• Movies/TV

    I’m Getting Nostalgic Vibes from PBS Kids’ Arthur

    / August 7, 2021

    If you are up-to-date with what’s happening in pop culture, if you have a child at home, chances might be, you’ve heard the bittersweet news about PBS Kids: Arthur, the longest-running animated children’s TV series of ALL time, will come to a full stop at 25 seasons.
    Twenty-five seasons sounds like a reasonable number of seasons for an animated series. For children, it’s impressive as much as I’d love for them to press on, though. How about 30 seasons? No? There are enough great-grandchildren from the writers who work on the show?
    It hasn’t been long since I’ve wanted to write about Arthur. This is my chance since the TV show’s developer has made the most significant announcement.
    First Arthur began as children’s books in the 1970s. By the early ’90s, video games developed to feature the beloved aardvark. With the transcendence of book sales–at OVER 65 million books sold alone in the United States–it’s no wonder Arthur got a TV show of his own. Episode one aired in 1996. Arthur, you are older than me. Not by much, I’m happy to say.
    Okay, if you were like me, who watched Arthur when you were a child (you grew up with it), then admit you are feeling like all the greatest kid shows of all time, from the past, are dying out.
    I recall the days when after school, I hurried home to watch episodes of Arthur. Episodes I hadn’t seen since I was . . . four. Whether I was six or seven at the time, I hadn’t a care. By 2005, there were already 120 episodes, so don’t expect a kid of my age to recall every episode ever seen.
    Additionally, I can watch episodes repeatedly; others I’ve watched too much to enjoy them once more. The classic episodes hold a place in my heart since they are the best episodes, without question. Of those classics, I almost know them from start to finish. In contrast, for the classics I can barely recite, they make for happy reruns.
    Once I hit my tweens, I silently debated whether that was where a kid puts a stop sign to the TV shows they’ve watched since childhood. From what I heard at middle school, those in my age group viewed Jersey Shore and Keeping Up with the Kardashians. I did not desire to turn off at Kid Street and onto Adolescent Avenue at age eleven and twelve. My heart beat for me, not my classmates. Arthur remained a continuity until I was a tween. No one would convince me that show was subordinate at my age then.
    Those picture books I mentioned earlier, I can thank my mom for interesting me in Arthur. Then there’s my dad, where a specific memory stands out: when he read me one of the books, he lightheartedly referred to the grandmother in the book (known as Grandma Thora) as Grandma Thorax. It tickled me.
    Later in grade school, I graduated from the Arthur picture books and onto the chapter books. I can’t say I stuck with them.
    I’m not a crazy Arthur fan, but I will say I got my hands on a scant amount of merchandise: the juice tasted more delectable with that aardvark face plastered on the mini carton; Arthur’s Camping Adventure CD-ROM fed my computer addiction; I’m sure I occupied my time with one of many activity books which starred Arthur and his friends.
    Recently, when I was out and about, maybe a year ago, I spotted a teen girl in a mid-riff top with the Arthur title card on it. I called out in excitement as to wish that I owned one.
    As I mentioned earlier, Arthur aired in 1996. From the early days until the newest episodes, special guests made their appearances. Real celebrities used their voices to voice themselves within an episode. Matt Damon made “an appearance” going back over ten years ago. Joan Rivers voiced a pushy yet humorous Jewish grandmother. Ming Tsai stole the spotlight as a judge for the childrens’ food contest. Alex Trebek’s appearance was that of a television host on a game show. Michelle Kwan brought her voice to that of herself as an ice skater. Yo-Yo Ma reminded us of the beauty of classical music. From the “Car Talk Radio”, the Car Talk Guys cameoed perfectly as what they mirrored best: offering advice when it came to car trouble.
    Other than celebrity cameos, Arthur made it real as his show covered IRL, diversified problems. Season 18, as it aired in 2015, covered hurricanes and their aftermath. More current episodes involved same-sex marriage and giving recyclables a second life by turning them into art.
    Characters had their relatable stories, too. One little boy hailed from Africa and settled down in the fictional Elwood City. A girl in Arthur’s class moved constantly as her father was in the Army.
    For those in our generation, we’ve seen the changes Arthur has taken. He’s made himself a thing on the internet. Anyone who reads through enough social media or the most up-to-date funniest content knows what I’m getting at:
    Arthur, you’ve become a meme!
    Several memes that is!
    You went from that animated aardvark in online games on PBS Kids to an angry face on Buzzfeed!
    Dang, how you’ve grown!
    So there, Arthur. Your hand-drawn profile gets annihilated, and instead, for the upcoming generation of kids, your animation is drawn through computers. What’s more, you are a meme.
    Arthur fans can only hope that when they walk down the street, and if they believe in themselves, you will be back someday. Maybe in a short video. Maybe your sister D.W. will supersede you, grow up and star in videos instead–after she takes “Dora” as her name.

