R. L. Stine
Robert Lawrence Stine, sometimes known as Jovial Bob Stine and Eric Affabee, is an American novelist, short story writer, television producer, screenwriter, and executive editor.
Stine has been referred to as the "Stephen King of children's literature" and is the author of hundreds of horror fiction novels, including the books in the Fear Street, Goosebumps, Rotten School, Mostly Ghostly, and The Nightmare Room series. Some of his other works include a Space Cadets trilogy, two Hark gamebooks, and dozens of joke books. As of 2008, Stine's books have sold over 400 million copies.
Early life
Stine was born on October 8, 1943 in Columbus, Ohio, the son of Lewis Stine, a shipping clerk, and Anne Feinstein. He grew up in Bexley, Ohio. He comes from a Jewish family. He began writing at age nine, when he found a typewriter in his attic, subsequently beginning to type stories and joke books. according to the documentary Tales from the Crypt: From Comic Books to Television, R.L. Stine said that he remembered reading the popular/infamous Tales from the Crypt comic books when he was young and credited as one of his inspirations. He graduated from Ohio State University in 1965 with a Bachelor of Arts in English. While at OSU, R. L. Stine edited the OSU humor magazine The Sundial for three out of his four years there. He later moved to New York City to pursue his career as a writer.Career
Stine wrote dozens of humor books for kids under the name Jovial Bob Stine and created the humor magazine Bananas. Bananas was for teenagers published by Scholastic Press for 72 issues between 1975 and 1984, plus various "Yearbooks" and paperback books. Stine was editor and responsible for much of the writing. Recurring features included "Hey – Lighten Up!", "It Never Fails!", "Phone Calls", "Joe", "Phil Fly", "Don't You Wish...", "Doctor Duck", "The Teens of Ferret High", "First Date", and "Ask Doctor Si N. Tific".In 1986, Stine wrote his first horror novel, called Blind Date. He followed with many other novels, including The Babysitter, Beach House, Hit and Run, and The Girlfriend. He was also the co-creator and head writer for the Nickelodeon children's television series Eureeka's Castle, original episodes of which aired as part of the Nick Jr. programming block during the 1989–1995 seasons.
In 1989, Stine started writing Fear Street books. Before launching the Goosebumps series, Stine authored three humorous science fiction books in the Space Cadets series titled Jerks in Training, Bozos on Patrol, and Losers in Space. In 1992, Stine and Parachute Press went on to launch Goosebumps.
Also produced was a Goosebumps TV series that ran for four seasons from 1995–1998 and three video games; Escape from HorrorLand, Attack of the Mutant and Goosebumps HorrorLand. In 1995, Stine's first novel targeted at adults, called Superstitious, was published. He has since published three other adult-oriented novels: The Sitter, Eye Candy, and Red Rain.
In the first decade of the 21st century, Stine worked on installments of five different book series, Mostly Ghostly, Rotten School, Fear Street, The Nightmare Room, Goosebumps Horrorland and the stand-alone novels Dangerous Girls and The Taste of Night. Also, a direct-to-DVD movie '. Starring Emily Osment, the film was released by Universal Home Entertainment on September 4, 2007 and was successful enough to spawn a spin-off, anthology, TV series '
In 2014, Stine brought the Fear Street books back to life with his novel Party Games. The release of the Fear Street novel Give Me a K-I-L-L took place in 2017. Jack Black portrayed a fictionalized version of Stine in the 2015 film Goosebumps, while Stine himself made a cameo appearance in the film, playing a teacher named "Mr. Black". In the film's sequel, , Stine had another cameo, as Principal Harrison, while Black reprised his role as Stine in several scenes.
Awards and recognition
According to Forbes List of the 40 best-paid Entertainers of 1996–97, Stine placed 36th with an income of $41 million for the fiscal year. His books have sold over 400 million copies worldwide as of 2008, landing on many bestseller lists. In three consecutive years during the 1990s, USA Today named Stine as America's number one best-selling author.Among the awards he has received are the 2002 Champion of Reading Award from the Free Public Library of Philadelphia, the Disney Adventures Kids' Choice Award for Best Book-Mystery/Horror and the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. During the 1990s, Stine was listed on People Weeklys "Most Intriguing People" list, and in 2003, the Guinness Book of World Records named Stine as the best-selling children's book series author of all time. He won the Thriller Writers of America Silver Bullet Award in 2007, and the Horror Writers Association's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014. His stories have even inspired R. L. Stine's Haunted Lighthouse, 4D movie-based attractions at SeaWorld and Busch Gardens.
