Pizza Delivery

Template:Episode/5a

Characters

• Squidward Tentacles
• SpongeBob SquarePants
• Eugene H. Krabs
• Sea urchins ^{(cameo on bumper sticker)}
• Pioneers ^(mentioned)
• Truck driver ^(debut)
• Tom ^(orange)

Synopsis

It is closing time at the Krusty Krab, and Squidward answers a last-minute phone call from a customer. Just as he is about to tell the customer the restaurant is closed, Mr. Krabs suddenly appears and snatches the phone from Squidward's hands. The customer tells Mr. Krabs that they want to order a pizza and have it delivered, an order Mr. Krabs happily accepts knowing he could get extra money. Squidward protests this by saying the restaurant doesn't serve pizza nor do they deliver, but Mr. Krabs spontaneously makes a pizza out of Krabby Patties and forces Squidward and SpongeBob to deliver it.

After SpongeBob does a few "safety checks" on the pizza delivery boat, Squidward tells him to drive. However, SpongeBob can't drive since he still in boating school, but Squidward insists and advises SpongeBob to do what he does in school. As expected, SpongeBob panics when he tries to shift the boat into reverse and ends up "backing up" for miles and miles until the boat runs out of gas in the middle of a big desert. Squidward complains about the situation and kicks the boat out of frustration after SpongeBob mentions the pizza is getting cold. This causes the boat to suddenly drive off back to the Krusty Krab, leaving the two stranded and forced to continue their delivery on foot.

Throughout the journey, the duo encounters numerous mishaps: first, SpongeBob tries a pioneer trick he claims to have seen in a movie where he listens to the ground and hears a truck coming. When SpongeBob tries to get the driver's attention by doing a ridiculous dance in the middle of the road, the driver speeds up and Squidward pushes SpongeBob out of the way so he doesn't get mowed down. Later, the duo is caught in a violent wind storm that eventually turns into a tornado, and Squidward tells SpongeBob to let the pizza go (obviously believing it to be the cause of their turmoil), which he callously refused, as it causes them to get sucked into the tornado. However, the pizza actually saves their lives after SpongeBob turns it into a parachute.

Upon landing on solid ground, Squidward freaks out, as the road they were following is nowhere in sight. SpongeBob notices some moss on a rock and says that they should go in the direction at which the moss is pointing (another one of SpongeBob's pioneer tricks), but Squidward doesn't trust SpongeBob and goes in the other direction, despite there actually being civilization where the moss was pointing towards.

After an excessive amount of walking, the two gradually become tired and hungry, so SpongeBob insists that they eat coral like the pioneers. Squidward immediately spits out the coral, disgusted by the taste, and demands that SpongeBob hand over the pizza so he can eat it, as he has finally given up hope of getting back to civilization. SpongeBob refuses and a short chase ensues between the two. Just as Squidward is about to grab the pizza, SpongeBob notices a giant rock that he claims the pioneers drove for miles. Squidward is incredulous at this claim and tries to tell SpongeBob to forget about the pioneers, saying that there are none left because of their unusual traveling methods. However, he quickly changes his mind after SpongeBob runs him over with the rock and he chases after him for a ride. With the giant rock, they drive it all the way to the customer's house.

File:Pizza Delivery 26.png

Unfortunately, their journey doesn't pay off well. The customer, revealed to be Tom, is at first happy that he got his pizza, but then realizes he didn't get the Diet Dr. Kelp he thinks he ordered. Confused, SpongeBob checks the order, which shows that Tom didn't ask for any drink (though it's somwhat implied that Mr. Krabs either didn't hear the order correctly or hung up before Tom could finish his order). Losing his temper, Tom harshly excoriates SpongeBob, accusing him of never caring for the customer and refuses to take the pizza or pay for it then furiously slams the door in his face. Squidward, having watched the whole scene is horrified as SpongeBob, on the verge of crying walks back to him. Squidward tries to console SpongeBob, but his attempt ends in vain as SpongeBob collapses to the ground in tears. Appalled at how Tom treated SpongeBob and won't pay for the pizza all because of a stupid drink (making the long journey and ridiculous obstacles the duo went through a complete waste of time), Squidward furiously confronts Tom and brutally throws the pizza into his face, claiming it to be "on the house". 

