Popular Girls/Buster's Growing Grudge Arthur

# Every day you walk down the street Everybody that you meet

# Has an original point of view

-# And I say, hey!

-Hey!

# What a wonderful kind of day We can learn to work and play

# And get along with each other

# You gotta listen to your heart Listen to the beat

# Listen to the rhythm of the street

# 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

# We can learn to work and play And get along with each other

# What a wonderful kind of day - hey! What a wonderful kind of day - HEY! #

-Hey, DW!

-Hey...

Oh...

During spring vacation, we get a week off school and go to day camp.

We do lots of fun, new stuff. Our group did Shakespeare.

Macbeth finds the witches in their lair.

Macbeth, you're scared. ..Witches, you're scary.

Hubble, bubble, toil and trouble...

Buster's group collected cool ancient things.

"A look at...antiquities."

CHILDREN GASP IN WONDER

MUSIC PLAYS

Prunella's group did play sculpture.

How did I end up in THIS group?

Wait until you see what MY group is doing next!

Oh, no! Not that!

You're making musical instruments?

Sue Ellen says it's easy. Our group will have the best project! Thanks!

CLANKING AND RATTLING

-What's that sound, Arthur?

-Stuff to make musical instruments.

You're lucky. At least Sue Ellen likes to do cool stuff.

Buster and I want to make a futuristic suit of armour,

but Muffy wants to weave baskets! ALL: Yeuch!

Wait till I show you how to make instruments!

It might be good if we read a poem while we played the instruments.

-No-one would hear the poem over the music.

-Oh. I guess you're right.

OK, here's the stuff from my dad.

I've made my own home versions of each of these. It's really easy!

RATTLING

This is Katherine's stuff! We must have taken each other's backpacks!

What's this? Popular Girl?

This is a teenage girls' magazine.

They have strange and mysterious articles.

"Get a prom date in 12 days or less." What's a prom?

-Are you reading Popular Girl?

-Not me!

I can't wait till I'm old enough to know what they're talking about!

Then I'll be just like that model!

Hey, is that Popular Science? ..Oh. Never mind.

Here's a quiz. "How likable are you?"

Let's take it. I bet these tests are really scientific.

We don't need a dopey test to tell US if people like us. ..Come on.

"If you were a sandwich, your friends would be -

"A) potato chips, B) diet soda, C) the plate?"

-A!

-If we end up eating our friends, do we fail the test?

"Your idea of fun is - A) going to a big party, B) going shopping,

"C) going to the library?" I like these tests!

Question 2...

Well, that's the end of that.

That test was weird! Who thinks of their friends as potato chips?!

-It was written for teenagers. They think differently.

-It's scary.

Sometimes I look at Katherine and think about being her age.

I can't fall asleep for hours!

-What are you doing?

-I kind of wanted to see how likable I am.

-Aren't you curious?

-No.

Well...maybe a little.

Seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven...

I scored twelve! "If you scored less than twenty,

"you are too quiet. Nobody can like you cos nobody knows you're there."

It's my worst nightmare!

Binky...Buster...Muffy...

-Where is Fern? She's been absent for four days.

-Here I am.

I'm gonna have to call her parents.

This is so depressing.

"The solution? Be strong.

"Say what's on your mind whether anyone wants to hear you or not."

My turn. I scored 125.

-"If you scored over 100..."

-You scored way over 100.

"..you are too good to be true. You scare people with your excellence.

-"Tone it down."

-You ARE good at everything, Sue Ellen.

-SHE PLAYS COMPLICATED SOLO

-Yeah!

What's the point?! I'll NEVER be as good as Sue Ellen!

I'm frightened by her excellence!

I might as well never blow again!

But I don't get it! We have friends!

-Why do they like us?

-Well, this magazine is for teenagers,

so it must be predicting our future.

We have to change NOW or we'll be friendless!

This morning, we focus on karate.

Let's have a demonstration from our expert - Sue Ellen.

Expert? Me? I'm only average! Or less.

Buster, step on up.

Me? Against her? ..Well...OK.

I flipped Sue Ellen.

-Wow! I flipped Sue Ellen! I must be good!

-See? It's working.

-If HE can do that,

-I

-can do that!

Ohhh.

This victory feels...hollow.

-Don't you feel good about yourself?

-You weren't trying!

-Try ME!

-Huh?

You flipped Sue Ellen, but Fern flipped YOU!

It feels like the world's turned upside down.

Everyone's staring at us. That means we're likable.

I hope you're right. I'm sore all over!

Here's Sue Ellen. She'll know.

