List of Carlos gags

The name-drop gag or Carlos gag is a running gag used since "Inside Ralphie" where someone (usually Carlos) makes a pun, joke, or off-color remark, followed by others present groaning their name. At the same time, more often than not, a member of the Frizzle family will contrariwise find it funny. It is named for Carlos, who is the class clown and the most associated with this gag.

It is present in almost the entire Magic School Bus franchise, but it doesn’t appear in the classic series books by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen. It first occurred in episode release order in “Inside Ralphie.”

Sometimes, it can be directed to other students as well, not just Carlos.

In the TV series[]

The Magic School Bus[]

In a Pickle Carlos gag — A Carlos gag from the original series ("In a Pickle").

Gets Lost in Space (happens to Ralphie when he pranks his classmates with an announcement about an alien complaining about junk on her planet)
Gets Eaten - The first episode with the Carlos gag directed at Carlos in production order. ("muscle beach" and "e-fish-ent"; also happens to Arnold when he answers the riddle of what grass and phytoplankton have in common by saying you step on them)
Plays Ball ("somewhere between page 96 and 97", "I guess we'll be food for the bookworms", “an open and shut case”, and "a pretty heavy situation")
Gets Ants in Its Pants (every ant pun except "Flor-ants Nightingale"; also happens to Ms Frizzle with "tal-ant")
Hops Home ("Very hoppy", "Just a little mis-hop", "(Food) fight", and "I just love hoppy endings"; also happens to Ms. Frizzle when miniaturized size she was petting a stray cat that was after them.)
In the Haunted House ("kind of e-ear-ie"; also happens to Tim when they were talking about where Ms. Frizzle is.)
For Lunch (happens to Ralphie when he calls the "Wanda as a dried raisin" scenario "cool" and Wanda when she suggests going back to Arnold's mouth and experiencing his digestive system all over again)
Inside Ralphie - The first episode with the Carlos gag directed at Carlos in aired order. ("It's a shortcut! Get it? Short 'cut'?")
All Dried Up (when Phoebe points out he's asleep on the Bus)
Blows Its Top (happens to Arnold when a funny smell bubbles up from the water under him and Carlos)
Flexes Its Muscles (when he asks if R.U. Humerus refers to the upper arm bone or "very funny")
The Busasaurus ("Sneaker-saurus", also happens to Ralphie when he says Arnold can be the bus)
In a Pickle ("I'd rather find one on your seat than my seat" and "The bus is in a bit of a pickle")
Revving Up (Happens to Arnold when he asks, "Anybody want a peanut butter sandwich?")
Taking Flight ("fat air")
Going Batty (happens to Mr. Ramon with "Bat breath is better than no breath" and "I could hang around here for another hour" and to Phoebe with "Fangs for reminding us")
Getting Energized (Wanda does this to Arnold as he explains he’s the Chairperson of the safety committee), (When Arnold and the kids finds out Carlos was the Chairperson of the power up committee.), (the whole class excluding Carlos when he mentions Mikey they all groans “not Mikey”, as they reminiscence the previous field trip they were in with him, which was Carlos’s marshmallow smoker.)
Out of This World ("You were supposed to be Pluto, arf arf!", "the right stuffing", and "change its course, of course"; also happens to Ralphie when he informs Carlos his idea is "out to launch")
Cold Feet ("inside job")
Ups and Downs ("banana splits" and "something about this field trip seems "fishy" to me"; also happens to Phoebe when she complains about wanting to be the one to feed the sea monster after they thought that Wanda was eaten alive by the monster until the class sees that Wanda is still alive.)
Spins a Web ("Never order mushrooms and anchovies on the same pizza"; also happens to Arnold when he says "Bet that fly wishes he had stayed home today" in reference to a fly that just got stuck in the spider web)
In a Beehive ("You're a 'Phoe-bee', and you are a 'Friz-bee'!"; "They're really 'bee-bopping'!"; also happens to Arnold when he says he's become "a fan" of bees)
Under Construction ("a bridge over troubled waters"; happens to Ms. Frizzle when she puns to Wanda “You look a little “flushed”, referring when Wanda almost fell “where no kid has gone before” in Wanda’s own words.) [Trivia: This was also where the class almost ended up at in the end of For Lunch, before getting the idea to fight through the Digestive System to get back out of Arnold’s body.]
Makes a Rainbow (happens to Ralphie when he says that his rainbow clones could be a basketball team)
Goes Upstream ("I guess the yolk's on us!") ("Fishin' accomplished!")
In the Rainforest ("all wrapped up")
Rocks and Rolls ("No nose is good nose!"), ("I always wanted to be a 'rock' star!")
Cracks a Yolk ("Wherever yolks go when they "eggs-it" the ovary.")
Goes to Mussel Beach ("shellular phone")
Goes on Air ("we're stuck with air and that's just not fair" and "talk about a jarring experience")
Gets Swamped ("what a gas"; also happens to Arnold)
Goes Cellular ("Hey, Arn, orange you glad you're not orange anymore?")
Sees Stars (Tim does this to Keesha after she states facts about shopping channels, ads and scams.) (happens to Keesha from everyone when they asked her what is she looking for in a star and either she wasn’t sure or she was being picky.)
Gains Weight ("It looks like we officially brought the house down!")
Gets Charged ("Who's bright idea was this?"), (the Rugrats allusion "lizardy bell")
Makes a Stink ("Not what, Arnold! Snot!")
In the City ("party animals")
Takes a Dive ("With tiny tools?"; also happens to Keesha when she says the bugs were bugging her)

