This article is about the episode. You may be looking for the book. |
- "Our parents taught us to stand up for what we believe in.
And God wants us to do what's right." - — Rack and Benny to Mr. Nezzer
Rack, Shack & Benny | |
---|---|
Directed by | |
Written by |
Phil Vischer |
Music by | |
Distributed by | |
Released |
October 1, 1995 |
Runtime |
33 minutes |
Previous episode | |
Next episode |
Rack, Shack & Benny (also titled as Rack, Shack and Benny) is the fourth episode of VeggieTales. It deals with the topic of handling peer-pressure as the biblical story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the Book of Daniel is retold with elements taken from Terry Gilliam's films.
Plot
Opening Countertop
On the countertop, Bob is alone while greeting the kids, but when he notices that Larry is absent, Larry calls out that he's coming. From off-screen, Larry ends up crashing into some stuff, and when he finally arrives, it turns out that the reason for this is because he has an oversized oven mitt on his head, which he christens his "new hat". When Bob expresses concern that Larry cannot see anything from wearing the oven mitt, Larry retorts that according to "Veggie Beat" magazines, all the cool people wear oven mitts on their heads. Bob then remembers that they got a letter from Dexter Wilmington from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, who explains that when he's visiting his friend, Billy, Billy wants to watch a show that Dexter is not supposed to watch, but Billy tells him that if he doesn't watch it, it means he's not cool, so he wants to know what he should do. Larry then decides to consult Qwerty about this problem, but unfortunately, because of the oven mitt that completely obscures his vision, he winds up falling into the kitchen sink. Bob then tells Dexter that while he's trying to get Larry out of the sink, he should watch a story about three boys named Rack, Shack, and Benny who were faced with the exact same problem.
Act 1
We are introduced to the narrator of the story, an old onion named George, who serves as the gatekeeper to the Nezzer Chocolate Factory. George then explains that the real names of Rack, Shack, and Benny are Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, respectively. But everyone else called them by their nicknames since they couldn't remember the trio's real names. George then explains that every morning at the Chocolate Factory, everyone works hard to make sure that everything is going smoothly, before noticing that it's almost 8 o'clock, which means that it's time for the morning milk delivery. Laura then approaches the front gate and, in her speaking debut, explains to George in song that she'd love to stay and talk, but she doesn't have the time because everyone works really hard at the chocolate factory. After Laura arrives at the factory, she meets up with Mr. Lunt, who tells her through song that she's in trouble because she's two minutes late for work, before he also orders the other employees (which are played by a multitude of peas) to get back to work.
We are then introduced to the trio: Rack, Shack, and Benny (played, respectively, by Bob the Tomato, Junior Asparagus, and Larry the Cucumber), who also explain through song that they don't have any time to play because they have a lot of work to do in the factory. The employees of the factory are hard at work, making sure that all of the chocolate bunnies are made, as well as disposing of any bunnies that have been made wrong. Soon, the song ends as Laura takes off in her delivery truck to deliver the chocolate bunnies. As a lone chocolate bunny falls out of the back of the truck and lands in front of George, George then explains that every day, they make 14,638 chocolate bunnies (give or take a few), before explaining that Nebby K. Nezzer, the boss of the chocolate factory, isn't exactly a bad man, but he just gets confused real easily sometimes. George then demonstrates this by stating that it all happened when Mr. Nezzer made a big announcement.
Back inside the factory, the workers are still hard at work, when a video screen appears, before Mr. Nezzer appears on the screen, announcing that this morning, they have shipped their two millionth chocolate bunny and decides to reward everyone by allowing them to eat as many chocolate bunnies as they like for the next half hour. After this announcement is made, Mr. Lunt compliments Mr. Nezzer for allowing everyone to eat the bunnies, while Mr. Nezzer is confident that everyone will give their praise to him for this announcement. While the rest of the employees ravenously eat as many of the bunnies as they like, Shack is a little bit uncertain about this decision, telling Rack and Benny that they shouldn't eat any more bunnies, because it isn't good to eat too much candy in one sitting. When Rack and Benny argue about this, stating that everyone else is doing it, Shack retorts back that they should remember what their parents taught them, as well as remembering a song that his mother used to sing to him back when he was really little. After Shack sings a little bit of the song, he then tells Rack and Benny that even though their parents aren't with them, they can still remember everything that they've learned from this. This finally convinces Rack and Benny not to eat any more bunnies.
