Robin Good and His Not-So-Merry Men

Robin Good and His Not-So-Merry Men
Directed by	Brian Roberts
Produced by	Chris Wall
Written by	Mark Steele Mike Nawrocki Tim Hodge Brian Roberts
Music by	Kurt Heinecke
Distributed by	Vivendi Entertainment (Mass market) Word Entertainment (Christian market)
Released	2011 (production year) March 6, 2012
Runtime	49 minutes
Previous episode	The Little Drummer Boy
Next episode	The Penniless Princess

Robin Good and His Not-So-Merry Men is the forty-second episode of VeggieTales. The main feature is a retelling of the English legend Robin Hood.

Plot

Opening Countertop

The kids meet up with Bob and Larry, who greet them but Larry is injured and sad. Bob tells Larry that he doesn't have to do this right now and perhaps he should just go lie down. Larry then tells his best tomato pal that it's okay and that he needs to do this for his pet hamster Squeaky. Larry then tells the kids that if they see Squeaky, they should tell him that Larry really misses him. Also, he's the best hamster a cucumber could ever have and that if he comes back, Larry will give him all the low fat cottage cheese he wants. Larry then explains to Bob that low fat cottage cheese is his favorite. Bob then replies with a simple "Oh." Larry then tells the kids to tell Squeaky that he didn't mean to leave the lid off the cage, he just forgot. Larry also tells the kids to tell Squeaky that he has fresh sawdust waiting for him when he comes home. Larry tears up for a bit and yells "Come home, Squeaky. Come home!" Bob reassures him that it'll be alright. Qwerty greets them both. Bob says his hello to Qwerty and asks him what he has for them today. Qwerty then tells both Larry and Bob that they have a video-chat with Eddie Espinosa who hails from the city of Boone, in the state of North Carolina. Eddie appears on Qwerty's screen and greets both Bob and Larry. The pair greet Eddie back. Eddie then notices that Larry is injured and asks him what happened. Larry explains that he lost his hamster, fell off the countertop and it's been an really bad day. Eddie then reveals that just like Larry, he's been having a bad day too. Eddie explains that he just moved to a new school and he doesn't have any friends. Larry asks him if he feels kind of lonesome in which Eddie responds in the affirmative. Larry then says that maybe he needs a hamster. And tells the kids that if they see Squeaky, he's a really good friend and that they should cherish him. Bob then arrives with a book and he tells Eddie & Larry that he thinks he has a couple of stories that can help both of them. Bob then explains that sometimes it is good to be reminded of where God is when we're hurting.

Lenny and the Lost Birthday

(See the main page for the full plot.)

Silly Song

(see Bubble Rap)

Robin Good and His Not-So-Merry Men

In the town of Bethlingham, a couple walk through the paths of Sherwood Forest, and are encountered by a group of men yelling "Har har, snicker ha!" at them. They believed they are robbed, but the men’s leader, Robin Good (Larry) swings down, and introduces the men, Bill Scarlet (Mr. Lunt), Big Red (Jean-Claude), Little John (Jimmy), and Friar Cluck (Archibald) as his Merry Men. He then shoots an arrow at a tree branch, setting up a lemonade stand. The Merry Men then offer the couple a glass of lemonade, including ballroom dancing lessons and entering them in a golf tournament. After the couple display utter confusion, Robin explains that he and the Merry Men fund-raise from the rich, and give that money to the poor. The couple states that they aren’t rich at all, as they’ve been impacted by the rough times in Bethlingham. However, after the Merry Men ask them to help out, they each buy a cup of lemonade. After they leave, Robin and the Merry Men collect their earnings and buy a ham to give to a boy, Nate, for his birthday. Nate’s mother, Miss Lewis, thanks Robin for the ham, and explains how she and her family have been suffering. However, she and her children have always remembered that there’s no hurt too big for God. As Miss Lewis is talking with Robin, the sheriff of Bethlingham (Bob) walks into the party, saying that he needs to take the ham as a part of Prince John’s orders. He apologizes for taking the ham, saying that there’s nothing he can do about the situation. After the sheriff leaves with the ham, Robin offers Miss Lewis that he could buy another ham, which she declines.

