acquired in 2001. The deal intended for HIT to manufacture and distribute VeggieTales merchandise. Having had no written contract with either Lyrick or HIT, Big Idea arranged a distribution deal with Warner Home Video, triggering the suit. In the trial, Lyrick claimed: 1) a binding agreement had been arranged between them and Big Idea; 2) Big Idea disapproved of HIT's purchase of Lyrick only to get more money for themselves; and 3) Big Idea had granted Lyrick the distribution rights to Big Idea DVDs and videocassettes. In April 2003, a jury in Texas ruled Big Idea must pay $11 million to HIT—a decision which was overturned on appeal in 2005. Due to bankruptcy concerns from the jury decision, Vischer lost control over VeggieTales in 2004. On June 29, 2021, Vischer stated in a series of posts on his Twitter account that his wife, Nawrocki and Heinecke had left Big Idea, who intended to recast the voices for their respective characters. He also stated that Nawrocki and Heinecke had been let go from the series several years beforehand for budgetary reasons, being demoted solely to freelance work. They had asked to have a bigger role in the franchise following their involvement in The VeggieTales Show and the company refused, resulting in their complete departure. A podcast titled Very Veggie Silly Stories debuted on May 17, 2022 and ended on August 23, 2022 with a new voice cast that replaced Vischer and Nawrocki. Characters The VeggieTales cartoons are teleplays, performed by various vegetables and fruit that live together on the same kitchen countertop. Some of these characters have "real names", and take on various roles in the teleplays. Most of these "regulars characters", such as Larry, Bob, Junior Asparagus, Archibald Asparagus, Pa Grape, Jimmy and Jerry were established in the earliest videos. Video series Show format The videos generally present a moral issue in the opening countertop sequence, either through a viewer question or an issue brought up by Bob or Larry. Usually this is followed by one or more "films" that address the said issue, with Silly Songs with Larry in the middle. Silly Songs are generally introduced with a title card and a voice-over saying, "And now it's time for Silly Songs with Larry, the part of the show where Larry comes out and sings a silly song." Some Silly Songs have alternate titles, such as "Love Songs with Mr.