A few years ago, I received an e-mail inviting me to consider becoming a
consultant for VeggieMoms, a Pampered Chef-style outreach of the Big
Idea company through which enthusiasts of the computer animated
characters of VeggieTales sell DVDs and other products to folks in a
home setting. Given my passion for VeggieTales, I couldn't resist giving
it a whirl; it didn't last long, but during my brief stint I became
aware of several Veggie goodies I hadn't seen before. One of the most
enticing was the Nativity set. I had planned to purchase it when I
placed the orders for a show I was giving in early December, but that
show was canceled and I never got around to ordering it on my own. Every
Christmas since, I've told myself I ought to buy it, but in the
pre-Christmas craziness it never seems to happen, so I was thrilled to
find it sitting under the tree on Christmas morning this year.
The VeggieTales Nativity set is designed as both a decorative piece and
a play set. It can easily sit on display, especially on a shelf or
similar flat surface, but the pieces are of sturdy plastic and can be
moved around easily and safely. In the aftermath of Christmas, I kept
mine on the floor beneath the tree, on top of the tree skirt, so it
wasn't entirely level ground and the pieces had a tendency to tip over,
but the figures standing on the stage didn't have much trouble staying
upright. The set comes with a cardboard floor made to resemble hardwood
and a dark blue backdrop spangled with white stars. Separate from that
is a plastic stable with three small rooms, thatched roof and a window
that opens and closes. The center portion of the stable has a solid back
wall, while the other two have walls of stone that are missing chunks
at the top. It gives the building a look of disrepair that still manages
to seem cozy.
The sense that I get with this set is that we
are meant to see it as a Christmas pageant that various Veggies are
putting on. The cardboard floor itself, not to mention the stable, is
small enough that it isn't really possible to fit all of the figures
inside unless you have some of them hanging out on the roof. Otherwise,
it's best to let them spill out in front of the cardboard. I imagine
this was a consideration in determining how many figures to include.
Whenever you have a series as involved as VeggieTales, you're going to
have trouble fitting all of the characters into any one project, and
that's certainly the case here. Several very prominent characters are
missing, most notably Bob the Tomato. I like to imagine that Bob is the
director of this little play and that Archibald Asparagus, also absent,
is the off-stage musical director.
In terms of props, the set
includes a small yellow stand-up that I take to be a bale or two of hay;
a tall palm tree; and a little blue manger with detachable brown legs
that houses the tiny carrot portraying the Baby Jesus. His sister Laura
can be found at the top of the stable, dressed as an angel set against
the backdrop of a plastic star. If you press her nose, the star blinks
and, in a rather wobbly voice, she sings the first two lines of O Little Town of Bethlehem.
This is a charming addition that has proven rather startling lately, as
we've had the stable lying face up on the couch for a few days while I
decide just where to put it for the year; somehow, my cats keep managing
to step on it, and initially, I always think it's them meowing.
Joseph is portrayed by an unknown gourd who looks very cute in his
costume, and Mary, played by the little-known Mabel the pear, looks
especially adorable in her rippling blue fabric. It isn't actually
fabric, of course; it's just plastic, and it can't be removed. Still,
they make a lovely pair. Junior Asparagus gets to be the shepherd, which
seems especially fitting given his role as a shepherd in A Very Veggie Christmas.
He wears beige duds tied with blue rope and looks positively delighted
with his duty, while the pair of peas with cottonball wool and floppy
black ears seem quite content to be his charges.
Then there
are the three wise men, whose identities we are left to ponder. Their
gifts are not in plain view, and evidently their camels are off getting a
drink somewhere. Larry is considerably taller than his cohorts and
wears a deep blue vest, purple robe and yellow turban. He also has a
curly brown beard, which gives him a much more distinguished look than
usual. Pa Grape retains his glasses and wears a swirly purple and gold
hat with robes to match. Mr. Lunt is dressed in a red robe trimmed with
white, and his head bears a jewel-encrusted silver crown. If you peek
down at his head from above, you'll notice that you can see his stringy
brown hair, perfectly parted down the middle. That just leaves Jimmy and
Jerry Gourd, the only characters who don't have any attached clothing.
The two of them fit perfectly inside of a cow costume, which is easily
the funniest element of the set. It's a large white and black cow with a
bulbous pink nose and beady eyes, and poor Jimmy is stuck in the back
of the bovine for the duration of the play, while the taller Jerry
stares ahead, grinning.
There are so many great Veggie
characters that couldn't be incorporated into this set, I'm a little
surprised that Mary and Joseph are portrayed by "anonymous" Veggies. I
would've loved to see Annie, a soft-spoken, bespectacled scallion who
has been underused throughout the series, portraying Mary or another
angel. Of course, the Veggie folks could have incorporated more
characters by adding any number of angels, shepherds and farm animals,
and perhaps the innkeeper as well. While it would have been fun to have
an excuse to include the likes of Scooter, Madame Blueberry, Mr. Nezzer
and Petunia, it's probably just as well not to make things too crowded.
This set includes two stationary characters and nine that are movable,
which makes for a pretty full stable!
I love the VeggieTales
Nativity play set and intend to display it somewhere in my room
throughout the year. My only concern is my cats' fascination with the
figures; several of them have been batted around, and poor Jimmy wound
up under the couch for a few days after an especially satisfying chase.
As long as I get them back in one piece, however, I'm willing to share
my Veggies with my feline friends, not to mention any pals of the human
variety. If VeggieTales is the show for you, then invite the gang in for
a festive celebration of what Christmas is really all about.
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