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Encyclopedia SpongeBobia
If you were looking for the article about the western version of Sandy, then see Sheriff Sandy.
Home isn't about barbecues or pecan pies, Home is where you're surrounded by critters that care about ya.
 
— Sandy Cheeks, "Texas"
Character

Sandra[1] Jennifer[2] Olivia[3] "Sandy" Cheeks[4] (born November 17[5]) is one of the ten main characters in the SpongeBob SquarePants franchise.[6] She is an American flying squirrel from the surface who wears a diving suit and lives in an air-filled glass treedome to survive underwater. She is voiced by Carolyn Lawrence.

Sandy is a thrill seeker who loves extreme sports, and karate. Having come from the state of Texas, she has a Southern drawl and a love for rodeos. She works as a scientist and builds both her treedome and air suit and helmet herself. She is also a member of the Gal Pals along with Karen, Mrs. Puff, and Pearl.

Description[]

Sandy comes from the state of Texas, known from the episode of the same name, and exhibits many characteristics of a cowgirl character. She speaks with a heavy Southern accent and uses typical Southern slang words and phrases, such as "Howdy" and "Y'all."

Sandy is very fond of her homeland and its culture, as most notably seen in the episode "Texas," in which she was homesick and considers leaving Bikini Bottom to return to Texas. In that same episode, she takes great offense at SpongeBob and Patrick's negative insults about Texas and violently attacks them when they continue to make fun of it.

Along with Plankton and Karen, Sandy is one of the most intelligent and levelheaded characters on the show. She is a multi-talented scientist and inventor and originally came to Bikini Bottom to study sea creatures and their lifestyles. In "Chimps Ahoy," it is revealed that she is employed by a trio of chimpanzees from the surface, named Professor Percy, Dr. Marmalade and Lord Reginald. As an inventor, Sandy is capable of creating extremely advanced devices with ease. Her inventions include a manned spaceship, a teleporter, a submarine that can shrink to microscopic size and go inside a person's body, a robot in "What Ever Happened to SpongeBob?," and even a Protogenerator 2000 cloning device as seen in "Overbooked."

Karate Choppers 029

SpongeBob and Sandy doing karate.

Sandy is also very athletic and physically fit. She and SpongeBob share a favorite hobby of karate, and frequently fight each other just for fun.

The Karate they use appears to be stylized to fit that of "Play Karate," as they both mainly fight with chops and kicks in a cartoon-like manner. There also appears to be some other forms of fighting in the series, most notably in "Karate Island," where three other fish demonstrate unique fighting styles, which looks more like stylized versions of kung fu rather than karate.

Sandy also enjoys extreme sports and thrill-seeking, which SpongeBob joins her in on occasion, most notably in "Prehibernation Week." Sandy possesses immense strength. She is often seen at Goo Lagoon, lifting weights with Larry the Lobster, of whom she is a good friend, and other muscular fish. In "MuscleBob BuffPants," she shows SpongeBob her immense biceps as well as an intense daily exercise routine. In the same episode, she wins the eighth annual Goo Lagoon Anchor Toss competition by tossing an enormous anchor 510 yards.

In various other episodes, such as "Karate Island," "Christmas Who?," and "Whelk Attack," Sandy usually tends to briefly, but prominently, display her muscular body.

Appearance[]

SpongeBob-character-model-colors-Pantone

Sandy's official color palette (center) includes 13 colors, plus black and white.

Sandy is most frequently seen wearing her suit for oxygen when she is outside of her treedome. The suit is white and has a yellow square-shaped patch with an acorn on it. It also has three rings on the sleeves, two red rings and one blue ring in the center. The suit comes with a big glass helmet with a flower with a yellow center and five pink floral petals. She also wears graphite boots with one red dot on each side of them.

In various spin-off media, she is slightly redesigned. In Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years, she wears pink glasses and braces, as well as a purple dress that resembles her bikini, and a red handkerchief. In The Patrick Star Show, her design is the same as the main show, with the only difference being black glasses.

