The Mystery of Veggie Island

The Mystery of Veggie Island is a PC game released by Big Idea on September 15, 2002.

Plot

The Veggies go to Veggie Island, a far-out island in the ocean, where they practice earning their merit badges by helping others. However, their canoe gets lost at sea, stranding them on the island. How will they get off? Find out in this PC game.

How to Play

To move through the story, there are 10 games you have to play.

• Sproutmaster Bob the Tomato and the Cub Sprouts - Larry, Junior, Laura, and Percy - arrive at Veggie Island, but as they set up camp, the canoe floats away. Sproutmaster Bob soon introduces the kids to the surrounding environment and has them recite the Cub Sprout pledge. It's also revealed that until the Cub Sprouts earn all three of their respective merit badges, the troop won't be going back to the mainland. (You're playing as Junior throughout the whole game, so you must earn his aiming, climbing, and fire badges.) After the introductions are made, Sproutmaster Bob dismisses the troop members to go through the wilderness and earn their badges.
  • Click your mouse in the direction of the waterfall to access the first game, where Junior needs to use a slingshot to get acorns to some squirrels. (Just don't give them too many.) Once this game is completed, Junior has earned his aiming badge! You now have the chance to go back to the campsite and get it from Sproutmaster Bob, or you can go further into the woods to earn the other two badges.
• Should you choose to go further into the woods, Junior will approach a tree in a meadow where three paths are visible.
  • Selecting the left path takes Junior back to the squirrel game.
  • Choosing the middle path takes Junior to a climbing tree. To play this game, click on the closest branches to help Junior climb up... but watch out for angry chipmunks! They're throwing nuts Junior's way, and if a nut hits him, he falls all the way to the bottom of the tree, forcing you to start all over again.
    • Once Junior reaches the nest at the top, Socrates the Parrot appears long enough to share a short conversation with him, give him a key, and fly him back to the meadow. Junior has now earned his climbing badge, as well as the chance to go back to the campsite to get it from Sproutmaster Bob.
      • The key is stored in Junior's backpack, so it can be accessed at any point in the game. Remember this detail; I'll explain later.
  • Picking the right path takes Junior to the waterfall and the pond at its end. To help a nervous Percy earn his frog identification badge, you must click on the smaller lily pads covering the pond to help Junior round up three frogs onto a big lily pad. Choose wisely, because if Junior takes a wrong step, the frog he was chasing will leap into the water, and he must round up a different one.
    • Once three frogs are rounded up on the big lily pad, the other frogs will go back into the water, and Junior will make his way back to shore. Percy then points out the frogs that Junior rounded up, and gives him a flint rock for Junior's fire badge as a token of thanks. Junior goes back to the meadow afterward, now having earned his fire badge and the chance to go back to the campsite to get it from Sproutmaster Bob.
      • The flint rock is stored in Junior's backpack, so it can be accessed at any point in the game. Remember this detail; I'll explain later.
      • The frogs that Percy identifies are:
        • a Belgian dancing frog
        • a genuine wig frog ('cause he's bald)
        • a plain old frog ("Ribbit!")
        • a silk hat frog
• Once Sproutmaster Bob gives Junior his last badge, Cub Sprout Larry comes up and confesses he himself accidentally got them all stuck on the island. His reasoning is that he thought he would get a merit badge if he used a Super Knot to tie their canoe to a twig, but "it turned out to be not-so-Super". Sproutmaster Bob, fearing everyone's permanent entrapment, tasks Junior to look for any other boats. After Junior gives his word that he'll get everyone safely off the island, you finally get to explore the beach!
  • There are two beach paths to take: far (a dock) or near (a fishing pole). Cub Sprout Larry asks Junior to help him fish the supplies to the shore, as they tipped out of the canoe; this is meant to encourage you to choose the fishing pole path. If you do so, you are taken to a game where Junior must fish six supplies to shore. There are also ducks swimming in the water, so if Junior hits one, he must try again to get a supply item. He can also fish food out, but if the ducks get close to the food, they eat it. After all the supplies are collected, Junior goes back to the beach.
    • The items* Junior must/can retrieve are:
      • Supplies
        • A fan
        • A sombrero
        • A tire
        • Binoculars
