Values on Video

Insight on the News, July 5, 1999 by Catherine Edwards

A clever computer-animated series entertains kids as it delivers lessons about life.

Josh the Cucumber is scared. Nonetheless, he and his band of vegetables are determined to storm the walls of Jericho. Jean-Claude and Phillipe, the saucy French peas guarding the walled city, heckle the attackers as they march around the city seven times, following God's instructions. Such obedience pays off, however, and the walls come tumbling down!

This retelling of the Bible story of Joshua and the battle of Jericho is one of the latest in a series of computer-animated videos for kids called VeggieTales. Concerned about character values in media, VeggieTales creator Phil Vischer set out in the early 1990s to prove his theory that, if bad stories have a negative impact on kids, the opposite also could be true. In an entertainment-dominated culture, youngsters have many options, but not many programs for children teach values, says Vischer. After five years in the specialized Christian market, VeggieTales entered the general marketplace last year and proved that traditional religious values not only are popular among kids, but they sell as well. During the holiday season, VeggieTales sold second only to Disney's Lion King II.

Vischer started his company, Big Idea Productions, in 1993 in a Chicago storefront studio. His love for stories had been honed at St. Paul Bible College in Minnesota, where he was part of a puppet team. His troupe wrote witty scripts and acted them out for children at local churches. Having worked as a computer animator for TV commercial spots, Vischer believed he could do more with his talent than create virtual soapsuds for liquid-detergent ads. The first attempt resulted in an animated candy bar. His wife wisely reminded him, however, that parents might not appreciate sugary confections parading on TV in front of their children.

Computer graphics still were expensive at the time so the young entrepreneur needed to create a simple character. "He had to be limbless, naked and bald!" recalls Vischer. Since parents might not approve of pushing candy at their kids, Vischer served up vegetables instead and created a cucumber named Larry. In the tradition of Laurel and Hardy or Abbott and Costello, Vischer added a sidekick for Larry -- a fat little tomato he named Bob -- and the stars of VeggieTales were born.

VeggieTales' combination of wacky humor and good storytelling has captured audiences of all ages. Each video contains one or two stories that teach lessons on topics such as self-esteem, handling fear or forgiveness. Larry and Bob play the starring roles, such as Larry as Joshua in the video Josh and the Big Wall. Assorted carrots, asparagus, gourds and scallions join them. Kids enjoy the colorful computer animation and good stories, while parents say they appreciate the life lessons and humor.

"We want to make sure that VeggieTales is something parents will want to watch with their kids" says Mike Nawrocki, cocreator of the series and voice of Larry the Cucumber. Parents can reinforce the lessons taught in the videos and be amused at the same time.

"When I write, I don't write down to kids" Nawrockl tells Insight. "I just write what makes me laugh." And it works. Vischer calls the humor in VeggieTales "Monty Python meets Dr. Seuss." Viewers familiar with Monty Python will recognize that the French peas in VeggieTales are modeled after the Frenchmen in the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The stuffy British character of Archibald Asparagus is Vischer's impression of John Cleese. Fans of Star Trek, Gilligan's Island, Batman and even Gustav Flaubert's Madame Bovary will recognize references to these throughout VeggieTales. "A lot of kids' humor today fails to the lowest common denominator of body humor" says Vischer. "I like to be a little more tongue-in-cheek and do things with a wink and a wry smile."

Despite its humor, however, VeggieTales never compromises its lessons from the Bible. A major general-market retailer approached Big Idea two years before the animator hit the mass market. "They asked us to take the God language out to help them sell the videos," says Nawrocki. Committed to their message, Big Idea declined the offer and, after witnessing VeggieTales' record sales, the retailer came back. Dennis Wigent, director of internal communications for Kmart, tells Insight that the Kmart stores have carried VeggieTales for two years with much success. "We are a family store.... It is the right product for our customer," he says, "and it has exceeded our expectations in sales."

VeggieTales has sold 10 million videos to date and 1.8 million so far in 1999 alone. They have captured the top 10 slots on the Christian children's-video charts. The top Christian product retailer, Family Christian Stores, shows a 128 percent growth in VeggieTales sales last year. Mark Beyer, senior buyer for the company, attributes the success of the animated stories to a creative team committed to a strong message. "It's clear where they stand" he says. "The whole team has a desire to make an impact on our culture."