Stine was born on October 8, 1943[4] in Columbus, Ohio,[5] the son of Lewis Stine, a shipping clerk, and Anne Feinstein. He grew up in Bexley, Ohio.[6][7][8] He comes from a Jewish family. Stine began writing at age nine, when he found a typewriter in his attic, subsequently beginning to type stories and joke books.[9] Stine said that he remembered reading the Tales from the Crypt comic books when he was young and credited them as one of his inspirations. He graduated from Ohio State University in 1965 with a Bachelor of Arts in English.[10] While at OSU, Stine edited humor magazine The Sundial for three years.[4] He later moved to New York City to pursue his career as a writer.[6]
Stine wrote dozens of humor books for children under the name Jovial Bob Stine and created the humor magazine Bananas.[6]Bananas was written for teenagers and published by Scholastic Press for 72 issues between 1975 and 1984, plus various "Yearbooks" and paperback books. Stine was editor and responsible for much of the writing (other contributors included writers Robert Leighton, Suzanne Lord and Jane Samuels and artists Sam Viviano, Samuel B. Whitehead, Bob K. Taylor, Bryan Hendrix, Bill Basso, and Howard Cruse). Recurring features included "Hey – Lighten Up!", "It Never Fails!", "Phone Calls", "Joe" (a comic strip by John Holmstrom), "Phil Fly", "Don't You Wish...", "Doctor Duck", "The Teens of Ferret High", "First Date" (a comic strip by Alyse Newman), and "Ask Doctor Si N. Tific".
In 1989, Stine started writing Fear Street books.[13] Before launching the Goosebumps series, Stine authored three humorous science fiction books in the Space Cadets series titled Jerks in Training, Bozos on Patrol, and Losers in Space.[14] In 1992, Stine and Parachute Press went on to launch Goosebumps.[6]
In 2014, Stine brought the Fear Street books back with his novel Party Games (ISBN978-1250066220). The release of the Fear Street novel Give Me a K-I-L-L took place in 2017 (ISBN978-1250058966). Jack Black portrayed a fictionalized version of Stine in the 2015 film Goosebumps, while Stine himself made a cameo appearance in the film, playing a teacher named "Mr. Black".[20] In the film's sequel, Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween (2018), Stine had another cameo, as Principal Harrison, while Black reprised his role as Stine in several scenes. A Fear Street trilogy of films was released by Netflix in 2021.
In 2019, Stine appeared on an episode of the children's TV series Arthur. In "Fright Night", which aired in the 23rd season of the show, Stine voices Bob Baxter, the uncle of main character Buster Baxter. In the episode, Bob is shown to moonlight as a writer of scary stories, alluding to his real-life career as the author of the Goosebumps series.[21]
According to Forbes List of the 40 best-paid Entertainers of 1996–97, Stine placed 36th with an income of $41 million for the fiscal year.[22] His books have sold over 400 million copies worldwide as of 2008,[23] landing on many bestseller lists. In three consecutive years during the 1990s, USA Today named Stine as America's number one best-selling author.[24]
Among the awards he has received are the 2002 Champion of Reading Award from the Free Public Library of Philadelphia (that award's first year), the Disney Adventures Kids' Choice Award for Best Book-Mystery/Horror (three-time recipient) and the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards (also received three times).[24] In 1995, Stine was listed on People Weekly's "Most Intriguing People" annual list,[25] and in 2003, the Guinness Book of World Records named Stine as the best-selling children's book series author of all time.[25] He won the Thriller Writers of America Silver Bullet Award in 2007, and the Horror Writers Association's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014.[26] His stories have even inspired R. L. Stine's Haunted Lighthouse, 4D movie-based attractions at SeaWorld (San Antonio and San Diego) and Busch Gardens (Williamsburg and Tampa).[27]
On June 22, 1969, Stine married Jane Waldhorn, an editor and writer[10] who later co-founded Parachute Press in 1983.[30] The couple's only child, Matthew (b. June 7, 1980),[10] works in the music industry.[31]
Through their son, Stine and his wife have one grandson (b. February 2014).[32][33]
