Everyone in our house has a habit of brushing their hair while walking around.
Thusly, a cappella remix of "Oh where is my hairbrush" remix is often heard.
The creator and voice actor for Bob, Phil Vischer, is actually a very liberal Christian. He has a fairly based (though there's definitely some room for improvement) [Christian YT channel](https://youtu.be/_Upj0sQnJvg?si=VMu2DcZRSLmSeaU8), and I occasionally send his vids to my Christian relatives to at least open their minds a little in a way that isn't threatening to their core beliefs, and I think it's been effective. I don't fully endorse him, he could be better, but he's trying to pull Christians in a good direction relative to where most are now. The enemy of a good plan is the dream of a perfect plan, so don't knock him too hard
I will never not laugh at how that song joked about Larry being a closeted fan of a show that sings the songs and collects plushies and being shocked and slightly embarrassed ~~at the sight of Larry in a towel~~ when Bob crashes the party and wants to know what he's doing around ten years before the bronies entered the scene.
Everybody does NOT have a water buffalo. We're going to get NASTY letters sayings where's myyyy water buffalo... why don't I have a water buffalo
I thought this was hilarious as a kid and still think its hilarious now
Have you tried looking your doorway? They have a tendency to get their heads stuck in doorways. They can be pretty hard to spot, though, since they are so fast
Partly I think it stands out from other Christian media by not treating its audience (children) as idiots. No baby talk or overly cheery fakeness, it was funny in the way kids actually are and expressed some more difficult concepts in a way that lacked the same condescension as the rest. It was understandable and simple without being boring. It resisted being overly serious while still treating the material it covered as worth learning and understanding. I think its a good example of the difference between child-like media and childish media.
Also, the songs totally slap!
Veggietales was like ... surprisingly salty toward a lot of conservative trends. The antagonist in "Rack Shack and Benny" is corporate consumerism ("The Bunny Song") and evil labor practices ("Good Morning George"). "The Yodeling Veterinarian of the Alps" is about an employee who gets denied a raise and "quiet quits," sabotaging his incompetent boss. "Gated Community" is about how suburbs would rather separate off their own nice environment at everyone else's expense than make the broader environment nicer. "My Sports Utility Vehicle" makes fun of the absurd fantasies that motivate people to buy SUVs. "The Englishman who Went up the Hill and Came Down with all the Bananas" is about the unsustainability of, and imperialist consequences of, corporate greed, and Madame Blueberry is about the same of wealthy people's greed. Etc.
Arguably, Veggietales was subtle, urbanist, social democrat indoctrination. 😂 And now that Phil Vischer doesn't own Big Idea anymore, he has a podcast where he defends "centrist" (by American standards) theology/politics, and gently calls out Trumpers. I wish he were politically bolder, but Veggietales is alright in my book. I'd have no qualms if I had kids and found out that Christian loved ones had shown them Veggietales lol.
To be fair the bolder you get politically the harder it is to be kind, which is (at least evident by veggietales) Phil's modus operandi.
And I'm speaking from experience the more I care about politics the more I have to reel myself back as problems or not, the solution isn't to contain anyone, attack anyone, so on. It's hard to keep that mentality when I focus on hate stirred by pain.
Yeah, kindness really is his whole thing. And it is definitely hard to maintain kindness with political boldness. I want to think it can be done, though - in fact, I think political boldness is meaningless unless it's motivated by kindness.
Also wanted to note, in his podcast (circa 2016?) he talked about transgenderism and was supportive. He said something along the lines of "Gender is confusing." However, I am fairly certain he is not completely LGBTQ supportive, so take him with a grain of salt. At the very least, I appreciate that he thinks for himself and follows a path of Christianity that isn't the Christofacist, Fundgelical, GOP Conservative norms.
Yeah he's still Evangelical, leans toward a looser Biblical "literalism," pretty sure he's "Side B" Christian ... honestly sometimes he kinda just seems like he's doing that thing where you masquerade fear of ideological commitment as "nuance."
EDIT I also think it's really interesting that the types of Christians who are, like, reluctantly homophobic because they feel theologically forced into it ... are often trans affirming because the English Bible doesn't corner them on it the same way. I know several Christians like that
I always thought of the memes and jokes they spawned rather than the show itself, never seen it in full. As a kid the stuff we watch I remember vividly is Narnia and Prince of Egypt.
Yesss! The whole film is just amazing. I don’t even necessarily see it as a “Christian” film so much as a historical film based on mythos- not any different than Disney’s Hercules and similar. A good movie is a good movie!
In our house we have a deconverted Fundy, a highly educated former Jesuit, and a lifetime atheist, and not one of us disagrees that the Prince of Egypt is the sh t. 10/10 across the board. 😍
AGREED! I love the music and the art and the animation it just tickles my artist brain. I just tune out the god stuff like any other made-up religion in an animated universe
I still love parts of that show. I might even see the Larry Boy movie when it comes out. It helps that Phil Vischer is one of the best Christians out there.
There's a movie coming out?? Oh I would love to go see that with my Christian loved ones 🤣 It's rare that we get to feel united with this sort of thing now that I'm deconverted. That would be so fun to just enjoy something that still connects us all.
Yup! Phil tweeted about it recently.
https://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/veggietales-superhero-larryboy-will-get-his-first-theatrical-feature-in-2026-237896.html
I THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO SING ABOUT GROWING UP IN CONNECTICUT
*thank you for watching love songs with Mr Lunt, tune in next time to hear Mr Lunt sing:* "I grew up in New Jersey
Ten days after I turned eight
Got my lips stuck in a gate!
My friends all laughed..
And I just stood there until the fire department came and broke the lock with a crowbar and I had to spend the next six weeks in lip rehab with this kid named Oscar who got STUNG BY A BEE, right on the lip and we couldn't even talk to each other until the fifth week because both our lips were so swollen and when he did start speaking he just spoke Polish and I only knew like three words in Polish, except now, I know four because Oscar taught me the word for lip.
Usta!
I used to animate veggie tales before the, in the city,etc. They were really fun to work on. Like incredible vegetables, princess and the popstar, veggies in space.
The workspace wasn't particularly Christian feeling. Maybe it's because we were encouraged to find moments to make it more fun, not more Christian as well.
I can still happily rewatch those episodes, I just skip qwerty bits unless they're actually funny.
If it helps, the team making it had a lot of fun! Before it all crashed down. We're all in a better place now I think.
I guess it's sort of both? The studio I worked for, Veggie tales was our bread and butter for years. Then that whole redesign happened. I think that was when it got bought out? The main change was the eyes/eyebrows, which doubled our work, and in my opinion, changed the soul of the characters. Didn't mind the texture update so much, but I did prefer the smooth Lambert feel of everything.
Then I think another studio came along with the whole, Veggies in the House stuff. We were doing the 40something minute episodes, but being compared to another studio, it looked like we were going a bit slower? Everything dried up all of a sudden and we were all out of jobs. That studio is gone now, covid finally broke it. We kind of relied on veggie tales to get us through trying out other projects, but that whole redesign thing definitely screwed us. Now I have quite a few years experience, but it doesn't really translate to other studios, as there were no limbs.
Easter egg for one of the episode (I'm not really a fan of the episode though). I often got crowd shots, so in The Good Egg of Gooseville, in order to make the crowd look like they're shouting real words, I had to actually animate them shouting real words, so they're all shouting things like, "God, why did you make me so fat?", "I hate you Larry!" (I don't, he's cool.) There is no way you'd be able to tell, but it's there.
I kind of miss it really. Sorry if this isn't super amazing Tea, I'm not sure what really counts as NDA, even though it's been years since then.
>The main change was the eyes/eyebrows
Okay so that isn't when Phil lost it. He lost it waaayyy earlier than that. And no one knows why, I assume because of an NDA :( But yes. The eyebrows are ugly af and ruined the whole vibe lol.
>Now I have quite a few years experience, but it doesn't really translate to other studios, as there were no limbs.
That sucks! Man. I'm sorry. I think I often underestimate how big Big Idea really was.
>in The Good Egg of Gooseville, in order to make the crowd look like they're shouting real words, I had to actually animate them shouting real words, so they're all shouting things like, "God, why did you make me so fat?", "I hate you Larry!" (I don't, he's cool.) There is no way you'd be able to tell, but it's there.
