Mission
This is our story ... So far
Phil Vischer1989Phil Vischer begins his own company, aiming to create cutting-edge stories. After -- primarily animating corporate logos and charts, Phil says, "I want to be telling stories!" He starts kicking around stories and characters on his own, and then brings college buddy, Mike Nawrocki to plan a launch of the company.1991
Genius is born: Larry the Cucumber appears for the first time in the rarely seen 12-second film, "Mr. Cuke Screen Test."
Bob
1992 Bob the Tomato joins Larry the Cucumber, making his film debut in VeggieTales Promo -- Take 38. New characters debuting in the promo include Archibald, Mom Asparagus, and Lobster. Phil continues to raise money to launch VeggieTales.
Junior1993 Success! Modest funding in hand (mostly from friends and family,) Big Idea Productions is born! Where's God When I'm S-Scared? is released, becoming the first full-length, 3-D computer animated children's video produced in North America.
1994VeggieTales is available at Christian bookstores throughout the country! By year's end, sales total 40,000 videos. The year's top selling videos include includes the new release God Wants Me to Forgive Them?!?
1995 With four episodes available including the new releases of Are You My Neighbor? and Rack, Shack and Benny, sales total more than 100,000 videos for the year. Popularity for VeggieTales is growing!
1996Additional video titles launched include Dave and the Giant Pickle and The Toy That Saved LarryBoyChristmas. Word of mouth spreads with total video sales reaching nearly 500,000.
1997 "VeggieMania" explodes! The millionth copy of VeggieTales is sold and reaches to 1.5 million copies by the end of the year. Josh and the Big Wall!, LarryBoy and the Fib from Outer Space and Very Silly Songs, our first Silly Song collection on video are released.
Buzzsaw Louie1998 After refusing prior offers from distributors who wanted to change the content of the shows, the first two VeggieTales episodes become available nationwide in stores like Wal-Mart, Target, and Kmart ... with the stories intact! The VeggieTales Christmas Spectacular! brings VeggieTales to TV for the first time, as it airs nationwide on PAX-TV. Madame Blueberry and The End of Silliness? Are released. Sales for the year total more than 6 million videos.1999
LarryBoy and the Rumor Weed brings more than 350,000 people to movie theaters around the country -- on one day! In the first month, more than 250,000 copies of the video are sold. Video sales for the year hit 6.8 million!
Ducky2000 Release-day events bring more than 500,000 people to theaters to see the premiere of the new video and DVD King George and the Ducky. First-month video sales reach 275,000! Also that year, Esther -- The Girl Who Who Became Queen hits stores.Uncle Sam
2001 In April, VeggieTales characters Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber received their highest honor -- being invited by First Lady, Laura Bush, to participate in the annual White House Easter Egg Roll. In August, the fifteenth VeggieTales release, Lyle the Kindly Viking, wins "best animated direct to video release" at the World Animation Celebration.
2002 JonahThe year begins with a 28-city tour with the new stage show VeggieTales Live! in January. In October, Veggies debut on the big screen with the release of their first full-length animated motion picture, Jonah -- A VeggieTales Movie. Grossing over $25 million at the box office. In December, The Star of Christmas becomes the first VeggieTales show to be broadcast on PBS. The year ends with four new VeggieTales book releases landing in the Publishers Weekly top 100 kids' books.
2003 The 10th anniversary of Big Idea is celebrated with the VHS/DVD release of Jonah -- A VeggieTales Movie selling almost 2.5 million copies. Big Idea Records continues its growth in children's music and the VeggieTales brand is expanded into new shopping aisles around the world! Market research sh