The Secret Box

If you were looking for the article about the box, then see Patrick's secret box.

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Characters

• SpongeBob SquarePants
  • Daydream SpongeBob
• Patrick Star
  • Daydream Patrick
• Squidward Tentacles ^(mentioned)
• Squidward's house ^{(as a character)}
• Gary the Snail
• Clam Burglar ^(mentioned)

Synopsis

SpongeBob runs towards Patrick's house, ready to go jellyfishing. Patrick says he'll go with him, but must put away his "secret box" first. Intrigued, SpongeBob tries to peek inside, but Patrick refuses to let him see. SpongeBob entices Patrick by sharing his own secrets, but this only convinces Patrick to keep his secret box even more closely guarded. Even SpongeBob's various "secret" possessions fail to distract Patrick from the wonders only he can see.

As Patrick explains the lengths he must go to keep his box safe, he fails to notice SpongeBob sneaking off with it, giddily preparing to look. Patrick stops him just in time and struggles with SpongeBob over the box. The sight of SpongeBob's arms popping off while still desperately clinging to the box disgusts Patrick, making him question the validity of their membership in the Best Friends Forever Club. He threatens SpongeBob with the annulment of their friendship should he persist in trying to sneak a peak. Ashamed, SpongeBob begs Patrick for his forgiveness and promises to respect Patrick's right to secrecy. Placated, Patrick lets SpongeBob off the hook.

"The inner machinations of my mind are an enigma."

That night, SpongeBob cannot sleep, still thinking about Patrick's secret box and what could possibly be inside it. He convinces himself that by sneaking into Patrick's house to look while Patrick sleeps, he'll both spare Patrick's feelings and gain a secret of his own. Despite Gary's admonitions, SpongeBob puts his plan into action, heading out under cover of darkness, pulling on a silk stocking for a mask and slipping under Patrick's rock.

Inside, the box lays in full view on the sleeping Patrick's nightstand. Trying to tiptoe across a floor covered in potato chips and rubber ducks, SpongeBob fears waking Patrick with every step. Finally making it to the bedside, SpongeBob reaches for the box but Patrick sleepily grabs hold of it. SpongeBob gently slips himself in place of the box just as Patrick attempts to take something from it, yanking SpongeBob's tongue in the process. Patrick then places SpongeBob next to him on the bed, allowing SpongeBob to get back onto the floor. As he prepares to leave, SpongeBob trips on his shoelace and begins crashing and bouncing around the rock in a cacophony of noise, culminating in slamming against the wall and breaking a framed photo of him and Patrick in half. Despite all of this, Patrick remains fast asleep.

SpongeBob quietly remarks how heavy a sleeper Patrick is, which causes Patrick to finally wake up and catch the masked SpongeBob with the box. Thinking him to be the Clam Burglar, Patrick prepares to assault him with a pillow until SpongeBob reveals his identity with his Best

Friends Forever Ring. In shock and distraught, Patrick declares their friendship to be over. The next moment, however, Patrick changes his mind and allows SpongeBob to go ahead and look. SpongeBob eagerly opens the box, only to find a mere piece of string ("A secret string!" as Patrick describes it). Thanking Patrick for letting him look, SpongeBob heads home, laughing at how he shouldn't have been surprised. Alone once more, Patrick demonstrates the true secret nature of the box: when the string is pulled, a secret compartment opens and reveals to Patrick an "embarrassing picture of SpongeBob at the Christmas party!" and Patrick laughs at it yelling out "Merry Christmas, SpongeBob!'.

Production

Music

( ‣ ) Production music

( • ) Original music

( ◦ ) SpongeBob music

 ‣ Grass Skirts Blowing - Jan Rap [title card]

 ‣ Film Fanfare (a) - Dick Stephen Walter [Patrick appears]
 ‣ Vibe Sting - Nicolas Carr ["Secret box?"]
 ‣ SpongeBob Closing Theme - Steve Belfer, Nicolas Carr ["Hands off, Peeping Bob."]
 ‣ On the Beach - Kapono Beamer [SpongeBob telling Patrick all his secrets]
 ‣ Enigma Vibe 2 - Nicolas Carr [spilled milk]
 ‣ Sponge Monger - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [SpongeBob's "secret stuff"]
 ‣ Seaweed - Steve Belfer [Patrick looking inside his secret box]
 ‣ ? - drum roll
 ‣ Dramatic Climax - Mike Sunderland ["Nobody must know the mystery of the box!"]
 ‣ Like Strange - Kenny Graham ["Not even... Squidward's house!"]
 ‣ Steel Sting - Jeremy Wakefield [shot of Best Friends Forever ring]
 ‣ South Pacific Island II - Victor Cavini ["I feel so filthy."]
 ‣ Ulkereien - Gerhard Trede ["After all, this is a pretty great secret."]
 ‣ House of Horror - W. Merrick Farran [SpongeBob worried about what's in the box]
 ‣ Tomfoolery - David Snell ["How do you look into a secret box?"]
 ‣ Kommissar X - Gerhard Trede [SpongeBob sneaks into Patrick's house]
 ‣ Footsteps of Horror - W. Merrick Farran [Patrick sleeping/Wall starts to crack/Nail falls off/SpongeBob makes a loud noise upon touching the floor/SpongeBob steps on a potato chip/SpongeBob steps making loud/SpongeBob trips on a shoestring/Box lands on SpongeBob]
 ‣ Danger Zone - Mike Sunderland [Patrick wakes up]
 ‣ English Country Garden - Curtis Schwartz ["It's the Best Friends Forever, Best Friends Forever ring!"]
 ‣ Paradise Isle - Jan Rap ["How could you do this?!"]
 ‣ Revelation - Dick Stephen Walter [SpongeBob looks inside the box]
 ‣ Steel Licks (g) - Jeremy Wakefield [secret string]
 ‣ Like Strange - Kenny Graham [Patrick laughing]
 ‣ Jingle Bells - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [ending]

