"Pablum Plankton" is a SpongeBob SquarePants episode from season 15. In this episode, Plankton wins a "cutest baby" contest and becomes the face of a baby food brand.
Characters[]
- Sheldon J. Plankton
- Karen Plankton
- Squilliam Fancyson (cameo)
- SpongeBob SquarePants
- Announcer fish
- Eugene H. Krabs
- Patrick Star (pictured)
- Squidward Tentacles (pictured)
- Spot (pictured)
- Bubble Bass (cameo)
- Whale babies (single appearance)
- Moby (single appearance)
- Whale dad (single appearance)
- Male whale Bottomite (single appearance)
- Female whale Bottomite (single appearance)
- Incidentals
- Steven
- Incidental 6
- Incidental 8
- Incidental 10
- Incidental 12
- Incidental 14
- Carol
- Incidental 27
- Incidental 34
- Incidental 35
- Harold
- Scooter
- Incidental 41
- Judy
- Incidental 46
- Incidental 48
- Incidental 49
- Incidental 64
- Incidental 67
- Incidental 68
- Incidental 73KID
- Old Man Walker (pictured)
- Mary
- Incidental 110
Synopsis[]
Plankton is working in his lab when he overhears SpongeBob and Karen laughing loudly, distracting him. Angered, Plankton goes in to see that they are looking through his adorable baby photos. He confiscates the pictures out of embarrassment, and SpongeBob picks up one left behind, wanting to prove to Plankton that he was a cute baby.
A commercial for Baleen Baby, a brand of food for baby whales, is shown. It is then revealed that Plankton won their Cutest Baby Contest, with his image being put on the jars. Plankton refuses to listen and goes out to buy robot oil, where he sees everyone at the Barg'N-Mart being unusually nice to him and admiring him for something. Walking outside, he sees imagery of his baby pictures plastered and advertised everywhere. He returns to the Chum Bucket and yells at Karen for violating his privacy, where she explains it was SpongeBob's idea to send the pictures in.
Plankton recruits SpongeBob to cover up all the Baleen Baby billboard and signs in town by painting over them. Then, they buy all the food and merchandise from the store, drive out into the desert, and bury it. They are approached by a mob of hungry whale babies, with Plankton telling SpongeBob to feed them to get them to go away. SpongeBob reads the label and sees that Baleen Baby is made of plankton, meaning the whales are trying to eat him. They run back throughout town, being chased by even more whales. The hypnotic song of the whales transforms SpongeBob into one as well.
Plankton barricades himself in the Chum Bucket and escapes into a giant barrel of chum. When SpongeBob falls in, he wakes up from his hypnosis. A baby whale retrieves Plankton from the chum and tries to eat him, but is disgusted by the taste and spits him out. Plankton leaves the Chum Bucket, where the Baleen Baby spokesperson gives him a huge sum of money for winning the contest. Before he accepts, the baby whales come out and say that baby plankton tastes like chum, making the spokesperson choose the second-best baby photos: Mr. Krabs's, which causes him to be carried on the shoulders of his customers. SpongeBob explains that he also sent in Krabs' baby photos, specifically one of him at the beach being wedgied by a worm. Plankton is shocked by this, but find it adorable, but not before being run over by a bus, which has a picture of baby Krabs on it advertising the baby food.
Production[]
This episode was in production in March 2024, as that was when Chase Mack would freelance on the series. [1]
This episode was confirmed by Cartoonlounge.de on August 4, 2024.[2]
Music[]
| ( ‣ ) Production music |
| ( • ) Original music |
| ( ◦ ) SpongeBob music |
‣ Hula Festival - George Elliott [Title card.]
• ? - Nicolas Carr [SpongeBob and Karen laughing.]
• Sophisticated Conversation - Nicolas Carr, Daniel Stimac [Plankton's baby pictures.]
• Lap Steel-spce_01 - Nicolas Carr [Karen spills coffee.]
