Silly Songs with Larry

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Silly Songs with Larry is a regular feature in the Big Idea computer-animated series VeggieTales. It generally consists of Larry the Cucumber singing either alone or with some of the other Veggie characters. Occasionally, another character or an ensemble gets the lead vocal.

[edit] Introduction

Typically this feature is introduced with a static picture of Larry and the words, "And now it's time for 'Silly Songs with Larry', the part of the show where Larry comes out and sings a Silly Song'. However, this format is used loosely; sometimes it is renamed, adapted to the context of the episode, or eschewed altogether. Not all episodes have a Silly Song: most notably, the Larry-Boy episodes lack this segment. The Silly Song always appears in the middle of an episode, usually at a cliffhanger moment. In episodes that comprise two or more shorter stories, it falls between the segments.

The Silly Songs have proven to be a very popular part of the show. Their popularity was established from the very first VeggieTales video. When in the second episode (God Wants Me To Forgive Them!?!) the Silly Song was replaced by an infomercial-type segment, fans wrote in requesting that they become a regular feature. Their popularity has also prompted the release of several "sing-along" videos that feature compilations of these segments culled from other episodes, wrapped with new material that threads them into a fresh context. To date there have been four of these:

• Very Silly Songs! (1996)
• The End of Silliness? (1998)
• The Ultimate Silly Song Countdown (2001)
• The Complete Silly Song Collection (2004)

The Silly Songs almost always take place on the familiar countertop which opens and closes most episodes. The background scenery appears as a stage set, behind which electrical outlets and ceramic tile can be seen.

[edit] List of Silly Songs

The following list itemizes the Silly Songs that have appeared in the all VeggieTales videos to date. The episode in which each first appeared is given in parentheses, along with a brief description of the song.

• The Water Buffalo Song (Where's God When I'm S-Scared?)
  Larry sings that "everybody's got a water buffalo," but Archibald Asparagus, concerned with the obvious falseness of the statement, brings the song to an abrupt end.
• The Hairbrush Song (Are You My Neighbor?)
  Larry, wearing a towel and having recently emerged from the tub, rues the loss of his hairbrush. Pa Grape and Junior Asparagus try to help him, but it's Bob the Tomato who finally solves the mystery.
• Dance of the Cucumber (Rack, Shack, and Benny)
  Larry sings a song in Spanish while dancing around Bob, who translates. The words are insulting to Bob, however, and the song ends with Bob chasing him angrily from the set.
• I Love My Lips (Dave and the Giant Pickle)
  Larry lies on a couch while he sings about his fear of losing his lips to his psychiatrist, played by Archibald Asparagus. Larry's obsession leads him to see lips in everything.
• Oh, Santa! (The Toy that Saved Christmas)
  Larry awaits the arrival of Santa Claus on Christmas Eve, but is first visited by a bank robber, a Viking, and an IRS agent. They take his cookies and when Santa (Bob) arrives, we discover they have stolen parts of his outfit as well.
• The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything (Very Silly Songs!)
  The infamous pirates (Larry, Mr. Lunt, and Pa Grape) sing of their lack of ambition, but Larry doesn't seem to grasp the concept of the song.
• Song of the Cebu (Josh and the Big Wall!)
  In a "sequential image, stereophonic, multimedia event", Larry sings during a slide show about a boy and three cebu (animals closely related to cows) in a canoe. Archibald keeps intervening to question the quality of the presentation.
• His Cheeseburger (Madame Blueberry)
  This Silly Song is presented as Love Songs with Mr. Lunt. Mr. Lunt sings of Jerry Gourd's unrequited love for a cheeseburger in this spoof of a rock 'n' roll ballad. (In the intro, Archibald announces the cancellation of Silly Songs with Larry.)
• The Yodeling Veterinarian of the Alps (The End of Silliness?)
  Larry is a veterinarian who believes he is able to cure sick pets by yodeling to them. Meanwhile his nurse (Pa Grape) is slipping medicine to the pets' owners behind his back.
• Endangered Love aka Barbara Manatee (King George and the Ducky)
  While watching a soap opera on television, Larry sings of his love for a stuffed manatee.
• Lost Puppies (Esther... The Girl Who Became Queen)
  One of the few Silly Songs where Larry does not appear. This is an audition piece by Miss Achmetha, who wants to become queen, about her love of puppies.
• Larry's High Silk Hat (Lyle the Kindly Viking)
  Archibald, having taken over the show, presents the first (and last) Classy Songs with Larry. Larry, sitting at a trolley stop, expresses his joy at having a lovely hat and a chocolate bunny. Sung by Archibald and Larry, with appearances by Art Bigotti, Mr. Nezzer, Miss Achmetha, Twisty/Apollo Gourd, and Scallion #1. Sung to the tune of Funiculì, Funiculà.
• Bellybutton (The Ballad of Little Joe)
  In the introduction to this song, the latest boy band "Boyz in the Sink" (Mr. Lunt, Larry, Jimmy Gourd, and Junior Asparagus) dramatically state their intent to be "serious" artists. Mr. Lunt confesses that he lacks a navel in this song, with special appearances by Miss Achmetha and Khalil the Caterpillar.
• Sport Utility Vehicle (A Snoodle's Tale)
  Larry and Miss Achmetha sing of their admiration for each other's SUV's. But stuck in their sedentary lifestyles, they can only dream of going off-road or performing daring rescues.
• Schoolhouse Polka (Sumo of the Opera)
  Presented as "Schoolhouse Polka with Larry", this song is a parody of Schoolhouse Rock!. Larry plays the accordion and sings a song about homophones. (Larry's appearance in this song, with hair, glasses and clothing, is based on a real-life teacher named Hans who was one of Mike Nawrocki's childhood teachers.)
• The Blues With Larry (Duke and the Great Pie War)
  Larry is driven to sing the Blues, but lacks the life-experience. Joined by Blind Lemon, his version of the Blues is filled with sunshine and happiness.
• Pizza Angel (Minnesota Cuke and the Search for Samson's Hairbrush)
  Larry has been waiting hours for his pizza to be delivered and, in desperation, implores the Pizza Angel for help.
• My Baby Elf (Lord of the Beans)
  Presented as "Silly Songs with Elves," the part of the show where Ear-a-Corn comes out and sings a silly song for elves", Larry dresses as Elvis Presley and sings a song about an elf. Jimmy Gourd, also dressed as an elf, accuses him of being an "elvish impersonator".
• Gated Community (Sheerluck Holmes and the Golden Ruler)
  Larry's ball bounces behind the wall of a gated community; instead of helping him, the residents of the community just sing about how lovely life is there.
• Lance the Turtle (Gideon Tuba Warrior)
  Presented as "Ukulele Karaoke with Bob," Bob sings the lyrics by reading them off of a piece of paper and has three peas as backup singers on mechanical turtles named "The Wiggly Turtle Toobies." (Larry couldn't perform because The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything took over the show and he was with them.)