"Two Thumbs Down" is a SpongeBob SquarePants episode from Season 9. In this episode, SpongeBob loses the use of his thumbs.
Characters
- SpongeBob SquarePants
- SpongeBob's thumbs
- Patrick Star
- Gary the Snail (in a picture)
- Chubby customer
- Male judge
- Incidental 36
- Eugene H. Krabs
- Incidental 94
- Squidward Tentacles
- Sandy Cheeks
- Incidental 107
- One of the skateboarders
- Incidental 114
- Cross-walker (debut)
- Fred (blue)
- Raven (debut)
- Crying baby (debut)
- Baby Billy
- Incidental 67
- Incidental 7
- Incidental 105
- Incidental 9
- Incidental 152
- Incidental 151
- Incidental 64
- Incidental 103
- Incidental 41
- Incidental 48
- Incidental 82
- Incidental 6
- Incidental 60
- Incidental 22
- Incidental 46
- Dr. Manfish (debut)
- Incidental 102
- Incidental 37B
- Incidental 40
- Incidental 108
- Monkeys (mentioned)
- Apes (mentioned)
- Hitchhiker (debut)
- Incidental 14
- Plum Puller (debut)
- Thumb (debut)
- Thumb Con patrons (debut)
- Incidental 69
- Incidental 31
- Incidental 8
- Incidental 5
- Incidental 3
- Incidental 158
- Incidental 18
- Old Man Walker
- Incidental 153
- Incidental 73
- Incidental 85
- Incidental 16
- Incidental 27
- Incidental 47
- Incidental 155
- Incidental 92
- Incidental 10
- Incidental 104
- Sandals
- Incidental 2
- Crow
Synopsis
The episode starts at SpongeBob's house, SpongeBob and Patrick engage in a thumb war and SpongeBob wins. He gives Patrick a thumbs up, making him feel good. He then goes to work at the Krusty Krab and gives some customers thumbs up. He gives Mr. Krabs a thumbs up and Squidward two thumbs up. He later talks to Sandy on the street and gives her the thumbs up as well. Sandy asks SpongeBob if he feels like he is using the thumbs up too much, but he denies it and goes to cross the street, giving everyone a thumbs up. However, after he does that for a long time, people get creeped out.

SpongeBob and Patrick having a thumb war.
He does another one and breaks both his thumbs. He then goes to the hospital and Dr. Manfish tells him he cannot say for certain if he will be able to use his thumbs again. He goes to the Krusty Krab where he cannot cook Krabby Patties anymore due to his injury. Mr. Krabs then puts Patrick in charge as fry cook until SpongeBob can cook again. SpongeBob is upset and walks through the Bikini Bottomites using their thumbs. He then mopes around his house. Sandy finds him and tells him he needs to find a purpose in life again.
SpongeBob then mends his thumbs through training and goes to the Krusty Krab, where Patrick has taken his job. They then have another thumb war to determine who gets the job. SpongeBob wins and gets his job back happily, as the episode ends.
Production
Vincent Waller confirmed the episode on Twitter on October 10, 2015.[4]
Art
Music
( ‣ ) Associated production music |
( • ) Original music |
( ◦ ) SpongeBob music |
• Jovial Pirate's Jig - Michael Bolger, Nicolas Carr [Title card]
‣ Sword Fight - Sam Fonteyn [Opening.]
‣ ? ["Thanks, SpongeBob, that means a lot."]
• Lap Steel - Nicolas Carr ["Giving someone a thumbs up feels great!"]
• The Krusty Krab Jig - Michael Bolger, Nicolas Carr ["Boy, these Krabby Patties are delicious."]
‣ Fantasy Princess [#52] - Harry Bluestone, Emil Cadkin ["That thumbs up really touched my heart."]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks (z) - Jeremy Wakefield [SpongeBob walks away.]
• Daily Chores Jig - Michael Bolger, Nicolas Carr [Krabs asks if SpongeBob counted the cups.]
‣ ? ["Yes, sir!"]
• Another Krusty Krab Day - Michael Bolger, Nicolas Carr ["Do you have one of your precious thumbs up for me?"]
‣ ? [Two thumbs up.]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks (b) - Jeremy Wakefield [SpongeBob goes back to the kitchen.]
• Rip Tide - Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [SpongeBob gives Sandy two thumbs up.]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks (q) - Jeremy Wakefield [SpongeBob leaves Sandy.]