    Have you ever watched Arthur? Will you miss it? Any episodes that stood out to you? Lemme know!!!

    And a thank you to Marc Brown for allowing me to mention you in this post! 🙂

    Sources:
    Limbong, Andrew. “’Arthur,’ The Longest-Running Kids Animated Series In History, Is Ending.” WNYC, NPR, 28 July 2021, www.npr.org/2021/07/28/1021687616/pbs-kids-show-arthur-ending.
    Brown, Marc. “The Little Aardvark with a Big Agenda.” Marc Brown Studios, Inkberries, marcbrownstudios.com/arthur.
    Bailey, Greg, director. Arthur. Cookie Jar Studios, 1997. IMDB, www.imdb.com/title/tt0169414/?ref_=ttexst_exst_tt.
    “Episodes.” Arthur Wiki, Fandom TV, 2021, arthur.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Episodes.
    “People from the Real World.” Arthur Wiki, Fandom TV, 2021, arthur.fandom.com/wiki/Category:People_from_the_real_world.
    “Arthur Merchandise.” Arthur Wiki, Fandom TV, 2021, arthur.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Arthur_merchandise.

    Brown, Marc. “Arthur’s Teacher Trouble (Video Game).” IMDB, Brøderbund Software/Living Books, 1992, www.imdb.com/title/tt7063748/?ref_=nm_flmg_wr_6. PC.

    Brown, Marc. “Arthur Books.” Arthur Wiki, Little Brown and Company, arthur.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Arthur_Books.

    Brown, Marc. “Arthur Chapter Books.” Arthur Wiki, Little Brown Books for Young Readers, arthur.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Arthur_Chapter_Books.

    “Arthur’s Camping Adventure (Video Game).” CNET.com, The Learning Company/Mattel Interactive, www.cnet.com/products/arthur-s-camping-adventure-box-pack-1-user/. Apple. Microsoft Windows.

    “Arthur Activity BOOKS (BENDON).” Arthur Wiki, Fandom, arthur.fandom.com/wiki/Arthur_activity_books_(Bendon).

    “Matt Damon.” Arthur Wiki, Fandom, arthur.fandom.com/wiki/Matt_Damon.

    “Is That Kosher?” Arthur Wiki, Fandom, arthur.fandom.com/wiki/Is_That_Kosher%3F.

    “Ming Tsai.” Arthur Wiki, Fandom, arthur.fandom.com/wiki/Ming_Tsai.

    “Alex Lebeck.” Arthur Wiki, Fandom, arthur.fandom.com/wiki/Alex_Lebeck.

    “Michelle Kwan.” Arthur Wiki, Fandom, arthur.fandom.com/wiki/Michelle_Kwan.

    “Yo-Yo Ma.” Arthur Wiki, Fandom, arthur.fandom.com/wiki/Yo-Yo_Ma.

    “The Car Talk Guys.” Arthur Wiki, Fandom, arthur.fandom.com/wiki/The_Car_Talk_guys.

    “Season 18.” Arthur Wiki, Fandom, arthur.fandom.com/wiki/Season_18.

    Hirsch, Peter K. Shelter from the Storm. 9 Story Media Group/WGBH, 2015. IMDB, www.imdb.com/title/tt4135838/?ref_=fn_ep_tt_18.

    Hirsch, Peter K. Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone. 2019. IMDB, www.imdb.com/title/tt10139500/?ref_=ttrel_rel_tt.

    Berger, Glen. George Scraps His Sculpture. 2021. IMDB, www.imdb.com/title/tt13703460/?ref_=ttep_ep3.

    “Cheikh.” Arthur Wiki, Fandom, arthur.fandom.com/wiki/Cheikh.

