Big Idea in the early 2000s is just endlessly fascinating to me, 321 Penguins being a good example. It was honestly pretty cool to see the studio's talents try something completely different, while still carrying a lot of the same charm. But then you realize its ambitions are specifically what did them in. Sad, really.
It's worth mentioning that the penguins ARE a product of daydreaming in the VHS episodes, they never tell it to you, but it is very heavily implied. this also applies to the worlds they travel to, and the fact that the story, setting, set pieces, and characters often derive from context clues at the beginning of the episode. from this point of view, the writing is genius. Planet wait your turn is populated with Vacuum cleaners because Jason's grandma is vacuuming as the episode progresses. the villain of the Cheating Scales of Bullamaka is a reptile because Michelle misinterprets the word scale, as in balancing scale. In the Amazing Carnival of Complaining, all the kids are plants because they are a living pun on "seeds" of discontent, Michelle and Grandma were gardening, and Jason was discontent with the seed he bit into... etc. etc. Yes, I can't say it makes for a good ministry, but I still like the episodes and characters if anything. Normally that's all you could ask, but unfortunately, this show bragged about just how much of a ministry it was.
I don't think it ever really bragged about how much of a ministry it was. The issue with the series is that each episode after the 2nd one tried to have a song at the end and if I recall the songs just kept getting longer and longer until half the episode's runtime would be a song.
this show deserved better man, character's were charming, jokes were funny even when they sometimes didn't land, the characters were expressive, especially the penguins.
I agree that the messages could have been stronger, but the way the inherent messages are described here is unfair to the writing staff. 3-2-1 Penguins tried to convey its themes in an abstract, show-not-tell kind of way. It was meant to be felt throughout the world the story focused on. Like parables, or Aesop's Fables, or the Grimm fairy tales. In fact, in some cases, I'd say the lessons in these original 6 episodes were more nuanced and more in-depth than the ones in VeggieTales, even if God wasn't involved in them. - Episode 1 is about patience and consideration, and it paints a picture of a world where no one has neither virtue at all. Even the planet they're living on is selfishly fighting the other planets in a short-sighted goal of being "closest to the sun". The Vacuum Cleaners are all miserable and all doomed because of their inability to put someone else first and wait their turn. - Episode 2 actually has one of the best explanations of the moral, and I'm surprised you missed it: Michelle: When you cheat, you're taking something that isn't yours. Not only are you taking away my chance to win the game and save my friends, you're also taking away your own chance to win the game fair and square. To be a real champion. God loves it when we play fair. That way everyone wins. And there aren't many feelings better than winning fair and square. Lizard King: You know, you've something there, missy. I've won a lot of games by cheating, but of all the things it's got me, a good feeling wasn't one of them. So yes, they did say 'God says not to do this'. But there was so much more to it than that, it almost makes this video seems manipulative. - Episode 3 tries something similar to what the first one did. You see Jason, Fidgel, and Kevin having a great time at the carnival, while everyone else is turning a blind eye to the fun stuff that's around. Just because some influences in your life are telling you that things are bad, or just because you haven't seen the upside yet, doesn't mean that everything is truly as bland and painful as you think it is. And you see from Uncle Blob's endgame that the normal people who aren't complaining want to get away from the people who are. They don't need that negativity in their life. So it's not just, 'God doesn't want you to do this.' It's 'Complaining and focusing on the bad things in life keeps you from seeing the good parts, and pushes people away from you.' - Episode 4 shows the consequences of pride on the big scale and on the small scale. Zidgel is too arrogant to admit that he doesn't know what he's doing. Michelle is so obviously wrong about everything at home, but still presses onward with her ideas. Being too prideful in the grand scheme on important tasks can cause a lot of destruction and chaos. Being too prideful in day-to-day life makes people want to avoid spending time with you. That's the key to the episode. Kids can watch Zidgel make a fool of himself, as well as how annoying Michelle is about her opinion, and think twice before acting the same way. - Episode 5 is *not* about sharing. It's the Spider-Man message. If you have the ability to help someone else, you have the responsibility to do so. Don't withhold good from those who deserve it. Kevin has to make a tough choice between keeping Bing for himself, or leaving him behind in order to help protect the colony from doom funnels. He chooses to leave Bing with the Professor because he knows the Professor needs it more than he does. And this message is made even stronger in the musical segment afterward. - The last episode (from the good era) goes back to visualizing the moral like in the first one. Actions have consequences. When you lie, the guilt of doing so is comparable to bearing the weight of the world on your shoulders, and that goes double when you lie to someone who trusts you and takes you at your word; exactly like how the moon is hanging over their heads, coming closer and closer to crushing everyone under the weight of their deception. And the second thing to take into consideration with this moral is that the lies are obvious. They sound believable to the people telling them, but anyone who hears them in this episode is not fooled at all. That's important to tell to kids who, by default, have pretty poor poker faces. Your lies won't fool anyone. Just tell the truth and keep your dignity in tact.
When I was going to see the Veggie Tale movie in theater as a little kid I took my Larry the cucumber backpack with me and some random lady tried to buy it from my mom for lots of money the Veggie tale craze was real
The moral values were unfortunately limited by the show's rigid formula. The Conrads are told what God wants them to do, they don't quite understand why it matters, until they're thrown into a space adventure where the consequences of their sin are cruel, unusual and immediate. Probably not the best environment for deep theological insight. I said a long time back that, whenever Mike Nawrocki leads a VeggieTales episode, the concept is hilarious but the moral doesn't go too deep. Well, guess which VeggieTales co-creator had more input on 3-2-1 Penguins?