Squidward then cheers up SpongeBob by saying that Tom took the pizza and "ate the whole thing in one bite". The episode ends as Squidward asks to be taken home, but SpongeBob instead drives them back to the Krusty Krab, which is comically revealed to be right across the street, much to Squidward's dismay. 

Production

"Pizza Delivery" was written by Sherm Cohen, Aaron Springer, and Peter Burns, with Sean Dempsey serving as animation director. Cohen also functioned as storyboard director, and Springer worked as storyboard artist. The episode originally aired on Nickelodeon in the United States on August 14, 1999.

Series creator Stephen Hillenburg's original idea for the series pitch was that the writers would write a storyboard for a possible episode and pitch it to Nickelodeon. Hillenburg wanted to write an episode with SpongeBob and Squidward on a road trip, inspired by the 1989 film Powwow Highway. Derek Drymon said "It's a road trip movie starring Gary Farmer, who is an innocent, kid-like character who is traveling with a curmudgeon." Eventually, the idea developed while they were working on it, but Hillenburg gave up the idea for the initial pitch.The idea was later scrapped into a season 12 episode, "Pineapple RV."

Instead, they used another idea for the pitch that was in the series the pilot episode "Help Wanted." They resurrected the road trip idea during the first season and used a lot of the ideas for this episode.

Art

Unused shot of a "We're closed" neon sign

Unused shot of a "We're open" neon sign

Unused shot of the Krusty Krab's clock

SpongeBob and Squidward delivering the pizza

Music

( ‣ ) Production music

( • ) Original music

( ◦ ) SpongeBob music

 ‣ X Conga - Nicolas Carr [Title card]

 ‣ The Tip Top Polka/The Cliff Polka - Chelmsford Folk Band [The opening]
 ‣ Captain Lenoe's - Michael Arthur, Colin Cater, Mick Graves, The Folk Players, Sarah Graves, Simon Ritchie [The customer orders pizza on phone.]
 ‣ Gator - Steve Belfer [SpongeBob inspects the vehicle.]
 ‣ Death Trap - Gregor F. Narholz [SpongeBob backs up.]
 ‣ Stand Boys Stand - Jerry Burnham, Tony Ellis, Stephen Wade ["It's an old pioneer trick."]
 ‣ Hog Fever (a) - Graham Preskett [Squidward and SpongeBob hitchhike.]
 ‣ On Fire - Gregor F. Narholz [A tornado is shown.]
 ‣ Merlins Hill - Jennifer Jones [Harp music]
 ‣ Action Cut (a) - Gregor F. Narholz ["Where's the road?"]
 ‣ Merlins Hill - Jennifer Jones [SpongeBob lands.]
 ‣ Vibe Link (b) - Richard Myhill [Moss is shown on the rock.]
 ‣ Hawaiian Link (b) - Richard Myhill ["I know where I'm going."]
 ‣ Funeral March - Otto Sieben [SpongeBob and Squidward are exhausted.]
 ‣ Cold Fear - Dick Stephen Walter [SpongeBob refuses to give Squidward the pizza.]
 ‣ Love for Sale A - Peter Fallowell [Squidward tries to tempt SpongeBob.]
 ‣ Death Trap - Gregor F. Narholz ["Wait a second!"]
 ‣ Grass Skirt Chase - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Squidward chases SpongeBob.]
 ‣ X Conga - Nicolas Carr [SpongeBob dances.]
 ‣ Conga Real - Ronnie Hazzlehurst ["That's just a stupid boulder."]
 ‣ Nostalgic Romance - Gregor F. Narholz ["It's not just a boulder, it's a rock."]
 ‣ Moloka'i Nui (a) - Kapono Beamer [The pizza is delivered to customer.]
 ‣ Stack of Leis - Kapono Beamer [SpongeBob cries.]
 ‣ War Blowers - The Blue Hawaiians [Squidward walks up to the customer's door.]
 ‣ Hilo March - The Hawaiian Serenaders [The ending.]

