Patty Caper

This is the page about the season 6 episode. For other uses, see The Great Patty Caper (disambiguation).

Patty Caper
General
Production code:	193-611
Season №:	6
Episode №:	108a
Airdate:	August 5, 2008 November 29, 2008 March 3, 2009 March 30, 2009 April 19, 2009 November 2, 2009 See more... July 20, 2008 October 26, 2008 (Nick Premium) November 17, 2008 November 23, 2008 (Nick Germany) January 25, 2009 February 27, 2009 March 25, 2009 (SRF ZWEI) April 27, 2009 July 8, 2009 August 11, 2009 January 14, 2010 February 6, 2010 March 2, 2010 May 7, 2010 July 11, 2010 December 29, 2010 (QTV) October 8, 2012 October 31, 2012 (Nickelodeon) February 13, 2016 May 23, 2018 (PLUS PLUS) June 11, 2018 (TET) November 27, 2020 September 26, 2021 March 21, 2022 June 20, 2022
U.S. premiere time (ET):	6:00 pm
Copyright year:	2008
U.S. viewers (millions):	3.60
Running time:	11 minutes
Sister episode(s):	"Plankton's Regular"
Credits
Writer(s):	Casey Alexander Zeus Cervas Eric Shaw
Supervising Producer(s):	Paul Tibbitt
Storyboard:	Casey Alexander Zeus Cervas
Animation:	Andrew Overtoom
Creative:	Vincent Waller
Chronology
Previous	"No Nose Knows"
Next	"Plankton's Regular"

"Patty Caper" is a SpongeBob SquarePants episode from season 6. In this episode, SpongeBob investigates the disappearance of the Krabby Patty secret ingredient.

Characters

• Squidward Tentacles
• Eugene H. Krabs
• SpongeBob SquarePants
• SWAT Team
• Patrick Star
• Karen Plankton
• Sheldon J. Plankton
• Sandy Cheeks
• Gary the Snail
• Horace A. Whopper ^{(referred to as Judge Trout)}
• Incidentals
  • Fred
  • Incidental 1C
  • Incidental 48
  • Incidental 37A
  • Incidental 7
  • Incidental 104
  • Incidental 36
  • Incidental 60
  • Incidental 42
  • Incidental 45
  • Incidental 107
  • Incidental 40
  • Incidental 106
  • Incidental 118
  • Incidental 118B
  • Incidental 67
  • Incidental 114
  • Incidental 115
  • Incidental 15
  • Incidental 45
  • Incidental 11
  • Incidental 150
  • Incidental 6
  • Incidental 12
  • Incidental 46

Synopsis

In the beginning of the episode, Mr. Krabs summons SpongeBob to his office, where he tells SpongeBob that he has run low on the secret ingredient of the Krabby Patty secret formula because of the recent lunch rush. However, he is expecting a delivery to refill it and tells him to retrieve it from a S.W.A.T. truck driver, but threatens punishment if he loses it.

SpongeBob finds out that the secret ingredient is stolen!

After receiving the case, SpongeBob opens the briefcase, only to find the ingredient is not there. However, the only clue left is a small hole in the briefcase. After deducing that someone stole the ingredient, Patrick appears to see him and SpongeBob tells him of what occurred. SpongeBob and Patrick then go on a mission to find out who stole it.

First, they suspect Plankton, since he is the only one that has ever tried to steal a Krabby Patty and since he had a Krabby Patty. Plankton asks if it is a joke, then to make him tell the truth, Patrick threatens him with clackers, with still no answer. SpongeBob picks up the "Krabby Patty" and shows it to Plankton, who then explains that it was merely a replica a Krabby Patty he made. He then reveals that he learned every ingredient but the secret ingredient and tested many ingredients to decipher the formula completely and was currently on Raw Sewage.

Next, they suspect Sandy, who is storing Krabby Patties for the winter, but says she just ordered them. SpongeBob's story of Sandy's crime was that she used an invisible potion to make her vanish, so nobody can see her. She then used her time-freezing invention to freeze time, shot a laser through the briefcase and take off with the ingredient, continuing the timeline again. However, Sandy brings up the possibility of simply ordering the food. To prove her point, she angrily shows SpongeBob a receipt for 283 patties and the nervous SpongeBob remembers cooking the order and apologizes for the accusations. She then suggests that they should go and look at SpongeBob's house.

At SpongeBob's pineapple, the friends suspect Gary. SpongeBob suggests that Gary took a helicopter ride towards the delivery, so when SpongeBob knelt down to pull up his socks and while everyone was distracted, Gary parachuted down and used his acid from his tear ducts to melt a hole big enough for him to grab the briefcase. Gary says it would be impossible, and SpongeBob remembers that he never stopped to pull up his sock during a secret delivery. Gary says he saw someone leaving the Krusty Krab with a black case. Gary describes the person to Patrick and Patrick concludes the person is Squidward.