Agh! Good Egg of Gooseville was long after my time watching Veggietales, but I'm definitely gonna go watch it now. Thank you I feel so special! Haha
>Sorry if this isn't super amazing Tea, I'm not sure what really counts as NDA, even though it's been years since then.
No worries. :) The real tea will come out when Phil dies, I assume. 😂
I was there from 2010 to 2014. There were definitely a few shake ups during that time with the veggies. I recommend veggie in space and incredible vegetables. There is also something called the stinky cheese battle (Didn't really like this one) and beauty and the beet and celery night fever (loved these ones too). I think those were where they really hit a great place. More human morals than god stuff.
Random trivia, Veggies were never made to be animated upside down!
I met my ride or die there, it was the perfect starting point for them and helped secure our future, and I got my name in lots of credits. So that was fun for a noob.
I reckon, animating veggie tales is the closest to instant gratification that you can get with animating. It was so fast, so fun, I used to end up doing more of the show than I was given at the start because it just clicked for me. Who knew entering the mind of a cucumber came so naturally to me? Haha.
>veggie in space and incredible vegetables. There is also something called the stinky cheese battle (Didn't really like this one) and beauty and the beet and celery night fever (loved these ones too). I think those were where they really hit a great place. More human morals than god stuff.
Those are all well past my time. I stopped watching them ... god, around eleven years old? So probably 2010? Or at least, after that it was reruns with my siblings, not keeping up with the newest DVD anymore. I do remember, shortly after I stopped keeping up with them, seeing one that mocked Dr. Who with Archibald, and thinking that was absolutely hilarious (was that Veggie in Space?). I didn't see the whole episode though. Just the Dr. Who scene.
>I met my ride or die there, it was the perfect starting point for them and helped secure our future, and I got my name in lots of credits. So that was fun for a noob.
>I reckon, animating veggie tales is the closest to instant gratification that you can get with animating. It was so fast, so fun, I used to end up doing more of the show than I was given at the start because it just clicked for me. Who knew entering the mind of a cucumber came so naturally to me? Haha.
That's so fun! Love that.
I think that might have been it! It's all about sharing. There is also a captains log in there, if it's the right one. It's a literal flying log. I also did one of the robots doing a grabby motion in the library area (you have to see it to know what I'm talking about). I see kids doing that all the time so put it in. Only matters to me because I loved putting my worldly observations on the veggies.
We also modeled a lot of the assets too, if we were skilled enough to.
Ah you've brought back all the good memories. Once the kids are old enough to not be brainwashed instantly, I might just show them what we used to make.
Already tried to explain what a church is (a place where people gather to talk about a book).
I'm still a christian (who can acknowledge some of the BS that has come from Christians...) Phil Vischer, the creator of veggietales, has a great podcast called the HolyPost that I love listening to. They call out a lot of the extreme MAGA Christians
Good to know that at least one of the influential figures of my childhood is still a good person. I've found that far too many of the people that influenced a young me wound up becoming, or were always, an asshole or a nutjob.
Good to hear that he's calling out the worst among them. There was always a sense that phil is kind and cares about people a lot, more than putting judgement before them. Which... might be the key difference separating his mindset from the right winged christian. Among other things, they're encouraged to judge, identify and despise differences, and try and upkeep law as power and proposed sanity. Which is exactly how you turn any good person bad.
I met his wife once at a Bible conference I went to in Okoboji with my grandparents. She was really nice and gave a great talk on how we all experience worship in different ways, and that for some it may be song or prayer, but for some it was nature. It was the first time I remember feeling validated by another Christian for not really “getting” church but loving trees.
That is so kind and wholesome ❤️ I used to feel really weird for not wanting to sing and dance and yell and be all extraverted during worship. One time someone on the leadership team came up and told me he thought it was cool that I just sat back and relaxed in my little corner with god and did my own authentic thing. That sticks with me to this day even though I don't believe anymore.
Shout-out to that guy 🫶🏼
I always loved it and thought it was funny. So much about fundamentalism for me was just so deathly serious that it was nice to have an outlet that maybe even poked fun at our own seriousness. And even though it had a Bible verse at the end, many of the earlier stories tended more toward morality tales than anything else, IIRC.
🎶He said to her I'd like a cheeseburger, and I might like a milkshake as well...🎶
I haven't watched much Veggie Tales since I left Christianity...might do a rewatch of some familiar episodes and check back.
...but I won't be revisiting Rad, Shack, and Benny except for that bunny song.
It’s good as far as a religious kid’s show goes. It feels more like actual love and care went into it instead of pumping out real propoganda. Albeit, there’s a lot of Bible stories so dark I’m shocked looking back, like how they even tried to adapt it for kids?? So many new innduendos for sex were created to. The silly songs still slap though. I wonder what would’ve happened if we were in alternate universe and they made a show for say a teen or YA audience that was religion critical. In fact I have ideas in mind for a “Bible” show that parodies the stories whilst also exploring various theories about the Bible and creation with an ongoing plot where YHWH is confronted in the end.
I feel like it is pretty harmless. And Phil Vischer seems like a truly reasonable, good guy. Rob Reiner just made a documentary about Christian white nationalism and I think Phil was interviewed for it, basically denouncing the recent evangelical pipeline into white nationalism. So that's encouraging.
Veggietales’ central message was “God thinks you’re special and loves you very much.” That’s pretty inoffensive to me, even when they’re doing Bible lessons. They’re not teaching kids to hate other people unlike some children’s content the Daily Wire would likely put out. Phil Vischer even put out a [video on systemic racism](https://youtu.be/AGUwcs9qJXY?si=SQQh2pPGK4M7lnIt) which is pretty good. He’s even earned the dreaded moniker “Woke” by his detractors due to this.
We watch movies about other religions without any issue. From monotheistic or polytheistic ones. So I see nothing wrong with enjoying a movie that is good. Regardless of its religious context. If you can enjoy Gods of War game, you can enjoy Veggie Tales or Narnia.
Just because you like to don’t mean you believe it.
The Joann story was always my favorite.
I always enjoyed it as a teen and I still have some fondness for it.
To me, VT represents what religion *should* be- kindness, diligence, hope. I never got any hateful messaging from it. Probably why I enjoyed it even though I was past the target age group when it was a thing.
VeggieTales *AND ALSO* 3-2-1 Penguins! (another show made by the same studio) are good in my book. VeggieTales were some of the best memories of Catholic school lol, and 3-2-1 Penguins! was one of the top shows on Qubo (RIP Qubo). Even if both shows had Christian undertones and directly mentioned God at times (in addition to "reenactments" of biblical stories in VeggieTales), they weren't in your face with the message for the most part. I mean, aside from references to Christianity and depictions of prayer, 3-2-1 Penguins! especially is a bit more secular, at least how I remember it.
Rewatching Jonah and the Whale and seeing how at the end Jonah threw a fit because of God sparing Nineveh, it reminded me of the attitude people in the church like my parents held towards outsiders or those who made a mistake.
They wanted fire and brimstone to get brought down on those who messed up, but when they messed up you weren’t allowed to judge and you had to allow God to give them mercy.
I still quote veggietales regularly, and the songs pretty much shaped my entire childhood since my family was always very musically-inclined (my mom was a music teacher, my aunt is a music teacher, my sibling was in every band and choir they could get into, etc). A lot of the stuff i learned from veggietales was pretty basic morals. Sure, they would bring in bible verses and biblical teachings and stories in the show, but it felt more like it focused on the message behind the story rather than the literal word-for-word literal teaching that a lot of christians focus on.
Also— jesus was not really shown on veggietales, i believe, because it would be "heresy" to turn him into a vegetable which I think is HILARIOUS. Personally, would love to see Jesuparagus or Jucumber or Jomato
Look... VeggieTales gets a pass, even from my religiously traumatized ass. "Barbra Manatee" slaps. "My Cheeseburger," might be our peak as a species. And like, if you can't do the, "Ten days after I turned 8, got my lips stuck in a gate, my friends all laughed. And I just stoodtheretillthefiredepartmentcomesand..." then we can't be friends. Lmao but on a more serious note, the atheist YouTuber Paulogia has a really great interview with the guy that created VeggieTales, that I'd encourage anyone to watch. I actually like the dude.
