One of the reasonsSpongeBob SquarePantsis remembered so fondly by audiences is its multiple adult jokes. It’s assumed that when children watch it on TV, their parents may be forced to sort of watch along with them to keep them company, so the showrunners opted to throw a few jokes that the parents would appreciate into the mix. A lot of times, this goes way beyond just naming the town “Bikini Bottom,” which is enough of an innuendo on its own.
However, there are multiple other references to raunchy topics snuck into the show. Some are pretty obvious, but some require audiences to read in between the lines a little.Either way, it proves to be a great decision because the show becomes enjoyable on a whole new level as audiences grow and mature with it. In fact, these jokes might warrant arewatch of the series, because if you watched it as a kid, you’re likely to have missed them.
SpongeBob SquarePants
10Snowballs
“The Snowball Effect” (Season 3, Episode 6a) (2002)
“The Snowball Effect” sees winter arrive in Bikini Bottom, which of course means children are out and playing in the snow, making snowmen, having snowball fights, and enjoying it while it lasts. It’s full of the typical things you’d see on a snowy day in real life. Except for a pair of kids making a particular snow sculpture. They’ve made a really impressive and artistic mermaid entirely out of snow, and it looks pretty much complete as it is shown in all of its glory.
But the kids don’t appear to be done yet, as they’re both making one large snowball each. So, where could they possibly go? And that’s when most people realize where the kids intend to put those two snowballs: right on the mermaid’s torso. This is definitely a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment, but if you’re able to catch it, it’s sure to make you giggle like a naughty child.
9SpongeBob UnderPants
“Pickles” (Season 1, Episode 6b) (1999)
This is another really subtle blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment, which comes from one of the series' very first episodes. In this episode, SpongeBob believes that he forgot to put pickles on a customer’s order, and his life begins to completely fall apart because of it. Mr. Krabs (Clancy Brown) goes to visit his fry cook to check on him, only to find that the pineapple under the sea is an absolute disaster. Things are turned the wrong way around or in the wrong place, and SpongeBob walks into the room with a pair of tighty-whities on his head.
The subtle joke here is SpongeBob’s nose placement within the pair of briefs. The underwear is upside-down on SpongeBob’s head, with his long nose situated right in the crotch area.It’s a quick nod as to what happens when certain people become sexually aroused, and to be honest, it’s shocking that this got into a kids' show.But viewers can’t help but titter at it, all the same.
8Patrick’s Genius Shows
“Texas” (Season 1, Episode 18a) (2000)
Patrick (Bill Fagerbakke) may be a bit of a moron, but sometimes he can say things that are actually pretty smart. Such is the case in “Texas,” one of the earliest episodes, coming out back in the series' first season. In this episode, Sandy (Carolyn Lawrence) begins to get homesick and sings a heartfelt song about how badly she misses her home in Texas.
Overhearing her, Patrick coins the idea that maybe he and SpongeBob should cheer her up by getting a little bit of Texas and bringing it to Bikini Bottom. SpongeBob sees this for the good idea that it is and tells Patrick, “Your genius is showing,” causing Patrick to promptly cover himself in embarrassment.The word “genius” sounds like a certain part of human genitalia, so Patrick’s reaction is pretty natural since he clearly misheard his friend. It’s not really the most risqué joke, or even the most mature, but it does warrant a snicker, all the same.
7Dropping the Doubloons
“Gary Takes a Bath” (Season 2, Episode 11b) (2001)
The premise of “Gary Takes a Bath” is that SpongeBob (Tom Kenny) is desperately trying to get his pet snail, Gary (Kenny), to take a bath. This really doesn’t make any sense considering they both live underwater, but that’s beside the point. Snails are meant to parallel cats in real life, so obviously, getting one to take a bath is not going to be easy. At least snails don’t have four razor-sharp claws, though.
Things start off okay, with SpongeBob trying to make the bath seem like a fun little pirate-themed game for Gary, which he is having none of. In an effort to appeal to him,SpongeBob holds up two bars of soap, calling them doubloons (another word for pirate coins),before telling Gary “Don’t drop them” and winking. It’s subtle, but definitely worth a chuckle.
6The Tickler
“Karate Island” (Season 4, Episode 11b) (2006)
The Tickler (Tom Kenny) is avillainous fishboasting two sticks with hands at the end who fights Sandy in the episode “Karate Island.” Unless you know very specific slang terms, this joke will probably go right over your head. See, the thing about the Tickler is that he’s French.In case you didn’t know, a “French Tickler” is a certain type of condom.
The fact that the Tickler guards an island called “Condo Island” really doesn’t allow the showrunners the benefit of the doubt here. “Condo” is just one letter away from “condom,” after all. It’s a joke that requires a bit of thought, but one that’s actually really funny once you figure it out, and it’s a really clever use of an innuendo that couldn’t have been pulled off better in any other show.
