The Works of R.L. Stine: The “Goosebumps” Series and Beyond

Robert Lawrence Stine, better known as R.L. Stine, is one of the most recognized authors of children’s horror novels alive today. He’s been called “the Stephen King of children’s literature,” has penned more than 300 books for kids aged seven to 15 years old. When he was nine years old, he found an old typewriter in his attic which gave him a vehicle to write short stories and joke books. After graduating from Ohio State University in 1965, he moved to New York City to be a humorist. It was only through a chance turn of events that he began writing horror. Bob has mastered the craft of simultaneously frightening and entertaining young readers. His prolific catalogue includes the popular Fear Street and Goosebumps series, which is widely appreciated by kids, parents, and teachers across the globe.

Over 400 million copies of his books have been sold worldwide, and they have been translated into 35 languages—making him one of the best-selling authors of all time. His Goosebumps TV show was the most popular children’s program in America for three consecutive years, and the Goosebumps movie (2015), starring Jack Black, became the number one movie in the U.S. upon its release. Bob lives in New York City with his wife and business partner, Jane Stine, and continues to write the Fear Street series and the Goosebumps series.

Before R.L. Stine (called “Bob” by acquaintances) became a world-renowned children’s horror author, he was a writer of humor books. Some of Bob’s early books for his long-time publisher Scholastic include:

1. 1. Bananas Magazine (1974): Bob wrote and edited this teen humor magazine—which featured a collection of funny advice columns, comics, satire, and activities—for 10 years under the name Jovial Bob Stine.
2. 2. The Sick of Being Sick Book (1980): This humorous book is a guide for children on what to do when you’re sick and how to get the most sympathy out of the situation.
3. 3. 101 Creepy Creature Jokes (1988): This book features a cornucopia of jokes about monsters and other creatures such as mummies, vampires, and werewolves.
4. 4. Point Horror series (1986–2014): The Point Horror series was a young adult horror fiction series centering on a group of rotating high school protagonists. In 1986, he wrote his first book, a teen horror novel titled Blind Date, followed by novels like The Babysitter (1989)—which would go on to be a four-part series—The Girlfriend (1991), and Beach House (1992).
5. 5. Space Cadets series (1991–1992): This humor trilogy centers around a motley crew of clueless astronauts-in-training at the Space Academy, and contains three titles: Jerks in Training (1991), Losers in Space (1991), and Bozos On Patrol (1992).

The original Goosebumps book series contains 62 books, including multiple sequels for a variety of titles. Some of Bob’s classic Goosebumps titles include:

1. 1. Welcome to Dead House (1992): This title was the debut novel of the original Goosebumps book series, following a family that unwittingly moves into a mysterious and horrifying town full of zombies. This book was adapted into an episode of Goosebumps TV during the show’s second season in 1997.
2. 2. Stay Out of the Basement (1992): Stay Out of the Basement follows two children as they grow concerned about their father who has started to experiment with unusual plants in the basement. The television version of this story aired in 1996 during the first season of the Goosebumps TV series.
3. 3. Monster Blood (1992): A young boy taking care of his great aunt stumbles across a mysterious slime called “monster blood” which makes everything it touches grow monstrously in size. This story was adapted for television in 1996 during season two of the Goosebumps TV series.
4. 4. Say Cheese and Die! (1992): This novel follows a young boy who finds a strange, old camera, only to discover that terrible things will happen to whomever’s photo is taken with the camera. The corresponding TV episode debuted in 1996 during the first season of the Goosebumps TV series, and the story was followed up by the 44th book in the Goosebumps series, Say Cheese and Die—Again!.
5. 5. Night of the Living Dummy (1993): The first book of the Night of the Living Dummy saga introduces Slappy, a villainous ventriloquist dummy who can move and talk on his own. The Goosebumps TV series aired respective episodes for Night of the Living Dummy II and Night of the Living Dummy III in the first and second seasons.
6. 6. The Ghost Next Door (1993): A young girl meets her strange, mysterious neighbor who has suddenly appeared in the empty house next door. The Goosebumps TV episode for this title aired in 1998 during season four.
7. 7. The Haunted Mask (1993): This novel follows a young girl who tries on a mask at a Halloween store, only to find that it starts to change her and that she can’t remove it. The Haunted Mask Part I and The Haunted Mask Part II were the first two episodes of the Goosebumps TV series airing in 1995.

