by [rate 2]
From the Box
“You want a toy that’s fun! You want a toy that’s cute! … You want Buzz-Saw Louie!!”
As president of the Nezzar Toy Company, Mr. Nezzar has convinced all of Dinkletown that “Christmas is when you get stuff!” With the children of Dinkletown whining and begging for more toys, it looks like it’ll be the worst Christmas ever, until one brave little Buzz-Saw Louie doll decides to take matters into his own hands! But how can Louie find the true meaning of Christmas when he can barely find his way out of the toy factory? And what if Mr. Nezzar finds him first?
The Toy that Saved Christmas
This is VeggieTales first Christmas special, and, as such, it opens not with a countertop but with George (who will become the narrator) reading a story to Annie and then Annie asking for a new story. George decides to share with her a story about a town that didn’t “get” Christmas– meaning it had it all wrong.
It starts out with George delivering packages to Dinkletown and during the first song he’s looking for house #4 while the kids in the town sing about Christmas finally coming.
When the package is opened, it looks like an artificial Christmas tree, but it turns out to be an antenna so that Mr. Nezzar can beam into the town his television ad for Buzz-Saw Louie (a clear commentary on everyone wanting a Buzz Lightyear toy in that era). The kids start to whine and Nezzar (and his pal Mr. Lunt) love it. There’s also some foreshadowing about what will happen to our heroes.
Nezzar is cranking out production of these toys when one of them takes on a conscience of its own and decides there must be more to Christmas than getting gifts, and sets out in search of the answer.
Because it’s Christmas
The silly song for this episode walks the fine line between parents that let their children believe in Santa and those who do not by having Larry up with cookies waiting for Santa. A bank robber, a norseman and an agent from the IRS (that looks like the peach that has Larry’s hairbrush) show up, and all but the peach get cookies. Bob eventually appears as Santa and chases out the other characters who have stolen parts of Bob’s costume.
Back to the Story
We pick up the story with Bob, Larry and Junior riding down hill, and they all bail out of their toboggan near the bridge to Pugsleyville because the bridge is out. Bob ends up head first in the snow where he says that he’d rather be playing Mousetrap. They find Louie and set off to George’s house to find the true meaning of Christmas.
George opens a Bible and tells them both that Jesus came (from the Luke account) and ends with John 3:16– one of the clearest presentations of the Gospel in VeggieTales.
From here, Louie and the gang decide they have to tell Dinkletown that it’s about a Gift that was given, not a getting. So, they go to Nezzar’s factory and hijack his television camera. They are caught after finishing the broadcast, and Nezzar ties them up and starts to send them to Pugsleyville. He’s interrupted by the townspeople who bring him gifts, but he still, accidentally, sends our heroes down the hill toward the ravine.
He and his penguin guards hop on sleds, and the penguins and Louie end up saving Nezzar. In the end, Louie ends up being a woodworker in Dinkletown, and everything ends happily ever after.
