"Grooming Gary" is a SpongeBob SquarePants episode from season six. In this episode, SpongeBob enters Gary into a pet show.
Characters
- SpongeBob SquarePants
- Snails on the Pet Show Flyers
- Gary the Snail
- Perch Perkins
- Squidward Tentacles
- Jellyfish (cameo in painting)
- Harrison
- Muffsies the Snail (debut)
- Donna
- Donna's worm (debut)
- Fred
- Victoria the Snail (debut)
- Charles (debut)
- Foofie (debut)
- Patrick Star
- Mrs. Squiggles (debut)
- Mrs. Squiggles' owner (debut)
- Doris (debut)
- Kenney the Worm (debut)
- Kenney's owner (debut)
- Drake the Snail (debut)
- Drake's owner (debut)
- Thaddeus (Green with Light Blue Stripes)
- Other pets and pet owners
Synopsis
SpongeBob wakes up with multiple notes reminding him that the Bikini Bottom Pet Show is happening today. He checks his watch and sees that the show starts in an hour. He looks for Gary in multiple places such as in a news broadcast, and Squidward's bathtub. He then finds Gary in the library and goes over a checklist checking Gary's health. Gary then tries to leave without his shell, but SpongeBob finds him.
At the pet show, many people are preparing their pets for the pet show. SpongeBob notices how they treat their pets differently at the pet show. One fancy person starts describing how his pet is very fancy, while SpongeBob notices how Gary isn't so fancy. So SpongeBob decides to groom Gary properly for the pet show.
At SpongeBob's house, SpongeBob puts a wig, and a bow on Gary. SpongeBob then turns off the lights to reveal the final touch of having a glow and a dark paint on Gary. Gary then tries to leave again, but SpongeBob stops him and tries to convince him to go to the pet show with him. SpongeBob then puts a studded diamond collar on Gary.
Patrick arrives and asks what SpongeBob he is doing. SpongeBob asks for help, and he agrees. SpongeBob grabs Gary, and he and Patrick take Gary and puts him in the bathtub in order to brush his teeth. They then go to the pet show, and meet the fancy person they saw earlier. SpongeBob asks for his opinion on his pet Gary. The fancy person says there is one way to prove his pet's beauty which is winning the pet show. But he says it is unlikely, because he and his pet has won it the past five years.
They arrive at the pet show, and Patrick leaves because he can't get past the red rope which people who don't have pets have to stand behind. They then walk past many pets who are getting ready for the pet show. Gary tries to stop SpongeBob, but he fails. The judge begins to inspect the pets in the pet show. When its Gary's turn the judge tries to look in Gary's shell, but only to be bitten by Gary.
The pets getting aggressive
Gary then gets angry about expensive clothing and turn the Pet Contest into a Pet Riot. All the other pets began to burn all the clothes and attack their owners. One of the owners named Charles asked his pet Foofie why he is so angry and asked somebody who can understand what the pets are saying. SpongeBob explains what Gary is saying and said that the pets don't want to be in these pet shows because they want to be treated fair and want to be themselves instead of being treated like "rag dolls in scratchy outfits" and that caused the riot is over. However, it is Patrick that wins the pet show, probably because he wanted to see SpongeBob win the contest close-up.
Production
Music
| ( ‣ ) Associated production music |
| ( • ) Original music |
| ( ◦ ) SpongeBob music |
‣ Wahini Wobble - Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Opening]
‣ Vibe Sting - Nicolas Carr ["Gary?"]
‣ Drama Link (d) - Hubert Clifford [SpongeBob looking for Gary]
‣ Bikini Bottom News Theme - Nicolas Carr [news on TV]
‣ Drama Link (d) - Hubert Clifford [SpongeBob looking for Gary at Squidward's bathroom]
‣ Nude Sting - Nicolas Carr [Squidward kicks SpongeBob out]
‣ Harp Ding - Nicolas Carr ["Gary, there you are."]
‣ Earl's Revenge - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [testing slime viscosity]
‣ Shock (f) - Dave Hewson [undercarriage check]
‣ Steel Licks (a) - Jeremy Wakefield [Gary tries to leave]
‣ Steel Licks - Jeremy Wakefield ["I'll carry your shell."]
‣ Curtain-Raiser - Alan Braden [at the pet show]
‣ Nude Sting - Nicolas Carr [closeup of Gary's eyes]
‣ ? [diamond-studded leash]
‣ Final Summit A - Mladen Franko ["But no longer."]
‣ ? ["Enough dilly-dallying."]
‣ Lap Steel - Nicolas Carr [back at home]
‣ Steel Licks - Jeremy Wakefield ["Oh, you're like a little cuddly present."]
‣ Unknown Track 39 - Nicolas Carr [glow-in-the-dark paint]
‣ Steel Licks (d) - Jeremy Wakefield ["Gary, wait, we got to go back to the pet show."]
‣ Harp Ding - Nicolas Carr [diamond-studded collar]
‣ Goofy Conversation - Nicolas Carr, Barry Anthony [brushing Gary's teeth]
‣ Starlight Flight - Magnum Opus ["Let's go win our battle, Foof."]
‣ Unknown Track 41 - "This is it, Gary. This is our time to shine."
‣ Fruity Flute - Harry Bluestone [everyone grooming their pets]
‣ Hawaiian Cocktail - Richard Myhill ["I'm all alone behind this rope!"]
‣ Fruity Flute - Harry Bluestone ["There it is, Mrs. Squiggles, your new hairdo."]
‣ Vibe Sting - Nicolas Carr [Gary biting the leash]
‣ Fruity Flute - Harry Bluestone ["Now let's try this cape."]
‣ Unknown Track 47 - Gary resisting
‣ Steel Sting (c) - Jeremy Wakefield ["There you go."]
‣ Fashionable Enclosure - Phillip Green [pets judged]
‣ Footsteps of Horror - William Farran [Gary bites judge]
‣ Revolution - Paul Hart, David Arnold [Gary makes a speech]
‣ House of Horror - William Farran [pet riot]
‣ It Is Never Too Late [#56.02] - Gregor Narholz [SpongeBob translates Gary's speech]
‣ Final Summit A - Mladen Franko [SpongeBob finishes translating Gary's speech]
‣ State Processional - Barrie Hingley [Trophy awarded to SpongeBob]
‣ Steel Sting (a) - Jeremy Wakefield [ending]
Release
- This episode is available on the SpongeBob's To SquarePants or Not to SquarePants, Season 6 Volume 1, Complete Sixth Season, and Next 100 Episodes DVDs.
Reception
- As of June 18, 2019, The Internet Movie Database (IMDB) gives this episode a rating of 7.0/10 based on 194 ratings by users.[1] TV.com users give this episode a rating of 7.5/10 based on 98 votes.[2]
Trivia
General
- This is the second episode where SpongeBob searches for Gary in Squidward's bathtub. The first is "Have You Seen This Snail?"
Cultural references
- A parody of Mary Poppins is shown when Charles and Foofie glide via umbrella.
Errors
- The TV closed-captions misspell Foofie as "Foofy."
- One time when Gary talks to the other pets, he has arms, but in the next scene, he does not.
- While Muffsies' owner is backing away from her, the snail is not Muffsies; it is Victoria.
- The fact that SpongeBob is the only one who can understand Gary is not true, as other characters have understood him numerous times throughout the series.
- The pets' owners change throughout the episode.
Running gags
- Whenever Gary is given an undercarriage check, he bites the person doing it.
