WC's Top 10 Veggietales Characters

Hi, I'm the Whatsoever Critic. I review just about anything.

Today, I'd thought I share my love for Veggietales by giving you my Top 10 favorite characters on the show. Now, for this list, I'm excluding characters from the Veggietales In The House series, because the Netflix series is still recent; and plus, the original Veggietales is worth mentioning more than its spin-off show.
So alright; let's jump in.

10. Junior Asparagus

It's not that I hate this kid or anything; I just felt that his better performances was in the earlier videos like Where's God When I'm S-S-Scared?!, Are You My Neighbor?, Rack, Shack, and Benny, and LarryBoy and the Fib from Outer Space (one of my all-time favorites).

9. The French Peas

This duo was sort of fun to watch and listen to, because of their French accents (obviously). Sometimes they would cause mischief, but at other times they help people.

8. Jimmy and Jerry Gourd

I decided to put these two together, because like the French Peas, they're a duo. They do pretty much anything together like eat, play games, eat, cause mischief, eat, come out as cameos, and... did I already mention that they eat? Yeah, they eat a lot of things, from lion-based pizza, to asteroid popcorn, to having a "hankering for chicken."

7. Bob the Tomato

Even though he's the main host of the show, I still scored him at #7 on the list, because he seems more down-to-earth and more Mister-Rogers-like than any of the other characters.

However, his usual down-to-earth demeanor suits him well, because when we get to the "What We've Learned Today" segments, you can't help but laugh every time he gets annoyed by the song, and then you listen as he announces the Bible lesson for the video.

6. Pa Grape

Now this may be the coolest old person I know from a TV series. Pa Grape is a quirky yet wise character that usually acts as a character's guide as to solve problems. He first appeared in the video God Wants Me To Forgive Them?! as the head of a family of grapes who cause trouble for Junior Asparagus, until morality steps in, and he is the first person to realize his mistake and not bully people again.

To me, he's pretty cool; and I was impressed that the show got to keep him on with Veggietales In The House, but still, we won't get into the spin-off series.

5. The Scallions

Now this trio was introduced in the very first Veggietales video ever: Where's God When I'm S-S-Scared?! (the "Daniel in the Lions' Den" segment). The most notable scallion is the tall one named Cedric.
-Fun fact: We do learn that that's his name, even though he says in the "Larry's High Silk Hat Song" that even though he's "been around since show 1" that he's still nameless. Well, caught you in that lie, Cedric.

Mainly, these three scallions are up to no good, whether their baddies in the LarryBoy realm, or they're messing around with other characters.

4. Q.W.E.R.T.Y

We all know that this is a reference to the first six letters on the English keyboard. So, it was pretty unique that the show had a somewhat anthropomorphic computer that's named Q.W.E.R.T.Y.

Normally, Q.W.E.R.T.Y is used to show us the Bible lesson after each video.

3. Mr. Nezzer

Yeah, sure. He could be a buzzkill at times, and he would usually get the antagonist roles in the videos. However, what's memorable about him is his performance.

No matter what role he's given, it's like he's automatically adapted that role.

Though, it's sad to see Mr. Nezzer be replaced by Ichabeezer in Veggietales In The House... and I've complained about this in a previous blog post. So, he'll surely be missed.

2. Archibald Asparagus

Even though he can be very annoying at times, he's still a very impressive character. Archibald has starred in many of the Veggietales episodes,

and was even the lead character once for the show's first-ever movie, Jonah: A Veggietales Movie.
With a classy demeanor and a British accent, this asparagus is pretty cool.

Plus, he's well known in the LarryBoy realm as Alfred Asparagus, which really suits him, seeing that he's British and that he's a smart guy. This is one guy that you could definitely have a tea party or get-together with.

1. Larry the Cucumber

By now, you all probably know where I'm going with this list...
Yes, I believe that Larry is my favorite character of all the Veggietales characters.
First of all, he's LarryBoy.

-Obviously!
-LarryBoy fans know that Larry and LarryBoy are the same person. And what LarryBoy fan doesn't love Larry the Cucumber?

Plus, Larry seems to be the most beloved character in Veggietales. If you were to do a quick Google search on Larry the Cucumber, you'll see the many videos, images, fan art and fanfiction dedicated to him.

And truth be told, he's on most of the cover art for videos, DVDs, CDs, and other merchandise.
Also, he's the most quirky and fun-loving of all the characters. I mean, who doesn't want to be friends with someone like Larry? I know I would like to be friends with him.

So yeah, that was my Top 10 list on who my favorite Veggietales character is. Who's your favorite character from Veggietales? Feel free to leave a like or comment on who you think is your favorite; and also expect another fun blog post like this in the future.

Whatsoever Critic
Sources:
Veggietales
Veggietales In The House

Courtesy: Big Idea Entertainment; Big Idea/DreamWorks

The SCARIEST LarryBoy Villain!

