PBS Kids 2001 tease
The PBS Kids website is the primary online destination for games, activities, videos, and other information relating to programming aired by PBS Kids. The website has been accessible through the URL pbskids.org since late 1999, though a separate kids section of the main pbs.org domain existed throughout much of the 1990s. Most PBS Kids shows, including Arthur and formerly Postcards from Buster, have their own dedicated companion website.
Arthur website history[]
Arthur website as seen in 1996
1996-1998[]
The Arthur mini-website first went live in the year Arthur premiered on national television, In 1996 through the domain https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/arthur and was constructed by the WGBH Educational Foundation with assistance from the funding of the Arthur show's then sponsors. The website was originally constructed using basic HTML and used artwork created by Marc Brown, who is also credited as the creator of the Arthur franchise and "Arthur's biggest friend." Upcoming air dates on PBS stations could also be found through the websites. The initial release of the site however, only provided simple, printable activities with the exception of the 'Art Gallery' page, where viewers could draw images, send them to WGBH to be featured on the website and simple character bios of select Arthur characters.
Arthur 1996 website
1998-2001[]
1998-2001[]
The Arthur website on pbs.org received a revamp in 1998 where the overall site design received an updated look. Starting this year, the Arthur website no longer ran entirely on HTML but used Flash in many instances. Artwork used on the site was no longer sourced from Marc Brown but now resembled what was seen on airings more and where now animated gifs. The first games where also added to the website that ran on a plug-in, 'Shockwave' with the exception of 'Muffy's Wardrobe'. The characters Prunella, Fern, Sue Ellen, Pal, Baby Kate and Grandma Thora received their own bio pages along with coloring pages for almost every character and more printables. Francine's Playmaker page is now introduced and features printables fit for plays by children. Other changes include:
- Fern's page contained poem's written by Arthur, Binky, The Brain, Buster, D.W. and Francine.
- Baby Kate's page contained a 'baby translator' where visitors can decode her sayings.
- Grandma's Thora page features a cook book featuring her unique recipes through a link which ends up directing to a page that reads her recipes where jokingly condemned by the Elwood City Health Department.
- Prunella's page features a printable 'cootie catcher.'
- Muffy's page now mostly consist of information on her recorded investments instead of basic facts.
- The home page is titled, "Arthur: World's Greatest Aardvark"
- The upcoming airings page became an episode guide page for seasons 1 through 4 of the television series.
Games[]
- Scoop!
- Muffy's Wardrobe
- Art Studio
Credited underwriters[]
- ActiMates
- PBS Online
2001[]
In 2001, the newly founded PBS Kids block (launched in 1999) received a website that housed the mini-websites of all of PBS' children's shows including Arthur. Viewers could also visit the Arthur website at pbskids.org through the America Online (AOL) keyword: PBS Kids. There is also now a 'wardrobe' page which goes into detail in what the main characters are wearing that can be accessed through the Francine page. The "World's Greatest Aardvark" part in the home page title is dropped.
Games[]
- Scoop!
- Muffy's Wardrobe
- Art Studio
- About Face
- Sugar Bowl Poll
- Letters To Arthur
Credited underwriters[]
- Lego
- Juicy Juice
- Alpha Bits
- PBS
2001-2011[]
2001-2004[]
The website is significantly redesigned and revamped with full-on Arthur branding and more interactive games. Character pages could now be found in the 'Friends' page with the inclusion of George, Sue Ellen and the Tibble Twins; however, the bios of all characters are removed in favor of more links to games and printables like trading cards of all characters featured on the website. The "Virtual Goose" game, based on a competitive computer game the characters played in "Sue Ellen Gets Her Goose Cooked" was also released and was the first game on the site to not be entirely controlled by clickable options. In promotion of "Arthur - It's Only Rock 'n' Roll," in 2002, viewers could do Q&As with Arthur and Muffy in an AOL chat room. The PBS Kids website for Arthur's spin-off, Postcards from Buster was advertised on the main show's website since 2004.
Buster's bio page
Games[]
- Scoop
- Muffy's Wardrobe
- Art Studio
- About Face
- Letters to Arthur
- Sugar Bowl Poll
- Virtual Goose
- You've Got To Be Kidding!
- The Music Box
- Elwood City Celebrates
- Letters To Arthur
- Brain Game
- Alien: Assembly Required
- Poetry Club
- Effective Detective
- Art Gallery
- Connect The World
Credited underwriters[]
- Lego
- Juicy Juice
- Alpha Bits
- The Corporation of Public Broadcasting
- U.S. Department of Education
- PBS
2004-2009[]
Starting late 2004, Arthur and Postcards from Buster became part of the PBS Kids Go! (a new program block intended for older kids) line-up. Links to the Arthur website were moved from pbskids.org to pbskidsgo.org. In promotion of Postcards from Buster, the 'Postcards From You' page was added on the Arthur website where viewers in the U.S. can send videos of local activities they are taking part in to be featured on this page. Select video postcards were be featured in American Arthur airings, shortly replacing the "A Word From Us Kids" segment. More educational games were also be released on the site including 'Crank It Up' which is based on the Arthur episode, "D.W. Beats All." All games now run on Flash.
