SpongeBob SquarePants has managed to entertain audiences for over two decades, but certain episodes have been deemed too risqué for younger viewers and pulled from streaming platforms. The article delves into the reasons behind the removal of episodes like 'Mid-Life Crustacean' and 'Kwarantined Krab', highlighting the delicate balance between humor for children and adults. It also touches upon a UK and Australia ban for a seemingly innocuous moment referencing prison culture.
SpongeBob SquarePants is an animated show that's truly stood the test of time: in the 25 years since it premiered on Nickelodeon, Stephen Hillenberg's animated series has spawned a fleet of spinoffs, a couple of theatrical releases, and even a set of running gags. Part of SpongeBob's staying power is that it's a show that works on two levels. Its main focus is on its young audience, but it also has a few jokes that adults will enjoy.
Case in point: the 'Sailor Mouth' episode features SpongeBob (Tom Kenny) and his friend Patrick Star (Bill Fagerbakke) constantly saying words they found on the side of a dumpster — and since those words are implied to be curse words, they're bleeped out with dolphin noises (since Nickelodeon wouldn't let Hillenberg actually use any curse words). But one episode might have upset that delicate balance as it was recently pulled from Paramount+. The 'Mid-Life Crustacean' Episode Crossed a Line In the Season 3 episode 'Mid-Life Crustacean,' Mr. Krabs (Clancy Brown), SpongeBob's boss and owner of the Krusty Krab, has several encounters that make him really feel his age. When he overhears SpongeBob and Patrick making plans for the evening, Krabs is desperate to join in so he can recapture his youth. But SpongeBob and Patrick being...well, SpongeBob and Patrick, their idea of a 'wild night' consists of multiple childish activities. Fed up, Krabs is about to leave until Patrick drops the infamous line: 'I guess you're going to miss the panty raid.' Yes, this is an episode of SpongeBob SquarePants where the main character literally breaks into someone's house to steal their underwear. While SpongeBob was no stranger to adult humor, this felt a little out of place with the established humor — and to make matters even more uncomfortable, it turns out that the trio broke into the home of Krabs' mother. As a result of the panty raid sequence, 'Mid-Life Crustacean' was pulled from streaming platforms, including Paramount+ and Prime Video. It's also one of the few SpongeBob episodes that hasn't seen any air time on the network. 'Mid-Life Crustacean has been out of rotation since 2018, following a standards review in which we determined some story elements were not kid-appropriate,' Nickelodeon spokesperson David Bittler said when asked about the episode's removal in 2021. Then, 2023 briefly saw 'Mid-Life Crustacean' returning to Paramount+, but it looks like the powers-that-be at Nickelodeon have once again changed their minds about the episode, and it's currently unavailable to stream anywhere.Related How the Hell Did Nosferatu End Up in 'SpongeBob SquarePants'? Who knew Count Orlok was such a prankster? Posts Other 'SpongeBob SquarePants’ Episodes Have Been Taken Off the Air Close Believe it or not, 'Mid-Life Crustacean' isn't the first time a SpongeBob SquarePants episode has been removed from streaming/airing online. Another episode ran into the same issue: Season 12's 'Kwarantined Krab,' which sees a disease known as the 'Clam Flu' racing around Bikini Bottom. To stop the spread of the flu, Mr. Krabs is ordered to quarantine the Krusty Krab, which leads to the characters' tempers running hot. 'Kwarantined Krab' was temporarily removed from airing because it was slated to premiere in 2020, right around the time the COVID-19 pandemic began. 'Kwarantined Krab' would air in 2022, but it's understandable why Nickelodeon chose to hold off on showing it given the state of the world. Ironically, one other episode would be banned...but this time, it was in the U.K. and Australia. The Season 2 episode 'Gary Takes A Bath' has a small moment where SpongeBob, attempting to get his pet snail Gary to take a bath, shows off two bars of soap he calls 'doubloons'...then tells Gary, 'Don't drop 'em.' It's clear that this is an inside reference to the myth about dropping soap in prison, but it was enough for U.K. and Australia censors to pull that episode. SpongeBob SquarePants will aim its humor at both children and adults, but these banned episodes are a sign that utilizing that type of humor is a delicate balancing act and that SpongeBob is still the biggest show for one of the biggest cable networks that's aimed at children. There's only so far you can go with 'nautical nonsense.' SpongeBob SquarePants is streaming on Paramount+ in the U.S
SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS NICKELODEON CARTOON BANNED EPISODES MID-LIFE CRUSTACEAN KWARANTINED KRAB COMEDY ANIMATION STREAMING
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