        • Bob's fishing hat
        • Larry's hairbrush
      • Food
        • Cheese (treated as supplies)
        • Cheeseburger
        • Donut
• Junior can now take the beach path to the dock, where he'll find a boat! If it's at the right point in the game, Laura will join him and rejoice over his find... only for him to remind her that they can't just take it - he still needs to find the owner and ask for a rescue ride for the troop. Laura leaves after Junior promises to do this; he is now allowed to go further left, where the dock turns into a beach in front of a cliff.
  • Socrates appears again, this time by a climbing rock wall! The aim of this game is very much the same as the tree climbing game, but here, there are two dangers to watch out for: falling rocks and unstable ledges. Much like the tree climbing game, you must click on the rocks on the cliff wall to help Junior climb up. However, if a rock hits him, or if he doesn't get off an unstable ledge soon enough, he'll fall to the bottom and you must start over.
• Once Junior and Socrates reach the top of the climbing rock wall, they're on the edge of the cliff, in front of a dark cave. Remember that flint rock Junior got at the end of the frog roundup game? Well, before the two can enter the cave, you must get the flint rock out of the backpack and put it in the lantern at the cave's entrance; this will light up the cave and let them go inside.
• There are two cave paths: one leading to a pirate ship, and one leading to... a bunch of stalagmites and stalactites? Ah, there's another catch. If you click on them, Junior will use his slingshot to aim a rock at the stalagmites and stalactites, making them collapse and reveal a locked door. Remember the key Socrates gave Junior at the end of the tree climbing game? Well, if you go back to the backpack, you can get that key and then click on the door to unlock it, making Junior take the right path.
• Behind the previously locked door is a laundry room, where a box is blocking the way out. Click on the alarm clock to wake the mouse sleeping on the shelf, and the mouse will push that box out of the way; now you just click on the freed door so Junior can go outside.
  • NOTE: There's a trapdoor by the washing machine. If you click on it, Junior will go through it, taking you back to the aforementioned meadow. Just click on the tree if you want to return to the laundry room.
• Once Junior exits the laundry room through the freed door, he'll be in front of a luxurious house, where Mr. Nezzer is digging. Click on Mr. Nezzer, and the two won't just get acquainted - they'll strike a deal. It turns out that Mr. Nezzer is looking for a treasure his great-great-great-great-grandfather buried, and needs to locate all the pieces to its map so he can find it. If Junior helps him gather up all the map pieces AND dig up the treasure, he will give him and his friends a ride off Veggie Island in his boat, which is indeed the one at the dock. He gets Junior started by giving him the only map piece he could find, and leaves him to search after reminding him he (Mr. Nezzer) gets the treasure in the end. Thus, you have your first piece.
  • It's up to you where Junior searches first, but it's recommended he search inside Mr. Nezzer's house first. Should you choose to do so, you're taken to the entrance hall. Clicking on the umbrella in the umbrella stand opens it and reveals the second piece of the map. You can then choose which way to go next: down the hall, or upstairs.
    • If you choose down the hall,
      • Junior will enter a library with a fake crocodile on a desk, and knight's armor at the entrance. The shelf directly behind the crocodile's head contains a book titled "Concise Encyclopedia of Science"; if you click on the book to open it, you'll find the third missing piece of the map.
      • Also in the library, if you click on the knight's shield, you'll move a bookcase that reveals a secret passageway; click on the stairway to make Junior and Aristotle go to a hidden attic. To locate the next piece of the map, you must click on the machine under the windmill, but it won't give it to you right away. You first have to solve a puzzle that gets seven small shapes to fit into one bigger shape, and once you succeed, the figurine in the windmill will give you the fourth piece.
        • NOTE: You don't have to do this part, but the switch by the stairs allows the attic light to turn on. Be aware that should you do so, you can't leave the area until it's turned off.
    • Once you're done in the attic, it's time for the upstairs search.
      • There's no map piece in the next room Junior enters, but there is a challenge to overcome. Five floor tiles light up and chime, and you need to click on those tiles in the exact appearance/sound order to help Junior pass.