‣ Jungle Baby - Hans Ehrlinger [SpongeBob giving everyone thumbs up.]
‣ Sword Fight - Harry Bluestone, Emil Cadkin [SpongeBob's thumbs break.]
• Soapy Organ - Hiram Titus [SpongeBob in the hospital.]
• Jovial Pirate's Jig - Michael Bolger, Nicolas Carr [SpongeBob trying to take the spatula.]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks (h) - Jeremy Wakefield ["I'm sorry, son."]
• Clowning Around Again - Nicolas Carr, Barry Anthony [Patrick enters the kitchen.]
• Poor Ol Sod Shanty - Michael Bolger, Nicolas Carr ["Patrick, I'm glad it's you."]
◦ Two Thumbs Down (song) - Kaz Prapuolenis, Eban Schletter [Original song.]
‣ Crazy Mind - Harry Lubin [Sandy visits SpongeBob.]
‣ Fates [#61] - Gregor Narholz ["Don't give up, SpongeBob!"]
‣ Giant Steps - Ramon Codas ["Enough sitting around feeling sorry for myself."]
• Galley Cooks Shanty - Michael Bolger, Nicolas Carr [Patrick cooking patties.]
• Blazing Baloney Western - Nicolas Carr ["The job's taken."]
‣ Sword Fight - Sam Fonteyn ["Thumb war."]
‣ Sword Fight Alt. End - Sam Fonteyn [SpongeBob wins the thumb war.]
• Another Best Day Ever - Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Ending.]
Release
- This episode is available on the SpongeBob SquarePants Vol. 16, SeaSide Story, Complete Ninth Season, Next 100 Episodes, and The Best 200 Episodes Ever DVDs.
Trivia
General
- Despite this episode being advertised, its sister episode "Mall Girl Pearl" premiered first during the original airing.
- When SpongeBob's thumbs break, the following live-action scenes are shown:
- Two steam locomotives colliding (footage owned by Prelinger Archives)
- The 1940 Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapse (footage owned by Petrified Films) (also seen in "To SquarePants or Not to SquarePants")
- A tree collapsing (footage owned by Oxford Scientific Films)
- A crow's call (footage owned by NHK Video Bank) (supposedly an omen for death or disaster)
- A baby crying (footage owned by SimonKr)
- One of SpongeBob's thumbs mentions the episode's title when he says, "We got two thumbs down. Repeat. Two thumbs down!"
- This is the fourth episode where Sandy has been referred to by her full name, "Sandra." The first is "Patrick SmartPants," the second is "Atlantis SquarePantis," and the third is "Kenny the Cat."
- This is the fifth episode where Patrick works at the Krusty Krab and the second time he is fry cook. His first time working at the Krusty Krab in general is in "Big Pink Loser," his second overall and first time as a fry cook is in "Bummer Vacation," his third time is in "No Hat for Pat," and his fourth time is in "Restraining SpongeBob."
- This episode marks the last usage of "Sword Fight Version 2" to date.
- This episode premiered on the same day as the 2016 Kids' Choice Awards and the premiere of School of Rock TV series.
- This is the ninth episode, along with the sister episode "Mall Girl Pearl," to premiere on the same day as the Kids' Choice Awards. The first was "Help Wanted"/"Reef Blower"/"Tea at the Treedome" in 1999, the second was "Krabby Land"/"The Camping Episode" in 2004, the third was "Krusty Towers"/"Mrs. Puff, You're Fired" in 2006, the fourth was "Born to Be Wild"/"Best Frenemies" in 2007, the fifth was "Nautical Novice"/"Spongicus" in 2008, the sixth was "Sentimental Sponge" in 2011, the seventh was "Are You Happy Now?"/"Planet of the Jellyfish" in 2012, and the eighth was "Kenny the Cat" in 2014.
Cultural references
- A line from the song, "or pull out a plum!," is a lyric from Little Jack Horner.
- The video game controller SpongeBob uses seems to borrow elements from the Super Nintendo Entertainment System controller and the PlayStation controller.
Errors

Where did all of the ashes come from?
- The red parachutes on the thumbs that show when SpongeBob falls down with his broken thumbs are somehow already burned in the next scene.
- The mother and the baby on the bench appear during the Two Thumbs Down song, but they disappear when they zoom out and show the Thumb Con convention.
- There is a scene where SpongeBob is shown walking outside of Bikini Bottom. Then the next scene shows him immediately walking to his pineapple house, which is located in Bikini Bottom.