Veggie Tales

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

We have two children, ages 2 and 3. My dad got them a video for Christmas called “Veggie Tales: Very Silly Songs.” Now I’m not much into children’s cartoons (I think 99% of the stuff on the Disney Channel is garbage), but this video is an absolute riot! The songs and the animation are just something you must see.

Two favorites:

Oh where, is My hairbrush!

I Love my Lips

If you’ve never seen these videos, then you probably rolling your eyes at this post. But trust me; these videos and songs are really unique. Check 'em out, if you can.

2

You fail to mention that these are religious tapes filled with anvil-subtle Christian evangelizing . . . If that’s what you like, knock yerself out—but stand warned. I reviewed them in “Movieline” last year and I repeat what I said then: if zucchini and broccoli are going to heaven, I’m glad I’m going to hell with the ice cream sundaes.

3

I have seen some of them. They are indeed cute little videos.

However, when recommending them, you might want to mention the Christian-based religious teaching sprinkled amongst the more general sketches. Not every parent wants that.

4

Well, The Silly Sing-alongs aren’t too bad. Not very much religion in those.

5

True, some of the songs are religious in nature, but many are not. (The two examples I gave above have nothing to do with religion.) As for the Biblical message in some of the songs, I’m pretty neutral; I would still enjoy them even if they weren’t religious in nature.

6

I personally don’t like these videos…I hate the idea of teaching religion to children through cartoons. The silly songs video isn’t, I don’t think, but the rest of the shows have either a biblical story told with vegetables or a morality-play with a some bible-quoting at the end.

[soapbox]
Either way, I don’t like it. Take your kids to church if you want to teach them religion.
[/soapbox]

7

“I hate the idea of teaching religion to children through cartoons.”

—I hate the idea of teaching religion to children, period. Leave 'em alone and let them make an informed decision after they’ve grown up.

. . . On the other hand, I WOULD like to see a “Veggie Tale” where the talking asparagus is baptized in drawn butter . . .

8

My son, at 3, is a pagan, (wonder where he got THAT from) but some of those lyrics are pretty good, if you like silly.

Well, I’ve never sniffed a stinkbug
and I’ve never licked a sparkplug
and I’ve never painted daisies
on a big red rubber ball

and I’ve never (something something)
and I don’t look good in leggings
and I’ve never been to Boston in the fall

9

I hate the idea of teaching children period. Let 'em figure out life on their own when they grow up.

[sub]please understand this is humor[/sub]

10

Maybe I’m not watching these closely enough, but I thought they were teaching moral lessons rather than actual religion. Granted, they are somewhat “Christian” values (love thy neighbor, forgive others, etc) but I don’t think these are all that objectionable even if you don’t worship a guy nailed on a cross.

But then we only own two (got them as gifts) and given Cranky Jr’s age we haven’t watched them a lot. If a certain religion was being crammed down our throats (or any other orifice) we haven’t noticed.

They have made me laugh, I’ll say that much. These two peas with bad french accents taunting the vegetables… snicker

11

You obviously haven’t seen the episode in which the “isrealites” are walking around the “philistines” (those peas with bad accents) and the “philistines” are singing silly kids songs:

“Keep walkin, but you won’t knock down our wall
Keep walkin, but it isn’t gonna fall
It’s plain to see that your brains are very small
If you think walking will be knocking down our wall”

Or the one where “David” (a small asparagus?) is fighting goliath (a large pickle).

Or the one where Daniel gets tossed into the lions den, but at the end he climbs out and thanks his new “Friends” for the pizza they shared last night. I’m not a scholar, but I don’t remember it happening that way in the bible…

12

and I’ve never bathed in yogurt.

_
I am about the most anti organized religion person you could find. But my son was ‘baptized’ into the church of Eris because: my Mom sent me my baptismal gown before she died, & my Dad kept harrassing me about bringing his bastard grandchild into the fold of the church, and I figured that the most appropriate unorgaized religion for kids was what they was anyways: Discordians.

He’s done his daddy proud; he’s schismed already. Trees and the Moon are his private shrines.

We live in Alaska in the shadow of Thunder Mountain; I haven’t seen TV since '86. (Apparently this Seinfeld thingie was good. Send me a tape.)

ANYWAY, to return to the OP, from what I’ve seen, Veggie Tales is an oppresive investment of christian dogma on impresonable minds.

But, as a pagan, I can deal with the installation of manners in small people.

Perhaos Nietzsche over-stated his case,

13

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Dr.Pinky *
**

God’s not dead, he’s just in re-runs.

14

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Dr.Pinky *
**

“God is dead.” Neitzsche

“Neitzsche is dead.” God.

