''The Magic School Bus'' is an American

edutainment Educational entertainment (also referred to as edutainment) is media designed to educate through entertainment. The term was used as early as 1954 by Walt Disney. Most often it includes content intended to teach but has incidental entertainment ...

media franchise A media franchise, also known as a multimedia franchise, is a collection of related media in which several derivative works have been produced from an original creative work of fiction, such as a film, a work of literature, a television program or ...

that includes a book series, a TV series, a streaming series, and

video games Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device to gener ...

. 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 unusual times and locations, such as the

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of th ...

Period, outer space, and inside a human body.

History

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 Bruce Degen (born June 14, 1945) is an American illustrator and writer with over forty children's books to his credit. He may be known best for illustrating ''The Magic School Bus'', a picture book series written by Joanna Cole. He has collab ...

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, ''The Magic School Bus at the Waterworks'', was published in 1986. 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 Microsoft Home was a line of software applications and personal hardware products published by Microsoft. Microsoft Home software titles first appeared in the middle of 1993. These applications were designed to bring multimedia to Microsoft Window ...

began publishing ''Magic School Bus'' software in 1994, the same year ''The Magic School Bus'' concept was also adapted into an animated television series of the same name by

Scholastic Entertainment Scholastic Corporation () is an American multinational publishing, education, and media company that publishes and distributes books, comics, and educational materials for schools, parents, and children. Products are distributed via retail and on ...

. The series premiered on September 10, 1994, with its theme song performed by

Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the " ...

. 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. Ms. Valerie Frizzle, the magic school teacher, was the closest approximation to an expert female host. She was voiced by

Lily Tomlin Mary Jean "Lily" Tomlin (born September 1, 1939) is an American actress, comedian, writer, singer, and producer. She started her career as a stand-up comedian as well as performing off-Broadway during the 1960s. Her breakout role was on the vari ...

in the series.

, the

American Meteorological Society The American Meteorological Society (AMS) is the premier scientific and professional organization in the United States promoting and disseminating information about the Atmospheric sciences, atmospheric, Oceanography, oceanic, and Hydrology, hydr ...

and the

Children's Museum of Houston Children's Museum Houston (CMH) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit children's museum in the Museum District of Houston, Texas. Founded in 1980 and housed in a building designed by Robert Venturi, it offers exhibits and bilingual learning programs for ch ...

created a ''Scholastic's the Magic School Bus Kicks Up a Storm'', a traveling exhibit funded in part by the

National Science Foundation The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National I ...

, which premiered at the Children's Museum of Houston in 2003 (a copy of it opened in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

the month after that). On June 25, 2020, it was reported that

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

and Scholastic Entertainment are developing a live-action/animated hybrid film with

Elizabeth Banks Elizabeth Banks (born Elizabeth Irene Mitchell; February 10, 1974) is an American actress and filmmaker. She is known for playing Effie Trinket in ''The Hunger Games'' film series (2012–2015) and Gail Abernathy-McKadden in the ''Pitch Perfe ...

starring as Ms. Frizzle. Banks will also be serving as a producer through her company

Brownstone Productions Brownstone Productions is an American film and television production company founded by actress, director and producer Elizabeth Banks and Max Handelman. It is known for producing the ''Pitch Perfect (franchise), Pitch Perfect'' franchise; ''Pitc ...

alongside

Marc Platt Productions Marc E. Platt (born April 14, 1957) is an American producer who has worked in film, theatre, and television. He has received numerous accolades including two Tony Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, as well as nominations for three Academy Awards ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Magic School Bus, The Mass media franchises introduced in 1986 Fictional vehicles Scholastic franchises

History

See also

References