50 Fun Facts About R.L. Stine

What do the initials R.L. stand for in R.L. Stine's name?

He was born in Columbus, Ohio, in 1943, the son of a shipping clerk.

Stine has been nicknamed the 'Stephen King of' what?

Like King, he was prolific: at his peak some Goosebumps books were written in six days.

Roughly how many copies has Stine's Fear Street series sold?

The teen series was adapted into a trilogy of Netflix films in 2021.

Under what alias did Stine write humor books for children?

He also created the Scholastic teen humor magazine Bananas, which ran 72 issues from 1975 to 1984.

In which US state was Stine born?

He grew up in Bexley and graduated from Ohio State University with a BA in English in 1965.

At what age did Stine begin writing, after finding a typewriter in his attic?

He started by typing stories and joke books.

Which comic books did Stine credit as an early inspiration?

He recalled reading them as a boy and cited them in the documentary Tales from the Crypt: From Comic Books to Television.

Which university did Stine graduate from in 1965?

While there he edited the campus humor magazine The Sundial for three years.

What was the name of the college humor magazine Stine edited for three years?

After graduating he moved to New York City to pursue writing.

What teen humor magazine did Stine create for Scholastic?

It ran for 72 issues between 1975 and 1984, with Stine as editor and main writer.

What was the title of Stine's first horror novel, published in 1986?

He followed it with The Babysitter, Beach House, Hit and Run and The Girlfriend.

Stine was co-creator and head writer of which Nickelodeon puppet series?

It aired on the Nick Jr. block from 1989 and was set inside a giant's wind-up music box.

In Stine's Nick Jr. puppet show, what kind of creature is Magellan?

Magellan is a childlike green dragon whose sneezes shake the whole castle.

In what year did Stine start writing Fear Street books?

Goosebumps followed three years later, launched with Parachute Press.

What was Stine's humorous sci-fi series before Goosebumps?

Its titles were Jerks in Training, Bozos on Patrol and Losers in Space.

In what year did Stine launch Goosebumps?

The first book, Welcome to Dead House, appeared that July.

What was the first Goosebumps book?

Stine originally signed a six-book deal but ended up writing 62 books in the original series.

How many books were published in the original Goosebumps run from 1992 to 1997?

Stine had originally signed a six-book deal with Scholastic.

Where did Stine say he got the name 'Goosebumps'?

The ad read 'It's goosebumps week on Channel 11'.

Who persuaded Stine to write scary books for younger children?

Waricha co-founded Parachute Press, the company that developed the series.

Which Goosebumps book was inspired by Stine's son Matt struggling with a costume?

His son Matt couldn't get the mask off; Stine also says he usually thinks of a title first and lets it lead to a story.

Which literary classic inspired Slappy the Dummy?

Stine liked the book's idea of a puppet coming to life; Fats from William Goldman's Magic was another influence.

How does Slappy the Dummy come to life?

The phrase roughly translates to 'You and I are one now'.

Stine says his Goosebumps stories never include what?

He credits the absence of drugs, depravity and violence for the books' success.

At their mid-1990s peak, how many Goosebumps books sold per month?

In 1996 the series accounted for almost 15% of Scholastic's annual revenue.

Which Scholastic rival series helped prompt the launch of Goosebumps Series 2000?

Series 2000 ran 25 books from 1998 to 2000, starting with Cry of the Cat.

Which gamebook spin-off series featured multiple endings?

Fifty were published from 1995 to 2000, some ghostwritten by Stine's sister-in-law Megan Stine.

Which book revived Goosebumps in 2008 after nearly a decade without a new title?

Stine said he returned to the series after receiving mail asking him to write new books.

On which network did the 1990s Goosebumps TV series premiere in 1995?

It was produced in Canada and was the top-rated US children's show for three years.

Which book did Fox Kids CEO Margaret Loesch's son enjoy, prompting the TV deal?

She had bought it for him only a day earlier.

On which streaming service did the 2023 Goosebumps series premiere?

It launched on Friday, October 13, 2023; season two was subtitled The Vanishing.

Who plays a fictionalized R.L. Stine in the 2015 Goosebumps film?

The real Stine cameos as a drama teacher named Mr. Black.

What role did the real Stine play in his cameo in the 2015 film?

The character's name, Mr. Black, winks at Jack Black playing Stine.

What was Stine's cameo role in Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween?

Jack Black reprised his role as Stine in several scenes, though uncredited.

Who directed the 2015 Goosebumps film?

He later dropped out of the sequel because of scheduling conflicts with Detective Pikachu.

In the 2015 film, in which fictional Delaware town does Stine live?

Zach Cooper moves there from New York City after his father's death.

Which actor plays Stine's neighbor Zach in the 2015 film?

Odeya Rush plays Stine's daughter Hannah, and Amy Ryan plays Zach's mother.

What was the title of Stine's first novel for adults, published in 1995?

He has since published three more adult novels: The Sitter, Eye Candy and Red Rain.

Which 2014 novel brought back the Fear Street series?

Give Me a K-I-L-L followed in 2017.

Stine's Rotten School series is narrated by which fourth-grader?

Unlike Goosebumps, Rotten School is light-hearted comedy, with Bernie scheming for money at boarding school.

In Mostly Ghostly, what power does 11-year-old Max Doyle have?

Ghost siblings Nicky and Tara Roland enlist him to find out how they died.

Who starred in the 2007 direct-to-DVD film The Haunting Hour: Don't Think About It?

Its success spawned the anthology TV series R. L. Stine's The Haunting Hour.

Stine voiced the uncle of which character on a 2019 episode of Arthur?

In 'Fright Night', Bob moonlights as a writer of scary stories.

Where did Stine rank on Forbes's list of best-paid entertainers for 1996–97?

His income for that fiscal year was $41 million.

What record did Guinness credit Stine with in 2003?

USA Today had named him America's number one best-selling author three years running in the 1990s.

Which award did Stine receive in 2013 for lifetime achievement?

The Horror Writers Association added its own Lifetime Achievement Award a year later.

R. L. Stine's Haunted Lighthouse was a 4D attraction at which parks?

Versions ran at SeaWorld San Antonio and San Diego and Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Tampa.

What company did Stine's wife Jane Waldhorn co-found in 1983?

The couple married in 1969; their son Matthew works in the music industry.

Stine famously types all his books using only what?

He refuses to learn to type properly, saying it would slow him down; the finger has curved over the years.

Stine wrote Find Your Fate gamebooks starring which film hero in the 1980s?

Titles included Indiana Jones and the Curse of Horror Island; he also wrote G.I. Joe books as Eric Affabee.