| This article is about the episode. You may be looking for the fictional movie. |
| "The Squirrels" | |
| Season/Series: | 10 |
|---|---|
| Number in season: | 2a |
| Original Airdate: |  May 16, 2006[1] September 20, 2006[3] October 31, 2006[2] January 11, 2008[4] |
| Credits | |
| Written by: | Dietrich Smith |
| Storyboard by: | Jeremy O'Neill |
| Episodes | |
| Previous "Happy Anniversary" |
Next "Fern and Persimmony Glitchet" |
| Read transcript |
"The Squirrels" is the first half of the second episode in the tenth season of Arthur.
Summary[]
After watching the classic horror movie The Squirrels, Arthur and his friends are scared to step out onto the playground—or just about anywhere else.
Plot[]
After watching a horror movie called The Squirrels on TV, Arthur, Buster, and everyone (except Binky who did not watch it), becomes scared of squirrels. Binky wonders why everyone runs home, and refuse to go outside during recess.
One day, Arthur goes to a video store, and rents a baby show about people in squirrel costumes (with the cashier saying a lot of people are getting baby shows about squirrels lately since the movie), hoping it will take his fear away from squirrels; this doesn't work.
The next day, Mr. Ratburn explains to the class what squirrels are really like; they do not eat people (as that was just in the movie), and that they really eat nuts, fruits and berries. However, this also does not work.
Arthur realizes that he will have to face his fears, and calls Buster, who comes over. They sit by Arthur's front door, and feed some squirrels acorns. The squirrels charge at them, and Arthur and Buster quickly run into the house and trip, and the squirrels scamper around them, but luckily Mrs. Read takes notice, and chases them off with her broom. When Arthur and Buster get up, they see one squirrel who has hurt its leg.
They take the squirrel to the animal shelter, where its leg gets treatment. The veterinarian explains to Arthur and Buster that squirrels are harmless creatures, and they are more afraid of people than people are afraid of them. He also adds that he can understand that they were afraid, and reveals that he gets a lot of calls about squirrels every time the movie The Squirrels shows on TV.
The next day, Arthur and Buster take the squirrel to Mr. Ratburn's class, and explain what happened to it. Everyone except Binky is scared until they take a closer look at it, and they soon feel better.
Later that day, Binky goes inside the same video store Arthur had visited, and sees a DVD copy of The Squirrels. He wonders if it is any good, so he rents it.
The next day, Arthur, Buster, and the other kids let the squirrel go free in the park. Buster mentions that The Birds is on that night, and they all agree to watch it, leaving viewers to think they will be scared of birds next. Binky walks by, and Francine asks if he wants to play. He says no, and when a squirrel walks up to him, he screams and runs home.
Characters[]
Major[]
Minor[]
- Brain
- Francine Frensky
- Nigel Ratburn
- Bitzi Baxter
- D.W. Read
- Jane Read
- David Read
- Video Store Employee
- Animal Shelter veterinarian
Cameo[]
- Muffy Crosswire
- Fern Walters
- George Lundgren
- Sue Ellen Armstrong
- Jenna Morgan
- Maria Pappas
- Alex Davidson
Trivia[]
- The beginning of this episode was one of the clips that played on the former PBS Kids GO! website game "Binky's Facts and Opinions".
- One of the Silly Squirrels DVDs Arthur rents and watches reuses a background from Love Ducks (albeit colored differently) as seen in "That's a Baby Show!"
- After watching The Squirrels, the characters developed what is called Sciurophobia, which is the fear of squirrels.
Errors[]
- When Arthur and Buster turn off the lights after The Squirrels is over, the subtitles say that Buster is imitating a squirrel chattering, when it's actually Arthur who is doing the squirrel chattering.
Cultural references[]
- The horror film they watch, The Squirrels, is based on the 1963 film The Birds, by Alfred Hitchcock.
- As an added bonus, at the end of the episode, Buster mentions that a movie called The Birds will be on that night.
- Mr. Ratburn shows real photographs of squirrels, not drawn as a cartoon.
- Silly Squirrels is a parody of Care Bears and Bananas in Pyjamas Another squirrel wears an antenna on its head like the Teletubbies.
- The case artwork of the Silly Squirrel School DVD Arthur chooses to rent is based off the case artwork for the 1989 VHS Richard Scarry's Best ABC Video Ever, produced and distributed by Random House Home Video.
Production notes[]
- Like all episodes of Season 10, this episode included the number '10' hidden in various places. For a list of them, see ARTHUR Season 10 Scavenger Hunt.
Home Video[]
DVD:
Gallery[]
Screenshots
References[]