Later that night, the Merry Men talk about how unfair it was that the ham was taken from Miss Lewis. They blame Prince John for the reason why people in Bethlingham are hurting, hoping for King Richard to return to the throne. Bill Scarlet comes up with the idea to steal from Prince John, as revenge for stealing from the poor. Robin says he doesn’t like the idea, as he says it’s wrong to steal. The Merry Men decide to abandon Robin for not agreeing with them, leaving him alone. Robin prays to God asking why he’s left all alone, before spotting a giant and running away towards the kingdom of Bethlingham to hide. Once inside the kingdom, he meets up again with Miss Lewis, who’s collecting firewood. He explains to her how his friends left him, and how hurt he feels. Miss Lewis tells him to give his burdens to God, singing a lullaby of how God would be there for him when he’s hurting. Robin falls asleep to the lullaby, and Miss Lewis leaves him a blanket to keep him warm.

The next morning, Robin is awakened by fanfare advertising a celebration for Prince John. Robin attempts to fund-raise from the crowd, but no one offers to give. At the celebration, a serf (Jerry) introduces Prince John (Mr. Nezzer) on-stage. Prince John exclaims how he can protect the town from giants, as the serf sets up wooden statues of giants. Prince John shoots arrows at the statues to show how amazing he is, and while he doesn’t hit all the statues, the serf makes them fall down through a lever system. As Prince John shoots at the final statue, his arrow misses and knocks the statue towards the audience, about to land on Miss Lewis’ children. Robin spots this, and rushes to shoot the statue, splitting it in half and saving the children. The audience applauds Robin’s bravery, and Prince John sends the serf to the Dungeon of Despair for embarrassing him. Prince John then asks the sheriff about Robin, and the sheriff states that he was handing out ham the other day. Appalled by this, Prince John tells the sheriff to invite Robin to his castle for dinner, to talk with him about the hams. The sheriff walks over to Robin, and apologizes for taking the ham. He explains that people who disagree with Prince John end up in the dungeon, and the Dungeon of Despair. He then invites Robin to the king’s castle for dinner, giving Robin hope that the king will listen to his ideas about giving away his ham.

Later that night, the Merry Men are sulking in the forest, with no food or plan on how to steal from Prince John. After arguing with each other, they notice the prince’s castle, as Bill Scarlet comes up with a plan. During the dinner party, Prince John scolds Robin for giving away ham to the poor. Robin then tells him that the people of Bethlingham are starving, and that the prince sharing his ham would keep them from doing so. Prince John argues that the ham belongs to him, and that he does not want to share. While the two argue in song, the Merry Men sneak into the castle and steal every ham from Prince John. As soon as the Merry Men leave and the song ends, Prince John notices all his ham missing, and accuses Robin of stealing them. He orders the sheriff to throw Robin in the Dungeon of Despair, and to throw away the key. The sheriff goes to handcuff Robin, but as they do not have hands, he escapes the castle and retreats into the forest. Meanwhile, the Merry Men escape the castle with a cart full of the stolen hams, but are quickly caught by Prince John’s guards.

As Robin is in the forest, he meets with Miss Lewis, once again collecting firewood. Robin contemplates what would have happened if he had gone with the Merry Men in stealing from Prince John, as he would be wanted either way. After assuring him he made the right choice, Miss Lewis says she heard that the sheriff was thrown into the Dungeon of Despair earlier, and that Robin could teach him that there’s no hurt too big for God. Robin heads toward Prince John’s kingdom to talk to the sheriff, and on the way there, notices the Merry Men being held in stocks outside the castle. As he walks over to them, they apologize for abandoning him, and for making the wrong decision. Robin states he plans to free them and the sheriff, as he would not want them to deal with any of the hurting he’s felt. He heads towards the Dungeon of Despair, sneaking past Prince John. As he arrives, Robin asks the sheriff where the key to unlock the door is, and learns that it was thrown away after locking the sheriff up. Once Robin opens the door to the dungeon, the sheriff refuses to leave, as he’s hurting too much. Robin assures the sheriff that no hurt is to big for God, and sings the song Miss Lewis had sung to him, assuring the sheriff that God will take care of him.

