"Fear of a Krabby Patty" is a SpongeBob SquarePants episode from season 4. In this episode, the Krusty Krab opens up for 24 hours as part of Plankton's plan to get the Krabby Patty secret formula from an exhausted SpongeBob.
Characters
- Eugene H. Krabs
- Squidward Tentacles
- SpongeBob SquarePants
- Sheldon J. Plankton
- Dr. Peter Lankton (debut)
- Karen Plankton
- Incidentals
- Incidental 13 (cameo)
- Incidental 63
- Incidental 42
- Fred
- Incidental 92
- Incidental 9 (cameo)
- Incidental 41 (cameo)
- Incidental 11 (cameo)
- Incidental 64
- Old Man Walker (cameo)
- Incidental 47
- Incidental 6
- Dream Jellyfish
- Dream Shelley
- Gary the Snail (written on bowl in SpongeBob's dream room)
- Krabby Patty (debut)
Synopsis

"New business hours: 6 a.m. to 11 p.m."
The episode begins with Mr. Krabs making new business hours for the Krusty Krab, until he sees that Plankton has the Chum Bucket open for 23 hours every day, so he decides to have the restaurant open 24/7. It is then revealed Plankton opened his restaurant 23 hours as part of his plan to get SpongeBob to collapse from exhaustion so that he'll be tired enough to tell him the formula.
After ten days of nonstop service, Plankton sees SpongeBob is not exhausted, so he calls Mr. Krabs using a fake name, Dr. Peter Lankton, to order 10,000 Krabby Patties so he can get SpongeBob's mind to crack from exhaustion and make him tell him the formula. Mr. Krabs gives the order to SpongeBob, but after 43 days of cooking, he starts cooking Krabby Patties the wrong way.
When Mr. Krabs comes to check up on SpongeBob, he sees his boss as a Krabby Patty, scaring him. When he goes outside, he visualizes everyone as killer Krabby Patties and starts panicking. When Mr. Krabs sees that SpongeBob is not right, he tells him he should go to a psychiatrist.
At the same time, Plankton secretly gives a flier to SpongeBob to come to his place so he can get the formula, with him thinking he is a chipper, fun-loving, upbeat, honest, goofy, cheerful, optimistic, emotional, sentimental, and bipolar psychiatrist who is not evil. He tries several methods, but fails to get SpongeBob to tell the formula.
Eventually, Plankton uses hypnosis to get the formula out of SpongeBob, but this ends up curing his phobia, as it gives him a dream where he conquers his fears. When SpongeBob goes back to the Krusty Krab, the episode ends with Mr. Krabs now opening the restaurant for 23 hours a day instead of 24.
Running gags
- Plankton constantly getting hit with a piano, including the one where SpongeBob turned the cards into another piano.
- SpongeBob hallucinating people as killer Krabby Patties.
Production
Storyboards
Deleted scenes
On the storyboard featured on the Fear of a Krabby Patty DVD, Plankton is shown waiting for SpongeBob instead of him having to get him up immediately after sitting down. There was another one when a bunch of Krabby Patties from a cave bring SpongeBob to his bed after he gets eaten by a Krabby Patty in his dream. Yet again, SpongeBob says another "K-R-A-B-B-Y-P-A-T-T-Y says I" during the day/night montage. Also, SpongeBob talks to Krabby Patties more in the storyboard animation. Squidward having bags in his eyes was originally going to be the ending theme.
Music
( ‣ ) Production music |
( • ) Original music |
( ◦ ) SpongeBob music |
‣ March of the Aliens [#7] - Harry Bluestone, Emil Cadkin [title card]
‣ The Rake Hornpipe - Robert Alexander White [opening]
‣ Dramatic Impact (6) - Ivor Slaney ["The Chum Bucket open 23 hours?!"]
• Hello Blues - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [SpongeBob pinching himself]
‣ Zelle 501 - Gerhard Trede ["Open 24 hours, eh?"]
‣ Keel Row - Brian Peters ["I don't care if we stay open till the day after the end of time."]
• Solo Steel 4 - Jeremy Wakefield ["Mr. Krabs, can I go home yet?"/"You could learn a few things from that boy."]
• Solo Steel 3 - Jeremy Wakefield [SpongeBob kisses the Krabby Patty.]
‣ Hercule Poirot - Gerhard Trede ["Drat! He's not collapsing from exhaustion."]
• Lap Steel - Nicolas Carr [Mr. Krabs crushes Plankton]
• Motivating March - Nicolas Carr ["Kick it into high gear! We got a big order!"]
‣ Idyll in the Clouds - Ludo Philipp ["Now, make me 10,000 patties!"]
‣ Worker's Symphony - Hans May [“Day 15! Give it up for Day 15!” ]
‣ Twilight Zone - Harry Bluestone, Emil Cadkin [SpongeBob hallucinates Krabs as a giant Krabby Patty/SpongeBob hallucinates Krabs as a giant Krabby Patty again]
‣ House of Horror - W. Merrick Farran [SpongeBob screams.]
‣ Twilight Zone - Harry Bluestone, Emil Cadkin ["Stay back! I'm warning you!"]
‣ House of Horror - W. Merrick Farran [SpongeBob sees giant patties everywhere/SpongeBob screams again/"I want to live!"/Squidward is shown exhausted/"Everywhere I look, I see killer Krabby Patties."]
‣ Footsteps of Horror - W. Merrick Farran [SpongeBob screaming]
‣ Planet Surface - Gregor F. Narholz ["What does this mean?"]
‣ Unknown Track 2 - ? [Krabs thinks SpongeBob should see a psychiatrist]
‣ Fear 1 - Louis Clark ["Dr. Peter Lankton, Psychiatrist."]
• Lap Steel - Nicolas Carr ["Well, this looks like the place."]
‣ Like Strange - Kenny Graham [Chum Bucket disguised as psychiatrist's office]
‣ Games Played in the Dark - Richard A. Harvey [Plankton with a beard]
‣ ? [rimshot]
‣ Towerstreet 17 [#29] - Gerhard Narholz [SpongeBob closes his eyes]
‣ The Killing Ground (A) - Richard A. Harvey ["They're coming for me!"]
• The Bill Piano Crash - Nicolas Carr [Piano crashes on Plankton]
‣ Wooden Bear - Gil Flat, Tony Tape, Florian Voelxen [word association/Words on cards]
• The Bill Piano Crash - Nicolas Carr [Card piano crashes on Plankton]
‣ Mists Of Illusion - Gilbert Vinter [Plankton hypnotizes SpongeBob]
• Hypno Sponge Vibe - Nicolas Carr [Vibraphone overlays "Mists Of Illusion"]
• Trumpet and Percussion - Nicolas Carr [Plankton plays the trumpet and the snare drum]
• Sponge Phone - Nicolas Carr [cell phone rings]
• Flashback - Nicolas Carr [Camera zooms in on SpongeBob]
• Solo Steel 2 - Jeremy Wakefield [SpongeBob dreams about jellyfishing]
