Arnold Perlstein

"Holy cow. Is it Arnold Schwarzenegger, an Austrian-American bodybuilder, actor and politician, or the late Arnold Palmer, an American world-famous golfer, or was it a Filipino newscaster working for GMA, Arnold Clavio? No! It's Arnold Perlstein, the only freckled, green-eyed, glasses-wearing kid who thinks and knows that he should've stayed home anytime when there was a dangerous field trip... be it here in Beacon Academy, or there in my village. Does this mean I think it means? I hope he's not always doomed after all."

--Su Ji-Hoon, Operation: Invasion Der Zukünftigen Akademie

Arnold Matthew Perlstein is a fictional character in the animated children's series The Magic School Bus and The Magic School Bus Rides Again. He is voiced by Amos Crawley in season one (1) of The Magic School Bus, Danny Tamberelli in seasons 2 (two)-4 (four) of The Magic School Bus and Miles Koseleci-Vieira in The Magic School Bus Rides Again.

In When the Cold Breeze Blows Away, he serves as a heavy weapons user of Team Magic School Bus, and despite being cowardly in the show, he is the bravest member of that team, thanks to Team RWBY.

He would wield an M249 light machine gun, an M240 machine gun, an M2 Browning machine gun, a McMillan TAC-50, a Mk 19 grenade launcher, a Panzerfaust 3, a Carl Gustaf recoilless rifle, an LLR 81mm, a Particle Cannon, an MP 40, a Flak Gun, a longsword, a Rocky Myrtenaster, a pair of Ember Frizzles, a Karabiner 98k, a KRISS Vector, a Beretta 93R, a Heckler & Koch MP7, and a SIG MPX.

If Miles Koseleci-Vleira hits puberty, there should be a replacement to voice him in a Korean drama version of When the Cold Breeze Blows Away.

Background/Personality
Arnold M. Perlstein is very cowardly and is always hoping for a normal field trip. He is very cautious and slightly superstitious but very intelligent. He has car sickness and slightly dislikes field trips as they may bring him out of his safe zone just to learn things. He has coulrophobia like the Seeker and enjoys the company of Liz, Wanda, and Valerie. He is always prejudicing Fiona's field trips, but sometimes he enjoys them. Arnold generally does not like Ms. Frizzle's field trips. Most of the time, he is usually an unwilling participant. Despite his usually timid moments and some nervous breakdowns, he has shown to be brave when he's needed to, and he's very loyal when it comes to his classmates, even taking up a leadership role a number of times. He has a huge interest in rocks and minerals and is the youngest member of an organization called GRANITE (the Great Rock Admirers' National Institute of Tectonics Experts). He also mentions an interest in colors. He has shown interest in conserving the environment, as he wanted to save the rotting log in a "Meets the Rot Squad" and have the class collect stuff for recycling in "Holiday Special."

Despite his dislike for the Friz's field trips, he does love having her as a teacher and deep down enjoys the adventures, but is too nervous to show it and he doesn't usually like surprises. He even stood in her defense when the class went on trial during "In a Pickle" and when his cousin Janet tried to show off and say that her teacher is better than his, Arnold interrupted her before she could finish and said that "nobody is better than Ms. Frizzle" during "Gets Lost in Space." This trait is seen better in The Magic School Bus Rides Again, as we see more of Arnold's character and he just likes to stay safe because of all the dangerous happenings, but deep down, he genuinely and deeply does care for his friends and teacher and enjoys a wonderfully wild ride on the Magic School Bus.

In When the Cold Breeze Blows Away, he now likes to fight in World War III, but he doesn't like being alone, and yet, he likes fighting along, even being alone. Also, he is more willing than what he was back then, and is more braver than ever. He is now less nervous and likes surprises too.

Appearances
Arnold wears round glasses, a yellow and white striped long sleeved shirt, blue jeans and navy and white sneakers.

His signature colors are yellow and blue.

In the new series of The Magic School Bus, The Magic School Bus Rides Again, Arnold's hair is straight, has green eyes, and wears more squarish glasses with dark frames, and a yellow shirt, a green sweater, blue jeans and brown work boots.

His new signature colors are green and blue.

In When the Cold Breeze Blows Away, he now wears a Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform (MCCUU) with a green-and-blue camouflage. He also wears a bonnie hat. Underneath the blouse, he has a light green crew-neck T-shirt.

