This article is a transcript of the SpongeBob SquarePants episode "Squidiot Box" from season 14, which aired on February 12, 2024.
- [The episode begins with an open shot of SpongeBob's pineapple.]
- SpongeBob: [off-screen] I have put off cleaning my attic for way too long. [rises from pile in attic, gasps, then picks up a shell with a diaper] Aww! Gary's baby shell! [puts shell to face] They grow up so fast.
- [Urchins land all over SpongeBob, and after a bit he notices them.]
- SpongeBob: Hey! [slips backwards into the junk pile, making it explode]
- [A cardboard box appears, and SpongeBob lifts it up.]
- SpongeBob: Hey! My imagination box! [carrying box] I wonder if it still works. [goes outside with box, then places it down] [jumps] Oh, boy! It's time for... [waves hands to form a rainbow like in "Idiot Box"] imagination. [giggles, then flies inside the box, leaving behind a rainbow] Whee-hee!
- [The box closes, and an engine is heard grinding.]
- SpongeBob: [pops out of the box] That's weird.
- Patrick: [walking with a pitcher while eating sand] Hey, neighbor. Can I borrow a cup of sand? I'm all out. Huh? [drops pitcher, points to box] Hey! Isn't that the...?
- SpongeBob: It is! But it won't start.
- Patrick: Oh. Let me see if I [enters box] can get it going.
- [They both close the box shut. More engine noises are heard, then a wheezing sound. SpongeBob and Patrick pop out of the box.]
- SpongeBob: We need a professional. [both start walking inside the box]
- [Bubble transition to a cardboard building that says "IMAGINATION BOX REPAIR." SpongeBob and Patrick are walking to it with the box on.]
- SpongeBob: [rainbow forms on front of building] Imagination Box Repair. This is the place.
- [Cut to the inside of the repair store. An repairman places a box on a counter.]
- Box repairman: [notices SpongeBob and Patrick] Ooh!
- [The box repairman dives into the box and comes out in another place with several boxes.]
- Box repairman: Aha! [gets inside another box and comes out another] Ooh. [spins out of SpongeBob and Patrick's box] Welcome! [confetti comes out of his body] [clapping, getting out of the box] Wow, a double corrugated 3600. I haven't seen one of these in 25 years. What seems to be the problem?
- SpongeBob: Well, the inspiration motor won't turn over. [spits] Dern thing's on the fritz.
- Patrick: [pointing to box] Yeah. And it doesn't work.
- Box repairman: [picks up box] Hmm. Let me take a look under the flap. [steps away]
- [SpongeBob and Patrick follow the repairman by flying, leaving behind trails of rainbows.]
- Box repairman: [operating under the box, and rainbows spout onto his eye, then gets next to SpongeBob and Patrick] Well, there's your problem. Your box has blown a whimsy gasket. They don't make those anymore! But I could give you a [points ahead] great deal on a [camera pans over to a beat up fort of cushions] cushion fort.
- SpongeBob: No, that's okay. [points to himself] I'm a cardboard man.
- [Bubble transition to Conch Street, where SpongeBob and Patrick are walking with the box on top of them. They arrive at SpongeBob's house.]
- Patrick: [lifting box] Aw, this dumb ol' box is just junk [throws box at Squidward's front doorstep] now.
- Squidward: [opens door] Hey! [walks over to yell] Get off my sand! [falls into box] Whoa! [thumping and yelling] What's happening? Where am I?
- SpongeBob: [he and Patrick approach the box] Inside my imagination box.
- Patrick: [open the box with SpongeBob, which is empty] Where'd he go?
- SpongeBob: You must have jostled something and fixed it. [gasps] Patrick! Squidward must be lost!
- Patrick: [a foghorn blares] Lost in his own...
- SpongeBob and Patrick: [waving their hands to form a rainbow] Imagination! [close box]
- [Squidward is stuck in a dark room, with only his eyes showing.]
- Squidward: [groans] I can't see a thing in here! I need a flashlight!
- SpongeBob: [off-screen] Just imagine a flashlight.
- Squidward: [mockingly] Oh, yeah, right. I'll just imagine it and it'll appear! [grumbles, then he is holding a flashlight] What the--oh, it worked. [aiming flashlight] Now where's the way out of here? [finds a staircase] Ooh! I'm leaving! [running up the spiral staircase which abruptly ends] Huh? [staircase disappears, making him fall and scream] [lands back on the ground] How do I get out of this crazy place?