As time passes, the other employees are still eating chocolate bunnies, but after a while, they begin to feel rather sick from doing so. At the end of the half hour free-for-all, Mr. Nezzer and Mr. Lunt then head into the workroom before noticing that everyone has become sick as dogs as a result of eating too many chocolate bunnies. Mr. Nezzer is angered by this before Mr. Lunt notices that Rack, Shack, and Benny are the only ones who are still standing up. When Mr. Nezzer and Mr. Lunt approach the three boys, he is impressed by their resilience before telling them that he's going to promote them to Junior Executives (which, according to Mr. Lunt, means that you have to wear a tie when Benny asks what it means). After Mr. Nezzer tells Rack, Shack, and Benny to meet him in his office first thing in the morning, George then shows up, stating that Rack, Shack, and Benny are able to get on Mr. Nezzer's good side, before adding that the three boys are in for a big surprise when they come into Mr. Nezzer's office.
The next morning, Rack, Shack, and Benny are greeted by Mr. Nezzer, who then explains that he will have every one of his faithful employees bow down to a chocolate bunny statue, before showing them a model of the statue, to which he says that the real thing is 90 feet tall. Mr. Nezzer then explains further that it will be a beautiful day when everyone bows down to the statue and sings a song known as "The Bunny Song," which Benny says that he's not familiar with and asks Mr. Nezzer to hum a few bars. Mr. Nezzer then obliges as he starts singing "The Bunny Song," talking about how much he loves the bunny and not anything else. After the song ends, Rack, Shack, and Benny are a little bit troubled by the lyrics, with Rack asking what will happen if anyone doesn't sing the song. Mr. Nezzer answers that question by showing the three boys the furnace where the "bad bunnies" (bunnies that get messed up during the production cycle) are sent to be destroyed, before he says in a rather intimidating matter, "Let's just say in my mind, if you don't bow down and sing the song, you're a bad bunny." Mr. Nezzer then hops off before telling Rack, Shack, and Benny that the ceremony is starting. George then shows up and states that the boys were in a real pickle with this: "The Bunny Song" was full of all kinds of stuff that the three boys knew was wrong, but the punishment for refusing to sing it would result in Mr. Nezzer throwing them into the furnace! He then asks the viewers what they would do if they were them, but decides to hold that thought as the ceremony is about to begin.
That afternoon, when everyone is gathered outside, Mr. Nezzer then announces that it is now time to bow to the bunny and sing "The Bunny Song." While everyone else bows down, Rack, Shack, and Benny are the only ones who do not bow, before Mr. Nezzer and Mr. Lunt approach them, with Mr. Nezzer telling them to sing. In response, Shack instead sings Think Of Me along with Rack and Benny. After the trio finishes singing, Mr. Nezzer is touched from hearing this song and says that he'll be singing that song... as he punishes them by throws them into the furnace, before calling out to the guards to take them to the fiery furnace. Three carrot guards then approach the trio, while Laura is concerned and states that she has to help them, before noticing Mr. Nezzer's delivery truck.
Silly Songs with Larry
- Main article: Dance of the Cucumber
Act 2
Mr. Nezzer has now tied up Rack, Shack, & Benny, before he explains that he tried being patient & kind with the three boys & that he's infuriated by their stubbornness. When Mr. Nezzer asks the three boys if they will sing the song, they then explain to him that God wants us to stand up for what they believe is right and that they cannot sing the song. At first, it seems that Mr. Nezzer understands, before saying that they're bad bunnies before they end up getting pushed down towards the fiery furnace, but Laura saves them in time in the delivery truck. Mr. Nezzer then has two carrot guards chase after the quartet into a vent, but one of the guards crash into the wall and falls into a vat of chocolate.
The chase continues through the vents, which leads to the other carrot guard falling into the vat of chocolate as well. Once the guards have been dispatched, Laura then pilots the truck through the vents once again, and when they see that there is light on the left of the vents, they turn left, believing it to be a way out. Unfortunately, that vent brings them back to where they started from. Mr. Nezzer then has Mr. Lunt take the controls to which a pair of mechanical hands take hold of the truck and starts to tilt it downwards in an attempt to dump Rack, Shack, & Benny into the fiery furnace down below. However, Laura is able to escape before unplugging the controls just as the truck is now halfway tilted.
