"Wary Gary" is a SpongeBob SquarePants episode from season 15. In this episode, SpongeBob goes to extreme lengths to trick Gary into going to the vet.
Characters[]
- SpongeBob SquarePants
- Gary the Snail
- Patrick Star
- Veterinarian
- Snail Fail (pictured)
- Inc cowboy fish
- Incidentals
- Snail on Num Nums (single appearance)
- Snail on VIP poster (single appearance)
- Snail on Snail Po can (single appearance)
- Real-life Snail#1 (single appearance)
- Real-life Snail#2 (single appearance)
- Fish object (single appearance)
- Pink bunny slipper
- Shelly
- Mouse toy (single appearance)
- Worm (single appearance)
- Snail on paper bag poster (single appearance)
- Scallop (single appearance)
Synopsis[]
Gary following the path of SpongeBob's snail treats.
One morning, Gary is sleeping, and SpongeBob leaves out a trail of snail treats to lead him into his vet carrier. The phone rings and Patrick answers, asking him to hang out. SpongeBob explains that Gary hates going to the vet and he always has to be tricked into going to the pet carrier. Gary eats the treats and enters the vet, but it somehow turns out Patrick is in there instead, eating the treats.
SpongeBob tries to take Gary for a walk, but Gary catches on and drags him around the house, tying him up in the leash. SpongeBob then claims to have booked a vacation for Gary and wants him to get in the carrier, but Gary locks SpongeBob in his suitcase and takes them both on the vacation, where they return two weeks later.
Next, SpongeBob tricks Gary with a fake invitation to a party at Snail Fail's house. SpongeBob gets Gary into a limousine, but finds Patrick in it. Gary locks them both inside and has the limousine crushed in a compactor.
Gary is watching TV and SpongeBob decides to use brutal honesty, pulling out some nose hair to make himself cry. He dramatically tells Gary how bad he wants him to go to the vet. Patrick gives him an award for his acting, giving away the plan. Gary escapes and SpongeBob is more determined to catch him.
SpongeBob suits up in a safari outfit and goes to catch Gary with a jellyfish net. He throws a mouse toy, but Gary avoids it. Gary runs away and falls into a pit trap SpongeBob set, but he drags him in and escape. Gary triggers tripwires that drop containers on him and avoids them. He goes into the bathroom to see Patrick using the shower, and SpongeBob ambushes him from the bathroom cabinet. Gary goes back into SpongeBob's bedroom and sees a laser pointer dot, only for it to point at a mirror and reveal SpongeBob's location.
Gary sees the doctor.
Gary attacks SpongeBob and they have a Western-style stand-off. SpongeBob notices the vet carrier above Gary and launches a toy from his body to knock it onto him. They arrive at the Vet, where the doctor gives Gary a lollipop. Gary happily eats it, and the doctor explains that it is full of vitamins and vaccinations snails need.
Before SpongeBob leaves, the doctor points out that Gary bit and scratched him, leaving him dirty. To cure his infections, the vet tries to give him a giant injection, making SpongeBob run away and scream in fear. Gary takes out a net and safari outfit and chases SpongeBob down while the latter is crying.
Production[]
On February 28, 2024, Dylan 'Houston' King announced that he was available for work in the animation industry,[2] meaning that he had left SpongeBob SquarePants. This was his final credited episode.
This episode was confirmed by Cartoonlounge.de on July 29, 2024.[3]
On the United States Copyright Office catalog, this episode, alongside its sister, is listed as having a publication date of October 2, 2024, which may be its completion date.[4]
Art[]
- Time cards designed by Amy Lewis. Stamp prints created by cutting cardboard and sponges; stamps were then printed on paper and scanned in.[5]
Background design[]
- Layouts designed by George Nachev, traditionally painted by Amy Lewis in gouache.[5][6][7]
Storyboards[]
- Rough boarded by Dan Becker, supervised by Dave Cunningham, plussed by Dylan King, Benjamin Arcand, and Nick Lauer.[8][9] Story notes drawn by King.[10]
Music[]
| ( ‣ ) Production music |
| ( • ) Original music |
| ( ◦ ) SpongeBob music |
‣ Hawaiian Train - Victor Cavini [Title card.]
