"Squidiot Box" is a SpongeBob SquarePants episode from season 14. In this episode, Squidward takes a trip inside the imagination box and must rely on SpongeBob and Patrick's creativity in order to escape.
Characters[]
- SpongeBob SquarePants
- Patrick Star
- Squidward Tentacles
- Squidward's eyes
- Bubble Bass
- DoodleBob
- Elephant fish (referred to as sea elephant)
- Gary the Snail
- Kelpy G
- Zeus the Guitar Lord (cameo)
- Ned and the Needlefish (cameo)
- Clothes eating clam (mentioned; heard only)
- Box repairman (single appearance)
- Dinosaur (single appearance)
- Jungle spider (single appearance)
- Sea snake (single appearance)
- Sea panther (single appearance)
- Octopus musicians (single appearance)
- Incidentals
This list is incomplete, but you can help Encyclopedia SpongeBobia by expanding it.
Synopsis[]
SpongeBob and Patrick take the box to Imagination Box Repair.
SpongeBob is cleaning out his attic when he finds his imagination box, and decides to take it outside to see if it still works. However, neither he nor Patrick can start the box. They take it to the Imagination Box Repair, where the clerk tells them their box has blown its "whimsy gasket," and new ones are not being made. When Patrick throws the box at Squidward's house, Squidward comes out to yell at them and falls inside. SpongeBob and Patrick open it and do not find Squidward inside, realizing he fixed the box with his fall.
Squidward is trapped in a dark room. SpongeBob and Patrick tell him he can imagine a flashlight to see better, and he does. Squidward runs up a staircase, which disappears, and he cannot get out. When SpongeBob tells him to imagine someplace he would rather be, he imagines a peaceful beach vacation for himself. When he describes the scenery of "beautiful tropical plants" to the two, Patrick asks if he is in a jungle full of dangerous animals, leading Squidward to think about them and need to escape.
When the animals attack Squidward and rip his clothes off, SpongeBob and Patrick remind him that he can imagine whatever he wants, so he gives himself a safari outfit. However, Patrick mentions a stampede of sea elephants, which chase after Squidward. He escapes in a hot air balloon thought up by SpongeBob, and a tornado that turns into a bubble tornado brings him back to safety. Patrick asks if there are dinosaurs in the jungle, making one appear and chase Squidward.
DoodleBob attacks Squidward.
To get him out of the jungle, SpongeBob advises that Squidward think of his favorite place. Squidward transports himself to a jazz club. SpongeBob and Patrick's air-guitar playing outside causes it to be invaded by rock-loving punks. At SpongeBob's suggestion, Squidward "clears his mind," sending him to the Doodle Dimension. SpongeBob warns him about DoodleBob and puts a picture of him in the box. DoodleBob comes to life and attacks Squidward. Patrick tells him to escape by drawing an exit door with his ink.
Squidward exits the door and appears in front of his own house. Although he does not see SpongeBob and Patrick anywhere, he is unconcerned. He goes "where imagination goes to die": the Krusty Krab, now enjoying his mundane job after the adventures he has had. In reality, Squidward is still trapped in the box, but SpongeBob and Patrick decide not to tell him and leave him alone.
Production[]
This episode was developed in November 2022.[2]
This episode, along with "Sandy, Help Us!", is one of the two to be plussed by Joann Chang. Her storyboarding work finished in January 2023.[3]
This episode was confirmed on September 5, 2023.[4]
Art[]
Background design[]
- Art direction by Peter Bennett, traditionally painted by Amy Lewis in gouache and line art drawn digitally on top.[5][6]
Storyboards[]
More jungle sequences from the episode.[10]
Edited scenes[]
- In the original storyboards, SpongeBob was going to try to get the sea spiders off of him in various ways, including an iron and his reef blower. These sequences were cut, likely for time.[7][8]
Music[]
| ( ‣ ) Production music |
| ( • ) Original music |
| ( ◦ ) SpongeBob music |
• Earls Revenge - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Title card.]
• Wahini Wobble Full - Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, and Jeremy Wakefield [Opening.]
• Sea Spiders - Nicolas Carr [Sea spiders on SpongeBob's face.]
• Hgliss & Bell - Nicolas Carr [SpongeBob finds his imagination box.]
• A Pinapple Luau - Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield ["Hey! My imagination box!"]
• Heavenly - Nicolas Carr ["...imagination!"]
• Mystery Chime - Nicolas Carr ["...imagination!"]
• Rainbow Harps and Chimes - Nicolas Carr [SpongeBob flies inside the box.]
• Jellyfishing Waltz - Nicolas Carr, Daniel Stimac [Imagination box not working.]
• Lap Steel-spce_01 - Nicolas Carr [Transition to next scene.]
• Imagination - Nicolas Carr ["Imagination Box Repair."]
• Harp Transition - Nicolas Carr [Inside the Imagination Box Repair.]
‣ Abra Kadabra - Remastered - Alexander Von Szlatinay [Repair man appears.]
‣ Happy Time - Johnny Hawksworth [Repair man tries fixing the box.]