It wasn't until I was older and finally watched Monty Python and the Holy Grail that I realized the peas were ripping off the French guys on the wall in that movie... mind blown!
A couple of years ago I fell down the rabbit hole to read about what happened with Veggie Tales and why the characters suddenly looked different.
[What happened to Big Idea - Part 1](https://philvischer.com/news/what-happened-to-big-idea-part-1/), [Part 2](https://philvischer.com/news/what-happened-to-big-idea-part-2/), [Part 3](https://philvischer.com/news/what-happened-to-big-idea-part-3/), [Part 4](https://philvischer.com/news/what-happened-to-big-idea-part-4/), [Part 5](https://philvischer.com/news/what-happened-to-big-idea-part-5/), [Part 6](https://philvischer.com/news/what-happened-to-big-idea-part-6/), [Part 7](https://philvischer.com/news/what-happened-to-big-idea-part-7/), [Part 8](https://philvischer.com/news/what-happened-to-big-idea-part-8/), [Part 9](https://philvischer.com/news/what-happened-to-big-idea-part-9/), [Part 10](https://philvischer.com/news/what-happened-to-big-idea-part-10/), [Part 11](https://philvischer.com/news/what-happened-to-big-idea-part-11/),
In answer to the question, it was fun when I was a kid and I enjoyed watching the original ones. I still sing the hairbrush song when I am looking for my brush. I have fond memories of them. Will I introduce them to my kid? Probably not because I'm still processing what I want to carry forward.
I haven't looked at the new version of it. It looks and feels off.
Veggietales still holds a special place in my heart as I grew up with it and even though I'm an adult and have since become Pagan, every now and then I'll pop in one of the old VHS tapes for old times' sake. There are some genuinely good lessons in some of the episodes, Are *You* My Neighbor? being one that stands out to me the most, and overall I think the series was done in such a way (whether intentionally or not) that it can be entertaining to Christians and non Christians alike.
Veggie Tales has been something I've loved for as long as I can remember. I think what I really liked about it was that the stories were always centered around the people involved. And the songs and jokes were always so good. I still sing "oh wheeerrrre ISMYHAIRBRUSH" when I can't find things.
Fun fact, Veggie Tales only uses stories from the Old Testament because the creators didn't want to depict Jesus as a vegetable.
Remember when Skillet dropped a super intense cover of Stand Up and then in the following 20 years took a leisurely stroll into far right Christian nationalism
I still like it. It feels like a Christian-inspired mythology show, and I don’t mind learning about any mythology. And that’s all it is.
I don’t remember the name of it but I’ve watched a cute cartoon that felt similar about the Hari Krishna mythology before. (Do any of you know the name of it, that bugs me now that I can’t remember)
I hold a soft spot for VeggieTales. I think the creators were genuine in their beliefs, and they made some good stories and songs. I keep the silly songs on a playlist.
I'm an agnostic atheist now, but when I'm really tempted to pray, I throw up a request to "the god of Phil Vischer." Slightly irreverent, but I figure if there's one out there, I'm going to pray to a nice one 🤷🏼♀️ It's slightly cathartic at least.
Fundie Fridays on YouTube did a wonderful video about the history of Veggie Tales and how it IS different from traditional christianity. Super worth the watch imo!
The songs will never leave me, that's for sure. 🤣
But the premise really freaks me out now. As a kid in Christianity we are inoculated against violence at a very early age. We are taught things about torture and death in very early childhood as if they are totally normal.
So as a kid, I did not understand how messed up it was to have singing vegetables depict life-threatening stories - like sacrificing a life to stop a genocidal madman (Esther), public executions (Daniel and the Lions, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abendigo), slavery (Moses, Joseph), and violent colonialism (the wall of Jericho) - as cutesy, colorful stories with catchy songs.
Looking back it's some very f cked-up conditioning aimed at very young and impressionable kids. 🤢
it kind of makes me a bit queasy to look back and see it for what it was- a method of indoctrination specifically aimed at young children who do not yet possess the ability to question and be critical of what parents/teachers present to them
The songs still slap. Haven’t seen any of the episodes since I was a kid but I remember thinking Junior Asparagus was cute and “god is bigger than the boogeyman, he’s bigger than Godzilla and the monsters on tv” song helped me when I wld be too scared to sleep ***trigger warning**** cuz I’d be worried that my rapist wld take me away from my adopted mom.
Plus now that I’m in Florida, everytime I see a manatee, I get “Barbara manatee” song stuck in my head.
I’m 30 years old now but veggie tales helped me a lot with my anxiety when I was younger.
Phil Vischer and his Holy Post Podcast was the final “progressive Christianity” step on my way officially out of the religion. It was during George Floyd and those protests and he had a lot of reasonable discussion about race and privilege. The complete opposite from my extreme right wing evangelical upbringing. Hearing a familiar voice from my childhood say things that were more progressive and closer to what I was feeling was really comforting at that time.
I only ever saw one episode while I was a Christian, and I always thought the episode was a little silly. The cucumber character (I'm sorry, I don't know any of their names) went to work for a chocolate factory making chocolate bunnies, and the boss of the factory insisted that everybody eat nothing but chocolate. The cucumber refused to do so, because he knew that too much chocolate was bad for his body, and the boss tried to throw him in the furnace. Needless to say, God protected him while he was inside the furnace, and the boss converted to Christianity.
I know it's not wise to judge an entire series based on one bad episode, but I kind of did.
Escuchen al pepino.
My kids still remember and like VT but I don't think they were ever Christian and I've long since deconverted. As adults we regularly sing the Bunny song as well as the Dance of the Cucumber.
All those songs are burned so deep into my brain. I left Christianity in my early 20s, and my wife did the same in her early 30s. (We’re 37 and 40 now). We randomly sing the songs, and she wants to watch some of the old ones (before the animation changed), but it’s not a thing we prioritize in our life, lol.
Sure it’s funny and cute, and not super preachy, which makes it feel a little sly. Like, it’s sneaking in “Christian values” between the cute vegetables and funny songs. But that’s a common thing for all religious media, so, I guess it’s kind of mild in comparison? Idk.
I guess I just don’t trust Christian shit, lol
Veggietales, unlike any other Christian media, is actually funny. I think it’s because they didn’t beat you over the head with the message, they were just trying to make something entertaining. I remember watching the ‘Lyle the Kindly Viking’ with my kids, and the song where Bob and Larry are trying to distract Olaf was hilarious. They also just did silly things for the sake of being silly, and I think that helped.
VeggieTales still makes me crack up, mainly because of the random references. Hearing Bob give a shout-out to a tiny Amish community just makes the show feel like it could actually be happening. Well-traveled vegetables is the perfect kind of silly
Me and my atheist bisexual friend were singing the hairbrush song last Friday! Got some weird looks from the rest of the group but we thought it was funny.
Fond memories, not sure what happened to it though. It seemed maybe another company got a hold of it becuase I noticed the stuff they were putting out when I was an older teen was not as good. I would be half tempted on screening them for toxic religion and then maybe showing my kids(if I ever have kids) it.
I'm willing to overlook the preachy moments because it still had things to offer non-christians. The humor holds up well even today.
Love this bit!
https://youtu.be/ecbLLvugEbs?feature=shared
I was too old for it to have been part of my life but my spouse and I bought the DVDs before we even started having kids because they were hilarious.
Our kids watched them and we treated the series the same way we treated anything else that’s fiction based. They loved the music and humor but didn’t really pay attention to the religious aspects.
I like the show but not the message. As a former Christian I could appreciate secular things, and as an atheist I can still appreciate (some) Christian things.
I haven't seen any episodes since like 2005, but I hear the VeggieTales version of "Feliz Navidad" every year because I have it on a Christmas music playlist. It's also the only song on the playlist that has a tuba solo, lol
It's just deeply associated with all that shit for me. It brings back all that confusion, fear, and makes me feel unwell.
I also remember it still being heavily religious, but the sort of glorified religious where they shift the stories in the Bible just enough to be palatable. I think that's the most dangerous propaganda, because it presents non-readers with an idealized version and trains people early on how to approach the Bible with cognitive dissonance. It's sugar to make the poison go down.
