| "That's a Baby Show!" | |
| Season/Series: | 4 |
|---|---|
| Number in season: | 10B |
| Original Airdate: |  October 18, 1999[1] January 17, 2000[2] |
| Credits | |
| Written by: | Joe Fallon |
| Storyboard by: | Robert Yap |
| Episodes | |
| Previous "My Music Rules" |
Next "Arthur and the Big Riddle" |
| Read transcript |
"That's a Baby Show!" is the second half of the tenth episode in the fourth season of Arthur.
Summary
Arthur is embarrassed to admit that he's hooked on a new TV show that's really targeted for younger kids.
Plot
Mary Moo Cow stands in Arthur’s room and sings a song about fun. Arthur wants her to leave and calls her show a baby show, though D.W. argues that since she likes the show, other kids might like it too.
Buster and Francine discuss a new show called The Dark Bunny in the treehouse. Arthur has not seen it yet but intends to do so.
D.W. is watching Mary Moo Cow. Arthur waits because Dark Bunny in on afterwards. D.W. complains because Dark Bunny scares her, but their mom takes Arthur's side and tells D.W. to do something else while the show is on. When Arthur says that Mary Moo Cow is a baby show, D.W. says that it is not, but Love Ducks is. After Mary Moo Cow ends, D.W. quickly leaves the room. Arthur wants to switch the channel but is mesmerized by Love Ducks which features ducks quacking famous tunes. The next day, Arthur claims that D.W. made him miss Dark Bunny.
In the afternoon, Arthur watches Love Ducks again. D.W. does not notice since she refuses to be in the room while she thinks Dark Bunny is on. Meanwhile, Buster and Francine watch Dark Bunny in their homes.
The next day, Buster and Francine discuss which part of the Dark Bunny episode was best. Arthur does not know what to say.
The next day, Buster says that he could not watch Dark Bunny because he had to watch Love Ducks with his little cousin. He and Brain dislike the show. Arthur thoughtlessly defends Love Ducks and then claims he had to watch it with Kate.
Arthur goes into a shop in disguise to buy a Love Ducks CD.
When Arthur and Francine ask Arthur to play soccer, he says he wants to watch Dark Bunny, but the show has been moved to Saturdays. Arthur instead claims that he has to help his dad and goes home to watch Love Ducks. Buster and Francine go to Arthur's house and see him watch Love Ducks. Arthur tries to blame it on Kate, but they do not believe him and tease him.
The next day, Arthur finds a picture of a duck on his locker. He asks Buster and Francine not to tell anyone, but Francine says it so loud that the whole class hears. Binky now teases Arthur too.
Arthur is depressed, so Buster invites him to a chocolate shake. On the way, they pass a TV store where Love Ducks is running and Buster is suddenly hooked. He goes to buy the CD.
The next day, Buster defends Arthur in front of Francine. The third-graders listen to the CD together and everybody likes it because it is so weird.
They watch the show together at the Read house and Francine confesses that she watches it regularly.
Characters
Major
Minor
- D.W. Read
- Muffy Crosswire
- Mary Moo Cow
- Jane Read
- Nigel Ratburn
- Binky Barnes
- Brain
- Catherine Frensky
- George Lundgren
- Prunella Deegan
- Sue Ellen Armstrong
Cameo
- Kenny
- Ms. Morgan
- Alex
- Maria Pappas
- 3rd Grade Female Aardvark
- 3rd Grade Male Rat
- 3rd Grade Female Cat (Number 2)
- 3rd Grade Male Rabbit
- John
- Helen
- Fern Walters
- 3rd Grade Male Dog
- Jessica
- Beulah McInnerny
Mentioned
Trivia
- George Lundgren admits he has been watching Love Ducks for the past year.
- When Buster and Francine leave Arthur's House, the Spooky Poo theme song can be heard.
- This episode reveals that Buster and Brain hate Mary Moo Cow as much as Arthur does.
- This is the last episode to debut in the 1990s.
Cultural references
- Love Ducks is a parody of Teletubbies (like Arthur, also owned by WildBrain as of 2013) and The Baby Einstein Company, and Dark Bunny is a parody of Batman: The Animated Series. The scene transitions featuring the Dark Bunny logo zooming in and out reference the zooming Batman logo transitions from the 1960s live-action Batman TV series.
- Mary Moo Cow is a parody of Barney & Friends and its predecessor, Barney and the Backyard Gang.
- Bionic Bunny is a parody of Superman.
- The Love Ducks songs are the Toreador Song from Bizet's opera Carmen, Beethoven's 5th symphony and the folk tune Little Brown Jug.
- The opera Carmen and the Toreador Song are again featured in the episode "Lights, Camera... Opera!".
- Francine mentions an episode where the Love Ducks quack Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker Suite.
Episode connections
- D.W. calls Bionic Bunny "Bubonic Bunny". In "Happy Anniversary", she calls him "Moronic Bunny". She is able to pronounce the name correctly as shown in "Buster's New Friend."
- The Toreador Song and Beethoven's 5th symphony are both part of the "Leftovers Goulash" song as heard in "Arthur's Almost Live Not Real Music Festival."
- The book The Red Dog is first shown in the episode "D.W.'s Library Card."
- Love Ducks is mentioned again in "The Secret Life of Dogs and Babies" and in "Buster's Second Chance".
- "The Secret Life of Dogs and Babies" features another Teletubbies parody.
Production notes
- This is the last Arthur episode aired in the 1990s.
- This is the last episode written by Joe Fallon due to his departure.
- This is the last episode where Luke Reid voices Brain.
- This is the last episode in which John Nestorowich is the recording engineer.
- This is the last episode in which Jean-Christophe Verbert is the re-recording engineer.
Home video
VHS:
DVD:
Gallery
- Main article: That's a Baby Show!/Gallery
References