‣ March of the Aliens [#7] - Harry Bluestone, Emil Cadkin [SpongeBob eaten by giant Krabby Patty]
‣ Camilla - Nino Nardini [The patty gives him gifts]
• Dream Out - Nicolas Carr [Camera zooms in on SpongeBob again]
• Solo Steel 2 - Jeremy Wakefield [SpongeBob wakes up]
‣ The Rake Hornpipe - Robert Alexander White [ending]
Release
- This episode is available on the Fear of a Krabby Patty DVD and VHS, Nick Picks Volume 3, Season 4 Volume 1, Nick Picks Box-Set (Vol, 1-3), Bob Esponja Vol. 1, The Ultimate Box Set, First 100 Episodes, Really Big Box Set, The Ultimate SpongeBob Box Set, SpongeBob SquarePants Vol. 5, Complete Fourth Season, From the Beginning, Part 2, SpongeBob SquarePants: Volume 1, The SpongeBob SquarePants Collection, Nautical Nonsense, Treasures of the Sea, Sheldon Plankton: Mean and Green, The SpongeBob SquarePants 8 Season DVD Collection, 2-Season TV Pack, The Third & Fourth Seasons, and The Best 200 Episodes Ever DVDs.
Reception
- "Fear of a Krabby Patty" was ranked #11 during the Best Day Ever event from November 9–10, 2006.
- This episode and "Shell of a Man" were nominated for an Emmy at the 2005 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour).[4]
- "Fear of a Krabby Patty" was ranked #35 during the SpongeBob's Top 100 event in the UK and Ireland from June 4-8, 2012.
Trivia
General
- This was the first episode to premiere after the release of The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, and with Paul Tibbitt as showrunner.
- The Krusty Krab was open 24 hours a day, for 43 days, with no breaks.
- This means that SpongeBob, Squidward, and Mr. Krabs stayed awake for an astounding 1,032 hours.
- In the Russian dub, Squidward says they have been working for 48 days straight, meaning the Krusty Krew has been up for an even longer period, which is 1,152 hours.
- The drive-thru that was installed in "Driven to Tears" is seen when Mr. Krabs announces Day 10 of non-stop service.
- Old Man Walker breaks the fourth wall by asking why he is moving.
- This is the first episode to play the track "Lap Steel."
- Plankton's eye seems to be much smaller in the last half of this episode, due to his beard.
- Plankton is revealed to have a cell phone.
- Irony: Plankton's last attempt to get SpongeBob to tell him the formula is hypnotizing him to sleep so he can subconsciously tell it to him, yet this is what cures his fear of Krabby Patties moments later.
- Starting with this episode, the cast list in the end credits is listed separately for both segments instead of all together.
- This is the first episode to be PAL pitched in some countries.
- This is the first time hypnosis is used or mentioned in the series. Hypnosis later gets used again in "Professor Squidward" and "SpongeBob's Bad Habit," whereas it was only mentioned in "Barnacle Face."
- This is Alan Smart's first episode as an animation director since the season 1 episode "Jellyfishing."
- This is the first episode to have Paul Tibbitt as the showrunner and executive producer, replacing Stephen Hillenburg. Tibbitt stepped down after Hillenburg later returned to the position in 2015, starting with the season 9 episode "Lost in Bikini Bottom," until his death on November 26, 2018.
- This is the second episode where the Krusty Krab is open 24/7. The first was "Graveyard Shift." However, unlike in the aforementioned episode, Mr. Krabs stays at the restaurant with his employees and thus suffers from the same lack of sleep that they do.
- Plankton's psychiatric methods for SpongeBob:
- Asking him to close his eyes and picture what he sees; he imagines giant Krabby Patties attacking him, causing him to throw a piano on Plankton out of nowhere.
- Saying a word, followed by SpongeBob saying the first word that pops into his head; he repeats everything Plankton says.
- Arranging cards of Krabby Patty ingredients into any order he wants; he arranges them into a piano, which falls on Plankton.
- Hypnotherapy; this is what cures him of his fear, as he gets a dream where he resolves to make patties again.
- This is C.H. Greenblatt's final episode on the show as a writer and storyboard director before leaving to work on The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy and after to create the show Chowder. Before his departure, he would also provide the voice of Carl in "Selling Out."
- In the French dub, this episode is called "Ouverture Non-stop!," which translates to "Opening Non-stop!"
- In the Polish dub, the episode's title is "Kraboburgerofobia," which translates to "Krabby Patty Phobia."
- Plankton's ringtone is the theme song.
- This episode was paired with "Sandy, SpongeBob, and the Worm" during the Massive Monster Mayhem Marathon.
- This episode plays all the main Solo Steels except for Solo Steel 1.
- This, along with its sister episode both end with SpongeBob and Mr. Krabs laughing.
- This is the first episode to feature Mark Fite as a cast member.
Cultural references
- In SpongeBob's dream, the Krabby Patty tells him that he will always be with him in his arteries, a reference to the 1982 Universal Pictures movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, complete with the glowing finger.
- SpongeBob's line "That's what I thought you said. Now let me offer this as a rebuttal." at the 5:07 mark in the episode has been sampled to become the introduction of YBN Nahmir's 2018 song "Rubbin Off The Paint".
- This episode's plot is referenced in the Nick Arcade/ Midnight Synergy game "Krabby Quest," which is based on Midnight Synergy's Wonderland series.
Errors
- In the Greek dub, in the beginning, Mr. Krabs says, "The Chum Bucket will open for 24 hours" instead of saying "The Krusty Krab will open for 24 hours." It was a mistake from the Greek voice actor.[citation needed]
- In the Russian dub, Squidward says that they are working for 48 days instead of 43.
- Also, when Mr. Krabs says that they are working for 15 days, the Russian dub says 10; 30 days instead of 23; 35 instead of 30.
- In the Russian dub, Squidward says that they are working for 48 days instead of 43.

