Plankton!

If you were looking for the article about the character, then see Sheldon J. Plankton.

Template:Episode/3b

Characters

• Sheldon J. Plankton ^(debut)
• SpongeBob SquarePants
• Karen Plankton ^(debut)
• Eugene H. Krabs
• Squidward Tentacles
• Tom
• Horace
• Gary the Snail
• Singer of "The Alphabet Song" ^{(voice only; debut)}
• Patrick Star ^(cameo)
• Plankton's lab ^(debut)

Synopsis

At the Krusty Krab, Squidward sends SpongeBob an order for a Krabby Patty, and it ends up in his nose. After making the patty, it begins to "move" and makes its way towards the front door. Mr. Krabs pulls a tiny person out of the burger, who is none other than his nemesis, Plankton, and uses a plate to fling him back to the Chum Bucket. Mr. Krabs explains that Plankton is his arch-competitor, and has been trying to steal the Krabby Patty's secret formula for years.

Later that night, after the Krusty Krab closes, Plankton tries to convince SpongeBob he and the fry cook are friends, and that as such SpongeBob should come to Plankton's birthday, as it is supposedly the following day. Plankton says that friends give each other things. Plankton asks SpongeBob what he thinks he'd like for a birthday present, and SpongeBob then guesses a booster seat. Plankton is very happy with that proposition, but refuses. Plankton tells SpongeBob that, for his birthday, he wants SpongeBob to give him a Krabby Patty. SpongeBob loudly and boldly refuses and runs back home, but Plankton promises that SpongeBob will "hand deliver it to (him) personally."

Later that night, Plankton enters SpongeBob's head through a pore and makes his way to SpongeBob's brain. He attaches a mind control device to the brain and bends SpongeBob to his will, forcing him to walk to the Krusty Krab, get a Krabby Patty, and bring it to the Chum Bucket's Laboratory. He brings it to an analyzer, which is designed to figure out the ingredients of whatever is dropped into it. As Plankton gloats over his victory and begins to force SpongeBob to drop the Krabby Patty, SpongeBob laments his failure to save it, lovingly describing the Krabby Patty's ingredients and succulence (ironically revealing the Secret Formula). A hungry Plankton leaps out of SpongeBob's head and onto the Krabby Patty, but bounces off of it and falls into the analyzer, thus trapping him inside his computer screen. SpongeBob walks home with the Krabby Patty in hand, ignoring Plankton's angry demands for him to bring it back, his last plea being "I'll settle for some fries!" closing the episode.

Screenshot Synopsis

SpongeBob flipping Krabby Patties

Squidward demands order

SpongeBob throws ingredients in air happily

SpongeBob pulls assembled Krabby Patty from Squidward's "ear"

Squidward and SpongeBob notice the Krabby Patty escaped out of kitchen

Mr. Krabs stomps on getaway Krabby Patty

"I went to college!"

Mr. Krabs tosses Plankton away to the Chum Bucket by a plate

Mr Krabs and SpongeBob talking about Plankton as arch-nemisis

Night time, and SpongeBob is to walk out of the Krusty Krab

And passes the Chum Bucket

SpongeBob discovers Plankton on his shoe

Greeting with Plankton

Gives SpongeBob a golden spatula as a present

Plankton supposedly says it is his birthday tomorrow...

And he craves for the Krabby Patty Secret Formula

SpongeBob is highly suspicious of Plankton

Plankton playing evil music

Sneaks into SpongeBob's house while SpongeBob is sleeping

Plankton explores SpongeBob's head towards his brain

Struggles to keep onto SpongeBob's brain as SpongeBob tosses and turns

Plankton tapes brain to place to stop its movement

Plankton mind-controls SpongeBob!

Plankton mind-controls SpongeBob out of house

SpongeBob unconsciously crashes into Squidward's house

"Shut up, you mediocre clarinet player!"

