♪ Every day when you're walking down the street ♪ ♪ Everybody that you meet has an original point of view ♪ (laughing) ♪ And I say hey ♪ Hey!

♪ What a wonderful kind of day ♪ ♪ If we could learn to work and play ♪ ♪ And get along with each other ♪ ♪ You got to listen to your heart, listen to the beat ♪ ♪ Listen to the rhythm, the rhythm of the street ♪ ♪ Open up your eyes, open up your ears ♪ ♪ Get together and make things better ♪ ♪ By working together ♪ ♪ It's a simple message, and it comes from the heart ♪ ♪ Believe in yourself, for that's the place to start ♪ ♪ And I say hey ♪ Hey!

♪ What a wonderful kind of day ♪ ♪ If we could learn to work and play ♪ ♪ And get along with each other ♪ Hey!

♪ What a wonderful kind of day ♪ Hey!

♪ What a wonderful kind of day ♪ Hey!

Hey, D.W.!

Hey!

Whoa... (crash) Buster Baxter has always been my best friend, starting on that momentous day when we first met.

Hi, I'm Buster.

My name's Arthur.

Hi!

Well, see ya.

Bye.

ARTHUR: We knew we were going to be best friends.

(ducks quacking "L ittle Brown Jug") BUSTER: This is the single weirdest thing I ever saw.

(quacking) Uh-huh!

Yup, Buster Baxter has always been my best friend.

At least until this week.

"Buster's Second Chance."

Whoa!

RATBURN: In case you didn't hear the news, class, the winner of this year's statewide science competition is our own Alan Powers.

(cheering) I stand on the shoulders of giants.

I don't get what the problem is.

Brain won that award by doing a report about bacteria in the water fountain, right?

Right.

I always said there was something strange about that fountain.

Remember?

Fish.

Definitely fish, with just a hint of feet.

ARTHUR: So?

You were right.

But I didn't get an award!

Buster, everyone knew the water tasted like feet, but Brain was the only one who compared it to actual feet.

He studied it.

Well, there's a reason I didn't.

Because you never study anything ever?

No!

Well, yes, but that's not the real reason.

See, when I was little, my mom took me to this special preschool for brainy kids.

They gave me all these tests to find out how smart I was.

I want you to take that marble and decide where it should go.

What do you think?

Where does the marble belong?

Where does the marble go?

Oh, no!

You put the marble up your nose?

I know, I know.

But the answer was so obvious, I figured it had to be a trick question!

Good thing they weren't using watermelons.

(sighs) If I didn't try to outsmart that test, my whole life might have been different.

You should never put a marble up your nose, Buster.

Even the Tibbles know that.

Even Baby Kate knows that, and she's a baby!

It's right in her name!

BUSTER: If I'd gone to that preschool for geniuses, I would have come out just as smart as the Brain.

If only you could go back in time.

Yeah, if I'd gone to that brainy preschool, I'd probably know how to do that by now.

Hey, you think that's possible?

To go back in time?

No.

No offense, Arthur, but I'm going to get a second opinion.

Brain?

(gulps) Arthur's right.

Well, I'm going to get a third opinion.

From whom?

From somebody who's done it!

BUSTER: "Time travel is most definitely possible, and I can prove it!"

"But how, Professor Timekeeper?"

"It's simple.

Because of gravitational..." big word, big word, big word... "I can therefore," big word, big word, "back in time!"

(yawns) Makes total sense to me.

"These time passageways can appear anywhere!"

If only.

(yawns) (loud bang) Ah!

A passageway!

Whoa!

The point is to have fun.

Huh?

The marble!

It's happening again!

Now, I want you to decide where that marble belongs.

(sniffing) Where does the marble go?

Oh, I...

I know!

(gasps) (gasps) Here it is!

I love magic!

How did you do that?

Yes, how did you do that?

Um, just, you know, from a book.

BOTH: A book?

Whoa!

(yawns) Ah!

It worked!

I'm a genius!

(barks) That's really great to hear, Carol.

Sounds like it's gonna be a feature article.

