funding for arthur is provided by: [ female announcer ] fun together is the best fun of all. ♪ chuck e cheese's proudly supports pbs kids. ♪ contributions to your pbs station from: ♪ every day, when you're walking down the street ♪ ♪ everybody that you meet has an original point of view ♪ (laughing) ♪ and i say, hey hey! ♪ what a wonderful kind of day ♪ if we could learn to work and play ♪ ♪ and get along with each other ♪ ♪ you got to listen to your heart, listen to the beat ♪ ♪ listen to the rhythm, the rhythm of the street ♪

♪ open up your eyes, open up your ears ♪ ♪ get together and make things better by working together ♪ ♪ it's a simple message, and it comes from the heart ♪ ♪ believe in yourself ♪ believe in yourself ♪ ♪ for that's the place to start ♪ ♪ place to start ♪ ♪ and i say, hey ♪ hey! hey! ♪ what a wonderful kind of day♪ ♪ if we could learn to work and play ♪ ♪ and get along with each other ♪ hey! ♪ what a wonderful kind of day♪ hey! ♪ what a wonderful kind of day♪ hey! arthur (on tv): hey, d.w.! hey! whoa! (loud thud) (letters shattering) announcer: it's the elwood city grebes three, the crown city kings zero. bottom of the ninth, two outs. lefty only needs one more out to pitch a perfect game. muffy, get up! to see what? nothing's happening. do you know how rare a perfect game is?

that means not a single batter reaches base. exactly. (yawns) how boring. strike one! there's only been 17 of them in over a century of major-league baseball. it's a once-in-a-lifetime event! buster: strike two! (crowd cheering wildly) come on, lefty. just one more strike to go! (crowd groans) no! finally, something happened! i can't believe it. we were this close! arthur: look on the bright side. at least the grebes won. how often does that happen? buster: i had the best hot dog ever. (burps) it still tastes good. and i got this grebes jersey for half off. yep, it was a great day.

don't you guys get it? that game could have been perfect. what went wrong? why did lefty give up that hit? why?! (cracking) (all gasp) ratburn: behold! the bustling "northern capital," better known as beijing. and it was defended by the great wall of china. arthur: that's istanbul, right? correct, arthur. and finally, the colosseum in rome-- home to massive sporting events almost 2,000 years ago. now, would anyone like to guess why i showed you all these slides of cities? we're going on a class trip? is it rome? china? alas, no. it's inspiration for your next assignment. each of you will team up with a partner and create your own city.

arthur: so i was thinking that the buses in our city could be hot air balloons, and they could be powered by windmills placed at each stop. (whistle blows) arthur: the only cars allowed would be ambulances and fire trucks. everyone else would roll everywhere by human power, and there'd be so many bikes and scooters around that no one would have to buy them. and... hey, are you listening? huh? oh yeah, sounds great. but you know what we really need? a stadium. one stadium. but not just any old stadium. it'll be huge and... it can't be too huge. mr. ratburn said we have to build a model of this city, remember? think about it. if the grebes had had a better stadium, lefty would have pitched a perfect game. did you see how short the fence is? i kind of like the grebes' stadium. well, this one will be even better. okay, let's divide this list up and get started.

we only have a week. and i know what we could call it, too-- frenway park. you forgot your list. oh, yeah. did you know that the estadio azteca in mexico city has 114,465 seats? do you think frenway park should have that many? i think the master builder should get some sleep. it's way past your bedtime. and what should the seats be made of? they have to be comfy. maybe feathers. nah, they'll get soggy when it rains. i'll start researching seats tomorrow. more research? isn't this project due soon? dad, we're not just talking about any old stadium here.

this is frenway park. (yawns) i could go down in history for this. tv host: tell us about frenway park, your new, perfect stadium. first, there's a super- high wall in left field. no one will be hitting a home run off lefty here. (fans shivering) next, i put a speaker on top of the right field foul pole. when lefty pitches, the batter being called to the plate should feel awe. announcer: the great, the mighty, the unbeatable lefty paz is approaching the mound, ready to pitch a perfect game! francine, what are you doing? it's 5:30 in the morning. here. wear this. i've got to work. arthur: this is the city's park, which is also a community garden.