SpongeBob realizes Plankton is controlling his brain the whole time

Crashes through Patrick's house

Crashes through Krusty Krab to forcefully grab a Krabby Patty towards the Chum Bucket

Walking into Plankton's Laboratory

In Plankton's Laboratory

Demonstrating piece of seaweed into the ingredient-integrator

"50% sea, 50% weed"

Struggling to keep the Krabby Patty from reaching the ingredient-integrator machine

SpongeBob says final words of failure, describing Krabby Patty's delicious features

Plankton becomes overhyped and accidentally bounces into the ingredient-integrator machine

Plankton is trapped in Karen

SpongeBob happily leaves with surviving Krabby Patty

Production

Art

"Get out of my head, leave my brain alone. Never, NEVER."

"Gee, and I though you were stupid."

Development

In the audio commentary, Doug Lawrence reveals he won the voice of Plankton in an auditioning contest held at the beginning of production.

The audio commentary also reveals that there was originally a scene involving Squidward being naked (possibly during the scene in his bedroom), but it was cut because of nudity.

Music

( ‣ ) Production music

( • ) Original music

( ◦ ) SpongeBob music

 ‣ Chill Out - The Surfdusters [title card]

 ‣ Titi De Paris - Daniel Jean Jeannin [opening]
 ‣ Heavenly Voices (b) - David Farnon [shot of Krabby Patty]
 ‣ Death Trap - Gregor F. Narholz ["That Krabby Patty is haunted!"]
 ‣ Phantom Train - The Surfdusters [Plankton revealed]
 ‣ The Tip Top Polka/The Cliff Polka - Chelmsford Folk Band [Plankton thrown back to Chum Bucket]
 ‣ Holiday Dream - Max Mahlmann [that night...]
 ‣ Haunted Surf - The Surfdusters ["Psst... young man."]
 ‣ Background Blues - Otto Sieben ["I just want to talk."]
 ‣ Black Stockings - David Lindup [Plankton drooling]
 ‣ Drama Link (d) - Hubert Clifford [SpongeBob gasps]
 ‣ Verve - Jack Shaindlin [dramatic music on Plankton's record]
 ‣ Hawaiian Link (b) - Richard Myhill [SpongeBob in bed]
 ‣ Haunted Surf - The Surfdusters [Plankton disguised as a flower]
 ‣ The Alphabet Song (a) - Peter Gosling [wrong side of record]
 ‣ Verve - Jack Shaindlin [dramatic music again]
 ‣ House of Horror - William Farran [Plankton gets in SpongeBob's head/Plankton presses the total control button]
 ‣ Phantom Train - The Surfdusters [SpongeBob wakes up]
 ‣ Monks (c) - Dave Hewson [Plankton talking through SpongeBob]
 ‣ Shock (r) - Dave Hewson ["Something must be wrong with my brain!"]
 ‣ Shock (u) - Dave Hewson ["Plankton! What kind of friend are you?"]
 ‣ Phantom Train - The Surfdusters [Squidward faints]
 ‣ The Nightmare Begins (a) - John Devereaux [Plankton's lab]
 ‣ Verve - Jack Shaindlin [dramatic music on record]
 ‣ Enter the Villain - Chris Payne, Paul Rogers [Plankton's analyzer]
 ‣ Panic Stricken - Chris Payne, Paul Rogers ["This little piggy brought home a Krabby Patty."]
 ‣ Heavenly Voices (b) - David Farnon [SpongeBob's last words]
 ‣ Maui Beach - Hans Haider [SpongeBob describing the Krabby Patty]
 ‣ Hilo March - The Hawaiian Serenaders [ending]

Release

• This episode is available on the Lost at Sea, Complete 1st Season, First 100 Episodes, and Tea at the Treedome DVDs along with SpongeBob SquarePants Volume 1 on GBA Video and on VideoNow.

Reception

• As of June 10, 2019, The Internet Movie Database (IMDB) gives this episode a rating of 8.6/10 based on 697 ratings by users. TV.com users give this episode a rating of 8.7/10 based on 268 votes.