When Sandy appears inside her treedome, she wears purplish violet clothing, primarily a purple bikini top, a purple tiny platter tulle skirt and green undergarments. In "Saving Bikini Bottom", her undergarments are purple. In "Someone's in the Kitchen with Sandy", when her fur pelt is off, she wears a purplish violet bra and matching panties. In Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years, she wears a pink one-piece swimsuit with a purplish violet skirt. And in The Patrick Star Show, she wears a lab coat and behind it is a light blue shirt.

When she is on her exercise hamster wheel, she can be seen wearing a white hoodie and blue workout sweats.

At night, she wears a nightgown. It changes color depending on the episode. In "Sandy's Rocket," she is first seen wearing a sky blue sleeveless nightgown and is shown for a split second until the camera cut to her face. In "Karate Choppers", she wears a lavender nightgown while karate-chopping over the phone with SpongeBob. In "Survival of the Idiots", Sandy wears a pink sleeveless nightgown throughout the episode. In "Overbooked", she wears a sleeveless purplish violet nightgown with a front v neck and back scoop neck and is barefooted while giving a presentation to her colleagues.

Sandy sometimes appears without her fur, most noticeably in "Survival of the Idiots" and "Someone's in the Kitchen with Sandy."

She was dressed up like a goldfish in "Scaredy Pants," but only her head resembles one.

Personality[]

Sandy is usually kind and caring for SpongeBob and is known to help him out when he's feeling lost, as seen in many newer episodes, such as "Lost in Bikini Bottom." However, in older episodes, she is shown to be much crazier. In "Prehibernation Week," she is shown to be crazier than ever when she forces SpongeBob to play dangerous games, thus leading to him running away. She then forces all Bikini Bottomites to search nonstop for days on end looking for him, to the point when they all run and hide from her just like SpongeBob did. In "To Save a Squirrel," she makes SpongeBob and Patrick almost eat each other just to see if they can survive out in the wild.

Sandy takes full pride in her Texan heritage and shown with her Texan accent. She had a lot of experience there and won't stand any insults of it, as shown in "Texas," where she cries several times throughout the episode because she missed her old homeland and even made a song dedicated to it. SpongeBob and Patrick then make fun of the state. She is offended by them mocking Texas, and thus she chases both of them down and brutally attacks Patrick.

She has also been shown to have a strong competitive streak and a high opinion of herself. In "Sandy, SpongeBob, and the Worm," she completely ignores SpongeBob's warnings about the Alaskan Bull Worm and tells him that she is "too Texas tough," only to discover the hard way that the Bull Worm is indeed too much for her to handle. In "Pressure," she continuously brags that land creatures are better than sea creatures and nearly drowns herself in an attempt to "prove" it. In "Squirrel Jokes," she almost kills SpongeBob just because he kept making jokes about her.

029a - Survival of the Idiots 291

Sandy while hibernating.

In "Survival of the Idiots," Sandy is shown during her hibernation as an obese, monstrous version of herself since before going into hibernation, animals must have tremendous amounts of body fat and energy reserves to survive the winter. SpongeBob and Patrick enter her snow-filled treedome and disturb her sleep, and the semi-conscious Sandy viciously attacks them, believing them to be Dirty Dan and Pinhead Larry, the two outlaws from her dreams.

She can be overly competitive, which is best seen in "Squirrel Jelly," where she even harms her friends due to her competitive nature. Also, in the same episode, she burnt Jellyfish Fields to capture all the Jellyfish with her super suit.

Despite her pride and competitive nature, she's still one of the most caring and levelheaded characters on the show, and often helps her friends and save them from danger.

Abilities and talents[]

Sandy's Rocket 009

Sandy's love of science.

Texas123

Sandy sings Texas while playing her guitar.

C35C2100-0E09-4155-B997-29F5EAF2ED04

Sandy wearing her karate gear.