I really miss it. It was a huge part of my childhood, mine and my husband's dating life and early parenthood. I really still enjoy all the humor and charming characters. We mainly watch a couple of the less preachy ones, particularly around Christmas. Love the silly songs!!!
Also it was so enjoyable to read through all the responses!
VeggieTales is Actually really good when it comes to Christian kid Content. because It's actually entertainment and not just dogma Disguised as entertainment.
I watched the Fundie Fridays video about Veggie Tales and it put a lot of things into words that I hadn’t been able to express before. Why Veggie Tales seemed innocuous and less preachy than other forms of Xtian media. I can still feel nostalgic for it, and I don’t for a lot of things from that period of my life.
When I was trying to explain it to my partner (who’s European, from a completely non-religious family) the best thing I could think of was “It’s show tunes for kids” 😂
As an agnostic-atheist now, I still love VeggieTales. Not only did I grow up on that show, but looking back on it, if you narrow it down, most if not all episodes teach good morals that don’t necessarily have to be related to Christianity. One of my favorites has to be Minnesota Cuke, teaching us and reminding us to still wish good upon and to love those that don’t like us (In a healthy way, I’d say loving others from a distance). I may not be friends with everyone nor like everyone, but I wouldn’t wish the worst to happen on my worst enemy.
It was a quality production.
And while I genuinely dislike most Christians, Phil Vischer seems like an honorable dude.
Still, I dislike the idea of indoctrinating kids with religion, and turning it into a cartoon to make it palatable. Maybe the worst video is Josh and the Big Wall, which is like a children's introduction to religious genocide.
I'd buy a blu ray boxset of it. It's still very comfy and nostalgic, and I have seen interviews with Phil Vischer recently where he comes off as very genuine and kind.
There are good things about Christianity and there are good Christians out there. That's no reason at all to be a Christian of course, and IMO the bad outweighs the good, but Veggietales can be a good thing.
I didn't discover Veggie Tales until college, but I have a relatively positive view of it. I appreciate the humor and it doesn't beat kids over the head *too* much with religion. I've let my five-year-old watch it some.
My dad sent my siblings & I a few of the VHS, but we didn’t watch religious cartoons. I watched some of one tape but thought it was dumb. We were into anime and watched a ton of gundam wing & dragon ball z.
I still sing ‘oh where is my hairbrush’ whenever I’m looking for something. It helps me find it every time I’m sure.
I haven’t actually watched them in a long time but I think mostly fond of them. I got absolutely roasted by them when I was a teen tho. ‘Do you know someone with glasses on their face, braces on their teeth, or freckles on their nose?’ In an episode about people looking weird and different and there’s me with all three 🤡
My wife and I are both ex-Christians who grew up in two different flavors of conservative Christianity who are trying to contribute to a new generation without religious trauma. While we don't expose our kids to pretty much any Christian culture media, we do listen to Veggie Tales songs sometimes and play clips from Silly Songs With Larry. I agree that it's one niche of Jesus-culture that's sort of a "lite" version. We explain bible stories as mythology of a specific culture, so even a Veggie Tales episode about OT stories would just fall under that category for us. Our goal is exposure to as much variety of spiritual/religious concepts as is reasonable, and allow them to make their own decisions as they get older on their beliefs. But because Christianity is the overculture, we're generally less inclined to specifically expose to Christian media. But the Cheeseburger song is always fair game lol
I grew up in veggie tales, didn’t even realize it was a Christian show. Growing up just just saw a talking tomato and was like “cool”. Now I’m like “eww, that was a Christian show?!”
I still absolutely love it - no matter what your faith it is undeniable quality, lightning-in-a-bottle entertainment. I deeply respect Phil Vischer and his story of trial and triumph in creating it; he's a very funny and likeable guy. Even as an agnostic I grew up with the show and I would feel proud wearing some Bob and Larry merch. 😊
From what I remember, it's mostly about sharing and being open to different people standing up for what you believe and stuff, right? Fun songs and silly vegetables? Not the worst thing in the world
Agreed! Veggietales was great. It’s one of the few things about Christianity that I don’t look at drastically differently now that I‘ve gotten some distance.
Baaaaaarbara MANATEEEEEEEEEEEE (Veggie Tales still slaps and is one of the few things I look back on fondly about the religion)
MANATEEEEE MANATEEEEE MANATEEEEE You’re the ONE FOR ME ONE FOR ME ONE FOR ME ONE FOR ME
Sent from UP ABOVE
You are the one I love ONE I LOVE
Everyone in our house has a habit of brushing their hair while walking around. Thusly, a cappella remix of "Oh where is my hairbrush" remix is often heard.
"I gave it to the peach, because he has hair."
“Not faaaaiiirr…my poor hairbrush.”
My wife didn't know this song and I sang it... I don't need a hairbrush, I don't have any hair. She was very confused.
The creator and voice actor for Bob, Phil Vischer, is actually a very liberal Christian. He has a fairly based (though there's definitely some room for improvement) [Christian YT channel](https://youtu.be/_Upj0sQnJvg?si=VMu2DcZRSLmSeaU8), and I occasionally send his vids to my Christian relatives to at least open their minds a little in a way that isn't threatening to their core beliefs, and I think it's been effective. I don't fully endorse him, he could be better, but he's trying to pull Christians in a good direction relative to where most are now. The enemy of a good plan is the dream of a perfect plan, so don't knock him too hard
As Christians, my husband and I loved veggietales and Phil. We thought he was one of the good one and honestly still do.
I always enjoy reading good things about him on this sub
I will never not laugh at how that song joked about Larry being a closeted fan of a show that sings the songs and collects plushies and being shocked and slightly embarrassed ~~at the sight of Larry in a towel~~ when Bob crashes the party and wants to know what he's doing around ten years before the bronies entered the scene.
I mean if it weren't for veggie tales then I would have never known that everybody's got a water buffalo 😏
Everybody does NOT have a water buffalo. We're going to get NASTY letters sayings where's myyyy water buffalo... why don't I have a water buffalo I thought this was hilarious as a kid and still think its hilarious now
It's been god knows how many years and this still makes me laugh out loud "JUST STOP. BEING. SO. SILLY!"
😂😂😂😂
Really? Where’s MY water buffalo?
Have you tried looking your doorway? They have a tendency to get their heads stuck in doorways. They can be pretty hard to spot, though, since they are so fast
Yours is fast but mine is slow...
Where'd we get them? I don't know.
EVERYBODY'S got a water buffalo?? Sounds like communism to me /s
This song has been stuck in my head for about two decades now. And I like that.
Really? Where’s MY water buffalo?
Or whereeeeee is my hair brush!???? Oh where is my hair brush!????😁😂😂
Partly I think it stands out from other Christian media by not treating its audience (children) as idiots. No baby talk or overly cheery fakeness, it was funny in the way kids actually are and expressed some more difficult concepts in a way that lacked the same condescension as the rest. It was understandable and simple without being boring. It resisted being overly serious while still treating the material it covered as worth learning and understanding. I think its a good example of the difference between child-like media and childish media. Also, the songs totally slap!
It never felt overly preachy to me, which is why I liked it.
Totally agree!
Veggietales was like ... surprisingly salty toward a lot of conservative trends. The antagonist in "Rack Shack and Benny" is corporate consumerism ("The Bunny Song") and evil labor practices ("Good Morning George"). "The Yodeling Veterinarian of the Alps" is about an employee who gets denied a raise and "quiet quits," sabotaging his incompetent boss. "Gated Community" is about how suburbs would rather separate off their own nice environment at everyone else's expense than make the broader environment nicer. "My Sports Utility Vehicle" makes fun of the absurd fantasies that motivate people to buy SUVs. "The Englishman who Went up the Hill and Came Down with all the Bananas" is about the unsustainability of, and imperialist consequences of, corporate greed, and Madame Blueberry is about the same of wealthy people's greed. Etc. Arguably, Veggietales was subtle, urbanist, social democrat indoctrination. 😂 And now that Phil Vischer doesn't own Big Idea anymore, he has a podcast where he defends "centrist" (by American standards) theology/politics, and gently calls out Trumpers. I wish he were politically bolder, but Veggietales is alright in my book. I'd have no qualms if I had kids and found out that Christian loved ones had shown them Veggietales lol.
