American-Canadian animated series
Arthur is a Canadian/American animated educational television series for children, created by Cookie Jar Group (formerly known as Cinar) and WGBH for PBS. The show is set in the fictional American city of Elwood City, and revolves around the lives of 8-year-old Arthur Read, an anthropomorphic aardvark,[3] his friends and family, and their daily interactions with each other.
The television series is based on the Arthur book series, which are written and illustrated by Marc Brown. WGBH Boston along with Cinar (now Cookie Jar Group) began production of the animated series in 1994, and aired its first episode on September 2, 1996. Since its debut, the show has broadcast 217 30-minute long episodes, and its 18th season premiered on September 29, 2014. With 217 episodes, Arthur is the second longest running show on PBS Kids, behind only Sesame Street.
A pilot for the spin-off series Postcards from Buster aired on December 2003 as a season 8 episode of Arthur. Postcards from Buster aired from October 11, 2004 to November 21, 2008, when the series faced several years of hiatus, until a brief revival in February 2012.
Arthur often deals with important issues families face such as asthma, dyslexia, cancer, and Asperger syndrome. It also encourages reading and relationships with family and friends by explaining that people have different personalities and interests.
Arthur became one of the highest-rated shows on PBS Kids for several years since its debut, averaging almost 10 million viewers weekly in the U.S. It is aired in a total of 83 countries; PBS in the United States, Radio-Canada, Knowledge, TVO, and CBC in Canada, several ABC channels in Australia, and BBC One/CBBC in the UK. It is the longest-running children's animated series in the U.S., and the second longest-running animated series in the U.S., behind The Simpsons.[4] Although Arthur is directed primarily toward a child and preteen audience, over the years it has gained a substantial cult following among older viewers.[5]
