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Encyclopedia SpongeBobia
This is the page about the episode. For other uses, see Clams (disambiguation).

"Clams" is a SpongeBob SquarePants episode from season 3. In this episode, Mr. Krabs' one millionth dollar is eaten by a clam during a fishing trip.

Characters[]

Synopsis[]

The episode starts at the Krusty Krab where a customer is struggling to decide what he wants to order and asks Squidward what he likes best, but Squidward states that he hates everything on the menu so under SpongeBob's orders, he orders coral bits for one dollar. Just then, Mr. Krabs excitedly announces that this particular dollar is his one millionth earned. He tells SpongeBob and Squidward that they are going on a surprise trip to celebrate. Squidward guesses they will be going to special places, such as Fancy Springs, Pamper Island, or Bikini Bottom Folk Village. To Squidward's dismay, however, they go clam fishing in a boat called the S.S. Cheapskate on a smelly lagoon.

While fishing, SpongeBob accidentally hooks the back of Mr. Krabs' pants, which he has taped his millionth dollar to, and rips it off. Once the dollar is thrown into the lagoon, dramatic music played by a live-action orchestra starts up, giving SpongeBob, Squidward, and Mr. Krabs a dark warning that a giant clam is close by. SpongeBob frantically reels the dollar back into the boat, and for a few seconds, Mr. Krabs is happy at the dollar's safety. Next second, however, a giant blue-lipped clam suddenly jumps out of the lagoon, grabs the dollar from Mr. Krabs' claws, and swims away. Mr. Krabs starts sobbing a little bit until Squidward comes and tell how the trip is, and Mr. Krabs tells Squidward the situation that just happened today, and then he falls into an uncontrollable crying fit, which Squidward tries unsuccessfully to snap him out of. Finally, Squidward reluctantly promises to help Mr. Krabs get his dollar back. He is happy to hear this, and gives everyone supplies so that they can prepare themselves for catching the clam. Mr. Krabs then starts keeping a lookout for the clam.

After three days, the clam still has not returned. SpongeBob and Squidward have grown tired of waiting, so they try to fool Mr. Krabs by giving him an ordinary dollar out of Squidward's wallet, which was all crumpled up, torn slightly, soaked in the lagoon, and kissed up with Coral Blue #3 Semi-Gloss Lipstick that SpongeBob used it. Mr. Krabs sees through their scheme and states that he will give a sandwich to whoever retrieves his dollar. He goes so far as to toss the other sandwiches and the entire fridge into the lagoon, making the sandwich the only piece of food on board. Squidward and SpongeBob realize that their boss has succumbed to madness and try to escape, only for Mr. Krabs to catch them and use them as bait for the clam.

Clams 192

Mr. Krabs goes crazy over a dollar.

Soon, the dramatic music starts again, with Mr. Krabs being the conductor. The clam advances toward the boat with Mr. Krabs' dollar lying on his tongue. Mr. Krabs jumps onto the clam's tongue and grabs the dollar, only for the clam to shut its mouth and dive back into the lagoon. SpongeBob and Squidward are distraught until Mr. Krabs' head pops out of the lagoon. He reveals that he and the clam fought until Mr. Krabs agreed to trade his entire body (minus his head and arm) for the dollar.

Production[]

Deleted scene[]

In the storyboard version featured on the SpongeGuard on Duty DVD, after Mr. Krabs gets his 1,000,000th dollar at the Krusty Krab, he uses the restaurant's phone to call his parents Krabs Senior and Betsy Krabs at the Bikini Bottom Graveyard to tell them about it, only to show that they're long dead. There were paintings made for the payphone and graves before the scene was cut.

