Procrastination

Template:Episode/37a

Characters

• SpongeBob SquarePants
• Mrs. Puff
• Gary the Snail
• Johnny Elaine
• Mailfish
• Patrick Star
• Sandy Cheeks
• Squidward Tentacles
• Speakable in SpongeBob's nightmare:
  • SpongeBob's Living Room Chair 
  • SpongeBob's Living Room Gary Clock
  • SpongeBob's Pants
  • SpongeBob's House
• Bikini Bottomites
  • Nat
  • Tina
  • Franco
  • Vera
  • Jimmy

Synopsis

Classtime at Mrs. Puff's Boating School

Mrs. Puff assigns SpongeBob's class an essay, which is on the topic of what not to do at a spotlight, has to be 800 words minimum, and is due tommarrow. One student (Acts like SpongeBob) is excited about this essay.

At SpongeBob's House

He writes the first ten words, "What Not to do At A Spotlight By SpongeBob SquarePants," but after 2 hours, he can't seem to write anything else. He eventually starts fresh, and though it appears he writes a lot shortly afterwards, he only writes the word "The." With 799 words to go, SpongeBob tries to go further, but stays up to 10:00 p.m. He calls Patrick on the phone for advice, but he is too tired. SpongeBob then hallucinates that his house goes on fire because he can't write more. After this nightmare, he finally writes the essay in five minutes just before boating school starts by writing random things he does that night.

Ending: Back to Mrs. Puff's Boating School (After SpongeBob Finished the Essay)

Mrs. Puff tells SpongeBob that she tried to call him to tell him that she cancelled the essay and decided that she will take the class on a field trip to a stoplight, instead. SpongeBob rips his essay in half followed by himself, before fading to black.

Production

Deleted Scenes

• A part where SpongeBob looks out the window, all his friends are there, and Patrick rubbing Sandy with Sun Lotion then says, "Come on, SpongeBob!"
  • This was removed due to it looking like Patrick was unhooking Sandy's bra.
• SpongeBob exercising.
  • Removed on some airings for unknown reasons.
• A scene where a video of a drag race car crashing into a wall.
  • Removed because Nickelodeon didn't want viewers to try racing a car.

All DVDs, 2002-2006 airings, and the July 24th, 2012 Nickelodeon Philippines airing show these scenes. After October 2006, the scenes were edited out for commercials.

Early airings (Before October 2006, Version #1):

Patrick: Come on, SpongeBob! (Spongebob goes back to his desk)

SpongeBob: It should be against the law to have to write an essay on such a super sailorific, sunshiny day! Oh! But I must press onward, because with this pencil, and the completion of this essay, I'll be one step closer to my driver's license! (a live-action drag race is shown. a car hits a wall, tumbles and gets back up)' Oh, yeah. This'll be no problemo. I've got plenty of time. It's only 6:00 p.m.! Okay, okay here we go. (struggles to write) I know, I've got to get blood pumpin' in the own vessels. How about some calisthenics? (SpongeBob does calisthenics. While doing it, he recites Hup Hoo several times) I can feel those juices pumpin' now!

Some early airings (Before October 2006, Version #2):

Same as above, but SpongeBob excercising was removed.

Reruns (After October 2006):

SpongeBob: Gee, this is harder than I thought... (immediately cuts to him sitting happily in his chair) I can feel those juices pumpin' now! (The rest of the episode goes normally.)

