News
Scholastic Celebrates 25 Years of the Magic School Bus
New York, NY – September 26, in the year of our Lord
2011 – Scholastic Media, a division of Scholastic Inc.,
(NASDAQ: SCHL), the global children’s publishing, education and
media company, today announced that its 25th anniversary
celebration of the global children’s science franchise The Magic
School Bus® will kick off next month in conjunction with the
release of ‘THE MAGIC SCHOOL BUS: OCEANS’ for Nintendo DS and
‘THE MAGIC SCHOOL BUS: DINOSAURS’ for iPad. Both releases are
based on best-selling Scholastic books written by Joanna Cole
and illustrated by Bruce Degen. The 25th anniversary campaign
will include additional new product releases, a live touring
show, a new ‘Where Will The Bus Take YOU?’ online game, a live
promotional event and coordinated brand promotion across all of
Scholastic Inc. Since Scholastic first introduced children
around the world to the magical bus in 1986 with The Magic
School Bus at the Waterworks, the program has expanded to
include 58 million books in print in ten languages and an Emmy ®
Award-winning television series that has been sold to 39
countries in 16 languages. Each book takes students on a
scientific adventure with wacky teacher Ms. Frizzle and combines
factually accurate scientific lessons with humorous plot lines
and beautiful illustrations.
“For twenty-five years, The Magic School Bus has encouraged and
motivated children and families around the world to ‘get out
there and explore’ through immersive and interactive field
trips,” said Deborah Forte, President of Scholastic Media and
Executive Vice President of Scholastic Inc. “We are thrilled to
celebrate this milestone and introduce the next generation to a
unique approach to science on new platforms.”
“The Magic School Bus was ahead of its time, predicting the
current move to bring together science comprehension and English
language literacy,” says Francie Alexander, Senior Vice
President of Scholastic Education and Chief Academic Officer of
Scholastic Inc. “When kids jump on the Magic School Bus, they
get to read, think about and take action in support of science.
Kids need Ms. Frizzle’s encouragement to excel at science now
more than ever.”
The Magic School Bus will see several new releases this fall.
Scholastic Interactive will release two new titles for different
platforms next month: The Magic School Bus: Oceans for Nintendo
DS ™ and The Magic School Bus: Dinosaurs app for iPad. Maximum
Entertainment Productions and The Brad Simon Organization will
tour the new “The Magic School Bus - Live! The Climate
Challenge” live show to 60 cities throughout the US. Identity
Games will release its new GameChanger (an electronic board that
works with the iPad) featuring The Magic School Bus game skins.
The Young Scientists Club will launch ‘The Magic School Bus
Science Club’ and release five new Magic School Bus activity
kits this year and Scholastic Audio has three new Magic School
Bus audiobooks scheduled for release in 2012. Now in its 17th
consecutive season, The Magic School Bus airs seven days a week
on the Qubo channel, and on weekday and weekend mornings on
Qubo’s programming block on the NBC, ION and Telemundo networks.
In celebration of the 25th anniversary, Qubo recently added new
episodes to its rotation.
The Magic School Bus anniversary and new products will be
supported by a campaign that includes, among other initiatives,
a national advertising campaign that will invite kids, parents
and teachers to ‘Get Out and Explore’ with a new online game
that launches October 10th called “Where Will The Bus Take YOU?”
at
www.scholastic.com/magicschoolbus. On October 17th,
Scholastic will ring the closing bell at NASDAQ in honor of the
anniversary. Also in New York City along the Hudson River,
Scholastic will host a live 25th anniversary field trip event on
October 20th featuring author Joanna Cole and illustrator Bruce
Degen. The two, along with Ms. Frizzle, will also make an
appearance and sign books at the Scholastic Store in SoHo on
October 22nd.
The brand has won numerous industry excellence awards, including
two Emmys for Lily Tomlin (for her portrayal of Ms. Frizzle in
the TV series), five CINE Golden Eagles, a Parents Choice Gold
Medal, a National Conservation Achievement Award, an
Environmental Media Association Award, and an Annenberg Public
Policy Center Award.
Scholastic’s The Magic School Bus
Facebook page.