Employee of the Month

This is the page about the episode. For other uses, see Employee of the Month (disambiguation).

If you were looking for the article about the video game, then see Employee of the Month (video game).

If you were looking for the article about the song, then see Employee of the Month (song).

If you were looking for the article about the DVD, then see Employee of the Month (DVD).

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Characters

• Squidward Tentacles
• SpongeBob SquarePants
• Eugene H. Krabs
• Employee of the Month SpongeBobs
• Gary the Snail ^(cameo)
• Frank ^(cameo)
• Jimmy Gus ^(cameo)
• Billy ^(cameo)
• Mevis ^(cameo)
• Employee of the Month Squidward ^(debut)
• Anchovy
• Nat Peterson ^(cameo)

Synopsis

At the Krusty Krab, SpongeBob reminds Squidward that today is the beginning of judging for the Employee of the Month Award. However, Squidward tells SpongeBob that the award is nothing but a scam, and Mr. Krabs is only giving it to him so he will work harder for less money, but SpongeBob does not believe him.

Mr. Krabs warns SpongeBob that Squidward might get the new Employee of the Month Award, and since SpongeBob has 26 consecutive awards (and wants a 27th), he starts worrying. Squidward says that he could get the award if he wanted to, and SpongeBob asks him to prove it. Squidward tells him that the award is fake, but SpongeBob refuses to believe him.

After they both decide that they will arrive at the Krusty Krab earlier than the other; that night, SpongeBob tries to destroy Squidward's alarm clock so he will not wake up, but Squidward has 28 more in his closet. The two argue again about the award, and they say they do not even

Employee of the Month wall

have to sleep. They both set several traps for each other as they both desperately try to reach the Krusty Krab first, and, after a temporary truce, both get there at the same time, just as Mr. Krabs opens the doors. They begin overworking in an attempt to impress him, doing more harm than good, scaring Mr. Krabs out of his wits in the process.

They then begin trying to make as many Krabby Patties as possible, eventually causing the Krusty Krab to explode. Krabby Patties rain down from the sky, to the delight of the citizens of Bikini Bottom thinking they're free, and while Mr. Krabs tries to make the people pay for them, SpongeBob and Squidward ask him who is the Employee of the Month, giving Mr. Krabs a headache.

Production

Art

Music

( ‣ ) Production music

( • ) Original music

( ◦ ) SpongeBob music

 ‣ Oyster Girls - Robert Alexander White [title card]
 ‣ Me for You - George Callert [opening]
 ‣ Captain Lenoe's - Michael Arthur, Colin Cater, Mick Graves, The Folk Players, Sarah Graves, Simon Ritchie ["This is gonna be a tough one, though."]
 ‣ Casualties of Love (b) - Mladen Franko [SpongeBob imagines Squidward's picture on the wall]
 ‣ Death Trap - Gregor F. Narholz [patty stuck to grill]
 ‣ SpongeBob Closing Theme - Steve Belfer, Nicolas Carr ["Making Krabby Patties?"]
 ‣ Dashing White Sergeants - Brian Douglas Gulland, Robert Alexander White ["This is war now, private!"]
 ‣ Agent Woodrow - The Woodies* [SpongeBob spying on Squidward]
 ‣ Death Trap - Gregor F. Narholz [SpongeBob hides in Squidward's pillow]
 ‣ Gator - Steve Belfer [SpongeBob destroys Squidward's alarm clock]
 ‣ Footsteps of Horror - W. Merrick Farran [SpongeBob and Squidward watching each other]
 ‣ Brahms' Lullaby - Brad Carow [Squidward playing clarinet]
 ‣ Dramatic Cue (h) - Ronald Hanmer [Squidward sneaks out and falls into a hole]
 ‣ Seaweed - Steve Belfer ["Hey, Squidward, going somewhere?"]
 ‣ Dramatic Cue (d) - Ronald Hanmer [Squidward climbs out]
 ‣ Grass Skirt Chase - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [SpongeBob, Squidward trapping each other]
 ‣ Volga Boat Men - Dick Stephen Walter [pulling a ship]
 ‣ Hawaiian Breeze - Jon Jelmer [truce]
 ‣ Timpani - Military (d) - Gary Kettel [Squidward and SpongeBob shaking hands.]
 ‣ War Clouds - Gary Kettel [Squidward and SpongeBob shaking hands.]
 ‣ Mavericks - The Woodies [they race to the Krusty Krab]
 ‣ The Tip Top Polka/The Cliff Polka - Chelmsford Folk Band ["Money, money, gonna make some money..."]
 ‣ Mavericks - The Woodies** [Krabs sees SpongeBob and Squidward]
 ‣ Twelfth Street Rag - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield ["Look, Mr. Krabs, clean floors!"]
 ‣ Hawaiian Cocktail - Richard Myhill [ending]

