List of Arthur characters facts for kids

This is a list of characters from the popular PBS Kids TV show Arthur. The show is based on the fun book series by Marc Brown.

Arthur Read is the main character. Other important characters include his best friend Buster, Muffy, Francine, Binky, the Brain, and Sue Ellen. Arthur's little sisters D.W. and Kate, and his parents, are also key characters. Over the years, many other characters like Fern, George, Prunella, the Tibble Twins, Emily, and Jenna have become more important. Their roles and friendships have grown as the show has developed.

Meet the Kids!

Here are some of the awesome kids you'll meet in Elwood City!

Arthur and His Family

• Arthur Timothy Read is an eight-year-old aardvark. He's usually the main character in the stories.
• Dora Winifred "D.W." Read is Arthur's four (later five) year old little sister. She's known for being very curious and sometimes a bit bossy!
• Kate Read is Arthur's and D.W.'s baby sister. She often has special connections with animals and imaginary friends.

Arthur's Friends

• Buster Baxter is Arthur's best friend. He's a white rabbit who loves to eat and is fascinated by aliens. Buster has asthma and enjoys telling jokes. He's also an amateur detective and plays the tuba. His parents are divorced, and he travels the world with his pilot dad in the spin-off show Postcards from Buster. Buster sometimes puts off his schoolwork, but he always tries his best in the end.
• Mary Alice "Muffy" Crosswire is a monkey with long red hair, often in braids with purple bows. She comes from a very wealthy family. Muffy can sometimes be a bit rude or arrogant because she's used to getting what she wants. She's best friends with Francine Frensky, who often helps her see things differently.
• Francine Alice Frensky is a monkey with short brown hair. She's a tomboy who loves sports, horseback riding, playing the drums, and singing. Her family is Jewish, and you can see them celebrating holidays like Yom Kippur and Hanukkah. Francine is Muffy's best friend. She used to tease Arthur, but they later became good friends.
• Alan "The Brain" Powers is a smart bear of Senegalese descent. He's excellent at science and math, always getting top grades. His classmates call him "Brain" because he knows so much! His family celebrates Kwanzaa and owns an ice cream parlor where everyone loves to hang out.
• Shelley "Binky" Barnes is a bulldog who wears an orange shirt. He's in the third grade for a second time. Binky plays the clarinet, loves art, and enjoys ballet. He has a severe allergy to peanuts. Binky has an adopted baby sister from China named Mei-Lin. He's part of a group called the Tough Customers, but he has a kind side and is good friends with Arthur and his pals.
• Sue Ellen Armstrong is a third-grader cat and one of Arthur's classmates. She has curly orange hair and loves world culture. Her dad is a diplomat, so her family has lived all over the world. Sue Ellen is skilled in martial arts like karate and plays the saxophone. She's an only child and became a vegetarian in Season 16.
• Fern Walters is a light brown dog and one of Arthur's classmates. She's usually shy and quiet. Fern loves reading poetry and mystery novels, especially "Sherlock Holmes". She also writes her own poems and stories. She's close friends with George, and they sometimes act like detectives together.
• George Lundgren is a moose of Norwegian and Swedish descent. He has dyslexia, which means he sometimes has trouble with reading and writing. George is clumsy but very good at building things, like puppets. He's usually timid, but he becomes more confident as the series goes on. He even becomes the hall monitor at Lakewood Elementary!
• Prunella Deegan is a poodle and a fourth grader. She's interested in yoga, fortune telling, and spooky things. Prunella loves the fictional Henry Skreever books, which are like Harry Potter. She also knows braille.
• Tommy Tibble and Timmy Tibble are identical twin bear brothers, both four years old. They are known for their mischievous and sometimes destructive behavior. Tommy wears a red scarf, and Timmy wears a blue scarf. They live with their grandmother while their parents travel the world.
• Emily Leduc is a white rabbit with blonde hair. She is D.W.'s best friend in preschool. Emily is an expert in gymnastics and knows a lot about French culture. She has a French nanny named Marie Hélène.
• Maria Pappas is a rabbit in Mr. Ratburn's class. She often appears in the background but had a special episode where it was revealed she talks with a stutter. Her best friend is Jenna Morgan.
• Jenna Morgan is a gray cat and one of Arthur's classmates. She's shy and doesn't like being the center of attention. Jenna is lactose intolerant and plays badminton. She even received an "Athlete of the Year" award from Michelle Kwan.
• Alex Davidson is a gray rabbit who often appears in the background with Arthur and his friends.
• Ladonna Compson is a rabbit with a southern accent from New Orleans, Louisiana. She first appeared in Season 16 as a new student at Lakewood Elementary. Ladonna and her family later moved to Oregon, but she still appears in episodes that happened before their move.

