But Mom, Ms Frizzle's going to be here any minute.
We're going on a field trip, remember?
I know, dear, I'm really sorry,
but the magazine changed the time of our telephone meeting at the last minute
so I need you to keep an eye on William 'til I'm finished.
I really appreciate it. Have you seen my glasses?
They're on your head, Mom...
This article on cold blooded animals is getting to me.
Where are you guys going today?
To that new suspension bridge they're building.
We're learning what keeps bridges up.
Whoops! There's my call.
And there's Ms Frizzle!
Yo, Wanda! Let's go! Field trip time!
Where's Ms Frizzle?
Wahoo!
'Morning, Wanda! Ready for our introduction to construction?
Brace yourself, Ms Frizzle. I've got a small problem....William!
I have to watch him 'til my mom gets off her business call.
Since when has a little thing like THlS......ever been a problem?!
Fwizzle!
To the house!
But Sonya, you told me you wanted to include alligators in the story -
now you're telling me you don't?
Hey, look what Liz just made for William!
Bwoke!
Don't cry, Will, we'll fix it.
Wanda? Everything all right in there?
Don't worry, Mom! It's okay!
Sorry to hold you up, Ms Frizzle. I won't be long.
No problem, Mrs. Lee. We'll give you all the support you need.
Be good William! Won't be long.
Come on, let's build a new tower for Will!
Good idea, Ralphie. Let's see if we can make it as tall as Ms Frizzle!
Wow! Lookin' good! My turn!
Ms Frizzle is taller than you think!
Uh-oh, it's starting to lean.
I think there's something wrong at the bottom!
Gravity's about to do its thing!
TlM-BERRRRR!
As my Uncle Frank Lloyd used to say,
'a creation without a strong foundation is like a chair with one leg.'
And he was always "right."
Hey is it just me - or is that the portashrinker he's holding?!
'lnker! 'lnker!
Terrific hand eye co-ordination William!
Wahoo!
Now, now, William. You really ought to think before you shrink!
Stay here! I'll get the portashrinker!
Wittle Wanda!
Now William, you stay right there.
Yikes!!!
He smashed the Portashrinker!!
Don't worry, Wanda! I'm sure we can build on this expeeeeeeriencce!!!
What are we going to do?! What are we going to do?! What are we going to do?!
RUNNNNNN!!! Take cover!!!
Don't worry, William - we'll be right back.
Come on, you guys! This way!
Fwizzle!
The bathroom! What are we gonna do in there?
Hide!!
Mine! Mine!
Peek a boo.
Bye bye.
We're safe!
Is it just me or are we locked in the bathroom?
Whoopsie! Shampoo alert!
I think we've been frizzled...
HELLLLLLP!
Phoebe, hush! What if my mom hears you?
We can't let her see us like this! We've got to get to the bus to get unshrunk!
Ba-ba! Ba-ba!
Pssst... Liz!
Take care of William while we do something constructive in here, okay?
BA-BA!
How are we going to get out of here?
Maybe if we make a human tower we can reach the door handle.
Good idea, DA! I'll be on the bottom! Who's first up?
Hold it! Remember what happened with our block tower?
If we don't have a solid foundation, we'll topple over!
Maybe we should start with THREE of us on the bottom, to be on the safe side.
A summation with foundation, Carlos!
Step right up, folks, to a real-life human skyscraper!
The only structure of its kind in the Western Hemisphere!
A solid footing made with real feet!
Come on, Tim! Hurry! You're up next!
Well, the good news is - we're standing tall...
The bad news is - not tall enough!
As my Great Aunt Lucy used to say,
Whenever a door closes, a window opens!
That's it! The window!
All we have to do is climb out that window!
But the window's so high! We'll never reach it.
We can if we BUlLD our way to it!
But how?
The floor underneath it is much too slippery to build o-o-o-o-on!
You're right, Arnold. So what we do is...
... we build a tower to get us up to the toilet. Then we walk around the seat,
then we build our way up to the sink.
And from there we go across to the window and out! It's brilliant!
There's nothing but air between the sink and the window!
If one problem is too big to solve - solve a smaller problem first!
That's right! We'll think of something! Let's go!!
Wanda, this is no time to play with your rubber duckie!
Look! Building materials! There's tons of stuff in here we can use!
Oh, that's what I like! Surprise supplies!
How about these for starters?
They're small enough to move!
They're stackable.
And they're strong enough to hold our weight.
Arnold! Stop bouncing and start passing!
What we need is pyramid power - like we tried at the door.
You got it!
We're not going to make it... We're out of letters.
Now what?
Well...Oh,
what if we build a tower on top of the pyramid to get us up the rest of the way?
Yeah, and we could use these hair rollers!...
