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Final episode of 'Arthur' airs on PBS, capping 25-season series run

Arthur
Posted at 10:42 AM, Feb 22, 2022
and last updated 2022-02-22 13:03:33-05

"Arthur," the iconic children's cartoon based on a series of books by author Marc Brown, ended its 25-season run on PBS with a series finale Monday night.

The final episode, titled "All Grown Up," featured a 20-year flash-forward, giving fans their first glimpse of characters in their late 20s.

According to The Los Angeles Times, the episode follows Arthur, now a graphic novelist, who has just published his first book, "Arthur's Eyes" — which happens to be the name of the show's first episode, which aired on Oct. 7, 1996.

The episode also shows Arthur's sister, D.W., as a traffic officer and his best friend, Buster, as a teacher.

The finale also features Arthur's classmates in their various careers. Francine grew up to run a sneaker company, Muffy became a local politician, and Binky became the town's TV weatherperson.

Brown first dreamed up "Arthur" in the 1970s during storytime with his son. He published the first book in the series and has since published more than two dozen follow-ups.

PBS affiliate WGHB-TV in Boston produced the cartoon throughout its 25-year, 259-episode run.

Throughout the decades, the series has spread a joyous message of diversity and inclusion to kids. That was no more evident than a 2019 episode that featured asame-sex wedding ceremony for teacher Mr. Ratburn.

PBS Kids told Variety in January that Arthur will continue to appear in podcasts and video shorts. All 25 seasons of the show will continue to be available on PBS Kids.