• Spy vs Snail - Nicolas Carr [Opening.]
• An Underwater Conversation 1 - Barry Anthony, Nicolas Carr [Patrick on the phone.]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 22E - Jeremy Wakefield [Patrick in the pet carrier.]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 23A - Jeremy Wakefield ["Great plan, SpongeBob."]
‣ Apples And Pears - Bruce Campbell [SpongeBob tries to grab Gary.]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 37A - Jeremy Wakefield ["More snail food, please."]
‣ Asinine - Jack Shaindlin [Gary drags SpongeBob through the living room.]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 18 - Jeremy Wakefield [Gary takes off his leash.]
• Bubble Popping Boys 2 - Nicolas Carr, Barry Anthony ["Perhaps I'll need a ruse that's even ruse-ier."]
‣ Dolphin Dance - William Bell [West One Music] [SpongeBob packing for vacation.]
• Grass Skirt Chase - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Gary takes SpongeBob to the airport.]
‣ Moloka'i Nui A - Kapono Beamer [SpongeBob and Gary return from vacation.]
‣ Cutie Pie - Jack Shaindlin [Gary reading.]
• Sir Urchin and Snail Fail Theme - Nicolas Carr [Invitation to a party at Snail Fail's house.]
‣ White Satin - Remastered - Fredric Bayco [SpongeBob and Gary enter the limo.]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 19B - Jeremy Wakefield [Patrick in the limo.]
‣ Even More Comical Cuts 1-5 - Ronald Hanmer [Gary driving/Gary locks the limo/Limo gets crushed.]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 35 - Jeremy Wakefield [SpongeBob and Patrick in the crushed limo.]
• Romantic Concerto #1 - Hiram Titus ["And now back to Snails of Our Lives."]
‣ Comedy Punctuations And Bridges 4 - Fredric Bayco [SpongeBob thinks of a plan.]
‣ Comedy Punctuations And Bridges 3 - Fredric Bayco [SpongeBob plucks his nose hair.]
• Pulling Hair - Nicolas Carr [SpongeBob starts tearing up.]
• Romantic Concerto #1 - Hiram Titus ["Next time on Snails of Our Lives."]
‣ Goodbye Rodney - Peter Winslow [SpongeBob begging Gary to go to the vet.]
‣ Bas Bleu - Remastered - Don Bowden [SpongeBob wins an award for best acting.]
• New Vibe Hits - Nicolas Carr [Gary has disappeared.]
‣ Hide and Seek [#18] - Harry Bluestone, Emil Cadkin [SpongeBob becomes determined.]
‣ African Adventure - Peter Hope [SpongeBob puts on hunting gear.]
‣ African Conflict - Norman Dane [SpongeBob follows Gary's slime trail.]
‣ Dramatic Race A - John Fox, Mac Prindy [SpongeBob tries to catch Gary.]
• Nude Sting - Nicolas Carr [Patrick in the shower.]
‣ Dramatic Race A - John Fox, Mac Prindy [Gary runs away from SpongeBob.]
‣ Brown Threat - Remastered - Alan Owen [Gary following a laser.]
‣ Comedy Punctuations And Bridges 4 - Fredric Bayco [Gary cuts down SpongeBob's ladder./Carrier lands between SpongeBob and Gary.]
‣ Dramatic Cue (G) - Ronald Hanmer [SpongeBob and Gary fight.]
• Blazing Baloney Western - Nicolas Carr [SpongeBob finally catches Gary.]
• ? - Nicolas Carr [Overlays "Blazing Baloney Western."]
• Lap Steel-spce_01 - Nicolas Carr [Gary punching SpongeBob.]
• Hannible Gary - Nicolas Carr [SpongeBob brings in his pet.]
‣ Flower Display - Jack Shaindlin [Vet inspects Gary's teeth.]
• Vicious Snail - Nicolas Carr ["I know exactly how to handle vicious snails."]
