"Hiccup Plague" is a SpongeBob SquarePants episode from season 12. In this episode, no one in Bikini Bottom is safe from a case of contagious hiccups.
Characters[]
- SpongeBob SquarePants
- Patrick Star
- Squidward Tentacles
- Eugene H. Krabs
- Sandy Cheeks
- Sheldon J. Plankton
- Karen Plankton
- Pearl Krabs
- Mrs. Puff
- Incidentals
- Perch Perkins
- Bubble Bass
- Timmy (single appearance)
- Tina (single appearance)
- Old Man Jenkins
- Jellyfish
Synopsis[]
The episode begins with two kids named Timmy and Tina in a treehouse, attempting to get the hiccups. At first, Timmy takes out a can of Fizz Bomb soda, drinks it, and then burps, but that does not work. In the second attempt, they eat a bag of spicy kelp chips, which causes their mouths to burn and then hiccup. In the process, they let out hiccup bubbles. Two of their hiccup bubbles touching each other combines into one bigger bubble and Tina gets the jar to put the bubble in. They trap the hiccup bubble in a jar, and laugh about how this will make a great prank. They release the hiccup bubble into Bikini Bottom, which is about to land on an old woman, but she unknowingly blows it away while blowing her nose. The hiccup bubble then lands on SpongeBob while he is skipping down the street, causing him to get the hiccups.
SpongeBob hiccupping while making Krabby Patties.
Later, at the Krusty Krab, SpongeBob is about to prepare a fresh batch of Krabby Patties, but his hiccups interfere. At first, SpongeBob uses this to his advantage, using his hiccups to bounce the Krabby Patties off of his head, but this quickly spirals out of control. Mr. Krabs walks into the kitchen to see what is going on, to which he realizes SpongeBob has a case of the hiccups. He attempts to scare the hiccups out of him, but this proves unsuccessful. Mr. Krabs sends SpongeBob home for the day, but not before SpongeBob hiccups the bubble out of his mouth and onto Mr. Krabs, passing the hiccups onto him. Mr. Krabs walks back into the restaurant to greet Mrs. Puff, who is waiting in line, but Mr. Krabs' hiccups prove to be an annoyance. Mrs. Puff claims the hiccups are not contagious and kisses Mr. Krabs on the cheek, and Mr. Krabs unknowingly passes the hiccups onto her. Mrs. Puff then rushes into the restroom and tries drinking water upside down to get rid of the hiccups. Pearl then also walks into the restroom and is confused by what Mrs. Puff is doing. Mrs. Puff then accidentally spits water all over Pearl's pom-poms, making her upset. Mrs. Puff tries to apologize to Pearl, but ends up passing the hiccups to her, causing Pearl to storm out of the restaurant. Pearl attempts to practice cheerleading, but her hiccups get in the way. She ends up passing the hiccups to a group of jellyfish, and she happily finishes her cheer.
The jellyfish then fly past the comic book store where Bubble Bass is reading a comic book, and pass the hiccups onto him. His hiccups cause him to sneeze on his comic book, making him upset. Old Man Jenkins then approaches Bubble Bass and mocks him, saying how back in his day, hiccups could turn someone inside out. This also happens to Bubble Bass, who panics and runs away. We then cut to Perch Perkins, who is reporting the Hiccup Plague on the news, but he just laughs it off until Bubble Bass (still inside out) grabs Perch Perkins' microphone, claiming the Hiccup Plague to be real. He then hiccups, causing the hiccup bubble to travel inside the microphone, and into telephone wires leading to the Chum Bucket, causing Karen to get the hiccups, who then passes the hiccups to Plankton. The hiccups cause Plankton to accidentally drop a couple of beakers he was using, which creates an explosion that sends him flying. He then lands on the ground right in front of Patrick, who ends up accidentally stepping on him. He then picks up Plankton, who ends up passing the hiccups onto him. Plankton laughs in his face and then runs away. Patrick then starts hiccupping, causing him to panic, and he bumps into Squidward. Patrick begs Squidward to help him get rid of the hiccups, but then passes the hiccups onto him. Squidward berates Patrick, saying that hiccups are not contagious, but when he starts hiccupping himself, he panics and takes off.