I'll tell ya what made this show bomb: even as a kid forced to watch it (Catholic school had good and bad learning material) I was slightly unnerved by the penguin designs and couldn't understand what they were trying to go for - where at least I cared a little bit about the Veggie Tales veggies. Honestly another thing is that, well, it felt like this show started and ended with, "Because God wants you to." where Veggie Tales explained exactly why The Sin is Terrible. One more thing is that taking God out of Veggie Tales is like turning Spongebob into Landbob Roundpants - because Veggie Tales naturally added God into the show, so taking him out felt weird.
I'm Atheist, but I was raised Christian (Catholic family and 12 years of Catholic school.) I watched a decent amount of Veggietales and still have fond memories of it despite it being semi-counter to my current values today. 321 Penguins sounds like it would have been just as appealing to me as a kid as Veggietales was, and yet I've never heard of it until now. Makes you wonder about just how much small ripples can affect things. presumably because it wasn't able to catch on with the Christian audience, I, a secular viewer, was ironically less likely to see it.
I got this movie as a kid when dominos was having a special deal where you order such items and get your pick of 4 DVDs. This and the live action Aladin were what we got. And I watched them daily. Friggin love the penguins. Madagascar totally stole the idea from them.
My fav characters in "321 Penguins" are: 1. Midgel 2. Cowboy Alien 3. Koala Twins 4. Ventril-o-matic and Rusty (they're robots who tell jokes) 5. Bandicoot King 6. Lizard King (he's a master of Squid-Tac-Toad)
Ehh, it's more shoving VT into the public too fast, and getting screwed big time by higher-ups, but yes, I think that idea could be expanded, especially now that they're more financially stable.
I'd like to push back on the lessons being shallow. At least for the couple I've seen recently, the situations flesh out some of the realistic consequences as well as introducing a higher-stakes space consequence. Cheating Scales puts Michelle on the receiving end of the cheating, showing how un-fun it is to play with a cheater. Amazing Carnival of Complaining demonstrates how one's attitude can be a self-fulling prophecy for yourself and others, since complainers had no fun so complained more and had less fun, non-complainers just enjoyed the rides).
This is an interesting angle. Growing up, I loved both shows, and my mom probably thought I could learn Christian values this way, but all the Christian stuff flew right over my head and I simply enjoyed them for their entertainment. It took me a while to actually understand they were Christian shows while nostalgia hunting as a teenager. I would hear the word "God" and I would think, "Hey, wait a minute, I don't remember them saying this." So to each their own, I guess.
Well! Not a video I expected given your history but its welcome! You asked a second question in whether your idea had meritt in why 3-2-1 Penguins failed, I say yes but I think it's a little more complicated than just the lessons being weak. Now I'm not gonna talk about the outside forces involved(not a lot of money so it was made to gain some ect.). Those did have an effect but it wasn't the main issue. Personally I think the real problem with 3-2-1 penguins was that they didn't do enough of the other elements to compensate for the lack of the lesson(cause honestly we can have the opposite problem of being too preachy which is the trap 9/10 Christian children's shows face which also annoys people, not sure about parents but still). Everything that 3-2-1 penguins did well(stories, characters, humor) was done better in Veggietales. They pretty much shot themselves in the foot with that show so the expectations of 3-2-1 Penguins was probably raised significantly. So the lack of lessons probably added to the parents frustration, thus its failing. As for why this happened, I'd say it was because 3-2-1 penguins was not a priority so I'd say they(for lack of a better term) put less effort in it. Of course that's far from no effort but still. Had they not had so many other issues to worry about, I think this show would've turned out better. It's a shame too cause there really is nothing else(I mean seriously, the third best selling Christian show was Bibleman.....great job Christian children's media, great job)
The Sci-Fi spinoff is never as successful as the mainline series. Futurama wasn't as successful as The Simpsons, Lloyd in Space didn't last nearly as long as Recess. Even though I wasn't in the demo, I caught some 3-2-1 Penguins back in the day and I quite enjoyed it. It's like some weird mix of Pigs in Space and Penguins of Madagascar (though this probably premiered before Madagascar). I say more Pigs in Space than actual Star Trek because two of the Penguins are similar to Link Hogthrob and Dr. Strangepork, but not so far off of a general trope that I'd call knockoff. I do agree that, aside from the fact NBC didn't cut out the little kids praying at the end of episodes as they did with Veggietales, they were trying to go for a more general audience. There's a lot of crossover in standard morality plays and religious values when it comes to things like this, and it can go either way. And I think it does work best as a general audience type show that can be enjoyed both religiously and secularly.
The first episode of 3-2-1 Penguins I remember watching was Trouble on Planet Wait-Your-Turn. I always thought the fact that the population of Wait-Your-Turn was all vacuum cleaners was funny
I honestly didn't know that this was a Christian show. As a kid the only thing I remembered that was even slightly Christian was that they showed children preying. Which I thought was normal because that's what I thought people normally do before bed (I still do)
@@vylbird8014 I'm confused as to why. Jesus is real, the living breathing Son of God that died for our sins and returned to life.. Santa and the Easter Bunny are fake stories. Explain, please? 🤔
@@allijo514 Countless years have been spent in argument about the subject, but there's pretty good evidence that the Jesus stories are, if not entirely fabricated, at least greatly embellished. Sometimes the kid grows up an realises that the claim about a supernatural entity that watches the life, passes judgement and issues reward and punishment accordingly is just a story - and so is the other one.
