# Rack, Shack & Benny

Rack, Shack and Benny is the fourth episode of the VeggieTales animated series and the first to present one story instead of two shorter segments. The show was first released in October 1995 on VHS and was reissued in 1997 and was even distributed by Word Entertainment. In 1998, Lyrick Studios released the VHS with special quality. Subtitled "A Lesson in Handling Peer Pressure," it teaches viewers about avoiding unhealthy peer pressure and standing up for their beliefs. The video is a retelling of the biblical story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, from the Book of Daniel. In the story, King Nebuchadnezzar II requires that all his subjects bow down before a false idol. But three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, refuse and are thrown into a furnace. They remain unharmed, and Nebuchadnezzar recognizes the power of their God. Rack, Shack and Benny adheres to the original story, but places it in a chocolate factory at which all employees are required to bow down before a giant chocolate bunny and sing "The Bunny Song."

## Plot

The episode starts with Bob the Tomato all by himself. Larry the Cucumber comes into the scene wearing an oven mitten on his head. When asked why, Larry says that it is because he saw it on the cover of "Veggie Beat" magazine and that all the cool people are wearing them. This reminds Bob of a letter from Dexter Wilmington of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It is about when Dexter is at his friend Billy's house Billy wants to watch a TV show Dexter can't watch and wonders what Dexter should do. Larry then decides he needs Qwerty. Unable to see, however, he almost falls into a toaster and he ultimately crashes into the sink. Bob then introduces the story about three people who had a similar experience. The story is told by Grandpa George and takes place at the Nezzer Chocolate Factory where the employees work hard all day making chocolate bunnies on an assembly line. In celebration of selling their two-millionth chocolate bunny, Mr. Nezzer announces that for 30 minutes all employees may eat all the bunnies they want. While all break ravenously into the chocolate, Shack convinces his friends Rack and Benny that they should not gorge themselves on candy, as their mothers and fathers had taught them better; he gets little argument on this. When Mr. Nezzer comes out to soak up the appreciation of his employees, he finds them all lying ill… except for three. Rack, Shack, and Benny are rewarded and made Junior Executives (they originally worked in the plant). The following day, Mr. Nezzer calls them into his office and tells them that he has constructed a 90-foot (27 m) high bunny; he believes that if the bunny were a big bunny, then all his workers would love it as much as he. To make matters worse, he also reveals the dreaded "Bunny Song" when Benny does not know the lyrics. He sings it to them, and it is revealed that the lyrics imply that nothing in the world (such as God, church, school, healthy food, family) is more important than the bunny. He intends to force all his employees to bow down before the bunny statue and sing the song; those who refuse will be thrown into the factory's furnace like the "bad bunnies". Naturally, this causes Rack, Shack, and Benny great concern since they do not agree with the words in the song. When the time comes, everyone bows and sings, minus the three. Mr. Nezzer confronts the trio and demands them to sing the song they finally do it but instead they sing Junior's childhood nap time song. Mr Nezzer is touched but it does not change his mind about it so tells the guards take them away, meanwhile, Laura Carrot plans their rescue. Nezzer condemns them to the furnace, but on the brink of their deaths he gives them one last chance to sing the song; still they refuse, explaining that they are taught to stand by what they believe is right. Mr. Nezzer understands but still sends them down a chute into the furnace, but Laura Carrot rescues them with a delivery truck. The other guards pursue, and Laura speeds into a tunnel. She outmaneuvers both of them and rushes out the other end, hoping to see sunlight. However, they appeared back at their entrance instead, and two metal arms grab and capture the truck. Laura's rescue attempts are thwarted. As it prepares to dump the prisoners into the flames, Laura unplugs the power outlet, and the arms stop in their tracks. As Mr. Nezzer threatens her, but the truck breaks loose and boys fall into the furnace as Mr Nezzer gloats manically the electricity dims and a huge beam lights shoots straight into the furnace Mr Lunt looks inside and notices a fourth person in there who is really shiny and no one is being incinerated Mr. Nezzer tells them to come out Rack, Shack, and Benny emerge from the furnace unscathed. Mr. Nezzer realizes that it is the lord god who saved em and he apologizes for his actions. The boys accept his apology, and when he asks how he can make up for his mistake, Shack suggests that he sing a song about their beliefs. The story ends with one such song about standing up for what you believe in. Back on the countertop, Larry is still stuck in the sink. He recognizes now that peer pressure is not good, and that common sense, one's own beliefs, and what one was taught by one's parents are more valuable than fleeting fads. Lamenting his wasted life, Bob offers to help Larry up, but during the rescue is stranded in Larry's place. Larry wraps up the show with Qwerty's verse which reads "Stand firm and hold to the teaching we passed onto you". Larry leaves the scene, ignoring the fact that Bob is still stuck in the sink, and the episode ends.

## Cast

* Phil Vischer voices:
** Bob the Tomato as Rack (Shadrach)
** Mr. Nezzer as Nebby K. Nezzer (debut)
** Mr. Lunt as himself (debut)
** Grandpa George as himself (debut)
** The Silly Song Narrator
* Mike Nawrocki voices:
** Larry the Cucumber as Benny (Abednego)
* Lisa Vischer voices:
** Junior Asparagus as Shack (Meshach)
** Mom Asparagus as herself
* Kristin Blegen voices:
** Laura Carrot as herself (first speaking appearance)
* Dan Anderson voices:
** Dad Asparagus as himself
* The Peas as Chocolate Factory Employees

## Songs

* "VeggieTales Theme Song"
* "Good Morning, George"
* "Think of Me"
* "The New and Improved Bunny Song"
* "Think of Me" (Reprise)
* "Dance of the Cucumber"
* "The Bunny Song" (Reprise)
* "Stand"
* "What We Have Learned" (Acapella Version)

## Changes to The Bunny Song

On the original 1995 VHS for Rack, Shack & Benny, Mr. Nezzer sings The Bunny Song, with lines such as, "I don't love my mom or my dad, just the bunny," and, "I won't go to church and I won't go to school." As Phil Vischer mentioned in an interview on the DVD edition that he hoped that kids who saw the heroes refuse to sing the song would recognize its negative context as unacceptable, but concerned and unhappy parents wrote to Big Idea, complaining that their kids were singing in public about not loving their mom or their dad or not going to church or school. Vischer said that the lesson that he learned was to never mix negative lyrics with a catchy tune, since kids will sing the song irrespective of the content. For the first VeggieTales sing-along video, a "New and Improved Bunny Song" was written, which had a repentant Mr. Nezzer singing that eating too much candy is wrong and that Church and School are important. The original offending lines were dubbed to, "I didn't eat my soup or my bread, just the bunny," and "Yeah, I'll go to church and I'll go to school," respectively. The backup singing from the original remains unaltered, though Mr. Nezzer is now trying to get the girls to stop singing with no success. Following the 1998 re-print of Rack, Shack & Benny, the song has been changed again such that "I don't love my mom or my dad" was changed to "I don't love my soup or my bread," and the line "I won't go to church and I won't go to school" was changed to "I won't eat no beans and I won't eat tofu" respectively.