Other Kids You Might See

• Adil Akyuz is a brown bear and Arthur's Turkish pen pal.
• Alberto Molina is a teenage boy and one of Arthur's neighbors. He is a dark brown cat from Ecuador. He practices kendo and is good at golf.
• Alouysious Zimmerplotz is a kid in D.W.'s preschool class who has a very long name.
• Billy Bittles and Bobby Bittles are two vegetarian twin bear cubs in D.W.'s preschool class.
• Bud Tucker Compson is Ladonna's younger brother. He's a rabbit who is assertive and not afraid of the Tibble Twins. He has an imaginary friend named Rapty, who is a stuffed T-Rex.
• Carl Gould is a cream rabbit with brown hair and blue glasses. He is on the Autism spectrum, and his best friend is George Lundgren. Carl plays the accordion and knows a lot about trains, lions, and space.
• Catherine Frensky is Francine's older sister. She's in high school and enjoys reading teen magazines and horseback riding. Catherine sometimes babysits for the Reads.
• Cheikh is Brain's cousin from Senegal who moves to Elwood City. He and his parents become American citizens.
• Chip Crosswire is Muffy's older brother, who is a college student.
• Cousin Cora is Arthur's, D.W.'s, and Kate's cousin. She can be a bit bratty when alone with D.W. but acts sweet when adults are around.
• Monique "Mo" Read is Arthur's, D.W.'s, and Kate's oldest cousin. She plays the piano and is Arthur's favorite relative.
• Cousin Ricky is Mo's brother and is very athletic.
• Cousin Ryder is Arthur's age and lives on the family farm in Ohio.
• Isabella is a chess master from Mighty Mountain School. She's known for tapping her fingernails during games.
• James MacDonald is a white rabbit who wears glasses. He's usually shy and quiet and is in D.W.'s preschool class. He has an older sister named Molly.
• Molly MacDonald is close friends with Binky and is a senior member of the Tough Customers. She has long maroon hair and a "punk kid" personality.
• Slink is a 4th grader rabbit and a member of the Tough Customers. He was once known for convincing Buster to do bad things, but later became a good paper delivery boy.
• Rattles is another member of the Tough Customers. He wears a backward baseball hat and a leather jacket. He has a secret love for knitting and is good at chess.
• Lori is an eight-year-old rabbit who lives next door to Ladonna in Oregon.
• Lydia Fox is a physically disabled fox who uses a wheelchair. She helps Brain learn to play basketball in a wheelchair. Lydia was created from a children's contest!
• Marina Datillo is a blind white rabbit in the 4th grade. She's a big fan of the Henry Skreever books, just like Prunella.
• Mei Lin Barnes is Binky's baby sister, a bear, who was adopted from China. She's also Baby Kate's friend.
• Rubella Deegan is Prunella's older sister. She's very spiritual and interested in psychic and paranormal things.
• Sally MacGill is Arthur's 16-year-old babysitter. Arthur had a crush on her because she was good at video games.
• Tenzin is Sue Ellen's pen pal from Tibet. They are the same age and eventually met in person.
• Vicita Molina is the Read family's new neighbor. She's "three and seven-eighths" years old, and D.W. sees herself as her role model.
• W.D. Merkle (Wilhelmina Dagmar Merkles) is a bear girl and a tomboy who is very different from D.W. She has an imaginary friend named Maxine.

Meet the Adults!

Here are the grown-ups who help make Elwood City special!