Our group is weaving a futuristic fabric.

Do you know any reliable loom techniques?

Well, what I saw...

Oh. Um...no. Any ideas you have would be much better than mine.

Silver?! Puh-lease! Go with red!

What's with them? Sue Ellen said our ideas are best, so do what I say.

-Sue Ellen, you were going to show us how to make idiot phones.

-Ideophones!

I mean, that's what I thought the word was. I'm probably wrong.

TING!

-Is this right?

-Er...yes! Excellent.

Ow!

OK, potato chips! I've decided I'LL read a poem. You can accompany me.

Wait! When did we decide that?

-You didn't!

-I

-did! This group need MY leadership!

-This group doesn't need a leader. ..Right, Sue Ellen?

-Well...

Sue Ellen has no opinion on this!

-If you want to boss people about, get your own group.

-This used to be fun.

Do you think I was strong enough?

Oh, yes. They definitely know you're there now.

This is working out well. Isn't it?

Who does that Fern think she is anyway?

Get this stuff off me.

This is all Sue Ellen's fault. She sabotaged us.

Binky, move! We have to finish our Trojan Horse!

Why did she do it? Why? I don't understand.

Sue Ellen wasn't making fun of you. Get up!

She faked the fall. She doesn't even think I'm worth flipping any more!

We're so good at being likable, everyone hates us.

We followed what it said. How come we're not like this?

-You did this because of that stupid magazine?

-It said we're not likable.

Did you answer that your friends were diet soda?

-That magazine is goofy.

-You don't think I'm too quiet?

-Or I'm too good to be true?

-No!

Now, will you come in so we can do our project right?

Yee-ah!

Let's finish this horse!

How can we split this? It won't cut.

Success!

Greeks rule and Trojans drool!

THEY PLAY MUSIC

I can't believe we acted so dumb! I like being good at what I do.

And I HATE telling people what to do.

How can anyone take a test like that seriously?

"If you scored over 200..."

Oh, I have a lot of work to do.

According to this, I don't give out enough homework!

Everybody's got upset by something some time.

Like the time DW lost her blankie.

Or when DW lost her CD of Crazy Bus.

Or when DW lost her snowball.

DW'S SHOUTS ECHO

OK, maybe DW is upset more than most people. Bad example.

A good example is Francine. That time she hit a high fly.

It looked like she'd won the game for us. Then the wind shifted.

She was really upset.

Then there was the time the Brain got excited about the space probe.

-Is something wrong, Brain?

-The probe won't get to Saturn for seven years.

How can I stand waiting seven years to see photos of Saturn?

But I know someone who's always happy.

He's never been upset for more than three seconds.

Buster Baxter - the happiest, jolliest, most fun...

-What's wrong?

-Hmph!

-What is it? Buster!

'If I don't get free, I won't be able to deliver the medicine!'

Did you write your report before watching TV?

Yeah, almost. Well, actually, no.

-You know our homework policy.

-OK.

Oh! How did he get out?!

-Did you see how Bionic Bunny got free?

-No, I was doing my report.

Mine's kind of weak. I did it fast after Bionic Bunny.

-But I came up with a great joke for it!

-For your history report?

-Yeah!

On TV, this ad said a successful speech starts with a joke.

I wish I could try it out.

-Can I try a joke on you?

-OK. I like to laugh as much as the next guy.

Oh, dear. Oh, my. Oh.

OK, the guy after the next guy.

Ready? What did King Tut say when he got scared?

I want my mummy!

You made that up? Good one.

This is gonna be my BEST report ever! Guaranteed A!

-Want me to write a joke for YOUR report?

-No, thanks.

-Are you sure?

"Christopher Columbus got lost but did something great anyway,

"so he's my favourite historical figure."

I'm next. Wish me luck.

What did King Tut say when the sphinx scared him?

I want my mummy!

He told my joke! I can't believe it! He...

My... He... He told my joke!

Quiet, please. Mr Baxter, read your report.

It was mine. My joke! He told MY joke!

Er...my report is about King Tut.

What d'you call two banana peels?

CHILDREN: A pair of slippers.

My sister will take us skating.

He told my joke. It was mine! I made it up and everything.

Binky shouldn't have done that. He was wrong. So, want to go skating?

He told MY joke!

You're gonna have to work a little harder next time.

No matter how fancy you make a D, it's still a D.

D for disaster. D for deadly.

D for Binky told my joke!

That joke was the difference between a successful report and a flop.

-I win again! Are you paying attention?

-It was MY joke!