francine: cool! i thought the stadium could go next to it. that's not nearly enough room. are you sure? let's see the model. um, well... i'm still kind of working on the designs. designs? i thought you'd be done by now. all i need are the right materials. then construction will be under way. what about the other things on your list? arthur, the stadium's the most important part of the city. the school and the hospital can wait. this is exactly what i need for my stadium. but where will i put my hat for the strawberry parade? you only wear that hat once a year. i know. that's why it has to go someplace safe. please, muffy. oh, all right, take it. i don't know why this stadium is so important to you. i could understand if it were a mall. how's your city coming along? muffy: we're almost done. i thought of everything, and george is building everything.

george! where are you? sorry, muffy. i was off in sector four, working on the plumbing. you built all that in five days? (gulps) i think i better get to work. francine: "for years, the dome at hagia sofia in istanbul was the largest in the world." why didn't i think of a dome? i'll have to redesign the whole thing. (groans) maybe you should start building. if you want something to be great, you can't cut corners. i have to instant-message adil in istanbul. catherine: good idea. ask him if he's having a nice dream. it's the middle of the night there. (groans) (scissors clipping) there-- finished. phew! now on to the rest of the stadium. arthur: you still haven't started? yes, i have. see? the entrance is done.

it's great, but you've still got a lot to do. i know. that's why i called you here. you make the parking lot. stop! you're doing it wrong. i barely cut into it! maybe you should do the other items on my list, like the clock tower. and make sure it's lofty! catherine: hey! that looks pretty good. no. it's not coming out like i imagined. it doesn't have to be perfect. you should go to bed. (crowd roaring) (crowd groans) francine, this stadium's great... for the pitcher. but it's not going to be so great when we're batting. we'll never be able to hit a home run over that wall. you're right. why didn't i think of that?

lefty: well, maybe someone can hit a home run with that bat. announcer: now batting, number seven... henry thomson! (stadium rumbling) lefty: is there any way they can adjust the sound system? (groans) why didn't i build a dome?! (birds chirping) (gasps) it's got holes in it, but it'll have to do. i'll just stretch the sides a little and make it fit. (cracking) (gasps) arthur: what happened? it looked great when i left yesterday. but it needed a dome. it wasn't perfect. what's the point if it's just ordinary? maybe we can fix it. no, it's a perfect disaster.

i've ruined everything. maybe it won't be exactly what you had in mind. but we're not ruined. hmm... ruins. francine: remember, we're looking for old and broken. how's this? great. the worse condition, the better. note the radial design, where the streets and walkways all run from the center of the city. mmm... sausage! buster: and our trolley cars are edible. admission to crosswire city is only five dollars per person. class: oh! wow! that's neat! wow! arthur: and this is the community garden, where you can get free vegetables. now francine is going to present the old city within the city.

with ruins. here's the old clock tower. (class exclaims) and here's the frenskium. it's the ruins of an ancient stadium. i love how your city combines the future and the past. and what a superb idea to use the colosseum for inspiration. a perfect touch. (crowd cheers) this is awful. lefty's getting crushed, and this hot dog doesn't have enough mustard. what do you mean? this game's a blast! how many home runs have we seen? you don't mind that lefty's not pitching a perfect game? i'll see one someday. yoo-hoo! over here! we need more peanuts! (sighs) you can never get those vendors when you need them. wait a minute. that's what this stadium needs. a light that flashes over your seat whenever you need something. (groans) francine: the buttons could be on the armrest.