Release

• This episode is available on the Christmas, Complete 1st Season, First 100 Episodes, SpongeBob, You're Fired!, The First & Second Seasons, Movies & TV Collection, The Best 200 Episodes Ever, and Tea at the Treedome DVDs.

Reception

• This episode is number 20 on Tom Kenny's Top 20 on iTunes. His description says "The classic setup: SpongeBob and Squidward lost in the desert while delivering a pizza to a customer's home. Squidward just wants to get out of there, but SpongeBob sees his pizza delivery as a sacred oath between himself and the customer. I like when SpongeBob singing to himself - 'The Krusty Krab pizza is the pizza' ...turns into a bizarre gospel jingle singer-'Krusty Kray -ya ya-yaa-aaab!'"
• This episode was voted to be the number one SpongeBob SquarePants episode of all time by fans in The Ultimate SpongeBob Sponge Bash.
• In fan-voted SpongeBob SquarePants marathons, "Pizza Delivery" was ranked #29 during the Best Day Ever event from November 9–10, 2006 and #1 during The Ultimate SpongeBob SpongeBash event from July 17–19, 2009.
• On November 17–18, 2012, this episode was ranked #1 on the SpongeBob Top 100 Weekend on Nickelodeon Germany.

"Pizza Delivery" received very positive reviews. Nancy Basile of About.com ranked the episode number 2 on her "Best SpongeBob SquarePants Episodes" list. She said "[It] is the perfect episode to depict SpongeBob's enthusiasm for all things Krusty Krab against Squidward's apathy and cynical nature." Basile cited her favorite scene in the episode where "After the customer slams his door in SpongeBob's face, Squidward makes sure he swallows the pizza 'in one bite.'"

Giving the episode 5 out of 5 stars, Bill Treadway of DVD Verdict said the episode is his "personal favorite all the episodes," writing that "this one is loaded with enough unique twists and hilarious comedy to bear repeat viewings."

Emily Estep of WeGotThisCovered.com ranked the episode Number 1 on her "Top 10 Episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants" list, saying "But – the pizza is for the customer, and flawless employee SpongeBob won't let Squidward eat any of it." She wrote, "[The episode] has the undervalued nostalgia of being episode five of the entire series and it benefits from the aforementioned chemistry of SpongeBob and Squidward." She also praised the episode as "an in-depth look at their SpongeBob and Squidward relationship, and it set the tone for just how strange the show could be." Estep lauded the hitchhiking dances by SpongeBob, saying "These moves are amusing and charming, while Squidward's bitterness is easy to relate to."

In 2009, "Pizza Delivery" was chosen by viewers on Nick.com as the Number 1 episode during a television marathon called "The Ultimate SpongeBob SpongeBash."

