Goosebumps is a children’s horror book series written by author R.L. Stine. The series started with Welcome to Dead House and has sold over 350 million different copies printed in several languages. Given the fact that author R.L. Stine published seven prominent Goosebumps series, how many books are there?
There are a total of 240 Goosebumps books in existence. Most of these books contain horror stories for kids, while some are related to the author, his life, and how the Goosebumps series came into existence.
In this article, we’ll dive deeper into the various Goosebumps series and pinpoint exactly how many books were published in each.
Goosebumps Through the Years
The first Goosebumps book was published back in 1992, and after receiving overwhelmingly positive feedback from his fans, R.L. Stine decided to continue writing children’s stories that would give kids the chills.
Over the years, Stine managed to publish around 14 different Goosebumps series, some of which weren’t horror stories but a closer look at the author’s life. Here’s the list of all the Goosebumps series, what they’re about, and the number of books in each.
1. Goosebumps (The Classics)
No. of Books: 62
The Goosebumps series kicked off with a collection of books Stine wrote between 1992 and 1997. Most of these were out of print by the 2000s, but Scholastic decided to reprint a few and issue them with updated covers.
Stine was initially hired to write six scary books, but the rapid success of this series inspired him to write more for his clamoring fans. He ended up writing a total of 62 stories in the years that followed.
2. Tales To Give You Goosebumps
No. of Books: 6
This collection of Goosebumps books was written around the same time as the classics, and there were a total of six short-story books produced during this time.
The Tales To Give You Goosebumps series consists of six books with ten short stories in each book. However, unlike the previous series, R.L. Stine wasn’t the original author of all six books, and many of the stories were ghostwritten by other children’s book authors.
3. Give Yourself Goosebumps
No. of Books: 50
Anyone who grew up reading this series remembers the catchy slogan:
Reader Beware, You Choose The Scare!
The Give Yourself Goosebumps series was perhaps one of the most innovative story ideas of its time as the books were more interactive, and readers were allowed to choose their adventure. The main character (you) is provided with choices throughout the book, and each option takes the reader through various storylines, each with its own ending.
4. Goosebumps Presents
No. of Books: 19
Most of the books in this Goosebumps series were repeats of the classic series with a twist. Some books that were turned into episodes were re-released in this series with pictures interspersed through the story. However, the stories weren’t altered in any way.
5. Goosebumps Series 2000
No. of Books: 26
This collection of books was the first Goosebumps series where the words on the front, including ‘Goosebumps,’ ‘R.L. Stine’, and the name of the story were printed in raised print. This series also didn’t have a synopsis of the book on the back cover but rather an excerpt from one of the chapters. Unfortunately, the series was abruptly canceled due to a dispute with Scholastic.
6. Goosebumps Horrorland
No. of Books: 25
This series became especially popular because it began in early 2008, nearly a decade after Stine released the last Goosebumps books. The best part is that this series was loosely based on one of the original books, Welcome to Horrorland, and it was the first time that villains and characters from the other books were carried over.
The Horrorland series also contains two books that don’t have any stories. One is a survival guide for when you’re in Horrorland, and the other is an author’s challenge to young readers to write their scary endings for some of his stories.
7. Goosebumps: Most Wanted
No. of Books: 14
The Most Wanted series was described by Stine as a new take on terror and was launched in 2012.
This collection of books also had a recurring story arc, bringing back some of Goosebumps’ favorite characters, like Slappy and Frankenstein. So if you’re familiar with the Goosebumps ghouls, this series is sure to strike a chord.
Other Series
The seven series described above were the main Goosebumps books released to date. A few other miscellaneous Goosebumps books were released, but most of them weren’t stories like the previous series.
Some of these include:
- Goosebumps Monster Edition: This edition was simply hardcover versions of some existing stories that had monsters.
- Goosebumps Haunted Library: This special edition contained mini-stories that were initially available with packaged snacks like Hershey’s chocolates and Pepsi.
- Goosebumps Autobiographies: This series consisted of two books, one on author R.L. Stine and one on Tim Jacobus, the cover artist.
- Goosebumps Triple Header: The Triple Header series contains two books titled Three Shocking Tales of Terror, each containing three horror stories that weren’t published before.
- Goosebumps Graphix: The Graphix series clubbed together similar stories (based on theme or character) and converted them into graphic novels. There were four series in total, with three stories in each.
- Goosebumps Slappy World: The Slappyworld series is still being worked on, with the following books soon to be released (around 28th June). This series features Slappy, the fearsome dummy, as the main narrator and antagonist of the story. Currently, there are 17 books in this series, with more set to release soon.
Final Thoughts
While over 200 Goosebumps books are published and in circulation, many of the books aren’t printed or sold anymore. Others have been republished with a modern twist.
Some books only contain trivia or information about the author, and these can’t be counted as real stories in the series.
As such, it’s challenging to determine the exact number of Goosebumps books out there.