A Snoodle's Tale
Encyclopedia
A Snoodle's Tale is the 22nd episode in the VeggieTales
animated series, released on November 2003 and May 2004 on both DVD
and VHS
formats. Subtitled "A Lesson in Self Worth", the episode focuses on teaching viewers that they are special in God's eyes, that they don't need to have extraordinary talents or resort to gimmicks to be worthy individuals.
The episode contains two main features. The first is a parody of Robert Louis Stevenson
's novel The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
. The second is the story of a small whimsical creature called a Snoodle who is suffering through a crisis of self-esteem. The narration is done in the style of Dr. Seuss
, deftly capturing his iconic cadence, rhyme schemes, nonsense phraseology, and fanciful sense of place.
This episode was the first to be animated by Starz (at the time known as Dan Krech Productions)
.
In "The Strange Case of Dr. Jiggle and Mr. Sly", we first encounter an English gentleman named Mr. Butterbun and his butler Poole. Butterbun is obsessing about a flashy disco dancer who appears on the street at night with a boom box to perform. The neighbors, including Poole, seem to enjoy his performances, but Butterbun is deeply suspicious. When the dancer disappears into the home of Dr. Jiggle, he insists that they warn the doctor.
Dr. Jiggle also admits to being impressed by the Mr. Sly's fantastic moves, and confesses a desire to be a dancer himself. Unfortunately for him, his portly stature makes this impossible, his jiggly belly being a target for ridicule. When Butterbun requests an audience with Mr. Sly, Dr. Jiggle becomes frantic and quickly shows his guests the doorstep.
Butterbun is determined to find out who Mr. Sly really is and why he keeps disappearing into Dr. Jiggle's house. He enlists Poole to set a trap for him, to detain him while he dances and remove his disguise; but this plan fails when his butler instead gets caught up in the dance. The following night, however, Butterbun himself intervenes, stopping the music and confronting Mr. Sly. He recognizes his eyes, and when the dancer trips over the boom box, the portly Dr. Jiggle bursts forth from the constricting clothing. Butterbun is shocked but explains that he didn't need to hide in a disguise because he's special just the way God
made him.
The Silly Song
"Sport Utility Vehicle" follows, in which Larry and Miss Akmetha sing in admiration of each other's vehicles. They lead sedentary and mundane lives, however, and can only dream of one day having the opportunity to perform daring rescues (or even just go camping) in their SUV's.
In the main feature, "A Snoodle's Tale," Bob narrates the story of a whimsical little creature known as a Snoodle. The Snoodles live in Snoodleburg, a town which features prominently a large clock tower in the center. Every fourth Tuesday, it spits out a new Snoodle which slides down a chute to join the Snoodle society.
We witness the birth of one such creature named Snoodle Doo. He is born without any knowledge of his talents or abilities, but has on his back a backpack
which contains paints, a paintbrush, and a kazoo
. He also discovers he has wings. Attempting to figure out his purpose in life, he tries to utilize these gifts: first flying and then painting. But his attempts are met with ridicule by the older, more experienced Snoodles. Making matters worse, they paint him pictures of his failures and stuff them into his backpack. The weight of these pictures (and figuratively their ridicule) drag him down, making him feel worthless.
He decides to leave Snoodleburg and, observing the finches flying freely over Mt. Ginches, decides that he too will go there. After an arduous climb he eventually reaches the peak. There he meets a Stranger, the Creator of the Snoodles (which is a representation of God himself), who lives in a cave high above the clouds. The Stranger asks the Snoodle why he is so dejected, and the Snoodle explains that it's because he is no good at anything. The Stranger invites him in for tea and throws the hurtful pictures into the fire, assuring him that he looks nothing like them at all. He draws him a new picture, one that shows him confident and proud, encouraging him not just to fly, but to soar. The Snoodle's own picture, the one ridiculed by his elders, the Stranger hangs on his fridge.
The story ends as the young Snoodle flies back to Snoodleburg and tells of his journey to the others.
VeggieTales
VeggieTales is an American series of children's computer animated films featuring anthropomorphic vegetables in stories conveying moral themes based on Christianity...
animated series, released on November 2003 and May 2004 on both DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
and VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
formats. Subtitled "A Lesson in Self Worth", the episode focuses on teaching viewers that they are special in God's eyes, that they don't need to have extraordinary talents or resort to gimmicks to be worthy individuals.
The episode contains two main features. The first is a parody of Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist and travel writer. His best-known books include Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde....
's novel The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is the original title of a novella written by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson that was first published in 1886. The original pronunciation of Jekyll was "Jeekul" which was the pronunciation used in Stevenson's native Scotland...
. The second is the story of a small whimsical creature called a Snoodle who is suffering through a crisis of self-esteem. The narration is done in the style of Dr. Seuss
Dr. Seuss
Theodor Seuss Geisel was an American writer, poet, and cartoonist most widely known for his children's books written under the pen names Dr. Seuss, Theo LeSieg and, in one case, Rosetta Stone....
, deftly capturing his iconic cadence, rhyme schemes, nonsense phraseology, and fanciful sense of place.
This episode was the first to be animated by Starz (at the time known as Dan Krech Productions)
Plot
Bob the Tomato is eagerly awaiting Larry the Cucumber's return from "Danish Immersion Camp" as the episode begins. But when Larry shows up, he informs Bob that he never really went there, ending up instead at "Overdone British Literary Adaptations Camp". Bob is dismayed because Larry's knowledge of Danish was critical to the scheduled show intended to address a viewer's question about self-worth. Larry comes up with an alternate plan though, one based on his experience at the Camp he did attend. The result is a parody of The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr HydeThe Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is the original title of a novella written by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson that was first published in 1886. The original pronunciation of Jekyll was "Jeekul" which was the pronunciation used in Stevenson's native Scotland...
