by [rate 5]
From the Cover:
Larry the Cucumber is Minnesota Cuke, a children’s museum curator and part-time adventurist hired to secure Samson’s lost hairbrush before its purported powers are used to carry out a hairbrained scheme to control both sides of Niagara Falls! Could this preposterous plot be the dirty work of Minnesota’s long-time nemesis Professor Rattan?
In this hair-raising, trans-global adventure, the award winning story tellers at Big Idea take you from Moose Lake to Malta, in an exciting VeggieTales episode that reminds us of how to be courageous when facing bullies.
Counter Top
Bob starts to read a letter sent in when Larry asks why Bob always gets to read the letter. When Bob says that it’s simply because he’s the one that gets them, Larry whips a letter out and starts to read. It’s about bullies, and there’s a subtext here that Bob has been bullying Larry about the letters.
Bully Trouble
In this segment we get to see a lot of Junior’s world– or what Junior daydreams about. It starts out in Sherwood forest, where Junior (as Robin Hood) is returning money, apples, and pizzas (a takeoff from the silly song that’s about to come up) to the poor of Sherwood forest.
This imaginative time is interrupted by Gordon, a big squash that has slid down the slide in a playground and is squishing Junior. Junior, Laura, Annie and two peas decide to leave the playground, and we next see Junior in his tree house.
Next he dreams that he’s a star football player. Mr. Nezzer plays the part of Coach Ditka, and Junior beats some big looking gourds with 2:00 to go. They play “Little Guys can do big things too” in the background and he calls out a Bible passage about God giving not giving us the spirit of fear.
This gets interrupted by Laura calling to him. (You’ll note that the outfits that Laura and Junior are wearing are the same ones that they wore in Jonah!) Junior claims that he’s ready to go back to the playground at any time, and Laura goes off to find their friends.
Meanwhile, Junior again confront’s Gordon, but this time as Junior Spaceman on the planet Sandboxian (Lisa Vischer, who voices Junior, also voices the computer that tells Junior what types of toast he can be.) Junior makes the Gordon alien inflate and go away just in time to be interrupted by his dad.
Mr. Asparagus (do we know his name?) tells Junior that we need to stand up to our problems– face them instead of running away. So, off goes Junior, who believes he can face Gordon. But instead of Gordon just giving up, he threatens to pound Junior every day. When all of Junior’s friends stand next to him, Gordon gives up and goes home.
They then go back to the Sherwood forest song to close out the segment.
Larry, wearing his outfit from Belly Button, sings about how his pizza has not arrived– hours after his order. He’s missing the deep dish goodness, and sings about his lost pizza like it was a lost love.
Unfortunately, his pizza never shows up, as Jerry Gourd has eaten it while looking for his house (which he couldn’t find because Larry’s number was broken).
Minnesota Cuke and the Search for Samson’s Hairbrush
This segment starts out with Minnesota climbing the mountain that’s also used in Lord of the Beans. As he reaches the top, he climbs a giant snowman to get the nose– which looks to be made out of gold. Just as he’s about to get it, the snowball falls, and he’s chased by it down the mountainside (just like Indy is chased by the boulder in Raiders of the Lost Ark).
After being buried by the snowball, Minnesota gets out, but the nose it taken by Professor Rittan (Mr. Lunt). Cuke complains to his partner at the museum (Martin, played by Bob) that he’s not doing this anymore because Rittan always gets his finds. That is, until a scallion appears in the doorway.
Minnesota is asked by the New York Parks and Recreation department to find Samson’s hairbrush because a group of rogue Canadian Barrel makers are trying to take both sides of Niagara Falls (even though, as Larry points out, “they already have the best side”). What is undoubtedly the best line is Martin’s when he replies to Larry not knowing who Samson is. He says “Haven’t you ever been to Sunday School.” What’s really great about the line is that it’s right from Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Minnesota seeks out Julia– played by Petunia Rhubarb– to find information on the hairbrush. There are too many reference to the Hairbrush Song here. For instance, when Cuke comes into Julia’s Malt Shop, he says that he’s “on the trail of a missing hairbrush” and Julia responds, “Same song, second verse.” The music also plays from time to time.
Cuke reports back a location that he got from Julia, but Rittan goes into the malt shop, sets the freezer on melt (!) and walks away. That leaves Cuke to rescue Julia from the fan that has fallen and become a propeller (like The Last Crusade). They both decide to go to Seville to find catacombs (like The Last Crusade)– which are conveniently below a barber shop.
In the mean time, Cuke’s learning that Samson had things he was not supposed to do other than just getting his hair cut, but he doesn’t have time to learn what it’s really all about because Rittan overhears about the catacombs and steals the map. Cuke goes out to complain to Martin and we hear “Love Your Neighbor” in the background.
Fortunately, there’s a secret passageway underneath a chair. Cuke goes down it, sees a sign for the Holy Grail, and the story of Samson. The Hairbrush is across a rope bridge (Temple of Doom) and when Cuke gets it, Rittan makes him trade it for Julia, whom the NY Parks guy has kidnapped. (They should learn that scallions are bad!)
After cutting the rope bridge and making Cuke and Julia climb out (worms are in the pit replacing Indy’s fear of snakes). Cuke gets frustrated and Martin explains that the hairbrush has no power– it was God that gave the power, and he will give the power to love our enemies.
Cuke makes a slingshot out of the bridge, forgives Rittan, shows that the brush has no power, and then gets ready to find Noah’s umbrella!