Hi, I'm the Whatsoever Critic. I review just about anything.

Lately, I've been wondering who, in the LarryBoy universe, is the scariest villain.

This blog post, mind you, was something that I've wanted to do for a long time, even though I had many other projects that I've been working on. So enjoy!

Now, before we move on, I'm excluding the villains from the Cartoon Adventures series

and the Veggietales In The House series, because those villains are all nutjobs to me.

Plus, Awful Alvin and Motato seem way too similar to be on this list:

1. They both have annoying voices.

2. They both look like they have a sick fetish.

3. Their appearances... are just wacked out.

So, all we have in the running, at this point, is the Fib from Outer Space, the Rumor Weed, the Bad Apple, and Dr. Flurry.

Now, let's be real here. Of all the villains in the original Veggietales franchise (not Veggietales In The House or LarryBoy: The Cartoon Adventures), Dr. Flurry is NOT scary at all, because he's not a space alien or monster; and he's nothing more than a mad scientist that's clearly off his meds.

So now, we're down to the Fib, the Rumor Weed, and the Bad Apple...

Personally, of those three villains, the Fib would seem like the hardest to find scary. Well, hear me out: Yes, he HAS made an attempt on people's lives:

1. He threatened to eat his first victim Junior Asparagus, who he tricked into lying, so that he could grow into a giant. However, the Fib wasn't able to eat Junior, because Junior defeated him by telling the truth, which caused the monster to shrink and disappear.

2. He ALMOST ate LarryBoy.

Yes, he HAS brought destruction on Bumblyburg... even though the damage wasn't major.

-Okay, I wouldn't say Godzilla standards... ALMOST.
However, the biggest part of him that points to the contrary of him being the scariest villain is that he's more creepy than scary. One example of this is that scene where he lies to Junior the second time about his growth, and saying the line: "I'll always be your little fib."

-I mean, ugh! 

So, it's safe to say that we can rule out the Fib.

-Sorry, Fib.

So now, we're left with the Rumor Weed and the Bad Apple...

These lawless ladies come in pretty close to each other, because of their creepiness. Appearances matter at this point, because how they approach LarryBoy when it comes to push coming to shove, these two have their ways of scaring little kids.

Now, for the Rumor Weed, she may seem like an annoying villain doing nothing but spreading a rumor based on what she hears from people's assumptions.

However, when we get to the sewer scene of the movie, as LarryBoy finds himself trapped inside the sewers, we see the Mother Weed, the biggest of all the weeds that inhabit Bumblyburg, emerge from the darkest part of the sewer to confront our hero. This may scary kids; however, it may not,

because the Rumor Weed has a strong resemblance to the weed monster from the movie Little Shop of Horrors. And plus, the weed's laugh in that with her taunting LarryBoy that he can't stop her... I don't know. That laugh sounded like she swallowed a cat or something...

Even though in an interview on the DVD, the creators said that they did early drawings of the Rumor Weed, and that someone's kid saw it and got scared of it, I personally still don't fully subscribe to the Rumor Weed being the MOST scariest of all the villains in the LarryBoy universe. So with that said, I kind of, sort of, found it harder to take her seriously.

-Well, Rumor Weed, second place is nothing to sneeze at...

Now... the moment we've been waiting for...

I propose that the Bad Apple is, by far, the most scary villain of all the LarryBoy universe. Now let me explain...

Her demeanor and attitude is a given. If LarryBoy and the Bad Apple was an R-rated movie, then she would fit well as a slutty type of character. I mean, she looks the part, because she throws herself to people, including LarryBoy- I mean, look at how close she was to LarryBoy at some points in the movie!

1. when they first meet

2. when she give him a tour of the "Chocolate Room"

-To me, that's just sick! Get away from him, Bad Apple!

Plus, let's be real. The Bad Apple would be somebody that I'd like to call: a feminine version of Tim Curry. Why? Her voice says it all. Her seductive tones, the slyness in her voice... it just gives you chills... for the most part. And if you take a listen to Tim Curry's villain roles as Pennywise the Clown (It), Drake (The Pebble and the Penguin), Forte (Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas), etc., you can agree that most of the Bad Apple's speech can reflect on either one or more of those Tim Curry roles. Now, having a voice actor that seems to channel a Tim Curry kind of flow, while providing a voice for a character in a kids' show such as Veggietales seems like one of the risks that LarryBoy and the Bad Apple had to take.

Sex is a big no-no when it comes to Veggietales. But to see a villain seducing people in a movie like this, I'm wondering how other people saw this. Then again, the Bad Apple wasn't looking to get laid; she was looking to trap people into their temptations.

-But seriously, it looks like she's wanting more than just attention. She's temptation, remember?

And, another thing, her spider legs.