We then see Mrs. Puff, Pearl, and Bubble Bass, who are walking down the street together. Squidward then approaches them and starts uncontrollably hiccupping. This causes them to panic and flee. Squidward is then approached by SpongeBob, who states that he will willingly take the hiccups if Squidward hugs him. He begrudgingly does so, and passes the hiccups onto SpongeBob. Squidward then retreats gleefully, while SpongeBob says goodbye to Bikini Bottom, while Timmy and Tina (the two kids from earlier) are seen giggling behind a mailbox. SpongeBob is then seen sitting on a large piece of coral while sipping on a carton of grape juice. SpongeBob then hiccups, causing him to fall off the coral, and lands in Sandy's arms. SpongeBob is alarmed and tells Sandy to stay away from him as he still has the hiccups. Sandy states that she wants to attempt to cure SpongeBob of the hiccups and take him back to her treedome.
SpongeBob inside a glass tank.
At Sandy's treedome, SpongeBob is seen in a small tank, while Sandy, Mr. Krabs, Mrs. Puff, Pearl, Bubble Bass, Patrick, and Squidward look on. Mr. Krabs once again tries to scare the hiccups out of SpongeBob, but fails. Mrs. Puff suggests drinking water upside down, Pearl suggests to do a cheer, Bubble Bass suggests hiding pickles under his tongue, Patrick suggests eating Snail-Po, and Squidward suggests nothing. SpongeBob tries all of these options, but none of them end up working. Sandy tries to treat the situation "scientifically" and tickles SpongeBob, which actually ends up working. The hiccup bubble floats out of the Treedome as everyone cheers. The hiccup bubble then floats back to the treehouse where Tina and Timmy are laughing, but the hiccups are passed onto them. They both start hiccupping, causing their treehouse to jump up and down, as the episode ends.
Production[]
The episode was confirmed by Vincent Waller on June 29, 2019.[2]
Promotional art[]
- By the official SpongeBob social media accounts.[3]
Storyboards[]
The official SpongeBob social media accounts posted a 48-second storyboard sequence from this episode on April 21, 2022, one day before its official premiere date in the United States.[4] The boards were plussed by Kristen Morrison.[5]
On the following day, Dave Cunningham posted more storyboards from the segment. These were drawn by Brian Morante, and plussed by Kristen Morrison, Dylan 'Houston' King, and Scott Diggs Underwood.[6]
Music[]
| ( ‣ ) Production music |
| ( • ) Original music |
| ( ◦ ) SpongeBob music |
• Porous Pursuit - Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Title card]
‣ Even More Comical Cuts 1-5 - Ronald Hanmer [Opening with Timmy and Tina inside a tree house/Timmy drinks a can of Fizz Bomb soda and burps]
‣ Eerie Link - Max Harris [Both Timmy and Tina eat spicy kelp chips and hiccup two hiccup bubbles]
‣ Dramatic Episode 2 - Remastered - Kurt Rehfeld ["Yes! We have created the worst case of hiccups in history!"]
‣ Apples And Pears - Bruce Campbell [Timmy and Tina release the hiccup bubble into Bikini Bottom]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 25A - Jeremy Wakefield [Transition to next scene]
• Another Krusty Krab Day 2 - Michael Bolger, Nicolas Carr [SpongeBob hiccupping at the Krusty Krab]
‣ Coffee Beans - Georges Cugaro [SpongeBob can't stop hiccupping while trying to make Krabby Patties]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 35 - Jeremy Wakefield [Krabs sighs]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 22A - Jeremy Wakefield [0 days without nonsense]
‣ Fraidy Cat - Fredric Bayco [Krabs tells SpongeBob he's got a case of the hiccups]
‣ Dramatic Cue (D) - Ronald Hanmer [SpongeBob screams]
• Whats This Sting - Nicolas Carr ["Huh? I'm cured!"]
‣ Fraidy Cat - Fredric Bayco [SpongeBob goes back to the hiccups and Krabs tells him to go home]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 18 - Jeremy Wakefield ["Uh, sorry boy-o."]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 39A - Jeremy Wakefield ["Hey hey, they're gone!"]
• Drunken Sailor Solo Accordion - Nicolas Carr ["Oh... hiccups. Hiccups are nothing to a old navy man like me."]
