This script, and 45 others are available on Short Orders Volume 8 for $24.00.

The Carrot Picking Machine
© Puppet Productions

CAST: Roland the Rabbit, the Professor
If you don't have a rabbit puppet, simply make some ears and whiskers for one of your human puppets.  It will look a little funny, but then you can just make the excuse that the professor is just a little more nutty.  Have fun with this one!

SOUND EFFECTS: Recorded noises to simulate loud machinery noises, hammering noises

PROFESSOR: (ENTERS AND BEGINS TO ADDRESS AUDIENCE) Today, I would like to share a verse from the Bible with you. (HAMMERING NOISES BEGIN OFFSTAGE) What is that noise? ... er, uh, it says ... it... it ... I just can't concentrate with that noise going on. (LOOKS OFFSTAGE) What's going on? What's all that noise?

ROLAND: (FROM OFFSTAGE) Just a minute. I'm nearly finished!

PROFESSOR: Off in the distance I see Roland the Rabbit, building some sort of weird contraption. Roland, hurry up and come out here! I'm anxious to find out what that ... that thing is you're building.

ROLAND: (HAMMERING NOISES CEASE) There, I'm finished! (ENTERS STAGE) I did it, Professor. I finished it! It's ready to run.

PROFESSOR: Well, that's wonderful, Roland, but what is it?

ROLAND: (POINTS OFFSTAGE TOWARD DIRECTION HAMMERING CAME FROM) That, sir, is my new automatic carrot picker! Isn't it a beauty?

PROFESSOR: You mean you have built a machine that will automatically pick carrots for you? How did you come up with such an idea?

ROLAND: Easy -- I bought the kit in a store, and put it together myself. The kit had everything I needed, including step-by-step instructions. But I didn't need them.

PROFESSOR: Oh, Roland! You mean you didn't follow the instructions?

ROLAND: Of course not! I'm a smart rabbit. I don't need instructions to make a carrot picker.

PROFESSOR: But it looks like such a complicated machine! Let me take a look at those instructions.

ROLAND: (EXITS AND RE-ENTERS QUICKLY, CARRYING AN INSTRUCTION SHEET) Here you go. Maybe you’ll enjoy reading them, but I certainly had no use for them. (HANDS THEM TO PROFESSOR) Rabbits are expert carrot pickers!

PROFESSOR: Oh, no! Just as I suspected! Listen to this first line on the instructions: 'Caution: there is only one way to build this machine. No other way will work. So be sure to follow the instructions carefully.' You shouldn't have built that machine without following the instructions, Roland. I don't think you should even turn it on!

ROLAND: Nonsense! Nothing can go wrong. Just watch while I start it up. (EXITS. AS PROFESSOR WATCHES, MACHINERY NOISES BEGIN. INTERMINGLED ARE ROLAND'S FRANTIC CRIES FOR HELP.)

PROFESSOR: (IN PANIC) Oh, poor Roland! I hope he knows how to turn it off! Oh no! Oh no! (AFTER A MOMENT, NOISES CEASE) Roland, are you all right? Roland!

ROLAND: (SLOWLY ENTERS, GROANING) Oh, me. Oh, my! That carrot-picker must need glasses. It almost picked me instead of the carrots! I wonder what could have gone wrong?

PROFESSOR: I'll tell you what went wrong: you didn't follow the instructions. There was only one way to build that machine; it said so right in the instruction booklet.

ROLAND: You're right, Professor. Maybe I'll try building it again. But this time, I'll follow the instructions! (EXITS)

PROFESSOR: (TO AUDIENCE) That reminds me of the verse I was telling you about before all this happened. There's only one way to get to heaven: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." That's what Acts 16:31 says. And that's the only way to get to heaven; no other way will work. Follow God's instructions in this verse, and you’ll be able to go to heaven!