Arthur Turns 30: How a Bedtime Story Became a PBS Legend

Arthur Read debuted on PBS Kids on Oct. 7, 1996, but the story actually starts in 1976, when author Marc Brown invented a bespectacled aardvark to entertain his son at bedtime. That made-up tale became Arthur’s Nose, the first of a book series that still defines childhood for millions. Producer Carol Greenwald of GBH pitched a TV version, and after some convincing, Elwood City came to life.

Twenty-five seasons and over 250 episodes later, Arthur tackled asthma, dyslexia, diabetes, and yes, a same-sex wedding episode in 2019 that Alabama Public Television refused to air. The show collected four Daytime Emmys and a Peabody Award, with a theme song,“Believe In Yourself,”performed by Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers.

When the finale aired on Feb. 21, 2022, it aged the characters up 20 years and revealed Arthur as an adult graphic novelist. Marc Brown says Arthur will stay forever in third grade anyway. Thirty years after his TV debut, Elwood City still feels like home.

So which Arthur character did you always relate to the most?