The Magic School Bus Rides Again[]

All are directed at Carlos.

MSB Productions era[]

Season 1[]

Frizzle of the Future ("Talk about a turtle (total) surprise"). The first episode with the Carlos gag in airing order.
Pigs in the Wind ("I’m well, but thanks for aspen (askin')")
In the Swim ("I'd have to say, this is my finnest achievement.") The first episode with the Carlos gag in production order.
The Battle for Rock Mountain (happens to Boy H₂O, who is Carlos, when he says "Hurrycane")
Carlos Gets the Sneezes ("I’d say this was funny, but it’s snot." and "Hey, that’s phlegmtastic!”)
Hides and Seeks ("Remember, everyone, we’re parked in the banana lot")
Three in One ("Water we waiting for?")
DA and the Deep Blue Sea ("Outside their zone?")

Season 2[]

The Land Before Tim ("I'm just glad the petrification got my good side.")
Ready, Set, Fail! ("Wow, Jyoti, you really did us a solid")
Send in the Clouds ("Disappointing. Cirrus-ly")
Ralphie and the Flying Tennellis (“A little ESP. Extra Sneaky Poster reading")
Tim and the Talking Trees ("I always knew Arnold was such a fungi (fun guy)" and "Do you have to be so sappy?")
Janet's Mystery Gene ("That's gene-ius")

MSB 2 Productions era[]

Season 3[]

In the Zone ("I can't lie, I'm rattled," "And if there's any ideas on how to get out of this, Wanda's all ears!” and “Sorry, that joke was corny.”)
Goldstealer ("And skateboards! They're wheely awesome!")

In the CD-ROMs[]

Explores The Human Body (1994) - Happens to Carlos when they explore the brain.
Explores Bugs (2000) - "But why would a cricket play with a bat? Don't bats eat crickets?"

Trivia[]

Ralphie is the first character to end up on the receiving end of this gag.
Wanda and Keesha are the only characters to end up on the receiving end of this gag once each.
Wanda is the only character whose sole receipt of this gag was for an inappropriate remark.
Jyoti and the book extras are the only students in the class to not be on the receiving end of the gag.
All Dried Up is the only episode, at least in the original TV series, where someone's statement leads to someone else being subjected to this gag.
Professor Frizzle and Mr. Ramón are the only adults who have ever been subjected to this gag.