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  Phil Vischer begins his own company, aiming to create cutting-edge
stories. After -- primarily animating corporate logos and charts, Phil
says, "I want to be telling stories!" He starts kicking around stories
and characters on his own, and then brings college buddy, Mike Nawrocki
to plan a launch of the company.
Genius is born: Larry the Cucumber appears for the first time in the rarely seen 12-second film, "Mr. Cuke Screen Test."
Bob the Tomato joins Larry the Cucumber, making his film debut in
VeggieTales Promo -- Take 38. New characters debuting in the promo
include Archibald, Mom Asparagus, and Lobster. Phil continues to raise
money to launch VeggieTales.
  Success! Modest funding in hand (mostly from friends and family,) Big Idea Productions is born! Where's God When I'm S-Scared? is released, becoming the first full-length, 3-D computer animated children's video produced in North America.
 VeggieTales is available at Christian bookstores throughout the
country! By year's end, sales total 40,000 videos. The year's top
selling videos include includes the new release God Wants Me to Forgive Them?!?
With four episodes available including the new releases of Are You My Neighbor? and Rack, Shack and Benny, sales total more than 100,000 videos for the year. Popularity for VeggieTales is growing!
 Additional video titles launched include Dave and the Giant Pickle and The Toy That Saved  Christmas. Word of mouth spreads with total video sales reaching nearly 500,000.
 "VeggieMania" explodes! The millionth copy of VeggieTales is sold and reaches to 1.5 million copies by the end of the year. Josh and the Big Wall!, LarryBoy and the Fib from Outer Space and Very Silly Songs, our first Silly Song collection on video are released.
  After refusing prior offers from distributors who wanted to change the
content of the shows, the first two VeggieTales episodes become
available nationwide in stores like Wal-Mart, Target, and Kmart ...
with the stories intact! The VeggieTales Christmas Spectacular! brings VeggieTales to TV for the first time, as it airs nationwide on PAX-TV. Madame Blueberry and The End of Silliness? Are released. Sales for the year total more than 6 million videos.
LarryBoy and the Rumor Weed
brings more than 350,000 people to movie theaters around the country --
on one day! In the first month, more than 250,000 copies of the video
are sold. Video sales for the year hit 6.8 million!
 
Release-day events bring more than 500,000 people to theaters to see the premiere of the new video and DVD King George and the Ducky. First-month video sales reach 275,000! Also that year, Esther -- The Girl Who Who Became Queen hits stores.
 In April, VeggieTales characters Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber
received their highest honor -- being invited by First Lady, Laura
Bush, to participate in the annual White House Easter Egg Roll. In
August, the fifteenth VeggieTales release, Lyle the Kindly Viking, wins "best animated direct to video release" at the World Animation Celebration.
 The year begins with a 28-city tour with the new stage show VeggieTales Live! in January. In October, Veggies debut on the big screen with the release of their first full-length animated motion picture, Jonah -- A VeggieTales Movie. Grossing over $25 million at the box office. In December, The Star of Christmas
becomes the first VeggieTales show to be broadcast on PBS. The year
ends with four new VeggieTales book releases landing in the Publishers
Weekly top 100 kids' books.
 The 10th anniversary of Big Idea is celebrated with the VHS/DVD release
of Jonah -- A VeggieTales Movie selling almost 2.5 million copies. Big
Idea Records continues its growth in children's music and the
VeggieTales brand is expanded into new shopping aisles around the
world! Market research shows 27% of all US households with kids have
purchased or viewed a VeggieTales video. In December, Classic Media LLC
of New York becomes the new owners of Big Idea with a strong commitment
to grow VeggieTales and maintain the audience connection established
over the past ten years.
 
Big Idea, Inc. begins to embark on their next decade of operation with new direct-to-video and DVD releases An Easter Carol, The Wonderful World of Autotainment, A Snoodle's Tale, Bob and Larry's How to Draw, Sumo of the Opera, and The Complete Silly Song Collection.
 The year is marked by a steady release schedule DVD releases including; Duke and the Great Pie War, Minnesota Cuke and the Search for Samson's Hairbrush
 
Production begins on The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything -- A VeggieTales Movie in partnership with Universal Pictures. New DVD releases including; Sheerluck Holmes and the Golden Ruler, LarryBoy and the Bad Apple, and Gideon: Tuba Warrior.
Big Idea partners with Qubo in the fall delivering VeggieTales and
3-2-1 Penguins! to television broadcast on NBC, ION and Telemundo.
 Qubo and NBC experience high ratings on 3-2-1 Penguins! and order 20
new episodes for development to begin airing in late fall.
Entertainment Rights, a UK based children's animation property owner
acquires Classic Media and Big Idea raising the profile of all brands
in the global market. New DVD releases including; Moe and the Big Exit, God Made You Special, The Wonderful Wizard of Ha's. Production wraps on The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything -- A VeggieTales Movie
  The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything -- A VeggieTales Movie opens in January in over 1500 screens and grosses over $13 million at the box office. New DVD releases include; Lessons from the Sock Drawer, Tomato Sawyer and Huckleberry Larry's Big River Rescue in May and July and 3-2-1 Penguins! Save The Planets! in September. The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything -- A VeggieTales Movie is released to DVD in October.
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