The Toy that Saved Christmas

“	Grandpa George: Now, let's see...A Christmas story… Oh! Did I ever tell you about the town that didn't get Christmas? Annie: You mean they didn't have Christmas? George: No, I mean they didn't get Christmas. They had Christmas. They loved the packages and the toys and everything, but they didn't understand what Christmas was really about. Now, let's see… what was the name of that...Dinkletown! That's it. I used to deliver the mail there.	”
— Grandpa George talks to Annie about his past career, starting the flashback.'

The Toy that Saved Christmas is the first VeggieTales Christmas special.

Synopsis[]

Grandpa George tells a flashback Christmas story, to his daughter, about Wally P. Nezzer, the owner of a toy company, who is spreading the word via a television commercial for Buzz-Saw Louie that the meaning of Christmas is to get more toys, which led the Dinkletown kids to whine about wanting more toys. He explains to his assistant, Mr. Lunt, that this is a strategy to create demand for his toys in order to boost sales. The toy in question is called "Buzz-Saw Louie", the only toy featuring an actual working buzz saw built into his right arm. That night, one of the dolls comes to life and objects to Mr. Nezzer's values and decides to escape the factory to find the true meaning of Christmas. He narrowly evades one of the penguin guards and makes it outside. Unfortunately, he trips on the icy stairway and tumbles down the hill, rolling himself into a snowball and falling off a cliff.

The story is interrupted by a Silly Songs with Larry segment titled "Oh, Santa!" Larry is staying up late awaiting the arrival of Santa Claus, eager to give him some homemade cookies. Instead of Santa, however, he is visited first by a bank robber (Scallion #1), then by a Viking (played by Pa Grape), and finally by an agent of the IRS (played by a Peach). They all take refuge is his home and eat his cookies (except for the IRS agent who Larry evidently considers too loathsome to invite inside). Santa finally shows up, but rather than being jolly he angrily chases after Scallion #1 and Pa Grape for stealing his "Belt" and "Hat". Larry is left without any cookies, and no Santa or friends.

On Christmas Eve, while most of the Veggie children are filled with a mad desire for the new toy, Larry, Bob, and Junior go sledding. They happen upon the lone Buzz-Saw Louie stuck on a snowdrift. They free him and he explains them where he is heading. Bob suggests that they go see Grandpa George. He reads the following from the Holy Bible, which is as follows:

“	That night in the fields near Bethlehem, some shepherds were guarding their sheep. All at once an angel came down to them from the Lord and the brightness of the Lord's glory flashed around them. The shepherds were frightened, but the angel said: 'Don't be afraid! I have good news for you which will make everyone happy. This very day in King David's hometown, a Savior was born for you. He is Christ the Lord. You will know who he is because you will find him dressed in baby clothes and lying on a bed of hay.' Suddenly many other angels came down from heaven and joined in praising God. They said, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.'	”
— King James, Luke 2

In this, George explains to them that the true meaning of Christmas is not to get, but to give, the way God gave us Jesus, the greatest gift of all. The children are heartened by the news, but puzzle about how to tell the rest of the Veggies before Christmas Day.

The characters' solution is to sneak into Mr. Nezzer's toy factory and use his television studio to broadcast the message to all the surrounding towns. The plan is a huge success, except that Mr. Nezzer finds them out and threatens to get rid of them. He ties them to a sled and is about to send them to Puggslyville when the other Veggie families intervene. Laura Carrot shows him kindness by giving him a gift, and he quickly repents the errors of his ways. However, the sled with Bob, Larry, Junior, and Louie is accidentally sent on its fateful course in the process.

A chase scene ensues in which Mr. Nezzer and a half dozen Penguins attempt to save the doomed Veggies. The tables turn, however, when Buzz-Saw Louie is able to divert the sled's course, leaving Mr. Nezzer alone racing toward the ravine. Louie again springs into action, using his buzz-saw to rally the Penguins and save Mr. Nezzer just as he is about to plummet to certain death. Then, Buzz-Saw Louie puts the buzz-saw for good use making furniture and the special ends.

Production[]

The special was said to be a very special episode of VeggieTales, mainly because it proved to be a big challenge for Big Idea Productions. It was made with the same number of people who worked on the previous episode, "Dave and the Giant Pickle", but it was very hard to make. The episode was made around September 1996 and at that time, the air conditioning at Big Idea's then-headquarters had been shut off and was being replaced. Suddenly, a heat wave had just hit Chicago and the employees pushed themselves to get the episode out in time since they couldn't ship out the Christmas special late.

As soon as everything was done, Phil Vischer began to suffer major chest pains from a bacteria eating at his heart. He had to stay in bed for the next month. He felt better afterwards.