Sandy is smart, athletic, and talented, and therefore has many skills, such as:

  • Karate: Out of all the characters in the show who practice karate, Sandy is the best at it; she has green karate gear.
  • Science: Sandy has shown to have a vast knowledge and passion of science: several episodes feature her doing experiments, beginning with "Sandy's Rocket," which revealed that she is an astronaut. As the series progressed, she did more and more science.
  • Singing: Sandy is a very good singer; the episode "Texas" marks the first time she is shown singing.
  • Guitar: Sandy has played guitar while singing several times. Also, in the episode "Band Geeks," she is the lead guitarist of the band.
  • Saxophone: Sandy is seen holding a saxophone in the episode "Band Geeks". It is unknown if she may also be skilled in playing the instrument.
  • Violin: Sandy plays the violin in the Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years episodes "Pat's A Li'l Sinker" and "Helter Shelter."
  • Lasso: Sandy can throw a lasso very easily, such as in "Sandy, SpongeBob, and the Worm" and "The Gift of Gum." Also, in video games such as Battle for Bikini Bottom and Battle for Bikini Bottom: Rehydrated, she can throw her lasso to catch or even break things that are far away.
  • Gliding: In Battle for Bikini Bottom, Sandy can use her lasso to glide.
  • Math: Sandy is seen giving a math lesson to intelligent Patrick in "Patrick SmartPants."
  • Holding her breath: Sandy has been seen holding her breath for long periods in many episodes. However, after a while, she has to find an air supply for herself.
  • Inventing: In several episodes, such as "Chimps Ahoy" and "What Ever Happened to SpongeBob?," Sandy has created many useful inventions using her inventing skills.
  • Driving: In the episode "To Save a Squirrel," Sandy is shown to drive a boatmobile with the style of a jeep.
  • Survival skills: Sandy is shown to have good survival skills in "To Save a Squirrel."
Prehibernation Week 044

Sandy doing her Sand Boarding.

Biography[]

According to the SpongeBob SquarePants Annual 2014 book published by the Egmont Group, Sandy's birthday is on November 17. She was born a twin, alongside Randy Cheeks, to Ma and Pa Cheeks in Houston,[7] Texas, USA.

SpongeOnTheRun SandyKid

Young Sandy.

When Sandy was young, she attended Master Kim's Karate Camp, where she learned karate.[8] Sandy's mother once told her to "karate them with kindness."[9]

Although she and SpongeBob first met in "Tea at the Treedome" as adults, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run and Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years showcase that they also meet at Kamp Koral as children. An explanation regarding this inconsistency was given in the episode "Kitchen Sponge."

When she was learning to drive, she took a driving course called, "Driving You Nuts!"[10]

Tea at the Treedome 077

Sandy meets SpongeBob.

During her adulthood, she joined a company called Treedome Enterprises.[11] This company sent her down to Bikini Bottom to study the undersea life.[12]

In Bikini Bottom, she met SpongeBob SquarePants while she was fighting a giant clam. She also met Patrick Star the next day when he tried to save SpongeBob who was at Sandy's treedome for tea and SpongeBob was all dried up because there is no water in her treedome.[12] She has also met many other sea creatures since she arrived at Bikini Bottom.

Habitat[]

Sandy's treedome

Sandy's house, known as the treedome.

Sandy lives in a huge polyurethane[13] dome, which is known as the "treedome." It is an air-locked environment and contains no water, making the treedome the only place in Bikini Bottom where Sandy can survive and take oxygen without her suit. Its floor is covered in grass and it features a large tree, which contains Sandy's living quarters. The treedome also humorously includes a giant hamster wheel, among other backyard-like things. As seen in the episodes "Survival of the Idiots" and "Bubble Buddy," the dome produces snow during the winter, from which it can be assumed to simulate other weather patterns as well.

As seen in the episode "Wormy," Sandy has many pets residing in her treedome, including caterpillars, snakes, crickets, mice, and birds, among others.

