Why, Charlie Brown, Why?

Why, Charlie Brown, Why? is the first episode of the Christian computer-animated series VeggieTales and the first Bob and Larry series. It was based upon the popular comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz. It is also a parody of the Peanuts episode when it was originally aired on CBS on March 16, 1990.

Plot
At the beginning of the special, Bob the Tomato, Larry the Cucumber, Charlie Brown, Linus, Sally, and a girl named Janice Emmons — a new friend and classmate of Bob and Larry — are seen waiting for the school bus. While getting on the bus, Janice accidentally hits her arm on the bus railing, causing it to bruise. Larry notices that Janice bruises easily, and she mentions that she never used to. When they arrive at school, Janice starts feeling so ill that she has to go home sick. Three days later, her classmates discover that she is in the hospital.

After school, Bob and Larry decide to visit Janice in the hospital, where she tells them that she has leukemia. Bob asks if Janice is going to die, which upsets Larry for a moment, but Janice assures them otherwise. She explains what tests the doctors did to discover that she had leukemia and explains that while some of the tests were painful, not all of them were. She then shows them her IV line and explains her chemotherapy. Janice expresses her determination to recover from her illness, vowing to return to school and play on its swings once again. The news of his friend's illness hits Larry especially hard, and when he and Bob leave the hospital, Larry turns to him and Charlie Brown and asks, "Why, Charlie Brown, why?". He then goes home feeling sad and angry for what happened to Janice.

At Mr. Nezzer’s office, he tells Lucy about Janice's illness. Lucy at first does not seem to care, but when Mr. Nezzer mentions that Larry touched Janice's forehead when she felt ill at school, Lucy is immediately worried that Janice's illness might be contagious. Mr. Nezzer explains that cancer is not contagious, but then Lucy makes a rude remark about Janice, saying that she got the illness for being "a creepy kid". Mr. Nezzer, annoyed, explains to Lucy that Janice did not got the illness for doing something wrong. Lucy, however, refuses to change her ignorant (but fittingly childlike) attitude towards Janice's condition, and demands that Mr. Nezzer take back the glass of milk he handed her earlier, fearing that he might be transmitting the illness. Mr. Nezzer gets back at Lucy by refusing to accept the milk, so as not to get her "crabbiness". Mr. Nezzer then said to Lucy, “If you think that Janice got chemotherapy, you can’t work for her. You already said you work for me. But, when Janice’s hair makes it fall off, just like the other day at my chocolate factory, if you don’t bow down and sing the song, you’re a bad bunny and you will be thrown into the furnace!”. Lucy then shocked at him and gulps. But then Mr. Nezzer looks at clock and suddens that is almost time for school.

Sometime later, Janice comes back to school, wearing a cap to cover her bald head, as she has lost her hair because of the chemotherapy. This attracts the attention of a schoolyard bully, who makes fun of Janice's baldness until an enraged Larry explains that she has cancer and asks the other boy if he would like to go through what she has gone through. The bully quickly softens and apologizes.

As Christmas approaches, Larry goes to Janice's house to give her a present, but her sisters inform Larry that she is at the hospital receiving treatment. One of the sisters complains about the attention Janice has been receiving, but later admits she and her other sister feel excluded due to Janice's illness. Larry gives her the present and leaves. While Janice is praying in her house, the scallions bust Janice and arrest her. They take her on over to the lion's den, toss her in, and place a rock over the entrance to prevent her from escaping. While down there, Janice is frightened by the lions but an angel of God comes to tell her that God is always protecting her, even in the lion's den. Bob and Larry, upset of losing Janice, pray to God for protection of Janice.

By the beginning of spring, Janice returns from the lion's den and the hospital and tells Larry she has a surprise for him, and she reveals the surprise at the end of the special while playing on the swings: her long blonde hair has grown back even longer than it was before, marking the end of her chemotherapy and her apparent recovery and presumed remission from the illness. Janice's cap falls to the ground, and she laughs one last time as the episode ends.

Characters

 * Bob the Tomato
 * Larry the Cucumber
 * Jimmy and Jerry Gourd
 * The Scallions
 * Lovey
 * Janice Emmons
 * Pa Grape
 * Ma Grape
 * Tom Grape
 * Rosie Grape
 * Junior Asparagus
 * Mike Asparagus
 * Lisa Asparagus
 * Laura Carrot
 * Mr. Nezzer
 * Archibald Asparagus
 * Mr. Lunt
 * Charlie Brown
 * Linus van Pelt
 * Lucy van Pelt
 * Sally Brown
 * Lila
 * Snoopy
 * Woodstock

Songs

 * VeggieTales Theme Song
 * The Leukemia Song
 * Think of Me
 * The Bunny Song
 * Dance of the Cucumber
 * Oh No! What We Gonna Do?
 * The Leukemia Song
 * Farther Along
 * Stand Up!
 * What We Have Learned

VHS

 * Word Entertainment/Everland Entertainment (October 24, 1995 original release)
 * Lyrick Studios (March 31, 1998/2000)
 * Warner Home Video (June 18, 2002)
 * Sony Wonder (August 5, 2003)

DVD

 * Warner Home Video (May 20, 2003)
 * Sony Wonder (August 5, 2003)

Moral(s)

 * Do not be afraid of anything.
 * Do not let fear dictate your life.
 * Don't judge other by their differences.

