TUSTIN, CA — A previously lost episode of the beloved children's classic VeggieTales has surfaced that depicts a young Dave, portrayed by Junior Asparagus, chopping off 200 pickle tips and bringing them to King Saul as tribute.
The lost episode was discovered by Trilogy Animation Group while they were reviewing archival footage as part of their work in developing future VeggieTales content, but the crew now wishes they'd never found it.
"It's shockingly graphic," one member of the team said. "Some of the most lifelike animation ever done for the show, certainly, but... yeah, it's gross."
The story was an adaptation of 1 Samuel 18, which tells how King Saul charged David to bring him 100 Philistine foreskins as a dowry. The quest was intended to be a suicide mission, with King Saul assuming David would die in the ensuing battle. However, David not only succeeds, he more than doubles the dowry, delivering 200 foreskins. In an attempt to make the story suitable for younger audiences, the creator and former writer of VeggieTales Phil Vischer replaced the foreskins with the more appropriate (and vegetable-themed) pickle tips.
"It didn't work," Vischer said, recalling the abandoned episode. "We never aired it because it was just too horrifying."
The lost episode not only depicted the circumstances of David's predicament but also his unyielding faith in God as he slashes hundreds of pickle tips.
"We didn't have Dave actually kill any of the Philistines, but that kind of made it worse," Vischer reflected. "So much screaming."
At publishing time, TBN announced they would air Dave and the 200 Severed Pickle Tips during a special after-hours broadcast for adults.
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