SpongeBob's visible eyelashes mistake.
- When SpongeBob says, "I've got to pinch myself, because I must be dreaming," he blinks, but his eyelashes are still seen for a split second.

The front door is farther to the grill.
- When Mr. Krabs enters the kitchen, the front door is far away from the grill, when it is usually much closer.

The anchor is missing on Squidward's Krusty Krab employee hat.
- When SpongeBob is dropping trays out of the chef's window, the anchor on Squidward's Krusty Krab employee hat is missing.
- When SpongeBob gets up from his trauma, his tie is missing and it reappears seconds later.
- When SpongeBob sees killer Krabby Patties everywhere, the Chum Bucket across the street is gone in the window.
- When SpongeBob is being dragged into the kitchen by Mr. Krabs, his Krusty Krab employee hat is on his head. When he reopens the door and shouts, "I want to live!," his hat is missing.
- When Plankton enters the Chum Bucket, the glove is missing.

Missing glove.

"Kraby" instead of "Krabby."
- The end credits call this episode "Fear of a Kraby Patty," missing the second "b."
- In the first scene, the pathway to the Chum Bucket is missing.
Videos
References
- ^ https://www.sbmania.net/forums/threads/second-part-of-season-4-in-israel.17562/#post-267646
- ^ https://www.sbmania.net/forums/threads/season-4.12402/
- ^ https://www.sbmania.net/forums/threads/season-4-endspetember-in-holland.9886/page-3
- ^ https://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/2005/outstanding-short-format-animated-program
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