Sue Ellen Armstrong

Sue Ellen Armstrong is a 3rd grader in Mr. Ratburn's class at Lakewood Elementary School.

Physical appearance
Sue Ellen is an anthropomorphic cat who is depicted with a tan complexion, curly orange hair worn in pigtails, and wears a teal shirt-dress with a cream-colored vest over it and red-and-white sneakers. In the early Arthur books, her hair was worn loose; she was given her pigtails starting with the book Arthur's TV Trouble. In some of the later books, her hair color had changed from blonde to yellow-orange. Her swimsuit is a two-piece green bikini with a purple trim. For her sleepwear, she is often seen wearing orange pajamas

Personality
Sue Ellen is assertive, proactive, brave, tough, kind, slightly tomboyish, tolerant, honest, and creative. She is an amazing storyteller and is open-minded. She is also easy to get along with and can solve problems on her own. She is very mature and artistic for her age and interested in world culture, which is the reason she makes friends with people older than herself, such as Betsy Johnson. Athletic-wise, she is defender for the Lakewood Elementary Soccer Team. She wanted a sibling so she would not be as lonely, but she ends up regretting the need after she goes to Arthur's house and plays with D.W. for a few hours.

Life Before Arthur
Sue Ellen's father is a diplomat, so she and her family have lived in various places around the world. It is unknown why her family has settled in Elwood City. She has lived in places like Egypt and Nicaragua, mostly for a couple of months to a year. Her family also spent a year in South Africa. She had never been to a place with snow before moving to Elwood City. She is skilled in martial arts, for example, Tae Kwon Do making her more powerful than the average third grader. In the Postcards From Buster episode "Buster Gets on Board", Buster meets Sue Ellen's friends who are skateboarders including Sue Ellen's pen pal Brandon. This gives hint that Sue Ellen at one time lived in Los Angeles, California.

Future Life
If the intro to the episode, "The Election" does happen in the future, she will be either future President Muffy 's running mate or a member of her party. In the imagination of Arthur in "Arthur Rides the Bandwagon", Sue Ellen appears next to the Brain and with a child much like him (but with glasses).

Season 1
In "Sue Ellen Moves In," Sue Ellen moves to Elwood City. Buster thinks she is an alien because she has many strange objects. He later realizes that she has lived all over the world and they become friends. In "Bully for Binky", Sue Ellen stands up to Binky and is not afraid to stand up to someone much bigger than her. Binky becomes intimidated by her because she knows martial arts. Later, Sue Ellen says that she doesn't want to fight him, but if he ever does, she'll be ready. Binky soon stops his bullying.

Season 2
In "Sue Ellen's Lost Diary", she loses her diary in the library. She asks her friends, but they haven't seen it. They wonder what is inside. Soon, they find her diary, but they ultimately chose to not open it. Sue Ellen recovers her diary and hints that she has a crush on Arthur; this was probably to an allusion to Arthur's crush on Sue Ellen in the Arthur books. In "Sue Ellen's Little Sister", Sue Ellen feels sad that she doesn't have a sibling. She asks her friends to be their siblings and realize that older brothers won't work. She looks for little sisters and ends up with D.W. whom she can't stand. She later realizes the pros of being an only child. Her parents get her a brother-like friend from Tibet to whom she can write letters to.

Season 3
One of Sue Ellen's biggest appearances in this season is in "Sue Ellen and the Brainasaurus". She later appears in "Popular Girls", in which she is the central character with Fern, and "Arthur's Almost Live Not Real Music Festival".

Season 16
In "Sue Ellen Vegges Out", she becomes a vegetarian because she considers animals as friends and loses her taste for consuming them.

Family
Sue Ellen lives with her father, a diplomat, and mother, a homemaker. She is an only child but keeps in touch with her brother-like friend Tenzin in Tibet (she also has a Tibet World Girl doll.) Other family members aren't mentioned or seen. Like the Brain, her parents' given names are unknown.