Season One (The Magic School Bus)
Arnold introduces his cousin, Janet, to his class in a The Magic School Bus episode, "Gets Lost In Space," and he tries to keep the peace when Janet's arrogance sours the rest of the class. It's when Janet talks down on Ms. Frizzle that he shows his loyalty to his teacher and suggests a field trip to the "bigger" planetarium, showing Janet that "nobody is better than Ms. Frizzle." Arnold unknowingly eats the class in another The Magic School Bus episode, "For Lunch." He's happy to have stayed behind while the others go on a field trip, but after finding out where they went, he swears never to miss a field trip... at least, not until after the "next one" (Ms. Frizzle's dinosaur dress foreshadowing their next trip). He and Keesha find themselves in a difficult situation when they forget their partner report in another The Magic School Bus episode, "Gets Eaten." He loses Wanda's bullfrog, Bella, in "Hops Home" and tries to keep her out of harm when they look for Bella, as Wanda's too distracted to realize she's about to walk off of a tree or get swept down a river. In another The Magic School Bus episode, "Meets the Rot Squad," he tries to convince everyone to leave the rotted-out log on the abandoned lot the way it is. Everyone is shocked when he suggests a field trip to the desert in "All Dried Up" after Phoebe declares they need to help the animals there. He feels confident about the trip, thanks to his Field Trip Survival Guide.

Season Two (The Magic School Bus)
While on a field trip to a dinosaur dig in a The Magic School Bus episode "The Busasaurus," Dr. Carmina Skeledon lets Arnold see the fossilized egg Ms. Frizzle found. He still has it when they go back in time, and when he lets Phoebe look at it, she loses it to an ornithomimus. He ends up squaring off with a tyrannosaurus rex after Ms. Frizzle makes him giant-sized, saving the class. In another The Magic School Bus episode, "Butterfly and the Bog Beast," he's the only one not to side with Janet against Phoebe when the former suggests "Bog Beast" for the school mascot. His main reason is because he doesn't know what a bog beast is. He's caught by his crush, Tiffany, when he and Wanda get water from the girls' bathroom in another The Magic School Bus episode "Wet All Over." Despite the embarrassment, it's implied at the end that Tiffany likes him, too. He serves as Ms. Frizzle's defense attorney in another The Magic School Bus episode "In a Pickle." While in the bus' gas tank, Arnold says that he hates the smell of gasoline and was out on the engine telling the class what was going on while they were in the cylinder in The Magic School Bus episode "Revving Up."

Season Three (The Magic School Bus)
After losing the heat from his hot cocoa, Ms. Frizzle takes the class to the Arctic ("In the Arctic"). When Ralphie, Phoebe, Liz, and the bus get stranded on an ice flow, Arnold makes it his responsibility to save them while also trying to keep everyone else warm. He and Dorothy Ann compete in the 10th Annual International Show & Tell Competition in a The Magic School Bus episode, "Shows and Tells," but instead of bringing a rare collection of rocks, he brings some artifacts he found in his attic that belonged to his great-aunt, the famous archeologist Arizona Joan (a parody of the film character Indiana Jones). In another The Magic School Bus episode, "Rocks and Rolls," he fears that the statue he was supposed to carve (not by hand) is ruined, but instead, the rock slide the class caused on the side of a mountain carves a monument of the town founder. For the class' last day before winter break in another The Magic School Bus episode "Holiday Special," Arnold made the suggestion they collect recycled goods to take to the recycling center. He accidentally puts Wanda's beloved toy soldier in the pile, causing her to blame his "crummy idea" and wish that recycling had never been invented.

Season Four (The Magic School Bus)
Ralphie teases Arnold in "Meets Molly Cule" after the famous rock star, Molly Cule, calls him "Sugar," this caused Arnold to blush. However, this is what helps him figure out that her hood ornament was made of sugar. In a The Magic School Bus episode, "Cracks a Yolk," Arnold helps hatch the chick the class planned to replace Mr. Ruhle's lost rooster, Giblets, and the success prompts Dorothy Ann to kiss him. When Giblets returns, Mr. Rhule gives the chick to Dorothy Ann and Arnold, the latter suggesting they name it "Arnold Jr." In another The Magic School Bus episode, "Goes Cellular," he's completely orange on the night he's to receive GRANITE's Rocky Award. The class tries to compare his skin to Phoebe's, only to learn his favorite snack food made him turn orange. He's happy when Ms. Frizzle's electrician wants to buy all the light bulbs the class was trying to sell for Valentine's Day ("Gets Charged"). He becomes a fox along with Phoebe and Tim in another The Magic School Bus episode, "In the City," and he's partners with Phoebe in another The Magic School Bus episode, "Takes a Dive."

