This article is about Maria. You may be looking for Marina. |
Maria Pappas | |
---|---|
Age | 8 or 9[1] |
Grade | 3rd[2] 4th ("Arthur's First Day") |
Gender | Female[3] |
Animal | Rabbit[4] |
Residence | Maria's house, Elwood City |
Family | Mrs. Pappas (mother) Steve (brother) |
Book debut | Arthur's Teacher Trouble |
Cartoon debut | "Arthur's Eyes" |
Voiced by | Stacey DePass (since season 19)[5][6] |
Maria Pappas is a student at Lakewood Elementary School. She is a third grader in Mr. Ratburn's class and one of Arthur Read's classmates. Later, she is a fourth grader in Mrs. Grimslid's class.
Maria originated as a background character in Marc Brown's 1986 book, Arthur's Teacher Trouble.[7] The yet-unnamed rabbit girl was called Maria for identification at the animation studio.[7][8] She debuted in the first episode in 1996.
While other minor characters had joined the main cast over the years — Fern, George, and Jenna to name a few — Maria was left undeveloped. Even so, a few people noticed her[9][10] and the writers became aware of these fans.[4]
In 2014, the Arthur crew announced an upcoming episode would focus on Maria.[11] "Maria Speaks" aired in 2016.[12] The episode revealed her full name and provided an in-universe reason for her long silence: she is hiding a stutter.
Maria spoke again in "Binky Can't Always Get What He Wants" (2019).
Biography[]
Early life[]
Maria is not in the kindergarten class photo from three years ago.[13] Since there is only one kindergarten class at Lakewood,[14] this implies she transferred to the school in a later year.
Maria was present at Lakewood in second grade,[3] but was not in Mr. Marco's class.[15] Sometime during this year, she walked into the girls' bathroom when Arthur had accidentally entered moments before.[3]
Last Fall, Maria watched the preschool pageant from the audience, according to Arthur's memory of the event.[16]
Third grade[]
When Principal Haney announced that Maria and her new classmates were going to be in Ratburn's class, she screamed with everyone else. However, she enjoyed Ratburn's puppet show of Jack and the Beanstalk.[2] She did not qualify to participate in the Spell-a-thon but she did watch from the audience.[17] On a field trip to Rainbow Rock State Park, she did not find any fossils.[18] When Arthur lost a library book, Binky investigated if she or others had stolen it.[19] Before a big test, Buster bounced a paper ball off her head, which annoyed her.[20] Maria played the role of a reporter for the class play about Thomas Edison.[21] In the winter, she went ice skating with John.[22] After Prunella's half-birthday, Maria went to her to have her fortune told through the Cootie Catcher.[23] She went on the class field trip to Crosswire Motors, the Ice Cream Shop, and the Elwood City Dump.[24] When Mr. Ratburn lost his voice and his sister was substitute teacher, Maria found Ms. Ratburn's teaching style to be too easy. She was overjoyed when her regular teacher returned.[25] Hoping to check out a copy of the new Scare-Your-Pants-Off Club book, she waited outside the library until it opened.[26] Muffy rallied Maria and the rest of her class to take a stand against whoever stole Francine's bike, whom, at the time, they believed to be Binky.[27]
Maria was present when Mister Rogers visited the school.[28] She visited the Teachers' Charity Carnival at school.[29] On a trip to the Elwood City Art Museum, Maria partnered with Brian and Jenna to write a report on a work of art. She wore a green mask for their project.[30] Maria signed up with everyone else (except Binky) for the TV-Free Week.[31] She and Steve competed in the Brother-and-Sister race in the Annual Picnic.[32]
Maria went scuba diving with Muffy in the Crosswire Mansion swimming pool when Arthur delivered news that Buster was coming home.[33] When the Magic Toolbox team came to film an episode with her class, Maria had to say something about the Solar System.[34] Maria bought a yellow/orange Woogle, but later abandoned it in favor of the new bottle cap trend.[35] Over spring break, she took a camp at the community center. One class was a karate class hosted by Mr. Ratburn.[36] She and her class competed at the Medieval Fair[37] and she was in the Library Card song.[38]
