Arthur Read is a fictional character in the Canadian/American animated educational children's show Arthur, based on children's books by Marc Brown. Arthur is an 8-year-old anthropomorphic aardvark who lives in the fictional community of Elwood City; the series revolves around his life and daily interactions with his friends and family. The show was developed for PBS by its affiliate WGBH, and aired there from October 7, 1996 to Feburary 21, 2022, becoming one of the longest-running children's television series, with a total of 253 episodes and 7 specials, across 25 seasons throughout it's broadcasting course.
Brown originally created Arthur's stories as bedtime stories for his kids, before publishing them to the public as books. Over 50 stories about Arthur were written, beginning with Arthur's Nose in 1976. Like the animated series, the book series ended in 2022.
History with the Macy's Parade[]
The titular character of the Arthur television program, Arthur Read, was introduced to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1997. Dressed in his signature yellow sweater, blue jeans, and 15-foot long read and white sneakers, the Arthur balloon sports a backpack filled with not only his favorite book, but also 2,240 cubic feet of helium. Standing at 68 feet high, 52 feet long, 32 feet wide, and filled with 9,800 cubic feet of helium, the Arthur balloon was as tall as 17 of his third-grade buddies. Making sure he doesn't miss a beat, the Arthur balloon wears 12-foot wide glasses. During his debut, his right arm was damaged by a tree right at the start of the Parade, and in Times Square he pierced his ear on a row of lampposts at a construction site. However, he made it through despite the winds.
Throughout the balloon's run in the Parade, it promoted the hit television series, Arthur, as well as the most recent Arthur books. The balloon would initially make five appearances, and was temporarily retired after the 2001 Parade. The balloon returned in 2003 to promote the spin-off series, Postcards from Buster, which would then air in the fall of 2004. The balloon was permanently retired after that year's procession and disposed of in the early 2020s.
To celebrate the Parade's 85th anniversary in 2011, a brand-new float entitled Hats Off To Our Heritage was introduced. The float featured many cartoon characters that had been represented in the Parade as a giant balloon. Among the many costumed characters was Arthur, joining other characters such as Barney, Blue, Smokey Bear and Mr. Potato Head.
Trivia[]
- Arthur holds the record for the giant character balloon with the most sponsors, with five in total.