The longest-running children’s animated program in history took its final bow Monday when “Arthur” aired its final episode on PBS.
The series began its historic run in 1996. Only “The Simpsons” has lasted longer among all animated television series.
The show announced last summer that it would be riding off into the sunset courtesy of a statement by executive producer Carol Greenwald to CBS News.
“Arthur is the longest-running kids animated series in history and is known for teaching kindness, empathy and inclusion through many groundbreaking moments to generations of viewers,” Greenwald said then.
The series ends with a trophy case full of awards for excellence, including four Daytime Emmys for outstanding animated program.
Produced by WGBH Boston, the series was an adaptation of the children’s book series by Marc Brown and followed the adventures of Arthur Read, a bespectacled aardvark, his family, and his friends and classmates in the third grade.
Arthur’s long television journey ends after 253 episodes, spread over 25 seasons, along with seven specials and one direct-to-video CGI movie.
Its final episode, “Distant Finale,” showed the characters has adults.
While the show will no longer produce new episodes, “Arthur” will still air in reruns on PBS Kids, both on its broadcast television channels and its streaming service.
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