(Arthur is sitting in his treehouse reading and Francine is walking towards it)
Arthur Read: Francine's my friend, but she can be hard to get along with. (points at Francine with his thumb, she waves)
(On the basketball court)
Arthur: (shoots a basketball) Anyone can be a sore loser, but Francine can be a sore winner.
Francine: (annoyed expression, picks up the ball and throws it down on the court) Oh, that makes me so mad!
Arthur: But you just won.
Francine: I should have won by more.
(In front of the school)
Arthur: (V.O.) And she sure likes to argue.
Francine: Is not.
The Brain: Is too!
Francine: Is not!
The Brain: Is too!
Arthur: Brain, give up.
Buster Baxter: You can't win.
The Brain: Yes, I can.
Francine: No, you can't.
The Brain: Yes, I can!
Francine: No, you can't!
The Brain: Can, can, can!
Francine: Can't, can't, can't!
Arthur: And this is what she's like in a good mood....
(Intertitle)
DRAW!
Written by: Joe Fallon --- Storyboard by: Eric Bergeron & Gerry Capelle
Binky Barnes: (voice-over) Draw!
(Francine hits the circle with Arthur's face in it with a mallet)
Arthur: (yelping) Agh!
(We now return to the story)
(in class, Mr. Ratburn is writing on the blackboard and a high-pitched noise made by the speaker makes several students cover their ears, Mr. Ratburn drops his chalk)
Students: Agh!
(Cecilia Tingley fixes the microphone)
Francis Haney: Ah! Oh, thank you. Attention, students. (clears throat) Exciting...news.
(back in class, the students appear interested)
Mr. Haney (over the speaker): And this is the week of the teachers' charity carnival...fun, fun, fun! See the teachers perform (in his office) and don't miss my fabulous magic and sleight of hand! (the microphone squeaks, Francine covers her ears with books) Oops, that is all.
(in the lunch room, the students are eating off trays)
Arthur: The teachers' carnival should be fun.
Francine: As long as Ratburn doesn't do another puppet show. (arranges a sandwich so that olives look like eyes and the space the filling is in looks like a mouth, moves the sandwich to make it "talk" and speaks in a silly voice) If you don't laugh, I'll give you extra homework.
(Arthur and Buster laugh)
Fern Walters: I disagree. (Arthur and Buster stop laughing and look awkward) I like Mr. Ratburn's shows.
Francine: (voicing the sandwich) Anyone who's smarter than a rock knows those puppet shows are boring kids' stuff. (Fern looks a bit unhappy and leaves, Francine puts the sandwich down and eats Fern's cookie.) Guess she didn't want her dessert. (Arthur and Buster look at each other and appear concerned)
(in the hallway, Fern is at her locker and Arthur and Francine are carrying books)
Arthur: Are you going to apologize to Fern?
Francine: Apologize for what?
Arthur: You hurt her feelings.
Francine: She'll get over it.
Arthur: Aren't you worried she might get mad?
Francine: Fern? That mouse? What's she gonna do? Be quiet at me?! (Fern overhears and starts crying, Francine snarks) Ooh, so scared! (mean chuckle)
(in front of the school, Francine walks over dribbling a basketball towards Arthur, Binky, Muffy, the Brain, Buster and Fern, who are laughing)
Francine: Hey, get out of my way, Buster! (they continue laughing and don't reply, Francine looks confused and annoyed) What are you laughing at? (they all look shocked except for Arthur who is holding a piece of paper and laughing, but then he looks up and hurriedly hides it behind his back) What's that?
Fern: (takes the paper) It's my cartoon.
Francine: (takes the cartoon, titled Furious Frank the Cow, and we see it animated as an arrogant cow kicking away animals as she reads) Out of my way! I'm better than everyone! I'm even better than people who are better than me! (Arthur laughs but looks awkward when she growls in anger) Is this cow supposed to be me?
Fern: How could it be? Frank is a boy.
Muffy: Admit it, Fern. It is too Francine. Look, (counts on her fingers) Frank is pushy and loud and rude and insulting.
Francine: Stop helping me, Muffy!
The Brain: Fern, cows are females and bulls are males. A cow wouldn't be named Frank, it would be named Fran--(awkward laugh, then he and everyone else but Francine laughs again)
Francine: That's about as funny as biting an apple and finding half a worm! (drops the paper and leaves in a sulk. Buster looks guilty, Fern looks mean.)
(in the teachers' lounge, Mr. Marco is juggling teacups, but they break.)
Mrs. Tingley: (enters, carrying a clipboard) Good morning! Before classes begin, Mr. Haney wants you to know what will you'll be doing for the carnival.
Mr. Ratburn: (he shows a dragon puppet while Mrs. Tingley looks afraid) A new puppet show.
Mrs. Tingley: Eek!
