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Encyclopedia SpongeBobia
If you were looking for the article about the DVD, then see SpongeBob's Pest of the West.
If you were looking for the article about the book, then see Pest of the West (book).

"Pest of the West" is a SpongeBob SquarePants episode from season 5. In this episode, the story of SpongeBob's Western ancestor, SpongeBuck, is told.

Characters[]

Synopsis[]

Act 1[]

The episode starts off at the Krusty Krab, SpongeBob discovers that Patrick has a great-great-great-uncle named Patrick Revere, who warned Bikini Bottom that man-eating mollusks are coming, but no one listened to him.

Mr. Krabs tells the two of his great-great-grandpappy Krabs, who invented a painful security invention that hurts the fingers of anyone who touches the booby-trapped dollar bill. While walking, SpongeBob runs into Sandy, who reveals that she has a relative named Rosie Cheeks, who was the first squirrel to discover oil in Texas. Feeling sorry for SpongeBob, Sandy takes him to the library to "dig around his family tree." SpongeBob learns that he is the great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandson of a Western hero, Sheriff SpongeBuck SquarePants. Sandy begins to tell SpongeBob the story of SpongeBuck SquarePants. In flashback, SpongeBuck arrived at a town named Dead Eye Gulch, which was formally named Bikini Gulch until it got taken over by a dangerous outlaw named "Dead Eye," and goes to a theater/saloon named Krusty Kantina.

Pest of the West 253

Dead Eye Plankton's rule of tyranny.

SpongeBuck got to be a Sheriff by Pappy Krabs (Mr. Krabs' ancestor) even though he just wanted to be a fry cook. But then, a villain named Dead Eye Plankton (Plankton's ancestor) arrived there and SpongeBuck had to face him at high noon.

Act 2[]

Pest of the West 314

SpongeBuck getting ready to battle Dead Eye Plankton.

SpongeBuck got kicked away into a desert, and Pecos Patrick Star (Patrick's ancestor) met him. SpongeBuck got a nickname for him, and it was Idiot Friend. Pecos Patrick told him to defeat Dead Eye Plankton by smacking him several times. When they get back to town (via a giant cactus that made SpongeBuck and Pecos Patrick jump so high that they landed in Dead Eye Gulch), SpongeBuck met Dead Eye Plankton, and the two walked towards each other as though it was a Western duel. However, the fight ended very quickly, as SpongeBuck stepped on Dead Eye Plankton. Something that has apparently never been done or thought of before in Dead Eye Gulch. Pappy Krabs also tried stomping on him, and he decided to set up a business where the townsfolk could squish Dead Eye. Polene Puff (Mrs. Puff's ancestor) was first in line to crush him. All the residents of Bikini Gulch give three yee-haws for SpongeBuck and built a golden statue of him in his honor (Squidward's ancestor liked his design better, which was him as a muscular man), and Pappy Krabs, Hopalong Squidward (Squidward's ancestor), Pecos Patrick, and Polene Puff holding SpongeBuck in a picture.

Pest of the West 366

SpongeBob sees his family history.

SpongeBob is amazed by his ancestor's actions, but wonders whatever happened to his statue, as it seemed way better than the current one. SpongeBob soon realizes that the statue is really covered in jellyfish feces, hence the statue's different look. He cleans it up by scrubbing himself all across it, which disgusts Sandy, who wonders about SpongeBob's intelligence before he shows her the statue of his ancestor and she realizes his reasons. SpongeBob then sees the golden statue of his ancestor, SpongeBuck under the jellyfish poop, while apologizing to it for not recognizing it due to its earlier condition. After that, SpongeBob and Sandy walk away, while SpongeBob is saying that maybe someday, people will know the name SpongeBob SquarePants.

Conclusion[]

Then, in the epilogue, SpongeBuck and Pecos Patrick sing a song called "Idiot Friends" to end the episode.

Production[]

The episode was added to the US Copyright Office on September 26, 2007.[7]

Marathon[]

There was a marathon of episodes before the premiere of "Pest of the West" that people voted upon online.

