Yes folks, the world really is coming to an end. As if Barry Williams and his Growing Up Brady weren't enough, the "Gilligan's Island" explosion is almost upon us.

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

This year marks the 30-year anniversary of the American pop icon known as "Little Buddy." In celebration of that blessed event, three new books are set to be released in the near future by cast members Dawn Wells (Mary Ann), Russell Johnson (the Professor) and Bob Denver (Gilligan himself). An off-Broadway production, Gilligan's Island: The Musical, is also in the works.

The topper to the media blitzkrieg comes in the form of a university tour by the three cast members to plug their books (a la Greg Brady). Do not be surprised if Mary Ann will be coming to a Schwab Auditorium near you.

Sherwood Schwartz, creator and executive producer of "Gilligan's Island," said the show is a hit because it appeals to people on many different levels.

Although some people just laugh at a coconut hitting Gilligan in the head or Gilligan and Skipper getting tangled in their hammocks, there is another level of sophisticated humor portrayed by the Howells, Schwartz said.

He also presented the show as important on psychological and philosophical levels.

"We used to receive many letters from psychologists that applauded the way the show was a social microcosm of different people that had to live together," he said. "Where else would a millionaire sit down to dinner with a guy like Gilligan?"

The show's approach can also apply to present-day society, whether it be Bosnians getting along with Serbs or Jews peacefully coexisting with Arabs, Schwartz added.

The effects of the show are far-reaching in television circles. Schwartz is often credited with setting a precedent that shows such as "Taxi," "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and, more recently, "Step By Step" followed. The common thread is diverse people unified by either the workplace or the home.

The "Gilligan's Island" explosion has already reached college campuses across the country via Schwartz and his textbook, Inside Gilligan's Island. A simplified version for "John Q. Public," as he put it, will be released around the third week in April, color pictures and all.

Schwartz described the text as a look behind the scenes of the television industry.

The leader in keeping "Gilligan's Island" a major force in popular culture is the Gilligan's Island Fan Club. President Bob Rankin, a graduate student at the University of Utah and a self-professed "authority on all aspects of 'Gilligan's Island'," said his club -- which started out as a joke --has turned into a monster, encompassing more than 1,000 members in eight countries.

The events the club has planned for this year include a nationwide coastal search for the original S.S. Minnow. But everything about the club is not just fun and games.

"The important thing to remember is that for every new membership, we make a donation to the Make-A-Wish Foundation," Rankin said.

As if all this hoopla was not enough, both of Schwartz's major creations, "Gilligan's Island" and "The Brady Bunch," will be major motion pictures. The Bradys are scheduled to debut on the big screen this Christmas while the Gilligan crew does not have any formal release date for their movie, Schwartz said.

Stacey Kalan (freshman-advertising/public relations) said she thinks the "Gilligan's Island" frenzy is not a bad thing.

"I thought it was really funny," Kalan said. "I really don't see anything wrong with (the 'Gilligan's Island' movie, musical and books)."