CHICAGO - That plunger-headed cucumber hero uttered the words "Larry-Boy mania is sweeping the nation" at the end of his first big adventure - and now his words are coming true! With the release of "Larry-Boy and the Rumor Weed," Larry-Boy's second adventure, kids and grown-ups everywhere are catching Larry-Boy fever.

"Larry-Boy and the Rumor Weed" proved to be Big Idea Productions' biggest shipment ever! It was also the second largest shipment done by Word - Big Idea's VeggieTales distributor in the Christian market - second only to Amy Grant's "Heart in Motion" album, sources say. Thousands of fans across the United States and Canada enjoyed the video's July 24 premiere by attending one of over 100 big-screen theater premiere events.

Along with the new video comes "Larry-Boy: the Soundtrack," a musical experience featuring the scores from both "Larry-Boy! & the Fib from Outer Space!" and "Larry-Boy and the Rumor Weed," plus two remixes of "The Larry-Boy Theme Song" ("Bumblyburg Groove Remix" and "Superhero Slim-Down," two tracks on the CD that are not to be missed). Also on the album is a version of "The Rumor Weed Song" performed by The W's, a popular Christian ska (jazzy swing music) band.

And, of course, Larry-Boy mania can be seen in the new plush toys, movie posters, key chains, erasers and pencils, sticker packs, T-shirts, hats, bookmarks ... the list goes on and on! The hero even has his own web site, at Larry-Boy.com. While Larry-Boy promotes biblical values such as telling the truth and spreading nice words about others, Larry-Boy merchandise reinforces that valuable content with kids. (Click here to jump to Big Idea Productions' web site and read the company's product philosophy.)

What's in the future for Larry-Boy and Alfred? More adventures, definitely. But the creators of VeggieTales are seriously considering giving the superhero his own spin-off video series, independent from VeggieTales. Evidence of this can be seen in the new video, which lacks countertop scenes with Bob and Larry, replaces the VeggieTales theme sequence with a new Larry-Boy introduction, and concludes with a Bible verse in the Larry-Cave, instead of with Qwerty the computer.

Wherever we end up - be it VeggieTown or Bumblyburg - it's going to be a great ride!