Veggie-Tales: Part of a Healthy Media Diet for Kids
- BARBARA NICOLOSI
The Greek word for entertainment literally means "to inform with delight." Another definition might just be Veggie-Tales. In a kids' media landscape spotted with insipid purple dinosaurs and cynical Bart Simpson clones, the Veggie-Tales are a fresh, fun, and spiritually healthy alternative.
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Produced
by Chicago-based Big Idea Productions, in the last two years the Veggie-Tales
have outpaced both Pokemon and Blue's Clues to become the most popular
children's video series in North America. Originally distributed through mail-order
and then through Christian bookstores, Larry the Cucumber and Bob the Tomato now
spread their unique retellings of Old Testament stories through major retailers
including Wal-Mart. Along with an extensive line of ancillary merchandise
I admit I have a stuffed Larry on my desk the first Veggie-Tales
feature-length project is currently in production, making for yet another milestone
for the video franchise. Based on the adventures of Jonah and the whale, the film
will be in theaters in 2002.
Having begun in creator Phil Vischer's
garage in a Chicago suburb, the Veggie-Tales have snow-balled in popularity
in the last three years completely due to consumer word of mouth. This is extraordinary
because the concept of Veggie-Tales is not an easy sell. Every time I suggest
the video series to parents I encounter the same doubtful wince. "A talking asparagus,
huh?" Even Vischer introduces himself with a grin and the shrug, "I'm the guy
who tells Bible stories with vegetables." The reason people are willing to talk
up the adventures of Larry and Bob comes down to the simple fact that the product
here is so very good. According to Vischer, "There is no better way to attract
consumer loyalty than by really helping parents parent."
This is Meaghen Gonzalez, Editor of CERC. I hope you appreciated this piece. We curate these articles especially for believers like you.
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Acknowledgement
Barbara Nicolosi. "Veggie-Tales: Part of a Healthy Media Diet for Kids." Liguorian (November 2001).
This article reprinted with permission from Liguorian, One Liguori Drive, Liguori, MO 63057.
Liguorian is a general interest Catholic magazine written and edited for Catholics of all ages. Its purpose is to help readers better understand the gospel and Church teaching and to show how these teachings apply to life and the problems confronting them as members of families, the Church, and society.
The Author
Barbara Nicolosi is the Executive Director of The Story Institute at Azusa Pacific University and an adjunct professor of screenwriting at Azusa Pacific University and at Pepperdine University. She blogs at The Church of the Masses.
Copyright © 2001 Liguorian