it will be perfect! and now... my name is tyler, and this is second grade, and we're working on cities. what do we need to make a city work? a city hall? fire station? the hospital? we started with a whiteboard, and then we put some roads on it. we need roads in our city so people can drive. are there other forms of transportation in the city? train. a bike. a bus. you could walk. you could walk around a city. a helicopter. do you take a helicopter home from school? sometimes. teacher: oh, my goodness. tyler: when you design a city, you should put the right stuff in the right place. this is city hall. i think it should go in the center. student: this is the police station, and i think it should go in the center of town because it can reach all the people from there easily. this is my park. the park should be in the center,

because it's easy for people to get to it. this is my restaurant. it should be in the center of the city, because lots of people work there and they need a place to eat. i have the elementary school. this is north junior high. this is my bakery, and i think it should go here. student: maybe when the teachers go to a party after school, maybe they want to get the cake for the person who's having a birthday. i have a supermarket, and i think it should go here, because it's not as crowded as the middle of main street. this is a museum, and i think i should put it next to the restaurant because people, after the restaurant, they might want to go to the museum. all: we have houses. student: a city needs to be a good place to live, because if it's not a good place to live,

people won't want to live there. and now... arthur: pets are a lot smarter than we think. it didn't take long for pal to learn how to fetch. thanks, but i don't need a stick. really, pal, i've got all the sticks i need. hey, dad! i just taught pal to fetch. arthur: and then i trained him how to speak. (barking) what is it, boy? what are you trying to say? (barking) (barks) hey, mom! i just taught pal how to say he's hungry. but looking back on it, i wonder if i was teaching him those things... wag your tail. wag your tail, pal.

good doggie! ...or if he was teaching me. (barking) aww... you just have to relax, buster. it's easy to catch a football. (cat yowls) i'm just no good at this. oh! but you're pretty good at that. you've caught falling cats before. now if we can just make it into a sport. ♪ oh, the hip bone's connected to the... leg bone ♪ ♪ and the leg bone's connected to the... ♪ (cat meows) kitty? (purring) kitty! oh, kitty!

i found a kitty! actually, buster found her. well, she found buster. but she loves me, and i love her. can i keep her? can she keep me? i don't know, d.w. her owner is probably looking for her. but dad... arthur: if you lost a pet, you'd want someone to find it and bring it back to you, right? (pal sniffing) not if it smelled like pal. you're my kitty-witty-huggy-wums. d.w.: yes, you are, mm-hmm. yes, you are. (cat meows) (cat purring) arthur: well, i think we've covered the whole neighborhood. for d.w.'s sake, i hope no one calls.

or i'll call you catty-watty-wiggy-wuggy-bug. or cutie-pootie-bitty-kitty- yum-yum. or... hey, where are you going? i think she's headed for the litter box we put in the laundry room. that's where she goes to the bathroom. ah, she's so smart! nighty-night, snookie-ookie. have sweet kitty dreams. (giggling) kitty, those are toes, not chicken tenders. okay, lovey-wuvvy-purry-furface. you just sleep right up here next to me on the pillow. (tongue lapping) yech! you have tuna breath! and your tongue is like sandpaper! how about i make you your own nice little bed?

(meows) (firmly): stay here. (yawns) what part of "stay here" don't you understand? (cat yowls) (d.w. groans) mrs. read: d.w., kittens have lots of energy and they like to play at night. i found that out. all night. maybe you can train her, like i trained pal. okay. kitty, sit. roll over. pay no attention to me.

well, that one worked. maybe it would be for the best if her owner calls. no! she's mine! all mine. (yawns deeply) here, kitty, kitty, kitty! where are you? we've looked everywhere. are you sure you have a cat? look, emily. a clue. d.w.: kitty? are you down here? maybe we should go back up, where it's lighter. (d.w. yelling) (emily yelling)

(meows) emily: okay, i believe you have a cat. can i go home now? (yawning) ahh... a good night's sleep. at last. and pretty-kitty-witty still sleepy-weepy-deepy. this might work out after all. (fabric ripping) (screaming) (cat mews softly) d.w.: arthur, i'm telling you, she's not a normal cat. well, i guess you could say she is a little frisky. a little frisky? mom had to sew my whole room back together.

