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Princess and the Popstar

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Princess and the Popstar (sometimes sylized as Princess and the Pop Star) is the thirty-sixth episode of VeggieTales.

The story is based on the novel, The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain. Coincidentally, a Barbie movie has an extremely similar premise to this episode and was probably intended to be on DVD store shelves at the same time to compete.

Plot

Opening Countertop

Larry paints the countertop green until Bob approaches and becomes shocked at the sight of the paint and asks him why he did such. Larry replies that he was talking with Madison beforehand and so he was using the green paint to help visualize how the "grass is greener on the other side of the fence". Qwerty then shows a video email from Madison Scott in Ogallala, Nebraska; who is envious of her friend Taylor who "has everything." Bob is confused by Larry's analogy and tells that him that no one would understand what he means. He decides to show Madison a story while he and Larry clean up the paint before it dries.

Act 1

The story opens with a song, That's Not Everything (sung by Vanna Banana). Princess says that he won't see her there. Mr. Poppyseed tries pogoing, but falls. Mrs. Banana asks why isn't she dressed yet. Vanna explains that she plays with her sisters and skips through a meadow. Pa Grape is on TV, thanking God for the food. Princess must survive from spiky things and breaking the dishes on the floor. Mrs. Poppyseed slams the fridge door on her daughter 2 times. Pepper trips on a phone cord. Pepper says he's sorry. Princess says that she is going to meet Vanna Banana. Alone is sung by Vanna Banana. Once they go to the park, Princess has to do see-sawing with Vanna. Vanna is played by Laura Carrot, and Princess is played by Vanna Banana.

Silly Song

Main article: Astonishing Wigs!

Act 2

Princess practices her song "Radio Sweetheart" and Mrs. Banana is impressed by her song. Mr. Poppyseed pushes the red button before being hit by a pogo stick. Vanna begins doing her daily morning chores. Mrs. Banana says good night to Princess, but she sleeps on the dresser drawer, which is too big and it feels like home. When they get Princess, Pepper gets stuck in the dark hole. All that she has to do is rescue her brother. Princess doesn't want to be Vanna anymore, she really likes to be a Poppyseed again. The story closes with a song and with Princess and Vanna swapping back.

Closing Countertop

Bob and Larry eventually get the countertop clean and tell Madison that she should be glad for what she has rather than focus on all of the stuff that her friend Taylor has.

Characters

Major

Supporting

Minor/Cameo

Silly Song only

Songs

Other Languages

  • أميرة وأميرة الغناء (Arabic)
  • Prinsessen og popstjernen (Norweigan)
  • Unknown (Persian)

Home Media

Main article: Princess and the Popstar/Home Video

Features

Trailer Appearances

Fun Facts

Moral

Explanations

  • As Bob stated in this episode, "The grass is always greener on the other side" is an expression for wanting something the other person has.
  • Analogy is a way to compare things, while anomaly is something that is different from normal.
  • Acapella is a way to sing without instruments.
  • Glass shatters when the right resonant frequency of sound is enough.

