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♪ 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 b*at ♪
♪ 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)
BINKY:
Ugh! What's that?
Roasted butternut squash,
with a dash
of maple syrup.
Try it, it's delicious.
(sniffs)
Do you have any green beans?
Sorry.
We're trying to only serve
vegetables
that are in season
from local farms.
It's better
for the environment.
Hey!
There are no tomatoes either.
No tomatoes?
What will I have
with my fresh burrata?
How could a vegetable be better
for the environment?
Everyone,
hold the line.
Do you know
where this avocado is
from?
A tree?
A tree over , miles away.
And it probably arrived
on a truck
which put , miles worth
of pollution in the air.
Yeah, but a little pollution
never hurt anyone,
right?
Wrong.
Air pollution has been linked
to lots of diseases,
like asthma.
(gasps)
And all that pollution also
contributes to climate change.
See, the pollution acts like
a lid, trapping the heat.
Which is fine
for this pasta primavera,
but not so good
for our planet.
We all have to do
something.
This is the only planet
we have.
Want some carrots
with that?
♪ ♪
Mrs. MacGrady is right.
We should all be doing something
to help the environment.
And we have to do it now.
If helping the environment means
more food like this,
I'm in!
FRANCINE:
"Muffy's Car Campaign."
♪ ♪
FRANCINE:
I hereby call this session
of the Lakewood Elementary
Eco-Kids to order.
Can we be the Eco-Ninjas
instead?
It sounds cooler.
How about the Eco-Squad?
Ooh, yeah.
Yeah.
Love it.
Guys!
It doesn't matter
what we're called.
It matters what we do.
That's what we're here
to decide.
I've got it!
Let's invent cars that run
on seltzer
instead of gasoline.
That would never work.
Where would we get
all that seltzer?
Buster, we need ideas
that are actually doable.
♪ ♪
MUFFY:
Look at all the exhaust.
Yuck!
Hey, why don't we ask parents
to turn off their engines
while they're waiting.
That would cut down
on air pollution, right?
Yep.
It says here that for
every ten minutes a car idles,
a pound of carbon goes
into the air.
How's this for a slogan?
"Don't make us cough,
turn your engine off."
I like it.
Let the campaign begin!
♪ ♪
(engine stops idling)
♪ ♪
(engine stops idling)
ARTHUR:
Buster, that was a great idea
to ask Ms. Tingley
for a permanent sign.
I wanted it to be -foot-high
with flashing purple lights,
but she thought
it might cause accidents.
FRANCINE:
Guys!
Listen up.
I've been working
on our next campaign.
We're doing another one?
Oh, I've got a slogan.
"If you care,
don't cut your hair."
What is that for?
I don't know.
But it's catchy, right?
Getting people to
turn off their engines is great.
But wouldn't it be even better
for the environment
if everyone just biked
to school?
But what about kids who live
too far away to bike or walk?
BUSTER:
Well, we do have a school bus.
BRAIN:
One school bus isn't big enough
for every student.
But if the school could get
more buses,
then everyone who needed a ride
could get one.
That would reduce the number
of cars on the road by a lot.
Maybe one day,
we could make all of Elwood City
totally car-free.
Totally car-free?
So are we all in?
I'm in.
Me too.
Let's do it!
Muffy?
(forced):
Oh, yes, sounds great.
Yay.
(car horns honking)
(sniffing)
(bell ringing)
Ah.
♪ ♪
(gasps)
♪ ♪
Cars here!
Any model, any make
at rock-bottom prices.
You, sir, want a car?
How's five dollars?
Two dollars?
A quarter?
Any car for a quarter!
And I'll throw in
this free bowl of soup!
(sadly):
Oh.
My life's work, down the drain.
Why?
Why did they ban cars
from Elwood City?
(sobbing, crow cawing)
(door opens)
Oh, hey, Muffin.
Hi, Daddy.
Daddy, what would you do
if you couldn't sell cars?
Well, that's easy.
(moving objects)
I'd be a dog groomer.
Always loved the way
those fancy poodles looked.
Too bad I'm allergic to dogs.
Why do you ask?
No reason.
I wouldn't worry,
creampuff.
Business is great.
And it's about to get
even better.
We're branching out
into new cars.
Say hello
to the four-door Mallard.
Isn't she a beaut?
And very affordable.
One day,
I hope everyone in Elwood City
is driving one of these.
♪ ♪
First, we should get signatures
from our parents
saying our school needs
more buses...
I made up a pamphlet
we can hand out,
explaining how this will help
the environment.
And then we'll present
the petition to the principal.
Who should do that?
I'll do it!
Look,
I have hypnotizing glasses.
There's no way she can say no.
