Q: Which character {that you’ve created} is your favorite? Why?

Phil: I love all my characters equally!  (That’s the political answer – don’t want them to get mad.)  Actually, the characters I enjoy performing the most are probably Mr. Lunt from Veggie Tales and Sunday School Lady from What’s in the Bible.  They can both get away with saying just about anything, which makes performing them – especially in live settings – a lot of fun.

Q: What are the biggest differences between Veggie Tales and What’s in the Bible? {other than the obvious cartoon vs. puppet thing!}

Phil: Really the teaching intent.  Veggie Tales had one overall spiritual message (“God made you special and he loves you very much”), which was aimed at very young kids.  Beyond that message, Veggie Tales was focused on individual Bible stories and individual Christian values.  What’s in the Bible is much deeper spiritually, for kids who are ready for more than just a basic “God loves you” message.  Walking kids all the way through the Bible and explaining everything – even the tough parts – is quite an undertaking.

Q: How did your own children influence your work with Veggie Tales and What’s in the Bible?

Phil: I watched them watching kids media, and longed for something different.  So much of what kids see on TV is just a diversion.  No character-shaping or spiritual development goals at all.  It just seemed like we could do a lot better.  So that’s what I set out to do, both for my own kids, and for everyone else’s.

Q: What are some of your family’s Christmas traditions?

Phil: Well, there’s this tree, and all these decorations… and there’s presents….  Actually we don’t have a lot of family-specific traditions.  I’m not a big “event” guy – I tend to focus more on day-to-day living – so I don’t go out of my way to create very unique holidays.  My wife will tell you, with a hint of frustration in her voice, that I prefer the routine of day-to-day over the special occasions.  (Read:  Birthdays, anniversaries, etc.)  Thus not a whole lot of unique traditions around holidays.  Though my kids and I do enjoy getting our tree every year from the same local park that’s completely decked out in lights and serves free hot chocolate.  That’s a lot more fun than just grabbing a tree from the Home Depot parking lot.

Q: Any tips for getting boys more interested in the Bible?

Phil: Gee, I’d recommend something like What’s in the Bible!  Seriously, most of our kids’ Bibles and kids’ spiritual content is extremely soft.  Dare I say “feminine” in tone.  That works fine for preschool boys, but once you hit kindergarten you want to start separating yourself from preschool “softness.”  Boys start pursuing super heroes and sport stars – symbols of strength.  I think it’s a shame when boys associate the Bible with softness, and discard that along with The Pokey Little Puppy and Pat the Bunny.  That’s partly why What’s in the Bible has a bit of an edge – comically at least.  We’re saying to boys, “Hey!  There’s nothing ‘soft’ about the Bible!”  I think it’s an important message.

A HUGE thank you to Mr. Vischer for the taking time out of his busy schedule to share with us!

*****

And while we’re on the topic of the brain children of Phil Vischer, might I remind you about the awesome deal available on the What’s in the Bible? DVDs right now?!

Just a few notes you will want to pay attention to…

*Today {Thursday} is the last day to order the Christmas bundle with the standard shipping & processing fee ($9.95) and have it arrive by Christmas.  The deal, however, is still good through January 1, 2012 if you’re not planning on using it as a Christmas gift! Please note that with this particular bundle offer, there is always the $9.95 shipping & processing fee–it still works out to the best deal available though as the price averages out to about $7.98 per DVD!

*Have you seen the brand new Why Do We Call It Christmas? site?  This site includes free coloring pages, Christmas cards, ornaments, sing-alongs, Christmas Trivia and more.  You can view all the great resources here!

*If you’re still not sure about buying the DVDs, I have a special thirty-minute What’s in the Bible? Christmas special for you to view right here! Go ahead and watch it with your kiddos – you will all love it!