"Prunella's Prediction" | |
Season/Series: | 4 |
---|---|
Number in season: | 8b |
Original Airdate: | October 14, 1999[1] January 26, 2000[2] |
Credits | |
Written by: | Jennifer Barnes |
Storyboard by: | Stéphanie Gignac |
Episodes | |
Previous "1001 Dads" |
Next "What is that Thing?" |
Read transcript |
"Prunella's Prediction" is the second half of the eighth episode in the fourth season of Arthur.
Summary[]
Inspired by a fortune teller's prediction, Prunella confidently tells everyone that she'll be getting a pair of oh-so-fashionable Flash Pants for her birthday. When she gets a watch instead, she can't face the other kids.
Plot[]
In the introduction, Arthur guides a tour through the House of Fashion Horrors. It shows Francine with bad hair, Binky with weird clothes, Buster with his bathing cap and Brain who absentmindedly wears pajamas to school. Arthur announces that the worst will be Prunella, but he cannot find her.
Prunella watches a soap opera in which a girl agonizes about not having Flash Pants, which Prunella herself wants for her birthday. Her sister Rubella overhears their mom mentioning on the phone that Prunella will get something silver to wear.
Meanwhile, Thora and D.W. say goodbye to the Read parents who are going on a trip.
Rubella reads Prunella's astrological chart and “predicts” that Prunella will receive a gift, though Prunella does not understand what Rubella is hinting at.
Muffy invites Arthur to go skating with her and the other kids. Grandma Thora allows it. Arthur has outgrown his winter coat, but Thora says she has one at her house to use until Arthur's parents come back.
Prunella has finally understood that Rubella referred to her grandparents’ birthday gift. Rubella reads the cards and predicts it will be something silver. Prunella is certain that she will get Flash Pants.
Thora gives Arthur an odd-looking, green puffy coat that used to belong to his dad. It is based on a comic hero named Mr. Puffy. Arthur has never heard about the comic and is embarrassed by the coat.
Prunella and Muffy see Flash Pants at the mall. Prunella says she will wear them at the skating rink, which causes Muffy to quickly buy some for herself.
When Prunella gets home, a packet has arrived, but it contains a silver watch. Just then Muffy calls to say that she bought Flash Pants. Prunella hangs up and breaks out in tears.
Arthur dreams that he, as Mr. Puffy, tries to save his friends from Mr. Melt, who melts the ice they are skating on. He defeats the villain, but the other kids just laugh at his ridiculous appearance. He wakes up and decides to let no one see the coat.
Muffy calls Prunella to tell her that she is anxious to see the new pants. Prunella decides to stay inside all winter and eat soup.
Prunella goes to the supermarket in disguise to get some crackers. She meets Arthur and recognizes the Mr. Puffy coat, since she loved the comic. This makes Arthur change his mind about going skating, and when he decides to go, Prunella decides to go, too.
At the rink, Prunella hesitates, because she sees Muffy standing around in her Flash Pants. After Arthur points out that everybody else is wearing old clothes, they all have fun skating, except for Muffy, who first has to go home to change into something old.
Characters[]
Major[]
Minor[]
- Cali
- Tiffee
- Thora Read
- D.W. Read
- Buster Baxter
- Francine Frensky
- Brain
- Binky Barnes
- Jane Read
- David Read
- Wanda Deegan
- Timmy and Tommy Tibble
- Mr. Melt
Cameo[]
- Maria Pappas
- 3rd Grade Male Dog (Number 3)
- Mrs. Tibble
- Alex Davidson
- Bitzi Baxter
- Sue Ellen Armstrong
- Sarah
Mentioned[]
Trivia[]
- In this episode, Arthur's normal winter coat is shown to be too small for him, yet in other episodes, the coat is a perfect fit.
- It is possible that later in the series, he got a bigger size of the exact same coat.
- This is the only episode written by Jennifer Barnes.
- This is the only appearance of Flash Pants.
Episode connections[]
- Francine in the House of Fashion Horrors references “Francine's Bad Hair Day” while Buster wears the bathing cap from “D.W. All Wet”.
Cultural references[]
- In the episode intro, Francine has a hairstyle like that of the Bride of Frankenstein.
- Mr. Puffy is one of the Terrific Three, a spoof of the Fantastic Four from Marvel Comics. It is possible that Mr. Puffy's character design spoofs Bibendum, also known as the Michelin Man, of the Michelin tire company.
- Mr. Melt is a spoof of Mr. Freeze, a Batman supervillain from DC Comics.
- The ride that Arthur hosts at the beginning of the intro is a parody of The Haunted Mansion at Disneyland and Walt Disney World.
Errors[]
- Prunella's birthday is shown at wintertime in this episode, despite her birthday being in autumn in "Prunella Gets it Twice."
Home Video[]
DVD:
Gallery[]
- Main article: Prunella's Prediction/Gallery
References[]