They're lightweight, easy to carry, and they hook together no problem!
And these spikes will make climbing a breeze!
I'd say we're on a roll! Let's start building!
Bussy!
Good job, guys!
Criss-crossing the rollers really makes this tower strong and solid.
No wobble - no bobble!
Before you know it, we'll get out that window to the bus -
and feel four feet tall again... I hope...
Look! We made it!
We're on the top.... WHOAAAAA!!!!!
WANDA????!?
...HELLLLLLLLLP!!!
HELP! GET ME OUT OF HERE!
Here! Grab hold of this!
Whew! I almost ended up where no kid has gone before...!
You all right, Wanda? You look a little flushed.
MS FRlZZLE!!
We've got to get across the toilet so we can get out of here
before my mom finishes that call!
But how? It's too slippery to walk. Look at that shampoo spill on the rim.
So, let's build a bridge!
Cool! A bridge over troubled waters!
CAR-LOS!
The bridge has to be long enough to reach all the way across.
Made of materials light enough to carry up.
Yet strong enough to hold our weight.
Let's use these emery boards!
Guess you nailed THAT problem, Wanda!
Come on, Sonya, gators are cool. Listen.
"The muscles that snap an alligator's jaws shut are very strong...
...but once the jaws are closed, a person could easily use her bare hands
to keep the alligator from opening its mouth."
...Of course I've tried it.
You know me, Sonya, I'm a hands-on writer.
Bussy! Bussy!
Uh huh. What? I don't know, let me check my notes...
Bussy! Bussy!
Let 'er rip, Tim!
Here you go.
That oughta do it!
Strong joints -
Iong enough to span the open water and light enough to put in place!
Bridge coming up!
Heave!
Ho!
Heave...ho! Heave...ho! Heave...ho!
Perfect! Just long enough...
But will it be strong enough...?
Time to put it to the test!
Be careful, Wanda!
It's bending under her weight!
It's not strong enough!
...Wanda!
I made it!
What about us? How do WE get across?
Well, as I always say... one good bridge deserves another!
But it wasn't a very good bridge, Ms Frizzle.
There's too much distance and too much weight for that flimsy board.
We need something stronger that won't bend in the middle.
A sturdy suggestion, DA.
Let's see what else we've got!
Here's some toilet paper.
Arnold, we need something stiff that won't break!
I don't know...this lS two-ply.
This hairpin won't break. It's strong.
And hairpins are easy to carry.
But they're too short - we'll have to stick them together to make a bridge.
But how?
Potty training!
HUH!??!?
Check William's potty seat - over there!
There should be some 'training treats' in the pocket!
Gum drops!?!
What a sweet idea!
En garde, Ralphie!
Oooof!
Cool! It's straight!
And long!
And won't work! It's even weaker than the emery boards!
Isn't there some way you can stick two of those beams together?
Now that's an interesting angle to consider, Wanda!
Two would be stronger than one, right?
I've got it! Move that beam down a bit.
Another pin!
That's shaping up, Tim!
And the shape is triangles!
Strong...!
That's it! Bring up as many hairpins and gumdrops as you can carry!
Whoooaa!!
And hurry!
Vroom! Vroom!! VROOOM!!!
Bussy fwy! Wheeeeee!
Aannndd Push!! A little more....GOT lT!
No sag in the middle this time!
That's because the triangles are strong shapes, right, Ms Frizzle?
Let's hear it for triangle power!
At my old school, you weren't allowed to run across the toilet.
This is Walker Elementary, Phoebe! Time to take chances...
...make mistakes and--
Please, just this once......Iet's not get messy!
WE DlD lT!!!!
YlKES!!!
WANDA!... Not again!!
You okay, Wanda?
That was more fun than the Parachute Drop at Daredevil Junction!
And look! I turned the toilet paper into a rope!
Anything we can do with a rope, Ms Frizzle?
Well, I didn't spend six summers on the rodeo circuit for nothing...!
...Bring that rope up here, Wanda!
Here you go, pardner!
Give me some room.,,,
WHA-AH-AH-HOOOO!
RlNGER!
All yours, Wanda.
TO THE SlNK!
We're almost there, guys!
But we still need to get to that window.
Seems to me, all we have to do is......OH, NO! I don't believe it!
WHAT NOW???
I uh...I think there's something you should see.
ALLlGAAAAAAAAATOR...!!!
Oh bad oh bad oh bad bad bad!
You know, I was a good sport about crossing the toilet - I really was.
But no way am I crossing a tub filled with alligators! Uh uh!
There's only one, Arn.
Wanda, did you know there was a gator in the tub?
No, honest. But Mom's a science writer - she only writes about what she knows.
One day a gila monster in the sandbox...