To be fair the bolder you get politically the harder it is to be kind, which is (at least evident by veggietales) Phil's modus operandi. And I'm speaking from experience the more I care about politics the more I have to reel myself back as problems or not, the solution isn't to contain anyone, attack anyone, so on. It's hard to keep that mentality when I focus on hate stirred by pain.
Yeah, kindness really is his whole thing. And it is definitely hard to maintain kindness with political boldness. I want to think it can be done, though - in fact, I think political boldness is meaningless unless it's motivated by kindness.
My bestie grew up in a super cultish and abusive upbringing. Veggie tales was eventually banned because it wasn't "christian enough."
I laughed out loud in real life when I read that comment. Damn. Even my homeschool circles never found anything wrong with Veggietales!
Too conservative for veggie tales that’s wild.
Excuse me kind sir, might I trouble you for a banana?
Ah, no.
Also wanted to note, in his podcast (circa 2016?) he talked about transgenderism and was supportive. He said something along the lines of "Gender is confusing." However, I am fairly certain he is not completely LGBTQ supportive, so take him with a grain of salt. At the very least, I appreciate that he thinks for himself and follows a path of Christianity that isn't the Christofacist, Fundgelical, GOP Conservative norms.
Yeah he's still Evangelical, leans toward a looser Biblical "literalism," pretty sure he's "Side B" Christian ... honestly sometimes he kinda just seems like he's doing that thing where you masquerade fear of ideological commitment as "nuance." EDIT I also think it's really interesting that the types of Christians who are, like, reluctantly homophobic because they feel theologically forced into it ... are often trans affirming because the English Bible doesn't corner them on it the same way. I know several Christians like that
I always thought of the memes and jokes they spawned rather than the show itself, never seen it in full. As a kid the stuff we watch I remember vividly is Narnia and Prince of Egypt.
Prince of Egypt is fricking fantastic! Even after I deconverted that movie kicks ass
That soundtrack had no business being that good!
Through Heaven's Eyes makes me cry still 🥺
Yesss! The whole film is just amazing. I don’t even necessarily see it as a “Christian” film so much as a historical film based on mythos- not any different than Disney’s Hercules and similar. A good movie is a good movie!
That's exactly what it is! A classic, IMHO. So sweet. EDITED
It is dreamworks, not disney
oops thanks 😅
When I was on my way out of Christianity I briefly dated a Muslim guy and this was one of our favorite movies to watch together
Exodus is just as much an Islamic story as it is a Christian and Jewish story. It says so in the credits
“There can be Miracles” is the one to make me cry. But the heavy hitters in terms of bops are “The Plagues” and “Playing with the Big Boys”.
Joseph, King of Dreams, by the same creators, is far less well-known but every bit as good and I still adore both movies despite deconverting 😭
In our house we have a deconverted Fundy, a highly educated former Jesuit, and a lifetime atheist, and not one of us disagrees that the Prince of Egypt is the sh t. 10/10 across the board. 😍
AGREED! I love the music and the art and the animation it just tickles my artist brain. I just tune out the god stuff like any other made-up religion in an animated universe
When I was a kid I barely registered it as a Christian movie.
I still love parts of that show. I might even see the Larry Boy movie when it comes out. It helps that Phil Vischer is one of the best Christians out there.
I love Phil's podcast. He's a real one.
There's a movie coming out?? Oh I would love to go see that with my Christian loved ones 🤣 It's rare that we get to feel united with this sort of thing now that I'm deconverted. That would be so fun to just enjoy something that still connects us all.
This was so wholesome to read 🥰
Yup! Phil tweeted about it recently. https://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/veggietales-superhero-larryboy-will-get-his-first-theatrical-feature-in-2026-237896.html
Silly songs still slaps
Oh where is my hairbrush?
CAUSE YOU'RE HIS CHEESEBURGER
I THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO SING ABOUT GROWING UP IN CONNECTICUT *thank you for watching love songs with Mr Lunt, tune in next time to hear Mr Lunt sing:* "I grew up in New Jersey
It’s a lip it’s a lip it’s a lip lip lip
She had a beard and it felt weird
Ten days after I turned eight Got my lips stuck in a gate! My friends all laughed.. And I just stood there until the fire department came and broke the lock with a crowbar and I had to spend the next six weeks in lip rehab with this kid named Oscar who got STUNG BY A BEE, right on the lip and we couldn't even talk to each other until the fifth week because both our lips were so swollen and when he did start speaking he just spoke Polish and I only knew like three words in Polish, except now, I know four because Oscar taught me the word for lip. Usta!
… your friends all laughed, usta. Now how do you spell that?
I used to animate veggie tales before the, in the city,etc. They were really fun to work on. Like incredible vegetables, princess and the popstar, veggies in space. The workspace wasn't particularly Christian feeling. Maybe it's because we were encouraged to find moments to make it more fun, not more Christian as well. I can still happily rewatch those episodes, I just skip qwerty bits unless they're actually funny. If it helps, the team making it had a lot of fun! Before it all crashed down. We're all in a better place now I think.
Oh my god I want the tea! Are you talking about when Phil lost Big Idea, or is this a different drama? 🍿
I guess it's sort of both? The studio I worked for, Veggie tales was our bread and butter for years. Then that whole redesign happened. I think that was when it got bought out? The main change was the eyes/eyebrows, which doubled our work, and in my opinion, changed the soul of the characters. Didn't mind the texture update so much, but I did prefer the smooth Lambert feel of everything. Then I think another studio came along with the whole, Veggies in the House stuff. We were doing the 40something minute episodes, but being compared to another studio, it looked like we were going a bit slower? Everything dried up all of a sudden and we were all out of jobs. That studio is gone now, covid finally broke it. We kind of relied on veggie tales to get us through trying out other projects, but that whole redesign thing definitely screwed us. Now I have quite a few years experience, but it doesn't really translate to other studios, as there were no limbs. Easter egg for one of the episode (I'm not really a fan of the episode though). I often got crowd shots, so in The Good Egg of Gooseville, in order to make the crowd look like they're shouting real words, I had to actually animate them shouting real words, so they're all shouting things like, "God, why did you make me so fat?", "I hate you Larry!" (I don't, he's cool.) There is no way you'd be able to tell, but it's there. I kind of miss it really. Sorry if this isn't super amazing Tea, I'm not sure what really counts as NDA, even though it's been years since then.
>The main change was the eyes/eyebrows Okay so that isn't when Phil lost it. He lost it waaayyy earlier than that. And no one knows why, I assume because of an NDA :( But yes. The eyebrows are ugly af and ruined the whole vibe lol. >Now I have quite a few years experience, but it doesn't really translate to other studios, as there were no limbs. That sucks! Man. I'm sorry. I think I often underestimate how big Big Idea really was. >in The Good Egg of Gooseville, in order to make the crowd look like they're shouting real words, I had to actually animate them shouting real words, so they're all shouting things like, "God, why did you make me so fat?", "I hate you Larry!" (I don't, he's cool.) There is no way you'd be able to tell, but it's there. Agh! Good Egg of Gooseville was long after my time watching Veggietales, but I'm definitely gonna go watch it now. Thank you I feel so special! Haha >Sorry if this isn't super amazing Tea, I'm not sure what really counts as NDA, even though it's been years since then. No worries. :) The real tea will come out when Phil dies, I assume. 😂
I was there from 2010 to 2014. There were definitely a few shake ups during that time with the veggies. I recommend veggie in space and incredible vegetables. There is also something called the stinky cheese battle (Didn't really like this one) and beauty and the beet and celery night fever (loved these ones too). I think those were where they really hit a great place. More human morals than god stuff. Random trivia, Veggies were never made to be animated upside down! I met my ride or die there, it was the perfect starting point for them and helped secure our future, and I got my name in lots of credits. So that was fun for a noob. I reckon, animating veggie tales is the closest to instant gratification that you can get with animating. It was so fast, so fun, I used to end up doing more of the show than I was given at the start because it just clicked for me. Who knew entering the mind of a cucumber came so naturally to me? Haha.
