Gary Takes a Bath

Template:Episode/33b

Characters

• SpongeBob SquarePants
• Gary the Snail
• Eugene H. Krabs ^(cameo)
• Subliminal Message Girl ^{(cameo) (debut)}

Synopsis

The Gary clock is ticking and SpongeBob knows it's time for Gary's bath, but that snail doesn't want to take a bath. SpongeBob tries to put Gary in the bath tub, but he refuses. So SpongeBob tries constant tricks to get Gary in the bathtub. First, he tries throwing a ball to the bathtub. However, it's a "boomerang pet ball," so it comes right back. Next, he straps a bomb to his chest and telling Gary that it will explode if he doesn't take a bath.

File:Gary takes a bath.jpg

"You're gonna have to get in that tub, Gary."

Gary dosen't move and as a result; the bomb explodes. His next attempt is sending subliminal messages and he then tries calling a French restraunt. Next, he plays leapfrog but just ends up breaking Gary's shell. He then tries to bribe Gary saying he'll give a dollar for the next person takes a bath, but out of nowhere, 'Mr. Krabs shows up in a bathtub and takes the dollar.He tries dancing and a fake treasure hunt, but they fail to. For his last attempt, SpongeBob loads up with water and tries to shoot it at Gary. He corners Gary in a tree, but when SpongeBob shoot water at him, he thinks he bathed Gary too hard and removed his skin. The real Gary steals SpongeBob's ladder which now leaves SpongeBob stuck on top of the tree. Then, SpongeBob notices Gary sneaking towards a mud puddle. SpongeBob gives Gary a 3 second count to get away from the mud puddle. However, SpongeBob accidentally falls in the mud puddle which forces him to take the bath instead.

	Shower in a Can! This section is in need of cleanup in order to comply with Encyclopedia SpongeBobia's manual of style. Please help Encyclopedia SpongeBobia by making this section specific and short.

Production

Music

( ‣ ) Production music

( • ) Original music

( ◦ ) SpongeBob music

 ‣ Hawaiian Pussycat - George de Fretes [title card]
 • Steel Sting - Jeremy Wakefield ["So that's how you wanna play it, huh?"]
 ‣ Hula Festival - George Elliott [boomerang pet ball]
 ‣ Unease - Dick Stephen Walter [subliminal messages]
 ‣ Cafe' De Paris - Trevor Jones [SpongeBob calls a French restaurant]
 ‣ ? [leapfrog]
 ‣ Dingle's Regatta - Brian Peters [pirate treasure map]
 ‣ Kerry Polka - Brian Peters [bathtub painted to look like treasure chest]
 ‣ Dancing the Hula - Kapono Beamer ["Get in the tub!"]
 ‣ Six Powerful Cues (d) - Wilfred William Burns [SpongeBob hanging from the ceiling]
 ‣ Dramatic Cue (d) - Ronald Hanmer ["Bath delivery!"]
 ‣ Chase Cue 2 - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [SpongeBob spitting water at Gary]
 ‣ Hawaiian Sting 9 - George de Fretes ["Oh no! I bathed Gary too hard and removed his skin!"]
 ‣ Lonely Heart's Club (a) - David Bell, Otto Sieben [SpongeBob chewing out Gary]
 ‣ Hawaiian Pussycat - George de Fretes [SpongeBob taking a bath]

Reception

• "Gary Takes a Bath" was ranked #74 during the Best Day Ever event from November 9–10, 2006.

Release

• This episode is available on the Sea Stories, Absorbing Favorites, Complete 2nd Season, and First 100 Episodes DVDs.