Laura then angrily proclaims that no one bakes her buddies much to Mr. Nezzer's annoyance and threatens Laura, the latch bolt for the gate of the truck then comes loose, which causes Rack, Shack, & Benny to fall into the fiery furnace. Mr. Nezzer then laughs at his victory, stating that no one will ever stand up to him again. However, the room suddenly turns dark before a multitude of bright lights shoot out from the windows of the furnace. Mr. Lunt peers into one of the windows as he asks how many guys they threw into the furnace. Mr. Nezzer incredulously answers that there are three before Mr. Lunt states that there are four guys in there now, making note that one of them is real shiny, as well as the fact that they aren't burning up. Mr. Nezzer then calls out to the three boys to get out of there, before the fiery furnace gate then opens up, as Rack, Shack, and Benny come out alive & well.
When Mr. Nezzer sees that the three boys were saved by God's power, he then admits that he was wrong for trying to get them to do stuff that they weren't supposed to do, stating that he forgot everything his mother taught him. When he asks them to forgive him, they do. Mr. Nezzer then asks if there's any way that he can make it up to them. Shack then answers that he could sing one of their songs, before he starts singing the song Stand! before Rack and Benny also join in as well, singing about how God wants us to stand up for what we believe in when we're faced with the peer pressure of doing things that we're not supposed to do. Everyone in the factory then sings the song, before the story comes to an end, as George then smiles at the viewers.
Closing Countertop
Back on the countertop, Bob states that he still hasn't been able to get Larry out of the sink, before saying that it's time to talk about what they've learned. Larry then starts singing What Have We Learned, while Bob tells him to stop singing. Larry still sings, but Bob is able to cut him off by turning on the faucet for the sink and turning it off again. When Bob reviews the lesson that they learned from the story, Larry then admits that he made a mistake for putting an oven mitt on his head before lamenting that he'll never get out of the sink and that he'll be stuck in it for the rest of his life. Fortunately, Bob comes up with an idea by having Larry stand on one end of a spoon, while Bob jumps onto the other end. Bob then jumps onto the spoon, which causes Larry to get flung out of the sink, before checking to see what verse Qwerty has. Qwerty then brings up the verse, which is "Stand firm, and hold to the teachings passed on to you. 2nd Thessalonians 2:15". After that, Larry then explains that it means that if someone wants you to do something you know is wrong, you should stand firm and do what's right, before telling Dexter that the next time he goes to Billy's house, he should bring one of his favorite videos to watch instead. Bob then agrees with Larry before saying that he would like to get out of the sink, but Larry cuts him off before signing off, ending the episode.
Characters
Major
- Bob the Tomato (as himself and Rack)
- Larry the Cucumber (as himself and Benny)
- Junior Asparagus (as himself and Shack)
- Grandpa George
- Laura Carrot
- Mr. Nezzer (as Nebby K. Nezzer)
- Mr. Lunt (as himself)
Minor
- Lisa Asparagus
- Unnamed peas and carrots (as factory workers)
- Carrot Guards
- Female Asparagus Singers
- Qwerty
Featured in the Silly Song
- Mike Asparagus
- The Dwarves
Voice Cast
- Phil Vischer as Bob the Tomato, Mr. Lunt, Mr. Nezzer and Grandpa George
- Mike Nawrocki as Larry the Cucumber and Injured Pea Factory Worker
- Lisa Vischer as Junior Asparagus, Lisa Asparagus and a Female Asparagus Singer
- Kristen Blegen as Laura Carrot
- Ginger Tam as a Female Asparagus Singer
- Tom Danen, Robert Ellis, Chris Olsen and Ron Smith as Factory Workers
Songs
- VeggieTales Theme Song
- VeggieTales on TV Theme Song (VeggieTales on TV only)
- Mail Song (VeggieTales on TV only)
- Good Morning George
- Think Of Me
- The Bunny Song
- Think Of Me (Reprise)
- Silly Songs with Larry: Dance of the Cucumber
- The Bunny Song (Reprise) (also known as "I Tried to Be Patient")
- Stand Up!
- What Have We Learned (sung by Larry)
- Stand Up! (Reprise)
Quotes
- Mr. Lunt: Actually, boss, I think that tomato is sitting.
- Rack: I'm standing!
- Mr. Lunt: Sitting.
- Rack: Look, this is sitting and this is standing. I'm standing.
- Mr. Lunt: Okay, he's standing.
- Laura: Which way do I go?
- Rack: Go up, go up! (Laura drives downward) Or down.
- Laura: Sorry, sir! Can't let you cook my buddies!
- Mr. Nezzer: Guards, get them! (guard vehicle engines startup)
- Laura: Hang on, guys!
- Mr. Nezzer: Well, what do you think?