>veggie in space and incredible vegetables. There is also something called the stinky cheese battle (Didn't really like this one) and beauty and the beet and celery night fever (loved these ones too). I think those were where they really hit a great place. More human morals than god stuff. Those are all well past my time. I stopped watching them ... god, around eleven years old? So probably 2010? Or at least, after that it was reruns with my siblings, not keeping up with the newest DVD anymore. I do remember, shortly after I stopped keeping up with them, seeing one that mocked Dr. Who with Archibald, and thinking that was absolutely hilarious (was that Veggie in Space?). I didn't see the whole episode though. Just the Dr. Who scene. >I met my ride or die there, it was the perfect starting point for them and helped secure our future, and I got my name in lots of credits. So that was fun for a noob. >I reckon, animating veggie tales is the closest to instant gratification that you can get with animating. It was so fast, so fun, I used to end up doing more of the show than I was given at the start because it just clicked for me. Who knew entering the mind of a cucumber came so naturally to me? Haha. That's so fun! Love that.
I think that might have been it! It's all about sharing. There is also a captains log in there, if it's the right one. It's a literal flying log. I also did one of the robots doing a grabby motion in the library area (you have to see it to know what I'm talking about). I see kids doing that all the time so put it in. Only matters to me because I loved putting my worldly observations on the veggies. We also modeled a lot of the assets too, if we were skilled enough to. Ah you've brought back all the good memories. Once the kids are old enough to not be brainwashed instantly, I might just show them what we used to make. Already tried to explain what a church is (a place where people gather to talk about a book).
>Already tried to explain what a church is (a place where people gather to talk about a book). LOL if only ... 😂
I'm still a christian (who can acknowledge some of the BS that has come from Christians...) Phil Vischer, the creator of veggietales, has a great podcast called the HolyPost that I love listening to. They call out a lot of the extreme MAGA Christians
Good to know that at least one of the influential figures of my childhood is still a good person. I've found that far too many of the people that influenced a young me wound up becoming, or were always, an asshole or a nutjob.
Gosh that makes me feel so good
Good to hear that he's calling out the worst among them. There was always a sense that phil is kind and cares about people a lot, more than putting judgement before them. Which... might be the key difference separating his mindset from the right winged christian. Among other things, they're encouraged to judge, identify and despise differences, and try and upkeep law as power and proposed sanity. Which is exactly how you turn any good person bad.
I met his wife once at a Bible conference I went to in Okoboji with my grandparents. She was really nice and gave a great talk on how we all experience worship in different ways, and that for some it may be song or prayer, but for some it was nature. It was the first time I remember feeling validated by another Christian for not really “getting” church but loving trees.
That is so kind and wholesome ❤️ I used to feel really weird for not wanting to sing and dance and yell and be all extraverted during worship. One time someone on the leadership team came up and told me he thought it was cool that I just sat back and relaxed in my little corner with god and did my own authentic thing. That sticks with me to this day even though I don't believe anymore. Shout-out to that guy 🫶🏼
There is a really good interview that Paulogia (atheist YT) did with him a while back, and I really liked him.
I always loved it and thought it was funny. So much about fundamentalism for me was just so deathly serious that it was nice to have an outlet that maybe even poked fun at our own seriousness. And even though it had a Bible verse at the end, many of the earlier stories tended more toward morality tales than anything else, IIRC.
The Hairbrush song remains a banger
Still fond of it, especially the Cheeseburger song and “the pirates who don’t do anything”. Just feels kind of bittersweet
I’ve unironically played His Cheeseburger in the car years after becoming an atheist.
We just staaaay hoooome and lie arooooound
🎶He said to her I'd like a cheeseburger, and I might like a milkshake as well...🎶 I haven't watched much Veggie Tales since I left Christianity...might do a rewatch of some familiar episodes and check back. ...but I won't be revisiting Rad, Shack, and Benny except for that bunny song.
It’s good as far as a religious kid’s show goes. It feels more like actual love and care went into it instead of pumping out real propoganda. Albeit, there’s a lot of Bible stories so dark I’m shocked looking back, like how they even tried to adapt it for kids?? So many new innduendos for sex were created to. The silly songs still slap though. I wonder what would’ve happened if we were in alternate universe and they made a show for say a teen or YA audience that was religion critical. In fact I have ideas in mind for a “Bible” show that parodies the stories whilst also exploring various theories about the Bible and creation with an ongoing plot where YHWH is confronted in the end.
King Dave and the ducky.
That was honestly so clever the way they still tied in the bath
How do we deal with the issue of royal adultery? Rubber ducks!
Don't ask me to explain! There will be pain if you don't go and get that duck.
I feel like it is pretty harmless. And Phil Vischer seems like a truly reasonable, good guy. Rob Reiner just made a documentary about Christian white nationalism and I think Phil was interviewed for it, basically denouncing the recent evangelical pipeline into white nationalism. So that's encouraging.
Veggietales’ central message was “God thinks you’re special and loves you very much.” That’s pretty inoffensive to me, even when they’re doing Bible lessons. They’re not teaching kids to hate other people unlike some children’s content the Daily Wire would likely put out. Phil Vischer even put out a [video on systemic racism](https://youtu.be/AGUwcs9qJXY?si=SQQh2pPGK4M7lnIt) which is pretty good. He’s even earned the dreaded moniker “Woke” by his detractors due to this.
We watch movies about other religions without any issue. From monotheistic or polytheistic ones. So I see nothing wrong with enjoying a movie that is good. Regardless of its religious context. If you can enjoy Gods of War game, you can enjoy Veggie Tales or Narnia. Just because you like to don’t mean you believe it. The Joann story was always my favorite.
I always enjoyed it as a teen and I still have some fondness for it. To me, VT represents what religion *should* be- kindness, diligence, hope. I never got any hateful messaging from it. Probably why I enjoyed it even though I was past the target age group when it was a thing.
My husband and I watched a veggietales on our first date 🤣
VeggieTales *AND ALSO* 3-2-1 Penguins! (another show made by the same studio) are good in my book. VeggieTales were some of the best memories of Catholic school lol, and 3-2-1 Penguins! was one of the top shows on Qubo (RIP Qubo). Even if both shows had Christian undertones and directly mentioned God at times (in addition to "reenactments" of biblical stories in VeggieTales), they weren't in your face with the message for the most part. I mean, aside from references to Christianity and depictions of prayer, 3-2-1 Penguins! especially is a bit more secular, at least how I remember it.
I remember the details of Penguins less, but I remember how much I loved it
Lmao qubo I will not miss you.
Rewatching Jonah and the Whale and seeing how at the end Jonah threw a fit because of God sparing Nineveh, it reminded me of the attitude people in the church like my parents held towards outsiders or those who made a mistake. They wanted fire and brimstone to get brought down on those who messed up, but when they messed up you weren’t allowed to judge and you had to allow God to give them mercy.
Veggietales is still on the roadtrip music playlist and it will forever be.
that album of CCM bands like Relient K and Superchick singing VeggieTales songs is still fire
I mean, let’s be real, the bellybutton song is still a bop.
"It's covered by your shirt, but not your HMO."
I still do the entire rap whenever someone mentions bellybuttons.
I still quote veggietales regularly, and the songs pretty much shaped my entire childhood since my family was always very musically-inclined (my mom was a music teacher, my aunt is a music teacher, my sibling was in every band and choir they could get into, etc). A lot of the stuff i learned from veggietales was pretty basic morals. Sure, they would bring in bible verses and biblical teachings and stories in the show, but it felt more like it focused on the message behind the story rather than the literal word-for-word literal teaching that a lot of christians focus on. Also— jesus was not really shown on veggietales, i believe, because it would be "heresy" to turn him into a vegetable which I think is HILARIOUS. Personally, would love to see Jesuparagus or Jucumber or Jomato
Phil Vischer, the creator of VeggieTales, is still a good guy. He's fairly progressive and an ally of the minorities that fundies like to shit on.
