Magic School Bus Merchandise
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See The Magic School Bus for character profiles and general information on the series.
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Books
The original Magic School Bus books are:
- The Magic School Bus at the Waterworks (ISBN 0590403605, 1986)
- Topic: the water cycle and the waterworks
- Ms Frizzle's class is going with her on the most boring field trip, to the waterworks. At least that's what they think until they discover how interesting things always happen on Ms Frizzle's trips. After going through a tunnel, all the kids find themselves in scuba diving outfits. Then on the top of a bridge the bus rises up in the air and into a cloud. Once in the cloud, the class finds that water droplets are growing, and they are shrinking. Then the class rains and lands in the water purification system. Eventually it takes them back to Walkerville Elementary, where they come out of the faucet in the girls' bathroom. Later they see the bus outside and wonder how it returned from the cloud.
- The Magic School Bus inside the Earth (ISBN 0590407600, 1987)
- Topic: geology
- Ms Frizzle's class is starting a unit on geology and for homework every student has to find a rock, and bring it to school. The next day almost every kid has an excuse, so Ms Frizzle decides to take the class on a field trip to collect rocks. The class starts digging until they, with the help of the magic bus, dig all the way through the center of Earth. They collect many rocks and learn about the different types. Phoebe first appears in this book. Before the show was even in production, the Magic School Bus appeared on PBS, because this book was featured on Reading Rainbow.
- The Magic School Bus inside the Human Body (ISBN 0590414275, 1989)
- Topic: the human body
- Ms Frizzle's class is going to the museum to see an exhibit on the human body. However they stop for lunch at a park and Arnold takes too long to eat. When Ms Frizzle tries to hit the horn to tell him to hurry, she accidentally pushes a strange little button on the dashboard and the class finds itself inside a human body, but they are unaware that it is Arnold's. They go through the digestive system and brain and out through the nose.
- The Magic School Bus lost in the Solar System (ISBN 0590414291, 1990)
- Topic: the solar system
- Arnold's know-it-all cousin Janet, is coming on the field trip this time. They are going to the planetarium to see a show about the solar system, but it's closed for repairs. On the way back to school, they blast off and fly into outer space. They visit all the planets and learn about them, but in the asteroid belt, they lose Ms Frizzle and find themselves lost in space. The rocket bus featured in this book has become a symbol of the Magic School Bus series.
- The Magic School Bus on the Ocean Floor (ISBN 0590414313, 1992)
- Topic: the ocean
- Ms Frizzle's class is learning about the ocean. It's really hot and the kids just want a break. They are thrilled when she says they will take a trip to the ocean. However, when she gets to the beach she starts to drive into the water and they realise that when Ms Frizzle says "ocean" she means "ocean." Believing the bus is in trouble Lenny the Lifeguard decides to try to save the kids and instead finds himself accompanying them on the field trip.
- The Magic School Bus in the Age of Dinosaurs (ISBN 0590446894, 1994)
- Topic: dinosaurs
- The kids are turning their classroom into Dinosaur Land for Parents Night, as they are studying dinosaurs. Ms Frizzle then gets a letter from an old high school friend who is now a paleontologist and she decides to take the class on a trip to the dig. When she discovers that they are missing the bones of some Maiasaurs, she turns the bus into a time machine to travel back to the age of dinosaurs to find the bones. The class sees dinosaurs and learns the name of the different periods of the era and other information. This is the first time Ms Frizzle's first name is mentioned.
- The Magic School Bus inside a Hurricane (ISBN 0590446878, 1996)
- Topic: weather
- The class is going to the weather station to learn about weather. However, on the way there the bus turns into a hot air balloon. Eventually they find themselves inside a hurricane. Ms Frizzle's radio proves an annoyance to Arnold in this book, as it seems to know his name.
- The Magic School Bus inside a Beehive (1997)
- Topic: bees
- The class is now learning about insects and Ms Frizzle is taking her class on a trip to meet a beekeeper, but they beat the beekeeper there. While they are waiting, Ms Frizzle accidentally pushes a small lever which turns the bus into a tiny beehive and the class (including Ms Friz) into bees. They explore the hive and learn about bees, but can they save the hive from a bear?
- The Magic School Bus and the Electric Field Trip (1998)
- Topic: electricity
- The kids in Ms Frizzle's class were sure that there was nobody like Ms Frizzle, but that was before they met Ms Frizzle's niece, Dottie Frizzle. Dottie accompanies the class on their field trip to the town power plant. There the bus turns into a dump truck, and pours the kids into the plant. They shrink and travel through the Walkerville electric system.