Storyboards[]

Clams_(storyboard)

Clams (storyboard)

Art[]

Model sheets[]

Music[]

 ) Production music
 ) Original music
 ) SpongeBob music

  Dangerous E - Mladen Franko [Title card]
  Hello Sailor (B) - Richard Myhill [Opening]
  Superquick A - Daniel Jean Jeannin [Krabs' millionth dollar]
  record scratches SFX - Nicolas Carr ["Nothing!"]
  What Shall We Do with the Drunken Sailor? - Okko Bekker [Krabs takes SpongeBob and Squidward on a trip]
  The Girl I Left Behind Me - Brian Peters [Clam fishing]
  The Rake Hornpipe - Robert Alexander White ["Okay, I've had enough."]
  Dangerous B - Mladen Franko [Orchestra plays dramatic music]
  Dangerous E - Mladen Franko ["Hurry SpongeBob!"]
  Dangerous D  - Mladen Franko [Orchestra plays dramatic music]
  Dangerous B - Mladen Franko [SpongeBob reels in the dollar]
  Dangerous C - Mladen Franko [Giant clam eats Krabs' dollar]
  Hawaiian Cocktail - Richard Myhill [Krabs crying]
  Up She Rises - Sam Spence ["Here's where clam fishing gets serious."]
  Steel Licks 33 - Jeremy Wakefield [Three days later]
  Tomfoolery - David Snell [SpongeBob and Squidward give Krabs an ordinary dollar]
  Superquick A - Daniel Jean Jeannin [Krabs dancing]
  Fates [#62] - Gregor F. Narholz ["I trusted you, and you gave me this!"]
  Vibe & Harp Hits - Nicolas Carr [Sandwich]
  Unease - Dick Stephen Walter [Krabs throws all their food overboard]
  In Loving Memory (b) - Len Rawle [Krabs crying]
  Danger Zone - Mike Sunderland [Krabs playing jump rope with his eyes]
  Killer Birds [#36] - Gregor F. Narholz ["I know what you're thinking."]
  Dramatic Encounter - Gregor F. Narholz ["Live bait!"]
  Dangerous D - Mladen Franko [The orchestra starts playing again.]
  Dangerous E - Mladen Franko [Mr. Krabs laughs maniacally.]
  Dangerous A - Mladen Franko [Dramatic music again]
  Drunken Sailor (B) - Robin Jeffrey, Tim Laycock [Krabs gets his dollar back]
  Dangerous B - Mladen Franko [Krabs eaten]
  Steel Licks 78 - Jeremy Wakefield [SpongeBob, Squidward crying]
  Thats It ! - Nicolas Carr ["Have you boys met me millionth dollar?"]
  The Girl I Left Behind Me - Brian Peters [Ending]

Release[]

Reception[]

Trivia[]

General[]

  • According to the production code of this episode, this episode was originally produced for season 2.
  • Mr. Krabs breaks the fourth wall by acknowledging the existence of the dramatic music while SpongeBob reels his dollar in and again by conducting the same music to lure in Old Bluelip.
    • He then opens a double-door on the boat which reveals an orchestra playing the same music.
    • Later, when he is using them as bait, SpongeBob and Squidward question why the clam would appear then when it would not before.
    • The camera pans to Mr. Krabs dressed as a conductor in front of the orchestra, revealing that it is the ominous background music that draws the clam's attention.
  • In this episode, the sky gradient is a darker shade of blue at the top and lighter at the bottom. In most other episodes, it is darker at the bottom and lighter at the top.
  • Old Bluelip's roaring was performed by Dee Bradley Baker and pitched down.
  • This is the first episode for two things:
    • The first episode to play "Hawaiian Cocktail" in its entirety and the only episode to play it without any kind of alteration.
    • The first episode where SpongeBob wears red swimming shorts until season 8 with the episode "Patrick's Staycation." The shorts ever since are now SpongeBob's normal swimming shorts.
  • The French title for this episode is "Courage, rien n'est jamais perdu," which means "Courage, nothing is never lost."[citation needed]
  • For unknown reasons, this episode and its sister episode were rated 13+ on Amazon Prime Video in August 2020.[citation needed]
    • This has since been corrected as of October 2020, and the episode is back to being rated its original TV-Y7 rating on Amazon Prime Video.
  • During the Best Day Ever marathon, this episode was paired with "Tea at the Treedome."[2]
  • During the SpongeBob vs. The Goo marathon, this episode was paired with "A Life in a Day."[3]
  • In the animatic, there's a line from Mr. Krabs (after SpongeBob rips off Squidward's nose) that isn't present in the final version: "What's a nose or two?"[4]
  • In the animatic, SpongeBob reveals that the real coral blue lipstick is "coral blue number four," which he says after Squidward hits him on the head with a fishing pole.
  • This episode was referenced on the Out to Sea digital collection, despite the episode not appearing on that collection.

