The Star of Christmas (2002)

NTSC format (US and Canada only)

Animated, Color, Closed-captioned, NTSC

An electric-light extravaganza on Christmas Eve in the middle of 19th-century London? Nothing's impossible for Cavis and Milward (Bob and Larry)---or so they think until a valuable 6th-century artifact from a local church grabs the limelight. Join the Veggies for song, spectacle, and a heartwarming holiday lesson about love. Includes cookie cutter set and recipes.

The Yodel Napper: Larryboy - The Cartoon Adventures #3 (2002)

NTSC format (US and Canada only)

Color, Animated, HiFi Sound, Closed-captioned, NTSC

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Larry---no, wait---it's Noodle Blabberbop, champion yodeler! (Actually, it is Larry-Boy.) While vile Greta von Gruesome plots to kidnap the world's greatest yodelers, our hero trades leotard for lederhosen to go undercover. Can he nab the nappers before the music . . . er, yodeling dies---and Bumblyburg's alpine slopes fall silent? 30 minutes.

Josh and the Big Wall (1999)

NTSC format (US and Canada only)

Color, Animated, HiFi Sound, Closed-captioned, NTSC

Larry the Cucumber has slept in late. But that's all right because the plucky Jr. Asparagus is at the ready to narrate the story of the wall of Jericho with Bob the Tomato. This half-hour computer-animated video from the VeggieTale folk is another bouncy retelling of a traditional Bible story. We follow Josh (alas, Larry appears!), who has taken over for Moses leading the Israelites to the Promised Land. In their way is the city of Jericho, full of nasty French peas armed with purple slushies to lob below. Focusing on being obedient to God's wishes, this video has more Christian gist than most and is a bit long (the tales are better when they're shorter), but for any fan, it's a keeper. There are plenty of hip songs, and Larry puts his own slant on receiving word from a messenger of God. The Silly Song with Larry segment is one of the silliest: "The Song of the Cebú." --Doug Thomas (Tell me more)

Madame Blueberry (1999)

NTSC format (US and Canada only)

Color, Animated, HiFi Sound, Closed-captioned, NTSC

A new VeggieTale character is introduced in the most song-filled video yet. Madame Blueberry is so blue, even her butlers (Bob and Larry, natch) can't fill her every need. But wait--the giant Stuff-Mart is just opening down the lane--promising joy to those who buy everything (a typical sales pitch: "Of course you don't need an air compressor, but don't you want one?"). Madame Blueberry will learn a hard lesson in being thankful. Bad news: "Silly Songs with Larry" has been canceled. Good news: "Love Songs with Mr. Lunt" has a whopper of a tune in its place. Note: the family picnicking near Stuff-Mart has a strong resemblance to cocreator Phil Vischer's family. --Doug Thomas (Tell me more)

Very Silly Songs (1999)

NTSC format (US and Canada only)

Color, Animated, HiFi Sound, Closed-captioned, NTSC

How's the singing-pickle genre of your video collection coming along? Here is the first collection of songs spanning the first few computer-animated VeggieTales videos. The lyrics appear on the screen, and that's good news since they are so much fun. The variety of music is also remarkable: calypso ("The Lagoon Song"), Argentinean folk ("Dance of the Cucumber"), and Broadway spectacle ("The Bunny Song"). It also contains the first catchy number from the singing vegetables, "God Is Bigger (than the Boogie Man)." The music in the videos is the most consistently entertaining element of the series, and this collection (11 songs) is great for any fan. The popular Silly Songs with Larry segment is represented by "Love My Lips," "The Hairbrush Song," and a new, witty song, only available on this video, "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything" ("...and we've never been to Boston in the fall!"). --Doug Thomas (Tell me more)

Dave and the Giant Pickle (1998)

NTSC format (US and Canada only)

