Janet McDanny

Template:CharacterInfo**Valerie Felicity Frizzle** (sometimes known as **"The Friz"**) was an eccentric 8th grade science teacher at Walkerville Elementary School. She uses a variety of unusual magic devices to teach the class scientific concepts. The most notable of these is her magical school bus, a shape-shifting vehicle that seems to have a mind of its own sometimes. Although Ms. Frizzle denies Arnold's claim that she knows everything, she always seems to know what her students are up to, even when they think they're keeping her in the dark (such as in "Gets Ready, Set, Dough" and "Going Batty"), as well as seems to answer every question that her students ask. Ms. Frizzle has a first cousin named Murph who owns and operates her own recycling plant. She used to be an actress on stage and in a band called The Frizzlettes and toured with the now famous rock singer, Molly Cule. Eventually, she went into teaching and learned everything she knew about "busanautics" from mechanic, R.U. Humerus (who she may have had a romantic relationship with, as well, telling by their nicknames for each other). It would seem that she likes babies/younger kids as shown in "Under Construction." It would seem that Ms. Frizzle has no fear, because no matter the situation, she will usually be laughing or smiling. An example of this is in the episode "Spins a Web" when the deinopis spider ensnares her in its trap, she is smiling and laughing even though the spider could harm her. But she actually can become scared, like when she watches a screamer that her parents accidentally sent to her that one time. She's voiced by Lily Tomlin. In the upcoming stage musical, she will be played by Heidi Blickenstaff.

## Appearance

Ms. Frizzle has frizzy red hair in an unkempt bun. She uses static electricity to make her hair all frizzy. She often wears an intricate dress that foreshadows with what the class is going to learn about. The pictures on her dress often move or glow, thus causing Keesha to ask "Where does she get her clothes?" Often when she talks, her earrings light up or glow. When she snaps her fingers, says certain phrases, or wears certain clothes, she will usually do something, for example, light up. Thus, causing one of the kids in her class to ask, "How does she do that?"

## Personality

While she is eccentric and a bit mysterious, Ms. Frizzle is intelligent, optimistic, caring, resourceful, happy-go-lucky, passionate, friendly, funny, supportive and very beautiful. She loves to tell jokes (like Carlos) that are related to the lesson she teaches to the class, even if she is the only one laughing. She has given up life as a rising star musician so she could be a teacher. She seems to put her students, her pet lizard, Liz and the bus before anything else. Even though her students can tell that their teacher is a bit odd, they still love and respect her. Ms. Frizzle is very protective of her students. Despite bringing them on several very dangerous field trips she never once let any harm come to them and always forms a plan to protect them from whatever might be injurious, she seems to know a lot about the subject well enough to know that she can get her students out of the situation. Like all good teachers, she is incredibly knowledgeable in many academic fields and almost never needs help to gain information. The only times she does not answer questions is when she wants her students to figure it out independently. Nothing related to knowledge seems to surprise her; in fact, it seems that at the start of each episode she already knew everything that the students learned by the end. She likely excelled in science (of all kinds) and history when she was in school as they are what she generally teaches her class. In addition to her intellect, beauty and despite her skinny build, Ms. Frizzle is a terrific athlete with a strong level of health & fitness. She was not only able to win 2 out of 3 in the Teacher-athalon (she would have won a clean sweep had she not held her breath in the first event) but is capable of back flips and uni-cycling among many other physical feats. The producer once noted that Ms. Frizzle is "magic" so it isn't just her students who notice. It is implied that she designed and built her magical bus herself or modified an original one.

### Theories

There are theories towards her supernatural abilities such as her actually being a sorceress or that the static electricity she uses in her hair gave her powers but nothing is really clarified.

## Trivia

* Her middle name, Felicity, is mentioned only in the PC game *The Magic School Bus Explores the Rainforest*.
* Coincidentally, Ms. Frizzle shares her first and middle name with both children's book author Valerie Tripp and Felicity Merriman from the *American Girl* series. Tripp wrote most of the core series books for Merriman, as well as several other characters and it can also be noted that both Ms. Frizzle and Merriman have the same hair color.
* She use to be part of a band that toured called the Frizzlettes and Molly Cule was one of the members.
* She used to be a Shakespearean actress.
* Despite her cheerful and energetic attitude, she has at occasional times shown anger and frustration in "Revving Up", she yells at Liz through the monitor to turn The Magic School Bus' key, in "Makes a Rainbow" when she desperately tries to beat the rainbow pinball machine game and in "Makes a Stink" when Carlos made a snot pun upon telling Arnold about the snot in Janet's nose.
* in a Halloween special, Ms. Frizzle is dressed up an old peddler for a Halloween costume while visiting some students, Katie, Richie, and Howard, in a museum who live in the live-action universe.
* She lives in a mansion with a bridge and a fountain statue of Liz in her yard, and replicas of the bus that she owns and drives including a mailbox.
* She has a framed picture of Mr. Seedplot in her house, suggesting they are closer than friends.
* In the books she has a niece named Dottie who only appears in The Electric Field Trip with no mention of her in the series.
* In the original TV series, The Magic School Bus has been the only vehicle she owns and operates, and even has it parked the driveway of her house. However, in the book *The Magic School Bus Explores the Senses* that was published in 1999 two years after that TV series ended, she was revealed to also drive any vehicle other than just the bus. In *The Magic School Bus Rides Again,* after she became a professor, she started to drive an anthropomorphic moped.
* In the follow-up series, *The Magic School Bus Rides Again*, she is revealed to have multiple degrees. An MSc (Master of Science), EdD (Doctorate of Education), and a Phd (Doctorate of Philosophy). It is implied that her PhD is her most recent degree, and the reason she left teaching elementary school. She also takes over the role of the Producers and answers questions at the end of every episode.

## Gallery

TheFriz.jpg.jpgTheFrizandMurph.jpgMs. Frizzle and MurphFrizzle.jpgDSC00169.JPGDSC00157.JPGDSC00089.JPGDSC00088.JPGDSC00084.JPGLilyTomlinastheStranger.jpgMs. Frizzle disguising herself as a male stranger in *A Magic School Bus Halloween Special*DSC00409.JPGDSC00408.JPGDSC00416.JPGDSC00424.JPGDSC00470.JPGDSC00542.JPGHauntedhouse11.pngDSC00402.JPGWhat is Ms. Frizzle staring at?DSC00417.JPGDSC00410.JPGDSC00432.JPGDSC00430.JPGDSC00460.JPG

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