They then head to Squidward's house and interrogate him. When asked about the black case, Squidward reveals he does have one, but when they open the case, they find it just holds tap dancing shoes Squidward used at a tap dancing contest he participated in earlier, where he got third place and showed the medal he won as proof. He then tells them to get out, before lifting his house up then moves it away from them, then walks inside.

For stealing the ingredient, attempting to frame SpongeBob, and being too cheap, Mr. Krabs is arrested.

With no one left to suspect, SpongeBob goes back to the Krusty Krab and admits to Mr. Krabs that he lost the secret ingredient and that he cannot find it or who took it. Mr. Krabs then suspects SpongeBob, much to his horror and shock, suggesting that the latter used a decoy to look like he was picking up the delivery, then when everyone was not looking, SpongeBob swooped in, took the briefcase, and then flew it over to the Chum Bucket, where he sold it to Plankton for a quick buck. SpongeBob tries to say he didn't, but Mr. Krabs shuts him up and tells him he going to call the cops, but two officers hop out of a barrel and explain that they have already heard everything. Mr. Krabs then points at SpongeBob for the officers to arrest, accidentally revealing the stolen secret ingredient bottle in his claw, which SpongeBob points out, having originally believed that it was a replica during his earlier meeting with Mr. Krabs. Realizing Mr. Krabs was the real thief and that he was going to let SpongeBob take the blame for the caper, the officers confront him. Mr. Krabs sheepishly explains to the cops that he considered $1.99 for the ingredient delivery to be too expensive, so he simply took it to avoid paying. The officers then arrest him for the theft, attempting to frame SpongeBob, and his cheap nature. Rather than admit what he did was wrong, Mr. Krabs frantically asks what he did.

As punishment, Mr. Krabs is forced to watch his Krabby Patties being given away for free.

After his arrest, Judge Trout punishes him by giving away Krabby Patties for free all day tomorrow, much to his dismay. Mr. Krabs states he could not bear the sight of doing such a thing. The next day, SpongeBob gives away all the patties to the customers, while Mr. Krabs is forcibly watching the scene while strapped to a chair and the officers hold onto his eyes as he screams in agony at the sight and the officers laugh, as the episode ends.

