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"Grandpa Dave's Memory Album"
Season/Series: 15
Number in season: 6a
Original Airdate: United States June 15, 2012[1][2]
Canada May 21, 2013[5]
United Kingdom January 20, 2011[3][4]
Credits
Written by: Ken Scarborough
Storyboard by: François Brisson
Episodes
Previous
"S.W.E.A.T."
Next
"Buster's Carpool Catastrophe"
Read transcript

"Grandpa Dave's Memory Album" is the first half of the sixth episode in the fifteenth season of Arthur.

Summary[]

Grandpa Dave is coming to visit, and later plans on moving closer to the family and the kids are thrilled. But something is not quite right; he is forgetting all sorts of things, such as Arthur’s name, recent events (such as Lucy’s wedding), and more. Francine's grandmother helps Arthur understand that Grandpa Dave loves them just as much as he always has, even though he is having problems with his memory.

Plot[]

In the introduction, Bubby Frensky talks to the audience about getting old while cleaning the Frenskys’ apartment. She says that while there are annoyances like not being as agile and having the occasional aches and pains, there are also good things like paying less for bus tickets, having naps whenever you want to, and still making new friends.

On that note, she prepares to talk about a new friend she made, only to be told by the crew that they are out of time and need to begin the show, much to her annoyance, questioning why they were rushing when she was old and they were on public television.

Grandpa Dave's Memory Album

D.W. tells Arthur to set up a cot, because Grandpa Dave is coming to town to see a doctor.

Grandpa Dave meets his family at the train station. He does not seem to remember when he last visited the Reads.

Grandpa Dave and the kids have fun, but then, while playing hide and seek, Dave forgets all about the game and goes back inside to Arthur’s kitchen. When the kids find him there, he cannot remember Arthur's name. Mrs. Read takes him to his doctor's appointment. Arthur blames D.W. for exhausting their grandpa.

After Grandpa Dave comes back, the Reads have a family talk. Grandpa Dave tells them that he has a disease (which we can assume is Alzheimer’s disease) that will cause his memory to deteriorate. He will be moving closer to his family and will need extra care from them. D.W. promises to take care of him.

D.W. collects photos to make a memory album to help Grandpa Dave remember. Arthur is depressed and believes that Grandpa Dave will forget things anyway.

Arthur goes to the park to be alone. He meets Francine and Bubby. Bubby insists on hearing his problem and invites him to have a snack at the Frenskys’ apartment. She tells Arthur she is sorry to hear about his grandpa and that there is nothing anyone can do to help the situation. But, his grandfather will always love him. Arthur cheers up and wonders if Bubby would come over for dinner.

Bubby comes over for country stew which Grandpa Dave still remembers how to make. Francine brings some old pictures for the memory album. D.W. and Arthur show the finished album to Grandpa Dave, who really enjoys perusing through both newer pictures, as well as older photos of Elwood City from his youth. He and Bubby look at old pictures and become friends.

Characters[]

Major[]

Minor[]

Cameo[]

Mentioned (and pictured)[]

Trivia[]

  • Bubby breaks the fourth wall in this episode when she says, "It's public television."
  • This episode has the second-longest intro with 2 minutes and 15 seconds before the title card.
  • Since Grandpa Dave has to move closer to the Reads due to his dementia, it is unknown what was going to happen to his farm. He either would have had to of sold it to one of his friends like Ed Billings or anyone and it would no longer belong in the family or he would have passed it on to either Fred, Lucy and her husband, or Cora, Jessica, and Richard.
  • In the U.S., this is the last episode to feature the Family Portrait title card.
  • This is the first (and only) time Bubby and Arthur speak to each other.
  • This is the final episode in the series in which Grandpa Dave has a speaking role.
  • This episode marks Bubby's final appearance before she passes away in "Listen Up!."

Episode connections[]

  • D.W. mentions driving with Grandpa Dave to Aunt Lucy's Wedding in “D.W. Thinks Big”. The memory album contains a picture of the event.
  • Bubby mentions the events of "Is That Kosher?." Despite her claim of being old friends, she and Arthur did not necessarily meet in that episode.

Cultural references[]

  • Though it is not mentioned by name, Grandpa Dave's disease is implied to be Alzheimer's (or a similar kind of dementia). It is a serious and fatal disease that affects the person's brain, mainly the memory portion, by killing brain cells. Patients are eventually bedridden and lose their ability to talk and eat. In Grandpa Dave's case, he has the early stages of Alzheimer's where it is easy to get lost and forget who people are.
  • Drinnens Pickles-37 varieties, is a parody of Heinz Ketchup - 57 varieties.
  • When D.W. tells Arthur that he looks more like an Arnold, that may be a reference to Arnold Perlstein (from The Magic School Bus) who also wears glasses and a yellow sweater. It may also be a reference to Arnold Shortman from "Hey Arnold!"

Errors[]

  • In the photo album wedding scene at Aunt Lucy's wedding from D.W. Thinks Big, Lucy and her husband's hair colors are switched.
  • In the Audio Descriptive version of the opening of this episode the narrator says ''a title appears around arthur'' instead of arthur/he tumbles backward into the tv

Production notes[]

  • This is the second and final episode to have Joan Rivers as the voice actress of Bubby, due to her death in September 2014.
    • As a result, this is Bubby's final appearance before she, herself, passed away in the Season 25 episode "Listen Up!"

Home Video[]

DVD[]

Gallery[]

Main article: Grandpa Dave's Memory Album/Gallery

References[]


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