      • Once that's over with, you come to an observatory. The middle drawer in the cabinet area there reveals the fifth piece.
        • The fifth map piece isn't the observatory's only critical feature. The second one is that when you click on the rug, Junior will step on it and fall through a chute in the floor, taking him back to the laundry room! This time when he's in there, though, there's a key on the floor; click on it to put it in the backpack, then exit again and go back to the front of Mr. Nezzer's house.
  • Once outside again, you can choose to search on the left or the right for the other pieces.
    • On the left is a bunny, and clicking on it will take you to a mini game that's similar to the frog roundup game. However, in this one, you'll need to round all seven identical bunnies to the rabbit hole. There's no hurry on this game, but it's advised, as if a bunny gets on a spot where a lettuce head is, the bunny eats it, making it vanish. After all seven bunnies are rounded up, the sixth piece of the map appears by the rabbit hole.
    • If you go to the right, you'll find a mother gopher and a tool shed.
      • Clicking on the mother gopher opens another mini game; in this one, Junior needs to roll Mother Gopher's babies home, all the while helping them dodge turtles that are traveling in between him and five different holes. Once Junior rolls all the babies back to their mom, Mother Gopher gives Junior the seventh piece of the map.
      • You are then taken back to where Mother Gopher and the toolshed are visible. When you click on the toolshed, it takes you to the front of it. You can then FINALLY open it by clicking on the backpack and getting the key you found in the laundry room. When you click on the rope on the top shelf, you'll at last be able to explore the pirate ship from before!
• Go to the pirate ship, use the rope to swing your way onboard, and take the stairs to get to the highest point you can go. Clicking on the trapdoor there will enable you to visit a cabin, where, when you click on a painting of a pirate ship, a secret door is revealed. This gets you to do a second shape-fitting game, but you now only have to fit five smaller shapes into a big one. Once all the shapes are put in correctly, the secret door opens to reveal the eight and final piece of the map... revealing where the treasure is located! Now have Junior unlock the door to the cabin and go back to the front of Mr. Nezzer's house.
• Mr. Nezzer has stepped away this time, so you need to go back in the direction of the toolshed to find him. Click on him, and Junior will give him the completed map, only for Mr. Nezzer to go back on his word once he realizes where the treasure is. Before Mr. Nezzer gets too far, though, he falls into a trap! Clicking on the trap will get Junior to realize he needs to help Mr. Nezzer out anyway.
  • He enters the trap, which is a little like the cave; we see Mr. Nezzer locked in a cage on a ledge, and Junior on the bottom of a big chute. Junior needs to crank down a lever three times, showing three levels of shape-fitting puzzles like in the attic and on the pirate ship. After all three puzzles are solved, Junior will be sucked through the machine and up to Mr. Nezzer, where he will free him.
• Once Junior, Socrates, and Mr Nezzer get out of the trap, it's revealed Sproutmaster Bob and Cub Sprout Larry found them! Mr. Nezzer is amazed how Junior still saved him after he nearly went back on his word, and after being forgiven, he agrees to keep his promise... but Junior wants to see what the treasure is first.
  • To get to where the treasure is, click on the map, open the pirate version, and click on the "x". Mr Nezzer, Socrates, Sproutmaster Bob, and the Cob Sprouts - Larry, Junior, Laura, and Percy - then arrive at the spot. To get Mr. Nezzer started digging, click on the "x" over the hole.
• After the treasure chest is undug, Junior opens it to reveal... an antique pirate plunger? Sproutmaster Bob suggests the treasure has a deeper meaning, but Mr. Nezzer is disappointed that there are no jewels. Even though Sproutmaster Bob tries stopping him, Cub Sprout Larry pushes down on the plunger, wanting to see what it does; there's nothing at first, but then a part of the rock on the island explodes, and one of the boulders lands on the boat, sinking it! Just when it seems everyone is trapped forever, the pirate ship floats out of the rock opening, revealing that its freedom was the treasure all along! Bob suggests earning sailing badges, and everyone meets up on the beach. It turns out Mr. Nezzer always wanted to take up sailing, and suggests having an adventure with Socrates, since "that bird" seems to know his way around the island. With all the badges earned, and with Junior having learned what it means to be a real Cub Sprout, the pirate ship sails off into the distance, ending the game.

*In the game where Junior is fishing the supplies to shore, another item the player can get is a ukulele. Bringing the ukulele to shore will unlock a bonus game: Silly Campfire Songs With Larry. The ukulele can be stored in Junior's backpack, and any time the player wants to hear a tune, they simply click on the backpack to open it, and click on the ukulele.

• There are ten buttons to click on the menu for this game, with each one accessing one song. In order to receive and hear all ten songs, the player must click on certain places in the environment where Junior currently is in the main game. If the player selects a button for a song that they haven't found yet, Larry will point that out, and the player must find the song.
  • The frog button plays "Frogs and Other Frogs". The song can be found in the frog round-up game, when you click on the fifth lily pad in the bottom row.
  • The parrot button plays "The Parrot Who Eats Most Anything". The song can be found on the pirate ship, when you click on the middle drawer on the dresser.
  • The crocodile button plays "I Always Swim With Crocodiles". The song can be found in Mr. Nezzer's library, when you click on the fake crocodile on Mr. Nezzer's desk.
  • The telephone button plays "I Heard It On The Telephone". The song can be found in Mr. Nezzer's observatory, when you click on the telephone.
  • The mouse button plays "All The Little Sleepy Mice". The song can be found in Mr. Nezzer's attic, when you click on the mousehole.
  • The bush button plays "Flowers, Flowers, Flowers". The song can be found on the outside of Mr. Nezzer's house, when you click on the flower bush that's the closest to the stairs.
  • The spider button plays "Mrs. Spider". The song can be found in Mr. Nezzer's tool shed, when you click on the spider web.
  • The butterfly button plays "Butterfly Nose". The song can be found in the three-pathed meadow, when you click on the blue butterfly.
  • The ukulele button plays "I Love My Ukulele". The song can be found in the fishing game, when you get the ukulele to shore.
  • The starfish button plays "Vivian Amphibian". The song can be found on the beach, when you click on the starfish.

Fun Facts

Trivia

• This game, Creativity City and Veggie Carnival are the only times Lisa Vischer voiced Laura.
• The PC game was released exactly one year after The Ultimate Silly Song Countdown.
• Depending on if you got the game separately or got from Bushels of Fun!, the game does not require the disc after installation.
  • This is also one of the few games you can play on post Windows XP systems, as long you have downloaded and installed DirectX.

Remarks

• In the game, it states that this is the first time Mr. Nezzer met the other characters, even though the game was released after Rack, Shack and Benny came out on DVD, meaning this took place before that episode, or the game is portrayed like a play, like most of the other VeggieTales episodes.
• In the observatory, there is a telephone that Junior could have used to call the Coast Guard for help.

Goofs

• Larry's tooth is missing in most shots.
• The music book states that Mike Nawrocki and Lisa Vischer worked on the Water Buffalo Song, but it was Phil who worked on it.

Inside References

• In the files, an unused image of the music book can be found with the VeggieTunes music sheet for The Hairbrush Song pasted over it.
• The frog from the scrapbook was reused in the LarryBoy Super Short: "Fly By Might".
• In the fishing game The Hairbrush Song, Dance of the Cucumber, and His Cheeseburger are referenced by Larry.
• If you click on the TV in one of the rooms, it plays clips of The Hairbrush Song, Love My Lips, The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything and The Water Buffalo Song in black and white.
• "The Parrot Who Eats Most Anything" is sung to the tune of The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything.
• Just like in Larry's Lagoon, Larry gets everyone stranded on an island due to an accident involving a boat.

Real-World References

• The ship coming out of the cave is very similar to the ending of The Goonies.
• The frog with the silk hat could be a reference to the Looney Tunes character Michigan J. Frog.

Gallery

Game Disc

Inside Cover Art

Back cover