- The Magic School Bus explores the Senses (1999)
- Topic: the five senses
- The class is learning about the senses and they're going to sing a song for an important teacher meeting. Ms Frizzle thinks the meeting is tomorrow, but it is really that day. So Mr Wilde, the assistant principal, decides to catch her so he can tell her about the meeting. He decides to get in a bus that just happens to be the magic school bus. The class decides to accompany him. They can't let him drive that bus, not all by himself. Mr Wilde accidentally shrinks the bus and soon he and the class find themselves on a trip exploring the senses. Mr Wilde soon becomes obsessed with driving the bus and forgets all about finding Ms Frizzle, but the class doesn't. Ms Frizzle's mother appears in this book.
Software
The educational software made by Microsoft includes:
Original Titles
Most of the original titles were created with Music Pen. Though in the cartoon series, the bus was obviously animated in the usual way, in the CD-ROM games, it is typically animated with computer generated imagery. In all these titles the user gets to "drive" the bus, which almost always involves clicking on the steering wheel and choosing a location. (The exception is The Magic School Bus Explores Inside the Earth where it is the gearshift instead of the steering wheel.) Most of the games have about seven different locations, including the classroom. There is always some goal for the user in each one.
- The Magic School Bus Explores the Solar System(1994)
- This is essentially a computer version of the book the Magic School Bus Lost in the Solar System and the cartoon episode the Magic School Bus Lost in Space, except that Ms Frizzle is lost as soon as the bus flies away from Earth. The user can fly the bus to any planet he or she chooses and play experiments and click on things there. To win the game, the user has to discover the whereabouts of the Friz. To do so they have to play a "whatsit" game to earn a token which gives them a clue, as to which planet Ms Frizzle is on. Once Ms Frizzle is found the bus will return to the classroom and the game begins again.
- The Magic School Bus Explores the Human Body(1994)
- This program is based on the book The Magic School Bus Inside the Human Body. Arnold has become the class' next field trip. The user can drive the bus to 12 different organs. In some locations the user can leave the bus. Each place has an arcade game and science experiment. There is a great deal to explore, but well the class ever get out of Arnold?
- The Magic School Bus Explores the Ocean(1995)
- This game is based on The Magic School Bus on the Ocean Floor. The class has taken a field trip to the beach. There they found a message in a bottle; with clues to a treasure. The user explores the ocean and follows clues that led him/her to the treasure. This was the first CD-ROM that featured the entire cast on the bus(in The Magic Schol Bus Explores the Solar System, Ms. Frizzle was missing; and in The Magic School Bus Explores the Human Body, Arnold wasn't in the bus, because the bus was in Arnold.) This is also the only one where the classroom can't be visited.
- The Magic School Bus Explores Inside the Earth(1996)
- This product is based on the book The Magic School Bus Inside the Earth and the television episode The Magic School Bus Blows Its Top. Arnold has lost some of the rocks and minerals in his collection. The user explores several places such a canyon, a geode, a fault, a volcano and even an undersea environment which features a subduction zone, midocean ridge and an underwater volcano. The user can collect rocks in various ways. The goal is find replacments for the rocks and minerals Arnold lost.
- The Magic School Bus Explores In the Age of Dinosaurs(1996)
- This game is based on the book, The Magic School Bus in the Age of Dinosaurs. Ms. Frizzle is missing some photographs from her photo alblum of her last trip to the age of dinosaurs. As usual, the user has to find replacments. There seven different places. A place's is named from the time and place name combinded, for example; "Jurassic Colorado" or "Triassic Argentina." This game has very alaberate CGI forms for the bus.
- The Magic School Bus Explores the Rainforest(1997)
- The class is decorating their classroom for "Rainforest Day." Wanda brought a "Right-Away-Rainforest Toolbox" that could do the job, but some "bio-clones" are missing for the kit. Ms. Frizzle takes the class on a field trip to the Costa Rican rainforest to find the missing "bio-clones." This is the only time Ms. Frizzle's middle name is mentioned. This is also a landmark for the CD-ROM series not to be based on one of the books. It was also the last one Music Pen worked on.
Activity Centres
- The Magic School Bus: Whales and Dolphins: Activity Center
- The Magic School Bus Discovers Flight: Activity Center
- The Magic School Bus Lands on Mars: Activity Center
- The Magic School Bus In Concert: Activity Center