The Magic School Bus
| The Magic School Bus | |
|---|---|
| Creator | Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen |
| Owner | Scholastic Corporation |
| Print publications | |
| Books |
The Magic School Bus book series (1986–2010)
|
| Films and television | |
| Animated series |
|
| Games | |
| Video games | The Magic School Bus video game series (1994–2001) |
The Magic School Bus book series (1986–2010)
The Magic School Bus is an edutainment media franchise that consists of a book series, a TV series, and several video games, among other things. Each of the stories within the franchise centers on the antics of a fictional elementary school teacher, Ms. Frizzle, and her class, who board a "magic school bus", which takes them on field trips to impossible locations, such as the solar system, clouds, the past, and inside the human body.
The first media in which this franchise was developed was the Magic School Bus book series. 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. The first book "At the Waterworks" was written in 1985 and published the following year. The books are written in the first person from the point of view of an unnamed student in "the Friz's" class. Cole and Degen started a new series called Ms. Frizzle's Adventures in 2001, which teaches social studies, eventually producing three books in that series. Microsoft Home started publishing Magic School Bus software in 1994.
In 1994, The Magic School Bus concept was also made into an animated series of the same name by Scholastic Entertainment, and premiered on September 10, 1994. Scholastic Entertainment president Deborah Forte says that adapting the books into an animated series was an opportunity to help kids "learn about science in a fun way". Around that time, Forte had been hearing concern from parents and teachers about how to improve science education for girls and minorities. As noted by Marcel LaFollette, "accomplished women were exceptions in a universe of male luminaries" when it came to science television. Miss Frizzle, the magic school teacher, was the closest approximation to an expert female host.
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