Release

• This episode is available on the Halloween, Complete 2nd Season, First 100 Episodes, and SpongeBob and Friends: Patrick SquarePants DVDs.

Reception

• As of September 9, 2018, The Internet Movie Database (IMDB) gives this episode a rating of 9.7/10 based on 1,359 ratings by users. TV.com users give this episode a rating of 9.2/10 based on 321 votes.

Trivia

Template:Trivia

General

• This episode is referenced in the song "Under My Rock."
• According to an interview with Stephen Hillenburg found here, the idea for this episode came from this quote:

"The idea came to Drymon because he, too, had a secret box as a child". "He started telling us about it. We wanted to make fun of him and use it."

• This episode premiered in Canada on January 18, 2002.
• This is the first episode to use a real image as part of the title card instead of a drawn one.
• This is the first episode in which Gary speaks. In "Sleepy Time" he only spoke in a dream.
• According to The Ultimate SpongeBob SpongeBash, Victoria Justice rated this episode as her favorite.
• The sound effect heard when the box is falling on SpongeBob's knees can be heard accompanied with a Warner Bros. stock sound effect on Dexter's Laboratory, The Powerpuff Girls, The Powerpuff Girls Movie, and the My Gym Partner's a Monkey episode "Guano in 60 Seconds," despite Cartoon Network program's APM Music containings.
• This episode reveals that SpongeBob and Patrick have been friends since they were babies.
• This episode reveals Gary can speak.
  • Since SpongeBob does not think much of it and see it as special, this perhaps means that it was not the first time that Gary spoke.
• It is revealed Squidward's house can move on its own.
• The design of old SpongeBob seen in SpongeBob's fantasy of Patrick and himself being old is used again in "Goo Goo Gas."
• In the Polish dub, the episode's title is "Supertajne pudełko," which translates to "The Super Secret Box."
• This and "Band Geeks" were the last episodes to air before the 9/11 attacks, which occurred four days later.
• This episode takes place after "Christmas Who?" because in this episode, SpongeBob references a Christmas party, and in "Christmas Who?" he doesn't know what Christmas is.
• In the 2005 movie War of the Worlds, Rachel, Tom Cruise's daughter, is shown watching this episode on TV. However, the audio and video are out of sync.
• This is one of two episodes to have just Tom Kenny and Bill Fagerbakke as the voice actors. The other is "Rise and Shine."
• Patrick's line "Duh!" and his face made when saying the line are popular internet memes.
  • Patrick's line "The inner machinations of my mind are an enigma" and the milk spilling have also become popular internet memes.
  • According to an interview, Bill Fagerbakke considers this his favorite quote from Patrick.
• A lot of scenes from this episode have been used on YouTube, especially for YouTube Poops.
• The end of the episode is foreshadowed earlier in the episode when Patrick pulls on SpongeBob's tongue, just like how he pulls the string on his secret box.
• Irony:
  • The loud noises don't wake Patrick up but he wakes up when SpongeBob quietly says that he's a heavy sleeper.
• In Indonesia, SpongeBob doesn't say "I've got a gazillion secrets!" Instead, he says "I've a Godzilla secret!," which means his secret is named "Godzilla secret."
• The French title of this episode is "La Boite Aux Secrets" or "The Box of Secrets."
• It is never explained how the loud noises occur whenever an object touches Patrick's house floor.
  • It can be speculated that Patrick's house has its own secrets, with the loud noises being one of them.
• This episode and its sister are the last episodes to air before the tragic 9/11 attacks.

