VeggieTales & NBC — What’s the Big Idea?

This came to me in a Veggiegram, and I thought I’d pass it along!

VeggieTales on TV? People are asking questions …

Two weeks ago, VeggieTales made its debut on national television. After 13 years and 50 million videos sold, many people are familiar with Bob & Larry and their brand of “Sunday Morning Values, Saturday Morning Fun!” But putting VeggieTales on TV has got some people asking, “Hey, what’s the big idea?”

Some think that because of its teaching of Judeo-Christian values, VeggieTales should not be allowed on TV — or at least should be restricted to a time slot or channel for religious programming. Others feel that VeggieTales should be on TV and in the exact same format that is familiar to millions of families. Well, VeggieTales is on TV and is not in the same format as the DVDs — and that’s created a bit of a stir! Keep reading to hear how this all happened.

When we were presented with the opportunity to reach a mass television audience, we knew that certain religious references would not be allowed on a children’s block under current TV network guidelines. And we recognized that we were not going to change the rules of network television overnight.
In light of this, “Can Big Idea continue to fulfill its mission of enhancing the spiritual and moral fabric of society through creative media?” became the question we had to answer. Can VeggieTales make a difference on Saturday morning? We think so.

Recognizing that we are making a difference to Saturday morning TV by bringing programming that is “absent of bad and has a presence of good” to homes across America, would we still prefer to air the un-edited versions of VeggieTales on TV? Absolutely! It’s there where we’re able to share a Bible verse and encourage kids by telling them God made them special and He loves them very much. For now, we’re hoping a new cross section of kids will fall in love with Bob & Larry, go deeper into VeggieTales and eventually fall in love with the God who made them. It’s the same “big idea” we’ve worked on for over 13 years.

We are grateful for the overwhelming support from our fans that have grown up watching VeggieTales. Many of you have written to cheer us on — we appreciate you! If the television ratings are any indication, we are finding a new audience of children who are enjoying our shows and hearing our message for the first time! Our thanks to NBC for helping bring VeggieTales to this new audience.

We proudly continue to serve the Christian community in many ways, including hundreds of books published, a 52-week Sunday School curriculum, our soon-to-be-released Bible storybook, and a continuing Vacation Bible School program. This November, Gideon: Tuba Warrior, a VeggieTales adventure based on the legendary biblical story of Gideon, releases on DVD. Please know our commitment to introducing kids to God continues.

We would love to hear from you — please write us at VeggieTV@BigIdea.com! If you approve of your comment being posted on our Web site, please indicate this in your email. Both the good and the bad will be posted. We will post your excerpt, first name, city and state only. All posted comments can be seen at BigIdea.com/TVcomments.

Sincerely,

Your Friends at Big Idea

Big Idea’s mission is to enhance the spiritual and moral
fabric of our society through creative media. Read More!

Big Idea, Inc. | 230 Franklin Road, Suite 2A | Franklin, Tennessee | 37064

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