Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy

If you were looking for the article about the comic book, then see Mermaid Man & Barnacle Boy.

Template:Episode/6a

Characters

• TV Narrator
• Mermaid Man ^(debut)
• Barnacle Boy ^(debut)
• Hammerhead Shark
• Fish
• Clam Head Candy Cad ^(debut)
• Baby
• King Neptune ^(mentioned)
• SpongeBob SquarePants
  • Purse lady ^(debut)
  • Mermaid Pants ^(debut)
• Patrick Star
  • Thief ^(debut)
  • Barnacle Star ^(debut)
• Squidward Tentacles
• Reflecto ^(mentioned)
• Jellyfish
• Sea urchins
• Shady Shoals caretaker ^(debut)
• Old Man Jenkins ^{(wheelchair; blue) (debut)}
• Edna ^(debut)
• Elderly shark ^(debut)
• Richard ^(debut)
• Old Sailor
• Orange senior ^(debut)
• Mable the Gray Fish ^(debut)
• Cafeteria workers ^(debut)
• Mable ^(debut)
• Dennis ^(debut)
• Man Ray ^(mentioned)
• Sylvester ^(debut)
• Lonnie ^(debut)
• Miss Shell ^(debut)
• The Chief ^(mentioned)
• Old Man Walker ^(debut)

File:Barnacle Boy and SpongeBob.jpg

Barnacle Boy tells SpongeBob he won't come out of retirement.

File:Screenshot 142.png

WHAT IS GOING ON IN HERE?!

Synopsis

While pestering Squidward and calling him Reflecto, SpongeBob and Patrick find out that their heroes, Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, are in fact living in the Shady Shoals underwater

File:RichardinMermaidManandBarnacleBoy.jpg

Lunch line at Shady Shoals

retirement home, and they then attempt to bring Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy out of retirement, much to the annoyance of the geriatric Bikini Bottom superheroes who only want their TV to get fixed. Patrick and SpongeBob are constantly thrown out of the retirement home by the working caretaker. SpongeBob and Patrick go through all kinds of hilarious antics, including painting the boatmobile to faking a purse robbery, to reunite their superhero pals and eventually succeed, thereby creating Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy's new show: The New Adventures of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy.

The phone gets broken, and when Mermaid Man hangs up the phone, a comic book bubble appears and dramatizes the words "HANG UP!" When Mermaid Man sits down, the bubble appears again and says "SIT!!" Will our heroes ever get their phone fixed? Tune in next week and find out. And when SpongeBob winks, the bubble appears again, saying "WINK!" right before the episode ends.

Production

Art

Unused shot of SpongeBob's hand with a donut

Unused shot of a cherry pie

Early MermaidMan and BarnacleBoy Artwork

Music

( ‣ ) Production music

( • ) Original music

( ◦ ) SpongeBob music

 ‣ The Lineman - Sam Spence [Title card]

 ‣ Arizona Fanfare - Jack Shaindlin [opening]
 ‣ The Adventure Begins - Jonathan Neal [SpongeBob and Patrick dressed as Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy]
 ‣ Enter the Villain - Chris Payne, Paul Rogers ["Reflecto, up to no good!"]
 ‣ Super Hero - Tony Hymas ["Donuts!"]
 ‣ Call to Destiny (a) - Ron Goodwin ["Creatures of the deep, assemble!"]
 ‣ Police Car - Sam Spence [a jellyfish appears]
 ‣ Death Trap - Gregor F. Narholz ["Reflecto has found our secret lab!"]
 ‣ Super Hero - Tony Hymas ["Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy reunite!"]
 ‣ Hawaiian Link (b) - Richard Myhill [rest home exterior]
 ‣ Seaweed - Steve Belfer [Mermaid Man, Barnacle Boy watching TV]
 ‣ War Agitato - Jack Shaindlin [Mermaid Man panics/Mermaid Man panics again]
 ‣ Hymn of Achievement [#7.03] - Gregor F. Narholz [SpongeBob's speech about old people]
 ‣ Queen's Aloha Oe B - Kapono Beamer, Queen Lili'uokalani [lunch]
 ‣ You're Nice - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield ["Do you remember when the food supply in Atlantis was running low?"]
 ‣ Wedding Procession - Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Leslie Pearson [SpongeBob kicked out]
 ‣ Hawaiian Link (a) - Richard Myhill [later...]
 ‣ Sweet Annabelle - Sam Fonteyn [SpongeBob dressed as a lady]
 ‣ Blackbeard - Sam Fonteyn [Patrick dressed as a burglar]
 ‣ Blood in the Gutter - Laurie Johnson [Mermaid Man sleeping with eyes open]
 ‣ SpongeBob Closing Theme - Steve Belfer, Nicolas Carr [painting the Invisible Boatmobile]
 ‣ War Agitato - Jack Shaindlin ["Evil!"]
 ‣ Arizona Fanfare - Jack Shaindlin [fanfare]
 ‣ The Lineman - Sam Spence [water balls/"Sea creatures, attack!"]
 ‣ Moloka'i Nui (a) - Kapono Beamer ["I feel five years younger."]
 ‣ Arizona Fanfare - Jack Shaindlin [SpongeBob and Patrick watching the new show]
 ‣ Caped Crusader - David Farnon [Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy playing checkers]
 ‣ Police Car - Sam Spence [sting at end]

