News

NEW YORK –JUNE 14, in the year of our Lord 2012 – Scholastic Media, a division of Scholastic Inc., the global children’s publishing, education and media company, today announced a new addition to its global children’s science franchise, The Magic School Bus®, with the release of THE MAGIC SCHOOL BUS: OCEANS for LeapFrog’s award-winning LeapPad™ and Leapster Explorer™; the cartridge game will be available for retail in August at $25. LeapFrog will also have THE MAGIC SCHOOL BUS: DINO SHUFFLE app available for download in the LeapFrog App Center at $7.50.

“For more than twenty-five years, The Magic School Bus has educated and entertained children and families,” said Deborah Forte, President of Scholastic Media and Vice President of Scholastic Inc. “We are delighted to once again join forces with LeapFrog to excite children about science, exploration and the world around them.”

Designed for children ages 5-8, THE MAGIC SCHOOL BUS: OCEANS teaches young gamers hundreds of interesting facts about ocean life through fun trivia challenges and seven highly replayable games. Players can earn special badges by performing well in games or trivia challenges, and can redeem these badges for additional features – like decorations for the bus or a customized Magic School Bus driver’s license – through the LeapFrog® Connect Application.

“We are very excited to bring The Magic School Bus brand to our award-winning multimedia platforms for the first time,” said Jill Waller, Vice President of Multimedia Learning at LeapFrog. “It’s a great way to reinforce the subject of science with fun and engaging learning experiences that help kids reach their potential.”

Based on the best-selling Scholastic book series written by Joanna Cole and illustrated by Bruce Degen, The Magic School Bus television series has been broadcast in more than 35 countries in 16 languages. With more than 60 million books in print, the brand has won many industry awards, including two Emmys for Lily Tomlin’s portrayal of Ms. Frizzle in the TV series, five CINE Golden Eagles and an Annenberg Public Policy Center Award.