teacher Trouble"	1	27b	April 28, 1997
	Mr. Ratburn loses his voice and his sister, Miss Ratburn, substitutes for him. Initially, the class is excited by the easiness of the class, doing things such as reciting the one times table and that yellow and blue make green. They are soon bored and are excited when Mr. Ratburn returns the next day.
	"I'm a Poet"	1	28a	May 19, 1997
	Fern is the only person who volunteers to enter the Poetry Competition, which is will be judged by Jack Prelutsky. When the others start making fun of her, Fern reveals a new side to her quiet character, and challenges them all to write poems for the competition. If they don't succeed, they will be roped into a year's membership of the school Poetry Club.
	"The Scare-Your-Pants-Off Club!"	1	28b	May 19, 1997
	Arthur and his friends get together a petition when they learn that their favorite series of books has been removed from the library. They find out that it's Muffy's parents who want the books banned.
	"My Club Rules"	1	29a	May 26, 1997
	Arthur and his friends create a club to stop D.W. from bothering them. When they can't agree on the rules of their club the club splits. This leads to more disagreements and more clubs created. They eventually come back together, under D.W.
	"Stolen Bike"	1	29b	May 26, 1997
	Francine's bike is too small for her so her dad finds his old bike for her, except she is embarrassed by the rusty old bike. She hides it and pretends it's stolen when it is accidentally taken way by a garbage truck.
	"Arthur's First Sleepover"	1	30a	June 2, 1997
	Arthur has a sleepover with Buster and Brain, even with all the talk of UFOs. D.W. wants to join them so that she can take a picture of a UFO. The boys don't agree. D.W. plays a prank on the boys with fake UFOs in retaliation and vice versa.
	"Arthur's New Year's Eve"	1	30b	June 2, 1997
	Arthur has never stayed up until midnight on New Year's Eve. His friends all have their theories on what occurs when the new year comes. Arthur tries to stay up until New Year's Eve to find out what really happens at midnight.