Color, Animated, HiFi Sound, Closed-captioned, NTSC

Another winning video from the VeggieTales folk. To teach Larry the Cucumber about self-esteem, Bob the Tomato tells the story, slightly renamed, of David and Goliath. Jr. Asparagus plays the young man who wants to prove himself and will face the towering pickle. These adorable tales, brightly animated and containing bouncy songs, teach Christian-lite values in an entertaining way. Telling a single story (instead of the normal two), this 30-minute video goes on a bit too long, but it does contain the funniest entry in the "Silly Songs with Larry" series: Love My Lips. --Doug Thomas (Tell me more)

Rack, Shack, and Benny (1998)

NTSC format (US and Canada only)

Color, Animated, HiFi Sound, Closed-captioned, NTSC

The latest in an animated Christian children's series, this video teaches kids the importance of standing up to peer pressure through a thinly disguised Bible story. When Bob the Tomato, our host, sees that Larry the Cucumber is trying to fit into what's "cool" by wearing an oven mitt as a hat, he tells Larry that it's important to be true to yourself no matter what the consequences. Bob tells Larry a story about three vegetables, Rag, Shack, and Benny, who are held hostage in a factory and forced to make chocolate bunnies. When the owner, Mr. Nezzar, takes a liking to them, he offers to promote them if they will only worship a giant chocolate bunny. The story is based on the book of Daniel in the Old Testament, in which three friends stand up to King Nebuchadnezzar, refusing to worship a false idol. The slavery and death themes may be too dark for kids under 7, but the animation and songs are fun. --Elisabeth Keating (Tell me more)

Are You My Neighbor? (1998)

NTSC format (US and Canada only)

Color, Animated, HiFi Sound, Closed-captioned, NTSC

Those lovable, googly-eyed vegetables are back with another 30-minute animated episode of fun-spirited morality. In The Story of Flibber-o-loo, Jr. Asparagus rises above his town's hatred of Flibbians to rescue a cucumber who's in a real pickle. The little guy's choice to love his neighbor ends a long history of trouble between the two towns. The Gourds Must Be Crazy teaches a second lesson about appreciating differences among each other. When the crew of the Starship Applepies faces impending doom, Jr. Asparagus is the only one willing to ask the newest crew members (a couple of ravenous, singing gourds) for help. As always, co-hosts Larry the Cucumber and Bob the Tomato smartly recap and apply the lesson to everyday life, complete with a quick Bible reference. If your family enjoys the wit and imagination found in Muppet movies or Sesame Street episodes, you'll find this musical group of vegetables inspiring and entertaining. --Liane Thomas (Tell me more)

Where's God When I'm S-Scared? (1998)

NTSC format (US and Canada only)

Color, Animated, HiFi Sound, Closed-captioned, NTSC

Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber host another winning episode in this Christian-lite animated series aimed at 3-9 year olds, combining parable and parody in two lessons about fear. After watching a scary Frankencelery movie, Jr. Asparagus works through his fears of darkness and monsters to learn that "God is bigger than the Boogie Man." In Daniel and the Lions' Den, our cast of rollicking vegetables performs a highly engaging adaptation of the classic Bible story. Larry the Cucumber stars as God's humble and faithful servant Daniel. A supporting cast of green onions and asparagus--wisemen gone bad--sing their way to Daniel's fate: "We could use him as a footstool or a table to play Scrabble on then tie him up and beat him up and throw him out of Babylon." Co-creators Phil Vischer and Mike Nawrocki expertly combine classical, rock, jazz, and funk music with bold, energetic 3-D computer animation and plenty of witty dialogue. --Liane Thomas (Tell me more)

God Wants Me to Forgive Them!?! (1998)

NTSC format (US and Canada only)

