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The Magic School Bus + Rides Again Wiki

The following is a list of home-video releases of The Magic School Bus, released for the United States and Canada (NTSC and DVD Region 1).

To see video releases of the next series in this region, see List of home video releases of The Magic School Bus Rides Again (Region 1).

Warner Home Video (1995-2012)[]

VHS[]

Various individual episodes of the first three seasons of The Magic School Bus were released on VHS in English and French between 1995 and 2002. They were distributed by Warner Home Video under its KidVision division. Apart from logos and trailers, these tapes include the full opening theme, the episode, Is This The Magic School Bus, the ending funding credits, and the 1986-2021 book series promo. English closed-captioning is included on the English versions.

Some episodes that were released to video together were included in boxed collector's edition sets called "The Magic School Bus: Video Collections". Some of them were "Gets Lost in Space" and "For Lunch", "Hops Home", "Inside Ralphie", and "Gets Eaten", or "The Busasaurus", "Taking Flight", and "Flexes Its Muscles".

First wave (1995 and 1996)[]

The first wave of tapes were released in 1995 and 1996. These featured select Season 1 and Season 2 episodes, including A Magic School Bus Halloween. The 1995 releases featured a collectible postcard with information about the episode's topic. The 1996 releases did not have postcards. Tapes from this wave came with an advertisement insert for the French Toast clothing brand featuring Magic School Bus fan Lindley Mayer.

Cover Artwork Title Release Date Topic Catalogs Postcard Artwork
EP01 VHS 01 Gets Lost in Space February 1, 1995 The Solar System 51200-3

51226-3

EP02 VHS For Lunch Digestion 51201-3

51227-3

EP03 VHS Inside Ralphie June 13, 1995 Human Health 51202-3

51228-3

EP05 VHS 01 Hops Home Habitats 51203-3

51229-3

EP04 VHS Gets Eaten Food Chains 51204-3

51230-3

Gets Eaten VHS Postcard
EP08 VHS 01 Inside the Haunted House September 12, 1995 Sound 51206-3

51232-3

630393336X 03 Plays Ball February 13, 1996 Forces and Motion 51209-3

51235-3

Goes to Seed (VHS, NTSC, front) Goes to Seed Seeds 51211-3

51237-3

Kicks Up A Storm Kicks Up a Storm Weather 51212-3

51238-3

51X5NA0XP9L Blows Its Top October 1, 1996 Volcanoes 51221-3

51247-3

511BVFZT5BL AC Going Batty Bats 51224-3

51250-3

Going Batty + In the Haunted House (VHS, 1996, NTSC) Going Batty + Inside the Haunted House Sound and Bats 51276-3

Second wave (1997-2002)[]

The second wave of videos were released from 1997 to 2002 and changed up the box-art design, which now features a "tagline" for the episode that is on the tape (example: "Take a Field Trip That's Out-of-This-World" for "Gets Lost in Space"). Select episodes were rereleased with this box art type. Episodes that were new to video in 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000 had a "NEW" marker on their covers. Episodes that were new to video in 2001 and 2002 did not have a "NEW" marker, similar to the represses.

Cover Artwork Title and Tagline Release Date Topic Catalogs New release? (has "NEW" on cover)
28547 FlxMc Flexes Its Muscles
Let's Put Every Body to Work
April 15, 1997 Body Mechanics 51222-3

51248-3

New
51CJ2RVKWRL The Busasaurus
Bone Up on Prehistoric Animals
Dinosaurs 51223-3

51249-3

New
Taking Flight (VHS, NTSC, front) Taking Flight
All Aboard for Some Plane Facts
Flight 51216-3

