The third season of SpongeBob SquarePants premiered on October 5, 2001, with the episodes "Just One Bite" and "The Bully." The season ended on October 11, 2004 with "SpongeBob Meets the Strangler" and "Pranks a Lot." The DVD for the season was released in Regions 1, 4 and 2 on September 27, 2005, November 8, 2007 and December 3, 2007 respectively. Following the season three finale, the series entered a hiatus that would last for over six months. During the hiatus, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie entered theaters.
| Title card | # | Title | U.S. airdate | U.S. viewers (millions)
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
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41a | "The Algae's Always Greener" (tr • ga) | March 22, 2002 | |
| Mr. Krabs and Plankton switch lives. | ||||
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41b | "SpongeGuard on Duty" (tr • ga) | March 22, 2002 | |
| SpongeBob becomes a lifeguard. | ||||
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42a | "Club SpongeBob" (tr • ga) | July 12, 2002 | |
| SpongeBob, Patrick, and Squidward are flung into the Kelp Forest. | ||||
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42b | "My Pretty Seahorse" (tr • ga) | July 12, 2002 | |
| SpongeBob adopts a stray seahorse. | ||||
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43b | "The Bully" (tr • ga) | October 5, 2001 | |
| Flatts the Flounder joins SpongeBob's boating class. | ||||
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43a | "Just One Bite" (tr • ga) | October 5, 2001 | |
| SpongeBob tries to get Squidward to try a Krabby Patty. | ||||
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44a | "Nasty Patty" (tr • ga) | March 1, 2002 | |
| SpongeBob and Mr. Krabs create a tainted Krabby Patty. | ||||
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44b | "Idiot Box" (tr • ga) | March 1, 2002 | |
| SpongeBob and Patrick play with a box. | ||||
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45a | "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy IV" (tr • ga) | January 21, 2002 | |
| SpongeBob plays with Mermaid Man's secret utility belt. | ||||
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45b | "Doing Time" (tr • ga) | January 21, 2002 | |
| SpongeBob and Patrick try to break Mrs. Puff out of jail. | ||||
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46a | "Snowball Effect" (tr • ga) | February 22, 2002 | |
| SpongeBob and Patrick have a snowball fight. | ||||
| [[File:|70px|center]] | ' | "One Krab's Trash" (ga) | February 22, 2002 | |
| Mr. Krabs sells SpongeBob a soda drink hat. | ||||
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47a | "As Seen on TV" (tr • ga) | March 8, 2002 | |
| The Krusty Krab airs its first commercial. | ||||
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47b | "Can You Spare a Dime?" (tr • ga) | March 8, 2002 | |
| Squidward quits his job. | ||||
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48a | "No Weenies Allowed" (tr • ga) | March 15, 2002 | |
| SpongeBob tries to get into the Salty Spitoon. | ||||
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48b | "Squilliam Returns" (tr • ga) | March 15, 2002 | |
| Squidward tries to convince Squilliam that he owns a five star restaurant. | ||||
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49a | "Krab Borg" (tr • ga) | March 29, 2002 | |
| SpongeBob and Squidward think Mr. Krabs is a robot. | ||||
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49b | "Rock-a-Bye Bivalve" (tr • ga) | March 29, 2002 | |
| SpongeBob and Patrick care for a baby scallop. | ||||
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50a | "Wet Painters" (tr • ga) | May 10, 2002 | |
| SpongeBob and Patrick paint the inside of Mr. Krabs' house. | ||||
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50b | "Krusty Krab Training Video" (tr • ga) | May 10, 2002 | |
| A training video for future employees of the Krusty Krab. | ||||
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51 | "Party Pooper Pants" (tr • ga) | May 17, 2002 | |
| SpongeBob throws a party. | ||||
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52a | "Chocolate with Nuts" (tr • ga) | June 1, 2002 | |
| SpongeBob and Patrick sell chocolate bars. | ||||
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52b | "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy V" (tr • ga) | June 1, 2002 | |
| Barnacle Boy joins the dark side. | ||||
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53a | "New Student Starfish" (tr • ga) | September 20, 2002 | |
| Patrick joins SpongeBob's boating school. | ||||
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53b | "Clams" (tr • ga) | September 20, 2002 | |
| A clam eats Mr. Krabs' millionth dollar. | ||||
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54 | "Ugh" (tr • ga) | March 5, 2004 | |
| SpongeGar, Patar, and Squog discover fire. | ||||
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55a | "The Great Snail Race" (tr • ga) | January 24, 2003 | |
| Bikini Bottom holds a snail race. | ||||
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55b | "Mid-Life Crustacean" (tr • ga) | January 24, 2003 | |
| Mr. Krabs has a mid-life crisis when he realizes that he is old. | ||||
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56a | "Born Again Krabs" (tr • ga) | October 4, 2003 | |
| Mr. Krabs encounters the Flying Dutchman. | ||||
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56b | "I Had an Accident" (tr • ga) | October 4, 2003 | |
| SpongeBob breaks his butt while sand-sledding. | ||||
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57a | "Krabby Land" (tr • ga) | April 3, 2004 | |
| Mr. Krabs builds a junky playground. | ||||
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57b | "The Camping Episode" (tr • ga) | April 3, 2004 | |
| SpongeBob and Patrick go camping on SpongeBob's front lawn, to Squidward's dismay. | ||||
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58a | "Missing Identity" (tr • ga) | January 19, 2004 | |
| SpongeBob loses his name tag. | ||||
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58b | "Plankton's Army" (tr • ga) | January 19, 2004 | |
| Plankton enlists the help of his relatives to steal the Krabby Patty formula. | ||||
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59 | "The Sponge Who Could Fly" (tr • ga) | March 21, 2003 | |
| SpongeBob wishes to fly with the jellyfish. | ||||
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60a | "SpongeBob Meets the Strangler" (tr • ga) | October 11, 2004 | |
| A criminal attempts to get revenge on SpongeBob. | ||||
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60b | "Pranks a Lot" (tr • ga) | October 11, 2004 | |
| SpongeBob and Patrick use invisibility spray to play pranks. | ||||