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Encyclopedia SpongeBobia
If you were looking for the article about the book, then see Life Insurance (book).
If you were looking for the article about the contract, then see Life Insurance (contract).

"Life Insurance" is a SpongeBob SquarePants episode from season 10. In this episode, a misunderstanding leads SpongeBob and Patrick to try and prove to Squidward that their life insurance protects them from any danger.

Characters[]

Synopsis[]

In the beginning of the episode, SpongeBob wakes up from bed, but falls on Gary after his foghorn alarm clock sounds. SpongeBob says that he is not feeling good about his life, and Gary pushes SpongeBob out of the room. SpongeBob suddenly falls down the stairs, crashes into the wall and the toaster, and then crashes onto his TV.

The TV suddenly turns on and an advert for life insurance appears. Gunther Fitz, who appears on the TV, then interacts with SpongeBob about getting SpongeBob's life insurance. Gunther Fitz is trying to get SpongeBob life insurance by making him sign a contract through the television. Patrick then comes to his door to meet him to send him his mail. Patrick excitedly jumps around, but then suddenly asks what life insurance is. SpongeBob tells him that, by his interpretation, for the rest of their lives, they are protected from being hurt. Patrick disagrees on the contract, but SpongeBob tells him to try to get hurt to test the life insurance. Patrick then agrees to get hurt to test it.

Outside, SpongeBob and Patrick are having a pillow-fight. Meanwhile, Squidward shows off his new toupee in the mirror. Squidward gets angry and asks SpongeBob and Patrick what they are doing. SpongeBob replies that he and Patrick are attempting to hurt each other. Squidward walks off, but suddenly has an idea of telling SpongeBob and Patrick to hurt each other with harder objects. Patrick then is handed a rake, which he uses to golf Squidward back to his house. Patrick then throws the rake into Squidward's house, disbelieving that Squidward got hurt. Squidward then suddenly finds his toupee on his nose, thinking it is a sea spider, and then bangs himself with a rake in an attempt to take out the "sea spider."

Life Insurance 096

The giant jellyfish zaps Squidward instead of SpongeBob and Patrick.

Meanwhile, SpongeBob and Patrick continue trying to get hurt by falling off objects several feet high. Squidward gets annoyed, and then tells them to fall off something higher. SpongeBob and Patrick then try to summon jellyfish to allow themselves to get stung. Squidward gets surprised, accidentally dropping his toupee into the toilet. He quickly retrieves it and re-puts it on his head. Squidward then asks what they are doing, and they reply that they are having their "final test" by attempting to be stung while having life insurance. A large jellyfish is summoned, but ignores SpongeBob and Patrick and zaps Squidward instead.

Because of that, SpongeBob and Patrick recommend Squidward about life insurance. Patrick even tells him about their recently made dangerous obstacle course, which they name the "Sushi-Maker." SpongeBob and Patrick give him their life insurance contracts and he initially disbelieves that it will work. After several near-misses, he soon agrees and runs off to do dangerous activities, including running through a "brick wall" that turns out to be a super large canvas and intimidating a tough guy into attacking him, and avoids getting hit by him. SpongeBob and Patrick then come to meet Squidward and are concerned about his reckless behavior. Squidward then licks an ice cream that had recently been dropped on the ground by the same guy he was attacked by, then arrogantly tells them that he will try the Sushi-Maker.

Near the obstacle course, Squidward climbs up a very tall ladder to jump into a pool of hot lava. Mr. Krabs happens to walk towards SpongeBob and Patrick to ask about what is happening. They reply to him that Squidward is proving that he is invincible because of his life insurance. Mr. Krabs then tells them that's not the way life insurance works and explains to them that it was really money the buyer gets when a person dies, and then asks who gets the money. SpongeBob takes the contract from Squidward and tells Mr. Krabs no one has signed it yet, so he signed it himself so he can collect the money. Mr. Krabs then cheers briefly for Squidward before leaving, hoping he will die so he can collect the life insurance money.

A horrified SpongeBob suddenly realizes that Squidward was right all along that life insurance doesn't really protect them from danger and all those near-misses they had previously were only coincidental. He and Patrick try to alert Squidward of the news, but he ignores them and soon falls off the springboard into the lava pool when SpongeBob and Patrick shake the board to try to stop him. Squidward immediately screams as he jumps out of the lava and goes through the entire obstacle course, being repeatedly hurt by it before finally being launched from a cannon into a heavy bell at the local high school, and is trampled by the students leaving the building. Luckily, Squidward is still alive, but is full of blisters and grazes. SpongeBob and Patrick then run up to Squidward and tells him that they were wrong about life insurance and that it doesn't protect one from injury. When they ask how Squidward survived the Sushi-Maker, he tells them he thinks it was because of his toupee and SpongeBob and Patrick, once again thinking it is a sea spider, both step on it, ending the episode.

