Schools around here are getting ready to go on summer break and it's really gotten me thinking about how much I miss school. I was one of the students who actually enjoyed going to school, but I also liked having a nice long vacation as much as the next kid. So when school was out for the summer, there were a couple of things I would do to keep on track with studies during the summer. One thing was to complete different activity books geared towards various subjects and grades- my Mom used to get these from Walmart or Kmart and I HAD to have these finished by the end of the break. The second thing I would do, which was 100 times better, was to indulge in an educational cartoon titled "The Magic School Bus"- and guess what, that is this week's Creative Mastermind! Snaps to Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen, the creators of the popular children's books and tv show, "The Magic School Bus".
Anyone who was a child growing up in the 90s, knows just how popular this show was. Even though the series concluded in 1997, it still maintains it's popularity with children even to this day. For those who may not be familiar with The Magic School Bus, it started out as a series of children's books about a class with a fun teacher, and crazy school bus that had magical abilities. The children, their teacher known as "Ms. Frizzle", and the Bus share in many adventures as they learn about different topics in science. Ms. Frizzle uses her crazy gadgets inside the bus to take the children on different "field trips" to explore areas to teach the kids about how science works in the world. Both the books and TV show gave children a fun and innovative way to learn because everything in this show was centered around children and seeing it through a different environment. Kids could relate to the desire of having fun "field trips", Ms. Frizzle is adorable and full of laughs, the kids are pretty much like regular school children- funny, smart, but curious. The Bus sometimes shows it's own emotions by doing all kinds of wacky things during the trips, but also gives kids the idea of "Wow! I wish our school bus was that cool!".
And then of course there's this.... the theme song. The theme song that EVERY KID knew and was probably just as memorable as the Captain Planet theme, because it sounds so cool. Little Richard sings the lyrics with a wicked instrumental background that just makes you want to dance. Take a listen and for those of you who grew up with this show, get ready to reminiscence.
The credit for the creation of The Magic School Bus goes to Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen who originally created the concept in the mid-1980s. The TV show aired on several children's networks from 1994 to its conclusion in 1997, although many Magic School Bus books continued to be published. Joanna Cole is the author of the Magic School Bus book which has sold millions of copies world-wide and in multiple languages. Cole has said that she always enjoyed science in school and even had a teacher that was similar to Ms. Frizzle. 
Bruce Degen is the illustrator of the series and responsible for the design of The Magic School Bus, Ms. Frizzle, and the children. His animated style can be seen throughout the TV series as well as on the covers of the various Magic School Bus books. The style is very similar to the animation seen in other children's shows such as Arthur. Degen did an excellent job of portraying the unique cartoon look along with the realistic design of the scienetific scenes. In one episode, Ms. Frizzle takes the class inside of a human body to observe how we digest food. Regular images of inside the human body can be quite graphic even for kids. However, Degen gave an animated portrayal of what the body looks like so that children can understand what they are seeing. The overall design of the characters is fun, but developed.
So you know a little bit about The Magic School Bus and its creators, but you might be asking- what makes them the Creative Mastermind? Well, there's a couple of different angles to look at this from. In Degen's case, I really applaud him for the well-developed illustration. The mix of education and animation can sometimes be too clumsy and doesn't have the impact on kids like it should because they feel they're just watching a regular kids show. He was able to take a realistic concept and translate that into animation to make the world of science seem more kid friendly. The Magic School Bus really engages the kids to watch and learn because the action draws their attention. Degen illustrates the scenarios in a way that differentiates The Magic School Bus from being too straight forward, thus making it a kids educational show. With Cole, she has the imagination of a small child and brings out the characteristics of a typical elementary school child through the characters. Ms. Frizzle is like a child in a way, because she's so carefree. You never see her crying or get very serious with the kids, because she believes in "taking chances and making mistakes". The writing is excellent too, from jokes to facts. Cole has a strong sense of humor which shows within the series, but also works it well with the learning aspects. It's hard to combine education with cartoons because children expect to be entertained. The Magic School Bus has all of those elements- humor, truth, adventurous, and entertainment.
Overall, I have to give Joanna Cole, Bruce Degen, and the team of "The Magic School Bus" an A+ on creativity. They hit all of the right notes with this series, books and TV shows. It has long captivated the hearts and minds of children, educators, and parents for many years. It's a great classic that will live on for many years to come. Many school even show episodes to their class for specific lessons because it's so entertaining and educational too. Shows like this help us to reflect on how we educate our children today because they are the future. Congrats to the Magic School Bus for being this week's Creative Mastermind!
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* I do not own The Magic School Bus, Arthur, Captain Planet, or any other show mentioned in this post. The Magic School Bus is the property of the Scholastic Publishing company and is owned by the respective publishers/authors. Images used in this post were gathered from Google Images Search Results. The YouTube clip provided in this video is available for educational purposes only. No Copyright Infringement Intended.