The company that owns this and many other treedomes is the Tree Dome Enterprises Limited. Its board of directors, a group of chimps, came for inspection in "Chimps Ahoy." Her old habitat was back home in Texas.

Family[]

Main article: Cheeks family

Relationships[]

Squirrel Jokes 098

SpongeBob and Sandy's friendship.

SpongeBob SquarePants[]

Sandy first met SpongeBob when he saw her wrestling a giant clam and ran down to save her. Since then, Sandy has been one of SpongeBob's best friends, and she enjoys various activities with him such as karate. She also enjoys going to Goo Lagoon with him and lifting weights. Despite their tight friendship, Sandy has gotten annoyed by SpongeBob in various episodes, such as "Sandy's Rocket" and "Texas."

Patrick Star[]

Imprrsanating

Sandy gets angry at Patrick.

Patrick and Sandy have a close friendship. They usually get along very well though Sandy has frequently been annoyed by Patrick's utter stupidity no doubt due to her higher intellect. On occasion, Patrick has angered her to the point where she has threatened to attack him, as shown in the episodes "Texas" and "Survival of the Idiots." In "Patrick SmartPants," she gets along well with Patrick until he gets a little arrogant and thinking that she's dumb.

Squidward Tentacles[]

Sandy and Squidward have had limited interactions. Squidward doesn't seem to know who she is on a few occasions. In "SpongeBob SquarePants vs. The Big One," Squidward asks "Who are you?" and in "Rodeo Daze," he mistakes her name for "Sally." However, Sandy is happy to help Squidward, such as in "Squidtastic Voyage" when she helps him revive his clarinet reed from his throat. Then in The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, she was seen carrying him to safety when he was almost crushed by skating humans and letting him ride on her back when they're chasing Burger Beard. At times like in the episode "Patrick! The Game," Sandy can easily get annoyed by Squidward's attitude towards things, like his attitude towards Patrick's game.

Eugene H. Krabs[]

Sandy and Mr. Krabs generally do not talk to each other. However, there are a few episodes in which they do interact. When they do, they seem to be very nice to each other and they never really argue or fight. However, when they first met, he expressed a prejudice towards land mammals. At the end of the same episode he was impressed by her cooking skills and hired her to work with SpongeBob. In the episode "Surf N' Turf," Mr. Krabs, who's sent to help Sandy, constantly destroys any ship in the bottle she makes, he later then turns Sandy's treedome into a huge ship in a bottle and attempts to enter it into the contest, but fails in the end and Sandy forces him to restore her treedome.

Karen Plankton[]

Sandy and Karen have become good friends, sharing an interest in science. The two meet in "Perfect Chemistry," and Sandy calls Karen beautiful. In "Frozen Face-Off," Sandy helps save Karen from being frozen. In "Salsa Imbecilicus," the two team up to create a university. In "Girls' Night Out," Sandy, Karen, and Mrs. Puff spend a night out together, and the three refer to one another as "Gal Pals" throughout the episode.

Sheldon J. Plankton[]

Although they barely interact, Sandy tends to dislike Plankton, such as in "Someone's in the Kitchen with Sandy when he steals her fur to obtain the Krabby Patty secret formula. However, they do get along in "Perfect Chemistry," as she is impressed by his lab and she helps him with his invention, and vice versa. She also states she knew that he was going to steal the Krabby Patty formula. They are also seen playing chess together in "Mimic Madness."

Pearl Krabs[]

Sandy and Pearl have a stable relationship. In "Bubble Troubles," Pearl helps Sandy breathe air, saying "I guess us mammals have to stick together." Pearl goes to Sandy's birthday party in the episode "Feral Friends." and wants her to stay in Bikini Bottom in "Texas." In "A Cabin in the Kelp," Pearl joins the Gal Pals with Karen, Sandy, and Mrs. Puff.