• Galley Cooks Shanty - Michael Bolger, Nicolas Carr [Krabs can't stop hiccupping while talking to Mrs. Puff]
• Heavenly Sanatized Choir - Nicolas Carr ["Me hiccups! They're gone!"]
‣ Saucy Organ - Ernst Lindemann ["Oh, your kisses are magical, Puff."]
‣ Slippery Sid - Roger Roger [Mrs. Puff runs to the bathroom to drink water so she can get rid of the hiccups]
‣ Comedy Punctuations And Bridges 3 - Fredric Bayco ["The hiccups. They stopped!"]
• Super Highway March Drum Only Mix - Nicolas Carr, Barry Anthony [Pearl starts hiccupping while cheering]
‣ Comedy Punctuations And Bridges 3 - Fredric Bayco ["Oh... I can't cheer like this!"]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 16B - Jeremy Wakefield [Jellyfish make the hiccup bubble float away]
• Super Highway March Drum Only Mix - Nicolas Carr, Barry Anthony [Pearl goes back to cheering]
‣ Comedy Punctuations And Bridges 3 - Fredric Bayco [Jellyfish catch the hiccups and pass it to Bubble Bass]
‣ Uh Oh Flutter-Eyed - [ProjectSAM Symphobia Colours: Animator] [Bubble Bass hiccups, making sneeze his drink onto his comic book]
‣ Laughter Trombone - [ProjectSAM Symphobia Colours: Animator] ["That hiccup ruined my precious comic book!"]
• Bikini Bottom Hillbillies - Nicolas Carr [Old Man Jenkins tells Bubble Bass hiccups could turn a fella inside out on his times]
‣ The Creature (a) - Gregor Narholz [Bubble Bass screams and runs away]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 7A - Jeremy Wakefield ["Now that's what I call a hiccup."]
• Bikini Bottom News Theme - Nicolas Carr [News on TV about the contagious hiccup plague]
‣ The Creature (a) - Gregor Narholz ["This hiccup plague is real. Save yourselves!"]
• Down in Davie Jones Locker - Nicolas Carr [Hiccup bubble goes through Perch Perkins' microphone]
• Oh My Neptune - Nicolas Carr [Hiccup bubble floats through cables to the Chum Bucket]
‣ Bridge 3 - Wilfred Burns [Karen sneezes the hiccup bubble and Plankton catches the hiccup plague]
• Lap Steel - Nicolas Carr [Plankton gets launched away the Chum Bucket]
‣ Even More Comical Cuts 1-5 - Ronald Hanmer ["My hiccups! They're gone! Now you have them!"]
‣ Eight Dramatic Bridges - Remastered - Ronald Hanmer [Patrick panics after hiccupping]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 35 - Jeremy Wakefield ["You can't catch the hiccups, you nitwit!"]
‣ Comedy Punctuations And Bridges 4 - Fredric Bayco [Squidward hiccupping repeatedly/Squidward runs away/Pearl, Mrs. Puff, and Bubble Bass see Squidward hiccupping repeatedly]
‣ Eight Dramatic Bridges - Remastered - Ronald Hanmer ["Squidward has the hiccups! Run for your lives!"]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 1 - Jeremy Wakefield ["Must get rid of this hiccups..."]
‣ Six Comedy Episodes 5 - Ronald Hanmer [SpongeBob hugs Squidward so he can take the hiccup bubble out of him]
‣ Dignity - Peter Yorke ["I need no thank."]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 22E - Jeremy Wakefield ["I'm free!"]
‣ Defeat - Keith Nichols ["Goodbye, Squidward. Goodbye, Bikini Bottom. I'll take these hiccups where they won't hurt anyone again."]
‣ Comedy Punctuations And Bridges 4 - Fredric Bayco [Timmy and Tina laughing behind the mailbox]
• M'Wanna - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [SpongeBob still hiccupping while sitting in a piece of coral]
‣ Dramatic Cue (H) - Ronald Hanmer [SpongeBob's hiccups make him fall from the piece of coral]
‣ Comedy Punctuations And Bridges 4 - Fredric Bayco ["Or you'll catch these horrible hiccups!"]
