The Magic School Bus is a popular educational children's book and animated television series that follows a teacher and her class as they go on exciting field trips in their magical school bus. In one particular episode called "Magic School Bus Butterfly," Ms. Frizzle takes her students on a journey to discover the life cycle of butterflies. The main idea of this episode is to educate children about the transformation that butterflies undergo, from a tiny egg to a beautiful butterfly. Ms. Frizzle and her class start their adventure by shrinking down to the size of butterflies and exploring the inside of a cocoon.

Smilin' Ed McConnell and His Buster Brown Gang (Andy's Gang)

This beloved children's program starred host Ed McConnell, who, with the aid of a revolving cast of characters and puppets including Midnight the Cat and Squeaky the Mouse, told stories and introduced filmed segments like Ghanga the Jungle Boy and Buster Brown (the shoe manufacturer was the show's sponsor). When Smilin' Ed hollered, "Plunk your magic twanger, Froggy!", it meant an appearance from one of the show's most popular characters, Froggy the Gremlin.

Smilin’ Ed McConnell was a most unlikely childrens show host. A larger than average man wearing thick, horn-rimmed glasses, he seemed to lack the fatherly kindness of Fred Rogers or Bob Keeshan. Nevertheless, he hosted Smilin’Ed McConnell and his Buster Brown Gang for four years until his death in 1954.

Aside from the strangeness of McConnell himself, the series also had a bizarre senese of humor. For some reason, Froggy delighted in causing destruction, not just to Ed and his gang, but all over the world. One of his “harmless” pranks involved changing the weather in Alaska because he wanted to hurt the Eskimos

When Smilin' Ed died, the network aired a season of reruns before finding a suitable replacement. Gravel-throated Andy Devine took over as host in 1955, and the show was retitled Andy's Gang. The retooled show was broadcast only locally in New York for the rest of its run, apart from one season on NBC in 1957-58.

Release History

8/11/51 - 6/28/58 CBS, NBC, ABC

TV Sub Categories

Television Cast

Host Ed McConnell
Host Andy Devine
Midnight the Cat June Foray
Old Grandie the Piano June Foray
Tige Bud Tolefson
Froggy the Gremlin Archie Presby
Poet Algernon Archibald Alan Reed
Percival Shortfellow Alan Reed
Buster Brown Jerry Brown
Various Characters Bill Gilbert
Various Characters Bill Rodriguez
Ghanga the Elephant Boy Nino Marcell
Indian Little Fox Nino Marcell
Rama Vito Scotti
Maharaja of Bakore Lou Krugman

Plunk your magic twanger froggy buster brown

Andy's Gang

Children's Variety Show 1955 - 1960

This show has connections that go back to the Buster Brown comic strips that first appeared in The New York Herald in 1902. In 1904, the Brown Shoe Company purchased the licensing rights to the Buster Brown character along with his sidekick dog Tige. Buster Brown was also featured in silent movies and then on radio with the Buster Brown Radio Club. In 1943 the West Coast NBC radio network launched the Buster Brown Gang starring Smilin' Ed McConnell, sponsored by the Brown Shoe Company. This children's variety show transferred to television in 1951. After Ed McConnell's death in 1954, the TV network showed re-runs before deciding to hand the lead role to Andy Devine who launched with the re-named Andy's Gang in 1955.

> & & � £ There's some others too but they're pretty useless. You can just use the $ symbol normally. -->

This weekly show would feature regular characters that showed up throughout the program, each with its own catch phrase and personality. There would be occasional talks by guest presenters - often interrupted by the Froggy the Gremlin. There were also stories or verses by Andy Devine and a regular episodes of "Rhama of the Jungle".

Froggy the Gremlin

Andy would say the magic words: "Plunk your magic twanger, Froggy!" and Froggy would appear in a puff of smoke usually on top of a grandfather clock!

The gravel-voiced character's main role was to interrupt Andy or whoever was talking and mess up or confuse them. He specialized in puncturing egos of the very pompous guests that appeared.

Catchphrase: "Hiya kids, hiya hiya. Ha ha ha ha ha!"". Repeated phrases like: "He does, does".

Midnight The Cat And Squeaky The Mouse

A curious combination of a scruffy looking cat and mouse (a real cat and a hamster in close-up). Midnight and Squeaky played violin and Midnight the Cat tried to look nice!

An Indian boy who was an elephant trainer. He starred in filmed segments called "Rhama of the Jungle". He would be involved in various Eastern adventures involving his elephant, Teela. (Much of this segment was filmed in color).

Grandee the Talking Piano

A piano that . talked.

After Ed McConnell

Andy Devine took over the lead after Ed McConnell's death. The renamed Andy's Gang included all the characters from Smilin' Ed McConnell and his Buster Brown Gang. With the exception of Buster Brown and his dog Tige, all the characters had been created by Ed McConnell. The only new element, apart from the new front man, was an increasing tendency to have special effects using slowed down footage, talking animals and plenty of disappearing and re-appearing tricks.

Although Andy's Gang was popular to new audiences, some of the older hands may have hankered after the old days when the program was performed to a live audience of children (as was the original radio show). The decision to ditch the live audience (and dub in a recorded audience) was made towards the end of Ed McConnell's tenure. Andy's Gang was the same, but this time perhaps there were more gimmicks and less laughs.

Probably the most remembered character was the almost wicked Froggy the Gremlin who seemed to dislike any show of pomposity. Many characters - often representing respected fields such as high arts or perhaps authority such as professors - would be constantly interrupted by Froggy who would often talk the guest into saying and doing all the wrong things.

Classic TV: The 50s : Jungle Jim? Buster Brown? What was this show? SOLVED

Frizzle and her class start their adventure by shrinking down to the size of butterflies and exploring the inside of a cocoon. Inside the cocoon, they witness the incredible process of metamorphosis, where a caterpillar grows and transforms into a butterfly. The episode emphasizes the importance of change and growth in nature and how it applies to all living creatures.

Jungle Jim? Buster Brown? What was this show? SOLVED

What is this show I'm thinking of? Buster Brown was shoes? I only remember bits and pieces. I think there was a male host that talked to us and a black cat that made him mad but it was supposed to be funny then he would introduce a short story like jungle jim for one.

Throughout the episode, the students face various challenges and obstacles, such as avoiding hungry predators and strong winds. Ms. Frizzle's knowledge and guidance help them understand the different stages of a butterfly's life cycle and how they can adapt to survive in their environment. In the end, the students witness the emergence of a beautiful butterfly from its cocoon. They learn about the importance of patience and the significance of the transformation process. The episode concludes with the class returning to their normal size and reflecting on their exciting adventure. "Magic School Bus Butterfly" not only provides an entertaining story for children but also serves as an educational tool to teach them about the natural world. It emphasizes the importance of curiosity, exploration, and adaptation when studying nature's wonders. Through the class's journey, children learn about the fascinating life cycle of butterflies and understand the significance of change and growth in all living creatures..

Reviews for "mahic touch"

mahic touch