Cast[]

Voice actor/actress	Character(s)
Phil Vischer	Bob the Tomato/Santa Claus Pa Grape/The Viking The Silly Song Announcer Scallion #1/ The Bank Robber Grandpa George Percy Pea Mr. Nezzer (Wally P. Nezzer) Mr. Lunt Dad Pea Dad Carrot
Mike Nawrocki	Larry the Cucumber The Peach/The IRS Agent
Lisa Vischer	Junior Asparagus
Dan Anderson	Mike Asparagus
Kristin Blegen	Laura Carrot
Bridget Miller	Lenny Carrot
Shelby Vischer	Annie Onion
Lesly Benodin	Lil' Pea
Ken Cavanagh	Buzz-Saw Louie

Songs[]

VeggieTales on TV Theme Song (TV version only)
Mail Song (TV version only)
"Can't Believe it's Christmas"
"Grumpy Kids"
"Oh, Santa!"
"He Is Born, the Holy Child" (briefly; original version)
"Away in a Manger" (briefly; re-released version)
"Can't Believe It's Christmas" (reprise, credits only)

In addition to those songs above, in one shot, in which Junior, Louie, Bob, and Larry sneak past a penguin doing dishes, a portion of Feliz Navidad from A Very Veggie Christmas album can be heard in the background.

Notes[]

This was the first episode to not have the VeggieTales Theme Song or Countertop scenes at the beginning and end of the episode.
This was the fourth episode of the show to have its animation being redone. Some scenes were reanimated a year later in 1997 to better fit the episode.
George's delivery truck was blue in the original version, but was brown in the new version.
Mr. Nezzer's chair moving up and down like an elevator was more of an easy solution than having him hopping up and down stairs, which would have been pretty difficult to animate.
Mr. Nezzer becoming a good guy at the end of "Rack, Shack and Benny" would make it impossible for him to return to as the antagonist. So they made a decision for him to come back with a slightly bigger nose than he did before and label him as his own brother.
This was the last episode to be released in Japan.

Goofs[]

Annie's hair can be seen clipping into the pillow on several occasions.
In the 1996 version, George's mustache turns white as George heads to Dinkletown to deliver a package, but this issue was fixed in the 1997 version.
In the 1996 version, when Percy sings in his house, his brother Lil' Pea's mouth moved even though he had no voice lines. This made sure that Lil' Pea's mouth would no longer move and only Percy's does to be more accurate in the 1997 version.
At one point while the children are singing, George's mustache turns white. It would be the second time in the 1996 version.
Lenny is missing his mouth in the shot where the children sled on the package.
The interior of Louie's toy box changes colors between shots in the original version, but was fixed later on.
When Louie falls off the shelves, he's placed close to the exit, but he's in the middle of the room when he starts running towards it. And the box he was in was removed in that running shot.
Larry's tooth is missing in the title card of "Oh Santa!".
Laura and Lenny's mouths were missing after they bumped into each other while they whined for Buzz-Saw Louie.
In one shot, The penguins' sleds briefly turn red before returning to grey in the next shot.

Edits[]

Comparison between the 1996 and the 1997 versions[]

The 1997 version has a lot changes from the original 1996 version:

The camera pans straight to George's house without any music. In the 1997 version, the new music is added and the camera now pans down a little longer.
"Can't Believe It's Christmas" was redone in the 1997 version and features re-recorded voices (especially George's "Oy, my spinely!" line).
George's pickup truck is light blue and appears to slide down into Dinkletown, which is a further distance away. In the 1997 version, George's truck was redesigned with a brown color and given a moving animation when heading into Dinkletown, which is also more detailed and less distance away.
The window Laura looks out has no reflection. It is given a reflection in the 1997 version.
The scene where the head falls off of the snowman was reanimated.
The package lands straight on the roof of the house without a bounce. In the 1997 version, it bounces before it settles.
The scene where Laura and Lenny are seen begging for Buzz-Saw Louies takes place in a bare room with almost nothing in it. In the 1997 version, the room was given a carpet, some toys, and a coat hanger as accessories as well as the window on the door being redesigned. Also, the camera pans down to show their full bodies.
- The glass in the windows also does not show the outside of the house until the 1997 version.
The music for "Grumpy Kids" starts just as George finishes saying "...he was doing some thinking." In the 1997 version, the music starts just as Louie begins to sing.
- On a similar note, the song was also re-orchestrated as well as the scene reanimated.
The scene in which Louie attempts to make out to the penguin guard that he's not alive was reanimated.
As Louie rolls down the hill in a snowball after tripping on the stairs, no particles form as the snowball gets bigger. In the 1997 version, the snowball forms particles. Phil states this was due to them not having enough money to make particles at the time of the episode's initial release.
As Bob, Larry and Junior are sledding, still shots of the trees are shown before the scene shifts to them sledding. In the 1997 version, the camera slowly pans as they brush trees and sled past the camera before this scene is shown.
The scene where Larry asks Louie "Well, then what is it about?" was reanimated.
The scene in which George invites the group into his house was reanimated.
Like the scene with Laura and Lenny, the group stands in a bare room with almost nothing except a table and a bookshelf as George is reading the Nativity of Jesus to them. In the 1997 version, the room was given a fireplace as well as other accessories, and the group even gets hot chocolate (though there's no steam as it's stated in the commentary it was too expensive). Also, Bob and Larry have taken off their winter garb, except Junior.
The shot where Junior tells the group the factory is the only way to solve the problem was reanimated in that the group was featured in the shot as well and looking at Junior.
The scene where the group run past the TV studio and then Junior turns around and says "That's it!" was reanimated.
The scene where the group enters the TV studio is simply still shots as everything turns on. In the 1997 version, the camera moves around (supposedly from the group's point of view) to look at the studio.
The group is only heard yelling as they are captured upon being discovered in Mr. Nezzer's TV studio due to the shot only focusing on Laura's family. In the 1997 version, a camera pan was added which shows the television during the group's capturing.
As Mr. Nezzer threatens to send the group away in the sled and is interrupted by the families of Dinkletown, the score for the scene is different between versions.
When Laura says "Merry Christmas!" to Mr. Nezzer, she's standing next to the present. In the 1997 version, she gives the present to Mr. Nezzer in a close-up shot.
The shot in which Louie responds "That'd be me!" when no one else has hands was given the sled motion of the other shots compared to the original static in the 1997 version.
The shot in which Louie yells "Whoaaaaaaaa!" while riding on the penguin's sled features his eyes open in the original version, whereas they're closed in the 1997 version.
The scene where Grandpa George pulls up with Bob, Larry, and Junior to see Mr. Nezzer hanging from the bridge was reanimated, likely due to the redesign of George's pickup truck.
Louie and everything else inside the house can be seen in the 1997 version, whereas in the original version they cannot be seen. There is also more furniture outside in the 1997 version.
- Sawdust also flies outside the house in the 1997 version.
- This is also true for the house the Veggies are depicted as having their party in. In the 1997 version, Lisa is seen inviting other guests (the parent Peas, who had just left their house next door) inside for the party as Mr. Nezzer and Bob are seen chatting with Dad Carrot inside as well.
The episode ends with the Peas singing "He is Born, The Holy Child" from the A Very Veggie Christmas album. The 1997 version, however, instead ends with "Away in a Manger", sung by Junior, from the same album.

Image comparison[]

VeggieTales on TV version[]

VeggieTales on TV S2 Ep6 - The Toy That Saved Christmas — Larry gives Bob a key-chain he got from Fiji as an early Christmas Present.

When aired as an episode of the series, the special was edited from its original length:

The episode begins automatically with George saying "A Christmas story…"
The opening credits and logo were cut from the TV version.
The warning about deliveries to Puggslyville being available due to the collapse of the Puggslyville bridge was was cut out of the episode.
Junior saying "Mom! Mom! I need more toys!", Percy saying "Billy has more toys than me!", and the "Silly Songs" segment were cut for time.
The scene where Larry checks to see if Bob is okay and sees the trail to the Puggslyville Bridge was cut as well
The scene with the kids of Dinkletown screaming for Buzz-Saw Louie cut the part that had Percy Pea and Lil' Pea screaming.
Larry saying "You can just forget about Puggslyville. The bridge is out." was cut too.
Some scenes that fade to black were edited to immediately go to the next scene.
Some portions of Bob, Larry, Junior, and Buzz-Saw Louie sneaking into the Toy Factory to get to the TV studio were cut.
Larry asking Mr Nezzer to not send them to Puggslyville was cut too. But the part where Buzz-Saw Louie said "Way to go." to Larry was kept in which made less sense.
After the scene where Mr. Nezzer gets a teddy bear, the episode goes straight to the ending, leaving out the entire climax.

Home video releases[]

US releases[]

International releases[]

Gallery[]

External links[]

Veggietales
Episodes	The Toy that Saved Christmas • The Star of Christmas • Saint Nicholas: A Story of Joyful Giving • "It's a Meaningful Life" • "The Little Drummer Boy" • "Merry Larry and the True Light of Christmas" • "Beauty and the Beet" • "An Ichabeezer Christmas" • A Christmas Play • "The Best Christmas Gift" • "The Gift of Giving"
Silly Songs	"Oh, Santa!" • "Donuts for Benny" • "Goodnight Junior" • "The Eight Polish Foods of Christmas" • "Wrapped Myself Up for Christmas" • "Mac and Cheese"
Album	A Very Veggie Christmas • The Incredible Singing Christmas Tree • Saint Nicholas: Give This Christmas Away • 25 Favorite Christmas Songs • O Holy Night: Journey of a Little Drummer Boy • The Best Christmas Gift: Songs and More • A Very Veggie Christmas Collection • Merry Christmas Collection
Other	VeggieTales Christmas Spectacular! • Christmas Sing-Along Songs!