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SALT LAKE CITY — "It's a simple message and it comes from the heart. Believe in yourself. 'Cause that's the place to start."
That simple message was sent one last time earlier this week when the PBS show "Arthur" ran its series finale after 25 years. The 12-minute episode was the standard time length meant to capture the attention span of its target audience. This final episode, however, had the characters "All Grown Up," which caused many who have grown up with Arthur and his friends to also tune in.
Helen Cox, of Logan, said she started watching "Arthur" alongside her kids as a young mom when the show began in 1996. Cox has seven children, with her oldest child being 27, and her youngest child matching the age of the characters: 9 years old. She said that all of her kids have learned great lessons from the show over the years.
"The characters in 'Arthur' have been so relatable for kids and adults dealing with so many common situations and dilemmas of life for the average family – especially school-age kids," she said. "It addresses issues like sibling rivalry, homework, cheating in sports, stage fright, problems with friends, different jobs, creating different socioeconomic classes, and differing religious beliefs. There is so much to consider and learn for both adults and kids about having compassion and empathy for others. Arthur and his pals teach us about all this and more."
Cox watched the finale with some of her kids, and she said that she loved that it showed the characters all grown up, and that those characters were right in line with who they were all along.
"I loved that they gave us a glimpse into their futures, after they had been 9 years old for the past 25 years," Cox said. "I loved how the future characters were totally consistent and in line with who they have always been. My favorite was D.W. — as a police officer! Then you have Arthur as an author, and Buster is a teacher — if you ever watched the spin-off 'Postcards from Buster,' that becomes even more significant. Oh, and Francine as a tennis shoe designer — perfect!"
While Cox found herself filled with happiness to see all the characters grow up, another parent who grew up watching "Arthur" while raising her kids, came away with a more tear-filled review.
Angie Santini, a mother of three from Centerville, said she cried after watching the finale. Santini said the tears weren't because the show was coming to an end, but because as she watched, she saw her own children coming of age.
"I first watched Arthur in 2002 while in labor waiting for my stubborn first child to make her way into the world," Santini recalled, adding that the hospital TV did not offer a lot of options.
"I loved that quirky little aardvark from the get-go. I watched him for years with all of my kids. I never once lost sleep wondering how Arthur's life would turn out, but it was fantastic to have closure and know he ended up OK – that the whole gang was OK. I guess that's why it made me cry: The hope that my gang will be OK, too. My stubborn first child is now 20 years old, and figuring out who she is. I guess it's lame, but it made it full circle for me."
While the characters in "Arthur" may be all grown up, the magic of syndication will allow the children of today to continue to grow up with the many life lessons taught in the PBS show.
Because, chances are, every day when they're walking down the street, everybody that they meet will have an original point of view. And if they can learn to work and play, and get along with each other, then, hey! What a wonderful kind of day.
Did you watch the final "Arthur" episode? If so, let us know what you thought of it and the series in the comments section.
