Looking for a fun and effective way to teach your children moral and spiritual values? Why not do this with the help of cartoons. Yes, cartoons. For example, Veggie Tales. Maybe your kids do not like eating vegetables, but trust me, they will love the animated veggies talking. That was what Phil Vischer was going for. Together with his friend Mike Nawrocki, he created the movie series Veggie Tales in 1993. the main goal was to enhance the spiritual and moral health of the society, especially kids. Soon the series became so popular that even NBC, TBN and many other popular television channels broadcasted it.
Phil Vischer got the idea of creating this type of cartoon while testing out a new animation software. He wanted to create something simple, yet educational. He wanted to lift moral and spiritual values without being too explicit. And he surely succeeded in it. For example, veggie characters like Tom the tomato and Larry the cucumber, teach children through their own experiences. Anthropomorphic vegetables teach children that caring for each other is important. The producers of Veggie Tales created fun stories, catchy songs and likable characters to catch the attention of kids. Veggie Tales are among the first animated movie series that are based on Christian themes. Most parents are not even aware that Veggie Tales is labeled as faith-based product.
The Veggie Tales version of the ”Good Samaritan” is a good example of that. The main character in this story is Larry the cucumber. He needs help, but none of the Jibberty Lot residents want to help. That’s because they are always in fight with the residents of The Flibber-o-loo. Since Larry is one of the Flibber-o-loo residents, no one from Jibberty Lot wants to offer a hand. Not until one resident decides to make the right move and help. These veggie characters help children understand, that not all people are the same, but still we have to have respect for each other. Whether good or bad, neighbors need to be loved and accepted the way they are.
Without even being aware, kids learn through these amazing stories what is good and what is bad. Many Veggie Tales episodes like God Wants Me To Forgive, God Made You Special retell biblical stories in a fun way so kids can understand and remember things easily.
