- Dave and the Giant PickleEpisode number: 5Original release date: March 1996
- Countertop Intro
We are treated to what looks like a cardboard city landscape, while Larry is heard monologuing that danger lurks in the city, disaster in every alley, and peril behind every park bench, before saying that the world needs a hero, but not just any hero, a superhero. There, we now see that Larry is dressed as a purple and yellow-clad plunger-headed superhero named Larry-Boy. Larry-Boy then states that whenever there's trouble he'll be there and that any evildoers that dare to challenge him are no match for his "super-suction ears", which he demonstrates as he jumps onto one of the cardboard buildings, but ends up stuck. However, the lights then turn on as Bob enters afterwards greeting the kids, before acknowledging Larry, but Larry insists that he's Larry-Boy. After a few seconds, Larry-Boy's super suction ear suddenly gives out before he falls to the ground once again. When Bob suggests that Larry-Boy go back to being plain-old Larry, Larry-Boy protests that he doesn't want to be "plain-old Larry" anymore because there isn't anything special about "plain-old Larry". Of course, Bob then remembers that they got a letter from Myra Eggleston from Youngstown, Pennsylvania who explains that she has a lot of brothers and sisters who are all bigger than her and can do things that she's too little to do and wants to know what makes her special. When Larry sympathizes with Myra, Bob then proceeds to tell the story of a boy named Dave.
- Dave and the Giant Pickle
The story begins in the desert where a young Shepard boy named Dave (played by Junior Asparagus) tends to a huge flock of sheep, along with his older brothers (played by Jimmy Gourd, Jerry Gourd, and Tom Grape, respectively). Dave then introduces himself to the viewers, saying that he has a lot of brothers. One unusual problem that the sheep have is that they have a tendency to tip over, which is exactly what happens to one of Dave's sheep as he tries hard to prop it back up again, at the same time that his brothers tell him that their sheep have fallen over as well. While Dave tends to the rest of the sheep to get them back up again, Jimmy and Jerry ask him to get them some food because they're hungry.
Suddenly, the boys' father, Jesse (played by Pa Grape), runs up to them with the terrible news that the Phillistines are attacking. However, because he was so flustered while delivering the news, Jimmy, Jerry, and Tom don't understand what he said, so they ask him to enunciate what he just said. When Jesse repeats the news more clearly, Jimmy, Jerry, and Tom get all worked up, before Tom states that they need to protect themselves, but don't know how. Jesse then explains that King Saul is recruiting an army against the Phillistines and tells his sons that they must save Israel. The four brothers then begin to hop off while repeatedly chanting "We must help save Israel", but Jesse stops Dave, asking him where he's going. When Dave repeats the chant, Jimmy, Jerry, and Tom can only laugh at him while Jesse tells Dave that "big people do big things, and little people do little things". Because of that, Dave is forced to stay with the sheep while his brothers go off to battle. Dave then sings about the misfortune about being little and asks why little guys can't do big things too.
Soon, Jimmy, Jerry, and Tom have arrived at King Saul's camp, where the Phillistines (played by the French Peas) yell at the Israelites about how they'll beat the Israelites in battle and force them to be our slaves. When one of the Phillistines asks the Israelites if they have anything to say, Jimmy asks if the Phillistines have any fried chicken because he has a hankering for fried chicken. The Phillistines then make a bet to the Israelites, saying that if their champion beats the Israelites' champion, the Israelites will be the Phillistines' slaves, but if the Israelites' champion beats the Phillistines' champion, then the Phillistines will be the Israelites' slaves. King Saul (played by Archibald Asparagus) then accepts the bet, before the Phillistines call for their champion, Goliath. However, the ground starts shaking, before the Israelites look up in fright to see that Goliath, the Phillistines' champion battler, is a giant pickle. King Saul then faints backwards into his seat in fright after that.
- Silly Songs with Larry
Larry is talking with Dr. Archibald, singing about how he would be sad if his lips left him. Larry then says that he would get mad if his lips thought that he was gross. Then, he adds that if his lips left for Duluth and took his tooth, then he would call his dad. At the same time, Archibald has been drawing pictures of Larry looking sad, mad, and calling his dad. Larry then says that he loves his lips before he starts scatting happily about it. Archibald then proclaims that this is more serious than he thought before he decides to give Larry an Inkblot Test, with Larry identifying each ink blot as a lip, to the tune of the William Tell Overture. Archibald then tells Larry to tell him about his childhood, where Larry sings that when he was just two years old, he left his lips out in the cold where they turned blue. Larry then says that on the day he got his tooth, he had to kiss his Great Aunt Ruth, who had a beard which felt weird. Then, Larry says that ten days after he turned eight, he got his lips stuck in a gate, while his friends laughed and he had to wait until the fire department came but he had to go to lip rehab where he met a kid named Oscar who had gotten stung by a bee on the lip, and just spoke Polish when he started speaking, before teaching Larry the Polish word for lip, which is "usta". Just like before, Archibald has drawn pictures of Larry with blue lips from the cold, Aunt Ruth with a beard, and Larry's friends who are laughing. Larry once again says that he loves his lips before he starts scatting again, with Archibald trying to get him to stop. When Larry asks Archibald if he ever told him how he felt about his nose, Archibald proclaims "Oh, look at the time!" before Larry starts scatting once again.