Cultural references[]

  • This episode is a parody of the 1975 movie, Jaws.
    • The references to the film include the title card, the title, the musical score and three main characters on a boat chasing a larger than normal animal.
    • The boat's name, S.S. Cheapstake which is used as a major role is a spoof on S.S. Orca.
    • Mr. Krabs fills the role of Quint, who was portrayed by Robert Shaw in the movie.
    • SpongeBob fills the role of Martin Brody, who was portrayed by Roy Scheider.
    • Squidward fills the role of Matt Hooper, who was portrayed by Richard Dreyfuss.
    • The theme music which plays throughout the episode is similar to the John Williams score to the film.
    • The original name of this episode was "SpongeJaws,"[5][6][7] a pun of the movie's title.
  • The episode also features numerous references to Moby-Dick, including Mr. Krabs' obsessive pursuit of the clam and nailing a sandwich to a flagpole on the boat and the episode's German title, Moby Muschel.
  • The episode's plot is similar to the 1995 Rocko's Modern Life episode "Fish-N-Chumps." Both episodes were also directed by Stephen Hillenburg and written by Mark O'Hare.
  • Bikini Bottom Folk Village appears to be modeled after living museums such as Colonial Williamsburg and Plimoth Patuxet.

Errors[]

  • In early airings, the episode had an incorrect copyright date of 2001 in the credits. Later airings (and the original print of this episode) have the correct date of 2002.[8]
  • When the curtains open in the Krusty Krab, it covers up the part of the wall where SpongeBob and Squidward work.
Clams 031

The Chum Bucket is missing and the path to the Krusty Krab when facing forward is shaped like a "T."

  • When Mr. Krabs pushes all customers out from his restaurant, the Chum Bucket is missing and the path to the Krusty Krab when facing forward is shaped like a "T."
  • After SpongeBob hooks the flag, it is gone. However, while Mr. Krabs is telling SpongeBob he hooked his dollar, the flag reappears.
    • This may have been for the sake of a joke.
  • S.S. Cheapskate is referred to numerous times as a boat, so it should not be called "S.S. Cheapskate," as "S.S." stands for "Steam Ship," and S.S. Cheapskate is not a ship.
Clams 138

The lipstick is gone.

  • When Squidward clobbers SpongeBob before he can finish saying "Actually, it's coral blue number thre-," the lipstick he put on his lips disappears even after Squidward lifted the blunt object off of him.
  • Despite ordering them, Sandals never got his Coral Bits.
  • For most of the episode, the S.S. Cheapskate does not have a bowsprit. However, in the final scene of the episode, it does.
    • In the animatics, the boat consistently has a bowsprit throughout the episode. It is possible that the animators didn't notice the bowsprit in the animatic until the end scene, which explains why the boat suddenly has a bowsprit at the end.[9]


References[]

Awards and nominations for SpongeBob SquarePants VE

Emmy Awards Cup Emmy

Primetime Emmy Awards

Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour)