She read a book at the library.[39] She went on the teacup ride with Steve at the amusement park.[40] When Buster found out he had asthma, Maria went with her class inside Buster's lungs to see what asthma is. The tour may or may not have been a real experience.[41] Prunella invited Maria to her birthday party, and she had a good time.[42] She watched the school talent show.[43] At Mill Creek Mall, she met with a boy in Mrs. Fink's class.[44] She was reading a book at the library, but Francine mistook her for Arthur.[45]
When the school population had a lice situation, she probably caught it from trying on Muffy's hat during the school assembly.[46] She said something to Francine that upset her.[47] She and Fern jumped rope in the park.[48] Over winter break, she went shopping in the Mill Creek Mall and attended Muffy's Christmas party.[49]
Maria helped raise money for the school band to purchase new uniforms and musical instruments.[50] Playing with a doll, she was surprised when Hammer walked by her house.[51] She attended the school's Athlete of the Year Award Ceremony.[52]
Maria and her mother went to Crown City and bought pretzels from a shop in the Crown City Subway station.[53] She had a role in the school's city centennial play, "Oh, Elwood!", as a present-day student.[54] She went on a field trip to Lapp Farm in Amish Country and helped with the barn-raising.[55] She tried the static electricity exhibit and went on the overnight field trip at the Science Museum.[56] When there was a fire in the teachers' lounge, she evacuated the building with her class and made it to safety. For the next few weeks, her class would attend school at Mighty Mountain.[57] She became a big fan of U Stink at the PTA rally, and was even more excited when U Stink played alongside the Backstreet Boys at a concert.[58]
She partnered with a preschooler to do a cross-school team project.[59] On a hot day, she, Muffy, and Fern had agreed to put a dust ruffle on the side of their desk group. After a long series of escalating tension, Maria joined in the classroom riot. When Mr. Haney told them to stop, she helped clean up the classroom before the teacher returned.[60] She had ice cream at the Ice Cream Shop with her mother.[61]
As part of the Lakewood Elementary Choir, she practiced the song "In the Good Old Summer Time" to perform in Crown City. After a closed road forced the bus to take a detour, she sang in a diner with her choir.[62] She enrolled in the Elwood City Kids' Circus camp with her friends. On performance night, she juggled pins alongside Arthur and Buster.[63] She watched a soccer game.[64] and rallied for Arthur and Brain in the checkers championships.[65] Maria and Fern got treats from the Ice Cream Shop.[66] On a sunny day, she and Alex read together from a book.[67]
After watching the classic horror film, The Squirrels, Maria was too frightened to go outside, but seeing a real squirrel in class changed her mind.[68] As an end-of-the-year assignment, Mr. Ratburn challenged his class to choose one food that would sustain them if they were stranded on a desert island. Maria chose cheese as her food.[69] Maria watched the children's cooking contest at Lakewood judged by Ming Tsai.[70] She waited with the class for the school bus to arrive for a field trip to the zoo, but the request for the bus was never delivered, so they had an impromptu spelling bee instead.[71]
Maria played a game of hide and seek with her friends.[72]
She practiced rock climbing in the gym and went rock climbing for real on a mountain.[73] She and Alex went to see a movie[74] and she went with her mother to the Sugar Bowl.[75]
When Buster discovered a list of numbers and names of students, Maria was number 23. However, it was later learned that this number had no significance.[76] On Mr. Ratburn's Student of the Month chart, Maria had the fourth lowest score, slightly behind Fern.[77] Maria was shocked to hear that Mrs. MacGrady had cancer.[78] At the community center, she read a book.[79] Maria attended a swim meet where she talked to a boy before the race began.[80] Maria briefly became a member of the Lakewood Pride Committee and ran in the track meet against Mighty Mountain.[81]
