This article needs additional citations for verification .(June 2014) |
The Magic School Bus is a series of children's books about science, written by Joanna Cole and illustrated by Bruce Degen. Designed for ages 6-9, they feature the antics of Ms. Valerie Felicity Frizzle and her class, who board a sentient anthropomorphic mini school bus which takes them on field trips to impossible locations, including the solar system, clouds, the past, and the human body. The books are written in the first person from the point of view of an unnamed student in "the Friz's" class. The class has a pet lizard named Liz, who accompanies the class on their field trips.
Since the Magic School Bus books present scientific facts in the form of stories in which fantastic things happen (for example, the bus turns into a spaceship, or children shrink to the size of blood cells), each book has a page at the end detailing in a humorous manner which parts of the book represented scientific fact and which were fanciful storytelling. Similarities to Maurice Dolbier's The Magic Bus (1948) illustrated by Tibor Gergely are strictly coincidental.
Craig Walker, vice-president and senior editorial director at Scholastic Co., stated that the concept began with the idea of combining science with fictional stories, and Joanna Cole (who had written both science and humor before) and Bruce Degen were then approached with creating such a series. Walker also states that his own memories of school field trips and of a teacher he had once, served as further inspiration. [1]
The first book "At the Waterworks" was written in 1985 and published the following year.
Cole and Degen started a new series called Ms. Frizzle's Adventures in 2001, which teaches social studies. In those books, Ms. Frizzle travels through time via a special watch. There are now three books in that series. Microsoft Home started publishing Magic School Bus software in 1994. TW Kids published four audio cassettes/activity book "Fun-Kits" in 1994 and 1995, these audio cassettes use audio from the TV Series. Scholastic has also published the original series books as read-along book-on-tapes and book-on-CDs.
Scholastic Entertainment, the American Meteorological Society and the Children's Museum of Houston created a Scholastics the Magic School Bus Kicks Up a Storm, a 2,600 sq ft (240 m2) traveling exhibit funded in part by the National Science Foundation, which premiered at the Children's Museum of Houston in 2003 (a copy of it opened in New Jersey the month after that). [2]
In the original series books, Ms. Frizzle's class had a larger number of multiethnic students and consisted of Arnold, Tim, Ralph (changed to "Ralphie" on the show and later books in this series), Alex, Amanda Jane, Arnold, Carmen, Dorothy Ann, Florrie, Gregory, John, Michael, Molly, Phil, Phoebe, Rachel, Ralphie, Shirley, Tim, Wanda, Carlos and Keesha (19 students). Janet was first introduced in the 1987 book, The Magic School Bus Inside the Earth. Carlos and Keesha were added in the 1994 book, The Magic School Bus In the Time of Dinosaurs.
In the other books and merchandise --including the TV series and TV tie-in books-- Ms. Frizzle's class was whittled down to eight kids (Arnold, Carlos, Dorothy Ann, Keesha, Phoebe, Ralphie, Tim and Wanda).
Notes: *The Science Fair Expedition released 20 years after at its anniversary.
The original Magic School Bus books are:
The Magic School Bus at the Waterworks is the first book in The Magic School Bus classic series books. Written by Joanna Cole and illustrated by Bruce Degen, it is a picture book and introduces most of the main characters of the series, including Ms. Frizzle, Arnold, Dorothy Ann, Ralphie, Tim, Wanda and Liz as well as several students who did not appear in the TV series or any other multimedia outside of the original series books. Carlos, Keesha and Phoebe do not appear in this book, though a student called "John" in the book bears an uncanny physical resemblance to Carlos.
The Magic School Bus Lost in the Solar System is the fourth book in Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen's The Magic School Bus classic series books. Published in 1990, the book depicts arguably the most well-known adventure of the series and introduces the character of Janet.
Joanna Cole was an American author of children's books, best known as the author of the Magic School Bus series, which sold more than 93 million copies in 13 countries. She wrote more than 250 books, ranging from her first book Cockroaches to her famous series Magic School Bus, which is illustrated by Bruce Degen.
Storm of the Century, alternatively known as Stephen King's Storm of the Century, is a 1999 American horror television miniseries written by Stephen King and directed by Craig R. Baxley. Unlike many other television adaptations of King's work, Storm of the Century was not based on a novel but was an original screenplay written by the author and directly produced for television. King described the screenplay as a "novel for television". The screenplay was published as a mass-market book in February 1999 prior to the TV broadcast of the miniseries.