Trivia

General

• This episode marks the first appearance of Downtown Bikini Bottom.
• This episode marks the first occurrence of a tornado in the series.
• This episode marks the first time the Krusty Krab is shown to sell pizza.
• This episode marks the first usage of the APM track "Stack of Leis."
• This episode shows SpongeBob inflating for the first time in the series.
• The flowers in the title card are used as enemies in the video game SpongeBob's Truth or Square.
• This episode premiered in Canada on April 22, 2000.
• In the shot where the gears on the boat change, the words change to the Korean words for "forward" and "reverse:" 앞으로가 (ap'euroga) and 뒤로가 (dwiroga).
• The scene where SpongeBob and Squidward back up the boat with SpongeBob saying "Backing up, backing up" repeatedly has become a popular meme on YouTube.
• A still image of SpongeBob dancing with the cowboy hat has become an internet meme due to the subtitle, "(spoons rattling)" being seen at the bottom of the image.
• Tom's line "How am I supposed to eat this pizza without my drink?" has become a popular internet meme.
• The fourth wall is broken when SpongeBob and Squidward are in the storm, everything stops, and SpongeBob is in midair when he gasps and says, "Squidward..."
• The online game SpongeBob's Pizza Toss is loosely inspired by this episode.
• This is the 5th episode of the show.
• When Squidward knocks on the door of the customer's house, his knocking syncs up with the background music.
• This is the first of four episodes transcribed as a comic into the SpongeBob SquarePants/Tokyopop book Krusty Krab Adventures. The other three were "The Algae's Always Greener," "Culture Shock," and "Pickles".
• This is one of the few season 1 episodes where the Krabby Patty buns' sesame seeds are white. In most Season 1 and early Season 2 episodes, they are black.
• The driver seat in the car SpongeBob and Squidward use is on the right instead of the left, suggesting that the car is from a country that uses left-hand traffic.
• The scene where SpongeBob runs to the rock that he drives and says "A rock!" has become a vine, mostly because it sounds like SpongeBob is saying "Iraq!" with remixes with the map of Iraq being shown when SpongeBob hugs the rock.
• The customer's phone gibberish starts to continue before Mr. Krabs hangs up, hinting he might have ordered his drink when the call ends.
• Besides the episode "Reef Blower," which features no voiceacting, this episode is the only season 1 episode that does not feature any character laughing of any type.
• This is the only episode Squidward calls SpongeBob by his nickname "Sponge" a few times, since he sometimes calls Squidward by his nickname "Squid".
• Technically, Tom has the right to press charges against Squidward for assaulting him with a pizza box.
• In some USA, Greek and Polish airings of the episode, Squidward's line "Oh, my aching tentacles!" at the end of it is cut.

Cultural references

• SpongeBob is called "Jethro" twice by Squidward. This is a reference to the TV show The Beverly Hillbillies.
• Diet Dr. Kelp is a parody of Diet Dr Pepper.
• This episode has similarities to the Hey Arnold! episode "Buses, Bikes, and Subways." SpongeBob takes Harold's role of misdirections and Squidward is reluctant like Helga following them. At the very end, SpongeBob and Harold both shout victoriously being saved.
• The customer yelling at SpongeBob is a reference to how a lot of people constantly nitpick even the smallest errors, especially in the fast food industry.

Errors

• Some TV guides mistakenly say that SpongeBob and Squidward are delivering a pizza to Betsy Krabs instead of the actual person they were delivering the pizza to.
• When SpongeBob runs away from Squidward and then hits him and falls on the ground, SpongeBob sits on the ground, missing his Krusty Krab employee hat.
• After Squidward is run over by SpongeBob's rock, his eyes just momentarily become the same color as his skin.
• When SpongeBob is blown around holding the pizza, the writing is towards him. When they are spat out, the writing is facing away from him.
• When SpongeBob fills up the "pressure" in one of the car's tires, the hub cap disappears.
• The truck driver is voiced by Doug Lawrence, but the end credits mistake him to be voiced by Rodger Bumpass.
• When Squidward "takes a look" at the pizza, the box opens to the east. However, when he fully opens it, it opens to the north.
• The boat's antenna disappears after SpongeBob's "vehicle inspection."
• The first shot shows two boats outside of the Krusty Krab, but only the pizza delivery boat appears afterward.
• The delivery boat is white and purple on the sides and front, but the rear has a classic red stripe. It starts off red, but when the boat is spinning down the road, it has a purple tint. It turns entirely purple when it breaks down.
• In the end, it is shown that the customer's house is across the street from the Krusty Krab, whereas in every other episode, the Chum Bucket is across the street.

Running gags

• SpongeBob singing "The Krusty Krab Pizza".
• Squidward trying to steal the pizza from SpongeBob.

Videos

SpongeBob SquarePants - Back it up Nickelodeon

SpongeBob Krusty Krab Pizza Song

SpongeBob SquarePants - 'Krusty Krab Pizza' Official Remix Music Video - Nick

"Pizza Delivery" Animatic 🍕 SpongeBob SquarePants

Video

File:The Physical Return of Christ