That's a Baby Show!

	"That's a Baby Show!"
	Main image; Title card;
Season/Series:	4
Number in season:	10B
Original Airdate:	October 18, 1999; January 17, 2000;
	Credits
Written by:	Joe Fallon
Storyboard by:	Robert Yap
	Episodes
Previous; "My Music Rules"	Next; "Arthur and the Big Riddle"

"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.

That's a Baby Show!

In the tree house, Buster and Francine discuss a new show called The Dark Bunny. Arthur has not seen it yet, but he intends to do so.

D.W. is watching Mary Moo Cow. Arthur waits because Dark Bunny is 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 following 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. He tries to keep a low profile, but the employee announces over the loudspeaker that Arthur is looking for a Love Ducks CD. Arthur exclaims that it's for his baby sister.

When Arthur and Francine ask Arthur to play soccer, he says he wants to watch Dark Bunny. Buster reminds Arthur that, a week ago, the show was moved to Saturdays only; Arthur instead claims that he has to help his dad with cooking and goes home to watch Love Ducks. Buster and Francine go to Arthur's house and see him watching Love Ducks. Arthur tries to blame it on Kate, but they do not believe him and tease him.

The next day at school, 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[]

Cameo[]

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.
It is revealed that Francine actively watches the Love Ducks.
It is revealed that Buster has a baby cousin.

Cultural references[]

Love Ducks is a parody of Teletubbies (like Arthur, also owned by WildBrain as of 2013) and The Baby Einstein Company.
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.
- The credits scene where Mary Moo Cow jumps over the moon references the nursery rhyme, Hey Diddle Diddle.
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 and the 20th century.
This is the last episode before the CINAR scandal. It aired 5 months before the scandal began.
This is the last episode written by Joe Fallon due to his departure.
This is the last episode where Luke Reid voices Brain.
This was the last episode to receive a Dutch dub before RTL 4 cancelled the show along with the rest of their children's Programming in 2001.

Home video[]

VHS:

Arthur Goes to Hollywood

DVD:

Gallery[]

Main article: That's a Baby Show!/Gallery

References[]

[1] ttp://www.ket.org/episode/ARUR%20%20000410/

[2] ttps://web.archive.org/web/20130719100407/http://ww3.tvo.org/program/157024/arthur/#1997

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