ME, MYSELF, & BOB

This is a story of dreaming big and working hard, of spectacular success and breathtaking failure, of shouted questions, and, at long last, whispered answers. With trademark wit and heart, Phil Vischer shares how God can use the death of a dream to point us toward true success. Larry. Bob. Archibald. These VeggieTales stars are the most famous vegetables you'll ever eat. Oops, meet. Their antics are known around the world. But so much of the VeggieTales story hasn't been told. In Me, Myself, and Bob, Phil Vischer, founder of Big Idea and creator of VeggieTales, gives a behind-the-scenes look at his not-so-funny journey with the loveable veggies. From famed creator to bankrupt dreamer, Vischer shares his story of trial and ultimate triumph as God inspired him with one big idea after another.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member KingstonUCA

'If you like to talk to tomatoes...'

If you've been in a Christian household containing children and a VCR/DVD player at any time over the last ten years, there's an excellent chance you've heard these words sung (get Lily to sing them if you'd like to know the tune). They began each episode of

VeggieTales, an American animated Christian television series featuring talking vegetables that became a phenomenon, selling millions of copies around the world. Their creator, Phil Vischer, had a dream of his company becoming a new Disney, a shining beacon of Christian values amid the dross of secular media. And he had the talent to do it, too. Watch any episode to see what I mean - like all the best children's entertainment, it worked for adults too.

So why am I talking in the past tense here? Surely God would pour out his blessing on such an enterprise? What happened? Well, those are the questions Phil Vischer had, too. 'Me, Myself and Bob' is his story, and how he - and when he got around to listening, God - answered those questions. It's written with all the humour that made VeggieTales great. There are some really valuable lessons for anyone involved in managing a business, too. Highly recommended.

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LibraryThing member MickyFine

In this memoir, Phil Vischer briefly discusses his family background and formative years. But the major focus is his journey realizing the dream that was Big Ideas Productions, Inc. and the children's series Veggie Tales. Detailing the meteoric rise and the then very painful implosion of the

company he created, Vischer explores his own faith and relationship with God throughout that period of his life.

I went into this book knowing only it was a book from the guy who'd created Veggie Tales, which I'd been a fan of since the age of 11 or so. I had had no idea of the many issues that were occurring behind the scenes. Vischer is honest in his recounting of the events surrounding the rise and fall of his dream and recognising his own flaws that contributed towards the latter, with hints of humour you would expect from the man responsible for writing several Veggie Tales scripts. Vischer also shares how the experiences he had changed his perception and relationship with God, making some points that I found particularly meaningful and relevant.

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LibraryThing member Berly

Me, Myself, & Bob follows Phil Vischer through his childhood and then the spectacular rise and tragic fall of his company, Big Ideas, which produced the much-loved (at least in my household!) Veggie Tales animated video series. Phil explores his nerdy but entertaining childhood and his passionate

dream to build a media empire for God. We meet Larry, the cucumber, and Bob, the tomato, and learn how Phil used lattice deformation to animate his characters. We discover who the voices were behind Jr., the asparagus, and the silly Pirates Who Don't Do Anything. Very witty, with insights mirroring Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers conclusions, we watch how Phil developed his individual talents and then how he ultimately failed to incorporate his vision into his company. Written with a light hand (as in both funny and not overly religious), this is a wonderful book about a great vision and a great guy and I wish him lots of future success with his new company Jellyfish Labs.

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LibraryThing member jdmays

Phil Vischer shows just how funny he really is. Veggie Tales was no aberration. This guy is a talented writer with a gift for story-telling, even when he's telling his own story.

LibraryThing member librisissimo

Substance: Interesting look at the life of a real creator, and how he managed to destroy his own creation. Vischer's desire to "do something big for God" dissolved in hubristic disaster, but he still left a great Christian legacy for children. Should be read in conjunction with Donald Keough's "The

Ten Commandments for Business Failure."
Style: Casual and quite humorous.

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LibraryThing member True54Blue

A great behind the scenes look at the rise and fall of Phil Vischer (and VeggieTales too). I appreciated his honesty and lessons learned in preparation for moving forward. I'm about 10 years late in reading this book so a lots happened since then but it was eye opening to hear how VeggieTales grew

so fast and then imploded under its won weight. Lots of interesting business insights as well as what it means to be doing business while having a spiritual mission agenda. Highly recommended for creative and business types.

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LibraryThing member patl

Very interesting story of the creator of Veggie Tales and how he lost the business.

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