Arthur

ARTHUR and friends welcome a new character - a baby sister for Binky Barnes - this fall when the Emmy-Award winning series tackles adoption from a child's perspective.

On Friday, September 7th (check local listings) the series starring Marc Brown's beloved animated aardvark captures a family's experience with adoption in a special 2-part episode.In 'Big Brother Binky', Arthur's friend Binky's family adopts a baby girl from China and Binky learns not only the importance of being a big brother but that families come in all different shapes in sizes. Binky manages the joys, and sometimes difficulties, of understanding his new sister with humor and imagination and becomes the proudest big brother in Elwood City.

Expanding upon the series' well-established commitment to addressing topics that children of all backgrounds can relate to, this episode undertakes a topic that affects millions of people every day in all parts of the world. By exploring the adoption process from Binky's anticipation of the baby's arrival, to the ups and downs of getting to know one another, and finally to the joy of welcoming the baby into Binky's heart and home, ARTHUR opens the doors for discussion around adoption among parents, children, and educators.

According to ARTHUR creator Marc Brown, "What the series does best is reflect the lives of kids in an authentic and fun way that resonates with both viewers and their parents. Because adoption is so important to so many families, we thought it was a great opportunity for ARTHUR to explore this subject."Executive Producer Pierre Valette adds, "We put a lot of work into this episode -- including extensive research and interviews with many adoptive families. To tell this story thoroughly and well, we decided to devote both 11 minute animated stories in the episode to it --something that we rarely do. We hope that the millions of families touched by adoption in this country, and around the world, will find familiarity and accuracy in our portrayal of the experience of these characters."