Release

• This episode is available on the Tales from the Deep, 10 Happiest Moments, Absorbing Favorites, The Adventures of SpongeBob SquarePants, Complete 1st Season, First 100 Episodes, The First & Second Seasons, Movies & TV Collection, The Best 200 Episodes Ever, and Hall Monitor DVDs.

Reception

• "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy" was ranked #37 during the Best Day Ever event from November 9–10, 2006.
• Currently retired critic Paul Pritchard of the DVD Verdict, in a review of 10 Happiest Moments, said that this episode "stood out" for him from the rest, by calling it "the perfect encapsulation of everything that makes SpongeBob great." He also praised Mermaid Man for getting "some of the funniest lines in SpongeBob history."

Trivia

General

• This episode marks the first appearance of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy.
• This episode marks the first time we see SpongeBob in drag.
• Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy have five fingers as youngsters, though as elders, they have four.
• When SpongeBob and Patrick are first asking the man at the front desk to see Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, an article on the inside of his newspaper reads, "School Drop Out Rate Soars." This has double meaning because "school" is also the name of a group of fish.
  • This is also referenced in "Spin the Bottle."
• The old captain is played by the man who guards the gates at Nickelodeon Animation Studio in Burbank, California. He is also the inspiration for the character "Old Kid" from Invader Zim.
• When Mermaid Man picks up the phone during the game of checkers, the phone's ringtone is the same sound effect used for number 11 of the 13 bad words in "Sailor Mouth."
• This is the only episode in which the Mermalair is called the Sea Cave.
• This is the first episode of the Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy series.
• This is the first episode to use music from the NFL, "The Lineman," which was used in most of the Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy episodes.
• Before SpongeBob and Patrick are watching TV, when Mermaid Man talks with Barnacle Boy, there are two Old Man Jenkins, green and blue.
• This episode marks the first appearance of Shady Shoals Rest Home.
• This episode contains the first mention of Man Ray, although, he wasn't seen until "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy III."
• During a tribute to Ernest Borgnine, this episode was paired with "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy II."
• The sequels to this episode used the same title card art until "Mermaid Man & Barnacle Boy VI: The Motion Picture."
• This episode premiered on Stephen Hillenburg's 38th birthday.
• Atlantis is first mentioned in this episode before making its first actual appearance in the episode "Neptune's Spatula."
• This is the only Mermaid Man And Barnacle Boy episode that aired in 1999.

Cultural references

• Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy are parodies of both Aquaman and Aqualad and Batman and Robin.
• The Adventures of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy is a parody of the Batman TV show from the 1960s as well as that of Filmation's Aquaman animated series. The title for MM&BB is also similar to the Aquaman title card, with the whirlpool and all.
• Young Mermaid Man here looks almost exactly like Aquaman, except with a star on his nose.
• The Aquaphone is a parody of the Bat Phone from Batman.
• The invisible boatmobile is a parody of both Wonder Woman's Invisible Jet and the Batmobile.
• Reflecto is a parody of Electro.
• The Sea Cave is a reference to the Batcave.
• When SpongeBob and Patrick are performing the "Burglar" attempt, the way SpongeBob says help, (Hay-ulp!) is a direct reference to The Perils of Penelope Pitstop, in which Penelope Pitstop's catchphrase is that exact line.

Errors

• When Patrick takes the doughnut from the box, it is orange, but when they "unite," it is replaced with the chocolate one which was left in the box. After that scene, it changes to the normal doughnut again.
  • Then when they reunite again, it goes back to chocolate.
• When Mermaid Man hears SpongeBob say, "There's evil afoot!" and goes crazy and hugs a coral and says, "Barnacle Boy! Come quick! I've got the evil!" the captions read, "Barnacle Boy! Don't forget there's evil!" In the same scene, when Mermaid Man sprays himself with a water fountain and shouts, "Death ray!" the captions read, "Disgrace!"
• After Patrick takes SpongeBob's purse and peers out from behind the building, the purse is seen floating beside him.
• Barnacle Boy puts the wrong ring on Mermaid Man's hand.
• After Mermaid Man says the oath, both his and Barnacle Boy's rings disappear.
• When Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy say "Dog paddle, away!" and start dog paddling, Mermaid Man's socks are missing. Afterwards, they return.
• When Mermaid Man says "Up, up, and away" while rocking, Barnacle Boy appears to be saying it too, but with no voice.
• In this episode, Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy are revealed to have come out of retirement but in later episodes they seem to be still staying in Shady Shoals, such as in "Night Light," "Mermaid Man & Barnacle Boy VI: The Motion Picture" and "Shuffleboarding."
• When Mermaid Man says "To the broccoli!," his right bra strap turns orange for a split second.
• After Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy say "Dog Paddle away!" Mermaid Man is not wearing tights.
• When Mable comes outside after Mermaid Man says, "sea creatures assemble," the bottom of her cane flashes white for two different frames.
• In the GBA video SpongeBob SquarePants Volume 2 episode menu, the episode is mistakenly named "Mermaidman."
• When Patrick says"It's too bad they're old, when discussing Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, captions say"It's too bad their old."