- Rack: Um, what would happen, say, if someone didn't quite agree with everything in that song, so they didn't, um.. didn't sing it. What would happen?
- Mr. Nezzer: What's that over there?
- Shack: That's the furnace.
- Mr. Nezzer: What's it for?
- Benny: Well, that's where the bad bunnies go.
- Mr. Nezzer: Let's just say in my mind, if you don't bow down and sing the song, you're a bad bunny.
- Rack: You don't mean--
- Mr. Nezzer: But I'm sure that won't happen. It's almost time for the ceremony, I'll see you out there.
- Mr. Nezzer: What are your names, boys?
- Rack: I'm Shadrach.
- Shack: I'm Meschach.
- Benny: I'm a bumblebee, Abendyboo, I'm Benny.
- Laura: (singing) Good morning, George, how are you? I hope you're feeling fine. I'd love to stay and talk but it's almost eight o'clock, and I haven't got the time!
- George: See you later.
- Laura: (singing) Because we work really hard at the chocolate factory. We start at eight and we don't get lunch till 3. I've got to drive a truck to make a buck. So I can send it home to my family!
Production
The episode was based off the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the book of Daniel, and was made in Big Idea's new headquarters, a bankrupt screw machine factory. Development was very difficult and ambitious for the company at the time. Ten people worked on the episode with only 4 computers and towards the end, everyone suffered exhaustion.
Home media
- Main article: Rack, Shack & Benny (episode)/Home Video
Features
Trailer Appearances
Other Languages
- مصنع الشيكولاتة (Arabic) (Chocolate Factory)
- Rack, Shack 和 Benny (Cantonese) (same translation)
- Maak je sterk voor je eigen ideeën! (Dutch) (Make Yourself Strong For Your Own Ideas!)
- Herra Nekkulan suklaatehdas (Finnish) (Mr. Nezzer's Chocolate Factory)
- Drei Männer im Feuerofen (German) (Three Men in the Fiery Furnace)
- Ο Ρακ, ο Σακ και ο Μπένι (Greek) (same translation not counting name changes)
- Unknown (Hungarian)
- Rack, Shack and Benny (Indonesian) (same title)
- だれに従じゅったらいいの?(Japanese) (Who Should I Follow?)
- 세 친구 (Korean) (Three Friends)
- 火坑大逃亡 (Mandarin) (Taiwan) (1st dub) (Fire Pit Escape)
- Unknown (Mandarin) (Taiwan) (2nd dub)
- Rack, Shack og Benny (Norwegian) (same translation)
- Unknown (Persian)
- Rack, Shack e Benny (Portuguese) (Brazil) (1st dub) (same translation)
- Os Três Amigos (Portuguese) (Brazil) (2nd-3rd dubs) (The Three Friends)
- Rack, Shack e Benny (Portuguese) (Portugal) (same translation)
- Для Одежды, Шак & Бенни (Russian) (same translation not counting name changes)
- Šal, Mašna in Beno (Slovenian) (same translation not counting name changes)
- Drac, Sac y Benny (Spanish) (Latin America) (1st dub) (same translation not counting name changes)
- Rack, Shack y Benny (Spanish) (Latin America) (2nd dub) (same translation)
- Rack, Shack và Benny (Vietnamese) (same translation)
Fun Facts
Moral(s)
- If someone is trying to peer pressure you into doing something you know is wrong or uncomfortable, you need to be able to stand firm and do what is right; no matter how hard it may be.
- Faith in God will protect you when facing hardships.
Explanations
- A nimble scooter is a scooter with a cargo tray on the front.
- Kennebunkport is a town in Maine.
Trivia
- This is the first episode for several things:
- The first appearance of George, Mr. Lunt, Mr. Nezzer, and the female Asparagus Singers.
- Laura's first speaking role.
- The first episode that Tom Danen worked on.
- The first time when Lisa Asparagus was voiced by Lisa Vischer.
- This is the first time when Mike and Lisa Asparagus appear on the countertop. Here, they are seen in the silly song Dance of the Cucumber.
- The first episode where they start using peas (American Peas).
- However, in the case of the French Peas, Jean Claude and Christophe wouldn't debut until Dave and the Giant Pickle, and Philippe wouldn't debut until A Very Veggie Christmas, with his first on-screen appearance being Very Silly Songs!.
- The first episode to feature the kitchen oven, which can be seen during the silly song.
- The first full-length episode of VeggieTales, as well as the first to be somewhat musical based.