*On the Season 1 DVD, this is replaced with "Hercule Poirot" by Gerhard Trede.
**On the Season 1 DVD, this is replaced with "El Dementia" by The Surfdusters.

Release

• This episode is available on the Home Sweet Pineapple, Complete 1st Season, First 100 Episodes, and SpongeBob, You're Fired! DVDs.

Reception

• As of January 27, 2017, The Internet Movie Database (IMDB) gives this episode a rating of 8.5/10 based on 323 ratings by users. TV.com users give this episode a rating of 8.6/10 based on 194 votes.
• "Employee of the Month" was ranked #36 during the Best Day Ever event from November 9–10, 2006.

Trivia

Template:Trivia

• There are 23 Krabby Patties on the title card.
• There is a PC game that has the same name of this episode, which was released in 2002.
• Running gag: Squidward insulting the Employee of The Month award then getting drenched with Krabby Patty puree from a fan.
• SpongeBob imagines a drill sergeant version of himself in one of his Employee of the Month pictures, who demands him to work as hard as possible so that Squidward does not win. He appears in the March picture, a reference to an army march.
• The drill sergeant design of the SpongeBob picture from this episode is the same design as the artwork on the North American cover of Battle for Bikini Bottom.
• SpongeBob's employee of the month portraits will talk to SpongeBob again in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie.
• Traps that SpongeBob and Squidward set up so that either one would not make it to the Krusty Krab early in the morning (in chronological order):
  • Squidward fell into a hole dug up by SpongeBob.
  • Squidward nailed boards onto SpongeBob's front door.
  • Squidward trapped SpongeBob in a cage.
  • SpongeBob trapped Squidward in a bottle.
  • Squidward tricked SpongeBob by giving him a Krabby Patty attached to a claw, which grabbed SpongeBob's nose.
  • SpongeBob trapped Squidward in a net.
  • SpongeBob got cut into pieces while running through a fence, looking like fries.
  • SpongeBob tied up Squidward's tentacles.
  • Squidward sealed SpongeBob in a brick wall.
• Things that Squidward and SpongeBob do to impress Mr. Krabs:
  • SpongeBob cleans the floor.
  • Squidward cleans the tables. He rubs too hard, causing the tables to break in half.
  • SpongeBob cleans dishes, deliberately drops them, then cleans the broken dishes with the mop.
  • Squidward tries to give Mr. Krabs flowers and chocolates.
  • SpongeBob puts his money in the register.
  • Both SpongeBob and Squidward make Krabby Patties with two spatulas, making a lot of Krabby Patties, resulting in the Krusty Krab exploding.
• Unlike the episode "Pickles," Squidward cooks the Krabby Patties as well as SpongeBob. Because of this, it is likely that this episode takes place before "Pickles."
• This episode marks the first and one of the few times SpongeBob had any anger or tension towards Squidward. The second is in "Can You Spare a Dime?" and the third is in "Breath of Fresh Squidward."
• This is the first time where Patrick Star does not appear in both episode segments.
• This is the second time Squidward cooks at the Krusty Krab. The first time was in "Pickles."
• This is one of the seven episodes in which the 1986 Paramount logo is plastered with the 2002 Paramount logo. The others are "Help Wanted," "Squeaky Boots," "F.U.N.," "Squidward the Unfriendly Ghost," "Karate Choppers," and "Rock Bottom."
• There are 84 "Employee of the Month" awards, if one considers that Mr. Krabs started the "Employee of the Month" of the month awards in January 2000, then it would be 2007 when this episode takes place. However, since it is not clear when he started the award, it could still be January 2006.
• When Nickelodeon was promoting The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius in 2001, there was an interruption where the Nick.com "Leaf" screen bug hovered up off screen, and Jimmy and Goddard were riding on the screen bug. After they get off, Jimmy then decides to play fetch with Goddard, but with the Nick.com logo. Later, after a few throws, Goddard then holds onto the leaf, while Jimmy tries to grab it out from Goddard's mouth, but when he gets it out from Goddard's mouth, there's a bitemark on the logo. Jimmy then places the screen bug back to its normal place, shrugs, and he and Goddard leave off-screen. The same thing happened when Nick aired the Rugrats episode "Pee-Wee Scouts."