Cultural references

• The secret box is a reference to the 1995 movie Se7en with Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, and Kevin Spacey.
• This episode's plotline bears a similarity to the Dharma & Greg episode "The Box," which aired just eight months before this episode.
• Patrick says "Hands off, peeping Bob!," which is likely a reference to the phrase "peeping Tom."
• When Patrick mistakes SpongeBob for the Clam-burglar, this name is likely a parody of the McDonald's character Hamburglar.
• This episode and it's sister episode are both the last to air before the tragic 9/11 attacks

Errors

• Squidward's house is missing near the end of this episode. This also occurs in "InSPONGEiac."
• The potato chip on the floor that SpongeBob steps on is present in one scene, but in another scene, it is missing.
• When Patrick says, "And to think we joined the 'Best Friends Forever' club?!," his purple eyelids disappear.
• When SpongeBob gathers the "secret" stuff, he goes towards Patrick's house, not his own.
• When the screen shakes, there is a light blue border. This error also occurs in "Welcome to the Chum Bucket" and "Band Geeks."
• In the opening credits, the 'k' in Carson Kugler's name is lowercase instead of capitalized. This also happens again in "Welcome to the Chum Bucket" and "Procrastination."

Running gags

• Every time SpongeBob steps on or bounces onto Patrick's house floor, it causes a loud noise.

References

Awards and nominations for SpongeBob SquarePants V • E Golden Reel Awards Best Sound Editing in Television Animation – Music Nominees: Stephen Hillenburg, Donna Castricone, Nicholas R. Jennings, Alan Smart, Peter Burns, Doug Lawrence, Derek Drymon, Alex Gordon, Donna Grillo, Jennie Monica, Krandal Crews, Jim Leber, Justin Brinsfield, Tony Ostyn, Nicolas Carr (for "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy"/"Pickles;" 2000) • Nicolas Carr (for "Fools in April"/"Neptune's Spatula" in 2001; for "Jellyfish Hunter"/"The Fry Cook Games" in 2002; for "Wet Painters"/"Krusty Krab Training Video" in 2003; for "The Great Snail Race"/"Mid-Life Crustacean" in 2004) • Jimmy Lifton, D.J. Lynch, Jeff Hutchins, Tony Ostyn and Paulette Lifton (for "Mid-Life Crustacean;" 2004) Best Sound Editing in Television Animation – Sound Nominees: Nicolas Carr (for "Karate Choppers;" 2000) • Andrea Anderson, Jimmy Lifton, Monette Holderer, D.J. Lynch, Vincent Gutisetti, Jeff Hutchins and Gabriel Rosas (for "Rock Bottom"/"Arrgh!;" 2001) Best Sound Editing in Television – Animation Nominees: Timothy J. Borquez, Jeff Hutchins and Daisuke Sawa (for "The Secret Box"/"Band Geeks;" 2002) Best Sound Editing in Television Animation Nominees: Jimmy Lifton, Jeff Hutchins, Tony Ostyn and Chris Gresham (for "Nasty Patty"/"Idiot Box;" 2003) Best Sound Editing in Television: Animated Nominees: Jimmy Lifton, Nicolas Carr, D.J. Lynch, Jeff Hutchins, Tony Ostyn, Chris Gresham and Paulette Lifton (for "Pranks a Lot"/"SpongeBob Meets the Strangler;" 2005) • Vincent Gutisetti, Jimmy Lifton, Nicolas Carr, Monique Reymond, D.J. Lynch, Mark Howlett, Jeff Hutchins, Aran Tanchum, Mishelle Smith and Paulette Lifton (for "Have You Seen This Snail?;" 2006) • Nicolas Carr, Mishelle Fordham, Monette Becktold, Jeff Hutchins, Timothy J. Borquez, Tom Syslo, Jason Stiff, Tony Orozco and Kimberlee Vanek (for "SpongeHenge;" 2008) Best Sound Editing: Television Animation Nominees: : Chiho Oyamada Carr, Nicolas Carr, Mishelle Fordham, Daisuke Sawa, Monette Becktold, Jeff Hutchins, Timothy J. Borquez, Tom Syslo, Eric Freeman, Dan Cubert, Lawrence Reyes, Jason Stiff, Tony Orozco and Kimberlee Vanek (for "Suction Cup Symphony;" 2009) • Chino Oyamada Carr, Nicolas Carr, Mishelle Fordham, Monette Becktold, Jeff Hutchins, Timothy J. Borquez, Eric Freeman, Tom Syslo, Keith Dickens, Jason Stiff, Sergio Silva, Tony Orozco and Kimberlee Vanek (for "SpongeBob SquarePants vs. The Big One;" 2010) Best Sound Editing – Sound Effects, Foley, Dialogue and ADR Animation in Television Nominees: Devon Bowman, Justin Brinsfield, Nicolas Carr, Andrea Anderson, Mishelle Fordham, Monette Becktold, Jeff Hutchins, Eric Freeman, Tony Orozco and Danny Tchibinda (for "Gary's New Toy;" 2013) • Mishelle Fordham, Monette Becktold, Jeff Hutchins, Timothy J. Borquez, Tom Syslo, Eric Freeman, Bobby Crew, Keith Dickens, Gabriel Rossas and Tony Orozco (for "It's a SpongeBob Christmas!;" 2013)