Art[]

Music[]

 ) Production music
 ) Original music
 ) SpongeBob music

  Open and End Fanfare - Nino Nardini ["Ahoy, it's a SpongeBob SquarePants special!"]
  Lap Steel - Nicolas Carr ["Ahoy, it's a SpongeBob SquarePants special!"]
  Ride Stallion Ride 2 - Billy Roues, Steven Roues, Gary Solomon [title card]
  The Tip Top Polka/The Cliff Polka - Chelmsford Folk Band [opening at Krusty Krab]
  Grass Skirt Chase - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Patrick pretends to be his great, great, great-uncle Patrick Revere.]
  Colonial March - Larry Hochman ["He rode through the streets warning Bikini Bottom of the coming hordes of ravenous, man-eating mollusks!"]
  Bridgehead - Sam Fonteyn ["It's too bad nobody listened to him."]
  Keel Row - Brian Peters [the spendthrift billfold system]
  Pua Paoakalani B - Kapono Beamer, Queen Lili'uokalani [poop-covered statue]
  The Wild Wild West - John Fox [Sandy's aunt discovers oil]
  Pua Paoakalani B - Kapono Beamer, Queen Lili'uokalani [SpongeBob is upset that he does not have any famous relatives]
  Steel Licks 46 - Jeremy Wakefield [exterior of library]
  Steel Licks 48 - Jeremy Wakefield [Sandy opens the book]
  OLD 49er Banjo Fiddle. - Nicolas Carr ["It's a statue of SpongeBuck SquarePants!"]
  High Noon - John Anthony [SpongeBuck arrives in Dead Eye Gulch]
  Western Spaghetti - Eric Caspar, Eric Gemsa [funeral and ice cream parlor]
  Pineapple Rag [#9] - Scott Joplin, Bill Novick, Paul Lenart [inside the Krusty Kantina]
  Piano Crash - Nicolas Carr [SpongeBuck enters]
  Pineapple Rag [#9] - Scott Joplin, Bill Novick, Paul Lenart [SpongeBuck orders a shot of milk]
  Pedal Steel Drunk Sting - Nicolas Carr ["Oh, yeah... smooth."]
  Mountain Dew (b) - Graham Preskett [SpongeBuck's chili]
  Boothill Bell Sting - Nicolas Carr [Boot Hill]
  Room for Gloom - Sam Fonteyn [Old Dead Tree Hill]
  Cellar Search - Philippe Pares ["He's a-comin'! Dead Eye's a-comin'!"]
  Dead Eye - Luke Brookshier, Tom King, Tuck Tucker, Eban Schletter
  Tied to the Tracks - Larry Hochman ["That's me... Dead Eye Plankton!"]
  Silent Tears - Keith Nichols ["How am I supposed to keep the deed to me saloon..."]
  Blackbeard - Sam Fonteyn [Plankton takes money from Krabs]
  The Gunfighter - Franco Micalizzi, Roberto Predagio ["Who said that?!"]
  Stand-Up Comic C - Sammy Burdson, John Charles Fiddy [rimshot]
  Gunfighters and Lawmen - John Cacavas ["Who are you, anyway?"]
  First Call/Call to the Post - SpongeBuck as a "coffin jockey"
  Steel Licks 22 - Jeremy Wakefield ["Where do you get these guys?"]
  The Gunfighter - Franco Micalizzi, Roberto Predagio ["All right, kid, I'm gonna make it simple for you."]
  Steel Licks 40 - Jeremy Wakefield [Plankton sighs]
  Tied to the Tracks - Larry Hochman [Plankton whips SpongeBuck]
