10 "SpongeBob SquarePants" Episodes You’ll Get a Kick Out of At Any Age!
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“SpongeBob SquarePants” is a lovable cartoon that many of us ‘00s kids enjoyed as children. It was released in 1999 with over 300 episodes to date. The show just wrapped up its 13th season and kicked off its 14th season on November 2. The show has a 70% on Rotten Tomatoes and continues to do well as the longest-running Nickelodeon show.
It has done so well, in fact, that there have been 3 films released: The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004), The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: Sponge Out of Water (2015), and The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: Sponge on the Run (2020). Each movie has well over 60% on Rotten Tomatoes, and there are plans for a fourth movie slated for released in 2025. There are also two spinoff series, “Kamp Coral” and “The Patrick Star Show”. While SpongeBob might seem like a distant memory for most, it is still enjoyable to watch as an adult. Here are the top “SpongeBob SquarePants” episodes you'll get a kick out of no matter what age you are!
1. "Help Wanted" (Season 1, Episode 1)
If you’re a lover of nostalgia, there's no better place to start this list than with the first episode ever released. SpongeBob is nervous to apply for a job as a fry cook at a restaurant that is owned by a lovable, money-hungry crab. His grumpy neighbor Squidward works as a cashier at the establishment, and once SpongeBob is convinced by his best friend Patrick the Sea Star to apply, Squidward and Mr. Krabs both think he’s unqualified for the position. When the restaurant is overrun by hungry anchovies, SpongeBob is the only one who can save the day.
2. "Rock Bottom" (Season 1, Episode 17)
If you know what it's like to miss your bus or get off at the wrong stop at night, then this episode is great. After boarding the wrong bus on their way back from Glove World, SpongeBob and Patrick get stuck in a creepy town called Rock Bottom. While trying to find a bus schedule, Patrick boards a bus and leaves without SpongeBob by accident. While attempting to catch the next few buses, SpongeBob ends up missing every bus in a frustratingly hilarious attempt to get back home. With no one in the odd town understanding his "accent", SpongeBob receives help from an interesting stranger.
3. "Graveyard Shift" (Season 2, Episode 16)
If you’ve ever been a fan of SpongeBob, then you definitely know this episode. SpongeBob and Squidward are forced by Mr. Krabs to spend the entire night in the restaurant after he realizes that it's a great money-making opportunity to stay open 24/7. To bear the difficult task of staying up all night with SpongeBob, after learning he’s scared of the dark, Squidward decides to play a prank on SpongeBob by telling him the made-up ghost story of the "Hash-Slinging Slasher". He gives three instances of how you can tell that the Hash-Slinging Slasher is on his way to get you. When these instances begin happening, Squidward and SpongeBob are in for a fright.
4. "Procrastination" (Season 2, Episode 17)
Everyone knows what it’s like to procrastinate doing an assignment for work or school. In this episode, SpongeBob is given a shortcut by Ms. Puff to pass boating school so she can get rid of one of her most agitating students. If he is able to write a paper on what he learned in boating school, he will be given extra credit and will be able to pass the class. As the day and night goes on, SpongeBob procrastinates completing his assignment and begins to have horrible nightmares about the results of his procrastination.
5. "Sailor Mouth" (Season 2, Episode 18)
As an adult, you will get a kick out of the “swearing” that takes place in this episode. When SpongeBob is taking the trash out at the Krusty Krab, he notices a graffitied bad word on the side of the garbage can. Not knowing what the word means, he enlists the help of his misinformed best friend who tells him that it is a fancy word used as an enhancer. When Mr. Krabs ends up overhearing the use of the bad word, he quickly informs them that it is a bad word, which is one of 13 bad words they should never use. As SpongeBob and Patrick try not to use the word and mess up, they race to tattle to Mr. Krabs on each other. While preparing their punishment, Mr. Krabs stubs his toe on a rock and lets out a fury of bad words. Then it becomes a race to tattle on him to his mother.
6. "Can You Spare a Dime" (Season 3, Episode 7)
This is one of my favorite episodes of all time due to the witty and well-delivered humor. In this episode, Mr. Krabs tries to accuse Squidward of stealing his first dime. As they argue, Squidward quits on the spot and swears to make something better of himself. In the next scene a while later, SpongeBob finds Squidward homeless and begging on the street. SpongeBob invites Squidward back to his house to help him get back on his feet. As time passes, Squidward starts taking advantage of SpongeBob’s goodwill and eventually SpongeBob reaches a new level of frustration that has never been seen before.
7. "The Camping Episode" (Season 3, Episode 17)
"The Campfire Song" Song is one of the best songs to come from any “SpongeBob SquarePants” episode. In this episode, Squidward is excited because SpongeBob and Patrick are going on a camping trip. When Squidward finds out that their camping trip is right outside their houses, he confronts them about the fact that they aren't really camping. During their conversation, Squidward gets the impression that SpongeBob and Patrick don’t think he has what it takes to camp, so he decides to join them. He struggles greatly to prove he is the camping master he says he is and refuses to heed SpongeBob and Patrick’s warnings about the dangers of camping.
8. "The Two Faces of Squidward" (Season 5, Episode 18)
This one is known as the episode where Squidward turns handsome and launched a million memes. During Take-Your-Friend-to-Work-Day, SpongeBob brings Patrick in to help him co-fry cook with him. While up to their normal shenanigans that annoy Squidward, Squidward asks them to knock it off, and when he is ignored, he attempts to go back to the kitchen to get them to stop. While near the door, SpongeBob swings the door open and hits Squidward in the face, breaking it. He brings Squidward to the hospital, and two weeks later, when it is time to remove the bandages on his face, he is suddenly handsome. His new look brings attention to him, and he gains an audience. Reveling in all of the attention, Squidward takes a stroll through town. When he arrives home, he realizes his fans are out of control. All Squidward has ever wanted is to be adored by hundreds of fans, but this newfound popularity comes at too steep a price, and all he wants is to go back to normal.
9. "Sun Bleached" (Season 6, Episode 7)
If all you’ve ever wanted was a good tan to feel your best and haven’t been able to achieve it, this episode will resonate with you. While at the beach, Craig Mammalton arrives to announce he is hosting a summer party. Everyone is given an invitation except SpongeBob and Patrick, who are not tanned enough to come to the party. Craig implements a requirement that all his guests have to achieve a certain level of tan before entering. Set on going to the party, SpongeBob and Patrick convert Patrick's house into a tanning bed. After 15 seconds exactly, Patrick is tanned, and it is time for SpongeBob’s turn. After making sure Patrick knows that he should watch the time to make sure he is let out after 15 seconds, SpongeBob hops in the bed. Forgetting the rules and leaving with a group of girls, SpongeBob is left in the bed for hours. When he gets out, SpongeBob is sun-bleached. Patrick is then set on coming up with solutions to give SpongeBob a fake tan so they will be let into the party.
10. "The Abrasive Side" (Season 7, Episode 20)
If you’ve ever struggled with being too nice or not knowing how to say "no" to people, this is a great episode to watch. SpongeBob struggles to say no to everyone after an entire day of being walked all over by strangers and friends. Coming home crying to his pet snail Gary after the day he had, he is stopped by a commercial on television that is marketing a solution to his exact problem. He then orders the adhesive fabric called "abrasive sponge" and sticks it to himself. Shortly after, his abrasive side begins to come out and insult everyone he comes in contact with while he stays aloof to what is going on. Realizing later that the abrasive sponge is resulting in more harm than good, he decides he needs help to get it off. However, after insulting everyone he knows, who will help him?
You can stream "SpongeBob SquarePants" on Paramount+!