History Trivia / Arthur

** Also, as of later, some networks, notably Creator/TheABC and Creator/{{CBBC}}, seem to be splitting episodes in half, doubling episode count but halving the episode runtime. Needless to say, when this is done the "A Word from Us Kids" segment is removed.

** The original dubbed version of season 6 with Arthur's Justin Bradley voice is hard to find on TheInternet, but never actually lost. It's actually kept by other English-speaking television networks, including Creator/TheBBC in the [[UsefulNotes/UnitedKingdom UK]]. It's also heard on some Platform/{{DVD}} releases. To this day, Creator/{{PBS}} airings of season 6 in the [[UsefulNotes/UnitedStates US]] retain Bradley's voice on the Descriptive Video Service ([[UsefulNotes/AudioDescription DVS]]) audio track for the visually-impaired, although it is sometimes overlayed by the DVS narrator.

** In UsefulNotes/LatinAmerica, the series stopped being dubbed and broadcast after season 5 for unknown reasons, but years later, the movie ''WesternAnimation/ArthursMissingPal'' was dubbed for the region using a completely different voice cast. This, alongside its lack of publicity since only the now-defunct cable channel ZAZ, the Latin American versions of Creator/CartoonNetwork and Creator/{{Boomerang}} (for a short time), and the [[UsefulNotes/{{Mexico}} Mexican]] public channel Canal Once have aired the series, makes it unknown in the region despite its popularity and longevity in the UsefulNotes/UnitedStates, with most Latin Americans only knowing about the series due to its Internet memes. Creator/{{PBS}} also has a SAP track on many of their stations in select markets that may carry the show's [[UsefulNotes/{{Spain}} Spanish]] dub... or your station may carry [[UsefulNotes/AudioDescription DVS]] instead.

* TechnologyMarchesOn:
** Unavoidable, seeing that the show is a LongRunner. Seasons aired during [[UsefulNotes/TheNineties the '90s]] showed Muffy being the only kid who had a cell phone due to her wealth, but as cell phones became more commonplace, the cast all eventually got them. Muffy now has [=WiFi=], while Mr. Ratburn continues to struggle with basic computing... at least until he gets himself a "[[BlandNameProduct BoysenBerry]]" and finally figures it all out.

* EarlyBirdRelease: The episode "Whip. Mix. Blend./Staycation" was released on a UsefulNotes/{{DVD}} in January 2015 before it aired on television in any country. The episode's first proper [[UsefulNotes/UnitedStates American]] broadcast was in September of that same year.

** The show has been screwed in certain countries, notably UsefulNotes/{{Malaysia}}. Thus, subsequent seasons became NoExportForYou. Only season 7 (under the name "Sleepovers, Sports and More"), season 10, season 11, season 22 (under the name "Arthur Celebrates Community"), and season 25 (under the name "Believe In Yourself!") received boxset releases in the UsefulNotes/UnitedStates, and S1-3 are only available on UsefulNotes/{{DVD}} in the [[UsefulNotes/UnitedKingdom UK]] (confusingly enough, the second season is split across two boxsets without any proper indication, which can lead one to believe they span the first four seasons, despite the fact that the Series 2 and 3 sets are both season 2). Only selected episodes from earlier seasons are available on DVD.

** The original dubbed version of season 6 with Arthur's Justin Bradley voice is hard to find on TheInternet, but never actually lost. It's actually kept by other English-speaking television networks, including Creator/TheBBC in the [[UsefulNotes/UnitedKingdom UK]]. It's also heard on some UsefulNotes/{{DVD}} releases. To this day, Creator/{{PBS}} airings of season 6 in the [[UsefulNotes/UnitedStates US]] retain Bradley's voice on the Descriptive Video Service ([[UsefulNotes/AudioDescription DVS]]) audio track for the visually-impaired, although it is sometimes overlayed by the DVS narrator.
** The second hour-long special, ''Arthur: It's OnlyRockNRoll'' only aired a small handful of times when it was originally released, got one single VHS and UsefulNotes/{{DVD}} release, and has never been seen since. Compounding it is the fact that the DVD version is very rare, thanks to it still being released in the format's formative years. An [[EnforcedTrope Enforced]] example, due to the Music/BackstreetBoys' co-starring role that would be completely lost on children today.

