If you grew up in a house with a VCR and a Sunday school lean, you know the French Peas. You know the slushies. You definitely know the "Keep Walking" song. VeggieTales Josh and the Big Wall isn't just a 1997 direct-to-video relic; it’s a weirdly specific cultural touchstone that somehow managed to turn a bloody military conquest into a lesson about "doing things God's way."
Honestly, looking back at it in 2026, it’s kind of a miracle it worked.
Big Idea Productions was in its prime during the late nineties. Phil Vischer and Mike Nawrocki were basically the Pixar of the evangelical world, but with a much smaller budget and a lot more produce. This episode, which hit shelves as the ninth installment of the series, took on the Book of Joshua. It’s a dense, violent story in the original text, but through the lens of a cucumber in a leather helmet, it became a masterclass in kid-friendly persistence.
The Weird Logic of Jericho (and Why We Loved It)
The plot is straightforward. Joshua (played by Larry the Cucumber, naturally) is tasked with leading the Israelites—represented here by various peas, carrots, and gourds—into the Promised Land. But there’s a wall. A big one.
The Jericho of the Bible was a fortified city of ancient Canaan. The Jericho of VeggieTales? It’s a playground for the French Peas, Jean-Claude and Philippe. These two are the real stars here. They spend most of the runtime mocking the Israelites from the top of the wall, dropping heavy objects and generally being nuisances.
Why does this matter? Because kids understand "mean."
They might not grasp the geopolitical nuances of ancient Near Eastern land rights, but they understand being laughed at. When the French Peas pelt the Israelites with slushies, it feels personal. It makes the "Keep Walking" command feel like a genuine test of patience.
Most kids’ media at the time was trying to be high-octane or educational in a "1+1=2" kind of way. VeggieTales went for something different. It focused on the internal struggle of obedience. Is it stupid to walk around a wall six times? Yeah, probably. But the show argued that the logic wasn't the point—the relationship was.
Breaking Down the "Keep Walking" Mantra
Music has always been the secret sauce for Big Idea. In VeggieTales Josh and the Big Wall, the standout track is "Keep Walking." It’s a repetitive, rhythmic march that serves two purposes. First, it fills time because 3D rendering in 1997 was incredibly expensive and slow. Second, it drills the central theme into your skull until you can’t forget it.
The song is catchy. It’s annoying. It’s perfect.
📖 Related: Isaiah Washington Movies and Shows: Why the Star Still Matters
The Israelites are tired. Their feet hurt. They’re being ridiculed. The song acknowledges the absurdity of the situation. It doesn't pretend that following instructions is always fun or that it makes sense in the moment. This is a surprisingly sophisticated take for a show aimed at five-year-olds.
"It's not about the wall. It's about the walk."
That’s basically the ethos. The wall falling down is the payoff, but the "content" of the episode is the grind. It's the mundane act of putting one foot in front of the other when you’d rather be doing literally anything else.
The Technical Reality of 1997 Animation
Let's talk about the tech for a second. If you watch this episode today on a high-definition screen, you’ll notice things. The textures are flat. The lighting is basic. The characters don't have hands (which was a genius move by Phil Vischer to save on animation costs).
Despite these limitations, the "Josh and the Big Wall" production team managed to create a sense of scale. The wall actually feels imposing. When it finally crumbles—spoiler alert for a 3,000-year-old story—it feels like a legitimate event.
They used Softimage 3D back then. It was the same software used for Jurassic Park, but scaled down for a small studio in Chicago. The "slushie" physics were primitive, yet they added a layer of slapstick that kept the tone light. If they had tried to make it look "real," it would have been terrifying. Instead, it was just silly.
What People Get Wrong About the Message
People often think VeggieTales is just about "being nice."
It’s not.
If you actually sit down and watch VeggieTales Josh and the Big Wall, the message is much more rigid than that. It’s about total, unquestioning obedience. In the context of the story, Joshua has to follow very specific, seemingly nonsensical directions.
👉 See also: Temuera Morrison as Boba Fett: Why Fans Are Still Divided Over the Daimyo of Tatooine
- Walk around the city once a day for six days.