Appearances

 * Specials
 * Arthur's Perfect Christmas
 * Arthur - It's Only Rock 'n' Roll
 * D.W. and the Beastly Birthday
 * Season 1
 * Arthur's Eyes 10101
 * Francine's Bad Hair Day (Cameo) 10102
 * Arthur and the Real Mr. Ratburn (Cameo) 10201
 * Arthur's Spelling Trubble 10202
 * Buster's Dino Dilemma (Cameo) 10302
 * Arthur's Lost Library Book 10402
 * Locked in the Library! 10601
 * Arthur Accused! (Cameo) 10602
 * Arthur Goes to Camp 10701
 * Buster Makes the Grade 10702
 * Francine Frensky, Superstar 11002
 * Arthur Writes a Story (Cameo) 11201
 * Buster's New Friend (Cameo) 11302
 * Arthur and the Crunch Cereal Contest 11601
 * Meek for a Week 11701
 * Arthur, World's Greatest Gleeper (Cameo) 11702
 * Arthur's Chicken Pox 11801
 * Sick as a Dog 11802
 * D.W. Rides Again (Cameo) 11901
 * Arthur Makes the Team 11902
 * Sue Ellen Moves In 12101
 * Team Trouble 12202
 * Bully for Binky 12301
 * Misfortune Teller 12302
 * Arthur's Tooth 12401
 * Arthur Cleans Up 12502
 * My Dad, the Garbage Man 12601
 * D.W.'s Blankie (cameo) 12701
 * Arthur's Substitute Teacher Trouble 12702
 * I'm a Poet (cameo) 12801
 * The Scare-Your-Pants-Off Club 12802
 * My Club Rules 12901
 * Stolen Bike 12902
 * Season 2
 * Arthur Meets Mister Rogers (Cameo) 20101
 * Draw! 20102
 * Binky Barnes, Art Expert 20201
 * Arthur's Lucky Pencil (Cameo) 20202
 * Buster and the Daredevils (Cameo) 20302
 * Arthur's Underwear (Cameo) 20501
 * Francine Frensky, Olympic Rider (Cameo) 20502
 * Buster Baxter, Cat Saver (Cameo) 20601
 * Arthur's TV-Free Week (Cameo) 20701
 * Night Fright 20702
 * Arthur vs. the Piano 20801
 * The Short, Quick Summer 20902
 * D.W. Goes to Washington (Dream sequence) 21001
 * Arthur's Mystery Envelope 21002
 * Buster Hits the Books 21102
 * Arthur's Faraway Friend 21201
 * Arthur and the Square Dance (Cameo) 21202
 * Arthur the Unfunny 21302
 * Sue Ellen's Lost Diary 21401
 * Arthur's Knee 21402
 * Grandma Thora Appreciation Day 21501
 * Fern's Slumber Party 21502
 * Love Notes for Muffy 21601
 * Francine Redecorates 21701
 * Arthur the Loser 21702
 * Arthur vs. the Very Mean Crossing Guard (Cameo) 21801
 * D.W.'s Very Bad Mood 21802
 * Finders Key-pers (Cameo) 21902
 * Sue Ellen's Little Sister 22002
 * Season 3
 * Buster's Back 30101
 * The Ballad of Buster Baxter 30102
 * Arthur Goes Crosswire (Cameo) 30301
 * Sue Ellen and the Brainasaurous 30302
 * Background Blues (Cameo) 30401
 * And Now Let's Talk to Some Kids 30402
 * The Chips are Down (Cameo) 30501
 * Revenge of the Chip (Cameo) 30502
 * Binky Rules 30601
 * Arthur Rides the Bandwagon (Cameo) 30701
 * Dad's Dessert Dilemma (Cameo) 30702
 * Popular Girls 30801
 * Buster's Growing Grudge (Cameo) 30802
 * Arthur's Treasure Hunt (Cameo) 30901
 * The Return of the King (Cameo) 30902
 * Double Tibble Trouble (Cameo) 31101
 * Arthur's Almost Live Not Real Music Festival 31102
 * What Scared Sue Ellen? 31201
 * Arthur's Dummy Disaster (Cameo) 31301
 * The Long, Dull Winter 31502
 * Season 4
 * Arthur's Big Hit 40102
 * Hide and Snake 40201
 * Muffy's New Best Friend 40202
 * The Fright Stuff 40302
 * The Blizzard (Cameo) 40501
 * Prunella Gets it Twice 40602
 * Binky Barnes, Wingman 40701
 * 1001 Dads (Cameo) 40801
 * Prunella's Prediction (Cameo) 40802
 * What is that Thing? (Cameo) 40901
 * Buster's Best Behavior 40902
 * My Music Rules 41001
 * That's a Baby Show! (Doesn't speak) 41002