The Magic School Bus Rides Again
After a summer break, an "upgraded" Arnold is thriled to be back in Ms. Frizzle's class. He is delighted to see nothing has changed, except that his old friend Phoebe has went back to her old school and replacing her is Jyoti Kaur.

Arnold and the other students in Ms. Frizzle's science class give her a tour and explain how the "ecosystem" of their classroom is- perfectly balance, nothing to change it.

Soon a woman with red hair arrives and knows everybody's names, what they did over the summer, and their hobbies. Arnold is startled until Dorothy Ann explains that it's a totally different Frizzle. Arnold is very scared and asks where his old teacher is, and then Valerie appears and explains that Fiona is her younger sister and will be taking over, while she and her tamarin companion Goldie have adventures of their own. ("Frizzle of the Future")

Saving Beacon Academy
"Damn Nazis. They sure are hellish out there in Beacon Academy.​​​​​ I knew they should've stayed home today."

--Arnold Perlstein to himself about the Wehrmacht, Operation: Invasion Der Zukünftigen Akademie

When Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Yang Xiao Long and Blake Belladonna came to Walkerville Elementary School, along with 10 (ten) Space Marines, 15 (fifteen) Exeron fighters, 30 (thirty) Blasters, 25 (twenty-five) Atlas soldiers, an Atlas sergeant, Jaecob Abhel, 8 (eight) Battle Fortresses, 4 (four) Arctic Battle Fortresses, 17 (seventeen) Atlesian Knight-200s, 5 (five) Baneblades, 6 (six) D77-TC Pelicans, and 10 (ten) Atlesian airships, along with MERC and the Preschool Girls, Ruby told the whole of Ms. Frizzle class to join the Beacon War and save the academy.

When Fiona accepts what Team RWBY would say about the Beacon War and its happenings, she and her classmates bid farewell to Mr. Ruhle and they eventually get turned in their clothes into military uniforms, meaning they're ready for combat, despite still in their child ages.

Arnold Perlstein becomes even braver and braver, just as he said "no more Mr. Nice Arnold," because he wants to be braver and braver like his friends. Soon, when he gets dressed up as a soldier, he overcomes all the fears he would face, meaning that he and his classmates are not afraid to die at young age, meaning it'll be a great and honorable sacrifice for the Future Alliance and Beacon Academy.

Soon after the Beacon War, he, Ms. Frizzle and her own students eventually became minions to Yang Xiao Long, because of the Magic School Bus' color, and is rewarded with a pair of upgraded Ember Celicas, which are called Ember Frizzles, which are named after the Frizzle sisters, and sometimes, due to his German ancestry, he would wield a Rocky Myrtenaster, and work as Weiss Schnee's occasional minion and a member of the Schnee Wehrmacht.

Relatives

 * His parents first appear in a The Magic School Bus episode, "Going Batty," his father voiced by Elliott Gould. They make another appearance in two The Magic School Bus episodes, "Rocks and Rolls" and "Goes Cellular." Mr. Perlstein also appears in another The Magic School Bus episode, "Holiday Special." Arnold seems to take after his dad, since in the same The Magic School Bus episode, "Going Batty," he said "Maybe we should've stayed home tonight."
 * His only cousin is Janet. She's bossy, arrogant, and manipulative, the complete opposite of him.
 * His great-aunt is the famous archeologist Arizona Joan ("Shows and Tells").
 * In a The Magic School Bus book, The Magic School Bus to the Rescue: Forest Fire, he has an uncle named Alex, who is a firefighter at a national park.
 * He mentions his sick grandmother in a The Magic School Bus episode, "Holiday Special." Assuming because his mom is already with her, she's his maternal grandmother.

Etymology
Arnold means "brave eagle" in the Germanic elements, and Arnold is a coward (though he's braver than he's usually made out to be). The last name Perlstein means "pearl stone."