Production[]

The episode name was confirmed in a tweet by Vincent Waller on October 24, 2016.[1]

Storyboards[]

Life_Insurance

Life Insurance

Storyboards for the episode

Life_Insurance_Shipped_Board

Life Insurance Shipped Board

The final shipped version of the storyboard

Music[]

 ) Production music
 ) Original music
 ) SpongeBob music

  Coconut Cream Pie Dry Mix - Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Title card]
  Hawaiian Beach - Peter Dennis [SpongeBob gets out of bed.]
  Dramatic Cue (C) - Ronald Hanmer [SpongeBob falls down the stairs.]
  Manhattan Playboy - Len Stevens [Life insurance commercial on TV.]
  Hot Steel and Slide Licks 12E - Jeremy Wakefield [SpongeBob answers the door.]
  Gator - Steve Belfer [Patrick gives SpongeBob his mail.]
  Whats This Sting - Nicolas Carr ["What's life insurance?"]
  Gator - Steve Belfer ["I'm not sure."]
  Lap Steel - Nicolas Carr [Transition to next scene.]
  Spongey Bubbles - Steve Belfer [SpongeBob and Patrick come outside with pillows.]
  Place Bleu - Werner Overheidt [Squidward wearing a wig.]
  Seaweed 2 - Steve Belfer [Squidward comes outside while SpongeBob and Patrick are hitting each other with pillows.]
  Vibe Q Sting - Nicolas Carr ["Wait a second..."]
  Seaweed 2 - Steve Belfer [Squidward gives Patrick a rake.]
  Dramatic Cue (A) - Ronald Hanmer [Squidward screams.]
  Dramatic Cue (B) - Ronald Hanmer ["Oh no, Patrick, I'm slipping!"]
  Seaweed 2 - Steve Belfer ["I'm losing my footing!"]
  Hot Steel and Slide Licks 35 - Jeremy Wakefield ["I was trying to say you gotta fall from something higher."]
  Dramatic Cue (A) - Ronald Hanmer [Patrick grabs SpongeBob so he can step on the 'sea spider.']
  Stupid Plan-No Bass - Steve Belfer [SpongeBob and Patrick blowing jellyfish whistles.]
  Dramatic Encounter - Gregor F. Narholz [Giant jellyfish appear and sting Squidward.]
  Hot Steel and Slide Licks 6B - Jeremy Wakefield ["Gee, Squidward. Maybe you should get some life insurance."]
  Hot Steel and Slide Licks 6D - Jeremy Wakefield ["I bought some life insurance for Patrick and myself, and now we can never be hurt."]
  Sponge Crusher - Nicolas Carr [Obstacle course is shown.]
  Phantom of the Haunted Houseboat - Nicolas Carr ["The Sushi Maker."]
  Proud to be a Fish - Nicolas Carr, Barry Anthony [SpongeBob gives his life insurance policy to Squidward.]
  Hot Steel and Slide Licks 27A - Jeremy Wakefield ["Actually, you'd better take two, since you're kind of a klutz."]
  Tension Bits - Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield ["Better take two? Life insurance?"]
  Hot Steel and Slide Licks 16B - Jeremy Wakefield ["You giblet-heads! No piece of paper can protect a person from getting hurt."]
  Dramatic Cue (D) - Ronald Hanmer [Anchor falls from the sky.]
  Dramatic Cue (G) - Ronald Hanmer [Driver veers off the road.]
  Seaweed 2 - Steve Belfer ["Yay, life insurance!"]
  Is This Heaven - Nicolas Carr, Jeremy Wakefield ["Wow, I can't believe it!"]
  Hot Steel and Slide Licks 13D - Jeremy Wakefield ["I'm indestructible!"]
  Tentacally Speaking - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Squidward crosses a painting of a brick wall.]
  Terror - Alan Braden [Squidward licks ice cream's germs.]
  Hot Steel and Slide Licks 7A - Jeremy Wakefield [Squidward throws the ice cream cone away.]
  Vibe Q Sting - Nicolas Carr [SpongeBob and Patrick deny.]
  Oh My Neptune - Nicolas Carr [SpongeBob and Patrick scream.]
  Lap Steel - Nicolas Carr ["What's moxie?"]
  Sponge Crusher - Nicolas Carr [Squidward climbing ladder.]
  Lopey Sailor's Jig - Michael Bolger, Nicolas Carr [Krabs explains to SpongeBob and Patrick how life insurance works.]
  Fight! Fight! Fight! - Will Schaefer [Krabs as a cheerleader.]
  The Creature (a) - Gregor F. Narholz ["D-d-d-do or DIE?!"]
  Straight from Hell  - Gregor F. Narholz ["Life insurance is not what you think! You were right!"]
  Hot Steel and Slide Licks 31B - Jeremy Wakefield ["I can't hear you, just shut up and watch me!"]
  Drama Link - George Van Parys [SpongeBob and Patrick shaking the ladder.]
  Dramatic Cue (H) - Ronald Hanmer [Squidward falls to the lava tank.]
  Hawaiian Misadventures B - Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Squidward on the Sushi Maker.]
  Coconut Cream Pie Dry Mix - Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield ["Hey Squidward, guess what I learned today?"]
  Dramatic Cue (A) - Ronald Hanmer [”Eeek! A spider!”]