Trivia

 * About 500 copies of the episode were released on October 24, 1995 on demand from responses to ads in Christian magazines. The version on these had several differences compared to the current version (which was seen on re-releases).
 * This was the first episode for several things:
 * The first appearance of Janice Emmons, as well as the first episode of her and Bob and Larry’s relationship. It is also the first episode to focus on a female character.
 * The first episode Mr. Lunt and Mr. Nezzer appear without Scooter.
 * The first episode to use the 1995 theme song opening montage.
 * The first episode where Janice Emmons was animated in Softimage.
 * The first episode not to have Mimi, Schroeder, Patty, Violet, and Blue Wind-Up Lobster since their debut appearances.
 * The first episode to use Big Idea's logo (with Bob and Larry) at the end of the video.
 * The first episode to feature 1995 logo, and not the logo from 1993.
 * This is the first episode to be rendered entirely in high quality. The previous episode didn't count, as that one was re-rendered in high quality in 1998.
 * This is the second episode where Bob and Larry are become friends with Charlie Brown and Linus since the episode's premiere.
 * There are a few differences between the concept art for the pre-production and the final:
 * The cover for the 2000 Word Entertainment release was originally going to look similar to the original one but never came to be.
 * Janice's hair was originally going to look similar to Lila.
 * The bus was originally going to have a whitewall tires.
 * There was going to be motorcycle involved.
 * In the concept art, it shows Lila's bow that is darker green color, but it's light green in the episode.
 * The episode was originally going to be released on September 25, 1995, but was rescheduled back to October 24, 1995.
 * The script for this episode was finalized in 1994, one year before this episode was released.
 * This is the last episode where Peppermint Patty and Marcie don't make an appearances.

Remarks

 * On the DVD and Netflix versions, the audio is only in mono. If you compare this with the original VHS, there's some sound effects that were missing in the DVD (eg. a rooster crowing in the beginning).
 * The original version of the episode with these sound effects was included on the Bob and Larry's Favorite Stories! VHS and DVD releases.
 * Janice's cap looks a little different to the boys', but she's a girl to that of the episode.
 * Although not a goof, there are some shots where Larry's seen without his tooth.
 * When the bully kids spins Janice's cap off to show her bald head, you can see Lila is crying with tears in her eyes, which that is Janice has lost her hair.
 * The cover and Bob and Larry's promotional models depict them in butler costumes, which they wore it earlier in the beginning of the episode. However, they lose their costumes in the middle but wore it back afterwards.
 * It's unknown how Janice's hair got grown back after she's got chemotherapy, having her hair is still there in the beginning, and she had lost her hair and wears a cap in the middle but grows back afterwards.
 * It's unknown how Janice got ended up in the hospital, having calling her mother to come and pick her up.
 * Janice states she can see her house from here, but since she’s facing downwards, she actually cannot.
 * Larry mentions that he has shoes. But since he is a vegetable, he has no feet.
 * The table, despite losing one leg, still stands.
 * During the end credits, you can see Janice's cap falls to the ground as she laughs.
 * After the end of the credits and the Big Idea logo is shown with the letters popping, we hear Janice laughing once when the letter "A" pops.
 * The previews option has a preview for the episode itself.