- The first episode not to have Archibald Asparagus, Lovey, Scallion #1, Dad Carrot, Lenny Carrot, Scooter, The Peach, Jimmy and Jerry Gourd and Pa Grape since their debut appearances.
- However, in the case of Lenny, there are worker carrots resembling him, who appear in the scene where Mr. Nezzer has all his employees bow down to the big bunny statue.
- However, in the case of Archibald, he makes a cameo on an image of the coin from The Story of Flibber-o-loo that was seen on Junior's hat in one shot of Dance of the Cucumber.
- The first episode not to have someone screaming.
- Strangely, Rack, Shack, and Benny don't scream when they have pushed down the chute nor when they fall down into the furnace.
- The first episode to have different lighting positioning.
- The first episode to start using much more fluid animation as well as experience with the animation ease. However, almost every scene in this episode still had primitive animation like in the previous three episodes (probably due to being the hardest episode to produce), and fluid animation applied to only very few scenes in the latter half of the episode.
- The next episode had more scenes of fluid animation throughout.
- The first episode to open with a character alone, and it is also the first episode to open at a different spot of the countertop (in this episode, given by the number of kitchen wall tiles spaced between the electric wall outlet and the pink jar, it opens at a spot all the way to the left edge of the countertop where the kitchen sink ends, and it's also the same spot where the silly song was set up).
- The first episode (and the only episode rendered in Softimage 3D) to have someone else singing the What Have We Learned Song, possibly due to Bob having smashed the regular version in the previous episode.
- The first episode to be rendered with different video compositing equipment, with no dot-crawl artifacts on either edge of the screen. Originally, previous episodes before this were rendered in lower, analog videotape-looking quality complete with picture artifacts on edges of the screen.
- The first episode to be digitally remastered in pristine quality in 2002, as well as the first episode to in conjunction be re-released as part of the VeggieTales Classics line that year.
- The first episode – and one of the two episodes rendered in Softimage (the other being Madame Blueberry during the closing countertop) – to have Bob the Tomato crying. This happens to Rack after Shack tells him and Benny to remember not to eat too many chocolate bunnies.
- This is the last time Junior's bedroom (in its original design) was seen. Here, it is seen during Junior's infancy memories. In further episodes, Junior's bedroom was redesigned.
- Bob states there's also a toaster on the countertop.
- There actually was a toaster character from a magazine advertisement for the show's premiere episode who was going to appear in the show but was scrapped. This may lead to fans theorizing that Coucho was the toaster Larry bumped into.
- When the first animations came through Larry wearing the oven mitt, Mike Nawrocki stated that the flowers were flying all around Larry.
- This is the first of the 7 episodes where the Silly Song is in the later half in the runtime.
- This episode can be featured in Heroes of the Bible!: Stand Up, Stand Tall, Stand Strong!, God Loves You Very Much, and Growing Confident Kids!.
- Dance of the Cucumber also appears in Very Silly Songs!, The Ultimate Silly Song Countdown, Heroes of the Bible!: Stand Up, Stand Tall, Stand Strong!, Sing-Alongs: Dance of the Cucumber, Very Veggie Fun!, Happy Together!, and If I Sang A Silly Song.
- This episode was said to be the hardest episode that Big Idea had ever made.
- The scene where the last song in the story is about to end was going to be an entire pullback shot, but due to money running low and the episode's deadline, the production team had no choice but to use quick cut scenes to match the timing of the horn beats and THEN do the pullback.
- This is the second time Larry said God Made You Special, and He Loves You Very Much by himself, the first was in God Wants Me to Forgive Them!?! and this is the only time he said it and said goodbye to the kids at home all by himself.
- In the commentary track for this episode, Phil explains that it was difficult to stick a tie on Bob without it going into his mouth as his mouth almost moved to the ground.
- The original version of The Bunny Song features lyrics about loving the Bunny more than your parents as well as not going to church or school due to it being "for sissies." Unfortunately, some kids were singing the song anyway. Due to that, letters from their parents began flying into Big Idea, after which Phil states two new versions of the song were written to solve the problem: one that encourages loving your parents and going to both church and school for A Very Silly Sing Along!, and another having lyrics about refusing to stay on a healthy diet entirely for future releases. However, the 1998 screener tape from Lyrick Studios contains the original version of the song instead of the second revised edition.
- After the episode was released, fans wrote to Big Idea saying that it was inconsiderate for Larry to just walk away and leave Bob in the sink. Phil Vischer stated on this episode's DVD commentary that Larry left Bob, not intentionally, because he is an absentminded character and sometimes forgets things.
