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Encyclopedia SpongeBobia

"Free Samples" is a SpongeBob SquarePants episode from season 8. In this episode, Plankton tricks customers into hating Krabby Patties, and Mr. Krabs tries to win them back by giving away patties for free..

Characters[]

Synopsis[]

Plotting to ruin Mr. Krabs, Plankton comes up with a "new and original" idea: giving out free samples. However, Karen points out this idea is not "new and original" at all. Plankton gives out free chum sticks to eager Bikini Bottomites, but not long after they eat his chum, they start to suffer from food poisoning. Plankton makes a run for it, and the sickened customers pursue him to the Chum Bucket, except for Patrick, who eats the chum and does not mind at all. Hiding from the furious mob, Karen points out that the people would never do this to Mr. Krabs if he gave out free samples, and Plankton gets an idea.

Free Samples 066

He sells Chum Burgers under the name "Krabby Patties" and gives them out for free, with the intent of smearing the Krusty Krab's name. However, when the customers become suspicious and one recognizes him as the same guy who made the rotten chum samples before, he quickly lies and tells the customers it was his brother-in-law "Flankton," and they believe him. Sure enough, the customers get sick.

When SpongeBob goes to the Krusty Krab, he sees an angry mob, mistaking it for a crowd of hungry and impatient customers. When he enters, he sees Mr. Krabs hiding behind a table, who explains that the customers have somehow turned on him and the Krabby Patties, and he cannot find out why. A brick is thrown through the window, wrapped in a piece of paper which says the Krabby Patties taste terrible. SpongeBob is shocked, and they realize they need to win their customers back. Mr. Krabs comes up with the idea to triple the prices, but SpongeBob says it is not a good idea, so Mr. Krabs decides to lower prices: by one cent. SpongeBob tells Mr. Krabs the only way to win them back is to give away free samples, which horrifies Mr. Krabs. When he realizes that no customers at all is worse than giving away free samples, he reluctantly agrees.

Soon after, SpongeBob goes on the streets with a grill, ready to give away free Krabby Patties. Mr. Krabs is having second thoughts, but SpongeBob chains him to heavy concrete blocks, telling Mr. Krabs that it is for his own good. SpongeBob announces his free goods, but nobody answers. SpongeBob uses his backup plan: playing a calliope with Squidward acting as the monkey. People are attracted to the sounds of the calliope, and Squidward in a monkey costume dances to a woman and a baby in a stroller. When the baby throws a coin at Squidward's head, he rips off his costume and leaves.

When the people learn that SpongeBob is giving out free Krabby Patties, they are hesitant. Mr. Krabs laughs that even free is not good enough for them, then is horrified when he realizes how bad that is for business. He gives up and leaves. Plankton watches from afar, celebrating his accomplishment in ruining the Krusty Krab. However, SpongeBob refuses to give up and vows they will fix this, and when Mr. Krabs suggests he get a new job in a different way, he overhears "new" and "different," and realizes how to win the customers back.

Free Samples 187

SpongeBob tries a different approach: selling "New" Krabby Patties. This does not work at first, until a customer named Frank lets his hunger gets the best of him, and he realizes he would rather take his chances than go hungry any longer. As soon as he takes a bite, he is instantly smitten with the Krabby Patty. He empties his pockets and asks how much it will get him. More people come to eat free samples, as well as paying extra, feeling the Krabby Patty is so good it should not be free. Frank then jumps really high and goes above water for a second. When Plankton hears the commotion, he walks over and gets upset.

A truck dumps money on SpongeBob, as does a helicopter, which causes money to fly all around. One bill land on Mr. Krabs' nose, and he runs to the stand. The two happily celebrate over saving the Krusty Krab and Mr. Krabs asks how he did such a thing; SpongeBob reveals he technically sold the real Krabby Patties, but under a new name with a different taste. Mr. Krabs then leaps into the pile of money, right on top of Plankton, and makes money angels. SpongeBob joins him, but they stop when they hear Plankton's high-pitched screams. Mr. Krabs asks what that noise was, but SpongeBob did not hear it. They resume making money angels as the episode ends.

