E!: What would you like to say to the Arthur fan who feels that their childhood is coming to a close with the end of the series?
MB: I want to step into the character of the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld: “No more shows for you.” But the truth is, we’ve done, like, over 600 stories, and we’ve done specials. And those are going to run on PBS for years and years to come. We decided not to do more programs, but to investigate other media, other forms of technology and media that have come along since we began. So that’s what we want to concentrate on next. Look for new ways to reach kids.
E!: How so?
MB: I like that we can put out these public service, animated spots. We did a couple of them about voting, because voting this past presidential election got very confrontational and difficult for kids trying to understand what’s going on. We did a wonderful piece on racism for kids, and understanding racism. And that sprung out of meeting John Lewis years ago at a book signing in Washington. And I asked him if he would be a guest star on Arthur, and to do a show for kids about standing up for something that you believe in. That’s one of my favorite moments of all the guest stars that we’ve had.
We’ve had some wonderful guest stars, Fred Rogers was our second guest star, and he became a friend as a result of that.