Production

Music

( ‣ ) Production music

( • ) Original music

( ◦ ) SpongeBob music

 • Clownfish Capers - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Title card]
 • Mission Improbable - Nicolas Carr, Barry Anthony [opening]
 ‣ Drama Link (D) - Hubert Clifford ["No!"]
 • Mission Improbable - Nicolas Carr, Barry Anthony [Mr. Krabs entrusts SpongeBob to retrieve the secret ingredient.]
 ‣ West Side Rumble - Sam Spence [The delivery truck arrives.]
 ‣ Dramatic Impact (6) - Ivor Slaney ["...Don't bother coming back to work!"]
 ‣ The Protector (a) - Gregor F. Narholz [SpongeBob goes outside to retrieve the ingredient.]
 ‣ The Quest (A) - Will Schaefer [empty briefcase]
 • Vibe Q Sting - Nicolas Carr [SpongeBob sees a hole in the briefcase.]
 ‣ Towerstreet 17 [#6] - Gerhard Narholz [SpongeBob realizes the ingredient was stolen.]
 • Steel Licks 46 - Jeremy Wakefield [Patrick squirts mustard on the briefcase.]
 ‣ Drama Link (B) - Hubert Clifford [SpongeBob tells Patrick about the stolen ingredient.]
 • Sponge Burgler - Nicolas Carr ["We'll have to do a little detective work."]
 • Toy Piano 2 - Nicolas Carr, Barry Anthony [at the Chum Bucket]
 ‣ Cellar Search - Philippe Pares ["Aha! I knew it was you!"]
 • Steel Licks 22 - Jeremy Wakefield [Patrick laughs.]
 ‣ Cellar Search - Philippe Pares ["All right, no more jokes!"]
 ‣ Hercule Poirot - Gerhard Trede [Plankton explains.]
 • Steel Licks 73 - Jeremy Wakefield [raw sewage patty]
 ‣ Midnight Feast - Harry Bluestone, Emil Cadkin ["Well, he's clean."]
 • New Vibe Hits - Nicolas Carr ["Hmm, a scientist."]
 ‣ Deep Cover - Carlo Giacco [Sandy burying Krabby Patties]
 ‣ Cold Sweat - John Scott [SpongeBob accuses Sandy of stealing the ingredient.]
 • Bubble Popping Boys - Nicolas Carr, Barry Anthony [invisibility potion]
 ‣ Midnight Feast - Harry Bluestone, Emil Cadkin [receipt for 283 Krabby Patties]
 • Lap Steel - Nicolas Carr ["My own house, huh?"]
 ‣ Terror by Night - Hubert Clifford [interrogating Gary]
 ‣ Chasey Racey - Norman Dane ["First, you hitched a ride on a security chopper."]
 ‣ Murder Scene 1 - Harry Bluestone, Emil Cadkin [Patrick does a sketch of Squidward.]
 ‣ Wave Running A - Charlie Brissette ["Open up in there, Tentacles!"]
 ‣ Get Up On the Floor - Benjamin Muehlethaler, Adrian Zagoritis [West One Music] [music on Squidward's headphones]
 ‣ Finger of Fear - Fredric Bayco ["Gotcha! You thought you could hide your crimes."]
 • Sneaky Panther Pants - Nicolas Carr [Squidward with a mysterious black case]
 ‣ Cellar Search - Philippe Pares ["Yes! Because you can't make Krabby Patties without..."]
 ‣ Police Precinct [#89] - Peter James Thomas ["...tap dancing shoes?"]
 • Steel Licks 78 - Jeremy Wakefield [Squidward's third-place medallion]
 ‣ Monocle And Pocket-Watch - Brian Gulland [back at the Krusty Krab]
 ‣ Tales From The Swamp (C) - Ron Goodwin [Mr. Krabs accuses SpongeBob of stealing the ingredient.]
 ‣ Secret Service - Syd Dale ["You obviously set up a decoy to take the delivery."]
 ‣ Death In The City - Jack Beaver [The cops appear.]
 • Nude Sting - Nicolas Carr ["What are you talking about, SpongeBob?"]
 ‣ Blood In The Gutter - Laurie Johnson [Mr. Krabs stole the ingredient to avoid paying.]
 ‣ Supreme Court Drama - Harry Bluestone, Emil Cadkin [at the courthouse]
 • Steel Licks 34 - Jeremy Wakefield ["Give away me patties for free?!"]
 ‣ Keel Row - Brian Peters [ending]

Release

• This episode is available on the SpongeBob vs. The Big One, Season 6 Volume 1, The SpongeBob Super Square Collection, Complete Sixth Season, Double Feature Volume 3, The Fifth & Sixth Seasons, SpongeBob SquarePants Vol. 8, Limited Edition 2 DVD Box Set, Really Big Box Set, Treasure Chest: Double Pack, The Ultimate SpongeBob Box Set, The SpongeBob SquarePants Collection, The SpongeBob SquarePants 8 Season DVD Collection, and Next 100 Episodes DVDs.

Reception

• "Patty Caper" was ranked #92 during the SpongeBob's Top 100 event in the UK and Ireland from June 4-8, 2012.

