"Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy II" is a SpongeBob SquarePants episode from season 1. In this episode, SpongeBob spends a day on the town with his heroes.
Characters[]
- French Narrator
- SpongeBob SquarePants
- Realistic Fish Head
- Mermaid Man
- Barnacle Boy
- Jumbo Shrimp (debut as a cardboard cutout)
- Sinister Slug (debut as a cardboard cutout)
- Atomic Flounder (debut)
- Gary the Snail
- Sprat Morty
- Incidentals
- John
- Incidental 27 (deleted scene)
- Incidental 41 (deleted scenes)
- Incidental 42 (deleted scenes; storyboard)
- Incidental 49 (deleted scene)
- Incidental 85
- Incidental 92
- Incidental 93
- Cafeteria lady 1
- Dirty Bubble (debut)
- King Neptune (mentioned)
Synopsis[]
The episode begins on one Saturday morning, SpongeBob is watching his favorite show, The Adventures of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, while eating Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy Bran Flakes. He has entered a competition and is listening to see if he has won the mystery prize. The announcer pronounces the winner as "SpringBoob SquirePin," for his life-sized Krabby Patty mannequins of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy. SpongeBob calls out that "SpringBoob SquirePin" stole his idea before the announcer announces that he has made a "slight" error in pronunciation and that the real winner is indeed SpongeBob SquarePants.
Within seconds, SpongeBob's prize is delivered to him. SpongeBob has won the conch signal, a conch which has a noise that is a signal which Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy respond to. SpongeBob blows the shell and Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy hear it from Shady Shoals Rest Home, springing into action. When they arrive at SpongeBob's house, Mermaid Man at first thinks that SpongeBob has been disfigured before Barnacle Boy recognizes him and points it out to his crimefighting partner. SpongeBob explains to the duo that he won the Conch Signal in a contest and that there is no danger; he is simply seeing if works. They then explain to him the importance of the signal and tell him that he must only use it for major emergencies.
Later on, Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy hear the conch once again while showering and rush to SpongeBob's house, where he appears to be dead on the floor. However, he then reveals that he simply is having trouble opening a jar of mayonnaise. Barnacle Boy is annoyed by this, but Mermaid Man reminds him that emergencies do not come around as often as they used to, and he tells SpongeBob that he can blow the conch "every once in a while." However, SpongeBob ends up constantly calling Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy to help him with normal everyday tasks. Eventually, the two heroes are exhausted, and Barnacle Boy confiscates the item and yells at SpongeBob, who is now in tears and apologizing, explaining that he just wanted to spend time with them. Barnacle Boy ignores his pleas and attempts to destroy the conch signal using his iconic 'Sulfur Vision' but cannot bring himself to do so out of weariness.
Mermaid Man stops him from scolding SpongeBob and tells SpongeBob that the conch signal is too great of a responsibility for him. Instead, they let SpongeBob join them on their daily patrol, with SpongeBob dressed as a superhero.
They do various activities, such as keeping lookout from on top of a tall building. While patrolling the streets in the invisible boatmobile, Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy see an old man, who was once the Atomic Flounder. The two joke about how he could possibly return to villainy before SpongeBob attacks the old man, taking the joke seriously. They stop him as he states his misconception, not understanding that the man is no longer a villain or threat. Angered by this revelation, the former Atomic Flounder pushes SpongeBob off of him as he yells at the heroes and blows atomic breath in Barnacle Boy's face, disintegrating it. The fumed old man then storms off from the heroes.
"Are you up for another ride in the invisible boatmobile?"
At a diner, SpongeBob asks Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy what they will do the next day before they ask SpongeBob to find their theme song on a jukebox. As he tries to find it, they both remark he is a good kid but a pain and decide to "ditch" SpongeBob. Outside, however, they are attacked and trapped by their nemesis, the Dirty Bubble. When SpongeBob finally finds the song, which is the special dance mix version, he comes outside to tell them and sees their predicament. He asks the Dirty Bubble for his autograph, saying that he is his favorite super villain, and accidentally pops the Dirty Bubble with the tip of the pencil, saving the day.
