Exciting news for anyone who was a schoolchild in the mid-90s! The Magic School Bus will soon be back, once more to fire up interest in science among schoolchildren with funny curiosity-provoking adventures.
The animated show aired originally on PBS from 1994 to 1999, and the network teamed up with Scholastic publishing to make resources for teachers and parents to expand on the lessons in the 23-minute episodes. There was a line of experiment kits, a number of fun facts-type books, and a few more in-depth books meant to launch interested students into fields of study.
In 2014, Netflix’s chief content officer, Ted Sarandos, announced that they would be producing the new series, The Magic School Bus 360. Progress updates from the streaming network have been few and far between, but now Stu Stone, the voice of Ralphie, one of the main characters, has announced that production is well underway.
Nor is this just a nostalgia production. While the new series will feature many of the same voice actors, there will also be room for celebrity cameos, mostly those who loved the show as children themselves.
“Just like the original series, whenever Ms. Frizzle had friends, they were usually voiced by celebrities … and this will be no different,” said producer Stu Stone. “There are tons of cameos planned, and I know that there’s big stars that want to be involved in this.”
The technology and references in the show will be updated to be in step with the high speed of technological and scientific advancements happening today.
While there has been no official release date, and The Magic School Bus has already missed its rumored release in 2016, 26 new episodes are confirmed to be on their way. In the larger picture, they can be seen as part of the huge push education is making in the U.S. to encourage interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields among rising students.
Ms. Frizzle’s catchphrase is just as important as the show’s science focus; “Take chances, make mistakes, get messy!” is a motto we all need in our daily lives.
