Arthur
(Picture: PBS)Arthur has been cancelled so pass us our tissues.
The long-running children’s cartoon will show its final series in 2022 after a good innings of 25-years on air, making it the second-longest-running show in America, behindThe Simpsons.
All episodes have been recorded, US broadcaster PBS have said, so that’s a wrap on the six Emmy award winning cartoon.
For a show that started in the 1990s, Arthur has shown itself able to adapt to shifts in time and culture. It taught children lessons about people’s differences including personalities and interests, for instance.
And in 2019, the show introduced its first same-sex wedding between Arthur’s teacher Mr Ratburn and his partner Patrick.
And most of all, people have managed to drag the cartoon into to the 21st century by turning clips from the show into memes.
Take the clenched fist, for instance, deployable in any moment of irritation:
Sent @Roxlyn166 to school to get a degree in animation and he comes home with this 😂 pic.twitter.com/Cmy12rLQ92
— Uncle Lew, no relation (@lewboy3) July 28, 2021
‘Arthur’ Cancelled at PBS After 25 Seasons pic.twitter.com/5R7gtdCsBv
— Gordon Brook (@GdoubleWB) July 28, 2021
The first Arthur’s fist meme was posted on #ThisDayInMemeHistory in 2016! https://t.co/TJgE8IRfrg pic.twitter.com/Bp8EqDyuJI
— Know Your Meme (@knowyourmeme) July 27, 2021
Or the alarming ‘tired DW’:
lrt thanks to this all I can think of is how f!lyon looks like tired dw pic.twitter.com/d0dxFnzTJB
— Alpaca 🖤🦅 (@alpacagard) July 21, 2021
Yeah, I can fit it in my schedule pic.twitter.com/CvQC2qpvmJ
— Thomas Abowd (@ThomasAbowd) August 19, 2018
Arthur flinging coins around is the perfect payday meme:
— Jessica (@JessBitar) July 28, 2021
And ‘DW at the fence’ is similarly iconic:
i watch with envy as i see the semester schools release the children but i’m dw gripping the fence pic.twitter.com/8JAwxiIsyF
— 🍂🕯✨murmurs⁷✨🥀🍂 (@murms_) May 17, 2020
DW AT THE FENCE pic.twitter.com/YVbge6lKkR
— Emily Kucala (@abnormalstarr) April 12, 2020
this looks like the DW fence meme I’m dead pic.twitter.com/wWa4gh958S
— lanie, witch cowgirl ⚢ (@Spicyjoanne) April 17, 2020
i wish i was the ‘let me in LET ME INNN’ meme when it comes to interactions on this site. instead i’m just DW holding the fence bc i’m a vampire who needs to be invited in by name also i’m super shy and don’t wanna be annoying pic.twitter.com/zBlvivED7N
— ice @ domestic dkbk (@hehebread) January 2, 2021
— Dan Cantiller, M.Ed. (@DanCanThinks) July 28, 2021
There’s more where they came from, of course:
Idk how used this meme is but this frame always cracks me up pic.twitter.com/xofKsvVjrc
— Pinstripes Depression (53-48) (@SubPrimeOptimal) July 28, 2021
#HowToughAmIBlackEdition
— Your fav spam (@Ab3lxox) August 1, 2016
Mom: I'm tired of yelling
Me: Then Shut up pic.twitter.com/tcpHlWZyfS
Kathy Waugh, who created Arthur for screen, adapting it from a popular book, said cancelling it was a mistake. Speaking on a podcast, she said: “I think (PBS) made a mistake, and I think Arthur should come back and I know I’m not alone in thinking they made a mistake.
“I don’t know if it was a ratings issue or if it felt like it needed to be retired.”
Whatever the reason, while Arthur is retired, let’s just ensure the memes live on.