The trio then ride off in the invisible boatmobile and closes the episode singing a Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy-themed version of "Jingle Bells."
Production[]
This episode's complete storyboard was finished on June 3, 1999.[4]
Script[]
- On November 14, 2016, recording scripts for every episode from season 1 were publicly released, found on one of the asset discs for the PlayStation video game, SuperSponge. This included the recording script for "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy II"[5]
Art[]
Cels[]
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Model sheets[]
Storyboards[]
Music[]
| ( ‣ ) Production music |
| ( • ) Original music |
| ( ◦ ) SpongeBob music |
‣ Super Hero - Tony Hymas [Title card]
‣ Hawaiian Link (B) - Richard Myhill [opening]
‣ Timpani - Rolls (k) - Gary Kettel [TV show starts]
‣ Arizona Fanfare - Jack Shaindlin [TV show starts]
‣ Caped Crusader - David Farnon [Knocking down cardboard cutouts]
‣ Life on the Wild Side - Sam Spence [Contest winner announced]
‣ Timpani - Rolls (k) - Gary Kettel [Timpani as the winner is announced]
‣ Timpani Glissando (b) - Gary Kettel ["SpringBoob SquirePin."]
‣ Life on the Wild Side - Sam Spence ["For these life-size Krabby Patty mannequins of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy."]
‣ Timpani - Rolls (k) - Gary Kettel [Timpani as the real winner is announced]
• Snare Roll - Nicolas Carr [Drum roll]
‣ Life on the Wild Side - Sam Spence ["SpongeBob SquarePants!"]
‣ Hymn of Achievement - Gregor F. Narholz [SpongeBob's prize]
‣ Caped Crusader - David Farnon [SpongeBob blowing the conch signal]
‣ Bat Stabs - David Farnon [Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy stop in midair]
‣ Caped Crusader - David Farnon [Looking for invisible boatmobile]
‣ The Lineman - Sam Spence [Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy drive the invisible boatmobile to SpongeBob's house/Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy arrive at SpongeBob's house]
‣ Mourners D - Zsofia Taller ["He's been horribly disfigured!"]
‣ Exciting Action B - Mladen Franko ["All right, where's the danger, son?"]
‣ Vibe Link (B) - Richard Myhill ["No danger?"]
‣ Facing the Challenge [#13] - Gregor F. Narholz ["The conch signal is an awesome responsibility."]
‣ The Lineman - Sam Spence ["The conch signal!"]
‣ Beautiful Moonlit Night - Carl Maria Von Weber, George Wilson ["Oh, youth... cut down in its prime!"]
• Closing Theme 2 - Steve Belfer [Opening a jar of mayonnaise]
‣ Secret Service - Syd Dale [Conch signal montage]
‣ Hawaiian Cocktail - Richard Myhill [SpongeBob cries]
‣ South Pacific Island II - Victor Cavini ["Don't squash his enthusiasm."]
‣ The Lineman - Sam Spence ["To the invisible boatmobile!"]
‣ World in Action - Laurie Johnson [Origami]
‣ Life on the Wild Side - Sam Spence [Patrolling the city/"...just like that."]
• Seaweed 2 - Steve Belfer [Atomic Flounder]
‣ Hawaiian Link (A) - Richard Myhill [Exterior of diner]
‣ Hawaiian Hula - Terry Day [Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy ditch SpongeBob]
‣ Dramatic Encounter - Gregor F. Narholz ["What's the matter?"]
‣ Triumphant Return 2 [#28.02] - Gregor F. Narholz ["But I can't let my heroes down!"]
‣ House Of Horror [#10.3] - W. Merrick Farran [Dirty Bubble introduced]
‣ Police Car - Sam Spence [Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy trapped inside Dirty Bubble]
‣ Dangerous B - Mladen Franko ["Oh no, you fool, stay back!"]