Release[]

Trivia[]

General[]

  • This marks the 400th episode segment of the series in packaging order.
  • There was a one-hour countdown before the premiere of this episode and "Burst Your Bubble." It was confirmed on the official SpongeBob Facebook page.
    • The songs heard during the countdown were "Sky Drive," "Bonus Point," "Street Cop," and "Electronic Sheep" by Charles Hedger, and "Keep This Going" by Jon Murrill, Lee Richardson, Tom Ford, James Carlo Giorgi Cocozza, and Sarah Jane Norman.
  • The title card background for this episode is similar to that of "The Card." The main difference is that the background is pink instead of brown and the text is actually plastered on the background.
  • This is the second episode to include the word "life" at the beginning of the episode's title. The first is "Life of Crime."
  • This is Gunther Fitz's first appearance since his debut in "Mrs. Puff, You're Fired."
Mrs

Dee Bradley Baker credited for voicing Gunther Fitz in "Mrs. Puff, You're Fired."

Life Insurance credits

Rodger Bumpass credited for voicing Mr. Fitz (listed as TV Salesman) in "Life Insurance."

Life Insurance 019a

SpongeBob searches for his pen in a suggestive way.

  • The scene where Mr. Fitz gets SpongeBob to sign his signature through the television is somewhat similar to an episode of The Jetsons where Elroy was given a cereal box by his television idol to see.
  • Patrick's fear of spiders from "Home Sweet Pineapple" and "The Pink Purloiner" returns in this episode.
  • In the UK and Ireland, the scene where Squidward gets zapped by a jellyfish was modified so that the screen doesn't flash as quickly.[citation needed]
  • One of the Salty Spitoon patrons from "No Weenies Allowed" appears as the tough fish from whom Squidward steals ice cream.
  • In reality, life insurance is a contract between a customer and an insurance company, where the company promises to pay a designated customer a sum of money in exchange for a premium, upon the death of an insured person.
  • The cheerleading outfit Mr. Krabs wears is very similar to Pearl's original design, which included pigtails and a purple dress.
    • Adam Paloian said that the reference to Pearl was probably unintentional.[2]
  • The high school in this episode is different than the one seen in "Whale of a Birthday," "Barnacle Face," and "Patrick-Man!"
  • The high school in this episode looks quite similar to the Bikini Travel Agency from "Patrick's Staycation."
  • This episode marks the return of some of the Dramatic Cues, (A), (C), (D), and (H). However, in this episode, Dramatic Cue (H) is in higher pitch. The normal pitch version of Dramatic Cue (H) eventually returns in the episode, "Ink Lemonade."
  • This episode plays a part of "Hawaiian Misadventures B" that was only used in the San Diego Comic-Con panel in 2015.
  • According to Vincent Waller, Sherm Cohen, and his crew intentionally added the references to Mr. Fitz, the tough fish, and probably Fiasco.[3]
Friendiversary 168


Errors[]

Life Insurance 001

SpongeBob's house is missing one of the windows.

  • At the beginning, SpongeBob's house is missing a window.
  • SpongeBob's mouth does not appear to be in sync when he says, "We call it... the Sushi-Maker."
  • After the car is about to hit Squidward, the other contract is missing.
  • When Squidward says, "I ran through a brick wall," one little rock on the CGI road's sand overlaps Squidward and Patrick.
  • After Mr. Krabs takes the contract out of Squidward's pocket, the contract is blank. However, SpongeBob already signed the contract.
    • Mr. Krabs signed the contract with SpongeBob's signature.

Video[]

SpongeBob_SquarePants_-_Cast_Iron_Squidward_Nickelodeon

SpongeBob SquarePants - Cast Iron Squidward Nickelodeon

References[]

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