Veggie Tales: Robin Good and His Not So Merry Men

Veggie Tales is one of the few kids shows that I feel 100% confident that it won’t contain any inappropriate language or situations for my girls. Their episodes are faith-based and teach kids right from wrong without sounding like they’re preaching or lecturing. In fact, my girls have so much fun watching these DVDs that they don’t even realize that they’re learning something in the process.

We recently had the opportunity to review Veggie Tales: Robin Good and His Not So Merry Men being released on DVD on March 6th.

A long time ago, in the faraway town of Bethlingham, roved a band of merry men, led by the fearless Robin Good. Their mission: to help people by fundraising from the rich and giving to the poor! But when a greedy Prince starts stealing the townspeople’s hams, donations are down and Robin’s friends take off and decide to give robbing from the rich a try. Feeling rejected, Robin thinks things can’t get any worse, until he finds out that the ham-hoarding Prince has also captured his friends. Can Robin overcome his own hurt, rescue his friends and restore the townspeople’s hope? Find out in this fun Veggie story where kids learn that there’s no hurt too big for God!

We all know the tale of Robin Hood but in the Veggie Tales version Robin “Good” it’s the Not So Merry Men who take to stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. This makes Robin Good feel deserted and alone. However, Robin is determined to keep up his fundraising efforts even though he finds it hard to do in tough economic times. In the end, Robin Good learns a lesson in forgiveness and joins up again with his Not So Merry Men as they work together to free the villain from the Dungeon of Despair.

What a great lesson in staying true to who you are and not letting peer pressure steer you in the wrong direction. It would have been so much simpler for Robin to follow his friend but he decided that being alone and right was better than being with his friends and wrong. There’s also a really funny scene where Robin is asked what his last name was and he replies, “It’s Good.” A hilarious conversation takes place in the classic “Abbott & Costello Who’s On First” style.

Included in this DVD is a short entitled Lenny & the Lost Birthday. Lenny was born on Feruary 29th but every year he’s been celebrating his special day on the 28th. So when Leap Year rolls around he wakes up on the morning of the 28th thinking everyone will be wishing him a Happy Birthday! Throughout the day he is disappointed time and time again because it seems like no one remembered his birthday. It’s not until it’s time for bed that Lenny talks to his Mom about how to deal with disappointment that she realizes that he thought it was his Birthday. She explains that every 4 years is called a Leap Year and an extra day is added to the end of February. It’s this extra day that’s his real Birthday!

What we liked about this segment is that it teaches kids that disappointment is a part of life. It’s how you handle it that shows the kind of character you have. When you’re disappointed about something it’s a good idea to talk to someone about it since it could all be just a misunderstanding.

Another great story from Big Idea and Veggie Tales!

Purchase your copy of Robin Good & His Not So Merry Men at Amazon.com for $10.49.

This post was written for Big Idea who provided the complimentary title in exchange for our honest review.