- SpongeBob: [from outside box] That's easy, Squidward. Just visualize where you'd rather be!
- Squidward: [in box] I'd rather be far away from you! Like at a fancy beach resort. [the setting suddenly changes to a beach resort, gasps] And relaxing on a lounge chair. [a lounge chair appears] Ooh! [sits in lounge chair wearing beach attire] Ahh, sipping a tropical drink. [a woman gives him a coconut drink, which he drinks] Ahh. [lifts up sunglasses] Maybe this imagination thing isn't so bad after all.
- [Patrick is drawing him and SpongeBob in the sand with a stick.]
- SpongeBob: What are you doing now?
- Squidward: [in box] Well, if you must know, I'm relaxing under an umbrella surrounded by beautiful tropical plants.
- Patrick: Sounds like you're in a jungle.
- Squidward: No! It's not a-- [setting changes to a jungle] jungle? [his drink turns into a spider, whimpers as it crawls away]
- SpongeBob: Are jungles full of dangerous animals?
- Patrick: Yep! [yelling] Like scary sea snakes!
- Squidward: Huh?
- [The beach chair turns into a sea snake that wraps around Squidward.]
- Squidward: [screams, as well as his eyeballs]
- [Squidward gets out of the sea snake and runs away. The sea snake tries to bite him, and chases after him. Squidward grabs onto the lady from earlier.]
- Squidward: Hey! You gotta help me!
- SpongeBob: [off-screen] Oh, and look out for sea panthers.
- [The lady turns into a sea panther, which roars at Squidward, making him scream.]
- Squidward: [running away, bumps into a branch, then hides in a log]
- [The panther lands on the log and jumps past it. The sea snake slithers past it. Meanwhile, Patrick is playing with a cup and ball as SpongeBob looks at the box.]
- SpongeBob: How's it going in there, Squidward?
- Squidward: [in box] You're making everything worse! Would you two clam up?
- Patrick: Oh, I forgot to mention the clothes-eating clams.
- Squidward: [in box, chomping is heard, screams] Giant clams! Ahhh! Let go! Ow! Ouch! Hey, that's my shirt! Oh, fantastic! Now I'm lost in the jungle with no clothes on.
- SpongeBob: That's no problem. Remember, you can [uses hands to form a rainbow arch] imagine anything! [Patrick does the same]
- Squidward: [naked, covering himself in the jungle] Imagine, huh? All right. [straining, safari clothes appear on him] Oh, not bad. [stretches pants waist] A jungle [pulls out and twirls binoculars] safari could be fun.
- Patrick: Oh! And whatever you do, don't imagine... a stampede of sea elephants!
- [Elephant noises are heard.]
- Squidward: [in box] Thanks a lot!
- Patrick: No problem!
- Squidward: [in box] Now tell me how to escape from a stampede of sea elephants!
- SpongeBob: Hmm. If only you had a hot air balloon.
- [Squidward is seen in the jungle running away. He skids to a halt as he sees a SpongeBob hot air balloon.]
- Hot air balloon: [laughs]
- Squidward: [hesitates, then pulls on the balloon's string, then unties it]
- [A close-up of Squidward's foot being tangled in the rope is shown. The hot air balloon starts to float, and Squidward is taken upward just as the sea elephants stampede by.]
- Hot air balloon: [laughing]
- Squidward: [screams]
- [Elephant noises and Squidward noises are heard from the box as it bounces in place.]
- SpongeBob: [pointing to box] I've always wanted to ride in a balloon.
- Patrick: [points to himself] Me too! Unless there's a tornado.
- Squidward: [in box] Tornado? [wind is heard blowing as the box spins around in place]
- [The tornado is seen, spinning several objects around. The SpongeBob hot air balloon takes Squidward around with it.]
- Hot air balloon: [laughing]
- Squidward: [screaming]
- Hot air balloon: Whee!
- [The rope detaches from Squidward's foot, and he falls down screaming.]
- SpongeBob: [off-screen] You know what's better than a tornado? A bubble tornado.
- Squidward: [bubbles start to form around him] Huh? [gets inside a bubble as they spin around him] Huh? [lounges] Ahh. [lands softly on the ground inside the bubble]
- [The hot air balloon then crushes Squidward as it lands.]
- SpongeBob: You okay, Squidward?