Cultural References

• When Squidward angrily says "Why you little!..." after SpongeBob traps him in a bottle, this may be a reference to the same phrase Homer Simpson says to his son Bart before strangling him in The Simpsons.

Errors

"Chumbucket"?

• Sometimes, YTV accidentally lists this episode as "Chumbucket" instead of its actual name. The Chum Bucket is not even seen in this episode. Also for some reason, YTV sometimes says this episode originally aired on 2014/03/14 (March 14, 2014). This air date is technically wrong.
• On the First 100 Episodes DVD, it says this episode originally aired on March 8, 2000. This is not correct.
• When SpongeBob shows the calendar showing "Annoy Squidward Day" on the 15th, the date of the 21st is right below it. In a real calendar, the 22nd would be below the 15th, so the week appears to only have 6 days. However, this could just be an animation error.
• SpongeBob's calendar said it was "March" but on the picture frame, it said it was January. Also, the calendar had 28 as the last day of the month, meaning it must have been February in a non-leap year.
• SpongeBob mentions he has won the Employee of the Month 26 times to Squidward, but the Employee of the Month wall has 43 portraits of him.
• SpongeBob says that he has won the Employee of the Month award 26 times in a row, which means that if he had gotten his first within his first month of working, he has been working at the Krusty Krab for at least 2 years and 2 months. Also, this episode aired five months after "Help Wanted," though it is possible this happened 26 months after.
• Unless Mr. Krabs started the "Employee of the Month" award in January, it should be March, not January.
• Right before SpongeBob imagines Squidward's face on the "Employee of the Month" award frame, the order of the awards is:
  • On the third to last row, "February," "December," January," "February," "December."
  • On the second to last row, "April," "May," "Mach," "April," "May."
  • On the bottom row: "December," "January," "February," and "January."
• When SpongeBob is crying "How could the quality of my work slip so much?," the frame on the picture of Squidward says "January." But the frame before it said "February," then changes back to December.
• When the "Employee of the Month" awards are panning down when SpongeBob thinks Squidward might be right about the awards, in the last readable row, the order of the awards is, "Mach," "April," "May," "March."
• When the drill sergeant SpongeBob is giving real SpongeBob a pep talk, the award after "March" is "February."
• When SpongeBob looks into Squidward's house to spy on him, Squidward sets his alarm clock on the nightstand with a lamp, but when SpongeBob goes into Squidward's House, the alarm is on the other nightstand with no lamp.
• If you look closely in one scene where SpongeBob is in Squidward's pillowcase SpongeBob's eyes turn green and then they are back to normal.
• When SpongeBob sneaks into Squidward's house, all of Squidward's furniture is in the room. However, while SpongeBob is running back and forth from the closet with the clocks in it, the room is empty.
• Squidward's clock says 9:00 when he goes to bed, but in his closet full of clocks, most of them say 8:05. They all later switch to the correct time.
• When SpongeBob goes to Squidward's closet it is filled with alarm clocks. In the next scene, he is breaking them, the others disappear, and is seen breaking one clock.
• When Squidward walks into the bottle, it seems he walks through the back but it is covered.
• When Squidward and SpongeBob finish shaking hands due to their "truce" and start running towards the Krusty Krab, the Chum Bucket is not visible.
• When Squidward and SpongeBob barge into the Krusty Krab, the handlebars on the door are clear instead of gold or brown.

See also

• Employee of the Month Award