Arthur's Family

• David Leonard Read is Arthur's, D.W.'s, and Baby Kate's father. He runs a catering business from home. He's often seen making interesting (and sometimes strange) dishes. His family is from Ohio and owns a llama farm.
• Jane Read is Arthur's, D.W.'s, and Baby Kate's mother. She works from home as a tax accountant. She has short brown hair and often wears a pink sweater. She grew up near Pittsburgh and knew Fred Rogers as a child.
• Grandma Thora Read is Arthur's, D.W.'s, and Kate's paternal grandmother. She writes a newspaper columnist. She encouraged Marc Brown, the author of Arthur, by saving his childhood drawings.
• Grandpa Dave is Arthur's, D.W.'s, and Kate's maternal grandfather. He lives on a family farm that has been around for over 150 years. He sometimes has memory problems, which the family helps him with.
• Uncle Bud and Aunt Loretta are Arthur's, D.W.'s, and Kate's paternal uncle and aunt. They are the parents of Monique and Ricky.
• Uncle Sean and Aunt Bonnie are Arthur's, D.W.'s, and Kate's paternal uncle and aunt. They are George's parents.
• Uncle Fred is Arthur's, D.W.'s, and Kate's maternal uncle. He is known for being very clumsy. He has a golden retriever named Rory who is also a bit awkward.
• Aunt Jessica and Uncle Richard are Arthur's, D.W.'s, and Kate's maternal aunt and uncle. They are Cousin Cora's parents. Jessica often spoils Cora.
• Aunt Lucy is Arthur's, D.W.'s, and Kate's aunt. She appeared in the episode where D.W. helped save her wedding ring.
• Additional Read family members include Theodore Read (Theo), who is Grandma Thora's uncle and the family patriarch. Minnie is D.W.'s and Arthur's aunt who lives in France.