I've been on a kick with this show for a bit now and just found your video. I loved this show but I think you pretty much nailed what killed it. VeggieTales still stands as my favorite Christian show, but I hope my future kids will be willing to give 3 2 1 Penguins a try too, one day. It's still a great testament to how to do a show like this (mostly) correctly, just the priorities were out of order. Soundtrack's a banger though!
VeggieTales was started when I was in elementary. I loved them and once I started earning money as a teenager, I bought every single VHS or DVD. This extended to 321 Penguins as well, at least at first. I thought the first one was meh. I love the second one, about cheating. The third was meh again, and at that point I stopped buying. I wasn’t even aware they had made the moon one. For me, I don’t think it was the lack of lesson. I think it was the characters. VeggieTales introduced a wide, diverse cast that was used and reused in different roles. Pa Grape could be just a grumpy grandpa. Or a pirate. Or David’s dad Jesse. But they all were linked by certain character traits. Like an actor you liked filling different roles. Same thing for almost every other character. As time went on, there were fewer brand new veggies and more of using old faces. I loved that. It seemed like a theater group that was putting on new shows all the time, and I could invest in the “real” veggie behind the characters. 321 Penguins didn’t do that. It had a core group of 6-7 characters that were always the same, playing the same role. They didn’t mix things up or give depth. And it got really repetitive quickly. The aesthetic of the planet would change, but that’s about it. Vs VeggieTales that could be a Bible period piece, a modern family story, or a science fiction tale. Sometimes within a single episode. I’m short, Penguins was fun, but lacked variety and characters I actually cared about and wanted to see again.
This is probably the mother of all coincidences, but you’re reviewing this show and comparing it to Star Trek…just as I’ve been binge watching the original Star Trek for the first time (and loving the heck out of it, I might add…).
I was shown Veggietales and 321 Penguins from.... as far back as I can remember. Mostly Veggietales though, because my mom thought it was funnier. All these years later as an adult. these (and The Amazing World of Gumball) are my favorite cartoons.
I think I’ve seen the first episode a really long time ago when I was very little and into Toy Story it’s actually been years since I’ve seen the show and the name just sounds so freaking familiar. I wish big idea was still around so that newer episodes would’ve been at least good or had more contex to the story.
I felt my ears perk up when I heard the Lunar Launch theme at 2:48. Even though I was tired (long day!), I instantly recognized it after having played so many hours of Pac-Man World Rally throughout the years 😃
As a Kid,I love veggie tales and 321 Penguins also I didn't know the Kids from 321 Penguins was Twins I thought there were like friends from School. Me and my Cousin from Texas used to watch this show as kids on qubo I was a veggie tales fan and I always Collect the DVDs
I think where anybody can go wrong is to go "I want to be the Disney of X." Walt Disney wasn't even trying to be "the Disney," he was just trying to make movies. Besides that, if you're trying to find success by trying to replicate a on-in-a-million artist, you're gonna find your work will never hold up. It's basically just creating an impossible standard for yourself.
It's kind of hilarious in hindsight that he wanted to be Disney because Disney himself didn't want to be Disney by the end of his life. In fact, he went nuts trying NOT to be remembered just for Mickey Mouse. The fact that Phil still has his reputation for Veggietales anyway despite being humbled is a Godly miracle in itself, though the franchise suffered for it, people still remember him for the good episodes of the show where Walt Disney is now just remembered for a creepy A.I. version of himself and taking over most of the entertainment industry.
2:10 I find that interesting. We had the first 4 on VHS and then later I got the 5th at the Family Christian Stores. I'm surprised those who bought one or 2 wouldn't buy more. I mean, that's just my taste, I guess...
I think its decline has nothing to do with the quality of the show but the platforms it was being distributed on. Both SatAM and Direct to Video were well in decline. The Qubo SatAM block that a majority of the episodes were produced for got produced for dropped after about a year on the air. Direct to Video wasn't as big of a thing as it was in the late 90s and early 00s. Without any source of viewership and money they couldn't really continue producing more episodes.
Also. Kirk doesn't really have an ego problem in the original star trek series. Parodies highlight that aspect because of William Shatner. Who does. Kirk lismore layered.
Veggie Tales, That one Hanna Barberra show, the show with the donut, adventure in Odyssey, the one auto series with the animals, Megee and Me, and BIBLEMAN.
So I'm not a Christian, in fact I can be quoted as saying the best thing to come out of Christianity was VeggieTales.... that being said, what 321 penguins I have watched felt to me like someone creating a show to give someone a taste of Christianity, like to someone who was secular. Fantastic adventure, but with a reminder God was there the whole time. I always thought it was an attempt to get people interested in checking out more Christian related products..... aka grow the market and ministry. Often Christian entertainment is overbearing for non Christians, I think if the show had been marketed more at non Christians, with a commercial or something on the vid to display the other works(again veggie tales is a FANTASTIC examplen of entertainment for even non Christians and is the perfect example of a slightly more Christian show) the might have achieved theor goals. Step one, see 123 penguins, step 2 watch veggie tales, step 3...... erm get baptized? Ok maybe a little more like here is some more complex Christian entertainment to help your journy.