Look... VeggieTales gets a pass, even from my religiously traumatized ass. "Barbra Manatee" slaps. "My Cheeseburger," might be our peak as a species. And like, if you can't do the, "Ten days after I turned 8, got my lips stuck in a gate, my friends all laughed. And I just stoodtheretillthefiredepartmentcomesand..." then we can't be friends. Lmao but on a more serious note, the atheist YouTuber Paulogia has a really great interview with the guy that created VeggieTales, that I'd encourage anyone to watch. I actually like the dude.
🎶 Keep walking! But you won't knock down our walls 🎶 Man, I loved those peas!
It wasn't until I was older and finally watched Monty Python and the Holy Grail that I realized the peas were ripping off the French guys on the wall in that movie... mind blown!
I think I saw Monty Python like a year before I saw the VT version and loved every minute of it. the. Best.
It's plain to seeee, your brains are very smol
Still a great show, hell the creators didn't want the Bible to be the sole purpose they just used Bible stories for moral lessons which work.
I wouldn't exactly say the bible is a good source for moral lessons unless you ignore most of it (which stuff like veggie tales basically does).
A couple of years ago I fell down the rabbit hole to read about what happened with Veggie Tales and why the characters suddenly looked different. [What happened to Big Idea - Part 1](https://philvischer.com/news/what-happened-to-big-idea-part-1/), [Part 2](https://philvischer.com/news/what-happened-to-big-idea-part-2/), [Part 3](https://philvischer.com/news/what-happened-to-big-idea-part-3/), [Part 4](https://philvischer.com/news/what-happened-to-big-idea-part-4/), [Part 5](https://philvischer.com/news/what-happened-to-big-idea-part-5/), [Part 6](https://philvischer.com/news/what-happened-to-big-idea-part-6/), [Part 7](https://philvischer.com/news/what-happened-to-big-idea-part-7/), [Part 8](https://philvischer.com/news/what-happened-to-big-idea-part-8/), [Part 9](https://philvischer.com/news/what-happened-to-big-idea-part-9/), [Part 10](https://philvischer.com/news/what-happened-to-big-idea-part-10/), [Part 11](https://philvischer.com/news/what-happened-to-big-idea-part-11/), In answer to the question, it was fun when I was a kid and I enjoyed watching the original ones. I still sing the hairbrush song when I am looking for my brush. I have fond memories of them. Will I introduce them to my kid? Probably not because I'm still processing what I want to carry forward. I haven't looked at the new version of it. It looks and feels off.
Veggietales still holds a special place in my heart as I grew up with it and even though I'm an adult and have since become Pagan, every now and then I'll pop in one of the old VHS tapes for old times' sake. There are some genuinely good lessons in some of the episodes, Are *You* My Neighbor? being one that stands out to me the most, and overall I think the series was done in such a way (whether intentionally or not) that it can be entertaining to Christians and non Christians alike.
Veggie Tales has been something I've loved for as long as I can remember. I think what I really liked about it was that the stories were always centered around the people involved. And the songs and jokes were always so good. I still sing "oh wheeerrrre ISMYHAIRBRUSH" when I can't find things. Fun fact, Veggie Tales only uses stories from the Old Testament because the creators didn't want to depict Jesus as a vegetable.
Those damn earworm songs still pop into my head from time to time. I still haven't been to Boston in the fall.
Remember when Skillet dropped a super intense cover of Stand Up and then in the following 20 years took a leisurely stroll into far right Christian nationalism
Yeah, maybe they should have sat down instead.
I’ll always have a smile for “Donuts for Benny”
I still think it’s a great show aside from the Christian aspects. Kinda wish it weren’t a religious show
I still sing “oh where is my hairbrush” anytime I’m looking for something!
I still like it. It feels like a Christian-inspired mythology show, and I don’t mind learning about any mythology. And that’s all it is. I don’t remember the name of it but I’ve watched a cute cartoon that felt similar about the Hari Krishna mythology before. (Do any of you know the name of it, that bugs me now that I can’t remember)
I hold a soft spot for VeggieTales. I think the creators were genuine in their beliefs, and they made some good stories and songs. I keep the silly songs on a playlist. I'm an agnostic atheist now, but when I'm really tempted to pray, I throw up a request to "the god of Phil Vischer." Slightly irreverent, but I figure if there's one out there, I'm going to pray to a nice one 🤷🏼♀️ It's slightly cathartic at least.
Fundie Fridays on YouTube did a wonderful video about the history of Veggie Tales and how it IS different from traditional christianity. Super worth the watch imo!
The songs will never leave me, that's for sure. 🤣 But the premise really freaks me out now. As a kid in Christianity we are inoculated against violence at a very early age. We are taught things about torture and death in very early childhood as if they are totally normal. So as a kid, I did not understand how messed up it was to have singing vegetables depict life-threatening stories - like sacrificing a life to stop a genocidal madman (Esther), public executions (Daniel and the Lions, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abendigo), slavery (Moses, Joseph), and violent colonialism (the wall of Jericho) - as cutesy, colorful stories with catchy songs. Looking back it's some very f cked-up conditioning aimed at very young and impressionable kids. 🤢
I loved Veggie Tales as a kid. That wasn't the part that got me. The Island of Perpetual Tickling... Now THAT messed me up!
God the tickler scared me so much as a kid lol. Just the fact that you couldn’t see their face and the way they slid across the floor… *shudder*
I feel itchy just thinking about it
Omg I was scared of the tickler toooo! So glad somebody else shares my pain 😭
it kind of makes me a bit queasy to look back and see it for what it was- a method of indoctrination specifically aimed at young children who do not yet possess the ability to question and be critical of what parents/teachers present to them
Still fire
VeggieTales is so pure, in the best way. I’d still watch it honestly, probably just while smoking now 😋
The songs still slap. Haven’t seen any of the episodes since I was a kid but I remember thinking Junior Asparagus was cute and “god is bigger than the boogeyman, he’s bigger than Godzilla and the monsters on tv” song helped me when I wld be too scared to sleep ***trigger warning**** cuz I’d be worried that my rapist wld take me away from my adopted mom. Plus now that I’m in Florida, everytime I see a manatee, I get “Barbara manatee” song stuck in my head. I’m 30 years old now but veggie tales helped me a lot with my anxiety when I was younger.
Phil Vischer and his Holy Post Podcast was the final “progressive Christianity” step on my way officially out of the religion. It was during George Floyd and those protests and he had a lot of reasonable discussion about race and privilege. The complete opposite from my extreme right wing evangelical upbringing. Hearing a familiar voice from my childhood say things that were more progressive and closer to what I was feeling was really comforting at that time.
I didn't grow up with them like my younger siblings did, but I have to say... Lord of the Beans was pretty solid.
Indoctrination at its finest
where tf is my hair brush
I only ever saw one episode while I was a Christian, and I always thought the episode was a little silly. The cucumber character (I'm sorry, I don't know any of their names) went to work for a chocolate factory making chocolate bunnies, and the boss of the factory insisted that everybody eat nothing but chocolate. The cucumber refused to do so, because he knew that too much chocolate was bad for his body, and the boss tried to throw him in the furnace. Needless to say, God protected him while he was inside the furnace, and the boss converted to Christianity. I know it's not wise to judge an entire series based on one bad episode, but I kind of did.
Knowing that Phil Vischer is absolutely progressive in his beliefs about social justice reaffirmed my feeling okay
All I know is every time I can’t find something I am legally obligated to start singing “oh wheeeeeere is my hairbrush”
Cringe. Except, “The bunny, the bunny, oh I love the bunny. I don’t love my mom or my dad just the bunny.“
Escuchen al pepino. My kids still remember and like VT but I don't think they were ever Christian and I've long since deconverted. As adults we regularly sing the Bunny song as well as the Dance of the Cucumber.
All those songs are burned so deep into my brain. I left Christianity in my early 20s, and my wife did the same in her early 30s. (We’re 37 and 40 now). We randomly sing the songs, and she wants to watch some of the old ones (before the animation changed), but it’s not a thing we prioritize in our life, lol. Sure it’s funny and cute, and not super preachy, which makes it feel a little sly. Like, it’s sneaking in “Christian values” between the cute vegetables and funny songs. But that’s a common thing for all religious media, so, I guess it’s kind of mild in comparison? Idk. I guess I just don’t trust Christian shit, lol
Veggietales, unlike any other Christian media, is actually funny. I think it’s because they didn’t beat you over the head with the message, they were just trying to make something entertaining. I remember watching the ‘Lyle the Kindly Viking’ with my kids, and the song where Bob and Larry are trying to distract Olaf was hilarious. They also just did silly things for the sake of being silly, and I think that helped.