Mr. Ratburn: The Many-Headed Hydra vs Sinbad the Sailor. (as Sinbad:) Whoa!
Ms. Sweetwater: I'm going to conduct a happy singalong with a prize for the happiest singer-along-er! (Mrs. Tingley looks concerned and writes on her clipboard, Ms. Sweetwater gets up and speaks in singsong) You don't look very happy! I think I need to sing someone a song right now!
Mrs. Tingley: (leaving) I think not!
Ms. Sweetwater: Oh, come on, let's sing!
Mrs. Tingley: No!
Ms. Sweetwater: (following Mrs. Tingley and playing her guitar, in song) I like fudge, I like fudge, if you ask me what I like, I'd say, "I like fudge".
(in the lunch room, Leah MacGrady is stirring a pot of something)
Mrs. Tingley: (whispering) What will you be doing for the carnival?
Mrs. MacGrady: My famous fortune-teller act! (dramatically) You will be taking a trip!
Ms. Sweetwater: (singing in the corridor): I like fudge. I like fudge. If you ask me what I like, I say, "I like fudge." (Mrs. Tingley leaves quickly)
Mrs. MacGrady: I didn't mean right now!
Ms. Sweetwater: (following Mrs. Tingley) Come on, Miss Tingley! A little song is just what you need! (Mrs. MacGrady looks confused)
(Miss Tingley enters Mr. Haney's office and locks the door behind her.)
Mr. Haney: Miss Tingley! (Miss Tingley sees Mr. Haney dressed as a magician and looks scared)
Mrs. Tingley: Eek!
Mr. Haney: You're just in time to rehearse my grand finale when I saw you in half!
Mrs. Tingley: Me?!
Mr. Haney: Oh, don't worry, it's foolproof! Here, let me demonstrate with this board! (Mrs. Tingley continues to look afraid while Mr. Haney puts the board in his magic box) It only looks like I'm cutting it, but in reality (the board breaks, surprising Mr. Haney, Mrs. Tingley leaves) Oops. Miss Tingley, wait!
(in class)
Buster: (hands a piece of paper to Fern) Your comic was so good, I drew one too. Mine's called The Big Clumsy Moose with Big Feet Named Frannie. (it depicts a badly-drawn big-footed moose with a red dress on)
Fern: Her feet are named Frannie?
The Brain: (walks over) That's funny. I'm gonna do one too!
Binky: Me too!
Sue Ellen: I can do a better one than you guys!
The Brain: Oh, yeah?! (sits back down)
(Mrs. Tingley nervously enters the girls' toilets, where Ms. Sweetwater has her guitar)
Ms. Sweetwater: Ready to sing?
Ms. Tingley: Eek!
Ms. Sweetwater: (sings:) “Why not smile? Why not smile? Do you think you’re gonna break your face? Why not smile?” (She follows Miss Tingley down the corridor. Behind her comes Mr. Haney with his magic set.)
Mr. Haney: Come back, Miss Tingley!
(in the lunchroom, the students look at a picture of Francine as a foghorn)
Sue Ellen: Look, Arthur, Frannie Foghorn!
(Sue Ellen shows Arthur, Muffy, Buster, Fern and the Brain a picture of a frog with Francine's head, Buster and Muffy laugh) Frantic Frog! Fran the stinky sneaker! (she and Muffy giggle) Brain, did you do this one? It's funny! (Arthur looks concernedly at Francine, who's sitting at a table looking peeved)
Arthur: I think maybe this is bothering Francine.
Fern: (mockingly) She'll get over it.
Arthur: (walks over to Francine's table) Francine, uh...
Francine: (indignantly) Oh, go eat an ant sandwich, Arthur! Cartoons and stones can't break my bones!
Buster: (shows Sue Ellen a piece of paper) Wait, you haven't seen mine!
Arthur: (running over) Hey, give it to me! I want to read that! (reading) The Giant Slime That Came to School! (we see the comic animated)
Comic Teacher: (he looks and sounds like Mr. Ratburn and is speaking very quickly) Three billion, six hundred and thirty million two hundred and seventy-nine thousand one hundred and forty-eight divided by seven thousand six hundred and eighty-one! Quickly! Quickly!
Arthur: (reading) All the kids were at school, learning complicated math! And then it happened!
Giant Slime: (enters) I'm here!
Arthur: (reading) A giant slime (the comic students, who look like Arthur, Muffy and Buster, scream) came to school!
Comic Teacher: Do the math or begone, large slime!
Giant Slime: Oh yeah?! (eats the teacher)
Arthur: (reading) The big slime (slurping noise) our teacher! (the teacher screams, but the students cheer) But it wasn't all good. The slime made everyone do its rotten bidding, like play only games it was good at! (the slime pushes around the students and spits a ball through the basketball hoop)
Giant Slime: P-tooey! I win again!
Comic Students: This rots!