Production[]

The episode was confirmed and added to the US Copyright Office on March 12, 2012,[1] along with its sister episode "Home Sweet Rubble."

Art[]

Free Krabby Patties Stand sketch

Music[]

 ) Production music
 ) Original music
 ) SpongeBob music

  Greenhorn Rag - Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [title card]
  Light Conversation 1 Full Mix - Nicolas Carr, Barry Anthony [opening]
  Shop O Rama - Nicolas Carr, Fabian Fernandez [Plankton giving free samples of chum]
  Tension Bits - Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Everyone eats the chum.]
  Mystery Murder [#58] - Phillip Green [Everyone gets sick.]
  Mystery Murder [#60] - Phillip Green ["I had no idea the chum was this rotten."]
  Dramatic Cue (E) - Ronald Hanmer ["Hey, he's making a run for it!"]
  A Simple Conversation 1 - Nicolas Carr, Barry Anthony [Patrick enjoys the chum.]
  Hgliss & Bell - Nicolas Carr [Plankton gets an idea.]
  Shop O Rama - Nicolas Carr, Fabian Fernandez ["Free Krabby Patties!"]
  Who Said That- Jolly Good Fellow 2 - Nicolas Carr, Barry Anthony ["Hey, wait a minute."]
  Down in Davie Jones Locker - Nicolas Carr ["That wasn't me."]
  Straight from Hell - Gregor F. Narholz [Everyone gets sick.]
  Horror Cue 5 C - Gregor F. Narholz [Guy falls over.]
  Shoppers World - Harry Bluestone ["Krabby Patties, anyone?"]
  Horror Crash - Harry Lubin [Everyone vomits.]
  New Vibe Hits - Nicolas Carr [angry mob outside Krusty Krab]
  Muscovite Rebellion - David Arnold, Paul Hart ["You made those awful Krabby Patties what made my eyeballs fall out!"]
  Creeping Up [#63] - Harry Bluestone, Emil Cadkin ["What is going on out there?"]
  Hot Steel and Slide Licks 18 - Jeremy Wakefield [Mr. Krabs lowers the price by one cent.]
  Melodramatic Moments - Michael Bolger, Nicolas Carr [Mr. Krabs cries/"We simply give Krabby Patties away for fr..."]
  Cloak And Dagger [#70] - Phil Green ["Time? It's too soon!"]
  New Vibe Hits - Nicolas Carr ["I don't remember saying that."]
  Drama Link (D) - Hubert Clifford [Krabs screams/"No!"]
  Horror Strike [#45] - Harry Bluestone, Emil Cadkin ["It's for your own good, Eugene."]
  Hot Steel and Slide Licks 4B - Jeremy Wakefield [Mr. Krabs cries.]
  Zelle 501 - Gerhard Trede [Plankton spies on SpongeBob and Mr. Krabs.]
  Calliope Cavalcade - Nicolas Carr [calliope music]
  Hot Steel and Slide Licks 20A - Jeremy Wakefield [Squidward leaves.]
  Zelle 501 - Gerhard Trede [Plankton laughs]
  Broken Hearted Frycook - Michael Bolger, Nicolas Carr ["Not this time, boy."]
  Hgliss & Bell - Nicolas Carr [SpongeBob gets an idea.]
  Hot Steel and Slide Licks 16D - Jeremy Wakefield ["Well, only one thing left to do now."]
  Happy Sack Shanty - Michael Bolger, Nicolas Carr [five minutes later...]
  Variety Link (d) - Dick Stephen Walter [New Krabby Patties.]
  Desperate Situation - Phil Green ["No! Wait!"]
  Expectant Stab [#28] - Harry Bluestone, Emil Cadkin [Everyone gasps.]
  Birth of the Krabby Patty - Nicolas Carr ["This is the best thing I've ever put in my mouth!"]
  Greenhorn Rag - Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [everyone enjoying the "new" Krabby Patties]
  Light Conversation 1 No Percussion - Nicolas Carr, Barry Anthony ["Don't worry, Karen."]
  New Vibe Hits - Nicolas Carr [A dollar lands on Plankton]
  Greenhorn Rag - Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Plankton discovers SpongeBob winning money with the Krabby Patties.]
  Hot Steel and Slide Licks 1 - Jeremy Wakefield [Mr. Krabs sad]
  A Pinapple Luau Faster - Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [ending]