- Squidward: [yelling from inside box] No!
- SpongeBob: [he and Patrick sit down] He's okay.
- Patrick: Say, [pointing to box] are there dinosaurs in the jungle?
- Squidward: [in box, dinosaur sounds are heard] Oh, no. [dinosaur roaring is heard as he is then seen running away from one] I hate imagination!
- Dinosaur: [tries to chomp on Squidward, who jumps, then tries and fails to chomp him again]
- [Bubble transition to SpongeBob and Patrick drinking from soda cans while on lounge chairs. Squidward is heard panting as the box jumps up repeatedly.]
- SpongeBob: I'm so happy Squidward's having such an exciting adventure.
- Squidward: [in box] How do I get out of this jungle?
- SpongeBob: [tosses soda can] Hmm. Try [uses hands to form a rainbow arch] imagining your favorite place!
- Squidward: [in box] Favorite place? Um, I've got it! A jazz club.
- [Kelpy G and two other performers are performing onstage at the jazz club. Squidward looks around in the jazz club.]
- Squidward: Ooh, [wearing jazz club clothing] finally. A place with [sits down at a table] culture.
- [A waitress gives Squidward a fancy cup. She pours coffee in it, and a music note made of coffee pops out of it. She walks away.]
- Squidward: [picks up cup, sniffs] Ahh. Even the coffee smells like jazz. [snapping fingers] Oh, yeah. Digging that groove.
- SpongeBob and Patrick: [look at each other] We dig it! [play air guitar]
- Squidward: [grumbling, then takes a sip and spits out rocks] Ugh! This coffee tastes like rocks! [rock music is heard playing, which makes him drop the cup]
- [SpongeBob, Patrick, and Gary are performing onstage in rock band attire. Bubble Bass jumps off the stage and lands on Squidward's table, crushing it. Everyone around Squidward is now also dressed in punk attire.]
- Squidward: [hands on ears, screaming, box jumps up and visibly heats up] Everything's gone crazy!
- SpongeBob: Sounds like your imagination is overheating. Try to clear your mind.
- Squidward: [in box, box cools down] Clear my mind? Clear my mind! Phew!
- SpongeBob: Where are you now, Squidward?
- Squidward: [in box] I'm in an empty white void. But at least it's peaceful.
- SpongeBob: Uh, that sounds like the Doodle dimension.
- Patrick: Watch out for DoodleBob!
- Squidward: [in box] What's he look like?
- SpongeBob: Um, [draws on notebook] he looks kind of like [slides picture of DoodleBob into void, which Squidward picks up] this.
- DoodleBob: [yelling and gibbering as he exits the paper]
- Squidward: [screams, tries to run away before DoodleBob grabs him by the tentacles and smacks him back and forth like in "Frankendoodle"] [in box] Would somebody please-- [box falls and lifts back up] Tell me how-- [box falls and lifts back up] To get out of this-- [box falls and lifts back up] Stupid box?! [box falls back down]
- SpongeBob: You want out?
- Patrick: Well, why didn't you say so? Just draw an exit door.
- Squidward: [in box floating in air] I don't have a pen! [box falls]
- SpongeBob: [points] You're an octopus. You're full of ink.
- [DoodleBob is still hitting Squidward back and forth. Squidward shoots ink from his nose onto DoodleBob, stunning him. Squidward slips on some of his ink, then squirts ink onto the wall to form a door. He exits through the door just in time for DoodleBob to miss him. He lands out of the box on the ground.]
- Squidward: [panting] Huh? Huh? [sees his house] I'm home! [laughs lying flat on the doorstep] Hmph. Where did SpongeBob and Patrick run off to? [gets up] Oh, well. I'm going to the place where imagination goes to [hits fist on tentacle] die.
- [Cut to Squidward walking to the Krusty Krab.]
- Squidward: My dreary, pointless minimum wage [opens front door] job. [in register as a customer approaches, inhales] Ah, [picks up notepad and pencil] the good old boring Krusty Krab. I'm actually happy to be back.
- [The scene fades out to reveal he is still in the imagination box.]
- Squidward: [in box] May I take your order, sir?
- Patrick: Should we tell him?
- SpongeBob: Nah, he sounds so happy.
- Squidward: [in box] One Krabby combo coming up!
- SpongeBob and Patrick: [shrug and walk away]
- Squidward: [in box, sighs, then the camera irises out on the box as the episode ends]