* KidsMealToy: In 2008, it got a [[UsefulNotes/CompactDisc CD-ROM]] game, a phone calculator, stickers, and a stationary kit at UsefulNotes/{{Wendys}}.
* LimitedSpecialCollectorsUltimateEdition: InUniverse, there is a spoof of the ''[[Film/TheLordOfTheRings Lord of the Rings]]'' Special Edition Director Cut UsefulNotes/{{DVD}} boxset, that Buster watched in S12's "The Chronicles of Buster". The DVD had 1001 hours worth of special features, commentary, and uncut footage. He watched it for about a month.

** "The Great [=MacGrady=]" was remade for season 24, animated in UsefulNotes/ToonBoom Harmony puppet animation instead of digital ink-and-paint, and with Lance Armstrong removed, not to mention all the voice actors re-recording the dialogue.

** In "[[Recap/ArthurS1E26MyDadTheGarbageManPoorMuffy Poor Muffy]]", Muffy is surprised and disappointed that Francine doesn't have a UsefulNotes/{{VCR}}.

* ActorExistenceLimbo: Following Walter Massey's death on August 4, 2014, the character of Principal Haney was written out as having left Elwood City to follow his dream of starting a school in UsefulNotes/{{Tanzania}}, UsefulNotes/{{Africa}} in the Season 20 episode "The Hallway Minotaur".

** Marc Brown hates "[[Recap/ArthurS4E1DWsLibraryCardArthursBigHit Arthur's Big Hit]]" because of its BrokenAesop about violence (Arthur gets in trouble for hitting D.W. but gets NoSympathy from his parents when Binky hits him) and the episode not punishing D.W. for breaking Arthur's model plane [[OffscreenKarma on-screen]] (unless you count Arthur hitting her). However, he has later stated that he prefers to see it as a character-building moment for Arthur, showing how he does make mistakes but he has his family and friends to help him out.

** "[[Recap/ArthurS5E2KidsAreFromEarthParentsAreFromPlutoNervesOfSteal Nerves of Steal]]" has a similar plot to ''WesternAnimation/TheRaccoons'' episode "[[Recap/TheRaccoonsS4E11StealingTheShow Stealing the Show!]]" and the ''WesternAnimation/Recess'' episode "Gus and Misdemeanors" as all of those episodes revolve around characters shoplifting items from a store and feeling guilt over it, with Buster stealing a hot new toy he wants in the former, one of the Pigs shoplifting comic books in the middle, and The being forced to shoplift gum from Kelso's store in the latter.

** "[[Recap/ArthurS5E2KidsAreFromEarthParentsAreFromPlutoNervesOfSteal Nerves of Steal]]" has a similar plot to ''WesternAnimation/TheRaccoons'' episode "[[Recap/TheRaccoonsS4E11StealingTheShow Stealing the Show!]]" as both episodes revolve around characters shoplifting items from a store and feeling guilt over it, with Buster stealing a hot new toy he wants in the former and one of the Pigs shoplifting comic books in the latter.

** "[[Recap/ArthurS7E5ElwoodCityTurns100 Elwood City Turns 100!]]" (100 episodes), "Happy Anniversary" (10 years), "Fifteen" (15 years).

** All of D.W.'s voice artists have been young boys (in order: Michael Caloz, Oliver Grainger, Jason Szwimer, Robert Naylor, Jake Beale, Andrew Dayton, Christian Distefano, and Ethan Pugiotto). In an [[https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/pbs-arthur-dw-read-voice-actors-boys-debra-toffan-1234978811/ interview]] with voice director Debra Toffan, she said that the reason they did so is because the girls who auditioned all had sweet-sounding voices and were unable to provide D.W. with the husky voice that fit a bratty TomboyWithAGirlyStreak like her. [[AvertedTrope Averted]] in the ''Living Books'' installments where D.W. was voiced by women (in order: Kelly Greenley, Millie Johnson, and Elizabeth Telefus), and in the ([[Recap/ArthurS25E4BlabbermouthAllGrownUp series finale]] where the adult D.W. is voiced by female voice actress Creator/NissaeIsen.

** [[AvertedTrope Averted]] for the last four episodes, which aired the week of February 21st on some Creator/{{PBS}} stations at 3:30PM, pre-empting ''WesternAnimation/WildKratts''.

