VeggieTales is an American Christian computer animated children's video series created by Phil Vischer and Mike Nawrocki under Big Idea Entertainment. It follows talking fruit and vegetable characters who retell Bible stories, with each episode presenting a life lesson through a biblical worldview. It debuted on December 21, 1993, releasing 58 episodes on VHS, DVD, and Blu-ray, with the last video released on March 3, 2015. The success of the series helped establish a franchise of related media.
Background edit
History edit
VeggieTales was created by Phil Vischer and Mike Nawrocki through their company Big Idea Productions. Their aim was to produce children's videos which conveyed Christian moral themes and taught Biblical values and lessons. The animated feature involved stories told by a group of recurring fruit and vegetable characters who lived on a kitchen countertop. The program was offered in the direct-to-video market, with the first 30-minute program, Where's God When I'm S-Scared?, released in December 1993.[1][2]
The idea for VeggieTales was conceived in the early 1990s when Vischer was testing animation software to use as a medium for children's videos.[1] Due to the limitations of Softimage Creative Environment at the time, he decided to avoid the technical production hurdle of designing characters with arms, legs, hair, and clothes. His first animation model was an anthropomorphic candy bar. When his wife suggested that parents might prefer a hero who promoted healthier eating habits, he began designing the characters based on fruits and vegetables. The cast of voice actors of the early VeggieTales videos predominantly came from friends of Phil Vischer such as Dan Anderson (Dad Asparagus) and Jim Poole (Scooter the Carrot) who collaborated with Vischer on dramas at their local church.[3] Softimage 3D was used for further episodes until 1999 when it was replaced with Maya.[4] From 1993 to 2004, VeggieTales videos were produced in Lombard, Illinois, a suburb outside of Chicago. After Big Idea Entertainment filed for bankruptcy in 2003, VeggieTales was purchased by Classic Media in 2004 and production moved to Franklin, Tennessee, a suburb outside of Nashville. In 2012, DreamWorks Animation purchased Classic Media.[5][6]
Format edit
The videos generally follow a standard format where a moral issue is posited in the opening countertop sequence, either through a viewer question or an issue brought up by Bob or Larry, followed by one or more "films" that address the issue, with a Silly Song in the middle. The Silly Songs are generally introduced with a title card and a voice-over saying, "And now it's time for Silly Songs with Larry, the part of the show where Larry comes out and sings a silly song." Some Silly Songs have alternate titles, such as "Love Songs with Mr. Lunt," or "Ukulele Karaoke with Bob," where another character sings the song instead.[7] The Silly Song, if one appears, is usually in the middle of the program, often at a cliffhanger moment or in between two stories (although the LarryBoy videos, in particular, often lack this segment, with the exception of League of Incredible Vegetables). Each video ends with this program's signature sign-off: "Remember kids, God made you special and He loves you very much."[8]
Videos edit
Re-issues and re-releases edit
Big Idea has released a few "special edition" DVDs which consist of remastered videos and additional features not on the original DVD.
- Lyle the Kindly Viking Special Edition (also includes 3–2–1 Penguins! Trouble on Planet Wait-Your-Turn)[9]
- King George and the Ducky Special Edition (also includes 3–2–1 Penguins! Runaway Pride at Lightstation Kilowatt)[10]
- Where's God When I'm S-Scared? 15th Anniversary Collector's Edition (also includes 3–2–1 Penguins! Trouble on Planet Wait-Your-Turn)[11]
Compilation videos edit
Various VeggieTales videos were bundled into collections ranging in size from double features all the way up to a boxed collection of the first 30 VeggieTales videos. In addition, compilation videos of only the Silly Songs were also released. These song collections included the songs in "Sing Along" format as well as countdowns of the most popular Silly Songs as voted on by fans.[citation needed]
Reception edit
As of 2019, VeggieTales has sold 75 million videos on VHS, DVD, and Blu-Ray.[12] The revenue for Big Idea grew between 1996 and 1999 by 3300% from $1.3 million to over $44 million as the moral tales and off-beat humor proved popular with parents.[1]: 54 According to Phil Vischer's book, Me, Myself, and Bob, "one third of American homes owned a Veggietales video by the year 2000".[13] The Wall Street Journal commented on the series success that "VeggieTales is the Barney of the group. It's simple characters, bright colors and catchy tunes sweeten the Christian message [...] The real appeal of the veggies is their wackiness. Like Bugs Bunny, the cartoons contain a multitude of adult jokes, and like a sanitized version of South Park, Comedy Central's raunchy cartoon, they rely on gross-out humor. Among evangelical Christian young adults, the veggies have a cult following, analogous to the adult audience of South Park.[14]
References edit
- ^ a b c Vischer, Phil (2008). Me, Myself, & Bob: A True Story About God, Dreams, and Talking Vegetables. Nashville, Tenn.: T. Nelson. ISBN 978-1595551221.
- ^ "VeggieTales award-winning musical composer Kurt Heinecke to visit Wallace State on April 21 as part of Arts in April festivities". Wallace State News. April 15, 2014. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
- ^ Vischer, Phil (May 10, 2016). "Episode 200: THE BIG 2-0-0!". Retrieved January 22, 2017 – via YouTube.
- ^ Evans, Noell Wolfgram (2003). "VeggieTales: What's the Big Idea?". Digital Media FX. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:12was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "DreamWorks Buys VeggieTales's Owner | Gleanings". ChristianityToday.com. August 5, 2012. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
- ^ VeggieTales Official (April 30, 2019), VeggieTales | Monkey Silly Song | Silly Songs With Larry | Kids Cartoon | Kids Videos | Kids Movies, retrieved May 1, 2019
- ^ Ultrocraze (December 17, 2016), From Veggietales- God made you special!, retrieved May 1, 2019
- ^ "VeggieTales: Lyle the Kindly Viking / 3–2–1 Penguins Double Feature (DVD)". Retrieved April 5, 2015.
- ^ "VeggieTales: King George & The Ducky + Bonus 3–2–1 Penguins Episode". Retrieved April 5, 2015.
- ^ "Where's God When I'm S-Scared (15th Anniversary) – DVD". Retrieved April 5, 2015.
- ^ "TBN and Big Idea Content Group Partner to Produce All-New "VeggieTales" Episodes". TBN. April 4, 2019. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
- ^ Vischer, Phil. (2008). Me, myself, & Bob : a true story about God, dreams, and talking vegetables. T. Nelson. ISBN 9781595551221. OCLC 799058621.
- ^ Miller, Lisa (September 1, 1998). "They Look Ripe for Stardom: Christian Videos of Cartoon Cukes". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on October 21, 2019. Retrieved August 8, 2019.