Big Idea Entertainment/Summary

Background: Founded in 1989 as "GRAFx Studios" by Phil Vischer, Big Idea Entertainment, LLC (officially established as "Big Idea Productions" in 1993) is an American animation production company best known for its Christian computer-animated series VeggieTales. In 2003, the company was acquired by Classic Media due to bankruptcy. In 2012, Classic Media was acquired by DreamWorks Animation, which in turn was bought out by NBCUniversal in 2016 for $3 billion. Their VHS and DVDs were released by Word Entertainment, Lyrick Studios, HiT Entertainment, Warner Home Video, and Sony Wonder. In 2018, at the Christian Worldview Film Festival, Mike Nawrocki confirmed that VeggieTales was no longer in production and that he wasn't working on any new content for the series. In April 2019, however, it was announced that the Trinity Broadcasting Network would be airing new episodes of VeggieTales under the name The VeggieTales Show on their network.

1st Logo (December 21, 1993-August 3, 1997)
Nicknames: "Big Idea Placeholder", "Boring Idea Productions"

Logo: Simply the text "Big Idea Productions" on a white background with "presents" under it. Both are in the Palladium Thin font.

Variants:
 * This logo was used as an in-credit logo on Where's God When I'm S-Scared?, but the color was inverted.


 * A closing variant is at the end of God Wants Me to Forgive Them?!?!, without "presents" but with copyright info. The color is also inverted.

FX/SFX: None.
 * Spanish and Chinese variants exist.

Music/Sounds: None or the dialogue of Bob and Larry, as part of the VeggieTales intro.

Availability: Seen in the intro on all VeggieTales videos from 1993 to 1997. The first tape to have this was the 1993 VHS of Where's God When I'm S-Scared?, and the last tape was the original VHS of Josh & The Big Wall! from 1997. The Spanish variants can be seen on the beginning of the Spanish dub of the aforementioned show, and the VeggieTales episode ¿¡¿Quiere Dios Que los Perdone?!? (God Wants Me To Forgive Them!?!). The Chinese variant can be found on the Chinese dub of the aforementioned show.

Editor's Note: None.

2nd Logo (January 3, 1995-October 19, 1996)
Nicknames: "The VeggieFriends", "Bob and Larry"

Logo: On a white BG we see a still of Larry looking down and Bob looking left. Between them is "BIG" and "IDEA" in a warped Palatino font. Underneath the logo is a copyright notice.

Variant: On The Toy That Saved Christmas, the logo is slightly smaller.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Music/Sounds Variant: On Rack, Shack, and Benny (1995 VHS), we hear Bob saying "I'd like to get out now!"

Availability: Rare. It can be seen at the end of VeggieTales: Are You My Neighbor (1995 release). This variant is reused in all known prints of The Toy That Saved Christmas. This one is also on the back cover of all VeggieTales tapes from 1995-1997, and 1998-2000 Lyrick Studios & Everland Entertainment VHS copies of Where's God When I'm S-Scared? and Are You My Neighbor?, plus on the sticker label of all Lyrick Studios releases of VeggieTales tapes and some Lyrick Studios tapes with an ink label similar to the ones on the Word Inc. (VeggieTales releases from 2000 and later)

Editor's Note: None.

3rd Logo (January 13, 1997-October 29, 2005)
Nicknames: "The VeggieFriends II", "Bob and Larry II", "The Popping Letters", "A Pop"

Logo: On a white background, we see the VeggieTales characters Larry and Bob (a cucumber and tomato, respectively) in between the phrase "BIG IDEA" in the Palatino font. Suddenly, the "BIG IDEA" text pops up and turns into the same font as before, and the size of some of the letters is a slightly different than the last logo. The "A", however, is not its actual size. This startles Bob and Larry. They then look at each other with Bob shrugging like he's saying "Come on! Face the screen!" before facing the viewer and smiling. The "A" then grows to its actual size. Copyright information appears below.

Trivia: This logo is referred to by Vischer and Nawrocki as the "A Pop" on VeggieTales audio commentaries. It was animated in SoftImage on a server known as "Lumpy."

Variants:
 * In some cases, a still shot of the logo is already formed, but no copyright stamp is present. This was shown at the beginning of early VHS releases of Very Silly Songs!, Larry-Boy! and the Fib From Outer Space!, and Josh and the Big Wall!. It also appeared on The End of Silliness? and the VHS release of Leggo My Ego!
 * A variation of the still logo has "P R E S E N T S" underneath. This was only seen on the 1999 Word Entertainment VHS release of "Very Silly Songs!."


