Encyclopedia SpongeBobia
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Encyclopedia SpongeBobia

"Plankton's Army" is a SpongeBob SquarePants episode from season 3. In this episode, Plankton enlists the help of his relatives to steal the Krabby Patty formula.

Time/Date

  • 25 years after Plankton's first attempt
  • 5 years after Spongicous

Characters

Plot

At the Krusty Krab, Mr. Krabs announces that it is the 25th anniversary of the first time Plankton attempted to steal his secret recipe. Suddenly, a robot enters the restaurant, and Mr. Krabs pushes his employees aside, saying that he will handle this one. However, the robot orders coral bits instead of a Krabby Patty, pays

for them and leaves. Mr. Krabs is surprised that the robot wasn't Plankton, but Plankton then suddenly jumps out of the dollar bill the robot gave him. However, Plankton hadn't planned what to do next, not thinking he'd get this far, and is simply flushed down the toilet by Mr. Krabs.

He returns to the Chum Bucket, sulking to his computer wife Karen about his failures. She then suggests to hire some henchmen to help him. He first goes to the Salty Spitoon, but the thugs beat him up. He then realizes that he has thousands of inbred relatives across the sea, and invites them all to come to the Chum Bucket, thinking they will all be evil geniuses like himself. However, when they arrive, he finds out they are all inbred rednecks, and comments that he's "been away from home longer than (he) thought."

He calls them to a meeting and gets them to agree to his plan in exchange for root beer. Plankton's first name is here revealed to be Sheldon, which Karen finds hysterical. Plankton's army then attacks the Krusty Krab, tying up Mr. Krabs and Squidward in a toilet. The planktons open the safe containing the Krabby Patty secret recipe. Before Plankton reads the recipe, Mr. Krabs pleads him not to read it, saying "There some things this world weren't meant to be seen by mortal eyes!". Plankton reads it anyway. The ingredients turn out to be:

  1. A pinch of salt
  2. 3 tsp. of chopped onions
  3. A cup of love
  4. 4 lb of grounded Plankton

Mr. Krabs says he warned him. Plankton is horrified by this, and runs away. The other plankton read it and run (except for Clem, who can't read, but Mr. Krabs orders him to get out). Mr. Krabs and Squidward manage to escape from the toilet, and SpongeBob returns from his task, and asks what happened. Squidward asks if a Krabby Patty is actually made of plankton, Mr. Krabs explains that the recipe that Plankton read is fake, and the real one is hidden somewhere "No one, not even Plankton, would ever figure out". Squidward then guesses that it is under Mr. Krabs' mattress, and Mr. Krabs runs to his house, yelling "Curse you, Squidward!"

