Line #2 Trivia/TheBabySittersClub


1	!!For the books:
2
3	* CreatorsFavorite:
4	** Kristy is the favorite character of Creator/AnnMMartin. She stated that Mary Anne is her AuthorAvatar and based on herself, while Kristy is based on her best friend Beth, and admits that the latter is her favorite character.
5	** The aforementioned best friend of Ann M. Martin, Beth Perkins, has three daughters named Gabbie, Myriah, and Laura like their fictional counterparts in the books. This also explains why the Perkins sisters are the only children in the series who are always described as amazing and never show any flaws.
6	* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: A good portion of the original series was out of print several times. An attempt was made at a reprint in TheNewTens but stopped at only a few books due to dismal sales. However, with the Netflix series' popularity boost and the graphic novels, the series is being reprinted with newer covers. It’s not just the main series either; the Little Sister, Mysteries, and Super Specials are also being released again. Many of the books are also available as e-books on various platforms.
7	* TheMerch:
8	** Calendars were released yearly from 1990 until 1994, as well as day planners for three years.
9	** A music album ''The Baby-Sitters Club: Songs for My Best Friends'' was released in the 90s; it included the ThemeTune from the [[Series/TheBabySittersClub1990 1990 series]].
10	** In 1991 Remco released two series series of [[Franchise/{{Barbie}} Skipper-sized]] dolls of all the club members, each paired with their "favorite" charge (a well known related baby-sitting charge, e.g. Stacey with Charlotte). Four of them with the charges later came in a deluxe party set, with the characters in party dresses.[[note]]Notably, this included Kristy and Karen, though Kristy is notorious for [[HatesWearingDresses hating dressing up]].[[/note]] A second set of 18" tall vinyl dolls were released by Kenner in 1993; each doll came with a miniature short story, and a second series including SixthRanger Abby was planned but not released. Kenner followed with their own set of Skipper-sized fashion dolls again which only included Kristy, Claudia, Stacey, and Mallory. Determined Productions also released a plush Karen Brewer doll.
11	* NoExportForYou: Approximately 50 books were never published in the United Kingdom after a redesign of the covers failed to revive flagging interest in the series. The last book to verifiably be released in the UK was ''Stacey the Maths Whiz'' (although due to the main series and the ''Mysteries'' series being released on different schedules, with the UK not being as far behind on the latter, several ''Mysteries'' books released after that in the US were printed in the UK).
12	* ScienceMarchesOn: With regard to Stacey's diabetes. Stacey is often described as snacking on pretzels while her fellow BSC members chow down on Claudia's hidden stores of sweet junk food. Nowadays, as opposed to in the late 1980s, doctors advise that pretzels are actually among the ''worst'' things for diabetics to eat, as they are typically made from refined white flour and thus have a very high glycemic load. Furthermore, for Type 1 diabetics (which is the type Stacey has), the advent of short-acting insulin has allowed a ''lot'' more freedom with diet, as long as they dose their insulin properly to compensate. Stacey would have to be deliberate about her snacking in a way the other girls aren't, because she would need to know exactly how much she ate in order to get the proper insulin dose, but she'd be able to enjoy treats as long as she exercises a little moderation. In addition, there are a lot more sugar-free and low-sugar versions of treats available, so there would also be things she could partake in even more freely. (In fact, in [[Series/TheBabySittersClub2020 the 2020 television adaptation]], Stacey has an insulin pump, and her refusing sweets initially is because she doesn't want anyone to see her messing with it the way she would have to in order to compensate for candy. In the adaptation of ''Kristy's Big Day'', by which point her diabetes is no longer a secret, she's enjoying the dessert buffet with the rest of the girls, and makes a comment about using her pump to keep up with it.)
13	* TechnologyMarchesOn: The earliest books were written in the mid-to-late 80's, and as such a few plot points just don't work well today (particularly in light of several books being adapted into graphic novels in TheNewTens, with almost no alterations to the stories).
14	** A big deal is always made of Claudia having her own phone line for them to use as the Babysitters Club number, which is why she's vice president; this really ''would'' have been, if not a big deal, at least notable at the time. Nowadays, most (if not all) of the girls would have cell phones. (This is averted in the graphic novels, where none of them have them, though their parents might.)
15	** Perhaps the most blatant single example is Jenny Prezzioso's illness in ''Mary Anne Saves the Day''; when she falls ill, Mary Anne is unable to get in contact with the Prezziosos (who are en route to a basketball game in another town), their neighbors, Jenny's doctor, ''or'' her own father. Needless to say, as plausible as this was at the time the book was published, cell phones would make a plot like this today all but impossible.
16	** [[Series/TheBabySittersClub2020 The 2020 television adaptation]] fixes these issues with the SettingUpdate, by having everyone use a mobile phone which lets them contact their clients this way when necessary; however, the adaptation still keeps a few elements (such as the club's iconic transparent phone) and changes the context of these to make them more plausible.
17	* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
18	** A spin-off series called ''Morbidda Destiny, Teen Witch'' (Kristy's neighbour whose nickname comes from Karen's vivid imagination) was considered, but scrapped when test audiences reacted poorly.
19	** Book 35, ''Stacey and the Mystery of Stoneybrook'', was originally supposed to be called ''Stacey and the New Kids on the Block'' and have a plot revolving around foster children. This was advertised around the time books 32-34 were being published. However, the title and plot were changed due to potential confusion over the [[Music/NewKidsOnTheBlock musical group]] of the same name, which had become very popular in the time from the planning of the book to the publication, and the foster children story was used in a later book, ''Kristy and the Worst Kid Ever''.
20	** A 18" Kenner doll was planned for Abby to match the other seven--with her dressed in an outfit similar to the one on the cover of her debut--but was never released.
21	* WorkingTitle:
22	** Book 43, ''Stacey's Emergency,'' was originally titled ''Stacey's Revenge''.
23	** Super Special Three, ''Baby-sitters' Winter Vacation,'' was originally titled ''Baby-sitters' Winter Carnival''.
24	** Book 26, ''Claudia and the Sad Good-Bye,'' was originally titled simply ''Claudia and Mimi''. At some point, the title was ''Claudia and the Death of Mimi'', which was probably scrapped for making the book sound particularly dark. (While it does take itself very seriously and is very emotional, the subject matter is treated carefully enough that it is still age-appropriate.)

Context Trivia / TheBabySittersClub