Fixed Goofs/Errors

 * When Janice is shown getting in the bus, part of her arm clips through the bus railing.
 * In the original version, as Mr. Lunt is heading down to Birchwood School, his hat turns white before returning to its whitish color upon his arrival. Though this was fixed in the 1998 version, a goof was introduced which sees Mr. Lunt clipping into his seat during the shot.
 * On a similar note, Mr. Lunt's grille guard, as well as his Fib ornament, flickers as he's stops his bus. This doesn't happen in the 1998 version, likely due to the redesigned bus.
 * Linus clips through the door frame as he enters the bus.
 * In one shot where Janice states to Larry she doesn't feel so well, her book clips into her body. On a similar note, her bow flickers as her right hand touches her forehead.
 * In the shot where Janice is shown walking after Linus tells her to go home or go see the nurse if she's been so tired for coming in to the classroom, her right arm appears to be split in half.
 * Some white on Janice's mouth can be seen while holding the thermometer after she took it off. This could be from the thermometer clipping through her mouth.
 * Janice's feet are shown clipping through the ground as she walks over to the sidewalk before the car approaches.
 * Some of the trains' wheels flicker as the hands stick them on the trains.
 * The machine 'painting' the trains' smokestacks on flickers as the hands are painting them on the trains.
 * Charlie Brown's shirt clips through that machine as well.
 * Archibald's monocle is shown flying due to abrupt ends and starts between shots.
 * As Larry states to the nurse which way is Janice Emmons's room, he and Bob are floating on a still/blurred background that doesn't move.
 * Bob was missing his mouth in one shot.
 * In the original version, the interior of Janice's hospital room changes colors between shots. This doesn't happen in the 1998 version.
 * When Bob jumps down, his eyes clip through his eyelids.
 * There is a drawing right by Janice's bed. If you pay close attention in the scene of Janice in bed, you'll notice that there is Janice's signature. The signature only appears in two shots and doesn't come back. It's featured in opening shot of Janice laying in bed and when Larry comes in Janice's room.
 * When Janice tells Bob and Larry she has cancer, you'll notice that her light blue dress she's wearing doesn't move along with her neck, it just stays in place and her body clips through it.
 * In the shot where Mr. Nezzer attempts to remind Lucy that she will be a good bunny if she doesn’t like Janice’s hair fall off but is interrupted by Lucy, his suit clips into his body as he moves around.
 * In the original version, as Janice questions to Bob and Larry what leukemia is, Larry's shirt is seen clipping into his body during the shot. This was fixed in the 1998 version, in both versions Bob twitches while Janice is questioning to Larry.
 * After Larry moans "Why, Charlie Brown, Why?", the houses disappear as he's walking on the sidewalk.
 * The original version also features all the glass on the windows changing colors as the scene pans outside the front window. This doesn't happen in the 1998 version, likely due to the windows now revealing the outside of the house.
 * The golden gates change between open and closed between shots.
 * There's a book behind Janice's arm. When Linus is shown getting the bus, there's a string that gives Janice's arms limited movement behind the book, but when Charlie Brown and Sally are getting off the bus, the string is gone.
 * When one of the Wisemen proclaims after Janice got chemotherapy and her hair makes it fall off will be thrown in the Lions' Den, the upper right part of the set flickers white as the background turns red. Due to the team being unable to fix it, a thunder clap sound effect was added to cover up the mistake.
 * When Bob, Larry, Charlie Brown, Sally, and Linus are carrying Janice to the bus for having chemotherapy when she's being so tired, Sally's hair (that's on the top of her bow) clips into her.
 * In the original version, Janice's cap is missing in the scene when Linus and the group are entering the school. She regains it in the 1998 version.
 * When the bully kid is shown talking angrily to Janice, the toy box is shown on the ground, but when Janice is shown with the bald head, it changes positions in the shot afterwards.
 * The box also disappears.
 * In the original version, after the bully kid spins Janice's cap off to show her bald head, she is heard crying and her mouth isn't moving. This was corrected in the 1998 version where her mouth moves.
 * On a similar note, Janice's tears (as well her eye tears that she is crying) flicker before Larry shouts "You blockhead! What's the matter with you?!". This doesn't happen in the 1998 version, likely due to Janice's tears now have the water drops.
 * The cap from Janice's head that the bully kid spins it off suddenly disappears after it falls on the hood by Scooter's police car.
 * When the Wisemen are carrying Janice to the Lions' Den for having chemotherapy and breaking their new law, Wiseman #3's (Scallion #3) hair stalks clip into her.
 * As Larry turns happy that Janice is fine from the Lions' Den and the hospital, something black appears on one of his eyes and flickers in the shot afterwards.
 * When Janice says "Anyway, I'm always glad to come back with my friends. I want to be here!", her cap clips into her head.
 * In the original version, as Janice is on the swings and she is happy that her hair has grown back, Bob and Larry are seen clipping through the ground. This doesn't happen in the 1998 version.
 * In the original version, during the end of the episode, when Bob and Larry come back to Janice by giving her the directions to Charlie Brown's house, one of the lights on the car flickers. This doesn't happen in the 1998 version.
 * In the closing countertop, Larry loses his beret he wore on his head earlier in the beginning of the episode.
 * Qwerty's verse background stays on his screen even when he's done displaying the verse.
 * In the first few copies of the original 1995 VHS release (with the slower framerates), during the end credits, the audio waves of the saxophone instrument in the reprise for Stand Up! were accidentally inverted, meaning it is heard lower in volume when you switch the VHS audio settings to MONO. This was corrected in later re-issues of the episode.