B Movies Blog

Hello, Movie Mavens! Welcome back to the B Movies Blog. Today, we’re popping The Baby-Sitters Club into the ol’ VCR. 

Along with Sweet Valley High, The Baby-Sitters Club was another big part of my childhood. I loved the series and the movie, and I can’t tell you how many of the books I read. 

I LOVED the reboot series they created as well, and I definitely believe it was prematurely canceled, as does its creator, Rachel Shukert. 

If you aren’t familiar with The Baby-Sitters Club, it follows, well, The Baby-Sitters Club (BSC) as the girls navigate divorced parents, diabetes, and other difficulties of growing up. Additionally, they serve as the go-to babysitters for parents around the area. Each book focuses on a different member of the group, and its core founding members include: 

• Kristy Thomas 
• Mary Anne Spier
• Claudia Kishi 
• Stacey McGill 

However, as with all good series, the group soon expands to include a rotating cast of characters like: 

• Dawn Schafer 
• Mallory Pike 
• Jessi Ramsey 
• Logan Bruno 
• Shannon Kilbourne 
• Abby Stevenson 

My personal favorite is, and will always be, Claudia. As a fellow creative (barf), I feel a kinship with her. Also, Claudia always had the COOLEST clothes. 

I digress. 

The BSC (yeah, you know me) can be best broken down into four categories: The Books, The Original Series, The Movie, and The Reboot. 

The Books 

The BSC was written by Ann M. Martin, with the first book being released in 1986. The amount of novels written by Ann M. Martin herself seems to be a little conflicting, but it looks like the first 35 were all her. She may have also written up to 60-80 between 1986 and 2000. Then, much like a lot of our favorite beloved series, ghost writers were brought in to keep the series going.

Ann M. Martin seems to keep her personal life private, but it does appear that she’s queer, and I think that’s something really awesome to highlight. 

The Original Series

The original BSC series only lasted for one season, and I’m honestly SHOOK. My childhood brain remembers a million episodes, not a measly 13. But, I think that speaks to the impact this series had on me as a kid. 

Now, I wasn’t around when The BSC originally aired back in 1990, but you best believe I watched reruns whenever they were on. The original series even managed to end with, you guessed it, a very special episode where they reflect on their friendship. Yes, I’m serious. 

Currently, the original series isn’t available to stream, but I have good news! All of the episodes are available on YouTube, and the quality is actually top-notch. 

Video source: RiseOfTheFullMoon

The Movie 

Now, let’s move into one of the most iconic pieces of The BSC’s lore, the 1995 movie. I can’t tell you what I’d give to have my original clamshell copy. Moving on. 

The movie most notably stars Rachel Leigh Cook as Mary Anne, Larisa Olyenik as Dawn, and features Marla Sokoloff as Cokie because it was the mid-90s, so we had to throw these three in the mix. They even bagged Ellen Burstyn, which is wild. 

The movie definitely takes some creative liberties, but I love it because it fits perfectly in the coming-of-age 90s subgenre we’ve all come to know and appreciate. Additionally, the core characters are all represented, so I’ll take it. The BSC movie is available to watch on Starz, and I recommend checking it out if you need a good dose of nostalgia. 

HOWEVER, there’s a problematic storyline where one of the girls likes/kind of dates a 17-year-old until he finds out her real age, so proceed with caution. 

Video source: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

The Reboot 

I was so stoked when a reboot of The BSC was announced. Y’all have no idea. And, honestly, I think this series is wonderful. It does an excellent job of introducing kids/a younger audience to hard topics like divorce and death. It also does a really good job of introducing LGBTQIA+ characters. These episodes are a great jumping off point for dialogues, IMO. I also cried multiple times throughout the series, but that’s neither here nor there. 

I was SO BUMMED to learn that Netflix had pulled the plug, but I am grateful for the seasons we have. I’d definitely recommend binging this series if you haven’t already. Just start preparing yourself for “Claudia and the Sad Goodbye” NOW. 

Video source: Netflix After School