 * Season 5
 * Arthur and the Big Riddle (Cameo) 50101
 * Kids are from Earth, Parents are from Pluto 50201
 * It's a No-Brainer (Cameo) 50301
 * The Shore Thing 50302
 * The World Record (Cameo) 50401
 * The Lousy Week (Cameo) 50501
 * You Are Arthur (Cameo) 50502
 * The Election (Cameo) 50601
 * Bitzi's Beau (Cameo) 50802
 * Muffy Gets Mature 51002


 * Season 6
 * Sue Ellen Gets Her Goose Cooked 60101
 * Best of the Nest 60102
 * Buster's Sweet Success (Cameo) 60202
 * Prunella's Special Edition 60301
 * Muffy's Soccer Shocker 60401
 * Brother, Can You Spare a Clarinet? 60402
 * The Boy Who Cried Comet 60501
 * D.W.'s Backpack Mishap 60602
 * The Boy with His Head in the Clouds (Cameo) 60701
 * The Good Sport (Cameo) 60901


 * Season 7
 * Francine's Split Decision 70201
 * Muffy Goes Metropolitan 70202
 * Ants in Arthur's Pants 70301
 * Don't Ask Muffy 70302
 * Elwood City Turns 100! 70500
 * Jenna's Bedtime Blues 70602
 * D.W.'s Time Trouble (Cameo) 70701
 * Buster's Amish Mismatch 70702
 * Prunella Sees the Light 70901
 * Return of the Snowball 70902
 * April 9th 71000


 * Season 8
 * Bugged 80302
 * Fernkenstein's Monster 80401
 * D.W., Dancing Queen (Cameo) 80402
 * Vomitrocious 80501
 * Sue Ellen Chickens Out 80502
 * Desk Wars 80701
 * Desperately Seeking Stanley 80702
 * Muffy's Art Attack (Cameo) 80801


 * Season 9
 * Tipping the Scales 90102
 * Arthur Weighs In 90301
 * The Law of the Jungle Gym 90302
 * Buster's Green Thumb 90401
 * All Worked Up 90502
 * A is for Angry 90702
 * The A Team 90801
 * Buster the Myth Maker 90902
 * Binky Goes Nuts 91001
 * Breezy Listening Blues 91002


 * Season 10
 * Happy Anniversary 100100
 * The Squirrels 100201
 * Desert Island Dish 100301
 * Feeling Flush (Cameo) 100401
 * D.W., Bossy Boots (Cameo and prologue) 100702
 * Do You Speak George? 100901
 * World Girls 100902
 * What's Cooking? 101001
 * Buster's Special Delivery (Cameo) 101002


 * Season 11
 * Germophobia 110102
 * Arthur Sells Out (Cameo) 110201
 * Prunella Packs It In (Cameo) 110302
 * Phony Fern (cameo) 110401
 * Brain's Shocking Secret (Cameo/picture) 110402
 * Strangers on a Train 110502
 * The Making of Arthur (Cameo) 110601
 * Dancing Fools (Cameo) 110602
 * Mr. Alwaysright (Cameo) 110702
 * Francine's Pilfered Paper (Cameo) 110801
 * Spoiled Rotten! (Cameo) 110902