 * The logo's animation may start when Larry and Bob look at each other. Also, a larger and bolder 1998 copyright stamp appears below the finished logo. This variant of the 1997 version can be found on the 1998 reissues of Where's God When I'm S-Scared?, God Wants Me to Forgive Them?!, Are You My Neighbor?, Rack, Shack, & Benny, Dave and the Giant Pickle, and Very Silly Songs!, as well as the 2001 Word Entertainment VHS release of The Toy That Saved Christmas.


 * Another variant of the 1997 version starts at the beginning of the logo, while retaining the large 1998 copyright stamp. This variant of the 1997 version can be found on the 1998 reissues of Larry-Boy! and the Fib from Outer Space! and Josh and the Big Wall.

FX/SFX: The characters'animations, and the letters popping up.
 * In the logo's later years, it was further from the screen. The registered trademark ® symbol also appears to the right of the logo.

Music/Sounds: Just a suction sound when the "A" pops up. None for the still versions. Sometimes, it's the closing theme of the show. Most episodes have a specific sound play when the "A" moves, like:
 * Rack, Shack and Benny (2002 DVD): The whooshing of the spoon being flipped out of the sink.


 * Dave and the Giant Pickle (2004 DVD): The sound of the pebble hitting Goliath's head.


 * Larry-Boy! ...And the Fib from Outer Space!: A plunger's suction.


 * Duke and the Great Pie War: A poodle bark.


 * Lord of the Beans: "Bacon! It's a longshot."


 * Lyle the Kindly Viking: Lyle saying "Yeah!"


 * King George and the Ducky: The squeaking of a rubber ducky.

For a full list of sound effect variants, see this link.
 * An Easter Carol: One of Mr. Nezzer's mechanical chickens squawking.

Availability: Rare these days, but can still be seen on VeggieTales and 3-2-1 Penguins! of the time. The last show using this is LarryBoy: The Cartoon Adventures.

Editor's Note: This is a favorite among VeggieTales fans.

4th Logo (1998-2006)
Nicknames: "The VeggieFriends III", "Bob and Larry III"

Logo: Like the first logo, we have Bob and Larry, but they look cleaner and more straight forward than the previous logo. The logotype is also slightly bolder than the previous logo. The word "p r e s e n t s" is below the logo.

Variants:
 * Some releases use "p r e s e n t s" in a font that resembles Aharoni, while others use "P R E S E N T S" in Century Gothic. Sometimes, "p r e s e n t s" is not below the logo.

FX/SFX: None. Only "CCM" appearing for the second variant.
 * One variant featured the logo without "p r e s e n t s" underneath. "CCM" in a thin font appears to the lower center right of the logo.

Music/Sounds: None or the VeggieTales intro theme.

Availability: Seen in the intro on all VeggieTales videos from 1998-2006. It can be seen as a simple home video still logo on some tapes. The version without "presents" was seen on Larry-Boy & The Rumor Weed, the Lyrick Studios VHS release of King George and the Ducky, and the VeggieTales Classics VHS releases of Rack, Shack and Benny, Josh and the Big Wall, and Lyle the Kindly Viking. This is also on the back of the cover of VeggieTales tapes from 1998 to 2000. The second variant was only seen at the end of A Very Veggie Family Adventure.

Editor's Note: None.

5th Logo (1999- March 3, 2015, December, 2015, October 22, 2019-March 30, 2020)
Nicknames: "The VeggieFriends IV", "Bob and Larry IV", "The New and Improved VeggieFriends", "10 Years of Big Idea (2003 Still Variant)","15 Years of Big Idea (2008 Still Variant)"

Logo: On a white background, we see Larry and Bob moving up to their normal position, but the logo is backwards. Bob looks at the logo with Larry. Then, Larry bumps the I, causing it to shake a little and rotate. Bob smiles, then Larry moves out of the way as Bob gets stuck in the D and moves around. He eventually frees himself and bumps into Larry, and Bob is a little tilted. Larry gets Bob into position and both Bob and Larry smile and both go to their normal pose. Starting in 2007, a byline for the respective company appears below.

Bylines:
 * 2007-2009: "An Entertainment Rights group company"

Variants:
 * 2009-2012: "A Classic Media group company"
 * When this logo first appeared, there was no byline.


 * On some occasions, the logo is still.


 * On TV, the logo is already formed, with Bob and Larry grinning.


 * At the end of Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie, a still version with a black background is used.