• Rainbow Harps and Chimes 2 - Nicolas Carr [SpongeBob and Patrick follow the repair man.]
‣ Welk Lounge 1 Gtr-A# Dry - Zero-G Sample Libraries [Cushion fort.]
• Hello Blues - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [SpongeBob and Patrick return home.]
‣ Bridge 3 - Remastered - Wilfred Burns [Squidward gets trapped in the box.]
• New Vibe Hits - Nicolas Carr ["Where'd he go?"]
‣ Comedy Punctuations And Bridges 4 - Fredric Bayco ["Patrick, Squidward must be lost!"]
• Heavenly - Nicolas Carr ["...imagination!"]
• Mystery Chime - Nicolas Carr ["...imagination!"]
‣ Comedy Punctuations And Bridges 3 - Fredric Bayco [Squidward in the dark/Squidward's flashlight.]
• Carrol Chimes - Nicolas Carr [Squidward turns on the flashlight.]
‣ Hippo Bird - Arthur Wilkinson [Squidward finds a staircase.]
‣ Disastrous Event 2 - Harry Lubin [Squidward falls.]
• Clowning Around 2 - Barry Anthony ["That's easy, Squidward."]
• Exotica Beach - Nicolas Carr [Squidward in a beach resort.]
‣ African Conflict - Norman Dane [Squidward in a jungle.]
‣ Woodwind Comedy Transitions - Part 18 - Van Phillips ["How's it going in there, Squidward?"]
‣ Comic Consequences - Part 6 - Ronald Hanmer [Squidward gets attacked by clams.]
‣ Comedy Punctuations And Bridges 3 - Fredric Bayco ["Oh, fantastic!"]
• Imagination x 2 - Nicolas Carr ["Remember, you can imagine anything!"]
• Nude Sting - Nicolas Carr ["Imagine, huh?"]
• Carrol Chimes - Nicolas Carr [Squidward's safari outfit.]
‣ Charlie's Bike C - Peter Balding, Otto Sieben [Squidward's safari outfit.]
‣ Comedy Punctuations And Bridges 4 - Fredric Bayco [Stampede of sea elephants./"You're welcome!"/"Now tell me how to escape from a stampede of sea elephants!"]
• Spongemonger - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Squidward chased by sea elephants.]
• Grass Skirt Chase - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Squidward in a tornado.]
‣ Aphroditie Glamour - Bruno Pilloix, Alyse Pilloix [Squidward floats down in a bubble.]
• Crash - Nicolas Carr [SpongeBob balloon lands on Squidward.]
‣ Even More Comical Cuts 1-5 - Ronald Hanmer ["You okay, Squidward?"]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 7A - Jeremy Wakefield ["Oh, no."]
‣ Unpreventable [#41.3] - Gregor F. Narholz [Dinosaur chases Squidward.]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 18 - Jeremy Wakefield [Squidward panicking.]
• Vibe Q Sting - Nicolas Carr [SpongeBob thinks.]
• Imagination x 2 - Nicolas Carr ["Try imagining your favorite place."]
• Got It! - Nicolas Carr ["I got it!"]
• Kelpy Jazz Quintet Full Mix - Nicolas Carr [Squidward at a jazz club.]
• Air Guitars - Nicolas Carr [SpongeBob and Patrick playing air guitar.]
‣ Comedy Punctuations And Bridges 4 - Fredric Bayco [Squidward groans/"This coffee tastes like rocks!"]
• The Mosh Pit Punks - Nicolas Carr [Punk rock music.]
• record scratches SFX - Nicolas Carr [Record scratch.]
• Tension Bits - Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield ["Everything's gone crazy!"]
• Clear Your Mind - Nicolas Carr [Squidward clears his mind.]
• Vibraphone Bits and Pieces - Nicolas Carr ["I'm in an empty white void."]
‣ Grotesque - John Fox, Mac Prindy ["That sounds like the Doodle Dimension."]
• Hawaiian Misadventures B - Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [DoodleBob attacks Squidward.]
• Rip Tide - Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Squidward escapes from the box.]
• Ahoy Landlubbers - Michael Bolger, Nicolas Carr [Squidward at the Krusty Krab.]
• Salty Squid Jig 4 - Michael Bolger, Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, James King [Ending.]
Release[]
| Format | Title | Region |
|---|---|---|
| DVD | The Complete Fourteenth Season | United States |
| Box set | Another 100 Episodes | United States |
| The Best 300 Episodes Ever | United States |
Reception[]
- This episode ranked #5 on the official SpongeBob Instagram's ranking of 10 episodes from season 14.[11]
Trivia[]
General[]
- This episode, alongside "Blood is Thicker Than Grease," "PL-1413," "In the Mood to Feud," "Mooned!," "Hysterical History," "Kreepaway Kamp," "Snow Yellow," and "Sandy's Country Christmas" serve as this season's 25th anniversary specials.
- However, this episode and "Blood is Thicker Than Grease" seem to also serve as standalone episodes.
- On November 24, 2023, this episode, along with its sister, was listed as an airing on Nicktoons at 1:45pm but only its sister episode aired, while "Shell Games" aired in its place instead.[12]
- When the repairman talks about how he hasn't seen a box like SpongeBob's in 25 years, this is a reference to the show being 25 years old during the year of this episode's premiere.