Trivia

Template:Trivia

• This episode runs for 6 minutes and 31 seconds. It was the fourth episode running less than eleven minutes. The reason that this episode is that short is due to the length of its paired episode, "Shanghaied."
• This is the first episode pair to be about a year or two apart, the next one being "Le Big Switch" (2007) and "Goo Goo Gas" (2009).
• This is the only episode to only use one voice actor (Tom Kenny).
• The Gary Clock also appeared in "Procrastination" and "Earworm."
• This is the second time a record player was used to replace a character. The first was in "Pressure."
• The text style in the title card is the same as in "Bubble Buddy."
• In the German version of this episode, the episode is called Die Wanne ist Voll, which means "The Tub is Full". This is a reference to a German song from the 70's.
• In the Spanish version this episode is called "Gary toma un baño", which is translated to Gary takes a bath.
• In the Polish version this episode is called Kąpiel Gacusia which means Gary's Bath.
• When SpongeBob calls the French restaurant he tells them he has a snail who won't take a bath (because they should serve snails in a French restaurant) to scare Gary so he will take a bath but SpongeBob can't understand the language. (He does not speak French) For this joke to work SpongeBob must not know how to speak French. This was cut in the French version because he knows how to speak French so the joke can't work.
• In the middle of episode, Gary breaks his shell. This wouldn't happen again for a couple seasons until "Have You Seen This Snail?," "What Ever Happened to SpongeBob?," "Shell Shocked," and "Are You Happy Now?" in the future.
• This is the second time SpongeBob says "Gary the Snail" to Gary: The previous one was "Dumped" and the next one is "Fungus Among Us."
• This episode was originally aired on Nicktoons TV in 2002 before airing on Nickelodeon itself.
• List of ideas that SpongeBob tries to get Gary to take a bath:
  • Throwing a ball to the bathtub. However, it's a "boomerang pet ball", so it comes right back. So does the box it came in.
  • Strapping a bomb to his chest and telling Gary that it will explode if he doesn't take a bath; the bomb explodes.
  • Sending subliminal messages to Gary. A disturbing picture comes up, prompting him to apologize.
  • Calling a French restaurant. He can't understand a thing the person on the other end is saying.
  • Playing leapfrog with Gary. He tries to launch Gary into the tub, but misses and makes Gary's shell break.
  • SpongeBob tries to play leapfrog again, but Gary refuses and hits SpongeBob with a cane.
  • He bribes Gary with a dollar, telling him that the next "fellow" to take a bath in his house will receive it; Mr. Krabs arrives out of nowhere in a bathtub and takes it.
  • Different dances.
  • Fakes a treasure hunt and paints the bathtub to look like a treasure chest.
• This episode (along with its paired episode, "Shanghaied") was banned in the United Kingdom and Australia due to the "don't drop the soap" gag involved in the script, which was regarded to as inappropriate for a children's cartoon. Also, while SpongeBob is "assaulting Gary's mind with subliminal messages," a picture of a strange, crossed-eyed girl with freckles and pigtails appears suddenly with a giggle that was deemed too frightening for younger viewers. After seven years of not airing, both episodes finally returned to Nickelodeon in Europe and Australia in September 2008 for a single airing. After complaints from parents, the episodes were removed once again and have not aired since in both countries, despite being on the second region release of The Complete Second Season. However, the episode (along with "Shanghaied") re-aired in Australia in November 2010, and the episode returned to TV on February 27, 2011 in the UK.
• The fact the Gary hates taking baths is based on how domestic cats don't like to get wet and Gary is an underwater parody of a cat. However, some cats do like water and Gary the snail already lives underwater.
• One of the most controversial parts of the episode is where SpongeBob straps a bomb to himself to get Gary to bath, which is a parody of suicide bombers.
• This episode was almost banned in the US because of the creepy subliminal message girl. Today, it airs uncut with the girl uncut.
• This is one of the few episodes in the entire series to only have three or less characters. Another episode that's a great example is "Rise and Shine."
• After being hit on the wall, Gary does not necessary need a cane because he doesn't need to walk. However, the cane could have been meant for self-defense.
• Despite airing during the third season, this episode is considered part of the second season, which had finished two years prior.

Errors

• When SpongeBob called the French restaurant, it had a purpose: One French dish was escargot, or cooked snail. However, escargot was land snail, not sea snail.
• After Gary takes away the ladder that SpongeBob used to climb the tree, a faraway view of the tree was shown, and the ladder is seen falling to the ground. However, in the next faraway view of the tree where SpongeBob falls out of the tree and into the mud puddle, the ladder was no longer there.
• The Sky description for the episode is "Gary takes a bath, well... what did you expect?". As stated, Gary doesn't actually take a bath in the episode.
• When SpongeBob hands Gary soap and a rubber duck, after he says "I don't know what a snail would want with a brooch!", in the next shot they were both gone.
• Unlike the title, Gary doesn't take a bath.
• SpongeBob had painted the tub to make look like a treasure, in the next shot it was back to normal.
• Instead of SpongeBob's puns, the captions say the correct thing instead of the pun. Example: "'Water' you waiting for, Gary?" becomes "What are you waiting for, Gary?"
• The tree in this episode was never seen in any other episodes, even though the place it should be was shown in other episodes.