Maybe we should go
with someone else this time.
Muffy.
Me?
Of course!
Who's more persuasive than you?
You do have a point.
In fact, I've been thinking
about this whole campaign.
We should be going after
bigger fish
than a few cars.
And you know what
that bigger fish is?
Whales?
This.
People, we must abstain
from flying planes!
Air travel does burn
a lot of fuel,
which isn't good
for the environment, but...
It has nothing to do
with our school.
Let's stick with our
"Get on the Bus" campaign.
Try to get as many signatures
as you can.
Plus,
your slogan needs work.
It just doesn't have
that Binky zing.
♪ ♪
I got signatures.
I got .
But one was Pal's.
How many did you get?
(laughing nervously):
I lost count after .
I've been thinking,
maybe we should all see
the principal
to show how committed we are.
What?
No!
It'll be too confusing.
Our message will get lost.
Plus, Buster will probably
start talking about seltzer.
It's the bubbles.
That's
what moves the cars.
Trust me, I've got this.
Meet you outside
after the meeting.
♪ ♪
Hmm.
♪ ♪
(gasps)
♪ ♪
(grumbling)
(door opens)
Well?
Are we getting more buses?
What'd she say?
I begged, I pleaded.
But she just wouldn't budge.
She said the school
just didn't have the money.
Then we'll raise the money.
Let's go talk to her!
Wait!
It, um,
wasn't just the money.
She said she looked into it,
and...
there are no more buses.
How can that be?
There's a shortage.
No one can explain it.
I can explain it.
You didn't talk to the principal
at all.
Look what I found in the trash.
ARTHUR:
What?
How could you?
You have to understand
that my dad is a car salesman.
It's his life!
Fewer cars on the road
could ruin his business.
This is the environment
we're talking about.
It's the air we breathe.
It's bigger
than just you and your dad.
Don't you get that?
You are hereby kicked out
of the Eco-Compadres Club.
I thought
we were the Eco-Squad?
Eco-Compadres sounds better.
It has that Binky zing.
Wait!
Maybe we can compromise?
♪ ♪
(blender whirring)
Pumpkin smoothie
for my pumpkin?
No thanks.
What's wrong?
I saved the family business.
But I think I lost my friends
in the process.
Huh?
Here.
♪ ♪
Tell me everything.
MUFFY:
And if we get more buses,
then there'll be fewer cars,
and you can't be
a dog groomer,
'cause you're allergic
to dogs.
(Muffy crying)
Honeybun, part of being
a good businessman
is learning to change
with the times.
That's why I'm so excited
about the Mallard.
It's an electric car.
It is?
Well, why does that matter?
It doesn't use gasoline,
which is better for the air.
It's not a perfect solution,
but it's a start.
A healthy environment is
important to me too.
It's the world I'm protecting
for my muffin.
Oh!
I should've take
those signatures
to the principal.
You can talk to her
tomorrow.
In the meantime,
I might be just able to help.
I am so proud of you kids.
This is really going to make
a difference.
Thanks, Mrs. MacGrady.
And it would've
never happened
if I hadn't asked
for green beans.
I have to hand it to you,
Muffy.
This solution is
even better
than the one
we were planning.
It was really Daddy's idea.
I should've thought about how
our campaign would affect him.
I'm sorry.
It's okay.
If you had,
then Daddy wouldn't have asked
the Mallard Car Company
for their help.
(bus honking)
(all marveling)
(brakes hissing)
All aboard
for the maiden voyage
of Lakewood Elementary's
new fleet
of electric school buses.
(kids marveling)
BUSTER:
Look at the fancy cup holders.
ARTHUR:
These seats are so comfy.
MRS. MacGRADY:
Let's crank some tunes.
KIDS:
And now, a word from us kids!
BOY:
Today is our day without paper.
GIRL:
It means we don't use paper
today.
BOY:
Francine and her friends tried
to get use cars less.
We're trying to use paper less.
GIRL:
Yesterday,
we used pieces of paper.
BOY :
There was paper
on everybody's desk,
Here, here, here,
here, here, here.
But today, I don't even have
paper in my sight.
GIRL :
Usually, for morning work,
we do something
on a piece of paper,
but today we're having
a talking morning work.
Johann, what is
your favorite snack?
GIRL :
We asked three friends
about their favorite snack.
Fig bars.
Cheesy crackers.
Cherries.
BOY :
We're also doing math workshop.
Today, we're going
to play Close to .
But we're not going to use
paper recording sheets.
We're going to use...
dry-erase boards.
(cheers and applause)
This is basically
a math activity.
GIRL :
Dry-erase boards work
very, very well.
BOY :
We're doing acrostic poems.
