Arthur Read

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Arthur Read
Arthur character
Arthur Read.svg
First appearance Arthur's Nose (1976)
Created by Marc Brown
Voiced by
In-universe information
Species Aardvark [1]
GenderMale
Family
  • David Read (father)
  • Jane Read (mother)
  • Dora Winifred "D.W." Read (younger sister)
  • Kate Read (youngest sister)
  • Pal (pet dog)
Relatives
  • Grandma Thora Read (paternal grandmother)
  • Grandpa Dave Read (maternal grandfather)
  • Unnamed Paternal Grandfather
  • Unnamed Maternal Grandmother
  • Bud (uncle)
  • Loretta (aunt)
  • Ricky (cousin)
  • Monique "Mo" (cousin)
  • Bonnie (aunt)
  • Sean (uncle)
  • George (cousin)
  • Lucy (aunt)
  • Jessica (aunt)
  • Richard (uncle)
  • Cora (cousin)
  • Fred (uncle)
  • Theodore "Theo" Read (grand-uncle)
  • Dora Winfred Read (paternal grand-aunt)
  • Gustav (great-great grandfather)
  • Matthew (great-great-great uncle)
  • Minnie Read (aunt)
  • Jimmy (cousin)
  • Lorain
  • Chrissy (aunt)
  • Ryder (cousin)
  • Laurie (cousin)
  • Miles (extended family)
Birthday25 May
Best friend Buster Baxter
Age8

Arthur Timothy [2] Read is a fictional anthropomorphic aardvark created by the author Marc Brown. [3] The main character of the book and television series Arthur , he is in the third grade and lives in the fictional city of Elwood City. [4]

Contents

Physical appearance

Arthur is an anthropomorphic aardvark, who is 8 years old. [5] In Brown's first Arthur book, Arthur's Nose (1976), Arthur is shown with a long nose and more closely resembles an actual aardvark, though as the books progressed (as seen in the first season of PBS's Reading Rainbow in its 13th episode, titled "Arthur's Eyes") and eventually became an animated TV series, Arthur’s appearance changed. The character's most recognizable form is a light brown, slanted face with small ears and nostrils with signature round brown-rimmed eyeglasses. [6] Normally, Arthur wears a yellow V-neck sweater over a white dress shirt, blue jeans along with red and white sneakers. He also occasionally wears a red rugby-style sweater. In the series finale ("All Grown Up"), Arthur's 28-year-old appearance features him with straight dark brown hair, slight facial hair, a green vest with a hood, and a red and yellow shirt with a Dark Bunny insignia.

Arthur's relationships

Boston Children's Museum displaying an inflatable Arthur on the roof to advertise the "Arthur and Friends" exhibit within. Boston Children's Museum.jpg
Boston Children's Museum displaying an inflatable Arthur on the roof to advertise the "Arthur and Friends" exhibit within.

Family

The tensions between Arthur and his 4-year-old (later 5-year-old) sister, Dora Winifred "D.W." Read, are a common theme in the Arthur series. Arthur is constantly pestered by D.W., who goes out of her way to get Arthur into trouble, which often causes Arthur to retaliate, by getting into quarrels with his friends.

Arthur's parents are his mother, Jane Read, who is a work-at-home accountant, and his father, David L. Read, who runs a catering business.

Arthur's toddler sister is Baby Kate.

Appearances from Arthur's extended family include his grandparents: Thora (David's mother) and Dave (Jane's father). His uncles: Fred (Jane's brother), Richard, Bud, and Sean. His aunts: Jessica, Loretta, and Lucy. His cousins: Cora, Monique, Ricky, George, and other unnamed relatives. However, the only two members of Arthur's extended family who have appeared more than once are his grandparents.

Grandma Thora lives in a house not too far from Arthur's in Elwood City and is known to be a bad cook, but a loving grandmother and a world-class marbles player. She loves to play bingo every Friday night, and in some episodes has to watch over Arthur and D.W. She is good friends with Mrs. McGrady, the school cafeteria monitor. Grandpa Dave lives in a convalescent home and has a roommate who was a ship captain.

Voice actors

Canadian child stars who have voiced the character of Arthur in the TV series:

Michael Yarmush provided the voice for the character during the first five seasons from 1996 to 2000, before experiencing puberty. He later returned to voice the adult version of Arthur in the series finale, "All Grown Up," in 2022. In 2001, Justin Bradley took over for Season 6, marking a transition that coincided with his own puberty. Mark Rendall succeeded him for Seasons 7 and 8, from 2002 to 2003. Cameron Ansell voiced the character from Seasons 9 to 11 between 2004 and 2007, followed by Dallas Jokic, who took on the role in Seasons 12 to 15 from 2008 to 2012. Drew Adkins continued as the voice in Seasons 16 and 17 from 2012 to 2014, with William Healy following in Seasons 18 and 19 from 2014 to 2016. Jacob Ursomarzo voiced the character in Seasons 20 and 21 from 2016 to 2018, while Roman Lutterotti rounded out the series in the final four seasons from 2019 to 2022.

International voice actors

Since Arthur is shown in more than 80 countries, Arthur is dubbed by these young voice actors (in several languages) shown here:

Reception

Arthur Read was listed as number 26 in the TV Guide article, 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All Time. [7]

References

  1. ↑ "What Kind of Animal is Arthur?". facts.net. 22 June 2022.
  2. ↑ "Arthur's Big Hit". Arthur. Season 4. Episode 1. 5 October 1999.
  3. ↑ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 95–96. ISBN   978-1476665993.
  4. ↑ Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 44–45. ISBN   978-1538103739.
  5. ↑ "PBS Kids web site". Archived from the original on 27 August 2007. Retrieved 16 November 2008.
  6. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 17 September 2016. Retrieved 3 August 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. ↑ "CNN.com - TV Guide's 50 greatest cartoon characters of all time - July 30, 2002". archives.cnn.com. Archived from the original on 18 March 2010. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
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