** Perhaps the silliest case would be "The Longest Eleven Minutes". The main cast is spending the day glued to TheInternet when it suddenly goes out, and they all panic not knowing what to do for the rest of the day, never mind that they've been FreeRangeChildren for the show's entire lifespan. Beyond that, in their pursuit of looking for things to do, they stumble upon an instant camera and an old encyclopedia, and act as if they have never seen either before; both of these things have made appearances and mentions on the show before (for instance, D.W. has an instant camera through the entirety of "[[Recap/ArthurS1E30ArthursFirstSleepoverArthursNewYearsEve Arthur's First Sleepover]]" and Buster mentions encyclopedias in "[[Recap/ArthurS3E8PopularGirlsBustersGrowingGrudge Buster's Growing Grudge]]"). This is partly justified with a {{subver|tedTrope}}sion on the FleetingDemographicRule as this sort of premise is a lot more likely to be relatable to a child of TheNewTens.

** InUniverse example: S10's "Unfinished" has the book ''93,000,000 Miles in a Balloon'', but since it had been so long out of print, Arthur tries desperately to find another printing of it that has the last few pages, since his doesn't.

** All of D.W.'s voice artists have been young boys (in order: Michael Caloz, Oliver Grainger, Jason Szwimer, Robert Naylor, Jake Beale, Andrew Dayton, Christian Distefano, and Ethan Pugiotto). In an [[https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/pbs-arthur-dw-read-voice-actors-boys-debra-toffan-1234978811/ interview]] with voice director Debra Toffan, she said that the reason they did so is because the girls who auditioned all had sweet-sounding voices and were unable to provide D.W. with the husky voice that fit a bratty TomboyWithAGirlyStreak like her. [[AvertedTrope Averted]] in the [[Recap/ArthurS25E4BlabbermouthAllGrownUp series finale]] where the adult D.W. is voiced by female voice actress Creator/NissaeIsen.

** Feathered dinosaurs were still controversial at the time the show first aired in 1996, not to mention ''Sinosauropteryx'' was only discovered that year, and the S7 episode "Jenna's Bedtime Blues" (which aired in 2004) showed a featherless dromaeosaurid. Numerous discoveries of feathered dinosaurs have been made by 2009, with the show reflecting on this in the ColdOpen of the S12 episode "On This Spot" which showed a generic alvarezsaurid covered in feathers.

** Feathered dinosaurs were still controversial at the time the show first aired in 1996, not to mention ''Sinosauropteryx'' was only discovered that year, and the S7 episode "Jenna's Bedtime Blues" (which aired in 2004) showed a featherless dromaeosaurid. Numerous discoveries of feathered dinosaurs have been made by 2009, with the show finally making a reference to them with a generic alvarezsaur from the ColdOpen of the S12 episode "On This Spot".
** In "Muffy's House Guests", peregrine falcons are described as an endangered species, which was accurate ''during the 70s and 80s''. By 2019 when the episode aired, they are now listed as least concern.

** Also mysteriously screwed over by Creator/DisneyChannel UsefulNotes/{{Asia}}, who yanked the show midway through season 5 in 2003. The reason for the removal is unknown, as Disney Asia still carried many other Creator/PBSKids shows until TheNewTens.

* SeriesHiatus: The show had a nine-month-long delay between season 3 (1998) and season 4 (1999). The reason for the delay is often thought to be that season 3 pushed the episode count to 65 and that [[Creator/CookieJarEntertainment Cinar]] was gauging the popularity of the series to see if it's worth following up with another season or if the show should be relegated to SixtyFiveEpisodeCartoon status.
* TheShelfOfMovieLanguishment: Or The Shelf of TV Languishment in this case. Many of the final episodes have a 2019 copyright date but wound up airing from 2020 to 2021.

** The generic alvarezsaur from the ColdOpen of the S12 episode "On This Spot" is clearly meant to represent modern discoveries of feathered dinosaurs, which were still controversial at the time the show first aired in 1996 (not to mention ''Sinosauropteryx'' was only discovered that year).

** The generic alvarezsaur from the ColdOpen of the S12 episode "On This Spot" is clearly meant to represent modern discoveries of feathered dinosaurs, which were still controversial at the time the show first aired.

* ScienceMarchesOn: S1's "[[Recap/ArthurS1E18ArthursChickenPoxSickAsADog Arthur's Chicken Pox]]" was made in 1996 when most children watching would probably catch it themselves. Nowadays, virtually all babies are given the vaccine (introduced in the [[UsefulNotes/UnitedStates US]] in 1995), so modern children will never go through the disease.