BOY :
Yesterday,
we made this piece of paper.
BOY :
And today,
we're writing it on the table.
GIRL :
It's dry-erase,
so you can just erase it.
GIRL :
This is my acrostic poem.
My downward is "Shell."
"Smooth, hard, elegant,
light, little."
(applause)
GIRL :
We did a presentation
for Ms. Heidi.
She's our principal.
Do you think we can do this
for the whole school?
I think we can.
We'll help the other classes,
because we know how to do it.
It's saving the trees,
so it's not ridiculous,
because we need the trees
in order to breathe.
KIDS:
And now, back to "Arthur."
♪ ♪
BINKY (thinking):
If a meteor is traveling at
a speed of miles per second,
how long will it travel
in one hour?
Aw, man!
I barely understand
the question.
Ah!
♪ ♪
(screaming)
RATBURN:
One minute remaining.
One minute remaining.
Uh... uh...
! , ? One?
Ah!
Oh, no!
Ten seconds...
nine... eight...
seven...
(screaming)
Time's up.
Pencils down.
♪ ♪
(word catching in throat)
Any extra credit
for creativity?
(sighs)
♪ ♪
BUSTER:
"Truth or Poll."
BINKY:
Man, that math test was
a k*ller, right?
Actually,
I thought it was pretty easy.
Well, of course
you thought it was easy.
But for regular kids,
it was impossible.
Right, Arthur?
I got a B-plus.
I guess it wasn't too bad.
If you did the homework.
Homework-shmomework.
That test was like being
belly-slammed by Uncle Slam.
I bet everyone thinks so.
Except you two.
Too bad you can't know
what everyone thinks.
You could
if you took a poll.
Yeah, smarty pants.
I'll just take a poll.
What's a poll?
It's when you ask people
the same question
to find out what a group thinks
about something.
But I think you'll find that
most kids
thought the test was fair.
BINKY:
Oh, yeah?
Well, we'll just see about that.
♪ ♪
BINKY:
There.
I was right.
What's this?
My poll.
"Was the test too hard?"
"Yes, yes, yes."
This proves nothing.
What?
Why not?
(basketball bouncing,
hitting hoop)
I asked three people,
and they all said yes.
You need to ask
more people than that
to get an accurate result.
(grunts)
(basket hits hoop)
Wait here.
♪ ♪
BINKY:
There!
That's ten yesses.
See? I was right.
The test was too difficult.
Although, to be fair,
Mei Lin didn't say
it was too hard,
she just stuck out
her tongue.
♪ ♪
Wait, Mei Lin?
Your baby sister?
Who else did you ask?
My mom, my dad,
the tough customers...
But they aren't even
in our class.
You have to ask people
who actually took the test.
(grumbles):
Well, you could've told me that
earlier.
♪ ♪
(sighs)
♪ ♪
(kids cheering)
Over here!
Come on, Arthur.
sh**t it, sh**t it.
Yay!
(whistle blowing)
(cheers and applause)
(gasps)
♪ ♪
Great, you've asked everyone
in our class.
This will make
for an excellent sample size.
Thanks.
Now,
for the results of your poll.
♪ ♪
What's this?
A pie chart.
Ooh!
Are you making pie?
What kind?
I'm not making pie;
this is just a way
to visually present your data.
See this red section?
Yeah.
That represents
all the students
who thought
the test was too hard.
%.
Woohoo!
Go red!
Uh,
what's that blue stuff?
The students who didn't think
the test was too hard.
%.
So, I was right.
Most kids in the class did
disagree with you. The end.
Well, I'm going to ask them
again.
Some of them might change
their minds.
(doorbell ringing)
Hey, remember that poll
I gave you yesterday?
Yeah.
I'm going to ask you
the same question again.
But this time...
with donuts.
(gasps)
(munching)
Now,
did you think that math test
we took was too hard?
(mouth full):
No.
What?
Gimme that!
You're supposed to say yes.
I can't help it.
I really didn't think
it was too hard.
Well, I still think
it could've been a lot easier.
Well, if you had asked me that,
I would've said yes.
Really?
Yes.
Yes, yes, yes.
Thank you
for your valuable input.
Have a nice day!
♪ ♪
Wow.
% of students agree.
I wonder
who that one percent is?
That's Brain.
Right.
Of course.
BRAIN:
What is this?
The results
of my latest poll.
Read it and weep.
Oh, by the way,
this represents you.
"Could the math test
have been easier?"
Well, of course
it could've been easier.
You agree too?
Woohoo!
Hey, everybody,
we've got a %!
But that's
a ridiculous question.
Saying the test could've been
easier
isn't the same as saying
it was too hard.