• Thanks Buddy Strut - Nicolas Carr [Sandy takes SpongeBob to her treedome to cure him from the hiccups]
‣ Bridge 3 - Wilfred Burns [SpongeBob confined in a giant fish tank on Sandy's treedome]
• Drunken Sailor Transition - Nicolas Carr ["Allow me, this old navy man will take care of it."]
‣ A Haunting We Will Go - Ronald Hanmer [Krabs puts on a wolf mask]
‣ Shock Horror (A) - Dick Walter [SpongeBob screams]
‣ Terror - Alan Braden [Krabs screams and runs]
• Porous Pursuit - Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Mrs. Puff, Pearl, Bubble Bass and Patrick give ideas to SpongeBob so he can get rid of the hiccups]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 7A - Jeremy Wakefield ["Hmm? I got nothing."]
‣ Long Legged Beasties - Fredric Bayco [Sandy tickles SpongeBob and he gets rid of the hiccup bubble]
• Lap Steel - Nicolas Carr ["Hooray!"]
‣ Alone And Lost - Norman Dane [Hiccup bubble returns to Timmy and Tina's tree house and bursts]
• Porous Pursuit - Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Ending]
Release[]
- This episode is available on the SpongeBob SquarePants Vol. 22 digital collection and The Complete Twelfth Season DVD.
Trivia[]
General[]
- This episode was released on The Complete Twelfth Season DVD on January 12, 2021, one year and three months before airing on American television.
"Hiccup Plague" referenced for the initial Nickelodeon premiere of "Lighthouse Louie" on January 18, 2021 at 12:00 PM. It is also retained for the "SpongeBob's Super Saturday Night" compilation airing.
"Hiccup Plague" reference removed for the one-off Nicktoons broadcast of "Lighthouse Louie" on January 19, 2021 at 12:00 AM, and all subsequent reruns on Nickelodeon.
"Hiccup Plague" and the sister episode "Lighthouse Louie" both removed from Season 12 on Amazon Prime Video, thus being marked as "unavailable."
- This episode was originally set to premiere on January 18, 2021 in the United States at 12:15 PM. However, there were concerns on this episode being unintentionally similar to the COVID-19 pandemic.[7][8][6][9] As a result, the listing was changed and got replaced with the American premiere of "My Two Krabses."[10] Amazon Prime Video failed to hear this update and ended up releasing this episode on January 19, 2021, one day after the planned American airdate. However, the episode was taken down from Amazon Prime Video by Nickelodeon a day later on January 20, 2021.[11]
- This episode was also released on a few other streaming services through video on demand on its intended airdate.
- Despite this episode being unintentionally similar to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is still included on The Complete Twelfth Season DVD unlike "Kwarantined Krab" (which was absent from the DVD due to similarities towards the COVID-19 pandemic).[12]
- Despite being removed from the Nickelodeon USA schedule for January 18, 2021, clips from this episode were still shown in a bumper for the Best Day Off Ever event.[13]
- This episode's existence is referenced in the end credits of its sister episode for the initial American airing. This was removed for subsequent American rerun airings on Nickelodeon and Nicktoons, including airings of the "SpongeBob's Super Saturday Night" compilation.
- This episode was also released on a few other streaming services through video on demand on its intended airdate.
"Hiccup Plague" is available on Season 12 on American iTunes.
- This episode was released on American iTunes on January 1, 2022.[14]
- This episode was paired up with "Potato Puff" during the original American airing,[10][15] but has since been re-airing with "Lighthouse Louie."[16]
- In the French dub, the title for this episode is "Épidémie De Hoquet," which translates to "Hiccup Epidemic."[citation needed]
- The English title card was accidentally revealed on the official SpongeBob SquarePants Instagram[17] and Facebook accounts[18] on July 1 and July 3, 2020, respectively.
- The final frame from this episode was revealed by mistake at the end of the premiere of "Lighthouse Louie" in the UK and Ireland airing.
- The treehouse shown in this episode looks similar to SpongeBob's clubhouse from "Club SpongeBob."
- Hiccups were previously a plot point of the comic strip titled "Hiccup! And Away!," featured in the comic book Comic Crazy! and centered around SpongeBob getting the hiccups.
- SpongeBob also gets the hiccups in "Moving Bubble Bass."
- Furthermore, Mr. Krabs also gets the hiccups at the end of "Squeaky Boots."
- SpongeBob also gets the hiccups in "Moving Bubble Bass."