Oh, hang on.

Where are you going?

To school.

I want to go by Arthur's on the way and show him this.

He's going to be so amazed!

You can't bike to school, honey.

It's much too far.

Oh, right.

I go to that other school in the morning now.

When the bus takes you back to Lakewood Elementary in the afternoon, then you can show everyone your ribbon.

Right.

Talk about your absent-minded geniuses.

Buster just forgot he takes advanced placement classes in the morning.

(kids gasping) I knew your testing of the water would produce impressive results, Buster Baxter, but who could have imagined this?

BUSTER: Hey, it's Arthur.

Arthur, look!

He didn't even wave.

I'm just hazarding a guess, but considering the solar azimuth...

Along with the angle of incidence... You're saying... the sun got in his eyes?

Precisely.

Ah, that makes sense.

Fascinating class!

See you all tomorrow!

Why, look who's here!

Am I late?

(chuckles) Class, in case you didn't hear the news, the winner of this year's statewide science competition is our own Buster Baxter.

I, uh, did it by standing on giant brains.

(students groaning) Your investigation and scientific insights are very inspiring.

Thank you for stopping by.

Oh, that's right.

I'm not in this class!

I skipped third grade.

I'm sure you don't want to be late for algebra.

Hey, Arthur, look!

Cool, huh?

(bell ringing) Where do you think you're going?

Hey, Binky.

I need to find Arthur.

Well, you can't go in.

Tough Customers only.

So go make like an egg and scram... ...ble.

Buster!

There you are!

We're late for robotics workshop.

Oh!

Oh, no!

Someone needs to warn Arthur.

The Sugar Bowl is for Tough Customers only now!

Uh-oh!

(chatter) (chatter stops) (coughing) What's up?

(cheering) Binky, soda me.

Sure thing, Spex.

Whatever you say!

Spex needs this.

Here you go, Spex.

I hope you like it.

What took you so long?

Had to take the long way round.

Some brainy kid's been waving at me all day.

(sighs) Gives me the creeps, I tell ya.

Don't forget it's Saturday!

You have to finish your computer coding project.

I just need to see Arthur first.

Arthur isn't home.

He's with his dopey friends.

But I'm his dopey friend!

Me!

I am!

Oh, the irony.

Have you seen Arthur?

I haven't seen him, but...

Yes?

Would you sign my autograph book?

(sighs) Sorry!

I got it first!

What?

"Love Ducks"?

This is for babies!

Here.

But you love the Love Ducks, Arthur.

They're so bizarre.

True that.

I mean, only if you're not cool.

And if you're really such a big brain, you won't tell the other Tough Customers you saw me with that.

Other?

You mean you're a Tough Customer?

Since when?

Since forever.

Hurry up, Buster.

You don't want to be late for your new preschool.

Hey, what do you think you're doing in my sandbox?

It's not your sandbox.

Oh yeah?

Yeah!

Hey, I like your style!

You mean we were never friends?

Me?

Friends with someone who likes Love Ducks?

Come on!

I mean, maybe if I had a friend who liked checkers and Love Ducks and other uncool stuff, my whole life could've been different.

But it isn't.

"Love Ducks."

Sheesh.

This place is gettin' uncool.

Arthur needs me!

Whoa!

(yawns) Huh?

No ribbon.

No newspaper.

What's the square root of 49?

I don't know.

I don't know!

I'm back!

(yawns) Of course I know who you are, Buster.

And you aren't cool!

Yay!

Want to play checkers later?

I have a better idea.

You know how my locker sort of smells like a goat?

I think we should study it.

Really?

Yeah!

But first we need to make a scientific comparison.

Wanna go to the zoo?

Yeah!

Let's go smell some goats!

Okay!

(sighs) Some days I'm glad I'm not a genius.

And now a word from us kids!

I'm Megan, and this is my first grade class.

My teacher is Miss Smith.

What was that word that we talked about?

Imagination.

We are playing an imagination game.

I'll come around with two different buckets.

MEGAN: In our game, we're making a question, like, "What would Buster's life be like if he was a genius?"