Trivia

  • This is the first episode for several things:
  • In The Episode, The episode's credits music (You Never Are) trails into the Huhu Studios and Big Idea logos, thus leaving the latter's audio silent until Larry touches the A.
  • This is the last episode where Bob does not appear in the story in the main series (not counting Lenny and the Lost Birthday).
  • The last appearance Mom Carrot in the main series and her last appearance overall until Chef Larry.
  • There were a few differences between pre-production and the final version:
    • The staff were debating whether Vanna and Princess switching was either done deliberately or accidentally.
    • Originally, Brian stated they wanted to avert the "fitting in someone else's shoes" plot (which kind of defeats the purpose of the original story) as he wanted the episode to focus more on Princess and Vanna's friendship. But they decided to go back to square one as they feel it's required.
    • Vanna's mother in the script was going to be somewhat a stage mom-esque role, but later changed it as they didn't want her to be unlikable.
    • On that similar note, there was also plans to have an antagonist, similar to the original story. But this was dropped due to it feeling it's not required. Had the idea gone through, the role likely would have gone to a stage manager or even Vanna's mother.
    • Concept art from the teaser trailer that Pepper was going to be orange.
    • Lunt and Jerry's costumes were going to be black. But when going through production, Brian saw them in teal, and thought it'll be great since they looked like 80s fashion.
    • Vanna was going to get the abuse from the farm animals, but was switched to Larry instead.
    • The guards watching were going to be potatoes.
  • This episode shares some similarities with a Barbie film by Universal Studios (which is also an adaptation of Mark Twain's novel), although that film released a year after this.
    • The main difference between these films is that the VeggieTales episode is titled Princess and the Popstar, meaning that the main character is named Princess, while the Barbie movie is titled The Princess and the Popstar, indicating that the main character is an actual princess.
    • Aside from this, both of each of their animation studios, Big Idea (which produced VeggieTales) and Rainmaker Entertainment (which produced Barbie films) were coincidentally being pioneers of computer animation.

Remarks

  • Vanna's television is just a resize model of Qwerty.
  • During when Princess is singing on the phone her mother is not there. But on the close up, she is by the refrigerator.
  • Vanna mentions about meeting the president in her sleep, though it never stated whom.
  • Princess sings badly when she was in Vanna's place, though she seems to be good earlier in the story.
  • Although technically not a goof, the pancake under the table vanishes and reappears in certain shots.

Inside References

  • This episode has some connections towards The Wonderful Wizard of Ha's:
    • The background of Little Peas on the Prairie is the dental floss farm.
    • The Poppyseed house is the same house beside Darby's.
    • Larry wears the same Farmhand outfit.
    • The recoloring truck from Going Up! is used.
    • The cow from Monkey is in it.
  • This episode has some connections to Minnesota Cuke:
  • This episode has some minor connections to Pistachio:
    • The Kid through the Video Chat says Dear Bob and Larry and Your Friend unlike the rest of the children in the video chats.
    • Larry is a father.
    • Vanna Banana's room is a redesigned version of the art museum.
    • Parcheesi appears and his House is Gelato's workshop.
    • Laura and her Mom were taking care of animals.
  • Larry using bad grammar and Bob correcting it at the beginning is a callback to King George and the Ducky.
  • Jimmy's character, "Rockin' Robin" is most likely a reference to another one of his characters, Jim Gourdly.
  • Princess Popyseed being frustrated with her little brother is a reference to Babysitter in DeNile where Miriam was frustrated with her little brother, coincidentally, both those big sisters are played by Laura.
  • Pepper confuses "Radio Sweetheartwith Radio Stuff-Mart.
  • The way Princess was upset over losing her ticket to a concert is very similar to how Laura getting upset over losing her ticket in Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie (especially since Princess is played by Laura).
  • Rusty's hair and mustache are recolored from Octavius from Saint Nicholas: A Story of Joyful Giving.
  • Veggie Beat makes a return, now as a TV/radio channel.
  • The exchange between Mrs. Banana and Princess backstage after Vanna explains that she and Princess switched places mirrors that of King Xerxes and Haman after Esther exposed the latter's plan to banish her family in Esther... The Girl Who Became Queen.

Real-World References

  • AstroTurf is a brand of artificial turf, usually for game fields.
  • Vanna Banana is a spoof of Disney's Hannah Montana.
  • Jimmy's character, Rockin' Robin, is the name of the 1958 song by Bobby Day.
  • Paprika Popyseed looks very alike to Yentl Marmelstein, a character from Jimmy Neutron.
  • In the film commentary, Princess' radio device is called the PeaPod, which is a parody of the iPod.
  • The show Little Peas on the Prairie is a spoof on the classic NBC drama series, Little House on the Prairie.
  • The Corvette is a sports car that has been built by Chevrolet since 1953.
  • Dairy Queen is a restaurant chain known for selling dairy products.

Fast Forward

Episode Transcript

Credits

Gallery


VeggieTales episodes
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