Tuba or Not Tuba is the second half of the first episode of season 3 of VeggieTales Kids.
Major Characters[]
- Larry the Cucumber
- Bob the Tomato
- Junior Asparagus
- Laura Carrot
- Archibald Asparagus
- Mr. Nezzer
- Larry the Cucumber's mom
- Bob the Tomato's dad
- Mrs. Bradfair
Minor Characters[]
- Pa Grape
- Mr. Lunt
Plot[]
The episode starts with Larry the Cucumber walking out of science class and into band class. Mrs. Bradfair tells all the students that they will each get instruments of their own since it's the second day of band class. Each student wants a different instrument, but Mrs. Bradfair instead chooses instruments for the students. She gives Junior Asparagus a clarinet, Mr. Nezzer a violin, Archibald Asparagus a saxophone, Laura Carrot a trombone, Bob the Tomato a bassoon, and Larry the Cucumber (you guessed it) a tuba. Mrs. Bradfair gives them a piece of music, but Mr. Nezzer refuses to participate, so she gives him a warning. He still refuses to participate, and as punishment, she calls Mr. Nezzer's buddy Mr. Lunt and Pa Grape to pick him up, send him home, and ground him. Mr. Nezzer is forbidden to watch television until he cleans up his attitude in band class. Meanwhile, after Bob and Larry come home and get off the bus, Bob's dad and Larry's mom are proud of them for participating in band class. After dinner, they encourage Bob and Larry to practice their instruments. Bob's dad gives Bob the bassoon, and Larry's mom gives him the tuba. Bob's dad tells Larry that he used to play the tuba in his band class, while Larry's mom explains to Bob that she played the bassoon a lot when she was in band class. So they play 15 songs with sheet music, First they play Loch Lomand, then the ABC song, then Mary Had a Little Lamb, then Yankee Doodle, then This Old Man, then She'll Be Comin Round the Mountain, then Clementine, then Iv'e been Working on the Railroad, then Billy Boy, then The Wheels on the Bus, then Dance of the Cucumber, then Endangered Love, then, The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything, and finally the Yodeling Veterinarian of the Alps. Then they get exhausted from all the playing that they fall asleep and watch TV. The next day, they all play the same songs that they played at home, in band class with everyone in the band. Before they start, Mrs. Bradfair asks Mr. Nezzer to participate immediately. Mr. Nezzer groans, but then accepts it, and everyone plays the songs. Then Mrs. Bradfair gives them all a treat and rewards them with French fries for all the hard work. The bell rings, and while everyone else walks home, Bob and Larry take the bus, and they arrive home 5 minutes later. Bob and Larry then turn on the TV, then read books, then play games, and then finally fall asleep. Then the episode ends.
Trivia[]
- When Larry the Cucumber plays the tuba, it is sampled from the Roland Orchestral Family Vol 1 and 2 CD Rom (which was the same sample they used in many Clifford the Big Red Dog episodes. John Ritter even uses the same voicetype as Clifford from Clifford the Big Red Dog whenever he voices Bob the Tomato's dad from seasons 1-5, hence this episode aired the same day Clifford the Big Red Dog premiered on PBS Kids.
- Although Larry the Cucumber plays the sousaphone in the VeggieTales Theme Song, he plays an actual concert tuba in VeggieTales Kids episodes, including this one (this episode has him play his tuba for the longest time)
- When this episode and The Big Math Test aired on PBS Kids, all airings had the PBS Kids Dash Transformation bumper after the funding credits with a grant from the US Department of Education, through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, (with the new CPB square logo being used for the rest of the series starting with season 3) and Viewers Like You. Thank You.
- The episode title is later reused on the back cover of the DVD release of the VeggieTales episode Gideon: Tuba Warrior.
Transcript[]
Musical score[]
VeggieTales Kids Tuba or Not Tuba (Season 3 Episode 1b) (complete musical score)