51242-3

New
EP01 VHS 02 Gets Lost in Space
Take a Trip That's Out of This World
July 29, 1997 The Solar System 51200-3 Rerelease
EP08 VHS 02 Inside the Haunted House
Sssounds Like Something Spooky's Going On Here!
Sound 51206-3 Rerelease
Gets Ready, Set, Dough (VHS) Ready, Set, Dough
Chemistry—It's a Piece of Cake
Kitchen Chemistry 51208-3 New
Plays Ball VHS 02 Plays Ball
A Homerun with Physics
Forces 51209-3 Rerelease
1568327439 02 Gets Ants in Its Pants
Caution—Ants at Work
Ants 51210-3 New
Blows Its Top VHS 02 Blows Its Top
Volcanoes—An Explosive Adventure
Volcanoes 51221-3 Rerelease
Going Batty (VHS, NTSC, front) alt Going Batty
Meet Animals with an Interesting Nightlife
Bats 51224-3 Rerelease
28546 The25MB Out Of This World
A Crash Course in Asteroids and Meteors
February 17, 1998 Space Rocks A58106 New
156832779X LZ Getting Energized
Using New Energy Sources
Energy A58107 New
EP05 VHS 02 Hops Home
Looking into Nature's Own "Living Rooms"
April 20, 1999 Habitat A58133 Rerelease
Goes to Seed VHS 02 Goes to Seed
Growing Places with Plants
Seeds A58134 Rerelease
Kicks Up a Storm VHS 02 Kicks Up a Storm
How to Become Weather-wise
Weather A58135 Rerelease
S-l400 Butterflies!
A Flurry of Exciting Winged Activity
July 27, 1999 Butterflies A58136 New
517S7EQ3QSL AC In a Beehive
The Buzz about Bees
Bees A58138 New
24398 Web Spins a Web
The Special Ways of Spiders
Spiders A58139 New
Under Construction (VHS, NTSC, front) Under Construction
The Power of Building
April 25, 2000 Structures A58146 New
51NX1603KDL In the Rainforest
A Tropical Paradise Adventure
Rainforest Ecology A58147 New
51WM1PTQ1BL SS500 Gets Planted
Helping a Tiny Sprout Grow Tall
July 3, 2001 Plants A58157 New without indicator
44580293 UY630 SR1200,630 Makes a Rainbow
The Secrets of Colors
Rainbows A58158 New without indicator
Holiday Special 2002 DVD front Holiday Special October 8, 2002 Not mentioned A58165 New without indicator

Three episodes[]

On August 8, 2000, Warner released two VHS tapes featuring three episodes each: The Magic School Bus: Greatest Adventures and The Magic School Bus: Creepy, Crawly Fun!, which released on DVD in 2017 and 2002 respectively.

Image Title Release Date Episodes Catalogs Notes
Greatest Adventures Greatest Adventures August 8, 2000 Gets Lost in Space, In a Pickle,The Busasaurus A58150 "In a Pickle" debuts on home video.

"Gets Lost in Space" and "The Busasaurus" include their funding credits, while they are cut from "In a Pickle".

Creepy Crawly Fun 2000 VHS front Creepy, Crawly Fun! In the Haunted House, Going Batty, Spins a Web A58151 "In the Haunted House" and "Going Batty" are separated and not presented as A Magic School Bus Halloween.

DVD[]

Warner began releasing the first three seasons of The Magic School Bus on DVD from 2002 to 2005 when it released a DVD port of The Magic School Bus: Creepy Crawly Fun. These DVDs each have three episodes like the videos from 8/8/2000, alongside remastered versions of the VHS promos, DVD-ROM features through the Inter-Actual Player, and (not on 2004 releases) DVD menu games.

Episodes are presented in 720x480i, with 29.97 interlaced frames per second. Optional English closed captions are available (albeit internally only), and episodes are presented in American English, European French (slowed-down from the original SECAM broadcast), and Latin American Spanish.

The Warner DVD roster is the last set of releases to include the PBS funding credits and 1986-2021 book series promo. Furthermore, the 2005 discs, The Magic School Bus: Catches a Wave and The Magic School Bus Human Body, mark the final overall appearances of The Magic School Bus's PBS tags in their 11-year timeframe.

A different master is used depending on the episode:

