VeggieTales is an American series of children’s computer animated films featuring anthropomorphic vegetables in stories conveying moral themes based on Christianity. They frequently retell Biblical stories, sometimes anachronistically reframed, and include humorous references to pop culture in many different eras by putting Veggie spins on them (e.g., classic literature, TV shows, etc.). The series was developed by Big Idea Entertainment.

Background

VeggieTales was created by Phil Vischer and Mike Nawrocki, who also provide many of the voices. Originally released in direct-to-video format, the series debuted on December 21, 1993. From September 9, 2006 to September 7, 2009, VeggieTales was featured on the children’s programming block qubo. In 2009, the Gospel Music Channel also aired previously-released VeggieTales programs. Big Idea has also published VeggieTales books and music CDs and branded items such as toys, clothing, and garden seeds for vegetables and flowers.

The idea for VeggieTales came in the early 90’s when Phil Vischer was testing out animation software as a medium for children’s videos. Due to the limitations of the software available to him, he chose to avoid the technical production hurdle of creating characters with arms, legs, or hair. His first animation model on the software was an anthropomorphic candy bar, but after his wife suggested that parents might not want to show their children videos with a candy hero, he instead chose to use fruits and vegetables, their polar opposite.

In 2009, Netflix, the DVD delivery and streaming video service, made many VeggieTales feature films and television episodes available via Netflix’s video streaming service. Original and even more recent episodes and full length features are uncut, in their original format.

For more information on VeggieTales, visit their official website at http://veggietales.com/.