she's still a kitten. she'll calm down when she grows up. what's that movie? "the cat strikes at night." "the classic tale of fear of felines." trust me. you don't want to see it. mrs. read: d.w., there's nothing to be scared of. the cat's staying in the laundry room. d.w.: good. does she have enough food? two big bowls. and it's not too chilly down there, is it? it's nice and warm. okay. not that i care. d.w., if no one calls to claim the kitten, maybe we should bring her to an animal shelter. a shelter?! or maybe we can find someone to adopt her and give her a nice home... without curtains or fabric. but she's my kitty! sweetie, i know this has been hard for you, but let's just get through tonight.

are you sure the laundry room is locked up tight? wait. maybe you should bring her something to sleep on. sweet dreams. good night, kitty. (purring) (door squeaks closed) d.w.: here, kitty-kitty-kitty! (making kissing noises) where'd she go? (cat meows) i could have sworn i heard her meow around here.

poor wittle thing! she must be afwaid. here, little dubuyuh, wubuyuh! come to kitty! (yowls) (screams) aah! oh, it was just a dream. (meows) (whimpering) (yelling) (yelling) (low piano notes playing) arthur: d.w.? mr. read: d.w.? sweetheart? are you okay? i'm in a movie! a scary cat movie! save me! (pal barking) mrs. read: it's all right, d.w. you must have had a bad dream. (doorbell rings, pal yips) no! don't answer it! it's probably more cats! good evening. did you by any chance find a lost kitten? i do hope i'm not intruding

at so late an hour. oh, no. we were just running around and listening to a kitten play the piano, like most nights. dr. fugue? this is your cat? yes. though she's not the finest piano student. no, you're not, are you, you fur elise? furry leese? fur. elise. named for beethoven's lovely piece. (playing "für elise") i've been away at the mozarteum academy in austria. just got back and found her missing. was furry here long? just a couple of days. d.w.: fur elise is one scary, crazy kitty. dr. fugue: i find that music soothes the savage beast. particularly this one. d.w.: wait a minute. i was playing my xylophone when she showed up. see? she even likes out-of-tune toy music. okay, furry.

time to go home. but... but... d.w., furry already has a home. but you can come visit her as often as you like... if you agree to learn to play that instrument a little more melodiously. (sighs) it's a start. i suppose one must make one's peace with cacophony. which arthur character are you? i am a francine... (grunts) ...because i really like sports. would you just shoot already? (screaming) i like soccer. woo-hoo! give it up for francine the soccer queen! i like the sound of that! whoa! (cheering) wow. (cheering) all: which arthur character are you? announcer: pbs kids + "peg + cat,"

where sometimes the fun starts with a problem. counting 100 rocks will take all day. [belches] oh, jeez. announcer: "peg + cat," weekdays on pbs kids or anytime at pbskids.org. funding for arthur is provided by: [ female announcer ] fun together is the best fun of all. ♪ chuck e cheese's proudly supports pbs kids. ♪ contributions to your pbs station from: to watch more arthur and play games with all the elwood city friends, visit pbskids.org. you can find arthur books and lots of other books, too, at your local library.

captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org one! two! a one, two three four!" sot: peg (sings): "peg plus cat na-na-na-na-na peg plus cat na-na-na-na-na" sot: "we're peg plus cat, peg plus cat peg plus cat peg plus cat!" vo: peg plus cat. weekdays on pbs kids or anytime at pbs kids dot org

martha speaks is funded in part by... when you encourage your children to love to learn, they can achieve amazing things. abcmouse.com early learning academy, proud sponsor of pbs kids and martha speaks. [ female announcer ] fun together is the best fun of all. ♪ chuck e cheese's proudly supports pbs kids. ion for public broadcasting, a cooperative agreement from the u.s. department of education's ready-to-learn grant... and by contributions to your pbs station from: man: ♪ martha was an average dog ♪ she went... and... and... (barking, growls) ♪ when she ate some alphabet soup ♪ ♪ then what happened was bizarre... ♪ on the way to martha's stomach, the letters lost their way.