Image Title Release Date Episodes Catalogs Trivia
Creepy Crawly Fun 2002 front Creepy, Crawly Fun! August 20, 2002 A58164
  • When selecting episodes on the menu, a checkmark is used instead of the sticky note glowing.
  • "In the Haunted House" is referred to as its VHS name, "Inside the Haunted House", on the reverse cover, and as "In a Haunted House" on the menu.
  • An error must have occurred when transferring the VHS of "In the Haunted House" to the DVD, as during the opening theme, the pitch gets slightly lower on the "down" of "Cruising on down Main Street".
  • This is the first Warner DVD with one episode from each of the three seasons.
Holiday Special 2002 DVD front Holiday Special October 8, 2002 A58165
  • "All Dried Up" is new to home video.
  • On rereleases, "All Dried Up" is replaced by "In the Arctic".
Space Adventures 2003 front Space Adventures January 28, 2003 A58163
  • On rereleases, "Taking Flight" is replaced by "Gains Weight" for Season 4 representation. Sometimes, "Goes on Air" is added, especially on digital.
  • "Gets Lost in Space" is preceded by the KidVision logo in both Play All and when playing it individually, possibly as remains from when its VHS was transferred to DVD.
  • This is the first Warner DVD not to include a Season 3 episode, as that is the only season in the entire franchise without a field trip to outer space.
Super Sports Fun 2004 front Super Sports Fun September 28, 2004 A58181
  • The 2004 releases are the only ones whose menus do not loop. After one loop of the menu, "Plays Ball" is cued.
  • "Works Out" and "Shows and Tells" make their debut on home video.
Bugs, Bugs, Bugs! (DVD, 2004, NTSC) Front Bugs, Bugs, Bugs! A58182
  • The 2004 releases are the only ones whose menus do not loop. After one loop of the menu, "Gets Ants in Its Pants" is cued.
  • The Seasons 1 and 2 VHS promo is shown before the opening theme for "Gets Ants in Its Pants", possibly as remains from when its tape was transferred.
Human Body 2005 front Human Body September 6, 2005 A58183
  • This trio of episodes has stayed intact across various rereleases and even DVD regions.
  • The 2005 releases are the last releases to include PBS tags.
Catches a Wave 2005 front Catches a Wave A58184
  • Each episode is presented in its remaster.
  • This is the only Warner DVD not to include a Season 1 episode.
  • It is also the only Warner DVD not to include an episode recorded from a retail VHS.
  • The 2005 releases are the last releases to include PBS tags.

Scholastic Entertainment (2006)[]

DVD[]

Scholastic Entertainment released select Season 4 episodes to home video across two DVDs in 2006. The menus are styled like the Warner releases (without Liz on the episode selections), except there are no DVD bonus features, and episodes are only available in American English with no captions.

The same aspect ratio and frame rate from the Warner releases are used. Episodes are presented in their modern remastered versions.

Image Title Release Date Episodes Trivia
Sees Stars (DVD, 2006, NTSC) Front Sees Stars
  • For its repress on September 7, 2012 as Super Star Power, "Gains Weight" and "Goes on Air" were replaced by "Gets Planted" and "Goes Cellular" for the theme of "stardom" instead of a second aerospace compilation.
  • The two space episodes would later appear on the digital release of the Space Adventures compilation by Warner Home Video, as they fit its space theme.
  • The cover art matches the Region 4 DVD, The Magic School Bus: Exploring Space.
Takes a Dive (DVD, 2006, NTSC) Front Takes a Dive
  • The cover art matches the Region 4 DVD, The Magic School Bus: Ups and Downs.
  • On the menu, Professor Frizzle and Liz are in the spot where the Bus usually is in Sees Stars and the Warner catalog.

New Video Group/Cinedigm (2012-2018)[]

DVD[]

In September 2012, New Video Group and Cinedigm began distributing The Magic School Bus on DVD. These included a new, consistent cover art style, reissues of older compilations (albeit with some episodes changed), Season 4, and digital remasters for each episode. NewVideo plasters in a Nelvana logo from the time period of these DVDs over the blue Nelvana logo, which is commonly used in the credits of The Magic School Bus. Funding is omitted.

Taglines return since being absent on the 1996-2001 VHS tapes. They are now featured on the back of the box in a speech bubble from Professor Frizzle.

Episodes are available in the same aspect ratio and frame rate as before, in American English and Latin American Spanish.

For English Season 3 episodes, voices appear on the right speaker, and the soundtrack on the left. This can be solved by switching to mono and prioritizing the left audio track (through the “Left” option on VLC), as both music and voices are heard on this track.

The Holiday Special is always presented as its version from qubo and FOX Kids.

In the NewVideo era, these episodes made their first appearances on home video: "Meets the Rot Squad", "Revving Up", "Cold Feet", "In the Arctic", "Makes a Rainbow", "Gets a Bright Idea", "Goes Upstream", "Meets Molly Cule", "Cracks a Yolk", "Goes Cellular", "Gets Charged", "Makes a Stink", "In the City", and "Gets Programmed".