Well, that's because the latter half of the original direct-to-video run was outsourced to Canada to cut cost. (Not that it helped much, seeing as Big Idea went bankrupt in 2003, and VeggieTales had to outsource its animation to Canada starting in 2004.) Also, when the series returned for NBC in 2007, it was outsourced AGAIN, but not to the same studio. (DKP Studios)
I love both 321 penguins and veggie tales as a kid, I grew up in a very slightly religious house hold, we believed in God and his general teachings under the Lutheran church but we hardly went to church or anything. It's interesting to me seeing the difference in how they taught lessons with God. As a kid I didn't realize either show was religious as ridiculous as that may sound. I've gone through stages in my life with religion, I've been super religious in the past but now I find myself having a hard time believing in anything. However all that said I'm gonna show both these shows to my kids, and I'm actually glad to hear that 321 penguins isn't very active of the God preachyness. I think veggie tales will be the most religious thing I'd have them watch
That’s a pretty good point. My parents gave it 3 episodes before they gave up on it and then I never heard about it again. I think they just didn’t like it as much as veggietales
Have you ever heard of "The Story Keepers"? That show was like the Batman: The Animated Series of Christian children's television. People died in that show. All the episodes are on CZcams, if your interested.
Well that just makes me upset tbh. I loved 321 penguins and I still like it today, it sucks that it failed just bc….it didn’t have enough Jesus for the parents likings.
Hey now Owlegories def deserves more credit than to be paired up with modern Butch Hartman. It may not be as funny as Veggietales but it at least is a show that fits in with your average (if not slightly below average) quality children's cartoon.
I think I saw this on HBO but I do not remember anything about Christianity in this show. I was shocked when I heard this was Big Idea but then less so the more I think on it
Jay ward himself said that children are the most sophisticated audience and he never dumb down his cartoons. I like the creators of VeggieTales later on ironically there was also two people involved with rocky and Bullwinkle like VeggieTales, Jay, Ward Bill Scott
I feel like 321 penguins would've been more successful if it had been a space action adventure kids show instead of a Christian show,and if they produced it on a more successful program like fox kids, nickelodeon,or cartoon network,because judging by the plot of every single episode it felt more like it was destined to be a Jimmy neutron or teenage mutant ninja turtles or a Futurama type show (ignoring the fact that Futurama isn't a kids show),but you get the point ,it was more of a Jimmy neutron type show then a veggie tales type show,and the program the show was produced wasn't all that popular either
Watching these videos on Big Idea, I think I'm starting to see that the Christian Entertainment Industry is ironically just a little more cutthroat and unforgiving than its secular counterpart.
Big Idea in the early 2000s is just endlessly fascinating to me, 321 Penguins being a good example. It was honestly pretty cool to see the studio's talents try something completely different, while still carrying a lot of the same charm. But then you realize its ambitions are specifically what did them in. Sad, really.
It's worth mentioning that the penguins ARE a product of daydreaming in the VHS episodes, they never tell it to you, but it is very heavily implied. this also applies to the worlds they travel to, and the fact that the story, setting, set pieces, and characters often derive from context clues at the beginning of the episode. from this point of view, the writing is genius. Planet wait your turn is populated with Vacuum cleaners because Jason's grandma is vacuuming as the episode progresses. the villain of the Cheating Scales of Bullamaka is a reptile because Michelle misinterprets the word scale, as in balancing scale. In the Amazing Carnival of Complaining, all the kids are plants because they are a living pun on "seeds" of discontent, Michelle and Grandma were gardening, and Jason was discontent with the seed he bit into... etc. etc.
Yes, I can't say it makes for a good ministry, but I still like the episodes and characters if anything. Normally that's all you could ask, but unfortunately, this show bragged about just how much of a ministry it was.
wow I saw that Wait Your Turn episode more than once and I never figured out why vacuum cleaners until this moment. thanks!
I don't think it ever really bragged about how much of a ministry it was. The issue with the series is that each episode after the 2nd one tried to have a song at the end and if I recall the songs just kept getting longer and longer until half the episode's runtime would be a song.
this show deserved better man, character's were charming, jokes were funny even when they sometimes didn't land, the characters were expressive, especially the penguins.
Can we take a moment to appreciate that this is using Ratchet and Clank music in the background. That’s win in my book 👍.
I really loved 321 penguins, it was a great show to me
I agree that the messages could have been stronger, but the way the inherent messages are described here is unfair to the writing staff. 3-2-1 Penguins tried to convey its themes in an abstract, show-not-tell kind of way. It was meant to be felt throughout the world the story focused on. Like parables, or Aesop's Fables, or the Grimm fairy tales. In fact, in some cases, I'd say the lessons in these original 6 episodes were more nuanced and more in-depth than the ones in VeggieTales, even if God wasn't involved in them.
- Episode 1 is about patience and consideration, and it paints a picture of a world where no one has neither virtue at all. Even the planet they're living on is selfishly fighting the other planets in a short-sighted goal of being "closest to the sun". The Vacuum Cleaners are all miserable and all doomed because of their inability to put someone else first and wait their turn.
- Episode 2 actually has one of the best explanations of the moral, and I'm surprised you missed it:
Michelle: When you cheat, you're taking something that isn't yours. Not only are you taking away my chance to win the game and save my friends, you're also taking away your own chance to win the game fair and square. To be a real champion. God loves it when we play fair. That way everyone wins. And there aren't many feelings better than winning fair and square.
Lizard King: You know, you've something there, missy. I've won a lot of games by cheating, but of all the things it's got me, a good feeling wasn't one of them.
So yes, they did say 'God says not to do this'. But there was so much more to it than that, it almost makes this video seems manipulative.
