the name Dora Winifred. Kate Read (voiced by Tracy Braunstein) is Arthur and D.W.'s baby sister. She can communicate with animals such as Pal, Mei-Lin Barnes, Killer, Toady, Mr. Toad, Amigo, Nemo, and Pepe the Flea. As she grows up, she loses communication with some of these characters. However, she comes to understand her family's speech better. (voiced by Daniel Brochu; Jonathan Morris 2002–2012, 2000 redub, under-credited as Conway Bruce) is Arthur's best friend. He is a white rabbit who wears a turquoise long-sleeve polo shirt and jeans. He loves eating and keeps expired food in his room and school desk. He has asthma, is obsessed with aliens, loves telling jokes, is an amateur detective, practices gardening, and plays the tuba. He is an only child whose parents divorced when he was young. He created and celebrates a no-frills holiday called "Baxter Day" with his mother. His father travels the world as a pilot; Buster features his travels with his Dad on the spin-off series Postcards from Buster. Buster is a procrastinator, often preferring to have fun rather than study; one such instance nearly led to him flunking third grade before cramming at the last minute. Buster's character is based on Marc Brown's best friend when he was young. Francine Alice Frensky (voiced by Jodie Lynn Resther) is a monkey who has short brown hair clipped with two yellow barrettes on both sides and usually wears blue jeans and a maroon sweater. She is a tomboy, and enjoys playing sports, horseback riding, playing the drums, and singing. Her family is Jewish and in some episodes is seen observing Yom Kippur, Hanukkah, and attending a cousin's Bar Mitzvah. Francine's best friend is Muffy, with both sharing the same middle name. In earlier seasons, Francine picked on Arthur—such as when he got glasses, and when his baby tooth would not come out—but later they became good friends. She has an older sister named Catherine. Mary Alice "Muffy" Crosswire (voiced by Melissa Altro) is a monkey who usually has long red hair, which she usually wears in two braids adorned with purple bows that usually match her purple and white dress. She and her older brother, Chip, are the two children of Ed Crosswire, the owner of the used car dealership Crosswire Motors, and his wife, Millicent. Muffy is the quintessential daddy's girl, with Ed believing that his daughter can do no wrong