As Robin and the sheriff escape, a giant breaks through the walls of Bethlingham, sounding an alarm. They notice Prince John cowering in fear of the giant, and ask him if he’ll help with a plan to get rid of it. Once outside the castle, the sheriff frees the Merry Men, and has them pile the prince’s ham onto the wooden giant statues. Robin explains that the ham will be flung at the giant once he gets near the statues using the lever system, and that someone will need to lure the giant in for that to happen. The sheriff volunteers, and goes to get the giant’s attention. He leads the giant to where the statues are, chasing off Prince John and leading the Merry Men to fire the hams. The hams, however, fly over the giant, and scatter across the area. The giant looks at the sheriff with intimidation, right before grabbing and eating a ham, walking away afterwards. The people of Bethlingham congratulate Robin for chasing away the giant, while Robin brings attention to the sheriff, stating he should be the guardian until their king, King Richard returns. The town later holds a celebration, with a bonfire, fund-raising activities from the Merry Men, and the sheriff passing out ham.

Closing Countertop

Back on the countertop, Larry’s hamster Squeaky returns, leading him to feel happy. He thanks Bob for telling the stories, as they made both him and Eddie feel better. Bob and Larry recap both of the stories and their morals, explaining how God is constantly with us whenever we’re hurting. After the What Have We Learned song plays, Qwerty displays a Bible verse:

"Give all your burdens to the LORD, for he will take care of you."

— Psalm 55:22

Eddie thanks both Bob and Larry for cheering him up. And as Bob, Eddie and Larry say God Made You Special, and He Loves You Very Much and sign off, Squeaky escapes his cage again, leading Larry to chase after him and fell off the countertop again.

Characters

Lenny and the Lost Birthday

• Junior Asparagus (Lenny Laboe)
• Lisa Asparagus (Lenny's Mother)
• Mike Asparagus (Lenny's Father)
• Ermie Asparagus (Libby Laboe)
• Grandma Gourd (Teacher)
• Laura Carrot
• Annie Onion
• Percy Pea
• Benny (does not speak)
• Gourdon Smithson (Cameo)

Robin Good and His Not-So-Merry Men

• Larry the Cucumber (Robin Good)
• Bob the Tomato (Sheriff of Bethlingham)
• Mr. Nezzer (Prince John)
• Mr. Lunt (Bill Scarlet)
• Jimmy Gourd (Little John)
• Archibald Asparagus (Friar Cluck)
• Jean-Claude Pea (Big Red)
• Grandma Gourd (Miss Lewis)
• Jerry Gourd (Serf)
• Scooter

Songs

• VeggieTales Theme Song
• Things Will Get Better
• Silly Songs with Larry: Bubble Rap
• He Cares
• Ham I Am
• Nearer My God to Thee
• He Cares (Reprise 2)
• He Cares (Reprise 3)
• What Have We Learned

Production

This episode started on Facebook when Big Idea asked the fans what kind of episode they should do in the future. The fans voted for the proposed title "Where's God When I'm Hurting?". According to Mike Nawrocki, they were going to mix the story with "David and Jonathan," but was cut in the final. However, they had a great giant design and decided to use it in the show.

Home Media

Main article: Robin Good and His Not-So-Merry Men/Home Video

Other Languages

• روبين طيوب وأصدقاؤه الطيبون (Arabic) (Robin Good and His Good Friends)
• Robin God og hans ikke-så-muntre menn (Norwegian) (same translation)
• رابین گود و مردان نه چندان شادش (Persian) (same translation)

Fun Facts

Moral

• It doesn't matter how awful your day goes, God will help you through even the toughest of times.
• Bad luck does not exist, you still have good luck.
• It's okay to miss your day sometimes, but God will cheer you up for that.
• There's no hurt too big for God.

