Farewell, ‘Arthur’: How it became TV’s longest-running animated series for children

The average aardvark lives for about 20 years. Arthur Read, the most famous of those mammals, has defied those odds and inspired several generations of young viewers in the process.

On Monday, “Arthur,” the longest-running animated series for children in TV history, concluded its 25-season run. While the characters will continue to pop up in podcasts, online video shorts and games on PBS’ website, it’s basically the end of era.

For those of us without kids, “Arthur” is first and foremost a movie in which Dudley Moore gets caught between the moon and New York City. But parents know that the cartoon Arthur has had a lot more impact than any drunken millionaire on its core audience — ages 4 to 8 — without ever talking down to them.

The show’s popularity was evident when creator Marc Brown visited St. John the Baptist Catholic School in Savage, Minnesota, in 2009. The surprised second-graders treated their guest like he was a rock star.

“‘Arthur’ is not only part of their weekday-morning ritual at home, it’s part of their curriculum,” said Beth Behnke, who was then the principal. “We love ‘Arthur’ here.”

Older viewers who grew up on “Arthur” can be just as fanatical.

“I’ll take my daughters to school and meet with teachers who grew up on ‘Arthur,'” said Jodie Resther, who voices the character of orangutan Francine Frensky, during a virtual news conference last month with other cast members and producers. “When they find out I do the voice of Francine, the reaction is insane.”