VeggieTales Character Guide: Bob the Tomato

VeggieTales has had many classic characters that have become iconic and instantly recognizable - even to those who have never seen the show. One of those iconic characters is Bob the Tomato, the high-strung co-host of the show who adventures alongside his pal, Larry. 

VeggieTales retells many classic and impactful Bible stories through the silly antics of these Vegetable protagonists - and in this article we’ll be giving some new details on Bob’s character, personality, essential episodes and lessons he’s imparted to kids, and more.

Introduction to VeggieTales and Bob the Tomato

Bob the Tomato is one of the core protagonists of VeggieTales, the classic kids show that’s become a mainstay since the early 1990s. He’s the co-host of the show alongside Larry the Cucumber, and presents the introductions and conclusions to each episode. Most episodes begin with a brief introduction to an idea, lesson, or moral that Bob presents, and then various stories are played out by Bob and Larry as different characters. Each episode also concludes with a reference to a Bible verse and a summary of the lesson, so kids can easily walk away with a new way of thinking about the world.

The co-creator of VeggieTales, Phil Vischer, voices Bob the Tomato and many other characters in the show.

Who is Bob the Tomato from VeggieTales?

Bob is one of the core protagonists of the faith-based kids show VeggieTales, and is featured in almost every episode of the show. Bob presents the lessons of VeggieTales from his kitchen counter in most episodes. In addition to presenting the lessons in VeggieTales, Bob is sometimes seen in “slice-of-life” moments throughout the show, such as working part-time in a general store - which he becomes the owner of at the end of the series.

Bob is often likened to Kermit the Frog from the Muppets, which was a direct inspiration for the character.

Is Bob from VeggieTales Christian?

In Phil Vischer’s autobiography, Me Myself and Bob, he talks about creating Bob as a Christian character to help teach kids about right from wrong using messages from the Bible. Bob’s goal throughout the series is to teach children about Christian values, presenting them in a way that kids understand. 

Based on what the creator of Bob’s character has said, Bob the Tomato is definitively a Christian character.

However, during the Netflix production of the VeggieTales re-boot series, VeggieTales in the House and VeggieTales in the City, the show distances itself some from its original Christian roots. 

This Netflix series was later canceled - but when VeggieTales was revived under new ownership it returned to its Christian and faith-based values in the new series The VeggieTales Show! 

This series (also sometimes referred to as simply “New VeggieTales”), features the same classic Biblical lessons of the original VeggieTales. 

You can watch all episodes of The VeggieTales Show (New VeggieTales) on Yippee.tv here!

Personality & Traits

Bob the Tomato is a much more serious character than his counterpart, Larry. He’s a friendly older character who’s often seen as the leader or mentor in the show. That role can be stressful though, and causes Bob to be frequently described as “high-strung”.

Co-creator of VeggieTales and Bob’s voice actor Phil Vischer describes Bob as a "frustrated, stressed-out Mr. Rogers”. 

Basically, he really wants to help kids and impart the lessons of the Bible and God’s word to children, but sometimes gets a little stressed out doing so! That of course is where his trusty friend Larry comes in to help out.

Bob frequently participates in some of the "Silly Songs with Larry" segments of the show, even performing his own Silly Song, "Lance the Turtle".

Alter ego: Thingamabob

Bob the Tomato also has an alter-ego, similar to Larry the Cucumber. Bob’s alter-ego is a tech-savvy superhero named Thingamabob. 

Thingamabob is a member of the League of Incredible Vegetables (watch the episode here!), which includes Thingamabob (Bob the Tomato), Larry-Boy (Larry the Cucumber), Ricochet (Junior Asparagus), S-Cape (Mr. Lunt) and Alfred (Archibald Asparagus).

Physical Appearance and Design Evolution

Bob has several different character designs throughout the series, because both he and Larry present the episode and act as characters in the story segments of each episode. 

Bob’s original design is of a round red tomato with a green stem and leaves on top of his head (which act as a sort of hair for Bob). He has round eyes with black pupils, a button nose, and a wide mouth. 

As a character during story segments, he often has a hat of some sort (e.g. a painter’s cap, top hat, cowboy hat, baseball cap, etc) which varies based on the character he’s playing. Some of Bob’s characters also have facial hair or a full head of hair.

In VeggieTales in the House and VeggieTales in the City, Netflix redesigned all of the characters to have brighter tones, colored eyes, and added eyebrows. Bob’s eyes in this series are blue. These character designs were generally poorly received by the audience, and they were reverted to the original designs when production began for The VeggieTales Show.

Bob the Tomato's Most Famous VeggieTales Episodes

Bob stars in nearly every episode of VeggieTales, so it’s hard to pick just a few episodes where he stands out. That being said, here are some of the most notable and memorable of Bob the Tomato’s episodes:

• Rack in Rack, Shack and Benny (watch here) - where Bob teaches kids a lesson about peer pressure.
• The League of Incredible Vegetables (watch here) - where Bob reprises his role as the super-hero Thingamabob.
• Gideon: Tuba Warrior (watch here) - where Bob performs his unique Silly Song, “Lance the Turtle”.
• Sheerluck Holmes and the Golden Ruler (watch here) - where Bob plays the character of Dr. Watson in a parody of Sherlock Holmes. 

Want to watch Bob and his Veggie pals take on all sorts of fun adventures while they teach valuable faith-based lessons to kids? Check out all the episodes of VeggieTales on Yippee here, or the new episodes of The VeggieTales Show here!

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