- Khalil read the interactive storybook version on the Classics DVD of Esther... The Girl Who Became Queen.
- Strangely though, Khalil was not introduced at the time this episode originally came out.
- On the original 1995 release (which also included the original version of "The Bunny Song"), there's a variant of the 1995-1996 Big Idea logo where Bob says offscreen "I'd like to get out now!". But since the 1998 re-release (which included the newer lyrics to "The Bunny Song"), it's replaced with the 1997-2005 Big Idea logo without Bob's line.
- This is one of six VeggieTales episodes (the others being Larry-Boy! and the Fib from Outer Space!, Josh and the Big Wall!, Larry-Boy and the Rumor Weed, Minnesota Cuke and the Search for Noah's Umbrella, Pistachio - The Little Boy That Woodn't and The League of Incredible Vegetables) to be reprinted in 2015, shortly after the character designs just changed when the Netflix series started in November of 2014.
- Though all six reprinted covers use the original looks of the characters, this one has different cover art.
- Some newsfeeds from the mid-90s that were talking about VeggieTales had shown an alternate (or at least, prototype) boxart of this episode, where it shows Rack, Shack, & Benny on fire with the subtitle "One fiery furnace - three brave veggies!" This was changed in the final print, probably due to violent references.[1]
- The shot of the furnace opening up was animated entirely by Phil Vischer.
- For some reason, later releases of the episode have the music when Mr. Lunt says "You can't!" being muted.
- It is unknown if either the carrot guards died from drowning in the chocolate buckets during the chase scene or they simply climbed out off-screen.
- There exists an extremely rare early 2002 VHS reprint of this episode by Lyrick Studios/HiT Entertainment. It has a black tape with a white ink label, and it has a print date of March 15th, 2002.
- Some of the characters in the story and their biblical counterparts include:
- Rack — Shadrach
- Shack — Meshach
- Benny — Abednego
- Mr. Nezzer — King Nebuchadnezzar
Remarks
- There are two different versions of the original 1995 VHS with many scenes being rendered at a different frame rate. The older 1995 VHS, DVD, and digital prints have most scenes rendered with slower framerates to conserve time and money the episode's production was running on which was most likely due to rendering issues. The newer 1995 VHS, 1998-2000 VHS reprints, early foreign dubs, and the episode's inclusion on the More of Bob and Larry's Favorite Stories! and VeggieTown Values VeggieTales Stories VHS' have these scenes rendered with faster framerates.
- The version with slower frame rates was also carried into the original Chinese dub of the episode.
- Also, masters that used the faster framerates add a still of the cloth covering the mini bunny statue model where it was stable before Nezzer pulls it off. This was cut on masters that use slower framerates and, for some reason, didn't make it into the DVD release as well.
- Despite wearing an oven mitt on his head (not seeing where he's going), Larry is hopping forward to the right direction of the countertop after saying "I think we need Qwerty for this one." However, after the camera cuts to a closeup of Bob and he's looking at that direction, Larry ends up hopping forward to the kitchen sink, which is obviously not the direction he was hopping. If he were to hop toward the kitchen sink, he should've hopped toward the camera and not to the right, with Bob's eyes following that way. Since he went to the right edge of the screen, he could've actually bumped into the wall where it ends and fell backward.
- Speaking of the kitchen sink, it is currently unknown to this day how Bob ever managed to get out of there in time for the next episode since Larry left him in there. Although, it is quite possible somebody else off screen had helped Bob out or Larry decided to go back & get him out.
- The oven mitt Larry wears on his head is extremely out of scale, clearly showing that it is too small for a human hand to fit in.
- Larry states that he'll never feel the ocean breeze with his hair, despite the previous Silly Song stating he never had hair.
- The gate's purpose is negated as Laura could easily fly over it though she is polite enough not to.
- Bosses are responsible for any workplace injury so Mr. Lunt was irresponsible for what happened to the Injured Pea.
- There's no conceivable way the boxes can close at the bottom without breaking the bunnies.
- The conveyor belt is all good bunnies, but then the bad bunny conveniently appears in time for the furnace chute shot.
- Considering Nezzer Chocolate typically cranks out 14,638 bunnies a day, the factory has only been open less than 5 months (138 days) by the time it cranks out the 2,000,000th bunny. Shouldn't the 30-minute occasion have been celebrated once the factory cranked out 5,000,000-10,000,000 bunnies?
- It could be, however, that these statistics are inconsistent, since George mentioned that the actual number is, "Give or take a few." It is possible the number increased overtime, as well.
