"The Chaperone" is a SpongeBob SquarePants episode from season 1. In this episode, SpongeBob takes Pearl to her prom.
Characters
- SpongeBob SquarePants
- Pearl Krabs
- Eugene H. Krabs
- Lots of Freds
- Squidward Tentacles (cameo)
- Gary the Snail
- Patrick Star (mentioned)
- Margie Star (mentioned)
- Fish on magazine
- Judy (debut)
- Billy Fishkins (debut)
- Bryan Flounder (debut)
- Incidental 7
- Octavius Rex (debut)
- Incidental 25
- Incidental 26
- Incidental 60
- Incidental F7 (debut)
- Jock (debut)
- Incidental 8
- Billy's mom (debut)
- Octavius Rex's co-worker (debut)
- Other students
Synopsis
At the Krusty Krab, Pearl runs in crying so profusely that her tears begin literally flooding the restaurant. Mr. Krabs asks her what's wrong, and she explains that her prom date has just dumped her, and the high school prom is tomorrow night. Mr. Krabs offers to take her instead, but she starts crying, causing an earthquake. He then suggests she take Squidward or one of the restaurant's customers to the prom, but she continues crying, which causes the earthquake to become worse. Ultimately, he chooses SpongeBob to be the one to go with her. Pearl doesn't want to be embarrassed by SpongeBob, and begs him to do his best not to.
At home, using a magazine as a guide, SpongeBob dresses up and uses extremely long artificial legs to make himself look "long, tan, and handsome" for Pearl.
On the night of the prom, things initially work well for SpongeBob and Pearl. However, SpongeBob's costume soon begins malfunctioning, resulting in disaster and severely embarrassing Pearl. SpongeBob, after having broken everything at the prom, runs into the ladies' restroom crying.
Pearl, feeling sorry for him, attempts to console him and restore his confidence.
SpongeBob and Pearl doing the Sponge dance
This ultimately succeeds, and Pearl and SpongeBob join the prom dance.
They begin doing a dance called "Doing the Sponge," which everyone else soon begins doing. However, this results in many injuries and mass destruction. An angry mob forms and lifts up Pearl and SpongeBob, who think this means that they are popular until the mob throws them out of the building.
SpongeBob apologizes, and Pearl says even though it was a disaster, it was really fun. Mr. Krabs opens the door with a rake saying "Keep away from me flower!" Pearl thinking it's her. But he really meant his flower on the walkway. Pearl says goodnight to SpongeBob as she returns home, and tries to get SpongeBob's attention, but as she does so SpongeBob appears to be frozen.
Mr. Krabs congratulates SpongeBob on his success at the prom then goes in his house and closes the door, and the real SpongeBob appears to retrieve his wax dummy of himself, and carries it off, laughing as the episode ends.
Production
Art
Music
| ( ‣ ) Production music |
| ( • ) Original music |
| ( ◦ ) SpongeBob music |
‣ Border Run - The Surfdusters [title card]
‣ The Rake Hornpipe - Robert Alexander White [opening]
‣ Lonely Violin - Dick Stephen Walter [Pearl crying/Pearl crying again]
‣ Vibe Link (b) - Richard Myhill ["What do you mean?"]
‣ The Rake Hornpipe - Robert Alexander White [Krabs asks who wants to take Pearl to the prom]
‣ Hawaiian Breeze - Jon Jelmer ["Just don't be late, SpongeBob."]
‣ Orchestral Climax 12 - Gregor F. Narholz ["I am a prom expert!"]
‣ Hawaiian Cocktail - Richard Myhill ["Oh, Gary, I'm a prom failure."]
‣ Cha Cha Nova - Gerhard Narholz [Montage of SpongeBob getting ready for the prom]
‣ Hawaiian Link (a) - Richard Myhill [later...]
‣ Love for Sale A - Peter Fallowell [SpongeBob at the door]
‣ Baby Elephant - Dick Stephen Walter [SpongeBob listing all the things Pearl wants to do]
‣ Chief Taravana - Kapono Beamer ["A limo!"]