- On the seventh day, walk around seven times.
- Blow the trumpets.
- Shout.
There’s no room for "creative interpretation." In a modern world where we celebrate "disruptors" and "outside-the-box thinkers," this episode is a weirdly traditionalist outlier. It suggests that sometimes, the best thing you can do is exactly what you were told.
This is where some critics find friction. Is it teaching kids to be sheep? Or is it teaching them that some structures are bigger than their individual impulses? It’s a debate that’s still alive in parenting circles. Regardless of where you land, the episode presents the argument with a lot of heart and zero cynicism.
Silly Songs with Larry: The "Song of the Cebu" Factor
You can't talk about this episode without mentioning "The Song of the Cebu."
This is arguably one of the top three Silly Songs of all time. It’s a meta-narrative nightmare where Larry tries to tell a story using a slide projector that doesn't work. It has absolutely nothing to do with Joshua or Jericho.
It’s brilliant.
The song features:
- A boy.
- A cebu.
- A towel.
- A lack of a cohesive ending.
Archibald Asparagus, the resident "serious" character, eventually loses his mind because the song is so pointless. This "show within a show" dynamic is what allowed VeggieTales to transcend the "boring religious cartoon" trope. It was funny to adults because it was self-aware. It knew it was a show about talking vegetables, and it leaned into the chaos.
Why it Ranks as a Fan Favorite
When you poll people who grew up in the 90s, "Josh and the Big Wall" usually ranks high. It's not as emotionally heavy as "Dave and the Giant Pickle" and not as visually experimental as "The End of Silliness." It’s just solid.
The French Peas are the primary reason. Their "outrageous accents" (which were really just Mike Nawrocki and Phil Vischer having fun) provided a level of comedy that felt a bit like Monty Python for kids. They weren't "villains" in the traditional sense; they were just annoying neighbors.
✨ Don't miss: Why Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Actors Still Define the Modern Spy Thriller
That shift in stakes—from "evil enemies" to "annoying guys on a wall"—makes the story much more relatable. We don't all have to conquer cities, but we all have people in our lives who make us feel like we're walking in circles.
Actionable Takeaways from the Big Wall
If you're revisiting this classic or introducing it to a new generation, there are a few ways to actually use the themes without being over-the-top preachy.
1. Focus on the "Walking," Not the "Falling"
In any project or habit, the "seventh day" (the breakthrough) is only 5% of the work. The other 95% is the boring, repetitive walking of the first six days. Use the episode to talk about "The Boring Part" of success. Whether it's practicing piano or learning to read, you have to do the laps.
2. Handle Ridicule with Grace
The French Peas are classic trolls. They want a reaction. Joshua’s strategy is to ignore them and stay on task. It’s a great visual for dealing with online negativity or schoolyard teasing. If you don't engage with the "slushies," they eventually lose their power.
3. Watch for the Details
Look for the subtle gags. The way the vegetables move, the "shout" at the end, and the character designs of the Israelite camp. There’s a lot of craft in those early digital frames.
4. Contextualize the Source Material
If you're using this as a teaching tool, it’s worth noting that the actual Book of Joshua is a lot more intense. The VeggieTales version is a "remix." It’s okay to acknowledge that stories are adapted for different audiences. It makes for a great conversation about how we tell stories and what we choose to leave out.
The legacy of VeggieTales Josh and the Big Wall isn't just about sales numbers or nostalgia. It’s about the fact that a story from the Bronze Age was successfully translated into a digital comedy about peas and cucumbers. It proved that "moral" entertainment didn't have to be dry. It could be weird, it could be musical, and it could involves a lot of virtual frozen beverages.
Next time you’re facing a metaphorical wall, just remember: keep walking. And maybe watch out for the slushies.
To get the most out of your VeggieTales experience, try watching the "Behind the Scenes" features on the 2004 DVD release. They show the primitive wireframes and the vocal booth sessions that brought Jean-Claude and Philippe to life. It’s a fascinating look at the early days of independent CG animation. Alternatively, you can find the remastered versions on various streaming platforms to see the "Big Wall" in its 4K glory—or as close as it can get.