 * Another still version appeared on a white background, with "p r e s e n t s" below the logo in a Century Gothic font. This version is used at the beginning of VeggieTales videos from 2006-2008.


 * The logo also looked different when it debuted from 1999 to 2001. In this variant, the "D" is slightly wider, Larry and Bob look more straightforward, and the logotype looks less bolder.


 * A special still version was used in 2003 to celebrate the company's 10th anniversary. In this still version, the logo is on a funky gold emblem. The logo is in the middle, and the text "10TH ANNIVERSARY" is at the top and is curved. At the bottom of the emblem is a gold banner that is curved down, which has the text "1 9 9 3 - 2 0 0 3" on it. This was used on previews for VeggieTales releases in 2003.


 * Yet another special still version was used in 2008, this time to celebrate the company's 15th anniversary. The logo is on a shiny silver emblem (which looks a little more simple than the 2003 version), and the logo is in the middle. Bob looks much cleaner in this version. The text "15 YEARS" is at the top and is curved up, like the 2003 version. At the bottom, the text "1993-2008" (a dot is used instead of the "-") is shown (however it is on the actual emblem instead of on a banner and is curved up). Like the 2003 version, this was also used on previews for VeggieTales releases in 2008.

FX/SFX: The animation. For all the still variants, none (of course).
 * On a 2015 airing of The Toy That Saved Christmas on Telexitos, the logo cuts in abruptly after the credits with no fade, and the credits song plays over the logo with no sound effects whatsoever. It's also sped up slightly.

Music/Sounds: A 4-note jingle that suddenly goes down and decreases, slows down, and stops. This is followed by sound effects accompanying the actions, then a relaxing 8-note string tune (which is the same music from the start) plays and ends. None for the still versions; however, for the 2003 and 2008 still versions, it's the opening theme of the preview.

Availability: Common. The animated version was first seen on Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie and The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything, as well as newer VeggieTales episodes. The early still version in 2000-2001 are on King George & The Ducky, Lyle the Kindly Viking, 3-2-1 Penguins: Trouble on Planet Wait-Your-Turn!, and other VeggieTales videos of the time. However, the logo itself actually debuted as a print logo in 1999, as seen on the back of the VHS cover of the Lyrick Studios copy of Madame Blueberry and a preview for Larry-Boy & The Rumor Weed. It also appeared on a 2015 rebroadcast of The Toy that Saved Christmas on Telexitos plastering the 2nd logo and broadcasts of VeggieTales on the Smile of a Child block of the Trinity Broadcasting Network. The logo returned on The VeggieTales Show, but it was last seen in A Lifetime Supply of Joy.

Editor's Note: Great animation for all Veggietales fans.

6th Logo (November 26, 2014- September 15, 2017)
Nicknames: "The VeggieFriends V", "Bob and Larry V", "VeggieFriends in the House", "The New VeggieFriends"

Logo: We see the Big Idea text in its typical style as well as a byline reading "© [YEAR] Big Idea Entertainment, LLC. All Rights Reserved." Bob and Larry (in their VeggieTales in the House redesigned styles) drop down from the top of the screen to their usual positions and smile with wide open grins.

FX/SFX: The animation.

Variant: From 2015-2017, the copyright info now reads "© [YEAR] DreamWorks Animation Television, Inc. All rights reserved."

Music/Sounds: The end theme of the show.

Availability: It appears on VeggieTales in the House episodes on Netflix. Last used on VeggieTales in the City, which released its final season on September 15, 2017. Despite the character redesigns, the VeggieTales episode Noah's Ark used the previous logo.

Editor's Note: TBA

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Copyright Stamps: Here is some information about the copyright stamps for Big Idea:
 * 1994: Copyright MCMLXXXXIV Big Idea Productions, Inc.


 * 1995-2006: © [YEAR] Big Idea Productions, Inc.

As of 2015, copyright info is for DreamWorks Animation Television.
 * 2014-2015; 2017-: © [YEAR] Big Idea Entertainment, LLC. All rights reserved.

8th Logo (April 2, 2020- )
Nicknames: "The VeggieFriends VI", "Bob and Larry VI", "The New and Improved VeggieFriends"

Logo: Same concept as the sixth logo, but with the new models of Bob and Larry as seen in The VeggieTales Show.

FX/SFX: The animation.

Music/Sounds: Same as the 6th logo.

Availability: Brand new. First seen on The VeggieTales Show episode "The Power of Love" and is expected to appear on future episodes of The VeggieTales Show.

Editor's Note: A brand new improvement to the logo we've seen before. Nice to see it being given a fresh new look after many years.