Explanations

• Leap years are certain years where an extra day is added. Mike stated this was added because he wanted a twist on why no one remembered Lenny's birthday, and he knew a few friends who have their birthdays on leap years.
  • The year this episode was first released in, 2012, was also a leap year.
• Before phones were invented, the English village would use the "Hear ye, Hear ye" at the start of a public announcement.
• Mahogany is a straight grained type of wood made from Swietenia mahogani, found in Central America.

Trivia

• This is the first episode for several things:
  • The first rhyming story which Bob tells that isn't based on Dr. Seuss.
  • The first and only time when Chris Wall voices Mike Asparagus.
  • The first and only time when a kid asks Larry what happened to him.
  • The first appearance of Ermie Asparagus.
  • The first time when a Silly Song was used from a previous episode.
  • The first non-holiday episode to have Lisa Asparagus since The Wonderful World of Auto-Tainment!.
  • The first non-Holiday episode to feature Madame Blueberry since Moe and the Big Exit
• This is the last episode for several things:
  • The last episode to date where Bob and Larry get a video chat from a kid.
  • The last episode to date in which Qwerty speaks.
  • Mike Asparagus's last appearance with his original design.
  • The last episode Keri Pisapia and Lisa Vischer voice Lisa Asparagus
  • The last episode to include Charlotte Jackson in the voice cast.
  • The last episode where "Let's see if Qwerty has a verse for us today" is said until MacLarry & The Stinky Cheese Battle
• There were a few differences between pre-production and the final version of the episode.
  • Lenny was going to be named Lester.
  • Dad was going to be in an air-force uniform.
  • The silly song was originally going to be about tornado catching before being replaced with Bubble Rap.
  • The woman with Scooter was going to be Miss Achmetha. (See also Goofs)
  • The currency was going to be slices of ham, but was changed since they didn't want to confuse viewers.
  • The scene on the Sheriff with the harmonica was cut. (This can be found on concept art from the teaser) Mike stated for the reason was because Phil sarcastically mentioned "Another 'harmonica in a dungeon' scene."
  • Robin Good finding the key easily was Mike's idea.
• Laura's Design resembles Princess Poppyseed.

Remarks

• In some parts, the subtitles don't capitalize the "s" on Squeaky.
• Despite being at the end, Serf wasn't in the dungeon with the Sheriff when Robin tries to rescue him.
• The credits state that it released in 2011, but it didn't come out until March 2012. Though this is likely when it was completed.
  • On top of that, the trailer for the episode was uploaded in Late November 2011 so the episode would of been completed sometime in Fall 2011.
• If you look at the calendar in the first story, the 29th of Febuary is on a Monday which would be a school as Monday is technically the first day of week. Calculating the real calendars, it's possible the story takes place in 2004, not 2012.

Goofs

• When you first select the scene selection, the silly song is just a still image when compared to the other scenes. But if you select the other numbers, and go back to the first page, it changes into an unreleased silly song about Larry, Jimmy, and Mr. Nezzer trying to catch a tornado. The origins of this silly song are unknown (See image).
• The credits has Miss Achmetha listed, even though she never appeared in the episode. (See also Trivia)
• During the subtitles on the opening countertop, Squeaky's name is not capitalized at the beginning.
  • Although not necessarily considered a fixed goof, it takes until the third time Larry mentions him for his name to finally get capitalized at the beginning.
• In the scene where Lenny tells his mom that, "This is the day that the Lord has made. You're special to Him, you'll be okay," his voice is off sync with his lips.
• When the Bible verse is displayed, the word "he" is not properly capitalized, even though its use refers to God.