Nominees: Sean Dempsey, Derek Drymon, Juli Murphy Hashiguchi, Sam Henderson, Stephen Hillenburg, Jay Lender, Mark O'Hare, Kent Osborne, Alan Smart, Paul Tibbitt, Tom Yasumi (for "New Student Starfish"/"Clams," 2003)Derek Drymon, Juli Murphy Hashiguchi, Stephen Hillenburg, Kent Osborne, Andrew Overtoom, Alan Smart, Paul Tibbitt (for "Ugh," 2004)Mike Bell, C.H. Greenblatt, Stephen Hillenburg, Alan Smart, Paul Tibbitt, Vincent Waller, Tom Yasumi (for "Fear of a Krabby Patty"/"Shell of a Man," 2005)Casey Alexander, Luke Brookshier, Stephen Hillenburg, Tom King, Dani Michaeli, Chris Mitchell, Andrew Overtoom, Alan Smart, Paul Tibbitt and Tom Yasumi (for "Bummer Vacation"/"Wigstruck," 2007)Steven Banks, Charlie Bean, Stephen Hillenburg, Dani Michaeli, Chris Reccardi, Alan Smart, Aaron Springer, Paul Tibbitt, Tom Yasumi (for "The Inmates of Summer"/"The Two Faces of Squidward," 2008)

Outstanding Short-format Animated Program

Nominees: Dina Buteyn, Stephen Hillenburg, Dani Michaeli, Alan Smart, Aaron Springer, Paul Tibbitt and Tom Yasumi (for "Dear Vikings," 2009)Luke Brookshier, Dina Buteyn, Nate Cash, Stephen Hillenburg, Doug Lawrence, Andrew Overtoom, Alan Smart and Paul Tibbitt (for "That Sinking Feeling," 2011)Marc Ceccarelli, Stephen Hillenburg, Kyle McCulloch, Jennie Monica, Jack Pendarvis, Alan Smart, Paul Tibbitt, Vincent Waller, Tom Yasumi (for "Company Picnic," 2016)Luke Brookshier, Marc Ceccarelli, Stephen Hillenburg, Jennie Monica, Adam Paloian, Alan Smart, Vincent Waller, Tom Yasumi (for "Plankton Paranoia," 2019)


Daytime Emmy Awards

Outstanding Directing in an Animated Program

Directors: Andrew Overtoom, Andrea Romano, Alan Smart and Tom Yasumi (2010)Casey Alexander, Luke Brookshier, Nate Cash, Zeus Cervas, Sean Charmatz, Andrew Overtoom, Andrea Romano, Alan Smart, Aaron Springer, Paul Tibbitt, Vincent Waller and Tom Yasumi (2012)

Outstanding Special Class Animated Program

Animators: Dina Buteyn, Stephen Hillenburg and Paul Tibbitt (2010)

Outstanding Children's Animated Program

Nominees: Stephen Hillenburg, Jennie Monica Hammond and Paul Tibbitt (2012)Stephen Hillenburg, Marc Ceccarelli, Vincent Waller and Jennie Monica (2018)

Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program

Voice actors: Rodger Bumpass as Squidward Tentacles (2012)Tom Kenny as SpongeBob SquarePants (2018)Tom Kenny as SpongeBob SquarePants (2020)Tom Kenny as SpongeBob SquarePants (2021)

Outstanding Sound Editing – Animation

Nominees: Todd Brodie, Nicolas Carr, Mishelle Fordham, Chris Gresham, Matt Hall, Jeffrey Hutchins, James Lifton, Paulette Lifton, D.J. Lynch, Aran Tanchum and Kimberlee Vanek (2012) • Mishelle Fordham, Vincent Guisetti, Jeffrey Hutchins, James Lifton, Paulette Lifton, D.J. Lynch, Wes Otis, Monique Reymond and Aran Tanchum (2013) • Devon Bowman, Nicolas Carr, Mishelle Fordham, Jeff Hutchins, Aran Tanchum and Vincent Guisetti (2014)

Outstanding Sound Mixing for an Animated Program

Nominees: D.J. Lynch, Justin Brinsfield, Ryan Greene, Manny Grijalva, Jeff Hutchins and Aran Tanchum (2020)

Outstanding Voice Directing for an Animated Series

Nominees: Tom Kenny (2021)


Children's and Family Emmy Awards

Outstanding Voice Performance in an Animated Program

Voice actors: Tom Kenny as SpongeBob SquarePants (2022)Tom Kenny as SpongeBob SquarePants (2023)

Individual Achievement in Animation - Storyboard

Nominees: Benjamin Arcand (for "SpongeBob's Road to Christmas," 2022)

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