‣ Buying Spree - William Loose [Baleen Baby commercial.]
• Rocket Launch - Nicolas Carr ["Cutest baby" contest winner announced.]
• Lopey Walk and Talk - Nicolas Carr, Daniel Stimac [Karen cheering.]
‣ Buying Spree - William Loose [Commercial continues.]
‣ Me For You - George Callert [Plankton at Barg'N-Mart.]
‣ Disastrous Event 2 - Harry Lubin [Plankton notices Baleen Baby ads.]
‣ Comedy Punctuations And Bridges 3 - Fredric Bayco [Plankton scolds Karen.]
‣ Comedy Punctuations And Bridges 4 - Fredric Bayco ["As much as I'd like to, Sheldon, I can't take credit for this one."]
• Hello Blues - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield ["I did it!"]
‣ Comical Clowns - Ronald Hanmer [SpongeBob and Plankton covering the ads.]
• ? - Nicolas Carr [Transition to next scene.]
‣ Bobmatisme - Achille Alberto Scotti [SpongeBob and Plankton buy all the baby food.]
• ? - Nicolas Carr [Transition to next scene.]
• Patchys Parched Blues - Nicolas Carr [In the desert.]
‣ ? [Baby whales appear.]
• New Vibe Hits - Nicolas Carr ["Gulp? What the heck is gulp?"]
• ? - Nicolas Carr [Baleen Baby is plankton.]
‣ ? [SpongeBob grabs Plankton.]
‣ Pursuit - Wilfred Burns [SpongeBob and Plankton run away/Plankton runs to the Chum Bucket.]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 35 - Jeremy Wakefield ["Ew, chum!"]
‣ Hawaiian Party - Peter Dennis [Plankton covered in chum.]
‣ Buying Spree - William Loose ["I’d know that heinie anywhere!"]
• Salty Squid Jig - Michael Bolger, Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, James King [Ending.]
Trivia[]
General[]
- This episode and its sister are the first episodes to have Shane Richardson as the new art director, taking Peter Bennett's place after he passed away on May 17, 2024.
- Additonally, this will be the first time in nearly 20 years that the series has changed art directors.
- However, Peter Bennett is still credited as an art director, similar to how Stephen Hillenburg is still credited as an executive producer in the opening credits.
- Additonally, this will be the first time in nearly 20 years that the series has changed art directors.
- This episode was originally titled "Cutie Patootie Plankton."
- Plankton thinking he is cute by everyone and saying he's a baby is similar to season 13's "Say Awww!" when all the customers of the Krusty Krab think he is cute.
- This episode marks Squilliam's first physical appearance since season 7's "Back to the Past."
- The check Plankton receives for "one jillion dollars" is actually worth one septillion dollars.
- Dene Ann Heming returned as a color designer for this episode, after last working on season 11.
- The Baleen Baby commercial is done in a UPA cartoon style reminiscent of Captain Doug Quasar's segments on The Patrick Star Show.
- Plankton's Enemies wall consists of SpongeBob, Mr. Krabs, Squidward, Patrick, and Old Man Walker. His Friends wall has himself, Karen, and Spot.
- The announcer fish has undergone a slight redesign for this episode, appearing taller and having an added tailfin with no pants.
Episode references[]
- This episode makes a reference to "Plankton's Intern" where Pearl claims that plankton is considered to be baby food for whales.
Cultural references[]
- The "cutest baby" contest and the baby food brand are a reference to the popular baby food brand, Gerber.
- The whale baby in the commercial is named Moby, referencing the 1851 novel Moby Dick.
- A baby whale in a stroller imitates the 1963 cartoon character, Rat Fink.
- Plankton shouting "Baleen Baby is Plankton!" references the line "Soylent Green is people!" from the 1973 film, Soylent Green, where a brand of food being made from humans is a plot point.
- The image of baby Mr. Krabs is based on an ad for Coppertone sunscreen.