Trivia

 * His middle name, Matthew, is revealed in a The Magic School Bus book, Ms. Frizzle's Adventures: Medieval Castle.
 * His favorite color is orange, unless it's on his skin. ("Goes Cellular")
 * He is Jewish. ("Holiday Special")
 * Bruce Degen mentioned that a friend of his son's was the original model for Arnold.
 * Two things make him sneeze: pollen and pepper. ("Goes to Seed")
 * He loves the cold weather, mainly because this means he gets hot cocoa. ("In the Arctic")
 * The book The Magic School Bus Lost in the Solar System reveals that he weighs 85 (eighty-five) pounds (the boy needs to eat some meat, and yet, that's 38.5 [thirty-eight decimal kilograms] kilograms) when he did the fortune scale inserts. Phoebe also mentions he weighs 85 (eighty-five) pounds (That's 38.5 [thirty-eight decimal five] kilograms) in a The Magic School Bus CD-ROM, The Magic School Bus Explores the Human Body.
 * While crushes are only hinted at, he's had affection shown to him for and from four girls: Wanda ("For Lunch" (Arnold fantasised himself breaking a record and Wanda hugging him), "Holiday Special" (Wanda was Arnold's secret Santa), "Hops Home" (Arnold and Wanda teamed up), "Meets the Rot Squad" (Wanda imagined herself sitting under a tree with Arnold) and "Gets Charged" (Arnold and Wanda were cupids at the end of the Producer segment), Phoebe (The opening credits (Arnold held onto Phoebe's shoulders and Phoebe smiled as they were rafting a river of lava) "The Busasaurus" (Phoebe swooned over Arnold's bravery) and "Goes Cellular" (Phoebe helped Arnold when he was orange)), Tiffany ("Wet All Over" (Arnold helped Tiffany up and held hands with her at the end and blushed)), and even Dorothy Ann ("Gets Ready, Set, Dough" (Arnold hugged Dorothy Ann after she and Carlos got them out of the cake), "Shows and Tells" (They were supposed to do a show and tell together, but Arnold managed to do it without Dorothy's help, and they held the trophy upon winning the Show and Tell competition) and "Cracks a Yolk" (Dorothy Ann kissed Arnold out of gratitude and he proceeded to blush).
 * He's the only main kid to have been kissed by another kid around his age. The kiss he received was from Dorothy Ann.
 * While he's cautious and nervous about field trips, he hasn't had a phobia revealed, unlike Carlos and Phoebe.
 * He flew on an eagle. ("Taking Flight")
 * He's been shown to be a big eater with Cheezy Weezies, Sea Wheedies, and Mallowblasters being among his favorite snacks.
 * It's possible he had some fight lessons, considering the boxing stance and martial arts he uses in "The Busasaurus."
 * In When the Cold Breeze Blows Away, he is also trained by Yang Xiao Long to have fight lessons too, along with firing shotgun shells from his wrists, because they both have shotgun shells fired on their wrists.
 * He hates the way gasoline smells. ("Revving Up")
 * In the TV show and books involving The Magic School Bus, Arnold has red hair, but in other media involving The Magic School Bus, such as games and artwork, he has blonde hair. The same applies to his cousin Janet.
 * He is mentioned a lot of times in the producer segments.
 * In the Spanish dub is name is Arnoldo. In the German, his name is Andy.
 * He and Tim are the only main kids in the original series to have had their voice actors changed in the 2nd (second) season. Arnold had been voiced by Amos Crawley in the 1st (first) season. He was voiced by Danny Tamberelli in the 2nd (second)-4th (fourth) seasons due to Amos going through puberty after production for the 1st (first) season ended and sometime before the 2nd (second) season was in voice production, Amos' voice was already too deep for him to continue voicing Arnold. The difference between the 2 (two) voices is Amos is Canadian, and Danny is American.
 * In the last few episodes of the original series, Arnold's voice was noticeably getting deeper and nearly teenager-like despite being 8 (eight)-9 (nine) like everyone else in his class. The reason for this is because Danny was starting to go through puberty at the time.
 * It's been strangely known for quite some times over the years that fans believe that Arnold bears a strong resemblance to an older character of another TV show named Wheeler from Cartoon Network's Captain Planet.
 * In a The Magic School Bus episode, "Goes Cellular," Arnold's eyes were shown to be brown, but in The Magic School Bus Rides Again, they're green.