    “Ladonna Compson.” Arthur Wiki, Fandom, arthur.fandom.com/wiki/Ladonna_Compson.

    “Arthur’s Big Hit/Gallery.” Edited by DJ et al., Arthur Wiki, Fandom, arthur.fandom.com/wiki/Arthur%27s_Big_Hit/Gallery?file=ABH_56.JPG.

    Hough, Soren. “The Golden Age of ‘Arthur’ Comes to an End.” Massachusetts Daily Collegian, The Student News Site of University of Massachusetts, 5 Nov. 2013, dailycollegian.com/2013/11/the-golden-age-of-%E2%80%98arthur%E2%80%99-comes-to-an-end/.

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    • Writing

      What I Have Learned From Publishing (1 Month in)

      / August 1, 2021

      So . . . I’ve been an author for a month now. Feelings range from shock to alleviation to disappointment. First-time authors deal with a range of emotions.
      Before I get into the details, this is my own experience with publishing. I am self-published. A self-published author does not experience everything as a traditionally published author would.
      Enough with the variations now! I’ve got a plethora of info to share with you! Publishing has been my education! I will cut to the (Chevy) chase and offer you my newfound knowledge!

      1) Copyright everything
      Any new addition of work needs to be copyrighted. Any change, be it a new paragraph to something as simple as adding punctuation, means you copyright it again. In this case, before you send off your creation to the Copyright office, be oh so sure it is the final copy!
      Besides the hassle of sending it off to the Office, there will be payment involved. The amount of charge varies on how many copies you send to the Copyright Office, plus what kind of application you send them. I mention this since you might not copyright your work ONCE. More copies may follow.
      Now, you aren’t chained to a chair to copyright your work. There’s the public domain, meaning that that specific work is not under copyright law. Put this way; there is no law to copyright your work.

      2) ISBN
      What does that stand for? INTERNATIONAL STANDARD BOOK NUMBER! Say it with me!
      It’s a book’s identification. Needless to say, products besides books have them as well: audiobooks, coloring books, maps. However, not too many products besides books themselves receive an ISBN. It’s okay board games; we still love you.
      Like copyright, you aren’t held against your will to buy an ISBN. ISBNs are for the benefit of searching for a book quickly enough in a database. Not to worry TOO much if you can’t locate your book without the ISBN. You will, though, look as if you are in the know of the publishing field.
      I mentioned buying one. You’ll need to register to obtain an ISBN. As a warning, they’re expensive. Luck’s on your side when you can purchase two or ten at once.
      Upon purchasing an ISBN, each is used once for one title. No sharing for titles. That’s a no-no.
      Once the purchase goes through, give yourself time to fill out the form online. I was shocked at all the steps involved. :0

      3) Prices vary
      Not every store keeps the same price as your publisher does. This shouldn’t be too much of a surprise, now. Think of Amazon, where it has its costs rise and fall every day. Personal in the publishing business? No. It’s retail. You’ll see stores sell your book for less, and depending on what country, it sells at a higher price. At least that’s what it appears. Here’s to someone who has never used currency!

      4) It’s not you who edits

      I did not want to believe this for a while. Authors write their work. Why can’t they edit their work, too? It makes sense to have someone else read it. A fresh pair of eyes that is. You don’t see it the same way a professional editor does. Authors who have been in the business for DECADES don’t edit their work. Spend money on one. Decide if it’s a line editor, copyeditor, or letterer that will suit your needs.
      Editors have a way of reading carefully. They aren’t there to criticize, only to improve your work. Here’s a tip before sending your manuscript off to an editor: PLEASE edit it yourself in some form.

      5) Be patient with timing

      Depending on the company that publishes your book, you must plan on your book’s release date and give yourself time to promote beforehand. Should there be any backlogs with your book, you’ll want to have a date set months in advance. For the publishing house I chose, the pub date I placed had no turnaround.
      The following goes for what publisher you go with: you won’t receive payment that first week your book goes on sale. Ebook companies vary, also. You might receive payment weeks, a month, or MONTHS later. It’s frustrating, sure. In the meantime, make yourself a shopping list to burn all that hard-earned cash. 🙂

      Publishing is a long haul. A long haul that is worth every effort of work you put into.

      Any questions about today’s post? Feel free to write a little something in the comments.
      Love, Eileen

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