What would blank be like if blank?

We are picking the cards to fill in the blanks.

What would... My home.

My breakfast.

Be like if...

I lived in Antarctica.

I lived under the sea.

And then we're using our imaginations to answer the question.

What would my bike or scooter be like if I lived in a treehouse?

I would have a ramp for my scooter so I could go fast and get to my treehouse so I can play in it.

What would my school be like if I lived in the desert?

So I would have to walk all the way to Arizona to get to school.

(panting) What would my bike or scooter be like if it was designed by Buster?

It would have a lot of food.

Bread, blueberries, peppers, hamburgers, and that's it.

What would my day be like if I lived in the jungle?

It would be loud and I would get a headache.

(imitating monkey) (roaring) What would my day be like if I lived in Jupiter?

Aliens would be coming to our house, and that's just weird.

Use your...

Imagination!

And now back to Arthur!

(piano playing) (plays wrong note) (sighs) That was pretty good!

Keep practicing and I'm sure you'll have it down in time for the recital.

No, I won't.

I actually think I'm getting worse.

Mom and Dad are always really supportive, but sometimes I wish they'd just tell me the truth.

I'll tell you the truth!

Those pajamas need a wash.

I can smell them from here.

What?

No flossing?

You'll have dentures in high school!

Did you know you talk in your sleep?

I can hear it through the wall.

Blah, blah, blah, Mr. Ratburn, blah, blah, blah!

Okay, I get it!

Now go to bed!

(yawns) Maybe I was wrong.

Sometimes the truth can be a real pain.

(snoring) You also snore like a lawn mower.

D.W.!

(laughing) ARTHUR: It's a prehistoric family.

See?

There's the cave mama, the cave baby, and that's the cave daddy.

He's hunting.

Is he hunting a giant dust bunny?

What?

No, that's a woolly mammoth.

Oh, I see it now.

What do you think?

It's pretty cool.

Hey, check out what I made.

Smilodon, the saber-toothed cat!

(roaring) Wow, that's really good.

And the best part is I made him out of marzipan!

He's edible!

As soon as I get you back from Mr. Ratburn, you're going into Buster's belly.

Do you think mine is terrible?

Maybe I should work on it more.

It's fine!

I think it's very creative.

(phone beeps) Okay, let's go watch "Bionic Bunny."

ARTHUR: A C-plus?!

You should be happy.

That looks like D.W. made it.

Hey!

My saber-tooth cat got an A-minus!

Can I see it?

(gulps) Too late.

I probably should've done more work on it, but Buster said it looked okay.

Well, of course Buster said that.

What do you mean?

He never disagrees with you.

You're his best friend.

Buster disagrees with me.

Oh yeah?

Can you name one time?

Well, not at the moment, but...

I'm not criticizing him; it's a fact.

He always tells you just what you want to hear.

You're out!

That's so unfair!

I was safe!

Totally!

You could've read the whole Henry Skreever series before that kid caught the ball!

Told ya.

Told me what?

UMPIRE: Strike one!

You were out by a mile.

Buster just doesn't want you to feel bad.

Strike two!

Well, I agree with Buster.

I wasn't out.

Think what you want.

I'm just being honest with you.

UMPIRE: Strike three!

Making us play against robots is unfair!

I'm sure that pitcher has a bionic arm.

Did you really think I was safe?

Sure!

Hey, at least you hit the ball.

I didn't even see it.

It really is terrible.

Why didn't Buster tell me?

Hm... (grunts) Look!

Me make spear!

Is good?

Is best spear ever!

No move.

Me paint you.

(roaring) Food!

Go hunt!

(shouting) Uh-oh.

(growling) Ah!

(trumpeting) Spear terrible!

Why you no tell me?

You look so happy!

Me no want you feel like doofus!

(rocks crumbling) Ah!

Hey Dad, do you know where we put that shirt Uncle Fred gave me?

The one he brought back from Las Vegas?

Probably in the attic.

What do you want with that?

I need it for an experiment.

Hey, nice coat!

Are we playing spy?

