Expert shares insight on 30 years of ‘The Magic School Bus’
September marked 30 years of “The Magic School Bus” television series. Led by the eccentric Ms. Frizzle, the show sparked a sense of wonder with every adventure — from transporting children inside the human body to the outer reaches of space.
But the television series wouldn’t have been possible without its best-selling source material. Bruce Degen, illustrator of “The Magic School Bus” book series, brought wild scenarios to life with every stroke of his pen. He passed away Nov. 7.
Matt Wisnioski, associate professor in Virginia Tech’s Department of Science, Technology, and Society, is studying the show’s work as part of a National Science Foundation grant. He is collaborating with Michael Meindl, associate professor in Radford University's School of Communication, for the two-year project, titled “The Magic School Bus and the Reanimation of American Science Education.”
Wisnioski shared how the series managed to stay relevant and how it forever changed the landscape of children’s science education. He also shared what made Degen’s work special.
How has “The Magic School Bus” managed to stay relevant for so long?
“The Magic School Bus” remains a leading source of informal science education and entertainment because it tapped into the inherent wonder of children, its blend of fantasy and fact, it’s groan-worthy puns, and its commitment to “taking chances, making mistakes, and getting messy.” It presented a model of learning through experience that was inclusive and inquiry based. We should all be so lucky to experience a class like Ms. Frizzle’s.
How did Bruce Degen’s illustration’s shape the unique look and feel of series? How was his visual style impactful in making science accessible to young readers?
Bruce Degen was a master of interactive illustration. He and Joanna Cole [the series’ author] worked together to unite ideas with images. He helped to make fantastic situations seem realistic. He captured motion and plot through comic book techniques. And he was adept at the visual gag.
Has there been another book or show quite like "The Magic School Bus"? How has it influenced other science-education media?
Since the early 19th century, authors and educators have aimed to use fantasy and entertainment to help spark children’s wonder and curiosity for science — for example, imagining what it would be like to travel to the surface of the moon. “The Magic School Bus” was far and away the most successful, selling nearly 100 million books. It also was the spark for a multimedia empire that laid the foundation of nearly every educational children’s program, particularly those that use its comic-book style.
How did the series combine forces of government and private industry?
“The Magic School Bus” was as much an innovation in how to pay for science education as it was a piece of creative science and entertainment. Public private collaborations in education are fraught with ethical, financial, and practical challenges. The collaboration between the National Science Foundation, PBS, Scholastic, Microsoft, Nelvana, and many others was an exploration of what worked and didn’t work. One of the reasons it excelled was its ability to bring together some of the very best informal science advocates from government with leading creative artists, storytellers, and producers from industry.
About Wisnioski
Matthew Wisnioski is an associate professor in Virginia Tech’s Department of Science, Technology, and Society. He studies the interplay between expertise and imagination in science, technology, and innovation. Read more about him here.
Schedule an interview
To schedule an interview, contact Jenny Boone in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at jennykb@vt.edu, 540-314-7207, or contact Margaret Ashburn in the media relations office at mkashburn@vt.edu, 540-529-0814.