Gary the Snail[]

Sandy and Gary barely interact with each other, but they do seem to know each other. In "Culture Shock," Sandy says Gary has "such a way with words."

Larry the Lobster[]

Sandy and Larry the Lobster seem to get along well. They have been seen hanging out together at Goo Lagoon in episodes such as "Ripped Pants" and "MuscleBob BuffPants."

Video games[]

Sandy appears in a majority of the SpongeBob video games. She has been a playable character in several of them but usually appears as a non-playable character.

Development[]

Voice[]

Carolyn Lawrence provides the voice of Sandy Cheeks. Lawrence got the role of Sandy when she was in Los Angeles at Los Feliz. She met Donna Grillo, a casting director, on a sidewalk. Lawrence was with a friend who knew Grillo, and she said Lawrence had an interesting voice. Grillo brought Lawrence in to audition and she got the part.

Before a recording, Lawrence prepares when the crew sends a storyboard. She explains, "I absolutely love that! Not only do I get to read the script, I can actually see what the artists have in mind. It is an amazing process and I feel so fortunate to be able to work that way! [...] I would prefer to let the script come alive in me before a taping."

Trivia[]

  • Stephen Hillenburg stated in the "Everybody's Talking: The Voices Behind SpongeBob SquarePants" special feature on The Complete 1st Season DVD and a 2014 interview that he created Sandy as "a strong female character that could be a friend to SpongeBob but not a love interest."[14]
    • However, when Tim Hill helped Hillenburg create a pitch bible for SpongeBob in 1996, it was suggested that a hint of romance should be added between SpongeBob and Sandy.[citation needed] This idea was included in the bible, but Hillenburg eventually decided against Sandy being a love interest in the show.
  • SpongeBob is seen imitating Sandy in "Gone," "Mimic Madness," and "Squirrel Jelly."
  • Mrs. Puff had more episode appearances than Sandy in Seasons 3, 10, and 12.
  • "Salsa Imbecilicus," "Feral Friends," "Surf N' Turf," "Girls' Night Out," and "A Cabin in the Kelp" are the only episodes where Sandy plays a major role without SpongeBob also playing a major role.
  • Sandy is called "Sandy Squirrel" for the first time in "SpongeBob's Last Stand." She would be called this again in the N.E.R.D song "Sandy Squirrel" from the music of The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water.
  • Although Sandy and Mrs. Puff only have two lines each in the 2004 movie, they are both still included under the "Main Cast" in the film's credits because they are main characters in the series.
  • She was called "Arenita" in the Latin American dub of the series. "Arenita" means "Little Sand" in Spanish, making it a fairly accurate translation. She is still called this in the Spanish dub of the series.
  • In the Finnish dub, she is called "Santa Sanna." "Santa" is a synonym for "Hiekka," which means "Sand."
  • In the very last shot in "MuscleBob BuffPants," paw pads are visible on the underside of Sandy's feet, they can also be seen in "The Fish Bowl." These two episodes are the only ones to show her having them; in all other episodes, she has a beige or brown surface on the bottoms of her paws.
  • As seen in "Karate Island", Sandy is ticklish.
  • Sandy was responsible for introducing Christmas to Bikini Bottom. This happens in the episode "Christmas Who?"
  • In the episode "Stanley S. SquarePants," a Scottish relative of Sandy with the same name is shown.
  • In the episode "To Save a Squirrel," Sandy is shown to have a Jeep-Mobile with the design of a Jeep.
  • A package of GoGurt that features Sandy claims she works for a company called "Tree Dome Enterprises Limited."
  • In season 1, Sandy has three dots on her suit instead of an acorn symbol. From season 2 onward, her symbol is an acorn. For her suit's appearances in "Wormy" and "Prehibernation Week," it is a black silhouette of an acorn, and from "Squirrel Jokes" onward it is a colored acorn.
    • Also, in Season 1 episodes, Sandy's tail is not visible when she is wearing her suit in comparison to the later seasons.
    • Sandy's fur is slightly darker in Season 1 than in the later seasons. Also, her face is a slightly different shape.
  • Ironically, despite being re-established as a scientist in later seasons, Sandy is oblivious to the basic fact that sea creatures cannot survive without water in her first appearance.
  • In the live-action puppet sequence in the episode "Pressure," Sandy is represented by a TY squirrel Beanie Baby and appears to be naked aside from her helmet.
  • Season 10 is the season with the least amount of appearances for Sandy, with 4 appearances. This is due to Season 10 having only 11 episodes (22 segments).
  • It is revealed in "Patrick SmartPants" that her full name is Sandra.
  • In Croatian dub, her name is Luna Frnjau, which does not have any connection between her original name.
  • Sandy appears on the Bikini Bottom Adventures DVD cover, but does not appear in any of the episodes on this DVD.
    • Although, the episodes on the Serbian and Russian releases have at least one episode with her in it.
  • When Sandy cries, she flushes her helmet so that she will not drown.[15] However, in "What Ever Happened to SpongeBob?," her helmet fills with tears, but she does not flush it. However, in the very next scene when Mr. Krabs asks how he'll get SpongeBob back, her helmet's seen empty again, implying she flushed it offscreen.
  • In the episode "Squirrel Record," it is revealed that Sandy has 100 woodchuck cousins, at least one of whom is named Earl.
  • In "Karate Choppers," it is revealed that she can consume Volcano Sauce without any reaction to the spice.
  • In most of her appearances, she has fur. However, in "Someone's in the Kitchen with Sandy," she wears a pelt.
  • Brian Robbins, the current president of Nickelodeon, believes there is a possibility for a Sandy Cheeks spin-off show.[16]
  • The name "Sandy" is a diminutive form of Sandra, which in turn can be a diminutive form of the names Alexandra or Cassandra.
  • In the book SpongeBob SquarePants Ocean 3D: Facts & 3D Pics, Sandy's full name is given as Sandra Olivia Cheeks. In the Broadway musical, her middle name is said to be Jennifer instead.
  • Sandy was an experienced law enforcement officer.
  • Unlike the other 9 main characters in the series, Sandy is the only land creature, as she breathes air instead of water.
    • She is also allergic to seawater breath as revealed in "Pressure," as squirrels cannot breathe underwater.
  • Sandy's horoscope is a Scorpio.
  • She is nicknamed Big Cheeks by her past self according to "Kitchen Sponge." The episode also reveals that she can call her past self with a radio device.
  • She has never been in jail, but she has been arrested once.