Games[]
- Scoop
- Muffy's Wardrobe
- Art Studio
- About Face
- Letters To Arthur
- Sugar Bowl Poll
- Virtual Goose
- You've Got To Be Kidding!
- The Music Box
- Elwood City Celebrates
- Global Gizmo
- Movie Maker
- Facts and Opinions
- Groovy Garden
- Lunch-o-Matic
- Supermarket Adventure
- Elwood City Map
- Crank it up
- Super Action Challenge
- Art Gallery
- Alien: Assembly Required (Featured on the Postcards from Buster page)
- Poetry Club
- Baby Kate Stickers
- Songbook
- E-Cards
- Ask Prunella
- Story Scramble
- Connect the World (Featured on the Postcards from Buster page)
- Brain Game
- Go George Go!
- Effective Detective
Credited underwriters[]
- Corporation of Public Broadcasting
- Chuck E. Cheese's
- ZooPals
- CVS Caremark
- PBS
2009-2011[]
'The Tree House' page, inspired by MySpace, became the main feature, where characters would share photos (screenshots from the Arthur show) that relate to being environmentally friendly with others commenting. 'Postcards from You' was also discontinued.
The Tree House
Arthur's Tree House page
Games[]
- Scoop
- Muffy's Wardrobe
- Art Studio
- About Face
- Letters to Arthur
- Sugar Bowl Poll
- Virtual Goose
- You've Got To Be Kidding!
- The Music Box
- Elwood City Celebrates
- Global Gizmo
- Movie Maker
- Facts and Opinions
- Groovy Garden
- Lunch-o-Matic
- Supermarket Adventure
- Elwood City Map
- Crank it up
- Super Action Challenge
- Art Gallery
- Don't Wake Kate
- Alien: Assembly Required (Featured on the Postcards from Buster page)
- Ask Prunella
- Story Scramble
- Connect the World (Featured on the Postcards from Buster page)
- Brain Game
- Un-Matching Game
- Go George Go!
- Effective Detective
- Dream On
- Go Green Challenge
- Where's Buster
2011-2015[]
2011-2014[]
Starting in 2011, the Arthur website redesigned. 'The Tree House' page was removed and the 'Video' page was added which allowed visitors of the site to view clips of Arthur episodes for the first time online. The 'Club' page which featured the Fashion, Dance and Food clubs was also added but would not be useable until 2012 with the Food Club being replaced by the Poetry Club before it opened. Arthur's Comic Creator was released and allowed visitors to create a three panel comic strip with Arthur characters and props. The Friends page was also updated to tell more about the characters and clips starring them. Ladonna was added to the Friends page in 2012 with the release of season 16.
Homepage in 2011
Build a Character Game
"Marthur" video mashup
Games[]
- Scoop
- Muffy's Wardrobe
- Art Studio
- About Face
- Letters to Arthur
- Sugar Bowl Poll
- Virtual Goose
- You've Got To Be Kidding!
- The Music Box
- Elwood City Celebrates
- Global Gizmo
- Movie Maker
- Facts and Opinions
- Groovy Garden
- Lunch-o-Matic
- Supermarket Adventure
- Elwood City Map
- Crank it up
- Songbook
- Super Action Challenge
- Art Gallery
- Alien: Assembly Required (Featured on the Postcards from Buster page)
- Ask Prunella
- Story Scramble
- Don't Wake Kate
- Connect the World (Featured on the Postcards from Buster page)
- Brain Game
- Un-Matching Game
- Go George Go!
- Effective Detective
- Dream On
- Go Green Challenge
- Buster Baxter, Lung Defender
- Comic Creator
- Character Builder
2014-2015[]
In 2014, the PBS Kids Go! branding on the Arthur mini-site was fully dropped as the programing block was discontinued in 2013. No games were added or removed.
Family Health[]
In February 2014, a new section of the Arthur website, called Arthur Family Health, was introduced. It focused on providing parents and teachers resources on the following topics:
- Asthma, featuring "Buster's Breathless"
- Peanut Allergy, featuring "Binky Goes Nuts"
- Nutrition, featuring "D.W., the Picky Eater"
- Resilience, featuring "April 9th" and "Shelter from the Storm"
- Fitness, featuring "Arthur Weighs In"
Each of the featured episodes were available to stream for free. There were also links to related games on the main site. Arthur Family Health was discontinued in 2023; however, the following episodes remain free to stream on the video player:
- "Binky Goes Nuts"
- "D.W. The Picky Eater"
- "April 9th" (Adapted with ASL interpretation, the original video, audio, and story remain unchanged)
- "Shelter From the Storm" (Split into 2 separate videos, "part 1" & "part 2")
Credited underwriters[]
- ABCmouse.com
2016-present[]
2016-2018[]
In 2016, the website received a major redesign for the first time in 15 years. The website and a majority of its games were entirely run on the more stable HTML5. New HTML, more educational built games were released during this period with the older, Flash-running games being removed. 'Arthur Delivers!' was released and became the most popular game of the site.[citation needed] Character bios on the 'Friends' page were removed.