- This is the last episode to be copyrighted in 2023.
- Andrew Overtoom is credited as this episode's animation director, just like this episode's prequel.
- Interestingly, the Latin American Nickelodeon Instagram account acknowledged this episode on January 18, 2024, using an image from it to show their surprise that the series has reached fourteen seasons, as this episode had not officially premiered on television in any country at this point, besides a Canadian release on Paramount+.[13]
- In a Nickelodeon Southeast Asian promo for the 2024 Kids' Choice Awards, clip from this episode is used. However, this episode did not air in Nickelodeon Asia near July 2024.
- On January 24, 2024, about three weeks prior to this episode's American premiere, Brad Vandergrift, who served as a storyboard revisionist on this segment, posted art of SpongeBob and Patrick in front of and in the imagination box respectively.[14]
- This episode was paired up with "Don't Make Me Laugh" during the original American airing.[15]
- Coincidentally, that is the episode it precedes in production order, with this having the production code of 325-1407, and "Don't Make Me Laugh" having the code of 325-1408.
- A few moments in this episode feature expressions reused from previous ones:
- Patrick's drawing at the presence of the imagination box was originally seen in "Ride Patrick Ride."
- One of Squidward's scream poses was reused from "Pineapple RV," which also happened in "SquidBird."
- This is the first episode of season 14 to feature the Krusty Krab without Mr. Krabs.
Episode references[]
- This episode's title and its plot elements references the season 3 episode "Idiot Box."
- On that note, the title is portmanteau of "Squidward" and "Idiot Box."
- In its press listing, it is called "a sequel episode."
- When SpongeBob and Patrick try to get the box up and running alike to a car, it references how Squidward pretended to be a race car driver when he finally begins to enjoy using it.
- Squidward's imagination being the most active out of everyone's, even being able to re-energize the box, seems to directly tie in with the original episode, as Squidward ended up getting the most enjoyment out of the box.
- SpongeBob saying "imagination" and the creation of a rainbow (although from various different characters instead of just SpongeBob, as well as being made in many different ways) return.
- Multiple moments of SpongeBob and Patrick communicating to Squidward outside of the box or cutting to shots of just the box while Squidward's imagination runs free appear. This flips the switch on Squidward hearing SpongeBob and Patrick enjoy themselves in the box, as well as just shots of the box appearing as SpongeBob and Patrick's imagination are let wild.
- DoodleBob slams Squidward on the ground on the left and right sides of the screen similarly to how he does in his debut episode, "Frankendoodle."
- SpongeBob mentions that Squidward is now in the Doodle Dimension as he enters his domain, referencing the episode of the same name.
- The jazz club has some of the same patrons as it did in "Mind the Gap." Squidward is also in the same outfit he wears in "The Flower Plot" when romancing Petunia.
- A snake-like monster (with a different color scheme) from "Delivery to Monster Island" returns when Squidward first imagines himself in the jungle.
- When Squidward imagines himself in a safari outfit, he has the same safari hat he wears in "Yellow Pavement."
- When Squidward imagines himself at a beach resort relaxing on a lounge chair, he sips a tropical drink from a coconut in a scene similar to "Enchanted Tiki Dreams."
Cultural references[]
Jurassic Park reference.
- Squidward being chased by a dinosaur perfectly references the iconic movie franchise that was created by Steven Spielberg, Jurassic Park.
Videos[]
Names in other languages[]
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| German | Die Fantasie-Kiste | The Imagination Box |
| Hebrew | קופסת הסקווידמיון Kufsat haskvidimion |
The Squidimagination Box |
| Russian | Коробка для Сквидварда Korobka dlya Skvidvarda |
Box for Squidward |
| Spanish (Latin America) | La caja Calama-tonta | The Squidumb Box |
| Spanish (Spain) | La caja del bobomardo | The Dumbward Box |
References[]
- ^ Nickelodeon UK - July 15, 2024
- ^ https://www.nickalive.net/2022/11/spongebob-exec-producers-tease.html?m=1
- ^ https://www.linkedin.com/in/joann-chang-8b239842/details/experience/
- ^ File:295-98.jpeg
- ^ Amy Lewis on Twitter - "Some more #SpongeBobSquarepants background paintings..."
- ^ Amy Lewis on Instagram - "A small handful more of..."
- ^ a b Spongebob in Spiders in the Attic! - SpeakerDeck
- ^ a b Storyboards | KeithSilva.com
- ^ Ibrahim J. Corona on Twitter - "As the year warps up, I would..."
- ^ a b Ibrahim J. Corona on LinkedIn - "Here are some bits of..."
- ^ SpongeBob on Instagram - "Classics in the making"
- ^ November 24, 2023 - Nicktoons: G.L.O.B.E. Archives (older version)
- ^ Nickelodeon Latin America on Instagram - "¿¿Bob Esponja con 14..."
- ^ Brad Vandergrift on Instagram - "Thinking outside the idiot box"
- ^ February 12, 2024 - Nickstory