‣ Dog's Day - Cedric Palmer [Vet gives Gary a lollipop.]
‣ Handy Pandy - Cedric Palmer ["Oh, you can't leave, Mr. SquarePants."]
‣ Five Dramatic Bridges B - Remastered - Kurt Rehfeld [Vet holding a needle.]
• Greenhorn Rag Remix - Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Ending.]
Release[]
Broadcast[]
- This episode premiered as part of the 2025 event "Friday Night Hits."
- The premiere of this episode was simulcasted on Nicktoons.[11] The premiere of the episode on that network received 33,000 viewers. Combined with the 104,000 viewers on Nickelodeon, this totals to 137,000 viewers.[12]
Distribution[]
| Format | Title | Region |
|---|---|---|
| DVD | The Complete Fifteenth Season | United States |
Trivia[]
General[]
- This episode was originally titled "Shell to Pay."
- The title card is the same as the one for "The Hankering," but with Gary's eyes added.
- This episode's plot is similar to that of "Gary Takes a Bath," since both episodes involve SpongeBob struggling to force Gary to go somewhere.
- The first two grunting noises when SpongeBob is looking through his closet are reused from the 2020 Nickelodeon Movies logo.
- SpongeBob breaks the fourth wall when he receives his reward for best acting by saying "if you had told me eleven minutes ago that little ol' SpongeBob would win an award for anything," which refers to the runtime of a standard SpongeBob SquarePants episode.
- SpongeBob is forced to get the full treatment to avoid getting infected after Gary bit and scratched him. In real life, cats (of which snails are the underwater equivalent of) have infectious bites that can cause rabies or tetanus in humans.
- This episode is the third instance where a close-up of a character's eyes appear on the title card. The first is "InSPONGEiac" and the second is "Plankton Paranoia."
- This is the final episode with storyboard plussing by Dylan King, a storyboard artist who began freelancing on the series in season 12, and became a fixture of Dave Cunningham's storyboard team during early season 13.
Episode references[]
- Both "Gary Takes a Bath" and this episode have a scene of Gary reading a book titled Snail Jokes.
- The fancy outfit SpongeBob wears in the limo is from "Married to Money."
- SpongeBob taking out his eyelashes is a callback to "The Chaperone."
- Patrick mistakes SpongeBob's hysterics for acting, like in "SpongeBob's Road to Christmas."
Cultural references[]
- Snails of Our Lives is a parody of the 1965 soap opera, Days of Our Lives.
Errors[]
- SpongeBob's eyelashes are missing when he notices Patrick in the limousine.
Videos[]
Names in other languages[]
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Italian | Gary il diffidente | Wary Gary |
| Polish | Gacuś Lękuś | Wary Gary / Gary the Scaredy Cat |
| Russian | Гэри начеку Geri nacheku |
Gary on the Alert |
| Spanish (Latin America) | Gary cauteloso | Cautious Gary |
References[]
- ^ Nickelodeon UK - December 5, 2024
- ^ Dylan 'Houston' King on Twitter - "Hey YOU! Need a Character Artist?..."
- ^ https://cartoonlounge.de/spongebob-schwammkopf/episode/313a-wary-gary.php
- ^ From the United States Copyright Office catalog: Public Catalog - Copyright Catalog (1978 to present) - Basic Search [search: "Spongebob Squarepants - Episode 313"]. United States Copyright Office.
- ^ a b Amy Lewis on Instagram - "Some background paintings from 2 new..."
- ^ Amy Lewis on Twitter - "Another background painting from a new..."
- ^ Amy Lewis on Twitter - "A background painting with process pics..."
- ^ Nick Lauer on Bluesky - "Some drawings I did for a recent SpongeBob..."
- ^ Benjamin Arcand on Instagram - "Pals in a fancy limousine ride!..."
- ^ Dylan King on Twitter - "'Wary Gary' story notes."
- ^ February 21, 2025 - Nicktoons G.L.O.B.E. Archives
- ^ 02-25-25-weekly.xlsx - Google Sheets