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| General Information | ||
| First Appearance | The Magic School Bus in the Time of Dinosaurs (1994) | |
| Catchphrase | Jokes and puns | |
| Production Information | ||
| Voiced By | Daniel DeSanto (Seasons 1-4)
Daniel Schade (Back to the School Bus!) | |
Carlos Ramon was a fictional character on the animated children's series The Magic School Bus. He is voiced by Daniel DeSanto.
Carlos first appeared in the pilot episode of "The Magic School Bus." He was a series regular for most of the series. However, in the revival musical "Back to the School Bus," which takes place in a semi-alternate universe, Carlos is killed by a rogue lawnmower. However, his ghost continues to guide the other children in their journey to fight against lawnmowers.
Background
Carlos is the class clown who is always known for making a pun or joke about the situation they are in. He is a hands-on learner, preferring to invent different devices rather than learn from a book, making him something of a foil to Dorothy Ann. He tends to tell bad jokes and puns, which causes the class to groan "Carlos!" in annoyance.
Story line
Season One
Carlos unintentionally drives Phoebe to start her own activist group called Students Against Desert Scarcity in "All Dried Up" after he goes on about how any animals in the desert would be suffering in the heat and from a lack of food and water. He tries to convince her through the whole trip that the animals are doing fine without her, but it's not until after a flood that she realizes he was right. In "In the Haunted House," he builds an instrument for the class' concert at the Sound Museum, but unfortunately, it sounds "ploopy." Once he figures out what's making it sound that way, he makes it sound right. He leads the rest of the class in baking a cake for Ms. Frizzle in "Gets Ready, Set, Dough." He and Phoebe butt heads once again, somewhat, in "Goes to Seed." He's irritated with her for not having a plant in her class garden plot, as they're supposed to get their photo taken to be on the cover of Plant It! magazine (and "get famous").
Season Two
Upon hearing that there's a new island that had yet to be discovered, Carlos and Dorothy Ann race to see who can discover it first ("Blows Its Top"). He's convinced in "The Busasaurus" that dinosaurs are "the biggest and meanest animals that ever lived!" He'd love to see the "fighting and slaughtering," but he changes his tune when Arnold and Phoebe are missing, now paranoid that "the dinos did them in!" His brother, Mikey, makes his first appearance in "Getting Energized" when he calls him to help the class get their ride at the fair to work. === ===
[[Makes a Rainbow|
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Season Three
Carlos reveals he has arachnophobia in "Spins a Web," which Phoebe helps him overcome. He butts heads with Dorothy Ann (again) in "Makes a Rainbow" when they get into a fight over color.
Season Four
Carlos gets the opportunity to debate in town hall over the proposal of a new mega mall in "Gets Swamped." He wants to argue for the mall, but he loses a coin toss to Janet, so now he has to argue against the mall. In "Makes a Stink," he tries to find the perfect scent for the class to present to Flora Whiff, a smell expert, but the mothball he brings is accidentally crushed by Janet. Mikey makes his second appearance in "Gets Programed" when Carlos asks for his help getting Mr. Rhule's new computer set up.
Back to the School Bus!
Carlos is one of the most important characters in the 2017 spin-off musical Back to the School Bus! In the musical, he accompanies his friends on a field trip to the 1950's, where they observe the suburban landscape. He does little other than observe during the first act; however, at the end of the act, while the teacher argues with one of the 1950's suburban adults, Carlos wanders off and is killed by a lawnmower.
Carlos' tragic death spurns an awakening in the class, and they decide that lawns and their capitalistic connotations are evil, as their friend would still be alive without them. They vow to avenge their friends once they return to the 1980's, however, they have no idea how to return home. After several songs of searching, the ghost of Carlos, who has magically aged 20 years so as to make him wiser, arrives, dressed as the Phantom of the Opera. He takes the children and their teacher home in his boat, then promptly returns to the underworld.
Relatives
- His father is shown in "Going Batty." Much like his son, he makes terrible puns, which cause the other parents to groan, "Mr. Ramon!" His mother was never mentioned or seen. It's possible that Carlos gets his sense of humor from his father.
- Mikey is his paraplegic younger brother. He's shown to be something of a genius, building inventions and contraptions much like Carlos.
Trivia
- His first appearance is in the 1994 book The Magic School Bus in the Time of Dinosaurs. He and Keesha are the only two of the TV series' class not to have been introduced in the first two books.
- The first coin flip he ever lost was to Janet ("Gets Swamped").
- He and his antics became the subject of an internet meme, with screen caps, image macros and/or photo-shopped images from the show being used in association with word play humor on 4chan and several other sites.[1]
- Carlos did not say any puns in "Revving Up " or in "In The Arctic".