5Spongebob’s Hair
“The Smoking Peanut” (Season 2, Episode 12b) (2001)
“The Smoking Peanut” follows SpongeBob as he visits the Bikini Bottom Clamphitheatre in an effort to see Clamu, a giant clam, perform for the crowd. He and Patrick sneak into the area early to find Clamu fast asleep. Wanting her to do something, SpongeBob throws a peanut at her, which causes her to wake up and begin throwing a temper tantrum. This story quickly becomes plastered all over the news, and SpongeBob begins to feel immense guilt over it, though luckily, no one knows it was him just yet.
He finds himself at Sandy’s house, where they talk about the incident. Suddenly, Sandy notices that SpongeBob is acting weird and twitching. SpongeBob tries to deny it but realizes he needs to leave, and fast, before she gets too suspicious. He makes an excuse, saying he “has to get his hair cut,” before abruptly fleeing. Sandy then wonders to herself what he meant, because “SpongeBob doesn’t have hair.” One look at his yellow head will tell you that this is absolutely true—he has no hair—not on his head, at least. Coming to this same horrifying realization, Sandy wonders, “…or does he?“It’s subtle enough that she could be implying something different, but any mature viewer who is paying close enough attention will get it, no problem, and probably let out a quick chuckle.
4Cheater, Cheater
“Squid on Strike” (Season 2, Episode 20b) (2001)
In the episode “Squid on Strike,” Squidward (Rodger Bumpass) decides togo on striketo protest Mr. Krabs' cheapness. Honestly, it’s a real miracle he didn’t do it sooner, knowing Krabs' propensity to use any dirty trick in the book to save a quick buck. And of course, SpongeBob decides to join him, even though he doesn’t really understand what he’s doing.
During an angry speech, Squidward picks up a megaphone and begins to shout the truth to anyone who will listen. The Krusty Krab is a popular restaurant, so there’s no shortage of people around.To open his speech, Squidward tells the people, “You have been cheated and lied to.” This is followed by an old woman in the crowd saying, “I knew it!” before slapping her husband across the face.Sure, it’s not the most raunchy joke, but it’s definitely one that was meant to be understood by a more mature audience, and it is pretty funny, all the same.
3The Pencil Conundrum
“The Bully” (Season 3, Episode 3b) (2001)
“The Bully” opens at the boating school, with SpongeBob annoying his classmates as usual. This time, it’s over a set of pencils. He can’t seem to figure out the correct order to arrange his pencils, which are labeled for different purposes like “quiz” and “essay.” This joke actually has multiple layers, which makes it so much better. He leans over to one of his classmates, an unnamed fish, to get her attention. The first thing she says to him is, “I don’t want to have to report you again.”
This is funny enough on its own and is a fairly mature joke, but it goes even further than that. SpongeBob asks her which pencil goes on which side, to which his classmate replies, “I think it goes stuck inside your-” She doesn’t get to finish her sentence because SpongeBob cuts her off, but it’s the implication that counts here. It’s a common line in movies and TV, most notably inThe Office,wherein Stanley (Leslie David Baker) often tells people to “shove it up your butt.“It’s great to see a well-used and hilarious line in movies and TV hinted at in a kids' show, and it being cut off somehow makes it funnier.
2What’s on TV?
“Your Shoe’s Untied” (Season 2, Episode 1a) (2000)
This outrageous gag has very little to do with the episode itself, but it’s hysterical nonetheless. In “Your Shoe’s Untied,” SpongeBob can be seen watching TV with a big smile on his face and while leaning forward in his chair, indicating that he’s clearly really into whatever it is he’s watching. The camera then cuts to the TV, where a video of a realistic sea anemone flopping about set to jazz music is shown.
Gary slithers in a mews, only for SpongeBob to become startled and quickly change the channel, nervously stating that he was just looking for a sports network.Obviously, the video of the anemone is meant to be a nod toward erotic/adult entertainment channels, which is why SpongeBob looks so invested in it.It’s a ridiculous joke, but hey, a lot of SpongeBob is ridiculous, and that only makes it even better. It’s a joke that is so well remembered that it has even been reinvented for use in other kids' cartoons and as subliminal adult jokes.
1The Coin Slot
“My Pretty Seahorse” (Season 3, Episode 2b) (2001)
In “My Pretty Seahorse,” SpongeBob adopts a stray seahorse. As with all of his unconventional friends that he makes throughout the series, this proves to be problematic for everyone else, as the seahorse is destructive and violent. This is first shown when SpongeBob leaves the seahorse unattended, and some idiot fish apparently named Scooter (Carlos Alazraqui) thinks the animal is some sort of kiddie ride.
He pulls out a quarter and begins looking for the coin slot.The camera doesn’t show where it is, but if you’re an adult, it can easily be inferred as to where Scooter thinks the coins go. He exclaims, “Here it is!” before the seahorse bucks and launches him into the distance.The random explosion upon landing is a nice touch, too, and really adds to how hilariously vulgar the gag is. That’s what makes this, by far, the best adult joke in the series, because it’s truly amazing that Nickelodeon was able to get away with that. But it’s also easy to appreciate for kids too. Even though they won’t get the coin slot thing, the random explosion will surely get a laugh out of them.