No, I was little chilly.

But it's warmed up now.

(gasps) Oh, what do you think of my new shirt?

Sweet Jackson Pollock!

Check, please!

Ah!

My eyes!

Well?

Pretty cool, huh?

Um, well, it...

It... ...kinda matches your sundae?

A-ha!

You're lying!

No one likes this shirt!

Except Uncle Fred, and he's colorblind.

Okay, you're right, it's horrible!

Now please, for the love of humanity, hide that thing!

Francine was right.

You don't tell me the truth.

You just say what you think I want to hear.

That's not true!

It's not lying.

I just want to be agreeable.

Why?

I don't know.

I guess I just hate fighting.

Buster, saying how you really feel isn't fighting.

You can tell me anything.

You're my best friend.

You're right.

From now on, I'll say what I really think.

Phew!

Great.

I'm glad that's over with.

Let's go back to my house and play Curse of the Moomies.

I just downloaded a new level!

Okay!

Actually, I don't really like that game.

What?

But we've played it, like, a million times!

And it's always the same.

You zap the zombie bats, then the zombie snakes, then the zombie cows.

After a while, it's like doing homework.

But it's a new level!

There are zombie hippos!

Sorry.

You wanted me to be honest.

I do, I do.

Okay, so what do you want to do?

Take a shower.

I feel like I have to wash the image of that shirt off my eyeballs.

I'll call you later.

(playing piano) (doorbell rings) Hey, here's that Scare Your Pants Off book you lent me.

Oh yeah, "The Gourmet Ghost."

I really liked it until the end.

Are you kidding?

The end was the best part!

But the chef wasn't even a ghost.

Just an angry dishwasher.

Yeah, an angry dishwasher who put spider eggs in the soup!

I'm never eating gazpacho again!

I thought it was disappointing.

I thought it was great.

Really?

Really.

Well, I did read it kind of quickly.

Maybe it was better than I thought.

You don't have to say that.

We just disagree.

Right.

Hey, want to go for a ride?

I have to practice for the recital.

Oh, okay.

Well, knock 'em dead.

You, too.

I mean, have a wonderful ride!

(playing "The Entertainer" on piano) (music stops) (applause) Great job!

If you played baseball as good as you do piano, we might actually win some games.

Thanks, Francine.

Hey, that was amazing!

You're not just saying that, are you?

Of course not!

I was so nervous.

I can't believe I got through it without making a single mistake.

Um... What?

You're not saying something.

Well, you did make one or two mistakes.

No, I didn't!

Just at the beginning!

But it was still amazing!

You're only saying that because you're still angry from our fight!

Fight?

We didn't have a fight.

We just disagreed about that book.

You know, there is a difference between being honest and being mean.

But that's not fair!

You said... (groans) Did I make a few mistakes?

I didn't hear any.

The whole thing was wonderful.

Except for the beginning.

D.W.!

No, it's okay.

I want to know.

What was wrong with the beginning?

I've had to listen to you play that thing a million times, and the beginning is supposed to go: bum-bum-bum-bum-bum- BA-bum-BA-bum.

You played: bum-bum-bum-bum-bum- BA-bum-BEE-bum.

You're right.

I did mess that up.

Could we make a stop before going home?

D.W.: Oh, and you were slouching, and your bow tie was crooked, and your ears are too big... (doorbell rings) I was just about to call you.

Before you say anything, I want you to know that I was completely wrong.

You were perfect.

You didn't make any..

Your fingers are crossed, aren't they?

(groans) I can't win!

It's okay.

In fact, I came to apologize.

I asked you to be honest with me and you were.

It's not your fault that I didn't like the answer.

So we're friends again?

Besties.

Oh, wait.

I forgot to give you something at the recital.

I had all this marzipan left over, so I made you an edible piano.

Wow, thanks.

Try it.

It's delicious.

(gagging) What do you think?

Trust me, you don't want to know.

BUSTER: To watch more Arthur and play games with all the Elwood City friends, visit pbskids.org.

You can find Arthur books and lots of other books too at your local library.

Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org