Beloved children’s cartoon to be axed after 26 years on air 💔

'And I say Hey!'

Author: Natalie ReesPublished 28th Jul 2021
Last updated 28th Jul 2021

We all remember our favourite childhood shows which fill us with childhood nostalgia and memories of kicking back after a long day at school.

Sadly, it has now been announced that the longest-running animated children’s series in American history has now been cancelled.

After 249 episodes and 25 seasons, popular cartoon Arthur has now been axed.

Many of us will remember the show which debuted in 1994 and follows the life of aardvark Arthur and his family and friends Buster, Francine, Muffy, Binky and Brain.

Kathy Waugh, who originally developed the show for PBS from the books by Marc Brown, revealed the news in a recent interview.

Speaking to the Finding DW podcast, she said: “Arthur is no longer in production. We had our wrap party two years ago.

“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. To me, it felt evergreen, like it was never going to end but it did end, we finished the last episode, season 25 two years ago.”

Although it has now been confirmed that the final series of Arthur will air in Winter 2022, Carol Greenwald, an executive producer on the series, said: “Arthur will continue to be available on PBS Kids for years to come.

“Producer GBH and PBS Kids are continuing to work together on additional Arthur content, sharing the lessons of Arthur and his friends in new ways.”

During Arthur’s time on air, a number of celebrities guest-starred on the show including Matt Damon, Joan Rivers and Lance Armstrong.

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