It’s virtually impossible to be a ’90s kid and not love “The Magic School Bus.” If you’ve grown up in the ’90s, you probably considered smarty-pants Dorothy-Ann (D.A.), class jokester Carlos, level-headed Keesha, shy Phoebe, imaginative Ralphie, artistic Tim, tomboy Wanda and scardey-pants Arnold your best friends. You also probably hated Arnold’s bratty cousin, Janet. Well, I’ll speak for myself–I hated (well, still hate) Janet. With a passion.
In any case, if you lived for the show as a kid and still hold it dear now, guess what? The show is coming back! Netflix has acquired the worldwide streaming rights to 26 half-hour episodes. The new show, called “The Magic School Bus 360?,” will be on the streaming service by 2016. The decision to make a new show comes after the success of the original series on Netflix. According to the New York Times, Netflix acquired the rights to stream the original “Magic School Bus” as well as “Goosebumps” and “Clifford the Big Red Dog.” Ted Sarandos, the chief content officer of Netflix, stated that the “Magic School Bus” reruns is “remarkably popular” and that “[p]arents trust it and love it.”
“The Magic School Bus 360?” will feature an updated school bus, Ms. Frizzle and her classroom kids. The show will also have, according to Deborah Forte, the president of Scholastic Media, new “newer scientific tools, such as robots or a smart suit worn by the character Carlos that determines his body’s vital signs instantly.”
Scholastic has released some early concept art; take a look at it below and write your reaction in the comments section!