Veggie Tales is a great show to teach children about Biblical stories and other Christian characteristics. I know my girls (who are 7 and 9) love to watch them. Believe it or not, even mom and dad enjoy sitting down and watching with them. Granted, we are not into the repetition that the girls are, I think they can watch the same one over and over right in a row an entire day through…if we let them. The nice thing about Veggie Tales is that while it is kid oriented, they do throw in some adult humor. The good kid shows usually do, so that the parents can watch with their little ones and not go insane.
The Veggie Tales have covered topics ranging from rumors, lying, sharing, the boogey man, Christmas, Easter, David and Goliath, Rack, Shack and Benny (much easier than those long Biblical names), Joseph, Esther, Jonah, and our favorite hero, Larry Boy.
Each episode starts out the same, Larry being convinced to play the tuba for their theme song: Bob: If you like to talk to tomatoes If a squash can make you smile If you like to waltz with potatoes Up and down the produce aisle... Have we got a show for you!
All: VeggieTales, VeggieTales, VeggieTales, VeggieTales, VeggieTales, VeggieTales, VeggieTales, VeggieTales!
Bob: Broccoli! Celery! Gotta be
All: VeggieTales!
Junior: Lima beans! Collard greens! Peachy keen!
All: VeggieTales!
Larry: Cauliflower! Sweet and sour! Half an hour!
All: VeggieTales!
All: There's never-ever-ever-ever-ever been a show like VeggieTales! There's never-ever-ever-ever-ever been a show like VeggieTales! It's time for VeggieTales!
Written by Mike Nawrocki & Lisa Vischer © 1993 Bob and Larry Publishing (ASCAP) Each episode also has a special “intermission” of “Silly Songs with Larry, the part of the show where Larry comes out and sings a silly song.” Larry has sung a wide variety of silly songs covering topics of lost hair brushes, lips, cebu, Santa Claus, SUVs, silk hats, Manatees, Yodeling doctors, etc.
One of my family’s favorite silly songs has to do with belly buttons, my littlest likes to suck her thumb and poke her belly button, but what would she do if she didn’t have one?
Mr. Lunt: Baby I know your eyes see right through my disguise
Boyz: (Larry, Jimmy, Junior): And no one can deny
Mr. Lunt: Baby that I’m the one whose love is no surprise
Boyz: And he can’t tell you no lie
Mr. Lunt: But there’s a secret I’ve been hidin’ I can’t keep it no more
Boyz: There’s this thing about himself he’s never told you before
Lunt: Baby!
Chorus:
Boyz: He needs to tell you something
Mr. Lunt: I don’t got a bellybutton Oh I need to tell you something
Boyz: Have you figure it out He don’t got a bellybutton
Boyz: Bellybutton no, oh no no
Mr. Lunt: Baby please don’t squeal, just tell me how you feel
Boyz: ‘Cause his love is for real
Mr. Lunt: And if you went away, my heart would never heal
Boyz: So to you he appeals
Mr. Lunt: There’s something missing in my middle and it’s hard to ignore
Boyz: There’s this thing about himself he’s never told you before
Lunt: Baby!
Chorus
Khalil: Bellybutton!
Boyz: Uh, uh
Khalil: Bellybutton!
Boyz: Uh, uh
Khalil: You say your bellybutton’s missing, there’s no reason for alarm It’s a common thing for gourds, it won’t do you any harm You’re technically a fruit and with that much being said; Your umbilical equivocal is up there on your head! You could opt for a prosthetic but of course you’d have to know It’d be covered by your shirt, but not your HMO
Boyz: Bellybutton!
Khalil: Uh, uh
Boyz: Bellybutton
Khalil: Uh, uh
Mr. Lunt: a stylish something absent from my midriff’s décor
Boyz: There’s this thing about himself he’s never told you before
Lunt: Baby!
Boyz: He need to tell you something
Mr. Lunt: I don’t got a belly button Oh I need to tell you something
Boyz: Have you figure it out He don’t got a belly button
Boyz: Belly button no, oh no no
Lunt and Boyz: No belly button!
Words by Mike Nawrocki
Music by Mike Nawrocki & Kurt Heinecke © 2003 Bob and Larry Publishing (ASCAP)
My favorite part of Larry is when he is Larry Boy. I do believe our friends reading from Down Under might really like Larry Boy as well, since his theme song calls him…well…I’ll let you find out why for yourself:
Who do they call when Bumblyburg's in trouble? Who's got the suit with super-suction ears? There's no need to panic, 'cause this guy's manic And you know that he'll save the day!
You need a hand, he's right there on the double
Hey, hey, he's on the way Purple and yellow, he's one super fellow!
Larry-Boy! Groovy Larry!
You're out of site,
You're lookin' great, fashion plate, Larry-Boy! Larry!
Oh, Larry You're lean and mean,
You're a green machine,
you're Larry-Boy!
What a dude! What a guy!
You're out of site, vegemite,
Larry-Boy! Do your thing! Yeah!
Lean and mean, green machine,
Lookin' great, fashion plate,
Out of site ... Larry: Dynomite!
Larry-Boy!
Words by Phil Vischer and David Mullen Music by David Mullen © 1999 Bob and Larry Publishing (ASCAP)
Of course, Veggie Tales really won me over even more so recently when they even did haiku in their Veggie Tales: Sumo of the Opera - A Lesson in... Perseverance video.
(Now you know as a confesses haiku-a-holic I would find a way to fit that into an article about vegetables)
If all of this has gotten you curious, feel free to check out some Veggie Tale videos yourself, I know you’ll love them. Just watch out for “The Hands!”
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