You may think that the creators had made them less sharp in order for them to be kid-friendly. But there's one scene in LarryBoy and the Bad Apple where Appley had succeeded in trapping LarryBoy and Alfred in their temptations...

-SPOILER ALERT IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE MOVIE!

...and then her sidekick Curly roots out "Bumblyburg will be ours!" and then she sticks one of her spider legs to his neck.

-Wow. When I first saw this movie back in the 8th grade (at age 13), I was shocked to see a Veggietales character go as far as threatening to slit a person's throat. I mean, look at how close she was to harming her own henchman there!

Despite the risks that the movie took to make this villain badass, I still want to say kudos to the effort that was put into this character. 

So yeah, it's clear that we have a winner: the Bad Apple as the scariest villain in the LarryBoy universe. However, just know that since this is Veggietales that we're talking about, I'm pretty sure that the show wasn't meant to scare kids, but to teach kids about "Sunday morning values" and morals.

So what do you guys think? Which LarryBoy villain is the scariest one in the LarryBoy world? Let me know who you think it is in the comments below. Otherwise, this was a really fun blog post to make, and I hope to have another fun one coming soon!

Whatsoever Critic
Sources:
Veggietales
LarryBoy: The Cartoon Adventures
Veggietales In The House
Little Shop of Horrors (that one pic)

Courtesy: Big Idea/DreamWorks; Warner Bros.

WC Book Review- "LarryBoy and the Rumor Weed"

This is my first book review vlog. Feel free to suggest any storybooks that you want me to take a stab at.

Plus, this is LarryBoy and the Rumor Weed... is the MOVIE better than its story adaptation? Find out here! This die-hard LarryBoy fan investigates...



Book:

Kenney, Cindy and Karen Poth. Veggietales Bible Storybook (with Scripture from the NIRV). Grand Rapids, MI: Zonderkidz, 2006. Print.

"A.D. The Bible Continues" Ep. 8 Review (5/24/15)

Hi, I'm the Whatsoever Critic. I review just about anything.

More A.D. The Bible Continues. Go let's dive in.

Caiaphas reveals that he misled Saul to Damascus, so that no violence would be seen by the emperor.

Meanwhile, Pilate and the emperor Tiberius finally learn that the emperor's nephew Caligula has crossed the line with his wild partying and being passed out inside Pilate's chambers. This also leads to a disgusted Claudia vowing that she won't enter that room again until the mess is cleaned up.

-And Caligula is supposed to be Pilate's successor if Pilate fails to make things right with the emperor? That would be politics in a nutshell.

Saul makes plans to go to Damascus to pursue Peter.

Peter, on the other hand, is still in hiding NOT in Damascus, but in a cellar under a housing unit in Jerusalem. A young boy tells the disciples that Saul has left town, which prompts Peter to announce that they will go to Samaria.

Meanwhile, Mary Magdalene is continuing her duties as a servant girl, until she meets with a woman named Joanna. 

Joanna was once a follower of Jesus, but was struggling  to keep her faith, because of what's been going on in the city. But Mary tells her about his resurrection and that he's very much alive. Joanna takes this as good news.

Later on, we see Saul and his men traveling to Damascus.

-One of them is riding a horse, because he refused to walk. Okay...

Later, we see Tiberius pondering what he should do about his delinquent nephew. Claudia suggests in taking him back, and allowing Pilate to keep his position. Tiberius praises her wisdom and promotion for her husband and decides to give Pilate a position in Rome. Claudia is grateful; however, the sight of four vultures outside the window startles her.

-Now, in case you missed it last episode (and I regret not telling about this in my last review)... Tiberius had a dream of four vultures, of which Claudia tells him that dreams are common in the palace- to where they potentially come true. So, telling by how dreams are common in the Pilate household... how do you think the dream of the vultures will turn out for Tiberius?

That night, Saul and his men set up camp, as he tells about the "heresy" of Peter and his disciples. Speaking of... Peter and John make a move to leave town.

Pilate confronts Caligula for insulting his wife, but the nephew bests him, saying that his uncle would punish him.

Later, Pilate learns from Claudia that Tiberius is offering him a position in Rome. This pleases Pilate, but Claudia tells him that the key is to continuing playing their part in pleasing Tiberius.

In Samaria, Peter and John meet up with Philip.

Meanwhile, we learn that Joanna has a controlling husband. But that's not important right now, because the two women run into the nephew's posse, who immediately takes a liking to Joanna. However, Agrippa's sister(?) steps in and tells him not to "play with [her] things."

-Okay, fair enough. As long as Joanna doesn't get violated by this guy.

Meanwhile, Saul refuses to stop his pursuit for Peter. Saul is determined to stop Peter, because of the idea that Peter is spreading lies. 