- Episode 3 tries something similar to what the first one did. You see Jason, Fidgel, and Kevin having a great time at the carnival, while everyone else is turning a blind eye to the fun stuff that's around. Just because some influences in your life are telling you that things are bad, or just because you haven't seen the upside yet, doesn't mean that everything is truly as bland and painful as you think it is. And you see from Uncle Blob's endgame that the normal people who aren't complaining want to get away from the people who are. They don't need that negativity in their life. So it's not just, 'God doesn't want you to do this.' It's 'Complaining and focusing on the bad things in life keeps you from seeing the good parts, and pushes people away from you.'
- Episode 4 shows the consequences of pride on the big scale and on the small scale. Zidgel is too arrogant to admit that he doesn't know what he's doing. Michelle is so obviously wrong about everything at home, but still presses onward with her ideas. Being too prideful in the grand scheme on important tasks can cause a lot of destruction and chaos. Being too prideful in day-to-day life makes people want to avoid spending time with you. That's the key to the episode. Kids can watch Zidgel make a fool of himself, as well as how annoying Michelle is about her opinion, and think twice before acting the same way.
- Episode 5 is *not* about sharing. It's the Spider-Man message. If you have the ability to help someone else, you have the responsibility to do so. Don't withhold good from those who deserve it. Kevin has to make a tough choice between keeping Bing for himself, or leaving him behind in order to help protect the colony from doom funnels. He chooses to leave Bing with the Professor because he knows the Professor needs it more than he does. And this message is made even stronger in the musical segment afterward.
- The last episode (from the good era) goes back to visualizing the moral like in the first one. Actions have consequences. When you lie, the guilt of doing so is comparable to bearing the weight of the world on your shoulders, and that goes double when you lie to someone who trusts you and takes you at your word; exactly like how the moon is hanging over their heads, coming closer and closer to crushing everyone under the weight of their deception. And the second thing to take into consideration with this moral is that the lies are obvious. They sound believable to the people telling them, but anyone who hears them in this episode is not fooled at all. That's important to tell to kids who, by default, have pretty poor poker faces. Your lies won't fool anyone. Just tell the truth and keep your dignity in tact.
Really great analysis here.
Yeah veggietales was EVERYWHERE!!!
I actually remembered one of their songs because of Chuck E. Cheese!
When I was going to see the Veggie Tale movie in theater as a little kid I took my Larry the cucumber backpack with me and some random lady tried to buy it from my mom for lots of money
the Veggie tale craze was real
*C H E E S E B U R G E R*
I remember 3-2-1 Penguins!. I watched it on NBC's former Saturday morning block Qubo.
R.I.P
I loved 3-2-1 penguins as a kid.
Still do...
yo this channel is gods work
Yeah
@@viliiiboeh9687 Is the 321 penguins universe is in the same universe as veggie tales?
@@matthewperez8670 I'm not sure
@@viliiiboeh9687 It seems like it is, since they’re both created by Big Idea.
I’m amazed and gladdened that so many people remember this - and Veggie Tales!
The moral values were unfortunately limited by the show's rigid formula. The Conrads are told what God wants them to do, they don't quite understand why it matters, until they're thrown into a space adventure where the consequences of their sin are cruel, unusual and immediate. Probably not the best environment for deep theological insight.
I said a long time back that, whenever Mike Nawrocki leads a VeggieTales episode, the concept is hilarious but the moral doesn't go too deep. Well, guess which VeggieTales co-creator had more input on 3-2-1 Penguins?
Mike Nawrocki?
Yeah. Phil Vischer of course knows how to nail it down.
@@MatthewPiplupI mean, he was the head of production during Madame Blueberry and I think that the moral there was pretty well taught.
I'll tell ya what made this show bomb: even as a kid forced to watch it (Catholic school had good and bad learning material) I was slightly unnerved by the penguin designs and couldn't understand what they were trying to go for - where at least I cared a little bit about the Veggie Tales veggies.
Honestly another thing is that, well, it felt like this show started and ended with, "Because God wants you to." where Veggie Tales explained exactly why The Sin is Terrible.
One more thing is that taking God out of Veggie Tales is like turning Spongebob into Landbob Roundpants - because Veggie Tales naturally added God into the show, so taking him out felt weird.
I remember watching this on Qubo as a kid
Good times
Edit: I didn't even realize that this show was for a Christian audience until watching this video
Ditto and ditto
I did, when I learned it had bible verses.
I'm Atheist, but I was raised Christian (Catholic family and 12 years of Catholic school.) I watched a decent amount of Veggietales and still have fond memories of it despite it being semi-counter to my current values today. 321 Penguins sounds like it would have been just as appealing to me as a kid as Veggietales was, and yet I've never heard of it until now. Makes you wonder about just how much small ripples can affect things. presumably because it wasn't able to catch on with the Christian audience, I, a secular viewer, was ironically less likely to see it.
I got this movie as a kid when dominos was having a special deal where you order such items and get your pick of 4 DVDs. This and the live action Aladin were what we got. And I watched them daily. Friggin love the penguins. Madagascar totally stole the idea from them.
My fav characters in "321 Penguins" are:
1. Midgel
2. Cowboy Alien
3. Koala Twins
4. Ventril-o-matic and Rusty (they're robots who tell jokes)
5. Bandicoot King
6. Lizard King (he's a master of Squid-Tac-Toad)
Most people (like myself) first saw Ventril-o-matic and Rusty in VeggieTales in The World of Auto-Tainment.
I wish Big Idea made more shows besides Veggietales. Maybe they would’ve if they didn’t go bankrupt.
Ehh, it's more shoving VT into the public too fast, and getting screwed big time by higher-ups, but yes, I think that idea could be expanded, especially now that they're more financially stable.