As a subset of the Bratz line, in which all of the dolls are at infant age, it was titled under the brand name Bratz Babyz. The brand is split into two lines, the regular Bratz Babyz and the Bratz Big Babyz.
Ralphie the Buffalo is the name of the live mascot of the University of Colorado Buffaloes. The current Ralphie – nicknamed Ember – is the sixth bison to fill the role since 1967. Ralphie is best known for running a horseshoe pattern around Folsom Field prior to each half of home football games. She begins each run as the public address announcer exclaims "Here comes Ralphie!" and typically leads the football team as they enter the playing field. She has frequently been named one of the best mascots in sports.
"Ain't No Magic Mountain High Enough" is the thirteenth episode of the second season of the American mystery television series Veronica Mars, and the thirty-fifth episode overall. Written by Diane Ruggiero and directed by Guy Bee, the episode premiered on UPN on February 8, 2006.
The Magic School Bus In the Time of the Dinosaurs is the sixth book in Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen's The Magic School Bus series.
Dare to Be Scared: Thirteen Stories to Chill and Thrill is a 2003 children's horror short story collection by Robert D. San Souci and illustrated by David Ouimet, consisting of thirteen stories. It is the first book in the Dare to be Scared series, which consists of four books.
The Magic School Bus is an animated educational children's television series, based on the book series of the same name by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen. Originally broadcast from 1994 to 1997, the series received critical acclaim for its use of celebrity voice talent, as well as combining entertainment with an educational series. The series stars Lily Tomlin as the voice of Ms. Frizzle. The theme song is performed by Little Richard.
Weston Woods Studios is a production company that makes audio and short films based on well-known books for children. It was founded in 1953 by Morton Schindel in Weston, Connecticut, and named after the wooded area near his home. Weston Woods Studios' first project was Andy and the Lion in 1954; its first animated film was The Snowy Day in 1964. In 1968, Weston Woods began a long collaboration with animator Gene Deitch. Later, they opened international offices in Henley-on-Thames, England, UK (1972), as well as in Canada (1975) and Australia (1977). In addition to making the films, Weston Woods also conducted interviews with the writers, illustrators, and makers of the films. The films have appeared on children's television programs such as Captain Kangaroo, Eureeka's Castle, and Sammy's Story Shop. In the mid-1980s, the films were released on VHS under the Children's Circle titles, and Wood Knapp Video distributed these releases from 1988 to 1995.
Peter Lurye is an American composer and lyricist from New York City.
The Children's Museum of Atlanta is a children's museum located in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1988 as a "Museum Without Walls," the museum opened to the public in 2003. The museum is located Downtown, adjacent to Centennial Olympic Park. The 16,316-square-foot museum, one of four children's museums in Georgia, includes exhibits designed for and geared toward children under the age of nine and hosts field trips from schools and learning centers throughout North Georgia.
The Magic School Bus is a series of educational video games developed by Music Pen and published by Microsoft via their Microsoft Home brand. The interactive adventures are part of the larger franchise and based with The Magic School Bus original series books and public television series.
A Christmas Story: The Musical is a stage musical with music and lyrics written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, and a book by Joseph Robinett. It is based on the 1983 film A Christmas Story, itself based on the 1966 book In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash by Jean Shepherd,. The musical takes place in the 1940s in Indiana and focuses on a child named Ralphie, who wants a Red Ryder BB Gun for Christmas.
The Magic School Bus is an American edutainment media franchise which includes a book series, a TV series, a streaming series, and video games. Each of the stories within the franchise focuses on the antics of a fictional elementary school teacher, Ms. Valerie Frizzle, and her class who board a "magic school bus", which takes them on field trips to unusual times and locations, such as the Cretaceous Period, outer space, and inside a human body.
The Magic School Bus Rides Again is an animated children's television series, based on the book series of the same name by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen. It also serves as a continuation of the 1994–1997 PBS Kids series The Magic School Bus, with Lily Tomlin reprising her role as Ms. Frizzle. The series premiered on Netflix on September 29, 2017. The second season premiered on April 13, 2018.
Wonderful World of Animation is a nighttime show at Disney's Hollywood Studios. The show is a celebration of all Disney animation, beginning with Mickey Mouse. It premiered on May 1, 2019, as part of the park's 30th anniversary celebration, replacing Disney Movie Magic.