However, Jesus appears to Saul, who angrily charges at him, 

but Jesus tells him to go to Damascus and await instructions. But that comes with a price, because of the blinding light, Saul loses his sight.

We then cut to Damascus where Saul is now blind.

Meanwhile, in Samaria, Peter and the disciples talk with Simon the sorcerer, who admits that he has used cheap trickery to gain his audience, and he offers to help spread the word about Jesus.

-I don't know. I'm not fully subscribed to this guy's repentance yet, because in the previous episode, he tried to heal another guy's hand soon after he was baptized, because he believed he would gain God's powers from the baptismal...

Then Peter and the disciples are met by people waiting to be healed from their injuries and sicknesses, whom the disciples instantly heal.

Back in Damascus, Barnabas tells a man named Ananias that Saul is in town, and that he can't stay for long. But Ananias tells him stay and not cower.

Back in Jerusalem, Pilate is promoted by Tiberius, and that Caligula is to go back with his uncle, while Agrippa (another Roman) stays with Pilate. This, of course, angers the emperor's nephew, and he believes that this was Pilate's scheming. Caligula threatens that the emperor won't always protect Pilate.

While that's going on, we see Saul struggling with his inability to see... and the emperor leaves Jerusalem, with his nephew basically kicking and screaming...

Caligula: "Pilate, you will pay for your scheming!... You will answer to me!"

-Talk about a spoiled brat...

Later, we see Simon the sorcerer giving Peter every cent of his money, in exchange for "a few drops" of God's power. This angers Peter, and he accuses Simon for trying to "buy" God. This leads to the sky turning dark, Simon bleeding to death, and Peter begging God to let him live.

-Okay, since I'm now learning more names... It's safe to assume that the guy Agrippa was the one that was trying to put the moves on Joanna earlier.

So, Agrippa, that night, tries to sneak into Joanna's room in Pilate's palace. However, instead of making a move to violate her, he overhears her praying in Jesus' name.

Meanwhile, Claudia has a dream of the vultures and Tiberius, and she wakes up scared. She assures Pilate that she's fine, despite being shaken.

On that same night, Ananias get a call from Jesus, telling him to go to Saul. Ananias is concerned, because he knows of the harm that Saul has done, but Jesus reassures him that he has chosen Saul to be his instrument and to tell of him.

So Ananias goes to Saul to lift his curse. Once Saul gets his sight back, he embraces Ananias.

Later...

-Yes, I'm still learning who's who in this series.

Agrippa makes a complaint to his sister, who is Herod's wife(?)...

-I really don't know. Just go with it, Whatsoever Critic, just go with it...

Agrippa makes a complaint to get rid of blasphemers, due to what he had heard from last night.

Joanna and her husband are brought in, much to the pleasure of Agrippa. Herod questions the couple if whether or not Joanna is a follower of Jesus. Joanna's husband claims madness. Herod orders that Joanna is to be kept under control by her husband. This upsets Agrippa.

-Yeah, well, stop screwing with women and trying to get into their pants.

Meanwhile, Saul tells his men about his encounter with Jesus. Saul wants to be baptized by Ananias, so that he can keep feeling Jesus in him. The other guys can only look at him with disbelief.

Later, Claudia has another dream of the emperor. But this time, the emperor is killed by Caligula by shoving a pillow to his face. Claudia tells of her dream to Pilate, but Pilate doesn't believe her.

Saul meets with Barnabas. Barnabas isn't buying the repentance at first, but Saul admits to his wrongdoing, and he now wants to accept Jesus. Ananias confirms that Saul is telling the truth. 

So Saul is baptized, and Barnabas witnesses this transformation.

Meanwhile, we see one of Caiaphas' guards report back to Caiaphas, saying that Saul has converted.

Speaking of, Saul, despite the uncertainty of Barnabas and Ananias, goes into a temple to start preaching about Jesus.

Then, we immediately cut to the Herod and Pilate households reporting to Tiberius's chambers, only to find Caligula sitting in his uncle's seat. 

He reports that Tiberius is dead, saying that "he died peacefully in his bed." So Caligula denies Pilate's position and has both him and Claudia kneel before him, because since Tiberius is dead, he's the new emperor.

-Again, politics in a nutshell.

-And, remember that scene from earlier where Caligula is screaming that Pilate will answer to him? Well, he got his wish.

Okay, I'm already used to stuff going wrong in this series, especially when they happen at the end. Yeah, it was sad to see the emperor die, and that his bratty nephew rises to power, but yeah. What goes up must eventually come down, right? But on the bright side, Saul is no longer a bloodthirsty bad guy going after Peter and the disciples. Instead, he's a follower of Jesus now. Well, I expected that to happen, because I heard of the story of Saul a bunch of times before, but it was great to learn more about his origin in this show adaptation.

Whatsoever Critic
Source: A.D. The Bible Continues

Courtesy: NBC/Lightworkers Media