How the Cookie Crumbles

"How the Cookies Crumbles" is the first half of the 20th episode of season 2 of the animated children's series Arthur. It originally aired on May 25th, 1998 with Sue Ellen's Little Sister.

Summary
Muffy is having trouble coming up with a recipe so her friends make a joke recipe, which turns out to taste good and she takes all the credit.

Plot
The episode begins with Arthur, Francine, Binky and the Brain as cookies inside a jar. They climb on top of each other and try to get the lid open to which they succeed and learn that they're cookies. Francine reveals that she always wanted to be a cookie and Brain reveals that he always wanted to be an astrophysicists. Then Muffy reaches her hand into the jar trying to get her cookie friends but they runaway to hide. They try to get Muffy to eat some fruit and tell her that it's not fair if they get eaten to which Muffy says that whoever owns the oven gets to make the rules and that's just the way it is. The cookies runaway except for Arthur who leans up against a glass of milk as the shadow of Muffy falls over him.

HOW THE COOKIE CRUMBLES

Arthur and D.W. are in the kitchen asking their Dad what he's baking to which he replies that he's baking strawberries for the Elwood City Strawberry Festival which is one of the biggest holidays of that week. Later on D.W. asks Grandma Thora about the strawberry festival and Grandma Thora tells her that her father enjoyed the Strawberry Festival and that he was in the Parade for the Festival. She also shows D.W. a photo of her at the Strawberry Festival last year having a good time. Later on Arthur, Francine, Muffy, Binky, and Brain are walking by the Sugar Bowl and Muffy notices a strawberry on top of the roof and asks if it's almost Strawberry Festival time to which Arthur tells her that it's this week and she runs away home worried. Arthur wonders if Muffy hates strawberrys to which Francine reveals that the reason Muffy is so worried about the Festival is that she won last year and we see a flashback of the previous festival to which Muffy did won but everyone wasn't happy that she won because they believed that she only won because her father Ed Crosswire was the judge. Back in present day Francine reveals that Muffy wants to prove that she won the contest fair and square but she doesn't have any ideas and that she must win again this year to prove it. Arthur, Francine, Binky and Brain go to Muffy's to cheer her up and ask her what she entered in the contest last year. She said that she entered butter cookies with a strawberry in it to which her friends throw in other stuff such as peanuts, chocolate chips, peach slices, bananas, and a raisin. As the gang leaves they feel very happy for cheering Muffy up. Muffy's cook bakes the cookies that Muffy's friends made but she tells him that they were just joke cookies and to throw them but when she tastes one of them she tells her cook not to throw them away because they're delicious. At the Strawberry Festival Arthur, D.W., and Kate watch their Dad in the Parade and Muffy winds up winning the contest with her cookies. Later on when Arthur's Mom shows him the recipe for Muffy's winning cookies which are peanuts, chocolate chips, peach slices, bananas, and a raisin Arthur realizes that's the cookies that he and his friends helped Muffy bake and asks to see where Muffy mentioned that they helped her bake them but he finds out that she didn't mention them and took all the credit. At the treehouse Arthur, Binky, Francine, and Brain are mad at what Muffy did and go to her house to confront but her Mom tells them that she's not there and that she's in town posing for the bag. The gang go to find Muffy at the camera shop where the cameraman Carl tells them that Muffy is going to sell her cookies at the Sugar Bowl and make money off of them to which the gang try to turn on Muffy but she has Carl shoo them out to which he does. When Muffy comes out of the camera shop after having her picture taken the gang tell her that they helped her make the cookies but she tells them that she bought the ingredient, she owns the oven, and that she entered the contest and she also tells her friends that they're just jealous to which Francine calls her a bigger rat then Ratburn. At home Muffy tells her cook to bake lots of cookies for her to sell at the Sugar Bowl to which her Cook tells that he will as soon as she gives him the recipe. Muffy reveals that she doesn't have the recipe written down but that she could remember it though and she tries to bake the cookies herself but uses different stuff such as pineapple which makes the cookies taste like junk. At the treehouse Arthur, Francine, and Binky write out the recipe and plan to make their own cookies so they can drive Muffy out of business.and Muffy appears and apologizes for what she did and asks if she can have the recipe to which her friends give it to her and ask if she will give them credit to which she says that she doesn't think that will be possible and that she had to win because she had to prove that she won it fair and square and that nobody knows that they helped her bake the cookies but before she leaves she asks her if the recipe is right and if they didn't put anything in it that would make the cookies taste like junk to which Arthur replies Muffy you can trust us we're your friends. Muffy then thanks them and leaves. Later on Arthur, Francine, and Binky are walking by the Sugar Bowl refusing to go in there anymore because of the cookies being sold there but Muffy comes out with some cookies for her friends to which on the bag it says MUFFY & FRIENDS and the cookies are of Arthur, Binky, Francine, and Brain. Muffy tells her friends that she has learned that friendship and honesty are important than winning a contest and that she her dad talked about and that is a lie even when you get away with it and her dad won't stand for any lying. Muffy and her friends then go into the Sugar Bowl to work on their new recipe for next year to which Binky replies Banana. Lots and lots of Bananas.

CHARACTERS

Arthur Read

Francine Frensky

Binky Barnes

Alan "The Brain" Powers

Muffy Crosswire

D.W. Read

Kate Read

Grandma Thora Read

David Read

Jane Read

Mrs. Powers

Bitzi Baxter (doesn't speak)

Ed Crosswire (doesn't speak)

Millicent Crosswire

Carl the Camera Man

Pickles the Clown (cameo)

Goofs

 * When Arthur, Francine and Binky write the recipe for the cookies, chocolate chips and peach slices aren't included on the list.
 * Muffy is on the bag