Maria watched the free throw contest between Brain (with Lydia) and Sam Scarborough[82] and George's report on Buster.[83] Muffy's new playground amusement park idea did not interest her.[84] She was interested, though, to see George walk all the way to Elwood City from Crown City.[85]
When George went on a radio show to win money for the school, Maria listened to the broadcast from the assembly in the school auditorium.[86] In the same auditorium, she listened to Binky performing music for the clarinet.[87] Maria and her mother went to David's Toys.[88] She took the Stoddard Wilkins Elementary Aptitude Test, but did not take Mrs. MacGrady's relaxation lesson with the rest of her class.[89]
Maria welcomed Ladonna to class when she moved to Elwood City.[90] She participated in the first annual Lakewood Derby.[91] When Lakewood started using the HUGO 3.0, Maria was interested at first, but she later cheered for Brain when he defeated the computer.[92] She tried reading at the library, but the Shush Customers were too loud.[93] After earning points in the IRP system, she looked at toy trucks among the prizes available.[94]
Maria tried the ring toss game at the fair.[95] She went to the new ice cream shop Yumbobo, but when Buster and Brain introduced Brain's Blending Lab, she returned to the Ice Cream Shop.[96]
Maria went with Steve to Wonder World when it opened a new roller coaster, The Buzzard. After waiting in line, they rode on it together.[97] When Jenna had a birthday party, Maria went to her house to celebrate.[98] After Hurricane Sadie, Maria attended Ladonna's surprise birthday party at the Tree House. Later, she and Jenna bought ice cream at the Ice Cream Shop's reopening.[99]
Maria went to Muffy's dad's drive-in movie.[100] She and her class played a game of baseball with Sue Ellen's pen pal Tenzin before he had to leave for home.[101] She watched George's puppet show at the PTA variety show.[102] On a rainy day, someone held an umbrella for Maria when she had to wait in a line.[103] Mr. Ratburn appointed Maria as the lead reporter for the Lakewood Elementary News. Initially excited for the opportunity, she was overcome with nervousness due to her stutter and could not do the show. By practicing talking with her friends and a speech therapist, Maria was able to host the next show a few weeks later.[5] When Buster and George tried to distract the Tough Customers with the sound of an ice cream truck, Maria also fell for the trick.[104] While she did not enter the Little Miss Crocus pageant, Maria went with Beulah to get a paper about it.[105] At the end of the school year, Maria and her whole class sang a song for Mr. Ratburn.[106]
Maria cheered for Brain when he won the statewide science competition.[107] She made a caveman cave diorama out of a volleyball. Maria later attended Arthur's piano recital.[108]
In the winter time, Mr. Ratburn's students visited the Planetarium on "Science Saturday" and watched a movie about outer space. Maria sat next to Jenna during the show. Afterwards, she presumably went to the party at Muffy's house, to which everyone was invited.[109]
Maria worked as the "cat wrangler" at Lakewood's Cat Adoption Talent Show and helped families fill out adoption papers.[6] Maria wished goodbye to Ladonna when the latter's family moved to Oregon.[110]
Fourth grade and beyond[]
In the next school year, Maria was in Mrs. Grimslid's class for 4th grade, along with Buster, Sue Ellen and George. Her new classmates were Samir, Kevin, Paul, Cressida, Edith, and Cindy.[14]
In her old age, Francine still owned a video tape of the time when she and her 3rd grade classmates appeared on the TV show The Magic Toolbox.[34]
Arthur owned a video disk of the time when he and his classmates made their family history reports. 100 years in the future, Arthur's great-grandchildren watched the video.[111]
Personality[]
Quietness[]