 * Season 12
 * Is That Kosher? (Cameo) 120101
 * D.W.'s Stray Netkitten (Cameo) 120301
 * Bats in the Belfry (Cameo) 120302
 * Ungifted (Cameo) 120402
 * The Chronicles of Buster (Cameo) 120501
 * On This Spot (Cameo) 120502
 * I Owe You One (Cameo) 120702
 * Do You Believe in Magic? (Cameo) 120902
 * The Perfect Game (Cameo) 121001


 * Season 13
 * The Great MacGrady (Cameo) 130100
 * The Silent Treatment 130201
 * Kung Fool 130202
 * MacFrensky (cameo) 130401
 * The Secret Guardians 130702
 * Fernlets by Fern (cameo) 130801
 * The Pride of Lakewood 130902


 * Season 14
 * The Wheel Deal (Cameo) 140101
 * The Buster Report 140102
 * The Agent of Change 140201
 * The Play's the Thing (Cameo) 140302
 * Falafelosophy 140401
 * Muffy and the Big Bad Blog (Cameo) 140702
 * All the Rage 140802
 * The Long Road Home (Cameo) 141002


 * Season 15
 * Fifteen (Cameo) 150101
 * I Wanna Hold Your Hand (Cameo) 150201
 * Buster's Secret Admirer (Cameo) 150301
 * Cents-less (Cameo) 150401
 * S.W.E.A.T. 150502
 * Prunella the Packrat (Cameo) 150701
 * What's in a Name? (Cameo) 150702
 * Through the Looking Glasses (Cameo) 150902
 * The Butler Did... What? (Cameo) 151001
 * The Trouble with Trophies (Cameo) 151002


 * Season 16
 * Based on a True Story (Cameo) 160100
 * Flippity Francine (Cameo) 160201
 * The Last Tough Customer (Cameo) 160601
 * Buster's Book Battle (Cameo) 160801
 * Sue Ellen Vegges Out 160902
 * So Funny I Forgot to Laugh 161001
 * The Best Day Ever 161002


 * Season 17
 * Just the Ticket 170402
 * All Thumbs 170501
 * Waiting for Snow (Cameo) 170602
 * Crime and Consequences (Cameo) 170802
 * Brain Freeze (Cameo) 171002


 * Season 18
 * The Case of the Girl with the Long Face (Cameo) 180301
 * The Tardy Tumbler (Cameo) 180402
 * Messy Dress Mess (Cameo) 180702


 * Season 19
 * Sue Ellen Adds It Up 190201
 * Wish You Were Here 190202
 * Arthur's Toy Trouble 190301
 * Francine's Cleats of Strength 190801
 * Mr. Ratburn's Secret Identity 190901
 * Besties 190902
 * The Last Day 191000


 * Season 20
 * Buster's Second Chance 200101
 * Cereal 200202
 * Mutiny on the Pitch 200602
 * The Hallway Minotaur (Cameo) 200701
 * Ladonna's Like List (Cameo) 200702


 * Season 21
 * Binky's 'A' Game (Cameo) 210101
 * Francine & the Soccer Spy (Cameo) 210301
 * Sue Ellen & the Last Page 210302
 * Muffy Misses Out 210401
 * Arthur Takes a Stand 210402
 * Slink's Special Talent (Cameo) 210501
 * Take a Hike, Molly (Cameo) 210502

Trivia

 * There are several episodes in the series that group her with Arthur, Buster and Binky such as "The Secret Guardians", "April 9th" and "What Scared Sue Ellen?".
 * She is based on Ruth Ann, Marc Brown's childhood girlfriend.
 * She became a vegetarian because she lost taste of eating animals whom she considers friends.
 * She has a brother-like friend named Tenzin who lives in Tibet.
 * She may have a crush on Arthur since she said she wrote some "Nice things" about him at the end of "Sue Ellen's Lost Diary", however, she might just be expressing her friendship or admiration for him.
 * Sue Ellen's full initials spell out SEA. Given she has travelled around the world, the initials fit.
 * She did not have a speaking role in any Season 18 episode.
 * She has a pet snail in Sick as a Dog.
 * She went to volunteer at the hospital in Muffy's Classy Classics Club.
 * Mr. Ratburn taught her a magic trick in The Short, Quick Summer.