‣ Moloka'i Nui A - Kapono Beamer ["You saved us, son!"]
‣ Police Car - Sam Spence [End sting]
Release[]
The GIF used to promote the episode, referring to it as "the world's wettest webcast," with a recording of SpongeBob saying he's ready used as background audio.[6]
- Almost a year prior to the episode's premiere on television, the episode was available for download as a part of a "guerilla" marketing campaign with music distribution website Music.com, debuting on April 26, 2000. Nickelodeon executives conceived and executed the plan "to pull the young-adult audience--and curry more interest from kids 2-11," after the show had proven to be a success on college campuses. The episode ran alongside a five-week T-shirt campaign, which had sold 80,000 T-shirts by May 8. The campaign concluded on May 10, 2000, projected to have 5,000 hits on the site by the end of its run.[1] This episode made its American television debut on AFN, a week prior to its premiere on Nickelodeon.
Broadcast[]
Distribution[]
- This episode is available on the Lost at Sea, Complete 1st Season, Hooky, Fools in April, Le Avventure Di Waterman & Supervista!, Beach Bob, Aaarg!, First 100 Episodes, Turned into Hero?!, Exposed!: The Ultimate Box Set, The Ultimate SpongeBob Box Set, SpongeBob SquarePants Vol. 2, The Complete First Season, Mermaid Man & Barnacle Boy: Defenders of the Deep, From the Beginning, Part 1, The SpongeBob SquarePants Collection, SpongeBob on DVD, The SpongeBob SquarePants 8 Season DVD Collection, The Adventures of SpongeBob SquarePants, The First & Second Seasons, Movies & TV Collection, The Best 200 Episodes Ever, SpongeBob SquarePants Triple Pack, and The Best 300 Episodes Ever DVDs and SpongeBob SquarePants Volume 3 on GBA Video and on VideoNow.
- This episode is also available on the Lost at Sea and Anchors Away VHS tapes.
Trivia[]
General[]
- This was the final episode for a few things:
- With the packaging code of 20b, this was the final season 1 segment to be completed and the last season 1 episode to be aired.
- This was the last episode to use traditional cel animation in both airing and packaging order, if counting the reused footage from "Ugh," "The Sponge Who Could Fly," and "20,000 Patties Under the Sea." However, the last episode produced using the animation is "Sleepy Time."
- This episode was originally titled "Twenty-five Words or Less" or "25 Words or Less."[7]
- In this episode, the Atomic Flounder appears as an actual flounder. However, in "The Bad Guy Club for Villains," he appears as a mutant.
- In this episode Barnacle Boy claims to oppose the Invisible Boatmobile being invisible, despite him having been upset with SpongeBob and Patrick for trying to make it visible in "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy."
A slipper or Gary covering Mermaid Man's crotch as a form of censorship.
- This is the first episode for several things:
- The first time on the show there is censorship. When Mermaid Man comes to SpongeBob's house to open a jar of mayonnaise, he is naked except for having his slippers on. When he is rushing into the room, one of his slippers is covering his crotch. Then once he stops in place, Gary just so happens to be in front of his crotch. Barnacle Boy quickly proceeds to grab a towel to put it over his crotch and then Gary moves out of the way.
- However, there is slight censorship in "Nature Pants," such as when SpongeBob tells Patrick and Sandy that he's better off in Jellyfish Fields, there is a tuft of grass covering his crotch.
- The first Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy episode to not have "The Lineman" as the title card music.
- The first Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy episode that does not feature Patrick.
- The first Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy episode that does not feature Squidward.
- The first episode to be a sequel to another episode.
- The first appearance of the Mermalair.
- The first time on the show there is censorship. When Mermaid Man comes to SpongeBob's house to open a jar of mayonnaise, he is naked except for having his slippers on. When he is rushing into the room, one of his slippers is covering his crotch. Then once he stops in place, Gary just so happens to be in front of his crotch. Barnacle Boy quickly proceeds to grab a towel to put it over his crotch and then Gary moves out of the way.
