And now… a short break.
March 28, 2008
Some people call it "Spring Break." For the Vischer family, it starts tomorrow, so we are off to Florida for our last "all family" Spring Break before our eldest, Shelby, heads off to college. Sniff, sniff. (It seems like just yesterday she was singing "The Thankfulness Song" from Madame Blueberry in a voice booth in Chicago. But she was six then, and she's seventeen now. Funny how time passes…)
I have a bunch more to share about JellyTelly - including footage from some of our first original "mini-shows" (yes, a "mini-network" needs "mini-shows"). But it will need to wait until after Spring Break.
In the meantime, here's something kinda funny… my friend Amy Harder made a puppet version of me! Ha! She wanted to perform my kids book 47 Beavers on the Big Blue Sea as a puppet show using my vocal performance that comes with the book, so she decided she needed a "puppet Phil" to lip-sync along to the track. Here it is…
Not bad, eh? She said the hardest part was mixing the brown and gray fuzz to make the salt-and-pepper goatee. As you can see from the picture of me, it won't be long until just gray fuzz will suffice…
So we're off to sunny Florida. The JellyTelly saga will continue after this short break…
Posted in Phil News
March 28th, 2008 at 11:54 pm
Hey Phil! I only recently found your blog, and I was fascinated by the whole JellyTelly idea — but I found something I think you might be interested in, if only because it’s pretty funny.
There’s a new Japanese anime series called Winter Sonata coming out soon that’s based on a Korean soap, and when I went to the website to watch the trailer, I recognized a somewhat familiar billboard — if you go to the site and click on the Trailer page (http://anime-wintersonata.com/wintersonata.html), there’s a pretty good rendering of a Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything billboard above a NYC subway sign, the one featuring Pa Grape. I guess this is sort of proof of just how far Veggie Tales has reached, no?
March 29th, 2008 at 12:37 am
Haha what an awesome puppet! Can I have one?
Ah she’s graduating already? Man time does fly. Wasn’t her last time playing Annie in Jonah? Don’t remember.
Anyhow, have a fantastic vacation Phil! Can’t wait to hear more about JellyTelly.
~Beth
March 29th, 2008 at 12:48 am
I wish Shelby the very best. As my Daddy always said when he dropped me off at school, “Learn Tings!”
Remember to be prayer warriors for Shelby. My Mama was relentless in praying for me while I was away. I think that’s why my college experience ended well.
March 29th, 2008 at 12:52 am
Oh!
Just wanted to add: Amy did a great job on that Phil muppet!
March 29th, 2008 at 11:29 am
Have a good time off Phil, am really excited about Jelly Telly, look farward to hearing more upon your return.
March 29th, 2008 at 7:05 pm
LOL On the puppet, It is very nicely made. ^^
March 29th, 2008 at 8:25 pm
Hmm, for some reason I’ve always thought your kids were around the 7-8 years old mark. I literally “Errrm?”ed (that’s the technical term) upon reading the college revelation!
March 29th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
Enjoy the trip and time w/ family. Congrats to Shelby and great puppet!
God bless!
March 30th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
I want one of those puppets!
Can’t wait for our first look at JellyTelly. I hope Buck makes an appearance at some point. Am I right in guessing that JellyNews was practice for JellyTelly?
March 31st, 2008 at 9:11 am
That’s interesting. I recently started reading your blog. Interesting stuff and ideas. I was referred to your blog by a friend… I’m looking forward to seeing where JellyTelly goes.
Check out this site my company did http://www.designthenewyou.com
They’re a bunch of puppet “portraits” we did of all our employees to show our clients what could be done.
I’m the one with the acoustic guitar. Feel free to send me a message and tell me what you think.
Adam.
March 31st, 2008 at 11:33 am
Just got back from FL myself. Enjoy your trip. Read your book “Me, Myself and Bob” in the car. Very well written. I could feel the whole VeggieTales story unfolding at the same pace as perhaps it really did. Worked for a “start-up” and know the emotional and physically exhausting nature of the whole ride. But, like you, I left the amusement park (albeit not the same way, but am witnessing it being manipulated (”tanked”) just like Big Ideas). The land of Haas isn’t what it’s cracked up to be…that is, when you let people drive the train. Well, just wanted to say I enjoyed your book, could relate almost 100%, especially about the end…realizing you don’t have to prove anything to be loved or accepted by other people, especially the Big Guy Upstairs. It is a real revelation and, like you said, a huge load off your shoulders. But as JC once said, “Follow me, for my yoke is light”.
Molly
PS The movie “Jonah” is my favorite. Thanks again.
March 31st, 2008 at 12:48 pm
That also made me do a double take. I’m a few months older than Phil, and my kids are about 6 years younger.
I’m also a few months younger than Brooke Shields, if that means anything.
March 31st, 2008 at 3:39 pm
Hooray for Spring Break!
Now that you have a child going to college, you will have even more life information to impart to parents… wow, it never ends. Pretty cool.
Hope you and your whole family get some refreshing on this trip.
My husband and I think of you guys so often after reading your book.
Life is so exciting, but it sure can be hard.
I’ll pray for your life adventures ahead-
may they be filled with the fruits!
March 31st, 2008 at 3:56 pm
Hey Phil, I was serious about this song! I hope you, Mike, and your wife do reconsider, if you do make another CD of veggies like you did with the ‘christian hits’. If you haven’t heard this song look at this website: http://www.scottkrippayne.com/ go to the music button and scroll to the album “All of Me” and click where it says “I’m not cool”. It’ll give you a sample of the song, it’d be great it Bob, Larry, and Jr. sang this song or the whole Veggie gang:
some people tell me that i look kind of funny
my nose is red and the braces don’t work at all
they say the clothes i wear are all out of fashion
i don’t fit in and should be shopping at a different mall
i studied classical piano
when i could’ve been playing guitar
i used to drive an el camino
and i’m not even sure it’s car
Chorus:
i’m no cool but that’s okay
my god loves me anyway
i’m not cool but that’s alright
i’m still precious in his sight
i’m not cool but i don’t care
how i’m supposed to do my hair
i’m not cool but that’s okay
my god loves me anyway
it doesn’t matter if i know all the lingo
he doesn’t mind if i’m not hanging with a certain crowd
some people still believe in building an image
but i am finding that’s a worry i can do without
i used to wish i was athletic
but football was never my game
i made some friends in mathematics
but no one can spell my last name
chorus
he says that i am a one of a kind
and i don’t have to try to be somebody else
he believes in me and says i’m free to be myself
i can be myself
April 5th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
It seems like yesterday (yes I do sound like my mother here) that I was holding my best friend’s daughter right after she was born. Now she also is preparing for college. Strange. I still feel young enough to be in college myself. I am not sure I’ll ever “act my age.” Really, what does that mean anyway? At least for right now it means I can have fun being a mom to a 9 year old who still likes to wrestle and watch VeggieTales and superhero cartoons with me.
Jen the Cat
April 8th, 2008 at 8:37 pm
Shelby in college! I thought she was only at least 16! Wat a shocker!
April 8th, 2008 at 8:40 pm
To ‘Friend,’ great song.