Color, Animated, HiFi Sound, Closed-captioned, NTSC

Another early entry in the VeggieTales series offers two lessons on forgiveness. These colorful and very funny 30-minute tapes are an entertaining way to teach Christian-lite morals to youngsters (and those young at heart). In the first episode, Jr. Asparagus has trouble understanding why he must forgive an irritating grape tourist family (who call themselves "the grapes of wrath") after they insult him. The second episode, a parody of Gilligan's Island, deals with the bumbling Larry the Cucumber when he gets a tourist boat lost on a deserted island. It moves a little faster than the first episode, and Larry's antics--always a highlight--are in top form. Along with the bouncy songs, there's also a commercial for the Forgive-o-Matic. Remember: bamboo can be used for many things! --Doug Thomas (Tell me more)

Larry-Boy and the Fib From Outer Space (1998)

NTSC format (US and Canada only)

Color, Animated, HiFi Sound, Closed-captioned, NTSC

If you want some morality tossed lightly with education in the videos your children watch, then this is a series for you. These Christian vegetables with a hip sensibility (sample dialogue: "You are so early-'90s.") play out a Batman-meets-Back to the Future scenario when a young asparagus tells his dad a lie to get out of trouble. That lie, embodied by a space alien, grows until it threatens the entire vegetable village, provoking Larry the Cucumber to heed the signal in the sky and hop into his flying Larrymobile designed by the eccentric and fallible inventor Alfred Asparagus. Action, music, and a Jerry-Springer-style deconstruction at the end with a blink-and-you-missed-it reference to God make for a half hour of involving and wholesome entertainment. --Kimberly Heinrichs (Tell me more)

The Toy That Saved Christmas (1998)

NTSC format (US and Canada only)

Color, Animated, HiFi Sound, Closed-captioned, NTSC

Mr. Nezzer tries to convince all the children that Christmas is all about getting more stuff. He's pretty convincing. "Billy has more toys than I do!" whines Lenny Carrot. But that's not what Christmas is all about. One of the toys in Mr. Nezzer's toy factory, Buzz-Saw Louie, decides that he's going to find the real meaning of Christmas. He leaves the factory to go find someone who knows. He finds Bob, Larry and Junior Asparagus and they all go to see George. George explains to them that the true meaning of Christmas is Jesus Birth. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16) That's what Christmas is all about. Buzz-Saw Louie and the rest of the gang have to find a way to tell the rest of the world. (Tell me more)

Larry-Boy and the Rumor Weed (2000)

NTSC format (US and Canada only)

Color, Animated, HiFi Sound, Closed-captioned, NTSC

Weeds are taking over Bumblyburg--flowery, talkative, sunglasses-wearing weeds that bear a striking resemblance to the clichéd blathering old ladies who enjoy nothing more than yakking about the neighbors over a game of mahjong. No, these aren't ordinary weeds; these weeds are interconnected, and they are multiplying at an alarming rate. What could cause these wild plants to bloom at such a rapid pace? Why, they're just keeping pace with the rumors that are flying around town. Only Larry-Boy can save the city. Or can he? --Jenny Brown (Tell me more)

The End of Silliness? (1998)

NTSC format (US and Canada only)

Color, Animated, HiFi Sound, Closed-captioned, NTSC

There's Larry, drowning his sorrows at the corner soda shop. So opens this zippy 30-minute collection of songs from the VeggieTales series. Larry is, of course, Larry the Cucumber, and his trouble is that he has lost his precious "Silly Songs with Larry" segment that has been a mainstay of the series. Through flashbacks, we see where his troubles started ("The Song of the Cebu") and other songs from the series, including "Promised Land," "The Thankfulness Song," "His Cheeseburger," and the "Stuff-Mart Rap." Fans of the Christian-lite series that practices "Sunday morning values, Saturday morning fun" will want to add this to their collection. Newbies to VeggieTales will find this and the earlier volume of songs (Very Silly Songs) a great way to survey the series since the music is one of the strongest elements. The wacky lyrics appear onscreen so you can have your own sing-along at home. Of course, everything turns right in the end, including Larry's latest song (only available here), "The Yodeling Veterinarian of the Alps." --Doug Thomas (Tell me more)