Trivia

  • SpongeBob disappeared for about 95% of the whole episode, only appearing at the very beginning and at the very end. This makes this episode to be one of the smallest appearance of SpongeBob in an episode ever, similar to Rise and Shine and New Leaf.
  • 34th time Patrick doesn't appear.
  • It is revealed that Plankton's full name is "Sheldon J. Plankton".
  • Plankton's family shows much resemblence to the Trench Billies.
  • It should be noted that when Plankton was talking about how many other Planktons Mr. Krabs could handle, he was saying the number used in the power of ten in scientific notation.
  • When it originally aired, this episode was shown before "Missing Identity" due to being advertised as a "special" episode.
  • This episode wasn't mentioned in Comcast cable guides; only "Missing Identity" was.
  • Plankton says that "united, the plankton family could be a real pain in the fanny!" However, closed captions say "belly" instead of "fanny." Though this may be in the UK because of the term "fanny" meaning something different.
  • Before it aired, many people mistook this episode to be a special or even a movie due to the nature of its advertisements.
  • For unknown reasons, some television guides say the episode was made in 2002. Dish Network original broadcast also set the episode to be made in 2002 but changed to its correct date.
  • The robot who purchases the Coral Bits has a revolving light over its "eyes", much like the Cylons from Battlestar Galactica.
  • Plankton's past attempts at stealing the formula shown in this episode include:
    • Asking nicely. Mr. Krabs said no.
    • Wearing a cockroach costume; Mr. Krabs stepped on him.
    • Drinking a potion that turned him into a cockroach; Mr. Krabs stepped on him.
    • Protesting to Krabs that he is not a cockroach on a picket sign ("civil disobedience"); Krabs stepped on him again.
    • One line from this episode can be heard in Krusty Krab Training Video.
  • Spongebob isn't victimized by swarm of planktons that take over the Krusty Krab completely.
  • Outside the Krusty Krab there are millions of planktons surrounding the restaurant, but after Plankton retreats to Chum Bucket, there are fewer of them.
  • Plankton's snare drumroll that he performed sounded exactly the same that it was heard in "Wet Painters " and "The Fry Cook Games". Future episodes such as "Krabby Land " use the exact same snare drumroll.
  • Plankton is horrified that the fake recipe calls for ground-up Plankton. Ironically, since chum is ground-up fish, guts, and blood, that's what Plankton's been serving his customers (most of whom are fish).
  • "Billy Billy Bo Billy Banana Fanna Fo Filly" is similar to a song called "The Name Game".
  • Title card music is the same as The Smoking Peanut.
  • In this episode is one of the rare occasions where Plankton is squashed under his wife Karen (under her robotic hand.)
  • It's possible that this episode supports United Plankton Pictures, Inc., Due to the picture of a plankton (that looks like Plankton) holding hands with his cousins (which some of they looks like plankton's cousins).
  • Running gag: Karen showing on her screen "SHELDON."
  • After Plankton got flushed from the Krusty Krab, he came out of the manhole directly between the Chum Bucket and the Krusty Krab. This is the only time this manhole is seen.
  • It turns out that Mr. Krabs hides the Secret Formula in his mattress just like he hides his money.
  • When Plankton ran from the Krusty Krab back to the Chum Bucket, the road is much more curved and longer than usual.
  • Instead saying he can't read, Clem said "For what?" in Indonesia.

Goofs

  • When Mr. Krabs said, "today is the 25th anniversery of when my arch rival, Plankton tried to me secret Krabby Patty Recipe", the door to Mr. Krabs' office was shown, but when the robot showed up, the door was gone, and when Mr. Krabs and Squidward walked outside, the door was back.
  • In Mr. Krabs' office the walls were made out of wood, but when Mr. Krabs said, "I warned ya", the walls changed.

Quotes

Plankton: ALL RIGHT!!! I GET IT!!!
  • (After reading out the "recipe" for a Krabby Patty, all of Plankton's family runs away, screaming, except for Clem.)
Mr. Krabs: Why ain't you running?
Clem: Well, I can't read.
Mr. Krabs: Get out of here!
(Clem runs away.)
Clem: (goofy laughter) Eyuk, eyuk, eyuk!
  • Plankton: (enters a bar to recruit tough followers to his cause) Felicitations, malefactors! I'm endeavoring to misappropriate the formulary for the preparations of affordable comestibles! WHO WILL JOIN ME?!
  • Plankton: I Don't care! Drum roll Please! (does a Snare Drum roll on a Snare drum)
  • Plankton:(Reading the formula)...and the most important ingredient...FOUR HEAPING POUNDS OF FRESHLY GROUND (Turns page to reveal a picture of plankton)...Plankton? (Stares at Mr. Krabs)
Mr. Krabs: I warned ya.
Plankton: (Runs out of Krusty Krab to the Chum Bucket panicking)AAAAAAHHHHH!!

APM Music Identification

  • Brutal C - Title Card; "I have the restaurant surrounded!"
  • Keel Row - "Ah, the Krusty Krab, home of the delicious Krabby Patty and its super secret recipe."
  • Tomfoolery - "Welcome to the Krusty Krab...'sir'."
  • The Drunken Sailor B - Plankton gets flushed down the loo.
  • Let's Dance Susanna - The tune the hillbilly plankton play.
  • Wooden Bear - "I'd like you to meet my computer wife, Karen."
  • Buffalo Girls - "Well, what's in it for us?"
  • Brutal B - "Help me get the secret formula and you can have as much root beer as you can drink!"
  • Apalachian Banjo Duel - "Eh, eh, and, of course, I had a little help from the family."
  • Dramatic Climax - "Plankton, wait, you can't look at the formula!"
  • The Tip Top Polka/Cliff Polka - "Hi, guys, did I miss anything?"
  • Hog Fever - Plankton's family takes over the Krusty Krab.
  • SpongeBob Theme - Plankton runs away yelling after he sees a picture of him in the formula; "Curse you Squidward!"
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