Running gags

• Mermaid Man screaming "EVILLL!," SpongeBob and Barnacle Boy saying "There's evil afoot!," and the winking old man.

References

Awards and nominations for SpongeBob SquarePants V • E Golden Reel Awards Best Sound Editing in Television Animation – Music Nominees: Stephen Hillenburg, Donna Castricone, Nicholas R. Jennings, Alan Smart, Peter Burns, Doug Lawrence, Derek Drymon, Alex Gordon, Donna Grillo, Jennie Monica, Krandal Crews, Jim Leber, Justin Brinsfield, Tony Ostyn, Nicolas Carr (for "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy"/"Pickles;" 2000) • Nicolas Carr (for "Fools in April"/"Neptune's Spatula" in 2001; for "Jellyfish Hunter"/"The Fry Cook Games" in 2002; for "Wet Painters"/"Krusty Krab Training Video" in 2003; for "The Great Snail Race"/"Mid-Life Crustacean" in 2004) • Jimmy Lifton, D.J. Lynch, Jeff Hutchins, Tony Ostyn and Paulette Lifton (for "Mid-Life Crustacean;" 2004) Best Sound Editing in Television Animation – Sound Nominees: Nicolas Carr (for "Karate Choppers;" 2000) • Andrea Anderson, Jimmy Lifton, Monette Holderer, D.J. Lynch, Vincent Gutisetti, Jeff Hutchins and Gabriel Rosas (for "Rock Bottom"/"Arrgh!;" 2001) Best Sound Editing in Television – Animation Nominees: Timothy J. Borquez, Jeff Hutchins and Daisuke Sawa (for "The Secret Box"/"Band Geeks;" 2002) Best Sound Editing in Television Animation Nominees: Jimmy Lifton, Jeff Hutchins, Tony Ostyn and Chris Gresham (for "Nasty Patty"/"Idiot Box;" 2003) Best Sound Editing in Television: Animated Nominees: Jimmy Lifton, Nicolas Carr, D.J. Lynch, Jeff Hutchins, Tony Ostyn, Chris Gresham and Paulette Lifton (for "Pranks a Lot"/"SpongeBob Meets the Strangler;" 2005) • Vincent Gutisetti, Jimmy Lifton, Nicolas Carr, Monique Reymond, D.J. Lynch, Mark Howlett, Jeff Hutchins, Aran Tanchum, Mishelle Smith and Paulette Lifton (for "Have You Seen This Snail?;" 2006) • Nicolas Carr, Mishelle Fordham, Monette Becktold, Jeff Hutchins, Timothy J. Borquez, Tom Syslo, Jason Stiff, Tony Orozco and Kimberlee Vanek (for "SpongeHenge;" 2008) Best Sound Editing: Television Animation Nominees: : Chiho Oyamada Carr, Nicolas Carr, Mishelle Fordham, Daisuke Sawa, Monette Becktold, Jeff Hutchins, Timothy J. Borquez, Tom Syslo, Eric Freeman, Dan Cubert, Lawrence Reyes, Jason Stiff, Tony Orozco and Kimberlee Vanek (for "Suction Cup Symphony;" 2009) • Chino Oyamada Carr, Nicolas Carr, Mishelle Fordham, Monette Becktold, Jeff Hutchins, Timothy J. Borquez, Eric Freeman, Tom Syslo, Keith Dickens, Jason Stiff, Sergio Silva, Tony Orozco and Kimberlee Vanek (for "SpongeBob SquarePants vs. The Big One;" 2010) Best Sound Editing – Sound Effects, Foley, Dialogue and ADR Animation in Television Nominees: Devon Bowman, Justin Brinsfield, Nicolas Carr, Andrea Anderson, Mishelle Fordham, Monette Becktold, Jeff Hutchins, Eric Freeman, Tony Orozco and Danny Tchibinda (for "Gary's New Toy;" 2013) • Mishelle Fordham, Monette Becktold, Jeff Hutchins, Timothy J. Borquez, Tom Syslo, Eric Freeman, Bobby Crew, Keith Dickens, Gabriel Rossas and Tony Orozco (for "It's a SpongeBob Christmas!;" 2013)