VeggieTales Promo: Take 38

VeggieTales Promo: Take 38 is a rare promo created by Phil Vischer in 1992.

This video was made to showcase VeggieTales to Christian bookstores.

Plot

In July 1992, Bob the Tomato joins Larry the Cucumber, making his film debut in VeggieTales Promo - Take 38. New characters debut in VT Promo: Archibald, Lisa Asparagus, and Lobster. VeggieTales Promo - Take 38 starred Bob and Larry together. In this speaking debut, Bob makes a plea for someone - anyone - to support VeggieTales. In typical fashion, while Bob is making his serious speech, Larry is seen in the background, running back and forth, looking for his blue, plastic, wind-up lobster.

After the speech, Archibald and Lisa Asparagus state that they disapproved the movement, and suggests they should do something else. Lisa silently states she likes the idea of a television show.

Characters

• Bob
• Larry
• Archibald Asparagus
• Lisa Asparagus

Production

According to Phil Vischer's autobiography, before production on Where's God When I'm S-Scared?, he tried to sell the show with this promo to Christian video distributor companies in hopes that he'd get the money to make it, but ultimately failed miserably. Phil managed to get the money from a man at his church who dipped into his retirement funds and gave him $60,000.

Fun Facts

Trivia

• This promo marks the first for several things:
  • The debut appearances of Bob, Archibald Asparagus, and Lisa Asparagus
  • The first time Larry speaks.
  • The first instance someone said That's Right!, as said here by Lisa Asparagus
  • The first instance Larry is mistaken for a pickle.
• This promo was commercially released for the very first time in 2003 when it was included on the 10th Anniversary Edition DVD of Where's God When I'm S-Scared?, where it is featured (along with Mr. Cuke's Screen Test) on a behind-the-scenes feature about the show's early animation screen tests. This version of the DVD can be extremely difficult or even impossible to find today, as further DVD releases of the episode do not include this promo nor the behind-the-scenes feature for some odd reason. Besides this, the promo and the behind-the-scenes feature were both also included on the 2004 VHS release of the VeggieTales Classics version of Where's God When I'm S-Scared?.
• This is one of the few works from Big Idea created during the time American president George H. W. Bush was in office. By the time the series premiered, Bill Clinton was already in office.

Remarks

• There were a few differences between the promo and the series afterwards:
  • In the promo, Bob mentions small kitchen appliances coming together. We never see any talking kitchen appliances in any episode, possibly over fears that it would infringe copyrights on The Brave Little Toaster films, or simply because the appliances would be too complex to render in SoftImage. In Lord of the Beans, though, there would be characters based after sporks that serve Scaryman.
  • Compared to his later voices, Larry's original voice here would later be used for Scallion 2.
  • Bob and Archibald have slightly higher voices, and Bob also has a slight Southern accent.
  • The animation is slightly a bit more fluid, but a bit wacky (eg. Bob's eyelids move, Archibald's bowtie and Lisa's hair move, and Archibald's mouth is more crooked).
  • Archibald stating he disapprove the movement for VeggieTales. This idea would be used later for the early Silly Songs.
  • Dimpled chins on Archibald and Lisa Asparagus. This would be used again for Archibald in God Wants Me to Forgive Them!?!
• The canisters in the background which have their spices labeled on it were reused from the Mr. Cuke's Screen Test animation. The markings are taken off later by the time the series' first episode, Where's God When I'm S-Scared?, was produced.
• Lovey says that she likes the idea of a television show, but a year after this promo was made, VeggieTales ended up being a home video series instead. An actual TV series based on VeggieTales did not exist until 2006, fourteen years after this promo was released.
• The number 38 becomes a recurring gag for later episodes.

Goofs

• Although Bob is quoted as saying "I have a dream," he never actually said that.

Transcript

• Transcript

Gallery

Video

Veggietales - take 38 (HQ)