Culture Notes

Magic Johnson as educator: textbooks, toys, and role model

The union of education, entertainment, celebrity worship, and merchandising took a giant step as HIV-positive former NBA star Magic Johnson announced plans to influence children at both school and play. According to a three-part agreement with Big Entertainment, Inc., Mr. Johnson will help develop textbooks for elementary, middle, and junior high schools. They will cover subjects such as reading, math, and science. In addition, the project will produce Magic Johnson children's books. Big E publicists say that the series will include novels about sports, science, and social issues and will teach lessons about friendship, good manners, teamwork, history, geography, and math. Finally, the venture will create Magic Johnson cartoon characters, action figures, and other merchandise.