- Act 2
Goliath then asks the Israelites which one of them will fight him. However, the Israelites are too frightened to face Goliath, so they quickly run off and hide. Goliath then decides to come back the next day, but day after day, for the next 40 days, every time Goliath showed up, the Israelites would run away and hide from him. Back home, Jesse is worried about his three oldest sons so he decides to send Dave to the camp with some food while riding on a sheep. When Dave reaches the camp, he calls out for his brothers, but his brothers tell him to be quiet or else Goliath will hear him. When Goliath asks who will fight him, Dave asks his brothers who's going to fight Goliath, to which Jimmy says "What are you nuts?!? He'll have us for lunch!" Jimmy then asks Dave what he brought them. It turns out that the food that Dave had brought for Jimmy, Jerry, and Tom was pizza, before Dave then tells his brothers that they are the Children of God.
When Larry interrupts the story, asking what that meant, Bob explains that the Bible says that the Israelites were God's chosen people and that they can do anything if they believe in God. But then Bob adds that the Israelites were so scared of Goliath that they forgot that God was even bigger. Back in the story, Goliath leaves again when he sees that no one will fight him again, saying that the Children of God are cowards. After Goliath leaves, Dave is disgusted with the cowardice of his brothers and the other Israelites, saying that someone has to do something, before he leaves. Jimmy wonders what Dave is going to do, before yelling after him that Dave is a little person and for him to leave the big stuff to the big people, before he realizes that he's out in the open, fearing that he was spotted. When Jimmy asks if Goliath saw him, Jerry tells him that he's okay and that he wasn't seen, which Jimmy is relieved to hear.
Dave then approaches King Saul's tent, where King Saul is nonchalantly sipping at his water through a straw. When Dave announces that he'll fight Goliath, this causes King Saul to spit out the water he had been drinking. At first, King Saul thinks that his ears were failing him, but when Dave confirms that he will fight Goliath, King Saul tries to dissuade him from that decision, saying that that's a job for a big person, not a little boy like Dave. This leads to Dave singing the song "Big Things Too!" about how even though Goliath is bigger than the Israelites, God is even bigger than Goliath, and that little guys can do big things too. Despite this, King Saul says in song that Dave should try on his armor which will be used to protect him in battle against Goliath. When the curtain is pulled away, King Saul's armor is much too heavy for Dave, so he falls over after taking the first hop, before he says that he should fight Goliath just as he is. When King Saul tries to protest against this decision, Dave resumes singing about how God is even bigger than Goliath, and that with God's help, little guys can do big things too. After Dave leaves, King Saul decides to support Dave's decision, though rather reluctantly.
Dave then approaches a small stream, where he finds five smooth stones, which he intends to use as ammo for facing against Goliath. Back at the camp, the Israelites are once again approached by Goliath, who once again asks who will fight him. Suddenly, Dave's voice is heard, proclaiming that he will fight Goliath. At first, Jimmy, Jerry, and Tom think that they're hearing things, before Dave then appears in front of them. When the trio realize that it really is Dave, they become surprised, before Jimmy then faints in shock afterwards. Goliath is equally surprised, wondering who called out to him, before he looks down in time to notice Dave standing in front of him, which he and the Phillistines laugh about. Of course, Dave announces that as long as God is on his side, he will be sure to defeat Goliath.
One of the Phillistines then announces that it's showtime, just as Goliath is now sporting a pair of Red Boxing Gloves before he hops over to fight Dave. Dave also hops over as well, before he loads a stone into his sling then slings it around several times before launching the stone into the air as it hits Goliath squarely between the eyes. Seconds later, Goliath falls forward but Dave quickly leaps out of the way as Goliath crashes to the ground in defeat. Once Goliath is defeated, the Israelites cheer for Dave's victory, while the Phillistines quickly become afraid and run away. The rest of the Israelites then congratulate Dave for defeating Goliath, before he then mounts on his sheep and goes on his way once again, but not without the sheep tipping over while he was riding on it.