- Mike incorrectly states on the commentary that Rack and Benny crying was their first use of crying technology. However, there is a scene involving Junior crying in the second episode, and Bob and Larry's eyes shed tears in the third episode.
- While thanking Mr. Nezzer for their "lovely gift of chocolate," Rack, one of the members of the trio, pronounces "Chocolate" as "Choc-O-Late."
- As Mr. Nezzer states he almost forgot everything his parents told him, it is hinted that they had passed away before.
- Several websites state this episode was released in 1998, which is totally false. Perhaps they meant that it was released in mass markets in 1998.
- In The Mystery of Veggie Island computer game, Mr. Nezzer says that it's his first time meeting them. This suggests that Rack, Shack & Benny took place in the Bible, before this.
- This is one of the few episodes whose original unremastered visuals in almost their entirety are available in DVD Quality, with the 1998 master of the episode itself appearing in the Yippee release of Heroes of the Bible!: Stand Up, Stand Tall, Stand Strong! while the credits were untouched as is on the DVD releases of the episode alone.
- When the television screen shows up for Mr. Nezzer to make his announcement, a bell can be heard ringing in the background. While the original 1995 print and later VHS reprints of the episode used this sound effect, it was removed in future reprints as of 2002 for unknown reasons.
- During the closing countertop on the shot where Qwerty pulls up the verse, a close-up still of Qwerty's screen from God Wants Me to Forgive Them!?! is reused. However, in the original international version, as seen in the original Latin Spanish, Arabic and Japanese dubs, every shot of Qwerty where his monitor was textless had altered lighting on the countertop background as it was rendered differently.
- In the Mandarin Chinese dub of the episode, during the closing countertop, after Larry finishes reading the verse, the screen freezes, then cuts close up to Qwerty (despite the still reused from Where's God When I'm S-Scared?), and then a clip of Larry from the closing countertop of God Wants Me to Forgive Them!?! was plastered over the screen, just before returning to the shot with Larry hopping back to the left of the sink.
- This edit was done to avoid localization with the English text on Qwerty's screen.
- In the original Latin Spanish dub, this is one of two episodes (the other being Are You My Neighbor?) where the letter sender is changed.
- Both Arabic dubs and the original Chinese dub (although after the closing countertop) are the only dubs to dub Bob's, "I'd like to get out now!" at the end.
- Due to this, the Latin Spanish dub has no Big Idea logo after the credits and gives Bob a line after Larry walks away, and the Japanese dub shows the Big Idea logo from Dave and the Giant Pickle but with the 1995 copyright pasted in a different font.
- When the episode was advertised on The Baltimore Sun Wednesday, 29 Nov 1995 newspaper article, Page 167,[2] "Benny" was misspelled "Bennie," which is a girl's name.
- Realistically, given that this episode takes place in modern day, Rack, Shack and Benny would have called the cops and had Mr. Nezzer arrested for attempted murder.
Goofs
- Phil stated on the audio commentary that the factory was built entirely by Chris Olsen and took weeks to build due to being the biggest set created at the time. As such, this episode has several animation errors (following the second episode), many of which take place in the factory alone.
- In the opening countertop, for a split-second, before Larry says "Oh, ya don't say!", a question mark appears on Larry's mouth.
- On the fence scene at the beginning, one shadow appears out of nowhere as the camera pans toward George slowly.
- When Laura pulls up to the top of the factory on her truck and attaches it to a pipe in the factory, the attachment at the end of the truck clips through the pipe.
- The ceiling of the factory flickers as Mr. Lunt enters it through the use of the platform after lecturing Laura for being late. On a similar note, a shadow behind him disappears as he sinks into the bottom.
- Near the beginning of the episode, Bob said "TV show". But near the end, Larry said "videos".
- Some of the bunnies' ears flicker as the hands stick them on the bunnies.
- The machine 'painting' the bunnies' eyes on flickers as Rack, Shack and Benny is singing behind the belt during the side shot.
- Bob's mouth clips through that machine as well.
- Rack, Shack and Benny hover slightly above the ground in the shots showing them working behind the conveyor belt.
- When Laura takes off with the bunnies, the bunnies on the conveyor belt disappear instead of fall.
- In the scene where Laura is flying her truck through the factory at the end of Good Morning George, she and her truck clip through one of the pipes.
- When the TV first pops up for Mr. Nezzer to broadcast his announcement, the bunnies on the conveyer belt disappear near the end of the frames.
