| ||
| General Information | ||
| First Appearance | The Magic School Bus at the Waterworks (1986) | |
| Catchphrase | "Come on, you weasly wimps!" "What are we gonna do? What are we gonna do? What are we gonna do?" "Yawnburger with a side of snores." | |
| Production Information | ||
| Voiced By | Lisa Yamanaka | |
Wanda Li is a fictional character on the animated children's series The Magic School Bus. She is voiced by Lisa Yamananka.
Background
Wanda is the boisterous tomboy of the class. She's always willing to jump into adventure and going where "no kid has gone before." Despite her tough exterior, she loves ballet, especially The Nutcracker. Her favorite singer is Molly Cule, and, like Ralphie, she loves sports. Despite appearing shorter than the others at times, she's the highest jumper in the class. In "Takes a Dive," she shows her love of pirates and desire to be one. She also has an interest in acting and aviation.
Storyline
Season One
Despite having told her he's no good under pressure, Wanda has Arnold try to break a gum chewing record for her in "For Lunch." Since she has a new filling, she can't do it herself, but she wants the prize for breaking the record: Two free tickets to Action Mountain. She has a pet bullfrog named Bella that she seems to spoil in "Hops Home," but Bella gets loose, and when Wanda finds that she's happy in her natural habitat, she leaves her there. She wins a class rot competition in "Meets the Rot Squad," her prize being a baby tree. She wants to plant it on an abandoned lot (which she plans to turn in to a park called "Wanda World"), but after touring the rotted log, she regrets calling Larry's Log Away.
Season Two
Wanda's love of flying and dream of being a pilot is shown in "Taking Flight." After hearing about a sea monster at the bottom of Walker Lake, she decides she must dive in to find it ("Ups and Downs"). As it turns out, it's a hoax created by local TV reporter, Gerri Poveri, much to her disappointment.
Season Three
In "In the Arctic," she mentions her hate for the cold. Instead of going on a field trip to a bridge being built, the class ends up shrunk in her house in "Under Construction" when her little brother William gets a hold of the shrinkerscope. She wishes recycling had never been invented in "Holiday Special" after her favorite toy soldier is accidentally recycled.
Season Four
When Wanda's favorite singer, Molly Cule, is in town, she proposes the class set up a car wash, as Molly gets her car cleaned before every show ("Meets Molly Cule"). She's thrilled to find out Molly and Ms. Frizzle are old friends. She wants to help Arnold find out why he's orange in "Goes Cellular," and in "Takes a Dive," she refuses to work in partners, wanting to go solo as a pirate during a treasure hunt.
Relatives
- Wanda's mother makes her first appearance in "Going Batty" but doesn't have a speaking part. She returns in "Ups and Downs" and "Under Construction." She's a science journalist and has a habit of keeping reptiles in the house, such as an alligator in the bathtub or a gila monster in the sandbox.
- Wanda also has a little brother named William, who's a toddler. While he can walk and (somewhat) talk, he's also in potty training and uses a bottle.
Trivia
- She's most often shown to be the shortest in the class.
- Her favorite singer is Molly Cule.
- When she has a Mallowblaster in her lunch, she "hogs it all for herself."
- She hates the cold weather.
- She has aspirations of becoming a pilot and an actress.
- She's the highest jumper in the class.
Gallery