‣ Surf Buggy - The Surfdusters [at the prom]
‣ Romeo & Juliet Overture - Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Fiachra Trench [Pearl's ex-boyfriend]
‣ Border Run - The Surfdusters [the whack]
‣ Lonely Violin - Dick Stephen Walter [Pearl cries]
‣ Kona Angel - The Surfdusters [SpongeBob cries]
◦ Doing the Sponge - Peter Strauss
‣ Kamakani (b) - Kapono Beamer ["Gee whiz, Pearl."]
‣ Dramatic Cue (h) - Ronald Hanmer ["Aha!"]
‣ Kamakani (b) - Kapono Beamer [ending]
Release
- This episode is available on the Lost at Sea, Complete 1st Season, Karate Choppers, First 100 Episodes, From the Beginning, Pt.1, SpongeBob SquarePants Vol. 1, Tales of a Teenage Whale, The Complete First Season, The First & Second Seasons, Movies & TV Collection, and The Best 200 Episodes Ever DVDs.
- This episode is also available on the Lost at Sea and Anchors Away VHS tapes.
Trivia
General
- This episode marks the first usage of the tracks "Lonely Violin" and "Hawaiian Breeze."
- All the customers at Krusty Krab are character models of Fred.
- The long, tan, and handsome anchovy leader's voice was done by Tom Kenny, using his voice he did for Heffer Wolfe in Rocko's Modern Life.
"Saltpeter" instead of "Peter Strauss."
- In the credits, Peter Strauss, writer of "Doing the Sponge," is credited by his alias from band Dwarves, "Saltpeter."
- This same credit occured in "Ripped Pants" for the eponymous song.
- The opening credits look similarly different in this episode, as the sand and rocks background have some more brightness, the text looks darker blue, and the waves are darker.
- Pearl's "pizza topping" remark is a reference to anchovies being used as a topping for pizza.
- When the people at the dance throw Pearl and SpongeBob out, rather than sounding angry, they sound more like they are cheering. This was done to deceive the audience.
- This is the first episode where SpongeBob and Pearl meet each other.
- This is the first episode where SpongeBob wears a long pair of pants.
- "My leg!:" When the music is playing, everyone struggles to dance as the prom is ruined because of Fred being injured.
Cultural references
- The scene where a girl in a white dress is chased by a giant apple is a reference to the 1978 film Attack of the Killer Tomatoes.
Errors
- At the beginning, when SpongeBob makes a Krabby Patty, the patty looks wider than usual. Also, the bottom bun looks smaller and narrower than usual.
- When SpongeBob listens to Mr. Krabs talking to Pearl in his office, the outside door is a wooden door instead of the usual metal door.
- When SpongeBob asks what is wrong, there is a window on the door that goes to Mr. Krabs' office, rather than an anchor, but the anchor is back in a later shot.
- The Krabby Patties the Fred clones are shown eating are initially shown to contain the patty meat as should be, but when one table of clones are shown vanishing, the burgers are shown to only contain lettuce.
SpongeBob's pink arm.
- In TV airings of the episode, when SpongeBob asks if Mr. Krabs is still talking to the dummy, his left arm turns pink when he crosses his arms together.
- In the shot immediately after SpongeBob's legs malfunction, they are back to normal.
- In the scene where SpongeBob is coming to Mr. Krabs and Pearl's house before the prom, sounds of him struggling to walk can be heard, though his legs can clearly be seen through the window, not having moved the whole time.
- One of Pearl's friends is seen on a stretcher during "Doing the Sponge," but when the teenagers throw SpongeBob and Pearl out of the prom, she is one of the teens who threw them out.
- During the "Doing the Sponge" song, another of Pearl's friends is seen sitting on the floor with her arm in a cast. When the song ends, she throws Pearl and SpongeBob out, and the cast on her arm is missing.
- In some scenes, Pearl's ponytail is the same color as her hair.
- On some of the DVDs like Lost at Sea, the description says "tall dark and handsome" instead of what Pearl says: "long tan and handsome."
The Chaperone error in the Lost at Sea DVD.
- While the real SpongeBob is off-screen as Pearl is crying about her prom, the supposed dummy SpongeBob can be seen blinking.
Running gags
- SpongeBob appearing to freeze, only for the real SpongeBob to appear somewhere else and the other is revealed to be a wax dummy in his likeness.
References
- ^ Date confirmed by SpongeBob Exposed!, The First 100 Episodes, and the iTunes listing.