Other Important Adults

• Mr. Armstrong is Sue Ellen's father, a retired diplomat. His job meant moving all over the world, which his family enjoyed.
• Mrs. Armstrong is Sue Ellen's mother. She enjoys making clay pottery.
• Bailey Carson Belvedere III is Muffy's chauffeur and sometimes her family's butler. He's a grey bloodhound who follows Muffy's orders, even the unusual ones. He's also talented at creating kinetic art.
• Becky is an aardvark who works as a camp counselor and librarian.
• Ed Billings is Grandpa Dave's neighbor. He often offers to help Dave on his farm.
• Bubby is Francine's and Catherine's maternal grandmother.
• Mr. Barnes is Binky's father, who works in a copy shop.
• Mrs. Barnes is Binky's mother, a nurse. She is very protective of Binky.
• Bitzi Lynne Baxter is Buster's mom. She is the editor-in-chief of the Elwood City Times newspaper. She used to be very over-protective of Buster but became calmer later.
• Bo Baxter is Buster's father, who is a pilot. Buster travels with him in the Postcards from Buster series.
• Buster's Grandmother is Buster's maternal grandmother.
• Miss Blank was a substitute teacher for Mr. Ratburn's class. The students liked her because she never showed up!
• Coach Bumpus is a rabbit gym coach from earlier episodes.
• Mrs. Bofini was another substitute teacher for Mr. Ratburn's class, disliked for chewing with her mouth open.
• Ms. Bryan is the Lakewood Elementary School art teacher.
• Mrs. Cardigan was Arthur's first piano teacher.
• Mrs. Grouse is one of Arthur's and D.W.'s babysitters who always makes them dance.
• Edward Edsel "Ed" Crosswire is Muffy's and Chip's very wealthy father. He owns a large car dealership. He also coaches Lakewood's soccer team.
• Millicent Crosswire is Muffy's and Chip's mother. She enjoys operas and fancy parties.
• Cisely Compson is Ladonna's and Bud's mother. She used to play in a band.
• Mrs. Datillo is Marina's mother.
• Wanda Deegan is Rubella's and Prunella's mother. She enjoys yoga.
• Ms. Featherfoffer was a journalist who babysat Arthur. She was one of his stricter babysitters.
• Flossie is a hairdresser who owns the Salon de Beauté.
• Mr. Elkin was a substitute teacher whose large antlers sometimes caused problems.
• Mrs. Fink is another third-grade teacher at Lakewood Elementary. She does fun activities with her class.
• Nurse Flynn works at Lakewood Elementary.
• Oliver Frensky is Catherine's and Francine's dad. He works for the city's sanitation department and coaches the Lakewood baseball team.
• Laverne Frensky is Catherine's and Francine's mother.
• Grandpa Frensky is Oliver Frensky's father and owns a "hamburger castle" restaurant.
• Dr. Frederique Fugue is Arthur's current piano teacher. He is very strict but also encourages his students to enjoy music.
• Ted Glass is the Lakewood Elementary Crossing Guard. He likes to play jokes on the kids.
• Coach Grimsled is a 4th grade gym coach at Lakewood.
• Mrs. Gutter was one of Arthur's babysitters who played golf in the house.
• Harry Mills works at Bitzi Baxter's newspaper. He used to date Bitzi and remained good friends with Buster.
• Francis Haney was the kind but sometimes forgetful principal of Arthur's school. He had dyslexia, like George. He moved to Tanzania to build a school.
• Mr. Higgins is an Elwood City mail carrier.
• Dr. Iris is the eye doctor who helped Arthur get his glasses.
• Mr. Kone is the owner of an ice cream factory.
• Ms. Krasny is the Lakewood Elementary School music teacher.
• Fritz Langley is the caretaker of the Elwood City Community Garden.
• Mr. Leduc is Emily's father.
• Mrs. Leduc is Emily's mother.
• Neal Lundgren is George Lundgren's father and a carpenter.
• Mrs. Lundgren is George's mother.
• Leah MacGrady is in charge of the cafeteria at Lakewood Elementary. She's full of wise advice and is Grandma Thora's bingo friend. She was diagnosed with cancer but continued to work, suggesting she recovered.
• Mr. Marco was Arthur's second-grade teacher. He is strict about cheating and is friends with Mr. Ratburn.
• Marie-Hélène is Emily's French nanny.
• Herman Merkle is W.D.'s father and friends with David Read.
• Ursa Merkle is W.D.'s mother and friends with Jane Read. She enjoys biology and geology research.
• Ramon Molina is Arthur's new Ecuadorian neighbor. He owns an Ecuadorian cuisine restaurant.
• Mrs. Molina is Ramon Molina's wife and mother of Vicita and Alberto. She teaches a children's dance class.
• Carl Manino is the longtime owner of the Sugar Bowl.
• Mr. Morgan is Jenna's father.
• Mrs. Morgan is Jenna's mother and is talented at sewing.
• Ms. Morgan is D.W.'s preschool teacher and a gymnastics instructor.
• Mr. Morris is the Lakewood Elementary School janitor. He moved to Roswell, New Mexico after breaking his leg in a fire.
• Mrs. Pariso is Francine's next-door neighbor. She's good at horseback riding and won prizes at Wimbledon. She and Francine became good friends after a misunderstanding.
• Patrick Ratburn is Mr. Ratburn's husband. He sells chocolates at Patrick's Chocolates.
• Signore Pelato is a clown barber who cut D.W.'s hair too short.
• Pickles is a local circus clown who performs at parties and events.
• Mr. Powers is Brain's father.
• Mrs. Powers is Brain's mother and owns the ice cream shop.
• Mr. Pryce-Jones is an extremely strict teacher at Glenbrook Academy and Mr. Ratburn's favorite teacher.
• Nigel Charles Ratburn is Arthur's third- and fourth-grade teacher. He's known for giving lots of homework and loving dessert. He is a big fan of the "Spooky-Poo!" series. In a Season 22 episode, Mr. Ratburn married his partner, Patrick, in a wedding attended by his students. This episode was praised by groups who support same-sex marriage.
• Rodentia Ratburn is Mr. Ratburn's sister. She was a substitute teacher once, but her methods were too childish for the class.
• Mrs. Robertson is a retired Kindergarten teacher at Lakewood Elementary.
• Mr. Sanders is the building superintendent for the Frensky family's apartment building.
• Mrs. Shmigaedy was one of Arthur's old babysitters. She made great cookies but was clumsy due to her large horns.
• Mr. Sipple was Arthur's next-door neighbor from Seasons 1–6. He moved out, and the Molinas moved into his home.
• Dr. Sozio is the Read family dentist.
• Miss Sweetwater is another third-grade teacher at Lakewood Elementary. She does fun things with her students, like singing songs with her guitar.
• Mrs. Terracini is a grandmother to one of D.W.'s classmates. She is very old and sometimes mixes up names.
• Mrs. Tibble is the grandmother of Tommy and Timmy Tibble. She lives with the twins.
• Miss Tingley is Principal Haney's secretary and the assistant principal of Lakewood Elementary. She's a great public speaker.
• Mrs. Tremello was a substitute teacher disliked for mumbling everything she said.
• Paige Turner is the librarian at the Elwood City Library. She's friendly and calm, but library patrons are often scared of her because they worry about library rules.
• Mr. Walters is Fern's father. He teaches Fern about computers.
• Doria Walters is Fern's mother. She works for a real estate company and is very confident and encouraging to Fern.
• Mrs. Wood is Perky's owner.

