#20. Psalty
Jan 21st by Jon
If you don’t know who Psalty is then you didn’t go to vacation bible school in the 80s. Psalty was like the Michael Jordan of vacation bible school characters. It’s hard to tell in that photo of him trying to maul that poor girl, but he was basically a big, blue Bible that through some freak chemical truck spill on the highway had come alive. OK, I made up that last part. The songs were pretty tame, the design was not that creepy and overall, Psalty was an alright dude. The funniest thing for me though was that one year our VBS leader decided to put on a live Psalty play. She had her teenage son in blue face paint in a costume. He hated God and watching him sing, “have patience, have patience don’t be in such a hurry,” was a thing of beauty.
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okay, psalty. i had most of his tapes, but my favorite one was the christmas album, because even as a child, i envisioned a huge blue psalty worshiping baby jesus swaddled in rags lying in the manger as the song little drummer boy played.
I think our church was behind the times because I'm sure we were well into the 90's before we used Psalty for Sunday School. The sad thing is that years later I could never remember the real name of the guy who dressed up as Psalty. He knew who I was which made it doubly awkward. Thanks be to God for the Church Directory!
Oh sweet Lord Jesus, I forgot all about Psalty. And I too was in a Psalty musical play staged at our church…
We had a few Psalty plays in school when I was a kid. We did Psalty Kids praise 3. Its when they went camping and the whole family was there with him. I thought I was the coolest kid in class because my mom bought me all the Psalty tapes (they were red) and I knew everything that was going on in Psalty's life like the pot luck when all the kids brought food from around the world…20 years later my mom in law and I bonded for the first time over Psalty. My daughter watched the video of him and Charity Church-mouse so much that it doesn't even work anymore. I even bought the Psalty Bible for my daughter and some of the kids in her class had it too.
Yeah, Psalty is a Psalter Hymnal, hence the name. : ) I played him in a play in fifth grade, but instead of investing in the giant blue book suit, they put me, a girl, in a tuxedo. It was kind of incongruous, but oh well.
I sing "Have patience" to my kids when they are flipping out about something and now, after all of these years, they FREAK when they hear me start it. Like, NOT in a good way. "You Can't Always Get What You Want" has the same effect on them for the same reason. I'm so mean.
i had a psalty and friends bible.
Oh Psalty… funny thing: I had the tapes of his songs/adventures for several years and listened to the them and loved them. ESPECIALLY the camping one. But we had been given them used by someone and they did not have the liners, and Ididn't have any of the books and videos. I thought Psalty was just an awesome Sunday School teacher with a funny name who took kids fun places. Imaging my horror when I received a Psalty picture book (featuring his daughters Melody, Harmony, and Washername) and found out he was acutally A SINGING SONG BOOK (as were his daughters). Very traumatizing.
That said, most of the scriptures I have memorized are due to those songs and I still sing them when I'm having a bad day.
I remember Psalty — Do you remember Ranger Bill???
Oh I love that patience song. My mom and I will often sing it to each other in moments of frustration … that's when it's not so appreciated …
I loved Psalty as a kid – now my kids listen to the CD's. AS an adult, though, there are some things that drive me nuts…he says "Praise the Lord" WAY to much, and uses phrases like "happy Jesus day". Ew.
Singalongathon Maranatha Marathon Hallelujah Jubileeeeeeeeeee Singalongathon Maranatha Marathon come and sing a long with me! I pretty much wore that tape out as a kid.
SPEAKING of Bullfrogs & Butterflies – that was on a tape I had as a child called the Honey Creek Music Sampler. If ANYONE knows where I can get another copy of that, I would be eternally grateful!!
Okay, I know you posted a long time ago, but just in case…
You can get the CD Bullfrogs and Butterflies from http://www.agapelandmusic.com. They have Music Machine too.
I found that! The problem is the tape that I had as a child was a "Sampler" so all the songs are on different CDs. Bullfrogs and Butterflies is on one, but then the one about Kalepo the Monkey (he like to eat bananas) was on a different one. I'd have to get like 9 different CDs! Maybe someday they'll have MP3 singles!
Music machine!?!? Shut up! That’s awesome!!
You all are so funny. My girlfriend and I put on the Psalty performances in the 90's and do you know the kids that were in it always ask for a Psalty reunion and if we will do it again so that their kids can be in it.We have all the costumes and we are considering doing one more performance this July–I have been looking for a Psalty character–the hardest part to fill–any takers?
MAN I loved me some Psalty growing up. My dad still has the old records that I would play on my record player.
"Have patience" isn't a Psalty song…it's from The Music Machine. I still have the record I listened to growing up, and my children enjoy it now. I was just wondering the other day, if my mother still has my old Psalty records…
And he was a singing song-book, not a Bible!
OMGAH I'm so glad Psalty has made it onto here, I attribute my "When were you saved" story to a Psalty concert at my church. PSALTY WAS THE MAN-book… We had a Psatly tape that was probably played to death in our car….
And yes, I don't think the "Have Patience" song was Psalty but it was still legit, and my mom still sings it to me to this day…
WAY cooler than Bible-Man.
I still have Psalty cassette tapes! He rocks
…my little sister asked me what I was talking about…poor thing she missed out on Psalty and cassette tapes…lol.
we did a couple of psalty musicals! yes, even here in Australia… we did a baseball one and a nativity one – my clearest memory of that is of another kid getting the solo I wanted. And I have totally let go of all the bitterness I harboured over that. Really, I have.
I also got a 'Psalty Sleepytime Helper' book with tape as a sunday school prize one year. I think I still have the tape somewhere and I still know all the songs off it!
be kind, one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other…
im 11 but i LOVE PSALTY!!!!!!!!!!!
I REALLY WANNA WATCH THE 1 WITH HIS FAMILY IN IT
Not to be a pain or anything but Psalty was not actually a giant blue Bible he was actually a giant blue song book… Just wanted to make the distinction… I was much more a donut man fan myself… Oh Christian childhood…
Was he on a red tape at one point? He was crying because he was all alone or something like that? That used to be my FAVORITE tape ever! I miss it!
I'm at work right now so I can't giggle too loudly about this but Psalty is AWESOME! I had the Psalty kids bible and apparently wore it out because the cover fell off. My mom got it rebound so it actually looks more like a grandmother's bible with red leather and gold lettering…. gold lettering saying "Psalty's kids bible" lol
Man, I am going to go YouTube this now… it's been too long!
"we're going camping now, we're on our waaay!"
don't recall how many times I've watched (and sad to admit) sung along with this video with my niece and nephew. My niece survived, and loved the youtube clip I've sent her of Psalty's camping trip (man, those kids like to whine!) , my nephew may still be a bit traumatized.
Of course we also watched Colby, Watchkins, HighTops, Mr Quigly's village, Steve Green's bible verse songs and teddy bear series, and Sunday School sing-along videos.
I LOVED Psalty and LIttle Psalty and the BAckyward Gang growing up. Those guys were like the Disney characters of church. OH and Adventures in Odyssey