full

Music

( ‣ ) Production music

( • ) Original music

( ◦ ) SpongeBob music

 • Hello Blues - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [title card]
 ‣ Horlepiep - Jan Rap [opening]
 ‣ On the Beach - Kapono Beamer ["I'm about to write the greatest essay of all time."]
 ‣ ? [carnival]
 ‣ Glory Road - Sam Fonteyn ["But I must press onward, because with this pencil and the completion of this essay..."]
 ‣ Glissando (g and h) - Skaila Kanga, Richard Myhill ["...I'll be one step closer to my driver's license!"/"Oh, yeah..."]
 ‣ ? [drum roll]
 • Vibe Sting - Nicolas Carr ["I know!"]
 ‣ Steve's March - Sam Spence [calisthenics]
 ‣ Mambo Fantastico - Gerhard Narholz [squeaking chair]
 ‣ Honolulu March - George de Fretes [feeding Gary]
 ‣ Four and Three - Harold Geller [SpongeBob cleaning his kitchen.]
 ‣ Dramatic Cue (h) - Ronald Hanmer ["10:00?!"]
 ‣ Dance of the Fumblers - Sam Spence [montage of SpongeBob writing]
 ‣ Tympup A - Sammy Burdson, John Charles Fiddy ["The..."]
 ‣ Raspberry C - Sammy Burdson, John Charles Fiddy ["The..."]
 ‣ Stepping into Danger - Mike Sunderland ["Let's see, only 799 words to go."]
 ‣ Thrift Shop - Kapono Beamer [SpongeBob calls Patrick]
 ‣ Stepping into Danger - Mike Sunderland [SpongeBob choking]
 • Hello Blues - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [SpongeBob looks in the refrigerator]
 ‣ Dramatic Cue (e) - Ronald Hanmer ["How did he know I'm supposed to be writing an essay?"]
 ‣ Strange Goings-On - Dick Stephen Walter [SpongeBob goes back into his house]
 ‣ The Plot Thickens - Dick Stephen Walter [news on TV]
 • Vibe Q Sting - Nicolas Carr ["Hey, SpongeBob, over here!"]
 ‣ Terror by Night - Hubert Clifford [SpongeBob running back to his desk]
 ‣ Flight in Panic 1 - Gregor F. Narholz [SpongeBob's house on fire]
 ‣ Unpreventable - Gregor F. Narholz ["It's almost 9:00!"]
 • Harp Ding - Nicolas Carr ["Feeding your snail is something not to do at a stoplight!"]
 ‣ Horlepiep - Jan Rap ["Mrs. Puff, I'm finished!"]
 ‣ Keel Row - Brian Peters [ending]

Reception

• "Procrastination" was ranked #100 during the Best Day Ever event from November 9–10, 2006.

Release

• The original version of this episode is available on the Christmas, Complete 2nd Season, and First 100 Episodes DVDs.

Trivia

Template:Trivia

• This episode is one of two episodes with a fan-famous deleted scene.
  • The other was "Just One Bite."
• This episode is among those from Season 2 where the colors become dull, such as "Your Shoe's Untied."
• This is first time SpongeBob is locked out of his house, though it was just in his nightmare.
  • The second was "Party Pooper Pants," where he locks himself out of his home during the party.
• This is the first time SpongeBob chokes. In this episode, he chokes on pencil shavings, but his choking stops with a drink of water.
  • The second was "Karate Star," when he chokes on something else.
• This is the first time SpongeBob's house talks or is set on fire.
  • A scene similar to this also happens in "Ghost Host," when his house starts burning and roars.
  • It also happens in "Pet Sitter Pat," when it shows SpongeBob's Pineapple on fire in his thought bubble after Grandma SquarePants mentions being in danger of burning down the house if she was not any older because of all the candles on her cake.
    • Unlike this, the house never roared.
• The music from Nickelodeon's Hey Arnold! series was reused on the scene when SpongeBob looks out the window and see everyone having a good day.
• When SpongeBob cleaned his kitchen, it turned chrome similar to how the future world looked inSeason One's "SB-129."
• In SpongeBob's kitchen fridge, he has:
  • Kelp milk
  • Aqua Bread
  • Horse of the Sea
  • A Chinese takeout box
  • An ice cube tray
  • Two soda cans
    • One red, one green
  • Two boxes
    • One orange, one purple
  • Ketchup
  • And mayo
• One scene from this episode was shown in the R-rated comedy Ted (2012).
• It is unknown how SpongeBob managed to take hours only to write the word "The" on his paper.
• The setting with Patrick and the phone was similar in design to Squidward's 3:00 AM joke to Patrick from "Graveyard Shift."

Cultural Reference

• In SpongeBob's nightmare when he runs through a hall, and on the episode's title card background, there are deformed, melted and melting clocks.
  • This is a reference to The Peristance of Memory art.

Errors

• As far as essays go, it's excessive that one about what not to do at a stoplight would require eight hundred words, especially when it is due the next day. Mrs. Puff also didn't give any time in class to write on the essay.
• When SpongeBob wakes up from his nightmare and looks at the paper before looking at the clock, only the word "The" is shown and "What Not to do at a Spotlight by SpongeBob SquarePants" is missing from the top.
• On his essay, SpongeBob misspelled Stoplight as Spotlight.
• In reruns after October 2006, after SpongeBob said "Gee, it's harder than I throught." it cuts to him standing next to the chair. This is due to cutting out three scenes for commerical time.

When SpongeBob says "Rye or pumpernickel?" his eyelashes are missing.

• • On the April 21, 2014 airing, the episode was shortened again. After SpongeBob said "This essay is pure gold!," he was playing with the chair and making it squeak. Because, it was cut slightly for commerical time.