Compilations[]

Individual Discs[]
Image Name Release Date Episodes Notes
Space Adventures 2012 front Space Adventures
Get lost in outer space.
  • Rerelease of Warner's 2003 compilation.
  • "Gains Weight" replaces "Taking Flight" from the original. The latter is instead moved to the new trilogy, The Magic School Bus Takes Flight.
  • It is disc one of Blast Off! From Sea to Space.
  • The bonus episode was taken from the Super Sports Fun remake from Field Trip Fun and Games.
  • Standalone releases since 2014 include the fourth novel, The Magic School Bus: Space Explorers (1999).
Catches a Wave
The water cycle never stops. Hang ten!
  • Rerelease of Warner's 2005 compilation.
  • It is disc two of Blast Off! From Sea to Space.
  • The bonus episode was taken from the new compilation, The Busasaurus, from Field Trip Fun and Games.
  • "Goes Upstream" is new to video.
The Food Chain
Cooking is chemistry! Let's get messy in the kitchen.
  • Original compilation.
  • "Meets the Rot Squad" has its first time on video.
  • It is disc three of Blast Off! From Sea to Space.
  • The bonus episode is from the rerelease of Bugs! Bugs! Bugs! from Field Trip Fun and Games.
The Busasaurus
Discover roaring, slithering, and swimming animals.
  • The Busasaurus
  • Cold Feet
  • Goes Upstream
  • Bonus: Gets Eaten
  • Original compilation.
  • This is disc 1 of Field Trip Fun and Games.
  • "Cold Feet" and "Goes Upstream" debut on video.
  • The English audio for "Cold Feet" is lower in pitch than it would normally be on PBS.
  • The bonus is from The Food Chain from Blast Off from Sea to Space.
Bugs! Bugs! Bugs!
Dance the Honey Bee Bop or flutter like a butterfly.
  • Gets Ants in Its Pants
  • Butterfly and the Bog Beast
  • In a Beehive
  • Bonus: Gains Weight
  • Rerelease of Warner's 2004 DVD.
  • This is disc 2 of Field Trip Fun and Games.
  • The bonus episode is from Space Adventures, off of Blast Off from Sea to Space.
Super Sports Fun
Get pumped up because it's time to play ball.
  • Plays Ball
  • Shows and Tells
  • Works Out
  • Bonus: Rocks and Rolls
  • Rerelease of Warner's 2004 DVD.
  • This is disc 3 of Field Trip Fun and Games.
  • The bonus episode is from the rerelease of Catches a Wave on Blast Off from Sea to Space.
Takes a Dive
Dive into oceanic and wetland adventures.
  • Goes to Mussel Beach
  • Gets Swamped
  • Takes a Dive
  • Bonus: For Lunch
  • Rerelease of Scholastic's 2006 DVD.
  • This is disc 1 of Sea and Stars.
  • The bonus episode is from the rerelease of 2005's Human Body, off of Planes and Robots.
  • Rereleases since 2014 are packaged with the MSB novel, The Great Shark Escape.
Super Star Power
Hop aboard The Magic School Bus and become super stars.
  • Gets Planted
  • Goes Cellular
  • Sees Stars
  • Bonus: Taking Flight
  • Rerelease of Scholastic's 2006 DVD, Sees Stars.
  • "Gains Weight" and "Goes on Air" were replaced by "Gets Planted" and "Goes Cellular".
  • This is disc 2 of Sea and Stars.
  • The bonus episode is from Takes Flight on Planes and Robots.
Takes Flight
Whoosh! Get ready to fly, glide, and hop through the air.
  • Kicks Up a Storm
  • Taking Flight
  • Hops Home
  • Bonus: Taking Flight
  • Original compilation.
  • "Taking Flight" is moved from Space Adventures to its new, eponymous compilation.
  • This is disc 1 of Planes and Robots.
  • The bonus episode is from Takes a Dive on Sea and Stars.
Human Body 2012 front Human Body
There's action, adventure, and excitement all inside the human body! Get ready for a rip-roaring field trip.
  • For Lunch
  • Inside Ralphie
  • Flexes Its Muscles
  • Bonus: Gets Planted
  • Rerelease of Warner's 2005 compilation.
  • 2014–present releases are packaged with the MSB novel, The Search for the Missing Bones.
  • This is disc 2 of Planes and Robots.
  • The bonus episode is from Super Star Power on Sea and Stars.

Season and Series Sets[]

Image Name Release Date No. of Discs Notes
MSB Complete Series 2012 front The Complete Series (25th Anniversary Edition) September 7, 2012 8
  • "Makes a Rainbow", "Gets a Bright Idea", and many Season 4 episodes make their home video debut.
  • Released for the 25th anniversary (2011) of The Magic School Bus at the Waterworks.
Season 1 (DVD) Season One 2015 2
Season 2 (DVD) Season Two
Season 3 (DVD) Season Three
Season 4 (DVD) Season Four
  • The release of Season 4 sorts episodes in production order.
TCS 2018 front The Complete Series (30th Anniversary Edition) August 21, 2018 6 Commemorates the 30th anniversary (2016) of The Magic School Bus at the Waterworks. Includes 6 discs as opposed to 8.
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