- Countertop Outro
Back on the countertop, when Bob asks Larry what he thinks of the story, he then proclaims his amazement, saying that Dave was just a teeny little guy but was able to beat Goliath, before saying, "I laughed, I cried. It moved me, Bob". Bob is about to say that it's time to talk about what they've learned, but stops himself before whispering it. When Larry questions this, Bob explains that every time he says that, the "What Have We Learned" song plays. Of course, when Larry loudly says that it's time to talk about what they've learned, the song then plays. After the song ends, Bob reviews the lesson that even though Dave was small, God used him to help defeat Goliath in battle. Bob and Larry then ask Qwerty if he has a verse, to which Qwerty does, which is, "With God, all things are possible. Matthew 19:26". Bob then explains that it means that God can use us to do big things. When Larry asks if he can't be Larry-Boy anymore, Bob tells him that as he long as he remembers that God made him special, he can pretend to be whoever he wants to be, before telling Myra that he hopes that it makes her special. Bob then says goodbye, but Larry wants to hang out a little more, so Bob then leaves after that. After Bob leaves, Larry-Boy then calls out for the city landscape again, before he leaps forward and gets his super-suction ear stuck on the camera, as the credits start rolling. Near the end of the credits, Larry-Boy's super-suction ear comes loose again before he falls down to the floor below, as the episode ends.
Character Introductions: The French Peas, Goliath the Giant Pickle, Larry-Boy
Tropes:
- Anachronism Stew:
- This exchange between Jimmy and Jerry, which is a throwback to "The Gourds Must Be Crazy" from "Are You My Neighbor?":Jimmy: You know, sometimes I could eat a whole camel!Jerry: Oh yeah? Well, sometimes, I could eat a whole spaceship!Jimmy: Uh, what's a spaceship?Jerry: I have no idea.
- Also Dave's brothers eating some modern-day pizza, Golithah's boxing gloves, and as everyone throws their headwraps in celebration, a mortarboard flies up with them.
- This exchange between Jimmy and Jerry, which is a throwback to "The Gourds Must Be Crazy" from "Are You My Neighbor?":
- An Aesop: Little guys can do big things, too.
- Animation Bump: Most of this episode uses the visually pleasing but simplistic look that most other mid-90s VeggieTales videos had. However, the rock which Dave throws
is surprisingly detailed and realistic. - Bowdlerize: Just like the original story, this version has Dave defeating Goliath by hurling a single rock at him. However, while the original has the rock penetrating clean through Goliath's forehead and killing him, this one has the rock simply clobbering him on the head and knocking him unconscious.
- Breather Episode: After several episodes worth of Sequel Escalation and the prior one being Darker and Edgier, this one pulls things back a bit by being much smaller-scale (notice how the entire episode takes place in a simple desert setting) and Lighter and Softer. note
- Camera Abuse: The episode ends with Larry-Boy getting one of his super suction ears stuck on the camera.
- Character Name and the Noun Phrase
- Creator Cameo: Starting with the 2004 home video releases, one of the drawings Archibald holds up in "Love My Lips" is a caricature of Mike Nawrocki.
- David Versus Goliath: The episode is based on the Trope Namer, with Junior as David.
- Fainting: King Saul does this when he first sees Goliath. Jimmy also does this when he, Jerry, and Tom see that Dave really is going to fight Goliath.
- Inkblot Test: Occurs in "Love My Lips", where each card that Archibald holds up in front of Larry, he identifies each ink blot as a lip.
- Mondegreen Gag: Jesse's news that "the Phillistines are attacking" is barely understood by Dave's brothers at first, thinking that he said "the Lima beans are lacking" or "the nectarines are quacking".
- Motor Mouth: Larry delves into this in "Love My Lips", when he sings the following verse;"Ten days after I turned eight, got my lips stuck in a gate! My friends all laughed, and I just stood there until the fire department came and broke the lock with a crowbar and I had to spend the next six weeks in lip rehab with this kid named Oscar who got stung by a bee right on the lip! And we couldn't even talk to each other until the fifth week because both of our lips were so swollen, and when he did start speaking, he just spoke Polish and I only knew about three words in Polish, but now I know four, because Oscar taught me the word for lip, 'usta'!"
- In fact, Larry says this part so fast, that Archibald, who was writing everything Larry says, actually writes fast enough for his pencil to produce smoke!
- Musical Number Annoyance: Saul responds with "You're not going to sing, are you?" right before Dave starts singing "Big Things Too".King Saul: Couldn't you just play your harp, and I'll throw things at you?Dave: (Shakes his head)King Saul: Oh.
- Noodle Incident: When one of Jimmy's sheep falls over, he asks Dave to help him, but he tells him he's busy. Jimmy gets miffed, and threatens, "You remember the time we dipped you in tar and stuck you to the backside of an angry water buffalo?"
- Oh, Crap!: This was the reaction of all of the Israelites when they see that Goliath, the champion battler on the Philistines' side, is a giant pickle. King Saul also gets this reaction before he falls backwards in his seat.
- Red Boxing Gloves: Goliath sports these when he faces off against Dave.
- Shout-Out:
- Goliath's arrival is signaled by a rippling water cup, à la Jurassic Park.
- During "Love My Lips" in the earliest VHS releases, one of the ink blots is instead a photo of Sonny Bono. Subsequent releases starting in 2004 replace it with a caricature of Mike Nawrocki, co-creator and voice of Larry.
- Spit Take: King Saul does this with his water when Dave triumphantly announces that he'll fight Goliath.