Release[]

Trivia[]

General[]

  • This episode premiered during the Two Whole Weeks of Never Before Seen SpongeBob event.
  • The title card background for this episode is similar to those of "Welcome to the Chum Bucket," "Enemy In-Law" "Skill Crane," "The Inmates of Summer," "Plankton's Regular," and "Krusty Krushers," except this one is light blue.
  • It is revealed in this episode that Patrick is one of the few characters who can handle eating chum.
  • Throughout the whole episode, SpongeBob and Mr. Krabs never found out that the whole situation was Plankton's fault. They never even see him throughout the episode, although they almost hear Plankton's voice at the end.
  • This is the third episode in which SpongeBob starts his own restaurant. The first was "Patty Hype" and the second was "The Other Patty."
  • This is the second episode where Mr. Krabs gives away Krabby Patties for free. The first was "Patty Caper."
  • This is the second episode in which Plankton wears a Krusty Krab employee hat, the first being "Chum Caverns."
  • This episode marks the third time SpongeBob calls Mr. Krabs by his first name, "Eugene." The first was in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie and the second was in "Selling Out."
  • This is one of the few episodes in which Plankton's nose is seen; it is shown when he smells the chum near the beginning of the episode.
  • The second half of the episode is a complete reverse of the first half. While Plankton gives out free rotten chum samples which the customers hate, he then makes chum disguised as Krabby Patties which causes the customers to hate the Krusty Krab. SpongeBob, on the other hand, tries to help Mr. Krabs give out free Krabby Patty samples themselves, but no customers come, and SpongeBob creates "new" Krabby Patties, which the customers love, and the Krusty Krab is saved. Both Plankton and SpongeBob also get ideas from their respective partners' comments (Karen and Mr. Krabs), and as the customers taste their samples, they both express that their plans are working.
  • This is the first episode to use the production track "Muscovite Rebellion" since the season 2 episode "No Free Rides."
  • When SpongeBob ties Mr. Krabs to the cinder blocks, he cannot move, but at the end of the episode, he can move and the cinder blocks are not tied to him anymore.
    • It is possible that SpongeBob or someone else removed the cinder blocks during the "Five Minutes Later" time card.
  • This is one of a few times SpongeBob wears his Krusty Krab employee hat throughout the entire episode.
  • Shoppers World, which was last heard in "The Battle of Bikini Bottom," returns in this episode.
  • Coincidentally, this, "For Here or to Go," and "Move It or Lose It" are all Mr. Krabs and Plankton-themed episodes that began production after each other. (#838 is "Move It," #839 is this, and #840 is "To Go")

Episode references[]

  • When Incidental 155's body parts fall off, bad word #11 from the episode "Sailor Mouth" can be heard as the remaining parts of his body fall on the ground.

Errors[]

  • Incidental 41 has two different voices in this episode.
  • When Plankton comes out of the sewer and gives people free patties, his evil laugh is silent. This error was fixed in most dubs.
Free Samples 070
  • When a crowd of fish surround the Krusty Krab as an angry mob, several of the incidental background fish have the wrong colors on them.
Free samples (errors)

Incidental 105's pink shirt.

  • In one scene, Incidental 105's shirt turns from red to pink and then back to red.
  • When SpongeBob slides under the angry customers into the Krusty Krab, the Chum Bucket is missing.


References[]

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