Maria is usually a bit shy.[4] In spite of this, however, she does often participate in class lessons. She is also willing to have lines in a class play, so long as they aren't solo lines.[21] This is because she has a stutter and did not want everyone to know about it. However, with practice her speaking has improved and her confidence with it.[5]
She once said something that upset Francine.[47]
Grades[]
Maria received a 'C' on one of Mr. Ratburn's quizzes.[112] On an oral report for history, the grade she received was a 'B'.[113] She is not the best speller in her class.[17] On the 'Student of the Month' chart, Maria ranks low compared to most other students; she had the fourth lowest (or ninth highest) score, slightly behind Fern at eighth highest.[77]
Sports[]
Maria follows several sports, such as basketball[82] and soccer.[64] She herself participates on the track and field team.[81]
Music[]
Maria is a member of the Lakewood Elementary Choir.[62] She also plays the tambourine for the school band[114] and has a guitar in her bedroom.[5]
She is able to whistle.[27]
Other interests[]
Maria has a butterfly collection, a pet fish, and pictures of marine animals in her room.[5] She also likes cats.[6]
When the new Scare-Your-Pants-Off Club book was released, Maria waited outside the library to get it.[26] Maria is also a fan of the Magic Cat books.[6] She can frequently be found reading in the library.[39][45][115][116]
Maria plays hopscotch[117] and jump rope.[48] She rallied for Arthur and Brain in the checkers play-offs.[65] She is also a fan of Bionic Bunny.[118][119] The music by the Finnish band BINKY was a favorite of hers.[120]
Maria owns a doll which she occasionally plays with,[51] though she may also like toy trucks.[94] Maria has another doll that looks like her.[5]
If she could only take one food to a desert island, she would bring a plate of cheese.[69]
Relationships[]
Family[]
- Mrs. Pappas - She was with Maria at the Ice Cream Shop,[61] The Sugar Bowl,[75] and David's Toys.[88]
- Steve Pappas - Steve is Maria's older brother. He also goes to Lakewood. They often talk with each other between classes and at lunchtime.[71] The two were confirmed to be related by their participation in the brother-and-sister race at the Annual Picnic.[32] They also go on amusement park rides together, such as the spinning teacup ride[40] and The Buzzard, a roller coaster.[97]
Friends[]
- Alex Davidson - Alex and Maria are often together after school.[121][122] They also shared a book at recess,[67] saw a movie together,[74] and went to the Teachers' Charity Carnival.[29]
- Binky Barnes - Maria encouraged Binky after he missed his opportunity to star in a TV commercial.[6]
- Fern Walters - They have been seen outside of school together, enjoying dessert snacks.[66]
- Jenna Morgan - Maria and Jenna are good friends. They play together[35] and visit each other's houses.[5] For a time, Jenna was one of few people who knew Maria's secret about her trouble speaking.
- Muffy Crosswire - Maria follows Muffy's blog and the girls have each other's phone numbers.[6]
- Prunella Deegan - Maria was invited to Prunella's birthday party.[42]
- Sue Ellen Armstrong - Seen walking together at the Harvest Day Celebration.[76]
- Rattles - In "Blabbermouth", she is seen eating and talking with Rattles in the beginning of the episode.[citation needed]
Physical appearance[]
Maria is an anthropomorphic rabbit with a cream complexion. She wears a sky blue skirt, a cyan-and-light pink striped shirt, white knee socks, and light brown shoes. She has light brown hair in the form of a bob cut.
Not including her ears, she is a few inches taller than Arthur.[8] In some instances, though, her height has varied from preschooler size[75] to Prunella's height.[58]
Color pallete, sampled over time | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hair | Skin/ Fur |
Shirt | Skirt | Source | |
season 1 [123] | |||||
season 2 [124] | |||||
season 3 [38] | |||||
Arthur's Perfect Christmas [125] | |||||
season 6 [114] | |||||
season 7, 10 [126][70] | |||||
season 8 [127] | |||||
season 9, 11 [128][129] | |||||
season 12 [130] | |||||
season 14 [85] | |||||
season 16, 20 [92][107] | |||||