.
In "The Strange Case of Dr. Jiggle and Mr. Sly", we first encounter an English gentleman named Mr. Butterbun and his butler Poole. Butterbun is obsessing about a flashy disco dancer who appears on the street at night with a boom box to perform. The neighbors, including Poole, seem to enjoy his performances, but Butterbun is deeply suspicious. When the dancer disappears into the home of Dr. Jiggle, he insists that they warn the doctor.
Dr. Jiggle also admits to being impressed by the Mr. Sly's fantastic moves, and confesses a desire to be a dancer himself. Unfortunately for him, his portly stature makes this impossible, his jiggly belly being a target for ridicule. When Butterbun requests an audience with Mr. Sly, Dr. Jiggle becomes frantic and quickly shows his guests the doorstep.
Butterbun is determined to find out who Mr. Sly really is and why he keeps disappearing into Dr. Jiggle's house. He enlists Poole to set a trap for him, to detain him while he dances and remove his disguise; but this plan fails when his butler instead gets caught up in the dance. The following night, however, Butterbun himself intervenes, stopping the music and confronting Mr. Sly. He recognizes his eyes, and when the dancer trips over the boom box, the portly Dr. Jiggle bursts forth from the constricting clothing. Butterbun is shocked but explains that he didn't need to hide in a disguise because he's special just the way God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
made him.
The Silly Song
Silly Songs with Larry
Silly Songs with Larry is a regular feature in the Big Idea's popular 3D cartoon 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. It is occasionally...
"Sport Utility Vehicle" follows, in which Larry and Miss Akmetha sing in admiration of each other's vehicles. They lead sedentary and mundane lives, however, and can only dream of one day having the opportunity to perform daring rescues (or even just go camping) in their SUV's.
In the main feature, "A Snoodle's Tale," Bob narrates the story of a whimsical little creature known as a Snoodle. The Snoodles live in Snoodleburg, a town which features prominently a large clock tower in the center. Every fourth Tuesday, it spits out a new Snoodle which slides down a chute to join the Snoodle society.
We witness the birth of one such creature named Snoodle Doo. He is born without any knowledge of his talents or abilities, but has on his back a backpack
Backpack
A backpack is, in its simplest form, a cloth sack carried on one's back and secured with two straps that go over the shoulders, but there can be exceptions...
which contains paints, a paintbrush, and a kazoo
Kazoo
The kazoo is a wind instrument which adds a "buzzing" timbral quality to a player's voice when the player vocalizes into it. The kazoo is a type of mirliton, which is a membranophone, a device which modifies the sound of a person's voice by way of a vibrating membrane."Kazoo" was the name given by...
. He also discovers he has wings. Attempting to figure out his purpose in life, he tries to utilize these gifts: first flying and then painting. But his attempts are met with ridicule by the older, more experienced Snoodles. Making matters worse, they paint him pictures of his failures and stuff them into his backpack. The weight of these pictures (and figuratively their ridicule) drag him down, making him feel worthless.
He decides to leave Snoodleburg and, observing the finches flying freely over Mt. Ginches, decides that he too will go there. After an arduous climb he eventually reaches the peak. There he meets a Stranger, the Creator of the Snoodles (which is a representation of God himself), who lives in a cave high above the clouds. The Stranger asks the Snoodle why he is so dejected, and the Snoodle explains that it's because he is no good at anything. The Stranger invites him in for tea and throws the hurtful pictures into the fire, assuring him that he looks nothing like them at all. He draws him a new picture, one that shows him confident and proud, encouraging him not just to fly, but to soar. The Snoodle's own picture, the one ridiculed by his elders, the Stranger hangs on his fridge.
The story ends as the young Snoodle flies back to Snoodleburg and tells of his journey to the others.
The Strange Case of Dr. Jiggle and Mr. Sly
- Jim Poole...Scooter Carrot as Butterbun
- Mike Nawrocki...Larry the Cucumber as Poole
- Phil Vischer...Jimmy Gourd as Dr. Jiggle and Mr. Sly
A Snoodle's Tale
- Phil VischerPhil VischerPhillip "Phil" Vischer is an American voice actor, animator, director, writer and puppeteer known for creating the computer-animated video series VeggieTales with partner and friend Mike Nawrocki...
...Narrated by Bob the Tomato - Philip Spooner...Snoodle Doo as himself
- Tim HodgeTim HodgeTimothy "Tim" Hodge is an American voice actor, writer and director who works at Big Idea Entertainment in Nashville, Tennessee, where he has worked on the VeggieTales videos as well other projects like 3-2-1 Penguins!....
...The Stranger (Creator) as himself
Songs
In addition to the ubiquitous "VeggieTales Theme" and "What We Have Learned," this episode contains the following songs:- I Want to Dance, sung by Dr. Jiggle
- I Want to Dance (Disco Reprise), sung by Dr. Jiggle, Butterbun, and Poole
- Sport Utility Vehicle (Silly SongSilly Songs with LarrySilly Songs with Larry is a regular feature in the Big Idea's popular 3D cartoon 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. It is occasionally...
), sung by Larry and Miss Akmetha
External links
- A Snoodle's Tale at Families.com