- This is the only episode for a few things:
- The only Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy episode in the first three seasons where the title card has purple scales. The other four have blue-indigo scales on the title card. "Mermaid Man & Barnacle Boy VI: The Motion Picture" and all subsequent episodes centered around the duo have completely different title card designs.
- The only episode where the diner is shown to have a red flag.
- The only time that the Dirty Bubble is voiced by Charles Nelson Reilly in an episode, six years before his death in 2007; it is unknown why he did not reprise his role in "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy V," which was also produced and aired during his lifetime. However, Reilly did return as the character in the video game Lights, Camera, Pants!.
- The Atomic Flounder is the only villain on SpongeBob SquarePants who is shown to have visibly aged as much as Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy.
The only time Charles Nelson Reilly is credited as the Dirty Bubble in the main series.
- There is an online game based on this episode called Dirty Bubble Busters.
- This episode reunites Ernest Borgnine and Charles Nelson Reilly as they were previously cast together as Carface Caruthers and Killer respectively in All Dogs Go to Heaven: The Series, a TV series spin-off based on the 1989 film.
Dub facts[]
- In the Latin Spanish dub, this was the last episode that Kaihiamal Martinez voiced SpongeBob before Luis Carreño began voicing his character in season 2.
- His last episode that would oversee airing would be "Arrgh!"/"Rock Bottom," as these episodes were held six years after this episode's airing on Nickelodeon Latin America, before his leaving.
Cultural references[]
- The conch signal is a reference to the conch trumpet used by Triton in Greek mythology.
- It is also a loose reference to Batman's Bat-Signal.
- The "Jingle Bells" song is a parody of a Batman and Robin-themed version of "Jingle Bells," of whom Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy are respective parodies.
- The Atomic Flounder's radioactive breath is a reference to the Japanese film monster Godzilla.
Errors[]
- When Mermaid Man tells SpongeBob that the conch signal is too much responsibility for him, the television in his house shows a solid red screen instead of a black screen or a moving picture.
Headband error.
- In one frame, SpongeBob's eyes are covered by his headband.
- A similar error happens in the dining scene, where the headband covers up the edges of SpongeBob's eyes. In the same frame, his eyelashes are missing.
- Towards the end of the episode, when SpongeBob, Mermaid Man, and Barnacle Boy are singing the "Jingle Bells" parody, the latter's mouth does not move when they turn past the rock, even though he is singing.
- When Mermaid Man says "The conch signal!" the right side of his belt turns orange for a split second.
Names in other languages[]
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| French | Le retour de l'Homme Sirène | The Return of Mermaid Man |
| German | Rückkehr der Superhelden | Return of the Superheroes |
| Italian | Le avventure di Waterman & Supervista | The Adventures of Mermaid Man & Barnacle Boy |
| Russian | Морской Супермен и Очкарик 2 Morskoy Supermen i Ochkarik 2 |
Sea Superman and Four-Eyes 2 |
| Spanish (Latin America) | Tritón y el Niño Percebe II | Triton and Barnacle Boy II |
| Spanish (Spain) | Tritón Man y el Chico Percebe II | Triton Man and Barnacle Boy II |
References[]
- ^ a b Mediaweek - May 8, 2000 (p. 61) - "SpongeBob Soaks Up Campus Life."
- ^ Cable Guide (UK) February 2001 - pg. 110
- ^ Date confirmed by SpongeBob Exposed!, The First 100 Episodes, and the iTunes listing.
- ^ File:ECltK-xU4AEPI5 .jpeg
- ^ SpongeBob SquarePants: SuperSponge Development Archives - Internet Archive
- ^ Music.com (archive, April 7, 2000)
- ^ SpongeBob SquarePants Season 1 - Nick.com
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