You've Got To Be Kidding!
The Music Box game
Games[]
- Muffy's Wardrobe
- About Face
- Letters to Arthur
- Sugar Bowl Poll
- Virtual Goose
- You've Got To Be Kidding!
- Global Gizmo
- Movie Maker
- Groovy Garden
- Facts and Opinions
- Lunch-o-Matic
- Supermarket Adventure
- Elwood City Map
- Crank it up
- Songbook
- Super Action Challenge
- Art Gallery
- Alien: Assembly Required (Featured on the Postcards from Buster page)
- Ask Prunella
- Don't Wake Kate
- Connect the World (Featured on the Postcards from Buster page)
- Brain Game
- Go George Go!
- Effective Detective
- Dream On
- Go Green Challenge
- Buster Baxter, Lung Defender
- Comic Creator
- Character Builder
- So Funny I Forgot to Laugh
- D.W. and Bud's Backyard Adventure
- Waldo Loves Muffy
- Arthur Delivers!
- Family History Fun!
- Treehouse Designer
- Planet Pal
- D.W.'s Island Bugball (Based on "D.W. and the Beastly Birthday")
- Arthur's Top 20
- Arthur's Tricks and Treats
- Being A Friend
- Animal Home Builder
2018-2022[]
Almost all Flash-running games were removed including "Muffy's Wardrobe" which was the oldest Arthur game on pbskids.org. The games 'Lunch-O-Matic,' 'Buster Baxter, Lung Defender' and 'Don't Wake Kate' were imported to HTML5 and remained on the website. "Arthur Delivers!" was temporarily removed to also be imported and returned on the site in late 2022 along with more new games. Full episodes were also be available for viewing on the Video page. All references to Postcards from Buster and its PBS Kids website were removed.
2020 homepage
Last version of the 'Friends' page
Video player features clips from the show and select full episodes
25 years of airing celebration
Games[]
- Back to School
- Tower of Cows! (Based on the game from the show)
- Muffy's Party Planner
- Kindergarten Helpers
- George's Moving Art Machines
- An Elwood City Thanksgiving (Based on "An Arthur Thanksgiving")
- Arthur's Puppet Theater: Goldilocks and the Three Bears
- Arthur's Puppet Theater: Little Red Riding Hood
- Arthur's Puppet Theater: Cinderella
- Waldo Loves Muffy
- Moonlight Mazes (Based on "The Rhythm and Roots of Arthur")
- Arthur's Park
- Dark Bunny Needs Your Help
- Animal Home Builder
- Arthur Delivers!
- Arthur's Top 20
- Treehouse Designer
- D.W. and Bud's Backyard Adventure
- Planet Pal
- Family History Fun
- Don't Wake Kate
- Buster Baxter, Lung Defender
- Lunch-O-Matic
- Arthur's Tricks and Treats
- So Funny I Forgot to Laugh
- Buster's Growing Grudge
- Dear Adil
- Francine's Tough Day
- Arthur's Giving and Keeping Game
2022-present[]
After 22 years, the 'Friends' page is replaced with a podcast page, while the 'Being a Friend' games were transferred to the 'Games' page.
Games[]
- Wizard Academy
- Back to School
- Tower of Cows! (Based on the game from the show)
- Muffy's Party Planner
- Kindergarten Helpers
- George's Moving Art Machines
- An Elwood City Thanksgiving (Based on "An Arthur Thanksgiving")
- Arthur's Puppet Theater: Goldilocks and the Three Bears
- Arthur's Puppet Theater: Little Red Riding Hood
- Arthur's Puppet Theater: Cinderella
- Waldo Loves Muffy
- Moonlight Mazes (Based on "The Rhythm and Roots of Arthur")
- Arthur's Park
- Dark Bunny Needs Your Help
- Animal Home Builder
- Arthur Delivers!
- Arthur's Top 20
- Treehouse Designer
- D.W. and Bud's Backyard Adventure
- Planet Pal
- Family History Fun
- Don't Wake Kate
- Buster Baxter, Lung Defender
- Lunch-O-Matic
- Arthur's Tricks and Treats
- So Funny I Forgot to Laugh
- Buster's Growing Grudge
- Dear Adil
- Francine's Tough Day
- Arthur's Giving and Keeping Game
Website promos[]
At the end of each Arthur broadcast, the Arthur website is promoted along with encouragement for viewers to visit their local library.
For seasons 1 through 12, these promotions were typically aired as 15-second bumpers at the conclusion of every episode.
By 2009, most PBS Kids series began promoting the website during the end credits and Arthur followed suit. Beginning with Season 13, the website promotion was consolidated into the end credits, with a voice-over and graphic overlay. Older episodes (seasons 1-12) were repackaged with the new credits in 2014-2015.