season 18, 19 [131][132][133] | |||||
season 22, 23 [134][110] |
List of costumes | ||
---|---|---|
Image | Episode(s) | Description |
Arthur's Teacher Trouble | Glasses. | |
"Buster's Dino Dilemma" | Light blue T-shirt and dark blue shorts with white polka dots. | |
"Arthur Accused!" | Blue jacket. | |
"Francine Frensky, Superstar" | Dark blue top hat, burgundy coat, olive green trousers, white collared shirt, and magenta necktie. | |
"My Dad, the Garbage Man" | A surgical mask, hairnet, and medical scrubs. She later wore a surgical mask again. | |
"My Dad, the Garbage Man" | Hard hat. | |
"Binky Barnes, Art Expert" | Cultural mask. | |
"Buster's Back" | Orange swimsuit with an orange scuba mask, oxygen tank, and black flippers. | |
"Popular Girls" | Karate gi. | |
"Prunella Gets it Twice" | Pink sweater with a dark blue collar and her usual light blue skirt. | |
Green-blue jacket, pink scarf, pink mittens, purple leggings, and snow boots. | ||
Arthur's Perfect Christmas |
Pink sweater, teal sweatpants, and green-blue sneakers. | |
Arthur's Perfect Christmas | Green dress with red collar and red sash, long red socks, and black Mary Jane shoes. | |
"Buster's Sweet Success" | Dark blue button-down shirt with gold highlights and gold shirt cuffs, gold suspenders, red skirt, and tan cowboy boots with gold stripes. | |
"Elwood City Turns 100!" | White long-sleeved shirt, pink vest, jeans, dark blue sneakers, and a pink baseball cap. | |
A magenta jacket with a pink collar. Its buttons are only visible in "I Owe You One". | ||
"The World of Tomorrow" | Pink pajamas. | |
"The World of Tomorrow" | IALF. | |
"Bugged" | White shirt, blue dress, long white socks, and brown shoes. | |
Pink T-shirt with light blue stripes and a white collar, a light blue dress, and her usual brown shoes. | ||
A light blue and pink swimsuit. | ||
"Francine's Big Top Trouble" | A white T-shirt and teal pants. | |
"Francine's Big Top Trouble" | A purple T-shirt with yellow sleeves and a yellow star design, red- and tan-striped tights, and purple shoes. | |
"The Chronicles of Buster" | A light blue T-shirt, dark blue shorts, white socks, and red and white sneakers. | |
"The Great MacGrady" | T-shirt. | |
"The Pride of Lakewood" | The new green-and-yellow track and field uniform. | |
"Arthur Unravels" | A purple-gray cap and a green trench coat. | |
"Fountain Abbey" | A short-sleeve lavender dress with a white collar. | |
"Maria Speaks" | A short-sleeve white shirt with black cuffs, long black pants, burgundy suspenders, a red neck scarf, and white and black face paint. | |
"Maria Speaks" | A blue suit, gray pants, dark gray shoes, a pink undershirt, and a pink headscarf. | |
"Maria Speaks" | A white scarf and sunglasses, along with her normal outfit. | |
"Maria Speaks" | A blue suit, a gray skirt, dark gray shoes, and a pink undershirt. | |
"Arthur's First Day" |
Behind the scenes[]
Appearances[]
This list contains 243 items (bold indicates a speaking role)
- Arthur: (224)
- 1x01a "Arthur's Eyes"
- 1x02a. "Arthur and the Real Mr. Ratburn"
- 1x02b. "Arthur's Spelling Trubble"
- 1x03b. "Buster's Dino Dilemma"
- 1x04b. "Arthur's Lost Library Book"
- 1x06a. "Locked in the Library!
- 1x06b. "Arthur Accused!"
- 1x07b. "Buster Makes the Grade"
- 1x10a. "Arthur's Birthday"
- 1x10b. "Francine Frensky, Superstar"
- 1x11a. "Arthur's Baby"
- 1x12a. "Arthur Writes a Story"
- 1x12b. "Arthur's Lost Dog"
- 1x13b. "Buster's New Friend"
- 1x17b. "Arthur, World's Greatest Gleeper"
- 1x21a. "Sue Ellen Moves In"
- 1x22b. "Team Trouble"
- 1x23a. "Bully for Binky"
- 1x23b. "Misfortune Teller"
- 1x24a. "Arthur's Tooth"
- 1x26a. "My Dad, the Garbage Man"
- 1x27b. "Arthur's Substitute Teacher Trouble"
- 1x28a. "I'm a Poet"
- 1x28b. "The Scare-Your-Pants-Off Club"
- 1x29a. "My Club Rules"
- 1x29b. "Stolen Bike"
- 2x01a. "Arthur Meets Mister Rogers"
- 2x01b. "Draw!"
- 2x02a. "Binky Barnes, Art Expert"
- 2x02b. "Arthur's Lucky Pencil"
- 2x05a. "Arthur's Underwear"
- 2x05b. "Francine Frensky, Olympic Rider"
- 2x07a. "Arthur's TV-Free Week"
- 2x07b. "Night Fright"
- 2x08a. "Arthur vs. the Piano"
- 2x08b. "The Big Blow-Up"
- 2x09a. "Lost!"