  Closing the Door Sting - Nicolas Carr [Plankton laughs evilly]
  Spaghetti Western (a) - Dick Stephen Walter [SpongeBuck riding through the desert]
  Patchys Parched Blues - Nicolas Carr ["Looks like the end of the trail."]
  New Vibe Hits - Nicolas Carr [Pecos Patrick appears]
  Reckless Rufus - Jerry Burnham, Stephen Wade, Tom Layton ["Oh, hey, SpongeBuck!"]
  Patchys Parched Blues Pt 2 - Nicolas Carr ["I ain't no sheriff or fry cook or even coffin jockey."]
  The Outlaw (a) - Ron Goodwin ["Out west, a man gets right back up on his coffin."]
  Fiddle - Nicolas Carr [crude drawing of Patrick]
  The Outlaw (a) - Ron Goodwin ["Okay, okay, I'll do it."]
  Spaghetti Western (a) - Dick Stephen Walter [shortcut to Dead Eye Gulch]
  Dirty Work at the Crossroads - Sam Fonteyn ["Why are we going so fast?"]
  The Ogre - Keith Nichols ["Okay, let's see."]
  Editor's Falling Over (f) - Dick Stephen Walter [SpongeBuck and Patrick fall from the sky]
  The Wild West (a) - Ron Goodwin ["Hi, guys! I'm back in the nick of time!"]
  The Gunfighter - Franco Micalizzi, Roberto Predagio ["Plankton's taken everything!"]
  Reckless Rufus - Jerry Burnham, Stephen Wade, Tom Layton ["Why y'all standin' in your pajamas?"]
  Spaghetti Cowboy - Michael Jakszyk ["Come on, guys, we can do this if we work together."]
  Fife and Drum March - Larry Hochman [they huddle up]
  Cowboy Goofball - Nicolas Carr ["You don't have a plan, do you?"]
  The Wild West - Larry Hochman ["But I know we can beat him!"]
  High Noon - John Anthony [high noon]
  The Aftermath OL B - Christopher Slaski [SpongeBuck and Plankton slowly approach each other]
  Church Bell - Nicolas Carr [Bell rings]
  Western Pop - Laurent Lombard [SpongeBuck steps on Plankton]
  OLD 49er Banjo Fiddle. - Nicolas Carr [everyone cheers]
  Lap Steel - Nicolas Carr ["Yee-haw! Yee-haw! Yee-haw!"]
  Arizona Cakewalk - Keith Nichols ["Step right up, everyone!"]
  Arizona Cakewalk - Keith Nichols ["Come with me, I want to show you something."]
  Western Ballad - Pierre Jean Gidon ["Thank you, Sheriff SpongeBuck, for saving our town."]
  Birth of the Krabby Patty - Nicolas Carr [statue of SpongeBuck]
  Steel Licks 22 - Jeremy Wakefield [Squidward's design]
  Cattle Drive - John Cacavas [fry cook badge]
  Hawaiian Happiness - Jon Jelmer [SpongeBob and Sandy leave the library]
  Vibe & Harp Hits - Nicolas Carr ["Wait a minute."]
  Steel Licks 37 - Jeremy Wakefield [SpongeBob walks up to the statue.]
  Tentacally Speaking - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [SpongeBob cleaning the statue]
  Riding the Range (a) - Tony Kinsey ["SpongeBuck was here all along!"]
  Idiot Friends - Tuck Tucker, Eban Schletter [ending]
  Ride Stallion Ride 2 - Billy Roues, Steven Roues, Gary Solomon [closing credits]