@@dr.insaneoiv I would love to see more larryboy cartoon adventures episodes, like some of the books for example or some new concepts
I'd like to push back on the lessons being shallow. At least for the couple I've seen recently, the situations flesh out some of the realistic consequences as well as introducing a higher-stakes space consequence. Cheating Scales puts Michelle on the receiving end of the cheating, showing how un-fun it is to play with a cheater. Amazing Carnival of Complaining demonstrates how one's attitude can be a self-fulling prophecy for yourself and others, since complainers had no fun so complained more and had less fun, non-complainers just enjoyed the rides).
This is an interesting angle. Growing up, I loved both shows, and my mom probably thought I could learn Christian values this way, but all the Christian stuff flew right over my head and I simply enjoyed them for their entertainment. It took me a while to actually understand they were Christian shows while nostalgia hunting as a teenager. I would hear the word "God" and I would think, "Hey, wait a minute, I don't remember them saying this." So to each their own, I guess.
This show could certainly use a reboot; I've even got a vision of my own.
The reason there wasn’t a lot of religious stuff in the show is because Big Idea got more non-Christian employees.
How do you know this?
@@georgerobertson7010 I read it in Phil Vischer's biography.
@@magnetoonproductions9541 me myself and Bob is a book I would love to get
Well! Not a video I expected given your history but its welcome!
You asked a second question in whether your idea had meritt in why 3-2-1 Penguins failed, I say yes but I think it's a little more complicated than just the lessons being weak. Now I'm not gonna talk about the outside forces involved(not a lot of money so it was made to gain some ect.). Those did have an effect but it wasn't the main issue. Personally I think the real problem with 3-2-1 penguins was that they didn't do enough of the other elements to compensate for the lack of the lesson(cause honestly we can have the opposite problem of being too preachy which is the trap 9/10 Christian children's shows face which also annoys people, not sure about parents but still). Everything that 3-2-1 penguins did well(stories, characters, humor) was done better in Veggietales. They pretty much shot themselves in the foot with that show so the expectations of 3-2-1 Penguins was probably raised significantly. So the lack of lessons probably added to the parents frustration, thus its failing. As for why this happened, I'd say it was because 3-2-1 penguins was not a priority so I'd say they(for lack of a better term) put less effort in it. Of course that's far from no effort but still.
Had they not had so many other issues to worry about, I think this show would've turned out better. It's a shame too cause there really is nothing else(I mean seriously, the third best selling Christian show was Bibleman.....great job Christian children's media, great job)
Pingu in space
The Sci-Fi spinoff is never as successful as the mainline series. Futurama wasn't as successful as The Simpsons, Lloyd in Space didn't last nearly as long as Recess. Even though I wasn't in the demo, I caught some 3-2-1 Penguins back in the day and I quite enjoyed it. It's like some weird mix of Pigs in Space and Penguins of Madagascar (though this probably premiered before Madagascar). I say more Pigs in Space than actual Star Trek because two of the Penguins are similar to Link Hogthrob and Dr. Strangepork, but not so far off of a general trope that I'd call knockoff. I do agree that, aside from the fact NBC didn't cut out the little kids praying at the end of episodes as they did with Veggietales, they were trying to go for a more general audience. There's a lot of crossover in standard morality plays and religious values when it comes to things like this, and it can go either way. And I think it does work best as a general audience type show that can be enjoyed both religiously and secularly.
You’ve got some good points also you’re right 321 penguins came out way before Madagascar
I forget exactly when the first movie came out, so maybe the show was onto something about penguins.
@@mightyfilm the first Madagascar came out in 2005
@@mightyfilm this show came out in 2000
There was a sci fi spinoff of Recess?!
The first episode of 3-2-1 Penguins I remember watching was Trouble on Planet Wait-Your-Turn. I always thought the fact that the population of Wait-Your-Turn was all vacuum cleaners was funny
I loved these shows!!
I like that you added Cosmic Wall from Sonic Adventure 2 as the soundtrack. Pretty fitting since it was a contemporary of the show.
ZIDGEL
MIDGEL
FIDGEL
KEVIN
3
2
1
PENGUIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
0:12 All I can think of with Gigi: God's Little Princess is Minky Momo because of Kenny Lauderdale.
You make analogies to Zidgel and Star Trek, but I think of a clean Zapp Brannigan from Futurama
I honestly didn't know that this was a Christian show. As a kid the only thing I remembered that was even slightly Christian was that they showed children preying. Which I thought was normal because that's what I thought people normally do before bed (I still do)
We sure did as kids we don't anymore though
Lots of kids outgrow Jesus along with Santa and the Tooth Fairy. For much the same reason.
"Preying"? You mean stalking and feasting on smaller others?
@@vylbird8014 I'm confused as to why. Jesus is real, the living breathing Son of God that died for our sins and returned to life.. Santa and the Easter Bunny are fake stories. Explain, please? 🤔
@@allijo514 Countless years have been spent in argument about the subject, but there's pretty good evidence that the Jesus stories are, if not entirely fabricated, at least greatly embellished. Sometimes the kid grows up an realises that the claim about a supernatural entity that watches the life, passes judgement and issues reward and punishment accordingly is just a story - and so is the other one.
Loved the charachter designs from 123 pinguin
THE PUGNACIOUS SEGA GENESIS GEEK! Also, The first thing I think of christian cartoons, I think 'Davey & Goliath', and 'Superbook'.
I was about to say "Davey and Goliath" as well. I love that show, as well as the other Art Clokey series, Gumby.
What about the verses Grandma mentioned in the episodes? And in the newer episodes, Sol goes more in depth about the scriptures
Still superficial on the lesson front. It’s quantity vs quality.