- As Mr. Nezzer opens the door following the 30-minute celebration of selling the 2,000,000th bunny, the workers aren't there but then magically appear in the next few shots.
- While Mr. Nezzer and Mr. Lunt are talking with the trio about them being Junior Executives, a pole spawns out of nowhere, which Shack clips through.
- Phil states that there's a missing frame in the shot where Mr. Nezzer shows his office.
- As the trio is standing in front of the closed doors of Mr. Nezzer's office upon entering, only Shack's shadow moves.
- While Mr. Nezzer sings while the Asparagus Singers sings, Benny's tooth disappears.
- Mr. Nezzer's suit clips into his body towards the end of the Bunny Song.
- While not a goof, before the bunny statue is revealed, Shack's mouth is just above his tie, although it's easy to see why it looks like his mouth is missing.
- When Mr. Nezzer moves the front podium toward Rack, Shack and Benny (just before he says "I said, it's time to sing, the Bunny Song."), one of the worker peas on the bottom left of the screen is standing up (or not bowing) and facing toward the viewer.
- Before the fade to black, all the employees (including Laura) are missing bunny emblems on their hats.
- On the DVD's 5.1 surround audio, near the end of Dance of the Cucumber, Larry's "Adios, Amigos!" was muted.
- After the Dance of the Cucumber ends and Larry moves off-screen, the edge of his sombrero randomly re-appears on the bottom right of the screen for a split second.
- When Mr. Nezzer says, "Now I didn't ask for much, just one simple little thing," he clips through a pipe until something flickers twice in the same shot.
- While Mr. Lunt is sending the trio into the furnace, you'll notice that there's a gap above his head. Phil stated this was a rendering mistake and that there was supposed to be a catwalk there.
- The furnace opens up with a dual door, then a single door, and then becomes an open hall with no door.
- In the closing countertop, Larry loses the oven mitt he wore on his head earlier at the beginning of the episode. This is possibly because he managed to take it off after explaining to Bob that it caused him to bump into a toaster and fall into the sink.
- In the 2002 remaster, while most of the episode was remastered in high quality, the one close-up shot of Larry when he struggles to pronounce "Thessalonians" was left in its original low visual quality.
- Qwerty's verse background is still on his screen even when he is done displaying the verse.
- In the older 1995 VHS release, during the end credits, the audio waves of the saxophone instrument in the reprise for Stand Up! were accidentally inverted, meaning it is heard lower in volume if the mono mix was enabled. This was corrected in later re-issues of the episode.
- In the introduction song, when the main characters first introduce themselves, singing, "I'm Rack!" "I'm Shack!" "I'm Benny!" It looks as if they are sitting, but there is nothing under them.
Real-World References
- The part where Shack is sucking on the pacifier in the flashback, was influenced by Maggie Simpson from The Simpsons. Mike Nawrocki clarified this in the episode's commentary.
- Larry's quote before Bob rescued him (and also got stuck) was based on Dorothy's saying from MGM's "The Wizard of Oz," during which she says those words and clicks her ruby slippers to send her back home.
- The tunnel chase is similar to the mine cart chase scene in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
Fast Forward
- Larry would later wear oven mitts in VeggieTown, though he can see since the mitts have shrunk. Again, this size of oven mitts is extremely out of scale.
- Mentions of VeggieBeat and falling into the sink would be spoken of in a later episode.
- Mr. Lunt would say "Ha" many times beyond the 90s.
- There would be a later episode that has similarities to this.
- Mr. Nezzer's line, "BIG trouble!" would later be said again.
- The line "This is sitting and this is standing" would be said again in two later albums.
- Larry would say "That's Cold" again 7 years later.
- Larry would mention Auntie Em again in a LarryBoy episode 27 years later.
- Larry would say "That's much better" 12 years later.
- 29 years after this episode, it was renewed and revamped by a team of VeggieTales fans, lead by Gourd Animations, and was premiered on YouTube on April 27, 2024. [3]
TBN Edits
- In the February 24, 2024 airing of Rack, Shack & Benny, the Dance of the Cucumber song abruptly cuts Larry’s line “Adios, amigos!”
Transcript
Commentary
Credits
Gallery
References
- ↑ Comment on deviantART evidencing the reason: "It looks quite frightful if children see this and cry over an ironic cover involving three smiling veggies burning in flames."
- ↑ “The Baltimore Sun from Baltimore, Maryland on November 29, 1995 · Page 167.” Newspapers.com, The Baltimore Sun, www.newspapers.com/newspage/171318405/.
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDHv42NCOJI