(Binky's report was about Columbus.)

Who ends a Columbus report with a joke about King Tut?!

Binky does. Now, shh!

You know what I just found out? Ratburn gave Binky a B plus!

I want my mummy!

I was gonna give you an F, but that joke...! You deserve a higher grade!

My joke got him that B plus!

Great shot, Buster! Aren't you happy you won the game for us?

-Binky told my joke!

-Why do you keep telling US?! Talk to Binky about it!

You think I won't?! Just watch me!

-Hey, Binky!

-Yeah?

-Well?

-Have you ever noticed how large he is?

I'll never get payback for that joke!

I feel better already! Now HE'LL know how it feels to be embarrassed!

-What's wrong?

-Everyone's laughing, just like when he told the joke.

Everyone thinks Binky's funny.

-So what if people think he's funny?

-Binky doesn't care about funny.

It's ME who cares about funny. It's ME who memorises joke books

and practises making faces in the mirror! I have to work at it.

-You know how long I worked on that joke?

-Longer than on your report!

Yeah, but Binky...

Haven't you noticed that anything he does seems kind of...funny?

You're thinking about Binky too much.

It won't matter after the talent show tomorrow.

He'll be sorry he stole my joke.

Thank you, Sue Ellen, for that demonstration of pumpkin kicking.

And now the comedy stylings of Buster Baxter!

At least he won't be talking about Binky!

I think he's gotten over it.

-Hi, everyone. There's a kid in my class named Binky Barnes.

-Oh, no!

Nobody has a bad thing to say about Binky, in case they get pounded.

Binky wrote a history report about Columbus.

Columbus - that's Italian for, "Boy, am I lost!"

I wrote a report about King Tut

and I wrote a good King Tut joke to open it.

Binky told my King Tut joke in his Columbus report. Everybody laughed.

You know what the punch line was?

-He told MY joke that

-I

-wrote and I got a D!

-I don't get it.

-I think it's a pun.

-Well, it wasn't very PUNNY.

Punny!

And the winner is...George!

I can't believe I didn't win!

Win?! You didn't tell a single joke!

That was the comedy of truth. All the greats do it.

I should have just told jokes. This is all Binky's fault.

I don't think Buster will ever stop holding this grudge against Binky!

Our first day of college, Buster! Isn't it exciting?!

-Binky's not here, is he? He told my joke! It was a good joke.

-..Grrrr.

Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States.

Binky told my joke. It was in Mr Ratburn's third-grade class...

If I make this shot, it's the best game of my life!

He told my joke! It was a good King Tut joke!

Buster! You can't stay mad at Binky for ever!

-It doesn't do any good!

-Yes, it does! If I keep it up,

I'll make sure Binky gets a D and is totally miserable all the time!

That's exactly what's happening to you!

-Holding a grudge is hurting YOU!

-I know what you're trying to say.

-You do?

-The only way I can be happy is if Binky never told that joke.

Yeah, and it's too late for that.

-So, to stop him, I must travel back in time and change the past.

-What?

I need a time machine. Or a rocket that can travel at light speed.

-You can't change the past!

-Oh, I can't, can't I?!

-You can't change the past.

-Oh, rats!

I was mad when I didn't get a green ice-cream cake when I was four.

-Yeah?

-I'm still mad about it. I'll stay mad until I get it!

-But staying mad won't get you what you want.

-But YOU think it will.

It's just that, after all the work I did on that report, Binky ruined it!

Buster, you hardly did ANY work! Your whole report was about eggnog!

That's not my fault! It's right next to Egypt in the encyclopaedia!

I guess it WAS my fault. I deserve a D.

Binky! Hey!

-I just wanted to tell you I'm not mad any more.

-You were mad?

-About you stealing my joke.

-What joke?

What does King Tut say when he gets scared? I want my mummy!

That's funny! I think I've heard it before, though.

You heard it when you stole it from me and told the class!

When somebody tells you a joke, you're supposed to pass it on.

But I made it up for my report and then you used it. That's stealing.

Well, I didn't mean to steal it. Here's, um...

70...73 cents

and a sticker of a cool car and a button.

That's all I have. Sorry!

-What did he say?

-He gave me 73 cents, a sticker of a cool car

and a button for my joke. I got paid for writing a joke!

I'm a professional!

With your being naturally funny and me making up good jokes,

I bet we could really go places.

-Like my own TV show?

-Sure. You and me and Arthur...

Us, maybe. But I don't think Arthur. Who'd want to watch him on TV?

Subtitles by Mary Easton BBC Scotland - 2001

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