Release[]

Reception[]

Trivia[]

General[]

  • This episode's alternate titles were "The Pest of the West," "The Good, The Bad, and The Spongey," and "Eternal Fry Cook."[9]
  • There is a book based on this episode, which was released five years after the episode premiered.
  • In one of the Burger King commercials promoting their kids' meal toys based on this special, a 7-second animation was shown with SpongeBuck and Pecos Patrick trying to ride seahorses into the sunset.
  • Two clips were used for the 2007 Nick Rewind bumper, a couple months ahead of the episode's premiere.[10]
  • The Bikini Bottom Library reappears in this episode.
    • It first appeared in "Mid-Life Crustacean," albeit only its interior having an appearance, which makes this the only episode in the series to show the exterior of the library.
  • The pages of Family Histories of Bikini Bottom book is not written in English or, at least, does not appear to be, but Sandy could still read it. Sometimes, it is written with Cyrillic alphabets (Russian language).
  • Many years before, in "Dunces and Dragons," Bikini Bottom was a very large kingdom. Here, it is a tiny town. In "Back to the Past," it is a small village, and in most episodes, it is an average city. Also, in "SB-129," it is a large prehistoric jungle. Years later, Bikini Bottom in "Ugh," it is very similar. Overall, Bikini Bottom's size and location changes several times along with the population.
  • Dead Eye Gulch was called "Bikini Gulch" before being attacked by Dead Eye.
  • Both of Patrick's ancestors in this episode are shown warning their town or what it was during their era that something is coming to town.
  • Incidental 41 has two ancestors shown in this episode: one who appears in a flashback where Patrick's ancestor, Patrick Revere, warns Bikini Bottom of the mollusks and the other while SpongeBuck entered the Krusty Kantina, his western ancestor is seen at a faraway corner from the counter. Later, when SpongeBuck approaches the counter, Nat's ancestor is seen near the center of the cantina.
  • Hopalong calls SpongeBuck a "yokel," which is a derogatory term for someone from a poor country or the rural areas.
    • Dead Eye Plankton also jokingly calls Dead Eye Gulch "Yokelberg" after seeing SpongeBuck for the first time.
  • The word "idiot" is prominent in this episode. According to the SpongeBob's Greatest Hits CD booklet, it is said seventeen times. It is used in the featured song "Idiot Friends." However, it is actually only said sixteen times.
  • It is hard to hear, but at the very end of the song "Idiot Friends," about a quarter of a second before the episode ends, a fish can be heard yelling "Help me!" really fast.
  • Archetypal Western references:
    • Town is strikingly close to a railroad/railway.
    • "High noon" duel ("High noon" is a term used in the frontier to refer to the time of day which the sun was at its peak and usually deviated from true noon, though not by much).
    • Newcomer named Sheriff in a haste.
    • Tyrant bandit.
  • Frames from this episode was later used in "Friendiversary" when SpongeBob remembers Squidward.
  • This is the first episode to use Wacom Cintiqs for drawings instead of pencils.[11] The shift to Wacom Cintiqs lets the designers and animators draw on a computer screen and make immediate changes or undo mistakes.
  • This is the second episode to have two places in one spot, the instance being Dead Eye Funeral Parlor and Ice Cream Parlor. The first is "The Sponge Who Could Fly," the instance being Don's Import Store & Delicatessen.
  • This is the second double-length special of season 5. The first is the season debut episode "Friend or Foe."
  • This is the second episode to use the opening scene where Patchy the Pirate says, "Ahoy, it's a SpongeBob SquarePants special." The first was "Have You Seen This Snail?"
  • This episode marks the eighth time the closing theme is not used in the credits. The first was in "Scaredy Pants"/"I Was a Teenage Gary," the second was in "Texas"/"Walking Small," the third was in "Christmas Who?," the fourth was in "Wet Painters"/"Krusty Krab Training Video," the fifth was in "Party Pooper Pants," the sixth was in "Ugh," and the seventh was in "Have You Seen This Snail?"
  • This is the last episode that Luke Brookshier and Tom King worked on together.
NICKELODEON (2007)
  • This is the last episode to use the static Nickelodeon splat logo on a black background in the end credits. Every episode after this uses either the light bulb logo or some other variant of the Nickelodeon logo.
  • This is Incidental 6's 100th episode appearance.
  • There is an online game based on this episode called Pest of the West Showdown!
DSC01492

Description on the SpongeBob's Pest of the West DVD.