- 2x11b. "Buster Hits the Books"
- 2x14a. "Sue Ellen's Lost Diary"
- 2x15a. "Grandma Thora Appreciation Day"
- 2x15b. "Fern's Slumber Party"
- 2x16a. "Love Notes for Muffy"
- 2x16b. "D.W. Blows the Whistle"
- 2x18a. "Arthur vs. the Very Mean Crossing Guard"
- 2x18b. "D.W.'s Very Bad Mood"
- 2x20b. "Sue Ellen's Little Sister"
- 3x01a. "Buster's Back"
- 3x01b. "The Ballad of Buster Baxter"
- 3x03a. "Arthur Goes Crosswire"
- 3x03b. "Sue Ellen and the Brainasaurus"
- 3x04a. "Background Blues"
- 3x04b. "And Now Let's Talk to Some Kids"
- 3x05b. "Revenge of the Chip"
- 3x06b. "Meet Binky"
- 3x07a. "Arthur Rides the Bandwagon"
- 3x07b. "Dad's Dessert Dilemma"
- 3x08a. "Popular Girls"
- 3x08b. "Buster's Growing Grudge"
- 3x09a. "Arthur's Treasure Hunt"
- 3x09b. "The Return of the King"
- 3x11b. "Arthur's Almost Live Not Real Music Festival"
- 3x12a. "What Scared Sue Ellen?"
- 3x13a. "Arthur's Dummy Disaster"
- 3x15a. "Arthur and D.W. Clean Up"
- 3x15b. "The Long, Dull Winter"
- 4x01a. "D.W.'s Library Card"
- 4x01b. "Arthur's Big Hit"
- 4x02b. "Muffy's New Best Friend"
- 4x03a. "Buster's Breathless"
- 4x05b. "The Rat Who Came to Dinner"
- 4x06b. "Prunella Gets it Twice"
- 4x07a. "Binky Barnes, Wingman"
- 4x07b. "To Beat or Not to Beat"
- 4x08a. "1001 Dads"
- 4x08b. "Prunella's Prediction"
- 4x09b. "Buster's Best Behavior"
- 4x10b. "That's a Baby Show!"
- 5x01a. "Arthur and the Big Riddle"
- 5x01b. "Double Dare"
- 5x02a. "Kids are from Earth, Parents are from Pluto"
- 5x03a. "It's a No-Brainer"
- 5x05a. "The Lousy Week"
- 5x05b. "You Are Arthur"
- 5x06a. "The Election"
- 5x06b. "Francine Goes to War"
- 5x08b. "Bitzi's Beau"
- 5x10b. "Muffy Gets Mature"
- 6x02b. "Buster's Sweet Success"
- 6x03a. "Prunella's Special Edition"
- 6x04b. "Brother, Can You Spare a Clarinet?"
- 6x05a. "The Boy Who Cried Comet"
- 6x06a. "Citizen Frensky"
- 6x07a. "The Boy with His Head in the Clouds"
- 6x09a. "The Good Sport"
- 7x02a. "Francine's Split Decision"
- 7x02b. "Muffy Goes Metropolitan"
- 7x03a. "Ants in Arthur's Pants"
- 7x05. "Elwood City Turns 100!"
- 7x06b. "Jenna's Bedtime Blues"
- 7x07b. "Buster's Amish Mismatch"
- 7x08a. "The World of Tomorrow"
- 7x10. "April 9th"
- 8x01b. "Bitzi's Break-up"
- 8x03b. "Bugged"
- 8x04a. "Fernkenstein's Monster"
- 8x04b. "D.W., Dancing Queen"
- 8x05a. "Vomitrocious"
- 8x07a. "Desk Wars"
- 8x10a. "Big Horns George"
- 9x01a. "Castles in the Sky"
- 9x01b. "Tipping the Scales"
- 9x02a. "Francine's Big Top Trouble"
- 9x02b. "George Blows His Top"
- 9x03a. "Arthur Weighs In"
- 9x03b. "The Law of the Jungle Gym"
- 9x05b. "All Worked Up"
- 9x07b. "A is for Angry"
- 9x09b. "Buster the Myth Maker"
- 9x10a. "Binky Goes Nuts"
- 9x10b. "Breezy Listening Blues"
- 10x01. "Happy Anniversary"
- 10x02a. "The Squirrels"
- 10x03a. "Desert Island Dish"
- 10x08a. "Binky vs. Binky"
- 10x09a. "Do You Speak George?"