@@mediamementosofficial how is the donut man as a Christian show, is that show good or not?
I've been on a kick with this show for a bit now and just found your video. I loved this show but I think you pretty much nailed what killed it. VeggieTales still stands as my favorite Christian show, but I hope my future kids will be willing to give 3 2 1 Penguins a try too, one day. It's still a great testament to how to do a show like this (mostly) correctly, just the priorities were out of order. Soundtrack's a banger though!
VeggieTales was started when I was in elementary. I loved them and once I started earning money as a teenager, I bought every single VHS or DVD.
This extended to 321 Penguins as well, at least at first. I thought the first one was meh. I love the second one, about cheating. The third was meh again, and at that point I stopped buying. I wasn’t even aware they had made the moon one.
For me, I don’t think it was the lack of lesson. I think it was the characters. VeggieTales introduced a wide, diverse cast that was used and reused in different roles. Pa Grape could be just a grumpy grandpa. Or a pirate. Or David’s dad Jesse. But they all were linked by certain character traits. Like an actor you liked filling different roles. Same thing for almost every other character. As time went on, there were fewer brand new veggies and more of using old faces.
I loved that. It seemed like a theater group that was putting on new shows all the time, and I could invest in the “real” veggie behind the characters.
321 Penguins didn’t do that. It had a core group of 6-7 characters that were always the same, playing the same role. They didn’t mix things up or give depth. And it got really repetitive quickly. The aesthetic of the planet would change, but that’s about it.
Vs VeggieTales that could be a Bible period piece, a modern family story, or a science fiction tale. Sometimes within a single episode.
I’m short, Penguins was fun, but lacked variety and characters I actually cared about and wanted to see again.
This is probably the mother of all coincidences, but you’re reviewing this show and comparing it to Star Trek…just as I’ve been binge watching the original Star Trek for the first time (and loving the heck out of it, I might add…).
Is it me or are the penguins in this show a precursor to the Penguins of Madagascar?
love this show
I was shown Veggietales and 321 Penguins from.... as far back as I can remember. Mostly Veggietales though, because my mom thought it was funnier. All these years later as an adult. these (and The Amazing World of Gumball) are my favorite cartoons.
I think I’ve seen the first episode a really long time ago when I was very little and into Toy Story it’s actually been years since I’ve seen the show and the name just sounds so freaking familiar. I wish big idea was still around so that newer episodes would’ve been at least good or had more contex to the story.
Larry: hey Bob they got arms
Bob: oh great
@@hbofamilyjamfanatic 321 penguins in stores everywhere
I felt my ears perk up when I heard the Lunar Launch theme at 2:48. Even though I was tired (long day!), I instantly recognized it after having played so many hours of Pac-Man World Rally throughout the years 😃
Great review!
As a Kid,I love veggie tales and 321 Penguins also I didn't know the Kids from 321 Penguins was Twins
I thought there were like friends from School. Me and my Cousin from Texas used to watch this show as kids on qubo
I was a veggie tales fan and I always Collect the DVDs
I remember you hating 321 Penguins before. This is a real change, wow.
I remember liking Penguins much more than VeggieTales
Where's god when I am sacred, scared me as a kid I would try to hide behind my parents
I think where anybody can go wrong is to go "I want to be the Disney of X." Walt Disney wasn't even trying to be "the Disney," he was just trying to make movies. Besides that, if you're trying to find success by trying to replicate a on-in-a-million artist, you're gonna find your work will never hold up. It's basically just creating an impossible standard for yourself.
It's kind of hilarious in hindsight that he wanted to be Disney because Disney himself didn't want to be Disney by the end of his life. In fact, he went nuts trying NOT to be remembered just for Mickey Mouse.
The fact that Phil still has his reputation for Veggietales anyway despite being humbled is a Godly miracle in itself, though the franchise suffered for it, people still remember him for the good episodes of the show where Walt Disney is now just remembered for a creepy A.I. version of himself and taking over most of the entertainment industry.
2:10 I find that interesting. We had the first 4 on VHS and then later I got the 5th at the Family Christian Stores. I'm surprised those who bought one or 2 wouldn't buy more.
I mean, that's just my taste, I guess...
I don't think "missing the lesson" caused it to fail. It turns out better for it.
Keep up the good work!!
I think its decline has nothing to do with the quality of the show but the platforms it was being distributed on.
Both SatAM and Direct to Video were well in decline. The Qubo SatAM block that a majority of the episodes were produced for got produced for dropped after about a year on the air. Direct to Video wasn't as big of a thing as it was in the late 90s and early 00s.
Without any source of viewership and money they couldn't really continue producing more episodes.
10:32 Oh woah, that's really cool!
I loved watching veggietales and 3-2-1 penguins as a kid, the ones on qubo though... Not so much. And i'm not even religious.
Same here I loved the song gated community but it was at Chuck E. Cheese!
@@calebpribyl5152 Yeah, Chuck E. Cheese had a thing where they would show a new Silly Sonic a month before an episode released.
I remember this show. I liked it, even though it wasn't a success.
Exactly finding Qubo was hard and then Directv or Comcast took Qubo off.
I wish angel wars was still a thing I love angel wars
Also. Kirk doesn't really have an ego problem in the original star trek series. Parodies highlight that aspect because of William Shatner. Who does. Kirk lismore layered.
10:20 is that metropolis from the original Ratchet and Clank game ? Yeaaaaaah boooyyyyyy
The CTTR music is very nice.