...the next an alligator in the bathtub. Nothing surprises me anymore.
Look - we've got to get back to the bus.
My mother's going to find us here any minute!
Even if there weren't an alligator in the tub
how can we possibly get from here to there?
...It's an awfully long way across.
What are you - a bunch of weasly wimps?
We've scaled a toilet - crossed the blue lagoon on a hairpin bridge
shinnied up a toilet paper rope...and you wanna quit now??!
YYYYES!
Ms Frizzle.
Wanda's right, class!
What's one vast expanse between here and the way out among friends?
It's a tough one, all right.
We can't just build a bridge from one side like we did before.
We need to get someone on the window side to help.
But then what? We've run out of building materials.
Oh no...we...HAVEN'T!
It's all here!
Rope to get across...
...a hook to anchor it... and a kid to get there! Give me a hand!
Keep pulling, Feeb!
You show that floss who's boss!
Tie it tight!...We can't afford any mistakes!
Ready when you are, Wanda.
Watch this one Ms Frizzle!
Awright! Way to go, Wanda!
Excellent, we could use you on the Rodeo circuit, Wanda!!
Pull it tight!
Ropes ready Ms. Frizzle.
Good work, class! Like students, ropes work better when they're taut!
Wish me luck!
I can't look! I can't!
Keep going, Wanda! You can do it!
YEEEEl!
WAN-DAAA!
I'll do almost anything to get out of here... except that.
I'm with you, Ralphie...
If you all come over like that, we won't have to build a bridge!
A OK, Wanda!
A no way, Ms Frizzle! Even if there weren't an alligator down there.
We need a bridge that can cross this span...
... but we can't put any supports underneath it...
So......Iet's hang it!
Yes! We can suspend it!
Like that suspension bridge we were going to see today.
Class, the suspense is thrilling me! More floss!!
Yep...got it. We're done? Great! Thanks, Sonya.
I'll have the changes for you Monday. Bye.
William. Wanda guess what? I'm...
...not finished yet.
Hello? Oh, hi, Sonya.
No Ba-ba! Busssss!!!!!
Uh! Good thing this bridge is light!
I just hope it's strong enough!
No sweat, Arnold...These ropes pull up and out to support our weight.
You've got it, Tim! In a suspension bridge, a little pull goes a long way!
All set! Come on across!
We're coming!...See you, later, alligator!
I knew I should've stayed home today...
Come on, guys, hurry...you're doin' it!
Whatever you do, Arnold - DON'T LOOK DOWN!
YllllllllKES!
Way to go, Arnold!!
It just goes to show that with the right materials...
... and the right design...we can build structures that'll take us anywhere!
But now that we're up here...
...how do we get down there?!
Well, getting up may have been hard...
...but getting down is easy!
Come on!
Vrooom! Vrooom!
Waaa! Want twuck!
Liz! What happened to the bus?!
The same thing that happened to us!...May l?
Be my guest.
Ok, Bus...here we go!
We're big again.
I'll be right back!
Wanda? William? Now, I'm really finished.
Great! Listen, I've got to go now!.. Everyone's waiting for me.
Sorry I held you up, dear.
Hope you have fun learning about building bridges!
Bye!
When do they learn to pick up after themselves...?
Hit the speaker phone, will you, Liz?
Magic School Bus, the Producer on the line. What's on your mind?
You know your show about structures?
Know it? I'm building my own suspension bridge right now -
just to make sure it works.
Are you trying to tell us that if hair pins and gum drops were big enough...
...you could really build a bridge strong enough to actually walk across?!
Absolutely!
The trick is to choose materials strong enough to hold the weight of the bridge -
plus whatever it carries....Like a lizard, for example.
But don't people usually use nuts and bolts rather than gum drops?
Sure because they're stronger. But sometimes you have to use what you have.
Improvise and surprise, I always say!
Structures don't just stand there, you know!
They need to stand up against all kinds of things that push it and pull it, like...
...really big winds and hurricanes...
...and earthquakes, too!
You're right about that! But a good structure has a solid foundation.
Houses have concrete footings...
...tall buildings use steel pilings...
and bridges use heavy piers to carry the weight of the structure into the ground
so it can stand.
I must admit, the bridge in the show was pretty clever. Who really designed it?
Most bridges are designed by architects and engineers.
The architect designs it,
and the engineer makes sure that it's strong enough to stand.
In our case, kids just like you were the architects, engineers and builders!
And they did a terrific job.
Let's hear it for kidpower!
Listen, I have to test my own bridge now. Any other questions?
No, that's it - Bye!
Bye and thanks for calling.
Okay, Liz...come on across.
Way to go, Liz!
Not a bad bridge, huh? Great design, lightweight materials...
and strong enough to support a lizard!