- 10x10a. "What's Cooking?"
- 10x10b. "Buster's Special Delivery"
- 11x01b. "Germophobia"
- 11x04b. "Brain's Shocking Secret"
- 11x06a. "The Making of Arthur"
- 11x07b. "Mr. Alwaysright"
- 11x08a. "Francine's Pilfered Paper"
- 11x08b. "Buster Gets Real"
- 12x01a. "Is That Kosher?"
- 12x02b. "The Frensky Family Fiasco"
- 12x03b. "Bats in the Belfry"
- 12x05a. "The Chronicles of Buster"
- 12x07a. "War of the Worms"
- 12x07b. "I Owe You One"
- 12x09b. "Do You Believe in Magic?"
- 12x10a. "The Perfect Game"
- 13x01. "The Great MacGrady"
- 13x02a. "The Silent Treatment"
- 13x02b. "Kung Fool"
- 13x03a. "Arthur's Number Nightmare"
- 13x03b. "Brain Gets Hooked"
- 13x04a. "MacFrensky" (First identified as Maria)
- 13x05b. "Prunella and the Disappointing Ending"
- 13x06a. "When Carl Met George"
- 13x06b. "D.W. Swims with the Fishes"
- 13x08a. "Fernlets by Fern"
- 13x08b. "Prunella and the Haunted Locker"
- 13x09b. "The Pride of Lakewood"
- 14x01a. "The Wheel Deal"
- 14x01b. "The Buster Report"
- 14x03b. "The Play's the Thing"
- 14x05a. "Tales of Grotesquely Grim Bunny"
- 14x07b. "Muffy and the Big Bad Blog"
- 14x08a. "Arthur Unravels"
- 14x08b. "All the Rage"
- 14x09a. "D.W., Queen of the Comeback" (Flashback)
- 14x10b. "The Long Road Home"
- 15x01. "Fifteen"
- 15x02a. "I Wanna Hold Your Hand"
- 15x03a. "Buster's Secret Admirer"
- 15x04a. "Cents-less"
- 15x04b. "Buster the Lounge Lizard"
- 15x05b. "S.W.E.A.T."
- 15x07a. "Prunella the Packrat"
- 15x07b. "What's in a Name?"
- 15x09b. "The Trouble with Trophies"
- 16x01. "Based on a True Story"
- 16x02a. "Flippity Francine"
- 16x02b. "Muffy Takes the Wheel"
- 16x04a. "Get Smart"
- 16x06a. "The Last Tough Customer"
- 16x07b. "Brain's Biggest Blunder"
- 16x08a. "Buster's Book Battle"
- 16x10a. "So Funny I Forgot to Laugh"
- 16x10b. "The Best Day Ever"
- 17x03b. "Buster Bombs"
- 17x04a. "Opposites Distract"
- 17x05a. "All Thumbs"
- 17x06a. "Speak Up, Francine"
- 17x08b. "Crime and Consequences"
- 17x09a. "Caught in the Crosswires"
- 17x10b. "Brain Freeze"
- 18x01b. "D.W. & Bud's Higher Purpose"
- 18x02b. "Surprise!"
- 18x03a. "The Case of the Girl with the Long Face"
- 18x03b. "The Substitute Arthur"
- 18x04a. "Best Wishes"
- 18x04b. "The Tardy Tumbler"
- 18x05a. "Fountain Abbey"
- 18x05b. "Arthur Calls It"
- 18x08a. "Arthur Read: Super Saver"
- 18x09a. "The Pageant Pickle"
- 18x10. "Shelter from the Storm"
- 19x01b. "Brain Sees Stars"
- 19x02a. "Sue Ellen Adds It Up"
- 19x02b. "Wish You Were Here"
- 19x04b. "Dueling Detectives!"