Personal life
On June 22, 1969, Stine married Jane Waldhorn, an editor and writer who later co-founded Parachute Press in 1983. The couple's only child, Matthew works in the music industry.Original series
''Space Cadets''
- Jerks-in-Training
- Losers in Space
- Bozos on Patrol
''Goosebumps''
''Goosebumps Series 2000''
- Cry of the Cat
- Bride of the Living Dummy
- Creature Teacher
- Invasion of the Body Squeezers, Part I
- Invasion of the Body Squeezers, Part II
- I Am Your Evil Twin
- Revenge R Us
- Fright Camp
- Are You Terrified Yet?
- Headless Halloween
- Attack of the Graveyard Ghouls
- Brain Juice
- Return to HorrorLand
- Jekyll and Heidi
- Scream School
- The Mummy Walks
- The Werewolf in the Living Room
- Horrors of the Black Ring
- Return to Ghost Camp
- Be Afraid – Be Very Afraid!
- The Haunted Car
- Full Moon Fever
- Slappy's Nightmare
- Earth Geeks Must Go!
- Ghost in the Mirror
''Give Yourself Goosebumps''
- Escape from the Carnival of Horrors
- Tick Tock, You're Dead!
- Trapped in Bat Wing Hall
- The Deadly Experiments of Dr. Eeek
- Night in Werewolf Woods
- Beware of the Purple Peanut Butter
- Under the Magician's Spell
- The Curse of the Creeping Coffin
- The Knight in Screaming Armor
- Diary of a Mad Mummy
- Deep in the Jungle of Doom
- Welcome to the Wicked Wax Museum
- Scream of the Evil Genie
- The Creepy Creations of Professor Shock
- Please Don't Feed the Vampire!
- Secret Agent Grandma
- Little Comic Shop of Horrors
- Attack of the Beastly Baby-sitter
- Escape from Camp Run-for-Your-Life
- Toy Terror: Batteries Included
- The Twisted Tale of Tiki Island
- Return to the Carnival of Horrors
- Zapped in Space
- Lost in Stinkeye Swamp
- Shop Till You Drop...Dead!
- Alone in Snakebite Canyon
- Checkout Time at the Dead-End Hotel
- Night of a Thousand Claws
- Invaders from the Big Screen
- You're Plant Food!
- The Werewolf of Twisted Tree Lodge
- It's Only a Nightmare
- It Came from the Internet
- Elevator to Nowhere
- Hocus-Pocus Horror
- Ship of Ghouls
- Escape from Horror House
- Into the Twister of Terror
- Scary Birthday to You
- Zombie School
- Danger Time
- All-Day Nightmare
''Give Yourself Goosebumps Special Edition''
- Into the Jaws of Doom
- Return to Terror Tower
- Trapped in the Circus of Fear
- One Night in Payne House
- The Curse of the Cave Creatures
- Revenge of the Body Squeezers
- Trick or...Trapped!
- Weekend at Poison Lake
''Fear Street''
- The New Girl
- The Surprise Party
- The Overnight
- Missing
- The Wrong Number
- The Sleepwalker
- Haunted
- Halloween Party
- The Stepsister
- Ski Weekend
- The Fire Game
- Lights Out
- The Secret Bedroom
- The Knife
- The Prom Queen
- First Date
- The Best Friend
- The Cheater
- Sunburn
- The New Boy
- The Dare
- Bad Dreams
- Double Date
- The Thrill Club
- One Evil Summer
- The Mind Reader
- Wrong Number 2
- Truth or Dare
- Dead End
- Final Grade
- Switched
- College Weekend
- The Stepsister 2
- What Holly Heard
- The Face
- Secret Admirer
- The Perfect Date
- The Confession
- The Boy Next Door
- Night Games
- Runaway
- Killer's Kiss
- All-Night Party
- The Rich Girl
- Cat
- Fear Hall: The Beginning
- Fear Hall: The Conclusion
- Who Killed The Homecoming Queen?
- Into The Dark
- Best Friend 2
- Trapped
- Party Games
- Don't Stay Up Late
- The Lost Girl
- Fear Street Super Thriller: Party Games & Don't Stay Up Late
''New Fear Street''
- The Stepbrother
- Camp Out
- Scream, Jennifer, Scream!
- The Bad Girl
''Fear Street Super Chiller''
- Party Summer
- Silent Night
- Goodnight Kiss
- Broken Hearts
- Silent Night 2
- The Dead Lifeguard
- Cheerleaders: The New Evil
- Bad Moonlight
- The New Year's Party
- Goodnight Kiss 2
- Silent Night 3
- High Tide
- Cheerleaders: The Evil Lives!