Arthur: (reading) Bionic Bunny told it to leave...
Bionic Bunny: Slime, go away!
Arthur: and it (slurping noise) him too! (the slime eats Bionic Bunny, but he and the teacher are alive inside it)
Bionic Bunny: Know how to play Go Fish?
Arthur: (reading) The slime was unstoppable! Until...
Buster-like Cartoon Boy: Boy, I'm hungry!
Arthur: It was dark, so the boy didn't realize he was eating slime! (the boy eats a piece out of the slime)
Cartoon Boy: Mm, lime! (eats more) Mmm!
Giant Slime: Cut that out! (leaves, the boy chases it)
Arthur: (reading) The boy who would eat anything chased the slime!
Cartoon Boy: Come back! You're delicious! (eats the slime)
Arthur: And he (slurping noise) the whole thing!
Bionic Bunny: Thank goodness you eat like a pig!
Cartoon Boy: (shakes Bionic Bunny's hand, he's now much fatter and taller so that the slime can fit in his stomach) You're welcome! (burps and knocks over Bionic Bunny and the teacher)
Buster: And I would eat a giant slime, if it was lime slime.
Mr. Haney: (enters and plays a horn) The teacher charity carnival is about to begin! (most of the students dash out, dropping the comics on the floor)
Mrs. MacGrady: Boy, Francine, you left your comics everywhere!
(Francine sighs and leaves, Mrs. MacGrady starts to pick the comics up and looks thoughtful)
(at the carnival, Miss Bryan, the art teacher makes candy floss that looks like the Brain's face)
Buster: Finally, great art you can eat!
(Mr. Ratburn is doing his puppet show. Fern walks by without looking. Mr. Ratburn looks surprised.) (
Mrs. MacGrady is being a fortune teller)
Mrs. MacGrady: Fern! I was reading these comics. That Francine sounds just terrible.
Fern: She's the worst!
Mrs. MacGrady: If you can get all the kids together who drew these, I have a way we can make her look really silly!
Fern: Sure, I'll be back in a sec.
Mrs. MacGrady: It's all part of the fun! When you pull the rope, that pot of green gloop I made will pour on her. Here she comes. Be very quiet and wait 'til I say, "green gloop". (the kids who drew the comics hide behind the curtain) That's your cue to pull the rope and dump the gloop on her.
Buster: (holding the rope) This is gonna be great. (Fern shh's him, Francine enters)
Mrs. MacGrady: Ah, someone who wants their fortune told! Sit down, please and concentrate. (Francine sits) I see a cow and a foghorn.
Francine: (sighs) That's me. (her classmates giggle) What's that sound? (they go quiet)
Mrs. MacGrady: Nothing. The spirits are restless. And I see a bully bulldozer.
Francine: (sighs again) I never saw that one but it's probably me too.
Mrs. MacGrady: That's you and a stinky sneaker? That's funny? Yes?
Francine: I guess.
Mrs. MacGrady: But I see that you are not laughing.
Francine: (tearfully) Oh, Mrs. MacGrady! I wish they'd stop making fun of me! I know I shouldn't have called Fern a mouse, but why did they all have to be so mean to me?!
Arthur: Did you hear that?
Binky: I can't believe it. Francine has feelings.
Fern: Yeah!
Mrs. MacGrady: Tissues to your left, dear. I see one more thing. Oh, yes, here's a cartoon of you as green gloop. (clears throat) I said there's a cartoon of you as green gloop! (Mrs. MacGrady turns her head to where the students are hiding) Green gloop! (the students pause for a bit; Buster, having his hands on the rope, quietly lets go; the students feel guilty and decides to stop causing their friend further humiliation)
Francine: (blows her nose and sounds even more sad) I just wish they'd stop.
Mrs. MacGrady: I think you came to the right fortune teller, dear.
Francine: (leaving, choked up) Thank you, Mrs. MacGrady.
Mrs. MacGrady: Goodbye.
(they stand outside the tent)
Buster: It was so fun making fun of her, we didn't think about how it made her feel.
Mrs. MacGrady: I always say, "Never serve anyone a stew that you wouldn't want to eat yourself."
Fern: Wait up, Francine!
Buster: Wait up! (he and several others leave)
Arthur: Oh, by the way, maybe you'd better think about it before you dump that gloop on somebody. It might hurt their feelings.
Mrs. MacGrady: Maybe you're right. I guess learned something today. Better catch your friends. (Arthur leaves, Mrs. MacGrady goes back into her tent and pulls the rope, and a bunch of balloons, confetti and streamers fall out)
(Francine wins at a carnival game)
Fern: Wow, way to go, Francine!
Ms. Sweetwater: (chasing Mrs. Tingley) Come back, we're about to begin!
Mr. Haney: (following after) For the hundredth time, Miss Tingley, you have nothing to worry about!