Trivia

General

• The background of the title card is similar to that of "Nasty Patty."
• Those who are accused and how they are:
  • Plankton: He had his own version of the Krabby Patty, but SpongeBob never explained how he could have stolen it. He explained that the patty was made of raw sewage.
  • Sandy: She had a ton of Krabby Patties at her place. SpongeBob believes she used an invisibility potion to sneak in, used a time freezing device, then used a laser to cut a hole in the case and get it, then reversed engineered it to make her own Krabby Patties. Sandy said that she legally ordered over 283 Krabby Patties and shows SpongeBob the receipt she received for their purchase. SpongeBob then remembers that he cooked the same order earlier that day.
  • Gary: Gary snuck onto one of the choppers, and when SpongeBob stopped to tighten his socks, he shot acid out of his eyes and stole the ingredient. It was deemed impossible by both of them. Gary and SpongeBob thought it was ridiculous for him to pull up his sock during the delivery, and Gary thought it was impossible for him to shoot acid from his eyes.
  • Squidward: Gary said he saw Squidward walking out of the Krusty Krab with a black briefcase. Squidward shows them that the case contained his tap dancing shoes, in which he won third place in at a tap dancing competition and shows the medal he won to prove his claim.
  • SpongeBob: Mr. Krabs thought that he set up a decoy, then swept down when no one was looking and stole it, then went to the Chum Bucket, and sold it to Plankton for a quick buck.
  • Mr. Krabs: He was the one who stole it since he didn't want to pay for it. Also, he makes SpongeBob blame people all over Bikini Bottom, so he would take the fall for it for his setup of the caper he made and attended him to do, but his plan failed when he accidentally exposed himself by showing the ingredient's bottle, which the police arrested him for instead.
• Patrick is the only main character in the episode who is not accused.
  • Other than him, the other main characters who were not accused were Pearl and Mrs. Puff.
• The guards never see any of the accused people in SpongeBob's stories.
• It is revealed that Plankton had tried every ingredient from A to R in order to figure out the Krabby Patty formula; thus, the secret ingredient begins with a letter between R and Z.
• Foreshadowing:
  • Mr. Krabs shows the ingredient's bottle to SpongeBob at the beginning of the episode. This is a hint that Mr. Krabs is the one who stole the secret ingredient of the secret formula.
  • Mr. Krabs shows up immediately after SpongeBob discovers the hole in the briefcase and wonders who was responsible.
  • Before accusing SpongeBob, Mr. Krabs is briefly surprised when SpongeBob describes the suspect, as if he is the one who took it and perfectly matches his description.
• Plankton makes some successful attempts to steal the Krabby Patty. However, it was in broad daylight. Also, he never used the analyzer invention he made in the episode "Plankton!," and also that the secret ingredient is highly explosive.
• Sandy's receipt states that she ordered 283 Krabby Patties, which came to a total of $465.00. This would mean that each Krabby Patty costs approximately $1.64. That also means that her tax was 88 cents because $1.64 times 283 equals $464.12.
  • However, in every other episode that shows the cost of a Krabby Patty, it is not $1.64.
• Although Squidward has four feet, he only had two tap dancing shoes in the black case, though he is sometimes able to slip two feet in one shoe.
• The secret ingredient has to be bought, even if freshly made patties are used without sprinkling the ingredient in.
• Although it was revealed that Mr. Krabs is the one who stole the secret formula's secret ingredient, it is never revealed how he stole it and about the origin of the hole in the briefcase.
• Judge Horace A. Whopper makes another appearance in this episode. Despite this, he is referred to as Judge Trout. He first appears in "The Krusty Sponge." He also has a Southern accent in this episode while he did not previously.
• This was Eric Shaw's last episode working on the show.
• On the re-released version of the SpongeBob vs. The Big One DVD, this episode is listed as "The Patty Caper."
  • The Xfinity/Comcast version lists the title exact same way.
• This is the third episode where Mr. Krabs goes to court. The first is "Krabs vs. Plankton" and the second is "The Krusty Sponge."
• During the November 6, 2009 airing, this episode was paired with "Rise and Shine" and "Waiting."

Cultural references

Clackers reference.

• Patrick grabbing a string with giant marbles is a reference to one of the most recalled toys, Clackers.
• The sketch of Squidward laying down eating a Krabby Patty is a reference to the infamous David Hasselhoff Cheeseburger video which began circulating online in 2007.
• Mr. Krabs being forced to watch the Krabby Patties being given away is similar to the treatment in the 1971 movie, A Clockwork Orange.

Errors

• When the red lights flash at the Krusty Krab, for a split-second, one can see the background through the customers each time the red lights start to fade.
• The security guard who gives SpongeBob the briefcase is first purple, but then he turns green when he tells SpongeBob to leave. When SpongeBob runs away, he is purple again.
• When SpongeBob looks all around the case, there is no hole, but when he looks at it again, there is a hole, so the ingredient should have been there when there was no hole. Also, when SpongeBob shows Patrick, there is no hole.
• In one of the scenes in the kitchen, if one looks closely, the background of the order window is the sky. However, since Mr. Krabs locked down the Krusty Krab, the background should have been the shield.
• Patrick puts two buns on the case; the bottom one should have fallen off, but never did, and in the next scene, the case is clean.
• When SpongeBob is about to go into Sandy's home and puts on his water helmet, it seems that when he is holding it in the air, it is already filled with water, which it should only be showing the helmet already filled with water in Sandy's treedome.
• When SpongeBob digs the tunnel to Sandy's treedome underground, the treedome does not fill entirely with water via the tunnel, despite the fact that the water flows into the treedome.
• When SpongeBob says "Oh my gosh! It is Sandy," the dialogue and lip syncing do not match.
• SpongeBob and Patrick break through Squidward's door to get inside, but later when Squidward uses the door to go outside his house, the door is somehow fixed.

• When Squidward snatches the briefcase from SpongeBob, two of SpongeBob's eye expressions overlap for a split-second.

"Gally Grub."

• The Galley Grub sign is misspelled as "Gally Grub."
• The times and events do not match up.
  • Gary says he saw Squidward at night, but it was day.
  • Squidward says he was in the tap dancing contest at night, but he had his medal on the same day during the daytime.