''Cheerleaders''
- The First Evil
- The Second Evil
- The Third Evil
- The New Evil
- The Evil Lives!
''The Fear Street Saga Trilogy''
- The Betrayal
- The Secret
- The Burning
''99 Fear Street: The House of Evil''
- The First Horror
- The Second Horror
- The Third Horror
''Cataluna Chronicles''
- The Evil Moon
- The Dark Secret
- The Deadly Fire
''Fear Park''
- The First Scream
- The Loudest Scream
- The Last Scream
''[Fear Street Sagas]''
- A New Fear
- House of Whispers
- Forbidden Secrets
- The Sign of Fear
- The Hidden Evil
- Daughters of Silence
- Children of Fear
- Dance of Death
- Heart of the Hunter
- The Awakening Evil
- Circle of Fire
- Chamber of Fear
- Faces of Terror
- One Last Kiss
- Door of Death
- The Hand of Power
''Fear Street Seniors''
- Let's Party
- In Too Deep
- The Thirst
- No Answer
- Last Chance
- The Gift
- Fight Team, Fight
- Sweetheart, Evil Heart
- Spring Break
- Wicked
- The Prom Date
- Graduation Day
''Fear Street Nights''
- Moonlight Secrets
- Midnight Games
- Darkest Dawn
''[Ghosts of Fear Street]''
- Hide and Shriek
- Who's Been Sleeping in My Grave?
- The Attack of the Aqua Apes
- Nightmare in 3-D
- Stay Away from the Tree House
- Eye of the Fortuneteller
- Fright Knight
- The Ooze
- Revenge of the Shadow People
- The Bugman Lives!
- The Boy Who Ate Fear Street
- Night of the Werecat
- How to Be a Vampire
- Body Switchers from Outer Space
- Fright Christmas
- Don't Ever Get Sick at Granny's
- House of a Thousand Screams
- Camp Fear Ghouls
- Three Evil Wishes
- Spell of the Screaming Jokers
- The Creature from Club Lagoona
- Field of Screams
- Why I'm Not Afraid of Ghosts
- Monster Dog
- Halloween Bugs Me!
- Go to Your Tomb – Right Now!
- Parents from the 13th Dimension
- Hide and Shriek II
- The Tale of the Blue Monkey
- I Was a Sixth-Grade Zombie
- Escape of the He-Beast
- Caution: Aliens at Work
- Attack of the Vampire Worms
- Horror Hotel Pt. 1: The Vampire Checks in
- Horror Hotel Pt. 2: Ghost in the Guest Room
- The Funhouse of Dr. Freek
''[Mostly Ghostly]''
- Who Let the Ghosts Out?
- Have You Met My Ghoulfriend?
- One Night in Doom House
- Little Camp of Horrors
- Ghouls Gone Wild
- Let's Get This Party Haunted!
- Freaks and Shrieks
- Don't Close Your Eyes!
''Rotten School''
- The Big Blueberry Barf-Off!
- The Great Smelling Bee
- The Good, the Bad and the Very Slimy
- Lose, Team, Lose!
- Shake, Rattle and Hurl!
- The Heinie Prize
- Dudes, the School is Haunted!
- The Teacher from Heck
- Party Poopers
- The Rottenest Angel
- Punk'd and Skunked
- Battle of the Dum Diddys
- Got Cake?
- Night of the Creepy Things
- Calling All Birdbrains
- Dumb Clucks
''The Nightmare Room''
- Don't Forget Me!
- Locker 13
- My Name is Evil
- Liar Liar
- Dear Diary, I'm Dead
- They Call Me Creature
- The Howler
- Shadow Girl
- Camp Nowhere
- Full Moon Halloween
- Scare School
- Visitors
''The Nightmare Room Thrillogy''
- Fear Games
- What Scares You the Most?
- No Survivors
''Goosebumps HorrorLand''
- Welcome to HorrorLand: A Survival Guide
- Revenge of the Living Dummy
- Creep from the Deep
- Monster Blood for Breakfast!
- The Scream of the Haunted Mask
- Dr. Maniac vs. Robby Schwartz
- Who's Your Mummy?
- My Friends Call Me Monster
- Say Cheese – And Die Screaming!
- Welcome to Camp Slither
- Help! We Have Strange Powers!
- Escape from HorrorLand
- The Streets of Panic Park
- When the Ghost Dog Howls
- Little Shop of Hamsters
- Heads, You Lose!
- Weirdo Halloween
- The Wizard Of Ooze
- Slappy's New Year!