You say, "tomato,"
I say, "potato."
It's all the same.
No, it isn't.
The wording of your question
is misleading.
And your percentages
don't even make sense.
It seems clear to me.
I certainly wish
that math test
had been easier.
Me too.
I think you might just be
making up these rules
to get the results you want.
Ah!
♪ ♪
BINKY:
Hey,
you took
the last strawberry ice cream.
Sorry, I was ahead of you.
Mrs. MacGrady,
is there any more strawberry?
'Fraid not.
I don't order a lot of it.
Chocolate and vanilla
are the most popular.
How do you know?
Just experience, I suppose.
Would you like me
to do a poll?
That way you'd know
for sure
what the most popular
flavor is.
Well, now,
that would be very helpful.
Thank you, Binky.
Don't mention it.
♪ ♪
(yelps)
♪ ♪
Well, butter my toes
and call me a biscuit.
I would never
have guessed.
♪ ♪
What is this flavor?
Rhubarb.
Isn't it delicious?
It's my favorite.
I like it even better
than strawberry.
It is intriguing.
But why is there only rhubarb
ice cream now?
I took a poll.
It's what everyone wanted.
Oh.
Was I in that poll?
Yup.
I asked you if
you'd rather have a new flavor
or no ice cream it all.
"New flavor" won by a landslide.
Oh, right.
BRAIN:
You're behind this,
aren't you?
Hey, I don't make
the results.
I just report them.
Muffy, be honest.
Do you really like
that rhubarb ice cream?
Meh.
But it's trending.
The people have spoken.
(groans):
This stops now.
You're not the only one
who can take a poll.
♪ ♪
Hi there!
Do you have time for a quick
poll about the playground?
(gasps)
BINKY:
What happened
to the Tower of Pain?
I took a poll.
% of the students
wanted to see it replaced
with a flower garden.
But...
Sorry.
I don't make the results.
I just report them.
♪ ♪
Uh...
(gasps)
What happened to my chess club?
(music playing on speakers)
BINKY:
Sorry.
% of the members felt that
chess should be replaced
with video games.
The facts don't lie.
♪ ♪
Huh.
% of kids
want our school to be
"academically challenging."
Yeah, of course.
But % of kids
also want less homework.
Wait, can both those things
be true?
BINKY: (sleepily):
% think the school week
should be three days.
% want watching TV
to become a sport.
(groans):
Too many numbers.
ARTHUR:
Hey, Binky.
Come see the results
of the latest poll.
♪ ♪
(murmuring)
MUFFY:
It is a great idea.
Wow, %, who knew?
♪ ♪
BINKY:
"Do you think Binky should be
baked into a pie?"
What?!
Sorry.
The people have spoken.
No! Stop!
There must be some mistake.
(murmuring)
Wait,
how could % of kids
have said yes?
I didn't vote to put
me in a pie.
BRAIN:
Yes, you did.
The question was,
"Would you rather have
no pie ever again,
or a different-flavored pie?"
Oh, right.
I sure would miss pie...
Now, who wants that à la mode?
ALL:
Me, me!
Ah!
(screaming)
(gasps)
(shivering)
Binky, I thought your poll said
that rhubarb was
the most popular flavor.
Why isn't anyone taking it?
Uh, maybe they changed
their minds?
Binky's polls are biased,
Mrs. MacGrady.
If you want a fair one,
I'll do it for you.
No, don't let him.
I'll redo mine.
Your polls are misleading.
Well, at least
I'm not putting kids
in pies!
Huh?
Please, no more polls.
I don't even know
what I like anymore.
Today, I put ketchup
on my pancakes,
because % of people said it
was their favorite condiment.
(clanging)
Everyone who wants Brain
and Binky to stop taking polls,
raise their hands.
Well, I haven't counted yet,
but I think
that's over %.
Make it a hundred.
Polls are
very valuable tools.
But the questions you ask
are just as important
as the results.
I guess I got
a little carried away.
Me too.
You were right.
I should've studied more
for that math test.
Yeah,
and kids didn't actually want
the jungle gym redecorated.
I just asked them
if they liked flowers.
Truce?
Truce.
Actually,
they really brighten up
the Tower of Pain.
I took a poll,
and we're going to keep them.
BUSTER:
To watch more "Arthur"
and play games with all
the Elwood City friends,
You can find "Arthur" books
and lots of other books, too,
at your local library.
♪ ♪
22x04 - Muffy's Car Campaign/Truth or Poll
Watch on Amazon Merchandise Toys
Arthur demonstrates to kids how to deal with challenges as homework, teachers and bullies.
Arthur demonstrates to kids how to deal with challenges as homework, teachers and bullies.