A Tale of Two Veggies: An Interview with Bob and Larry

By Amelia Harper and Mike Nawrocki

CBN.com – Bob and Larry have done it again. With the release of the Duke and the Great Pie War, they have proven that quality animation, goofy songs, and quirky wit can reinforce timeless values. In the newest video, Big Idea tells the story of Miriam and her inward conflict over her assigned chore to care for Baby Moses-- an issue close to the heart of many big brothers and sisters!

Then the video launches into the story of the Duke and the Great Pie War, a (very) loose adaptation of the story of Ruth and Naomi. This charming tale will hardly replace the telling of the biblical account, but it portrays the importance of caring for one's family in an entertaining and enchanting way.

After the release of Big Idea's last video offering, The Sumo of the Opera, we were able to catch up with Bob and Larry and chat with these two veggie celebrities about their dreams, goals, and ambitions.

CBN: How were you two picked from the patch for stardom? Whose Big Idea was that?

LARRY: Bob and I got our own TV show after doing the farm report for a small town news station. We mixed in goofy songs with the pork futures and people loved it. After about 2 years we really felt like we needed to do something with more emotional depth. So then we started doing goofy songs with the weather report. And then after that we started VeggieTales.

CBN: What was your first video?

BOB: Where’s God when I’m Sssscared. That came out Christmas of 1993.

CBN: How many videos have you made so far?

BOB: About 24, I think. That’s a mix of original stories and sing-a-longs.

CBN: In 2002, Veggies Tales hit the big screen with Jonah, which appeared in theaters across the country. Has this success changed your lives in anyway?

LARRY: I haven’t been able to eat seafood since. We were shooting inside a whale for 3 weeks. I’ll never look at a mackerel the same way again.

CBN: Bob, you seem to be a really take-charge kind of Veggie. Have you ever considered making the move from produce to producer?

BOB: I’ve thought about it, but what I really want to do is direct. I’m having a chair made. Once that’s finished, I’m half way there.

CBN: Larry, you obviously had to be in great shape for your last role in Sumo of the Opera, where you portray a champion Sumo wrestler. How do you manage to stay so fresh and green?

LARRY: Plenty of sun. It’s the opposite for us vegetables. The more sun, the better. As long as I stay adequately spritzed.

CBN: What are your favorite hobbies?

LARRY: I enjoy mowing the lawn, playing board games and the slip and slide.

BOB: I like to read and keep the countertop clean. Give me a book, some paper towels and a bottle of Windex and I’m in heaven.

CBN: You seem to get along well on the set. Do you two every socialize off-camera?

LARRY: Ever since Bob started on Atkins, he comes over to my place a lot for my weekend barbeque parties. That’s where most of my lawn mowing, playing board games and running down the slip and slide takes place.

BOB: And I eat a couple of bunless burgers and read a magazine.

CBN: As Veggie actors, does it ever frighten you to go into Dressing Rooms?

LARRY: Ha, ha. Very funny. Wishbone tried that with us, and we didn’t buy it. They said the “Thousand Island Room” was kind of like the gift shop at Rain Forest Café – but we saw right through it.

CBN: I understand that one of the projects you have planned for the future is called “Lord of the Beans.” I have to warn you that I am an avid Lord of the Rings fan. Could there be any possible connection?

BOB: Connection? I think the names are purely coincidental. I play a character named “Ear-A-Corn” and Jimmy Gourd plays “Leg-O-Lamb”. If those sound familiar, that’s probably a coincidence too.

CBN: What other videos have you got planned for the future?

LARRY: Well, beside, “Lord of the Bean,” which is still a ways out (It’ll take us awhile to hop to New Zealand for the filming). We’ve got a couple of great shows coming up. Duke and the Great Pie War comes out soon and it’s our King George and the Ducky prequel.

BOB: Up after that is, Minnesota Cuke and the Search for Samson’s Hairbrush. They’re both really cool shows – one about loving your family, and the other one about loving your enemy.

CBN: Do you have any other big screen movies planned?

BOB: We’re working on the story for The Bob and Larry Movie which tells the story of how Larry and I met and got our own T.V. show. We’re also working on a spin off movie for the Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything. Both are really fun. Not sure which one we’ll make first. It depends on how long it takes to hop back from New Zealand.

CBN: What is your primary goal in working in these videos?

BOB: We want to tell stories that teach kids great lessons and that God made them special and He loves them very much.

CBN: Some people in our audience are homeschooling families. Do you know any homeschooled vegetables? What do you think of the concept?

BOB: Oh, sure. We call ‘em “house plants.” They’re some of the healthiest and most well adjusted veggies around. I know a ficus who got a 30 on his ACTs.

CBN: What were your favorite subjects in school?

LARRY: I loved biology and history… and historical botany, which was kind of a combination of the two.

BOB: I really enjoyed language arts and home economics. School is where I first learned to read and clean the countertop.

CBN: What advice would you give to kids?

LARRY: “Keep on keeping on” when you’re doing your school work – even when things get tough. Persevere like the Sumo of the Opera!

BOB: Study hard, listen to your parents, and always remember that God made you special and He loves you very much!

CBN: If you veggies could not have been actors, what would you be?

LARRY: I’d probably be in hardware. I love the smell of a hardware store - either that or a historical botanist.

BOB: Did I mention that I’d like to direct?

This review is adapted from an article that originally appeared in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, where Amelia Harper acts as Media Editor. Amelia is also the author of a secondary literature curriculum called Literary Lessons from The Lord of the Rings. For more information about this book, please go to www.homescholarbooks.com.

Mike Nawrocki is a writer for many of the Veggie Tale videos, and he is the voice of Larry.