Bob has written a number of other Goosebumps titles that have spawned television spin-offs and collections. Some additional projects spun off from the Goosebumps series include:

1. 1. Goosebumps TV series (1995–1998): Each episode of the Goosebumps TV series was based on a different story from Bob’s popular horror series, with some stories appearing in multiple parts. The first episode of the Goosebumps TV series The Haunted Mask: Part I debuted days before Halloween in 1995, and the series ran for four seasons until 1998.
2. 2. Goosebumps HorrorLand Mini-Series (2009–2011): Bob’s love of Disney World led him to imagine an evil theme park and ultimately to come up with the idea for HorrorLand. This spin-off series includes dozens of titles including Revenge of the Living Dummy (2008), Slappy New Year! (2010), and Little Shop of Hamsters (2010).
3. 3. Goosebumps Hall of Horrors Mini-Series (2011–2012): A child narrates each installment of this six-book anthology mini-series, telling their story to the Story-Keeper at the Hall of Horrors in HorrorLand. Each story is a standalone tale, unlike the stories included in the original HorrorLand series. Some titles in this series include Claws! (2011) and Why I Quit Zombie School (2011).
4. 4. Give Yourself Goosebumps (1995–2000): This choose-your-own-adventure mini-series puts the reader in charge of the narrative, directing the reader to turn to specific pages depending on their choices. Some of the titles in this mini-series include Tick Tock, You’re Dead! (1995), Secret Agent Grandma (1997), and Elevator to Nowhere (1999).
5. 5. Goosebumps Most Wanted (2012–2016): Though it started as a standalone book—Goosebumps Wanted: The Haunted Mask (2013)—this Goosebumps series eventually spawned a series of subsequent titles like Planet of the Lawn Gnomes (2012), How I Met My Monster (2013), and A Nightmare on Clown Street (2015).
6. 6. Goosebumps SlappyWorld (2017–): These books feature familiar villainous ventriloquist dummy Slappy, as he narrates a series of scary stories such as Attack of the Jack! (2017), Please Don’t Feed the Weirdo (2018), and Escape From Shudder Mansion (2018).
7. 7. Tales to Give You Goosebumps (1994–1997): This collection of 10 short stories that were originally published in 1994, featuring titles like Teacher’s Pet and Strained Peas. There are five subsequent books in the Tales series, each with 10 short stories each.

Bob has written a variety of children’s books and young adult horror novels outside of the Goosebumps series, and has developed TV shows and films featuring both original content and adaptations of his existing written works.

1. 1. Eureka’s Castle (1989–1995): Bob developed the characters and served as head writer for the Nickelodeon children’s program Eureka’s Castle, which ran until 1995. The show followed a sorceress-in-training called Eureka—along with her friends—all living in her wind-up castle music box.
2. 2. Fear Street series (1989–): The Fear Street books feature an extensive collection of titles that have sold 80 million copies to date, each taking place in a town with one cursed street—Fear Street. The New Girl (1989) was the first novel in this series, followed by titles like The Wrong Number (1990), First Date (1992), and Bad Dreams (1994). The Fear Street series has spawned a number of spin-off book series including A Fear Street Novel, Return to Fear Street, Fear Street Cheerleaders, Fear Street Saga, Fear Street Super Chiller, and Fear Street Seniors.
3. 3. The Nightmare Room (2001–2002): This children’s horror fiction anthology centers around a series of common children’s nightmares that have come to life, like evil twins and monsters. The series includes titles like Liar, Liar, Camp Nowhere, and Scare School. A TV series of the same name debuted in 2001 and ran for two seasons.
4. 4. Rotten School (2005): Bob returned to his humorist roots for this funny novel follows the adventures of a group of children attending boarding school.
5. 5. Mostly Ghostly (2008): The first installment of the Mostly Ghostly film series is based on Bob’s novel Who Let the Ghosts Out? (2004), following an aspiring magician who discovers two ghosts in his closet and vows to help them find peace.
6. 6. The Haunting Hour (2010): The stories in this short story collection in this series were eventually turned into a Canadian-American TV series of the same name. The stories center around kids dealing with danger from classic horror scenarios like evil dolls, werewolves, and deranged clowns.

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