Inside References

• Aside from the moral, this episode has some minor connections towards The Ballad of Little Joe:
  • The kid tells Bob and Larry that they have some kind of trouble in school.
  • The silly song is performed by Boyz in the Sink.
  • Both Bob and Mr. Nezzer play similar authority figures (Bob being the wingman, Mr. Nezzer being the main guy).
  • Larry acknowledges that stealing is wrong.
• Some of the Robin Hood elements from Bully Trouble were used (the plunger arrows). This also connects towards Chris Wall, and said episode was the first one he worked on.
• Junior going to Detention would be a callback to Lord of the Beans where he's sent there with the Fellowship of the Bean.
• The way Lenny cried and sadly told his Mom about his bad day would be similar to how it happened in God Wants Me to Forgive Them!?!
• The wooden cups with Lemonade were recycled from Saint Nicholas: A Story of Joyful Giving.
• The way Miss Lewis decided to do Birthday Gruel for her kid would be similar to how Annie's parents served Oatmeal in Apple pie in Madame Blueberry.
• Mr. Nezzer previously said "Excuse Me" in Moe and the Big Exit.
• Larry falling into the sink is a massive reference to Rack, Shack and Benny.
• Larry mentioned before about losing a hamster in Lessons from the Sock Drawer. Coincidentally, Squeaky is the same name of the hamster that kid Edmund Storch lost too.

Real-World References

• The title is a parody of Robin Hood and his Merry Men.
• Prince John calling himself "The Prince of Ham I Am" in song that has that lyric, sound quite similar to Sam-I-Am from Dr. Seuss' "Green Eggs and Ham".

Fast Forward

• Handcuffs would later be put on invisible hands in VeggieTales in the House and VeggieTales in the City

Transcript

• Transcript

Credits

• Credits

Gallery

VeggieTales episodes 1990s episodes Where's God When I'm S-Scared? | God Wants Me to Forgive Them!?! | Are You My Neighbor? | Rack, Shack and Benny | Dave and the Giant Pickle | The Toy That Saved Christmas | Very Silly Songs! | Larry-Boy! and the Fib from Outer Space! | Josh and the Big Wall! | Madame Blueberry | The End of Silliness? | Larry-Boy and the Rumor Weed 2000s episodes King George and the Ducky | Esther... The Girl Who Became Queen | Lyle the Kindly Viking | The Ultimate Silly Song Countdown | Jonah Sing-Along Songs and More! | The Star of Christmas | The Wonderful World of Auto-Tainment! | The Ballad of Little Joe | An Easter Carol | A Snoodle's Tale | Sumo of the Opera | Duke and the Great Pie War | Minnesota Cuke and the Search for Samson's Hairbrush | Lord of the Beans | Sheerluck Holmes and the Golden Ruler | LarryBoy and the Bad Apple | Gideon: Tuba Warrior | Moe and the Big Exit | The Wonderful Wizard of Ha's | Tomato Sawyer and Huckleberry Larry's Big River Rescue | Abe and the Amazing Promise | Minnesota Cuke and the Search for Noah's Umbrella | Saint Nicholas: A Story of Joyful Giving 2010s episodes Pistachio - The Little Boy That Woodn't | Sweetpea Beauty | It's a Meaningful Life | 'Twas the Night Before Easter | Princess and the Popstar | The Little Drummer Boy | Robin Good and His Not-So-Merry Men | The Penniless Princess | The League of Incredible Vegetables | The Little House That Stood | MacLarry and the Stinky Cheese Battle | Merry Larry and the True Light of Christmas | Veggies in Space: The Fennel Frontier | Celery Night Fever | Beauty and the Beet | Noah's Ark Feature films Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie | The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie | Untitled 'VeggieTales' film Compilation episodes God Made You Special | The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything Sing Along Songs and More | Lessons from the Sock Drawer | Silly Little Thing Called Love | Happy Together! | Larry Learns to Listen | Bob Lends a Helping Hand | God Loves You Very Much | If I Sang A Silly Song... | Little Ones Can Do Big Things Too! | Lettuce Love One Another! | Parade of Animals Television and Video Specials VeggieTown Values | VeggieTales Christmas Spectacular! | VeggieTown Values on the Job! | Jonah: An Overboard Adventure! | Bob and Larry's How to Draw! | Silly Songs with VeggieTales | VeggieTales Live! Sing Yourself Silly Spin-off series LarryBoy: The Cartoon Adventures | VeggieTales on TV | VeggieTales in the House | VeggieTales in the City | The VeggieTales Show