  • The central plot of "Pest of the West" takes place sometime around 1882, according to the DVD that is themed around this episode.
  • For unknown reasons, this episode was rated 13+ on Amazon Prime Video in August 2020.
    • This has since been corrected as of October 2020, and the episode is back to being rated its original TV-Y7 rating on Amazon Prime Video.
  • If including only the title card to the credits, this is the first special to be bookended by a soundtrack; if just including the title card and ending, this would not be the first special to be bookended by a soundtrack.


Cultural references[]

  • Patrick Revere and the mollusks are a reference to Paul Revere and his midnight ride during the battle of Lexington and Concord, the first battle of the revolutionary war, the mollusks being the British or as he called the regulars.
  • The Dead Eye Gulch flashback story is similar to most wild west movies, especially the duel part.
  • Pecos Patrick's name is a parody of the famous western folk tale, "Pecos Bill," as well as the Pecos River.
  • "Yokelberg" may be a reference to a town from CatDog, another Nickelodeon TV show. The town appears in the episode "CatDog and the Great Parent Mystery."
  • When Sandy says, "That boy ain’t hooked up right," it is a reference to the quote "That boy ain’t right" from the TV series King of the Hill.
  • The number of generations from SpongeBuck to SpongeBob is the same as the number of generations from Adam to Noah.
  • This episode has scenes from the 1993 TV series, Walker, Texas Ranger, and the 1994 TV series, Renegade.
  • The Idiot Friends tune is taken from "She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain."

Errors[]

Pest of the West 120

No train tracks to be found.

  • After SpongeBuck leaves the train near Dead Eye Gulch, it and its tracks do not appear for the rest of the episode.
  • When SpongeBuck has ice cream, he walks to the Krusty Kantina. But when he walks inside, his ice cream disappears.
  • When SpongeBuck comes to Dead Eye Gulch and sits at the bar, he is somewhere in the middle, but later, he is sitting at the end.
  • When SpongeBuck finishes drinking his milk the first time, one of his white teeth turns yellow for a second.
  • After SpongeBuck states to Dead Eye Plankton, "Hey, that's not your money," the former's eyelashes disappear.
PotW Error

Nat's half miscolored body in one of the many frames where SpongeBuck's teeth are yellow while he's riding his coffin.

  • During the scene where SpongeBuck is riding his coffin inside of the Krusty Kantina, the darker part of Nat's body that appears above his bandana is colored the same as the rest of his body.
  • Throughout the whole scene as mentioned above, SpongeBuck's teeth color changes to yellow for a few frames multiple times.
    • This is likely due to the animators having to animate SpongeBuck hopping up and down in his coffin and him talking at the same time, making it harder to correctly add color to his model.
  • SpongeBuck's black cowboy boots in this episode change to SpongeBob's modern-day socks and shoes halfway through the episode, when he shows up for the showdown at high noon, and stay like that for the remainder of the episode.
  • When SpongeBuck and Dead Eye walk towards each other, they were a few feet away from each other, but in the next clip, they were still walking without reaching each other.
  • Towards the end of the episode, when Sandy tells SpongeBob to "keep dreaming," the light brown part of her head is instead brown.
  • The buildings in Dead Eye Gulch are constantly changing. The Krusty Kantina and the Bank are mostly the same, but some buildings change color throughout the episode. Also, the names of the stores keep changing, too. For example, the "Dead Eye General Store" turned into "Dead Eye Boots." The number of buildings also seem to change.
  • Many sound effects and dialogue are out of sync with the graphics.
  • When Pecos Patrick says, "Oh, hey SpongeBuck!" in the Russian dub, he is called SpongeBob instead.
  • On Nickelodeon in the Netherlands, the special was promoted as Plaag van het Wilde Westen, and so was the DVD that came out later named. However, the dubbed title card of the actual episode says Sheriff SpongeBuck.
  • On a November 30, 2011 airing of this episode, the United Plankton Pictures, Inc. logo in the closing credits was accidentally replaced with the Rainbow S.r.l. logo instead.[citation needed] This is due to a programming mistake on Nickelodeon's part. Winx Club is one of Nick's shows and the only one to use this logo.

Videos[]

References[]


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