Postcards from Buster

Feed the cows, take out the garbage, clean the house, all before breakfast?! That's part of life on the farm for sister and brother Lauren and Nathan. But as they show Buster, there's more to living on a farm than chores-like riding horses, driving tractors, and showing off their pigs at the County Fair!

At the Sears Tower, Buster meets Farah, a 10-year-old Muslim girl who tells Buster about wearing hijabs, praying towards Mecca, and shopping at her favorite neighborhood Pakistani shops. Buster is intrigued with how Farah's Muslim parochial school is both different and the same as his own.

Buster meets 12-year-old Robert who has been playing Conjunto music on his accordion since he was five with grown ups who share this traditional Mexican-American musical form. In between jam sessions, Buster gets a lesson in real Mexican cooking and learns what makes a perfect taco.

Near Mt. Hood, Buster meets some regular-sized kids who grow giant pumpkins for competition. He also goes mountain biking, extreme, Oregon-style with siblings Jordan and Ashley.

At a Southeast Asian festival, Buster meets Diana, Caitlin, and Rosie, who share the same last name and Hmong heritage-AND they all live on the same street! Buster cheers on the girls in a traditional dance competition and joins in on a family barbecue that includes Hmong foods and one of Buster's favorites, hot dogs.

All this traveling has Buster frazzled, and in Seattle, he's developed a bad case of insomnia. Luckily, Buster meets Russ and Rebecca, who teach him Tai Chi to soothe his mind and body. Buster's newfound state of mind comes in handy as he catches flying fish with fishmongers at Pike Place fish market.

Following in the footsteps of Lewis and Clark, Buster takes a canoe trip with the Stenslie family. Along the way they introduce him to Norwegian music, language, and dance that make up their family traditions. The adventures continue with the Miller family who share their favorite pastime: motocross racing.

When Buster arrives in Houston, he is disappointed to learn that Texas isn't all cowboys and open country. Then he meets 12-year-old Tayler, a self-described "rodeo rat" and grand-daughter of retired African American rodeo star Cornelius Cleveland. Buster goes on an adventure into the heart-and history-of cowboy country.

Buster experiences the traditions, history, and adventure of South Dakota. Chris, a direct descendent of a Lakota soldier, takes Buster behind the scenes at the Crazy Horse Memorial. Buster also gets a close-up look at a South Dakota tradition with the Lantis family on a buffalo roundup full of cowboy adventures.

Amidst the beauty of Jackson Hole, Buster is determined to track down a moose to show his friends back home. With help from some knowledgeable nature lovers, Buster discovers all that Wyoming offers: fly fishing, bird watching, and maybe even the elusive moose.

Amidst the splendor of El Dorado Canyon in Boulder, Buster climbs mountains-literally-and faces his insecurities. A group of enthusiastic young rock climbers show Buster how to overcome a challenge, one step at a time.

On the Wind River Reservation, Buster meets kids from the Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribes who teach him Native American traditions including drumming and pow wow dancing. He also learns about another important tradition in this community- basketball-when he gets to participate in a clinic with his new friend, Stephan.

In Phoenix, Buster checks out the Brophy Sports Campus, an elite training facility for swimmers that Francine has dreams of attending. There he meets Deni, an accomplished swimmer. Deni shows Buster the ins and outs of serious training and also shares his dream of becoming an astronaut.

Just because Buster's traveling doesn't mean that he gets out of Mr. Ratburn's assignments. He and Binky must complete a history report, but Buster is in rural Kentucky where Los Viajeros are performing, and there isn't a museum or historical statue in sight. Luckily, Carlos and Mora introduce him to fiddlers Randy and Rossi, and clogger Catherine, and the report on fiddling, square dancing and traditional Old Timey music gets an "A."

Buster joins Carlos and Mora on a road trip through the Sonora Desert. En route, they load up on snacks at a Latin American grocery store, meet Ariana who plays in a local Mariachi band, and cope with flat tires and car break downs with help from expert desert dwellers.

Inspired by the bayou, Buster sets off to capture the "Swamp Monster" on film. With help from 12-year-old bayou expert Dylan and other friends, Buster chases after the mysterious creature while enjoying the perks of bayou life, like crab dinners and catfishing with hotdogs!

Buster is absolutely positive that the latest Bionic Bunny comic book is his. But when Arthur insists it's his, the two best friends end up in a terrible argument. Luckily, during a stopover in Winchester, Buster meets two best friends, both named Katie, who remind Buster that friendship isn't just about the things you own, but how you care for each other and what you do together.

At the Utah Olympic Park, home of the 2002 Winter Olympics, Buster finds out what it really takes to be an Olympic athlete. He meets Squirt, a talented and dedicated ski jumper who introduces Buster to the world of speed skaters, luge racers, and ski jumpers.

When Buster meets Justin, a talented 10-year-old actor, musician, and athlete, he decides to produce a documentary for Before They Were Stars. With his camera in tow, Buster meets Justin's extended family and explores Charleston and St. Helena Island, where Justin's family traces back its Gullah ancestry.

While in Salt Lake City, Buster is invited to spend the day with of the Hirschis, a Mormon family and old friends of Bo. Buster learns firsthand what it takes to run a family of seven children, and he gains some perspective on the advantages and disadvantages of being an only child.

Unhappy with the newest movie featuring his favorite character, Bionic Bunny, Buster decides to come up with some suggestions of his own for the next one. He decides to do this in the form of a trailer, with the help of some kids in Virginia Beach who live in Trailer City. He assembles them into his very own League of Champions and gets a local church leader to help out with a puppet villain. Along the way, he makes a surprising discovery as to who exactly was responsible for one of the cheesy songs in the awful Bionic Bunny film.