Left is the scene from this episode and right is the original scene from "Pickles." Also, notice how Bubble Bass's tongue is lighter in "Hiccup Plague."
- This is the first episode for a few things:
- The first episode in which Bubble Bass and Mrs. Puff are seen wearing water helmets.
- The first episode in the series to use "Porous Pursuit" as the title card music.
- This is the second episode to premiere in Japan before it aired in the United States. The first was "Goo Goo Gas."
- This episode, along with "Potato Puff," is the second instance in which the episodes premiered on Earth Day in the United States. The first was "SpongeBob's Last Stand" in 2010.
- This is the third season 12 episode to premiere in the United States a year or longer after its sister episode premiered. The first was "Pineapple RV," and the second was "My Two Krabses."
- This is also the sixth episode overall to premiere in the United States a year or longer after its sister episode premiered. The first was "Gary Takes a Bath," the second was "Goo Goo Gas," the third was "Yeti Krabs," the fourth was "Pineapple RV," and the fifth was "My Two Krabses."
- Before its premiere date in the United States, a clip from this episode was used in a video called "Funniest Moments from NEW SpongeBob Episodes! 😂" uploaded by the Nickelodeon Cartoon Universe official YouTube channel on March 19, 2021.[19]
- Half of this episode was released on nickelodeon.la on March 24, 2021 and on nickelodeon.com.br on March 25, 2021.[20]
- A clip from this episode was used in a video called "First & Last Moments with CLASSIC SpongeBob Characters! 🧼" uploaded by the SpongeBob SquarePants Official YouTube channel on July 24, 2021.[21]
Episode references[]
- Sandy's hazmat suit from "No Nose Knows" appears in this episode to avoid catching SpongeBob's hiccups.
- Bubble Bass still has the pickles under his tongue like he did in "Pickles."
- SpongeBob tries Snail-Po again, which references him trying it in "Missing Identity."
Cultural references[]
- This episode's title is a play on words of the bubonic plague.
- The Spicy Kelp Chips strongly resemble Cheez-It crackers.
Errors[]
Pearl's missing P on her shirt.
- In one scene, Pearl's "P" on her shirt is missing.
Mrs. Puff's missing spots.
- In one scene, Mrs. Puff's spots are missing.
- In one shot of the treehouse, it is not connected to the tree and appears to be floating.
- The closing credits incorrectly spell this episode's title as "Hiccup Plaque." This was also carried over for the initial Nickelodeon USA premiere of its sister episode and airings on the "SpongeBob's Super Saturday Night" compilation.
Videos[]
References[]
- ^ Google archive of the episode page is from this date.
- ^ Vincent Waller on Twitter - "All real"
- ^ SpongeBob on Instagram - "drop a 🍔 to..."
- ^ SpongeBob on Twitter - "behind-the-scenes of hiccups and nonsense..."
- ^ Dave Cunningham on Twitter - "Beautiful boards plussed by..."
- ^ a b Dave Cunningham on Twitter - "Tonights premiere - "Hiccup Plague"!..."
- ^ Vincent Waller on Twitter - "That would be my guess."
- ^ Vincent Waller on Twitter - "Yes, same answer."
- ^ Nickelodeon to Premiere New 'SpongeBob SquarePants' Episodes 'Lighthouse Louie' and 'My Two Krabses' on Monday, January 18, 2021 - NickALive!
- ^ a b SpongeBob SquarePants Episode Listings - The Futon Critic
- ^ SpongeBob SquarePants: Season 12 - Amazon Prime Video
- ^ Vincent Waller on Twitter - "If it is on there, Probably pressed before the decision was made."
- ^ Best Day Off Ever Bumper #1 - YouTube
- ^ SpongeBob SquarePants, Season 12 - iTunes
- ^ Nickstory - April 22, 2022
- ^ Nickstory - April 23, 2022
- ^ @spongebob on Instagram
- ^ Nickelodeon on Facebook - "Every Title Card Ever | SpongeBob"
- ^ Funniest Moments from NEW SpongeBob Episodes! 😂 - YouTube
- ^ Bob Esponja - A Epidemia De Soluços (Clip) - YouTube
- ^ First & Last Moments with CLASSIC SpongeBob Characters! 🧼 - YouTube