Trivia

General

• This episode premiered in Canada on March 18, 2000.
• There is a LEGO set called "Build-A-Bob (3826)" which is based on this episode.
• A short snippet of SpongeBob's laugh in this episode is one of the unused sound files in the video game Revenge of the Flying Dutchman.
• When he and Mr. Krabs laugh, SpongeBob's laugh is different than it is in other episodes.
• Plankton has a record player which he uses to dramatize his evil schemes. The record is Verve by Jack Shaindlin, and its B-side is "The Alphabet Song" sung by Peter Gosling.
• The scene when Plankton says, "Come back here, you swine!" is sometimes cut because the word swine is offensive in some countries.
• It is hinted that Plankton is simply lying to SpongeBob that his birthday is tomorrow so he can trick SpongeBob into giving him Krabby Patties. This is further hinted when he says, "Gee, and I thought you were stupid."
• SpongeBob's quote, "Get out of my brain!" has become an internet meme.
• As Plankton says, "This is my lab," a real-life Labrador is shown. This also appears on the second SpongeBob level in the console version of the video game Nicktoons Unite!
• In Plankton's laboratory, Karen is on the right wall from the doors, rather than the usual location straight ahead of the doors.
• According to Karen, Plankton is 1% evil, 99% hot gas.
• In the audio commentary for the episode, Bill Fagerbakke comments that there has never been a Patrick episode with an exclamation mark after the title. Years after this commentary was recorded, two were released in Season 9. They are "Patrick-Man!" and "Patrick! The Game."
• This episode features audio commentary on The Complete 1st Season DVD. It's also the first episode of the series to use this feature.
• This episode marks the first appearance of Plankton and Karen.
• This is the first episode to have the German dub version with exactly the same name as the English version.
  • This is because the word "Plankton" in German is spelled out the same way as English.
• This is the first episode to show live-action in the series.
• This is the first time SpongeBob cries (but tears are only seen).
• This is the first appearance of SpongeBob's brain. They even mention this fact in the audio commentary for this episode.
• This is the first episode to use the APM track "Hilo March."
• This is one of the few season 1 episodes where the Krabby Patty buns' sesame seeds are colored white. In most Season 1 and early Season 2 episodes, they are colored black.
• This is the last episode of the series where the "a"s in the crew member's names were filled in. All episodes starting with "Naughty Nautical Neighbors" have the "a"s unfilled.
• In The Big Bang Theory episode "The Long Distance Dissonance," Sheldon Cooper is seen watching this episode on his phone, specifically during the scene where SpongeBob breaks through a wall in his house while being controlled by Plankton.

Cultural references

• When Plankton says "You weak-minded fool!," this is a reference to the 1983 film Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.
• Plankton recites the foot tickle rhyme "This Little Piggy" on SpongeBob while trying to force him to drop the Krabby Patty.

Errors

• When Mr. Krabs first appears in this episode, his first lines are "Avast ye patty pirate! This is no ghost. This is... Plankton!" When he says, "This is no ghost," his mouth is visible, but his mouth remains closed.
• At night when SpongeBob is walking home, he moves his head to his left to right and the Krusty Krab across the Chum Bucket is missing.
• When SpongeBob drops the golden spatula it is right next to him. When he walks away from Plankton, it is gone.
• The brain-control device says, "Total Control," however, all Plankton controls is SpongeBob's movements and his words.
• The words "Total Control" disappear and reappear on the controller Plankton uses.

Black tie

• When SpongeBob first walks toward his pants, his tie is red. When SpongeBob's pants are pulled across his face, his tie is black. Right after his pants are back in their normal spot on the hanger, his tie is red again.
• When being forced into the Chum Bucket lab and screaming, SpongeBob's mouth doesn't move at all.

Videos

File:SpongeBob SquarePants Plankton promo (July 31, 1999)

This is my Lab