While visiting New York, Buster travels with Carlos as the searches for his Great Uncle's oud. This was an instrument of his Great Uncle's legendary for its power to bring people together. Along the way, he meets a lot of new friends and spends time with a boy named James, who is an altar boy at an Antiochian church. Later, he takes part in a celebration with several traditional dances.

Buster travels into Guanajuato, Mexico with Los Viajeros and his Dad and soon finds himself suffering a bit of culture shock. He's interesting in all the new traditions he's learning about, but is embarrassed at not being able to understand what people are saying in Spanish. He discovers that taking a little time to do some learning can help him to fit in better.

Buster visits New Orleans and learns about some traditional African celebrations and rituals. He attends a funeral parade and meets the director of a choir. He also learns about messaging through drumming and dancing on stilts. All of this serves as useful material for mystery novel that Fern is writing.

Buster visits Los Angeles where he has his heart set on purchasing a brand-new Schwibbermeier 5000 bike that he's been saving up for. Disappointed that the store is closed when he gets there, he meets up with some kids at a local Boys & Girls Club. They quickly get him interested in their hobby of building and riding low-rider bikes. Before long, he's fantasizing about what it would be like to have his very own low-rider.

Buster visits San Francisco, where he learns all about hip-hop dance and culture. Carlos and Mora are trying to make a music video, so he helps them out with video footage. As things move along, Buster gets some great footage, but things aren't going very well on a song. Fortunately, inspiration strikes in the form of a theme.

When a magazine quiz helps Francine discover that her lifestyle is perfect for the hustle and bustle of New York, she asks Buster to get her as much information as he can when he pays a visit there. Buster meets up with a Jewish family who he hopes can be a big help, since Francine is Jewish. He learns about high-rising apartments and rising taxis, but also learns that aside from prayer services, the school that his new friends attend is a lot like his own. As a girl named Mattie helps him to learn about Hebrew and Jewish traditions, he urges her to go slow, worried that Francine might be way behind. Francine is a bit embarrassed when she finds out about this because she knows plenty of Hebrew and is largely up-to-date on her Jewish traditions. She also sets Buster straight on why she eats things like cheeseburgers, explaining that the family Buster is visiting practices strict Orthodox Judaism, while her family practices a more relaxed form. Still, she's curious about how that family celebrates the Jewish holiday Shabbas and is surprised to learn that they completely abstain from using any electricity for an entire day. Overall, it's a great learning experience for both Francine and Buster.

While traveling in Miami, Buster misses his Mom. He decides to give her a call and is disappointed when she rushes him off the phone at first. Later, they make up and Buster decides to help her with a food column she has to do for the newspaper. He researches both Cuban and Greek food and becomes an amateur reporter. Along the way, he meets a new friend and learns about bilingual schools and other interesting topics.

Buster is exhausted and hungry after a long trip to San Francisco. He then has a streak of bad luck that puts him in low spirits. After a visit to Chinatown, he hooks with Hayley Cu and Carrie, two girls from Chinese families. They inroduce him to the Chinese New Year Celebration and show him how to turn his luck around. He learns all about the traditional Chinese New Year's meal and the big parade held in San Francisco.

Arthur and Buster are taking part in the Ultimate Spring Break Video Contest in the hopes of winning the Ultimate Bionic Bunny video game. Arthur is having fun with his family at the beach, while Buster is up in snowy, cold Canada. Although at first he doesn't know how he's going to do a spring break video in these conditions, he soon finds that Iqaluit, Canada has its own special spring traditions. After gearing up properly for the cold and convincing Arthur that these Canadian traditions are as much a part of spring break as the beach, Arthur and Buster have the perfect set-up for their video.

Buster is excited about a visit to Hollywood where he hopes to get a big star for a film and get it "greenlighted" by a major Hollywood studio. He's been reading some books about film-making and has taken the advice of one to heart --- that all he needs is a big star and the money will follow. Soon, however, he finds that the ideas about heroism from another book may come in handy when meets some of Sue Ellen's friends who are majorly into skateboarding. He decides to make them the stars of his film and even has a go at skateboarding himself.

In the "infamous banned" episode of Postcards from Buster, Buster pays a visit to Sidell, Vermont during the season called "sugartime." He learns that this a season of maple syrup and mud. He spends some time at the home of a photographer his Mom once worked with and her partner (a lesbian couple) and learned that they're both Moms to their kids. Later, he goes out shopping for a bonfire. He samples Vermont maple syrup and learns about the milking of cows. He also tries his hardest to come up with the perfect Mother's Day gift for his Mom.

Buster is looking for the perfect song for Muffy's dad car commercial. Carlos tells him that the band "Los Viajeros" cannot make a car commercial, so he tries to find inspiration in a young musician.

Buster meets Arthur at their family reunion, while DW takes Buster's camera to film a Kurdish Family Reunion, to be send to an Iraqi family member serving at war.

Buster visits an alien museum while trying to find an UFO, instead he gets to find former "Arthur's" school friend Mr. Morris.

Buster learns how to help a friend at Church. He makes a movie about lending a hand at a Summer Camp.

Buster visits Puerto Rico. While Carlos does not remember his childhood, he tells Buster that a mystery box is the key to his memories and his cousin is the one holding it.

Buster visits a hearing impaired dancer of "Bomba Y Plena", a Puerto Rican dance, while showing Francine and Sue Ellen how to dance the Puerto Rican way.

Buster visits the Boston Piers and meets a Brazilian kid that will teach him to hit soccer's goal at his home game in Elwood City.

Airing on Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 2005, this two-hour special featured several Arthur stories and two complete episodes of Postcards from Buster. This special featured interstitial postcard segments from Buster, segments with kids from the show Zoom, and a small additional factoid regarding Arthur and Buster. At the end of the special, a secret password for a new game on the official PBS Kids Arthur website was revealed.