See also[]

External links[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Patrick SmartPants." SpongeBob SquarePants. Nickelodeon. October 21, 2005. Television.
  2. ^ SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical
  3. ^ SpongeBob SquarePants Ocean 3D: Facts & 3D Pics
  4. ^ "MuscleBob BuffPants." SpongeBob SquarePants. Nickelodeon. October 2, 1999. Television.
  5. ^ SpongeBob SquarePants Annual 2014
  6. ^ SpongeBob SquarePants Character Guide
  7. ^ Numerous interviews with Stephen Hillenburg
  8. ^ Camp SpongeBob
  9. ^ SpongeBob's Boating Bash
  10. ^ SpongeBob's Director's Commentary
  11. ^ "Chimps Ahoy"
  12. ^ a b "Tea at the Treedome"
  13. ^ Tea at the Treedome
  14. ^ How "SpongeBob Squarepants" Stayed Fresh and Subversive Over 15 Years
  15. ^ "Texas." SpongeBob SquarePants. Nickelodeon. March 22, 2000. Television.
  16. ^ Steinberg, Brian (2019-02-14). ‘SpongeBob’ Spinoffs Planned as Nickelodeon Chief Brian Robbins Tries to Win Back Young Viewers (EXCLUSIVE). Variety. Retrieved on 2021-05-03.


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