At this point, similar to The Simpsons, I just thought Arthur would keep going until the apocalypse. But no, the beloved children’s animated series is set to come to an end next month.
They’re doing it in a pretty controversial manner as well. Arthur will finish its record-breaking run as the longest-running children’s animated series in history with four special episodes depicting the character’s as adults.
Doesn’t that break one of the most sacred rules of animation? I shudder to think what South Park‘s Cartman would be like as a 40-year-old. The Belcher kids from Bob’s Burgers would be nowhere near as endearing in their 20’s.
It won’t actually be the first time Arthur and co. have been reimagined as adults. In 2020, the animation studio AOK reimagined it as part of its aptly-named AOK Ruins Your Childhood series (see below).
The four episodes will be aired by PBS at the end of a massive six-day marathon from February 16th to February 21st. All 250 episodes and movies will be shown in order in the lead-up to the four new episodes.
Arthur first premiered on the channel all the way back in 1996 and ran for a total of 25 seasons. That makes it the longest-running children’s animated series in the U.S., and the second longest-running animated series in history, behind only The Simpsons.
Don’t worry if you wanted to pass on your love of Arthur to your own kids: new content of the famous aardvark and his mates will continue to be produced in the form of a podcast, video shorts, and digital games. And all 25 seasons of the series will be available to stream on PBS Kids on-demand platform.
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While you wait for February to 16th to roll around, you can read our interview with the mastermind behind the iconic Arthur theme song – you know you remember every word of it.
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Check out Adult Arthur – Arthur Moves Home:
