Bob the Tomato

Bob the Tomato is the main protagonist of VeggieTales.

Bob's best friend is Larry the Cucumber.

Bob is sometimes considered a "co-host" next to Larry. He is even in the Big Idealogo next to Larry. However, although Larry has appeared in every episode so far, Bob hasn't.

Bob is usually the "straight man" in his partnership with Larry (the "Costello" of the pair), as they introduce many of the stories at the beginning and wrap-up the Biblical lesson at the end of most of the cartoons. He is the voice of reason, trying to maintain control over an absolutely chaotic show, very much reminiscent of Kermit the Frog's role on The Muppet Show. However, he plays many character roles in the story segments, some of which contrast his mature persona. Bob has the privilege of driving Junior Asparagus, Laura Carrot, Percy Pea, Annie, and Dad Asparagus to the Twippo concert, as shown in Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie. After a protective mother porcupine shot out the tires of the Volkswagen van, he, Dad and the Veggie children go speeding down a hill and end up just inches away from landing in the river, and then he tales another one of the porcupine quills to his posterior. Next time, Bob will make sure to wear lots of padding. In later episodes, Bob's role has become less-central, getting less-onscreen time compared to several other characters. He also tells the story of A Snoodle's Tale. In Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie, Bob appears in a cameo at the very end, wrapping up Rock Monster.

In his very first appearance in a pitch reel for VeggieTales, Bob delivers a speech beginning with "I have a dream.", designed to sell the show. Bob first appeared to the public in the 1993 release, Where's God When I'm S-Scared?, Big Idea's first video. In it, he and Larry set the precedent for the opening format, which became a VeggieTales standard, where a letter is read from a viewer by the duo on the kitchen counter, which served as a sort of studio. He also played himself in the first of the two 15-minute segment titled Tales from the Crisper, comforting a frightened Junior Asparagus with a cheerful song, God is Bigger Than the Boogeyman.

Though a convincing and easily identifiable anthropomorphic tomato from the start, his animation evolved over time to make him first more tomato-like, and later more cartoony. While in the first episodes, Bob was very elastic in his animation, distorting himself significantly, this tendency was toned down greatly, giving him a more fruit-like consistency. Artistic changes were made as well: Bob's body became smaller with proportion to his face and more round, his skin became less shiny and more brightly red, eventually developing a smooth glow, which was more stylistic and probably more kid-friendly. With improving technology at the disposal of Big Idea's artists, Bob's skin became gradually less angular, and the polygons that made his shell essentially disappeared. His leaves would also become more realistic-looking, during the transition to Maya.

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