Edison

Edison (named Newton in the UK version) is a male firefly character who first appeared in JumpStart 2nd Grade. He is CJ's best friend and partner.

In the past, he and CJ were often the mascot characters for JumpStart's 2nd Grade media.

Despite being a prominent character for many years, he has not appeared in any recent media. His last notable appearances were in the JumpStart Advanced series.

Appearance
In JumpStart 2nd Grade, Edison was depicted with tan skin, gray eyes, long skinny tan antenna, and a bright yellow lower abdomen. He wore a green bowler cap with a light yellow band around it, a green shirt with a red bow tie, white gloves and black shoes. A prototype design of Edison for this game depicted him with red shoes, a green bowler cap with a red band, a more whitish lower abdomen. His prototype design also lacked a shirt, bow tie, visible eyebrows, and irises.

In JumpStart Math for Second Graders, Edison had bright blue antenna and a bright blue lower abdomen. He wore a green vest, an olive green tunic and shoes, and a tall red and purple striped hat. In JumpStart Reading for Second Graders, his design was strongly based on his original appearance, with the main difference being that he lacked a bow tie.

In JumpStart Around the World, JumpStart Preschool: Who Left the Juice in the Caboose?, JumpStart Kindergarten: Why Did the Bus Stop?, and JumpStart Learning Games: Phonics, Edison has green skin and a red nose, and he wears an orange cap and a blue sweater. Starting with this design, he ceased to have visible antenna.

In the JumpStart Advanced series, he is depicted with light blue-green skin and a red nose, and he typically wears a purple cap and a blue t-shirt.

Personality and Characteristics
Edison is usually depicted as being pragmatic and having a somewhat dry sense of humor, particularly in his debut in JumpStart 2nd Grade. He has always been depicted as having an Irish accent and sometimes using Irish idioms.

In JumpStart Reading for Second Graders, Edison seems more drawn to treasure and the rewards of an adventure, in contrast to CJ who seems more excited by the adventure itself. At one point Edison mentions, "Rubies and diamonds? Now they're talking my language!" Edison is also more cautious than CJ in this game, and more prone to being suspicious of strangers, in contrast to CJ who is more openly trusting.

Edison has sometimes been shown to be cowardly and less enthusiastic about going on adventures than CJ, such as in JumpStart Advanced 2nd Grade: Fundamentals and JumpStart Artist, but still always goes with him, presumably due to their friendship.

In the Advanced series, Edison is depicted as being much more optimistic and adventurous than his previous incarnations. In the video JumpStart Jukebox, Edison states that he loves to go on adventures, just as CJ does. He also mentions that his favorite subject is science, and he has a keen interest in nature as well.

In JumpStart Advanced 2nd Grade: Mystery Club Vol. 1, it is mentioned by others that Edison likes wooden things and seashells, and that he enjoys combing the beach for things that wash up on shore.

JumpStart 2nd Grade (1996)
Edison and CJ go to their secret clubhouse after school. In this game, Edison is depicted as living in a jar with holes in the lid in the classroom, and he considers the whole Bookshelf to be his home, describing the jar as his "living room" and the books as his "reading room".

JumpStart Math for Second Graders (1998)
Edison and CJ have to stop the villainous Ratso from taking over a kingdom.

JumpStart Reading for Second Graders (1998)
CJ and Edison are on a quest to find the lost city of Ursulab. They have to stop the villainous Dr. Listick from finding it first.

Edison also seems to have a crush on Sybil in this game, and hearts appear around him whenever he sees her.

JumpStart Spelling (1998)
CJ must save Edison from a bunch of cavemen.

JumpStart Learning Games: Phonics (1999)
Edison and CJ appear in the Fire Station game.

JumpStart Around the World (2000)
Edison and CJ are the player's travel buddies in the second grade version.

JumpStart Artist (2000)
Edison appears in the activity "CJ & Edison's Art Expeditions". He will ask the player to find a certain object and bring it to the hot air balloon. After three objects have been collected, then Edison will ask a question, and the player has to select one of the three objects that answers his question.

JumpStart Explorers (2001)
Edison travels back in time with CJ to help him find his nieces and nephews.

JumpStart Animal Adventures (2002)
Edison and CJ travel to different habitats to find animals for Frankie's Animal Habitat Contest.

JumpStart Advanced Preschool (2002)
Edison appears during the All-Stars Quiz.

JumpStart Advanced Kindergarten (2002)
Edison appears during the All-Star Quiz.

JumpStart Advanced 1st Grade: Fundamentals
Edison appears in the activity "Edison's Store". In it, Edison owns a general store from which users can buy track decorations.

Unlike the other main characters, Edison isn't a racer and doesn't have his own track or scooter. However, he does have his own power-up, gadget, and trick, which can be used for other characters' scooters and tracks. His power-up is the Electric Bulb, his gadget is the Light Shield, and his trick is the Lights Out Zone.

He also appears during the All-Star Quiz.

JumpStart Advanced 2nd Grade: Fundamentals
Edison and CJ have to travel to different locations around the world to collect gadget pieces for Hopsalot's inventions, so they can foil Dr. O's schemes.

JumpStart Advanced 2nd Grade: Mystery Club Vol. 1
CJ's spy training missions involve figuring out where Edison is hiding.

JumpStart Sing-Along Time (2003)
Edison and CJ briefly appear in the intro song where the head for the end of a rainbow to look for treasure. This is assumed to be Edison's last appearance, if not JumpStart Advanced 2nd Grade: Mystery Club Vol. 1.

JumpStart Preschool: Who Left the Juice in the Caboose?
Edison has a cameo at the very beginning of the video, where he is seen fishing with CJ. Edison and CJ also appear in the sequence for The ABC Song.

JumpStart Kindergarten: Why Did the Bus Stop?
In this video, Edison and CJ are depicted as firefighters, and are seen when the bus visits the fire station.

JumpStart Jukebox
Edison calls the WJSV radio station to request songs about science and nature.

Summer Vacation Activity Books
Edison appears in the JumpStart 2nd Grade Summer Vacation Activity Book. He appears in most of the short stories included with the book. In the "Where's CJ?" activity pages, the reader is prompted to find where Edison and CJ are located in a scene.

Books Published by Scholastic
Edison appears in all the 2nd Grade workbooks and 2nd Grade Readers, as well as some other Readers.

Toys
In 2000, Briarpatch released JumpStart Alphabet Card Game, which features Edison on some of the cards.

Quotes

 * "Welcome to my humble abode. Living room to my right, reading room to my left." - Edison in JumpStart 2nd Grade, when the player goes to the bookshelf and describing the jar and the books
 * "Ah, to think you almost ate your best friend and lone companion." - Edison in JumpStart Math for Second Graders, after almost being eaten by CJ

Trivia

 * Edison is probably named after American inventor and businessman, Thomas Alva Edison who discovered the light bulb, invented the electronic voting machine, invented the phonograph and motion pictures in the early 1700s.
 * In the United Kingdom release of JumpStart 2nd Grade, Edison was renamed to Newton, probably the namesake of English scientist and gravity theorist, Isaac Newton.

Gallery
See Edison/Gallery