Veggie Tales, That one Hanna Barberra show, the show with the donut, adventure in Odyssey, the one auto series with the animals, Megee and Me, and BIBLEMAN.
This is like comparing Jonah to the Pirates Who Don't Do Anything movie. Jonah had a lesson. Pirates? Not so much.
Well, VeggieTales is a 5 star rating and 321 Penguins a 3 to 4 star rating from me also.
So I'm not a Christian, in fact I can be quoted as saying the best thing to come out of Christianity was VeggieTales.... that being said, what 321 penguins I have watched felt to me like someone creating a show to give someone a taste of Christianity, like to someone who was secular. Fantastic adventure, but with a reminder God was there the whole time. I always thought it was an attempt to get people interested in checking out more Christian related products..... aka grow the market and ministry. Often Christian entertainment is overbearing for non Christians, I think if the show had been marketed more at non Christians, with a commercial or something on the vid to display the other works(again veggie tales is a FANTASTIC examplen of entertainment for even non Christians and is the perfect example of a slightly more Christian show) the might have achieved theor goals. Step one, see 123 penguins, step 2 watch veggie tales, step 3...... erm get baptized? Ok maybe a little more like here is some more complex Christian entertainment to help your journy.
Who doesn’t love 321 Penguins Midgel was my favorite
I don't know why, but the animation looks kinda 2003 than 2000.
Well, that's because the latter half of the original direct-to-video run was outsourced to Canada to cut cost. (Not that it helped much, seeing as Big Idea went bankrupt in 2003, and VeggieTales had to outsource its animation to Canada starting in 2004.) Also, when the series returned for NBC in 2007, it was outsourced AGAIN, but not to the same studio. (DKP Studios)
I love both 321 penguins and veggie tales as a kid, I grew up in a very slightly religious house hold, we believed in God and his general teachings under the Lutheran church but we hardly went to church or anything. It's interesting to me seeing the difference in how they taught lessons with God. As a kid I didn't realize either show was religious as ridiculous as that may sound. I've gone through stages in my life with religion, I've been super religious in the past but now I find myself having a hard time believing in anything. However all that said I'm gonna show both these shows to my kids, and I'm actually glad to hear that 321 penguins isn't very active of the God preachyness. I think veggie tales will be the most religious thing I'd have them watch
Any chance you could make a video on the LarryBoy cartoon?
I Actually Like Owlegories
FINALLY SOMEONE MENTIONS OWLEGORIES!!!! I enjoy Owlegories as well!
Lmao better than alot of shows especially today, underrated should be your title. I'd rather watch this than vegetales 😂
I can kinda see the pattern in the episodes
This is the top bollocks! Fidgel is a G.
That’s a pretty good point. My parents gave it 3 episodes before they gave up on it and then I never heard about it again. I think they just didn’t like it as much as veggietales
Have you ever heard of "The Story Keepers"? That show was like the Batman: The Animated Series of Christian children's television. People died in that show. All the episodes are on CZcams, if your interested.
321penguins should have season 3
321 penguins is so Nastlagic
yes
BEANS
What is the music from
Music used at 1:45 please?
Veggie Tales bopped
But this? Never heard'a it
I feel bad for you
What about Davey & Goliath (by the same people who done Gumby).
3:55
Sounds like Majora’s Mask to me.
As a kid who grew up without cable, I spent a lot of time watching Qubo. I had no idea 3-2-1 Penguins was a Christian show until right now.
I used to love 321 penguins
Well that just makes me upset tbh. I loved 321 penguins and I still like it today, it sucks that it failed just bc….it didn’t have enough Jesus for the parents likings.
My friend group seems to mostly agree that 3-2-1 Penguins is superior to Veggietales. I loved sci-fi as a kid.
I grew up watching VeggieTales.
Holy crap I forgot about gigi!!
It’s sad this show is the only show Big Idea ever made outside of VeggieTales.
Hey now Owlegories def deserves more credit than to be paired up with modern Butch Hartman. It may not be as funny as Veggietales but it at least is a show that fits in with your average (if not slightly below average) quality children's cartoon.
Sadly you did not mention Baron Cavitus.
He isn't in the original run.
So, the veggie tales universe is in the same universe as the 123 penguins universe?
I mean, someone in the older generation might be inclined to think of Davey and Goliath when the topic of "Christian cartoons" comes up.
Is 321Penguins worth watching than Veggietales
I think I saw this on HBO but I do not remember anything about Christianity in this show. I was shocked when I heard this was Big Idea but then less so the more I think on it
big idea shows are kinda like Jay Ward cartoons The snappy snappy writing remind me of Jay ward cartoons
That’s the studio that produce the Rocky Bullwinkle cartoons
Jay ward himself said that children are the most sophisticated audience and he never dumb down his cartoons. I like the creators of VeggieTales later on ironically there was also two people involved with rocky and Bullwinkle like VeggieTales, Jay, Ward Bill Scott
I feel like 321 penguins would've been more successful if it had been a space action adventure kids show instead of a Christian show,and if they produced it on a more successful program like fox kids, nickelodeon,or cartoon network,because judging by the plot of every single episode it felt more like it was destined to be a Jimmy neutron or teenage mutant ninja turtles or a Futurama type show (ignoring the fact that Futurama isn't a kids show),but you get the point ,it was more of a Jimmy neutron type show then a veggie tales type show,and the program the show was produced wasn't all that popular either
Watching these videos on Big Idea, I think I'm starting to see that the Christian Entertainment Industry is ironically just a little more cutthroat and unforgiving than its secular counterpart.