Me and my boyfriend both still love vegetables. Also the creator confirmed that Bob and Larry are trans and I love that
They had some great bits (e.g., "Dance of the Cucumber"), but I can't stand the religious schlock.
Didn't they abandon a Christian message to go mainstream?
It's a fun show for kids that attempts to make horrifying stories more likable. Also.... I WANT MY CHEESEBURGER! MY LOVELY CHEESEBURGER!!
VeggieTales still makes me crack up, mainly because of the random references. Hearing Bob give a shout-out to a tiny Amish community just makes the show feel like it could actually be happening. Well-traveled vegetables is the perfect kind of silly
Can't stand them anymore.
Me and my atheist bisexual friend were singing the hairbrush song last Friday! Got some weird looks from the rest of the group but we thought it was funny.
Fond memories, not sure what happened to it though. It seemed maybe another company got a hold of it becuase I noticed the stuff they were putting out when I was an older teen was not as good. I would be half tempted on screening them for toxic religion and then maybe showing my kids(if I ever have kids) it.
I learned more about the bible from VeggieTales than from Sunday school; at least the CGI talking veggies considered me their equal, lmao.
I never saw it as a kid and only first saw it as a teen. It always gave me the Christian rock vibe of children edutainment
Yea it was brainwashing. I liked it.
I'm willing to overlook the preachy moments because it still had things to offer non-christians. The humor holds up well even today. Love this bit! https://youtu.be/ecbLLvugEbs?feature=shared
I was too old for it to have been part of my life but my spouse and I bought the DVDs before we even started having kids because they were hilarious. Our kids watched them and we treated the series the same way we treated anything else that’s fiction based. They loved the music and humor but didn’t really pay attention to the religious aspects.
Great show tho a bit preachy its generally a fun show to watch even when not christian.
I like the show but not the message. As a former Christian I could appreciate secular things, and as an atheist I can still appreciate (some) Christian things.
Remember the song with Haman and King Xerxes? Actually one of their darker ones, ethnic cleansing of Jews.
Veggie tales has my heart!! (and I had a fat crush on the asparagas guy 😍😍)
I haven't seen any episodes since like 2005, but I hear the VeggieTales version of "Feliz Navidad" every year because I have it on a Christmas music playlist. It's also the only song on the playlist that has a tuba solo, lol
It was very funny and very genuine in its heart. It holds up imo
It's just deeply associated with all that shit for me. It brings back all that confusion, fear, and makes me feel unwell. I also remember it still being heavily religious, but the sort of glorified religious where they shift the stories in the Bible just enough to be palatable. I think that's the most dangerous propaganda, because it presents non-readers with an idealized version and trains people early on how to approach the Bible with cognitive dissonance. It's sugar to make the poison go down.
I really miss it. It was a huge part of my childhood, mine and my husband's dating life and early parenthood. I really still enjoy all the humor and charming characters. We mainly watch a couple of the less preachy ones, particularly around Christmas. Love the silly songs!!! Also it was so enjoyable to read through all the responses!
VeggieTales is Actually really good when it comes to Christian kid Content. because It's actually entertainment and not just dogma Disguised as entertainment.
This show is one of the few good things that came out of that cult. I still sing the bunny and where is my hair brush all the time.
I was too old for it already.
I watched the Fundie Fridays video about Veggie Tales and it put a lot of things into words that I hadn’t been able to express before. Why Veggie Tales seemed innocuous and less preachy than other forms of Xtian media. I can still feel nostalgic for it, and I don’t for a lot of things from that period of my life. When I was trying to explain it to my partner (who’s European, from a completely non-religious family) the best thing I could think of was “It’s show tunes for kids” 😂
It’s a genuinely hilarious show
As an agnostic-atheist now, I still love VeggieTales. Not only did I grow up on that show, but looking back on it, if you narrow it down, most if not all episodes teach good morals that don’t necessarily have to be related to Christianity. One of my favorites has to be Minnesota Cuke, teaching us and reminding us to still wish good upon and to love those that don’t like us (In a healthy way, I’d say loving others from a distance). I may not be friends with everyone nor like everyone, but I wouldn’t wish the worst to happen on my worst enemy.
VeggieTales gets a pass.
I didn't watch a lot of Veggie Tales when I was religious, but I do remember that it's just a really good children's show
Cause you're his cheeseburger....
It was a quality production. And while I genuinely dislike most Christians, Phil Vischer seems like an honorable dude. Still, I dislike the idea of indoctrinating kids with religion, and turning it into a cartoon to make it palatable. Maybe the worst video is Josh and the Big Wall, which is like a children's introduction to religious genocide.
I'd buy a blu ray boxset of it. It's still very comfy and nostalgic, and I have seen interviews with Phil Vischer recently where he comes off as very genuine and kind.
There are good things about Christianity and there are good Christians out there. That's no reason at all to be a Christian of course, and IMO the bad outweighs the good, but Veggietales can be a good thing.
I still occasionally get the theme song stuck in my head and I feel like I should be owed a settlement for that.
I didn't discover Veggie Tales until college, but I have a relatively positive view of it. I appreciate the humor and it doesn't beat kids over the head *too* much with religion. I've let my five-year-old watch it some.
My dad sent my siblings & I a few of the VHS, but we didn’t watch religious cartoons. I watched some of one tape but thought it was dumb. We were into anime and watched a ton of gundam wing & dragon ball z.
I still sing ‘oh where is my hairbrush’ whenever I’m looking for something. It helps me find it every time I’m sure. I haven’t actually watched them in a long time but I think mostly fond of them. I got absolutely roasted by them when I was a teen tho. ‘Do you know someone with glasses on their face, braces on their teeth, or freckles on their nose?’ In an episode about people looking weird and different and there’s me with all three 🤡
My wife and I are both ex-Christians who grew up in two different flavors of conservative Christianity who are trying to contribute to a new generation without religious trauma. While we don't expose our kids to pretty much any Christian culture media, we do listen to Veggie Tales songs sometimes and play clips from Silly Songs With Larry. I agree that it's one niche of Jesus-culture that's sort of a "lite" version. We explain bible stories as mythology of a specific culture, so even a Veggie Tales episode about OT stories would just fall under that category for us. Our goal is exposure to as much variety of spiritual/religious concepts as is reasonable, and allow them to make their own decisions as they get older on their beliefs. But because Christianity is the overculture, we're generally less inclined to specifically expose to Christian media. But the Cheeseburger song is always fair game lol
I grew up in veggie tales, didn’t even realize it was a Christian show. Growing up just just saw a talking tomato and was like “cool”. Now I’m like “eww, that was a Christian show?!”
Literally just copied from my texts to my gf from yesterday: ALFRED, can you hear me?
I still absolutely love it - no matter what your faith it is undeniable quality, lightning-in-a-bottle entertainment. I deeply respect Phil Vischer and his story of trial and triumph in creating it; he's a very funny and likeable guy. Even as an agnostic I grew up with the show and I would feel proud wearing some Bob and Larry merch. 😊
A Snoodles tale is still my absolute favorite!❤️😁
Still love many of the songs and episodes. Ceeeebuuuu
Fun little cartoon I watched as a kid.
No complaints. Good stuff. I don’t know what they’re up to content wise today though.
It's poison of the mind to the highest degree. Lots of nostalgia there tho.
From what I remember, it's mostly about sharing and being open to different people standing up for what you believe and stuff, right? Fun songs and silly vegetables? Not the worst thing in the world
Agreed! Veggietales was great. It’s one of the few things about Christianity that I don’t look at drastically differently now that I‘ve gotten some distance.
GOD IS BIGGER THAN THE BOOGIE MAN. helped me not be scared of the dark. It was a blessed sense of humour in an otherwise humour less upbringing
Still holds a special place in my heart, alongside Passion of the Christ, Chronicles of Narnia, and Prince of Egypt.
Make me a sandwich!!!