Latest episode will appeal to moms and dads trying to teach children to share and care

Boldly going where no Veggie has gone before, Larry the Cucumber and Bob the Tomato hit light speed in the newest Veggie Tales release, Veggies in Space: The Fennel Frontier (820413137397, $14.95), arriving in Christian stores March 8 and at general market outlets March 11. 

The episode follows the crew of the USS Applepies, including Captain Cuke (Larry) and Mr. Spork (Bob), as they confront the selfish Luntar the Looter, a space pirate. It also includes the appearance of a new character, Ziggy, as the crew learns a valuable lesson about sharing and caring for one another. 

Mike Nawrocki, the voice of Larry and co-founder and executive vice president of Big Idea Entertainment, told Christian Retailing that the lesson of the DVD is based on Luke 3:11. 

“It’s a topic a lot of moms find helpful, the biblical perspective on sharing,” he said. “We wanted to incorporate it in the show. With each show, we offer a nugget of truth and this one is, ‘When you have enough to share, you have enough to spare.’ ”

 The episode features plenty of laughs, as the VeggieTales characters parody science-fiction epics such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Doctor Who and 2001: A Space Odyssey. Veggies in Space also features special music from Christian artist Jamie Grace, who delivers the closing credits song, “Enough to Share,” and “Asteroid Cowboys,” an addition to VeggieTales’ “Silly Songs.”

“It’s so much fun to have these songs that appear within the show and doing a fun pop version of those songs,” Nawrocki said. 

In addition to sing-along features for the songs, the DVD includes other bonus features such as a “Build your own spaceship” activity, interactive Veggie trivia and a discussion guide for parents to use with their little ones. There is also a behind-the-scenes video with Jamie Grace.

A few months ago, the VeggieTales brand celebrated 20 years of delivering biblically based fun for the young and young at heart. The original Veggie DVD, Where Is God When I’m Scared?, released in December 1993. 

“It really is amazing,” Nawrocki said. “We felt there was a big need to create shows that were very entertaining and helped parents pass along values to their children. We had no idea that it would last 20 years. We wanted to incorporate biblical values in our shows, remind kids that God made them special and that God loves them very much.”

Nawrocki said it’s a new experience now meeting fans who watched videos as children who are now introducing their own kids to Bob and Larry. 

“It’s really neat for me to see that next generation,” he said. “We just take this responsibility very seriously and look forward to the next generation.” 

While Big Idea continues to look ahead with more DVD releases such as the upcoming Celery Night Fever and Beauty and the Beat, Nawrocki is “hopeful” to do another theatrical release one day in the vein of Jonah or The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything, and he’s grateful for VeggieTales supporters for creating a lasting legacy of fun, biblical lessons. 

“Every time we tell a story, we try to tell it well to incorporate the message, wrap the story around with great music,” he said. “The passion we have for storytelling has helped us last all these years. And we’re very thankful for our fans.”

To order Veggies in Space, call Word Distribution at 800-876-WORD (9673).

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