--- title: Arthur Meme: Network Not Pleased With Explicit Jokes description: The popular kids' cartoon about an aardvark and his family has become the subject of a series of viral raunchy internet memes. canonical: https://time.com/4438715/arthur-memes-wgbh-pbs/ author: Raisa Bruner article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-08-04T15:30:26.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:35:05.281Z og:title: The Network Behind 'Arthur' Is Not Pleased With Those Memes og:description: The kids' cartoon about an aardvark has become the subject of raunchy memes. og:url: https://time.com/4438715/arthur-memes-wgbh-pbs/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt61ed3472b9126aa2/6988a11ebc6cfc9aa93de1e6/arthur_cartoon.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Arthur_cartoon og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Network Behind 'Arthur' Is Not Pleased With Those Memes twitter:description: The kids' cartoon about an aardvark has become the subject of raunchy memes. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt61ed3472b9126aa2/6988a11ebc6cfc9aa93de1e6/arthur_cartoon.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Network Behind _Arthur_ Is Not Pleased With Those Memes > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=259ea4e0-365f-4658-a599-78551e11df07&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Daily | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Richard Hall, Editor | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The informed consumer. A scaled audience of readers who turn to TIME to stay informed and make sense of the world, with meaningful reach across education and research, nonprofits and civic life, media and communications, government and public institutions, and business and professional services. ### TIME The Brief: key statements * The Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * The Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=259ea4e0-365f-4658-a599-78551e11df07&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/subscribe?i=259ea4e0-365f-4658-a599-78551e11df07&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's daily news newsletter? The Brief is TIME's daily newsletter, edited by Richard Hall. It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=259ea4e0-365f-4658-a599-78551e11df07&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1)  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Aug 4, 2016 3:30 PM UTC  PBS  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Aug 4, 2016 3:30 PM UTC [_Arthur_](http://time.com/3071036/listen-to-chance-the-rappers-gorgeous-cover-of-the-arthur-theme-song/), the cartoon about the misadventures of a bookish young aardvark and his family and friends, has been a staple of children’s entertainment since it launched on PBS stations almost 20 years ago. But thanks to the Internet’s unfailing ability to make old things new again, [Arthur is back in the spotlight](http://www.ew.com/article/2016/08/03/arthur-memes-network-responds). But this time it’s because of a [series of viral memes](http://www.theverge.com/2016/8/1/12342168/arthur-fist-meme-twitter-tumblr-internet-culture) that aren’t exactly G-rated. > [](https://twitter.com/ARTHURMEMES%5F/status/760021964601761793) Many of the memes making the rounds are par for the course — just stills of Arthur and his family and overlaying them with a funny saying or relatable modern moment. But, as can be expected, some of the memes have taken a more explicit, not safe for work turn. The response from the network that airs _Arthur_, WGBH in Boston: play nice. “We appreciate the memes that have been created and shared in good fun,” a spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday. “We are, however, disappointed by the few that are outside of good taste.” Not that the earnest plea on the part of the network will make much of a difference. Tumblr, Twitter and other social media sites are [already awash](https://www.instagram.com/memes.arthur/) in these inappropriate misconstructions, including an especially popular close-up of Arthur’s balled-up fist, the encapsulation of frustration. But it goes downhill from there. See below for a selection of the more PG-rated jokes: > [](https://twitter.com/ARTHURMEMES%5F/status/758924360589582337) > [](https://twitter.com/ModernAfrican/status/758657693439651840) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4438715/arthur-memes-wgbh-pbs/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4438715/arthur-memes-wgbh-pbs/"},"headline":"The Network Behind Arthur Is Not Pleased With Those Memes","datePublished":"2016-08-04T15:30:26.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:35:05.281Z","description":"Have you no decency?","url":"https://time.com/4438715/arthur-memes-wgbh-pbs/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Entertainment","Television","viral"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt61ed3472b9126aa2/6988a11ebc6cfc9aa93de1e6/arthur_cartoon.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Raisa Bruner","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt61ed3472b9126aa2/6988a11ebc6cfc9aa93de1e6/arthur_cartoon.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Arthur_cartoon","caption":"","creditText":"PBS","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4438715/arthur-memes-wgbh-pbs/","name":"The Network Behind Arthur Is Not Pleased With Those Memes"}}]}] ```