[sub] agnostic here, but I just had to throw this into the pot. [/sub]

15

[SUB]WARNING: THIS POST IS NOT FOR THE SARCASM IMPAIRED. PERSONS WITH NO UNDERSTANDING OF SARCASM SHOULD NOT READ THIS POST. FEYNNCORP ASSUMES NO LIABILITY FOR ANY INJURIES INCURRED[/SUB]

I think someone should nail those bastards at Big Idea to a cross, these are the people who produce and distribute Veggie tales to an unsuspecting populace and insidiously try to cram their religious ideals down the throats of children.

Can you imagine the poor three year old who has to get her fix of Veggie Tales every day? I’ve known heroin junkies that weren’t as addicted. There’s nothing quite as pathetic as a little girl singing the theme to Veggie Tales over and over and knowing that she knows all the words to all the songs.

You know it’s time to get her into rehab when she imagines that the peas on her dinner plate are the French Peas, your dinner shouldn’t be dancing and singing should it? That’s just silly and we don’t have time for any silliness in our lives do we?

Speaking from firthand experience I must warn you that if you accidently overhear something from “Silly Songs with Larry” you’ll be walking around humming their twisted little songs in no time, chock full of subliminal Christian messages I’m sure. You might even find yourself telling other people about what you saw and they will be tempted to pick a video up for their own kids or grandchildren.

People are becoming addicted to this series at an alarming rate and I will cite this post as evidence. Something has to be done to stop these bible thumping, moralistic purveyors of Christian filth!

Oh wait. We bought the videos, no-one pointed a gun to our heads and lead us to the store. We’re the bad ones for giving our daughter something that gives her great joy and teaches her values and manners at the same time. Gonna have to nail myself to a cross I guess.

I personally think they’re a hoot, I wouldn’t advise watching them if you’ve done any illicit drugs such as shrooms … you could hurt yourself laughing.

Let’s stomp out something truly evil, in this I can only mean one thing… Pokemon. We have to stop those insidious little japs from sending us any more programs that sucks the intellect from our children and are designed solely to market goods overpriced goods.

I wonder what a death match between Larry Boy and Pikachu would look like? I believe that our plunger headed hero would come out on top.

16

I never really watched, watched the tapes my step-mom got for my 2 year old nephew for Christmas. I usually pass through to the computer room when he’s watching them, so I don’t know about the Christian teachings as a general rule. But I do know that the songs on “Silly Songs” worm their way into your brain and won’t let go. Do you have any idea how disconcerting it is to try to be trying to come up with a really good return flirt while singing “I Love My Lips”? Kinda kills the mood. :smiley:

17

…considering the people here, I thought this thread may be about women and eggplants. Sorta what do you use when they decide to go all-natural and their man isn’t around…

18

I’m pretty rabidly anti-christian. Being raised a Lutheran, I figger I’m just completing his thought for him :slight_smile:

The spousal unit, Ms. Pinky, is rabidly Catholic (but in a good & pagan version).

We live at the foot of Thunder Mountain, which effectively blockc out all transmissions from America. I haven’t seen TV since '91.

My sister sends us this propoganda on tape, & I allow my 3 year old to watch them. Why? Because, even at 3, he’s figuring out what’s crap and what’s not. Also, they teach values like patience and gratitude.

Why do I ‘do good’? I had this discussion with a spiritual leader of my community. He couldn’t figure out why I acted in the public interest to improve the quality of life for the disadvantaged, when I obviously hate the human race, distrust govenrment, believe progress is a fallacious concept, and could actually make a living wage doing something else.

BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT THEY BROUGHT ME UP TO DO, DUDE.

I blame my Dad, (and if you live long enough, you turn into your parents.)

I have NO faith (thank you, freddy nietzsche). I still ACT - to my utmost - as if I did.

Conflicted? Of course. Still let my little pagan watch Veggie Tales.

I assume he’ll come to his own conclusions eventually.
In this house, I don’t see how he could avoid it.

19

Dr. Pinky - Isn’t funny if you state that you’re a Pagan or an Agnostic (as I am) that people often assume that you’re amoral and without a set of decent human values?

We all know that without religion there would be no morals… right?

20

Alright, I’ve read the posts, and I’ll admit to not watching Veggie Tales. However, what does bother me is that to you folks, being Christian is a dirty word. I’m sure most of you pat yourselves on the back and tell yourselves you’re good, politically correct pagans, atheists, et al. But tolerance doesn’t mean accepting people because they aren’t mainstream. Tolerance is simply accepting peole. Including those who would wish that their children grow up with values similar to theirs. Believe me, if and when the children want to decide differently, they will. And, from what I’ve read, Veggie Tales teaches more about honesty, courtesy and manners than about God or Christ. Will you next put down Aesop’s fables because they try to teach the same things? Or are they okay because they were written by a Greek slave?

StG