- 19x05a. "Buster Isn't Buying It"
- 19x06a. "Maria Speaks"
- 19x07b. "Too Much of a Good Thing"
- 19x08b. "Little Miss Meanie"
- 19x09a. "Mr. Ratburn's Secret Identity"
- 19x09b. "Besties"
- 19x10. "The Last Day" (First identified as Pappas)
- 20x01a. "Buster's Second Chance"
- 20x01b. "Arthur and the Whole Truth"
- 20x02a. "Fern's Flights of Fancy"
- 21x01a. "Binky's 'A' Game"
- 21x01b. "Brain and the Time Capsule"
- 21x03a. "Francine & the Soccer Spy"
- 21x03b. "Sue Ellen & the Last Page"
- 21x04b. "Arthur Takes a Stand"
- 21x05a. "Slink's Special Talent"
- 22x01a. "Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone"
- 22x01b. "The Feud"
- 22x02a. "When Rivals Came to Roost"
- 22x03b. "Binky Can't Always Get What He Wants"
- 22x04a. "Muffy's Car Campaign"
- 22x04b. "Truth or Poll"
- 23x02. "When Duty Calls"
(Incomplete list)
- 1x05. "Among the Hmong"
- 2x04. "The Case of the Coin Purloined"
- 3x04. "Finding Family in Chennai"
- Specials: (6)
- Books: (3)
- Arthur's Teacher Trouble (First appearance)
- Arthur Lost and Found
- Arthur's Off to School
- Games: (1)
- Online: (6)
Development and design[]
An unnamed, bob-cut-hair rabbit girl appeared in Marc Brown's books Arthur's Eyes (1979), Arthur's Valentine (1980), Arthur's Tooth (1985), and Arthur's Teacher Trouble (1986). However, Maria's design for the TV series was specifically taken from Arthur's Teacher Trouble, according to series director Greg Bailey.[7]
According to Peter K. Hirsch, Maria was one of the characters created to keep the classroom from looking too empty.[137] Like many other recurring extras, Maria was given a name for the storyboard artists' convenience. On one reference sheet from 1996, she is labelled "#2 Maria".[8] Maria is likely named after someone who worked at Cinar at the time.[7]
Maria's given name appeared in written form in "Arthur's Number Nightmare" (2009). However, the context of this episode could not narrow down the name to this character. "MacFrensky", which aired the next day in the U.S., proved that the last unnamed girl in Mr. Ratburn's class was Maria. The Arthur crew has since confirmed this on social media[10] and at live appearances.[137]
Maria's surname, Pappas, first appeared in written form in "The Last Day", airing in the U.S. on May 23, 2016. A day later,[12] it was confirmed in dialogue of "Maria Speaks".
At New York Comic Con in October 2013, Peter K. Hirsch mentioned Alex and Maria by name.[137] The ARTHUR Facebook page added, "...we may hear from them in the future".[4] An episode featuring Maria was announced May 9, 2014.[11] Its title, "Maria Speaks", was revealed May 2015.[12] The episode aired May 24, 2016 on PBS Kids.
Depiction in other media[]
In the Living Books computer games that are based on the books, Maria had a light yellow complexion and brown hair in Arthur's Teacher Trouble (1993). When the player clicks on the poster behind her, the drawing comes to life and looks between Maria's ears. Clicking on Maria makes her say, "I thought I'd win," which was her first distinct speaking line ever. It is unknown exactly who voiced her, since the voice actors for minor characters were listed together with no distinction.
Maria—and many other characters—appear in a maze activity on the back cover of Arthur's Off to School.
A puzzle produced by Fortune East Group depicts Maria with a white complexion and blonde hair.
In the Hebrew dub of "Buster Makes the Grade", Maria says "ow!" when the paper ball hits her head.[138] This line is not in the English version. This makes this dub the only time she speaks in the first season.
Quotes[]
"I thought I'd win." |
"We don't believe it!" |
"If you say that again you're going to get it!" |