Special Guests!

Famous people sometimes appear in Arthur episodes as animated characters!

• Art Garfunkel appeared as a moose in two episodes.
• Arthur Ganson appeared in "Muffy's Art Attack."
• The Backstreet Boys appeared in the movie special "Arthur, It's Only Rock 'N' Roll."
• Click and Clack, The Tappet Brothers (Tom and Ray Magliozzi) appeared in "Pick a Car, Any Car."
• Matt Damon appeared as the host of a show called "Postcards from You."
• Édgar Rentería appeared as Bateria, a baseball player.
• Frank Gehry helped the gang design a new tree house in "Castles in the Sky."
• Fred Rogers appeared in "Arthur Meets Mr. Rogers." Arthur was embarrassed at first, but later appreciated his show.
• Idina Menzel appeared as Dr. Paula, a therapist who helped Brain with anxiety.
• Jack Prelutsky was a judge in a poetry contest in "I'm a Poet."
• Johnny Damon appeared as Playmon, a baseball player.
• John Lewis spoke at Lakewood Elementary and knew Mrs. MacGrady.
• Joshua Redman appeared as Francine's "Uncle Josh."
• Koko Taylor was The Brain's favorite blues musician.
• Lance Armstrong encouraged Binky Barnes in his bike lane campaign.
• Larry King interviewed the gang in a live-action segment.
• Michelle Kwan hosted the Athlete of the Year Award at Lakewood Elementary.
• Mike Fincke spoke about his space walk experience.
• Mike Timlin appeared as Winlin, a baseball player.
• Ming Tsai was a judge for a kids' cooking contest.
• Neil Gaiman gave Sue Ellen advice about her graphic novel.
• Rodney Gilfry had a role in the Carmen opera.
• R. L. Stine appeared as Buster's uncle Bob Baxter.
• Taj Mahal appeared with Koko Taylor.
• Yo-Yo Ma performed at the local library.
• Alex Trebek appeared as Alex Lebek, the host of "Riddle Quest."

Imaginary Friends!

Some characters have special imaginary friends!

• Maxine is W.D.'s imaginary friend, who looks like an elephant.
• Nadine Flumberghast is D.W.'s imaginary friend. She's a brownish-yellow squirrel with platinum-white blonde hair. Nadine acts as D.W.'s conscience and can create imaginary items with magic. Baby Kate and other animals can see and talk to her.
• Rapty is Bud's imaginary friend. He's a big green dinosaur, though he's actually a toy that Bud imagines is real.
• Trini is Vicita's imaginary friend. She's a very smart and honest fairy.
• Uncle Wormy is the Tibble Twins' imaginary friend. He's a giant slimy worm with one red eye.

Animal Pals!

Meet the pets and other animals in the show!

• Amigo is the Molinas' pet bulldog. He can sometimes talk, like Pal.
• Fur Elise is Dr. Frederique Fugue's pet cat.
• General Higgins is Ladonna's pet rat. He's very smart and can do tricks.
• Killer is Grandma Thora's dog. She was once known for being fierce, but she rescued Nemo by barking at firefighters.
• Mr. Toad is a toad who is a business investor. He is the husband of Toady Wartface.
• Nemo is Francine's tuxedo cat. He's usually Pal's rival, but they were friends in his first episode.
• Pal is Arthur's pet puppy. He's an English Setter. In some episodes, he can speak properly with an English accent, but only Kate and other animals can understand him.
• Pepe is an Italian flea who is friends with Pal and Kate and tells stories.
• Perky is Pal's mother. She was once grouchy, but that might have been because she was pregnant.
• Pixel is the pet dog of Capri DiVapida.
• Rory is Uncle Fred's pet dog.
• Sebastian Winkleplotz is an award-winning poodle.
• Snowball was D.W.'s "pet" snowball that disappeared. D.W. later found out it was a sno-cone.
• Spanky was D.W.'s pet parakeet. He died and was buried.
• Sugar and Spice are two fierce dogs belonging to Mr. Kone.
• Toady Wartface is a toad formerly owned by D.W. She now lives in the Reads' yard and is married to Mr. Toad.
• Walter is a deer that D.W. met outdoors. D.W. wanted to take him home, but her parents didn't allow it.