- The Horror at Chiller House
- Claws!
- Night of Giant Everything
- The Five Masks of Dr. Screem
- Why I Quit Zombie School
- Don't Scream!
- The Birthday Party of No Return
''[Goosebumps Most Wanted]''
- Son of Slappy
- Planet of the Lawn Gnomes
- How I Met My Monster
- Frankenstein's Dog
- Dr. Maniac Will See You Now
- Creature Teacher: The Final Exam
- A Nightmare on Clown Street
- Zombie Halloween
- The 12 Screams of Christmas
''Hark''
- The Badlands of Hark
- The Invaders of Hark
''Dangerous Girls''
Stand-alone novels
- The Adventures of Shrinkman
- The Beast
- The Beast 2
- Curtains
- Eye Candy
- It's the First Day of School...Forever!
- A Midsummer Night's Scream
- Phone Calls
- Red Rain
- The Sitter
- Superstitious
- Three Faces of Me
- When Good Ghouls Go Bad
- Zombie Town
Anthologies
- Beware!
- The Haunting Hour
- The Nightmare Hour
- Tales to Give You Goosebumps
- More Tales to Give You Goosebumps
- Even More Tales to Give You Goosebumps
- Still More Tales to Give You Goosebumps
- More and More Tales to Give You Goosebumps
- More and More and More Tales to Give You Goosebumps
- Goosebumps Triple Header, Book 1
- Goosebumps Triple Header, Book 2
Short stories
- "The Spell"
- "Dead of Night"
- "The Head Start"
- "Lucky at Cards"
- "The Kid Behind the Door"
- "The Terror After School"
- "Do Some Damage!"
- "Curse of the Smiling Mummy"
- "Can You Keep a Secret?"
- "The Vampire Club"
- "My Worst Nightmare"
- "The Wrong Room"
Non-fiction and Jovial Bob Stine books
- 101 Vacation Jokes
- 101 Wacky Kid Jokes
- 101 Silly Monster Jokes
- The Absurdly Silly Encyclopaedia and Fly Swatter
- Amazing Adventure of Me, Myself and I
- Blips: The First Book of Videogame Funnies
- Cool Kids' Guide to Summer Camp
- Doggone Dog Joke Book
- Don't Stand in the Soup
- How to Be Funny
- It Came From Ohio!: My Life As A Writer
- Miami Mice
- Pork and Beans: Play Date
- The Sick of Being Sick Book
- You Know It's Going to Be A Long School Year When...
- My Secret Identity
- Pigs' Book of World Records
- Jovial Bob's Computer Joke Book
Movie novelizations
- Ghostbusters II Storybook
- Spaceballs: The Book
- Big Top Pee-Wee
Zachary Blue books
- The Jet Fighter Trap
- The Protectors: The Petrova Twist
Picture books
- Gnasty Gnomes
Comic books
- Man-Thing
Contributions to other series
Crosswinds
- Broken Date
- How I Broke Up With Ernie
Masters of the Universe
- Demons of the Deep
Twist-a-plot
- The Time Raider
- Golden Sword of Dragonwalk
- Horrors of the Haunted Museum
- Instant Millionaire
Find Your Fate
- Indiana Jones and the Curse of Horror Island
- Indiana Jones and the Giants of the Silver Tower
- Indiana Jones and the Cult of the Mummy's Crypt
- James Bond in Win, Place or Die
- Indiana Jones and the Ape Slaves of Howling Island
Find Your Fate Junior: Golden Girl
- Golden Girl and the Vanishing Unicorn
Wizards, Warriors and You
- The Forest of Twisted Dreams
- The Siege of the Dragonriders
- Challenge of the Wolf Knight
- The Dragon Queen's Revenge
- Cavern of the Phantoms
- Attack on the King
G.I. Joe: Find Your Fate
- Operation: Star Raider
- Operation: Deadly Decoy
- Operation: Mindbender
- Serpentor and the Mummy Warrior
[G.I. Joe]
- Siege of Serpentor
- Jungle Raid
Horror High
- Fatal Kiss
- Grave Intentions
- Deadly Rumours
Point Horror
- Blind Date
- Twisted
- The Babysitter
- Beach Party
- The Boyfriend
- The Babysitter II
- The Girlfriend
- The Snowman
- Beach House
- Hit and Run
- The Hitchhiker
- Halloween Night
- The Babysitter III
- The Dead Girlfriend
- Call Waiting
- Halloween Night II
- I Saw You That Night!
- The Witness
- The Babysitter IV
Explanatory notes