Skill Crane

Template:Episode/64a

Characters

• SpongeBob SquarePants
• Squidward Tentacles
• Eugene H. Krabs
• R.A. Pennypincher
• Archie (brief cameo)

Synopsis

At the Krusty Krab, a guy dressed in a suit comes to the door. Mr. Krabs believes him to be a tax collector and panics, until the man shows his business card, which identifies him as an employee of "R.A. PennyPincher Vending Supplies". Mr. Krabs is overjoyed as the delivery men bring the claw vending machine that he ordered into the Krusty Krab. Krabs explains that it will "pay for itself in no time" and insists that SpongeBob and Squidward try it, giving them each a free quarter.

Squidward plays the machine, and almost picks up a stuffed snake and loses. He excitedly exclaims to SpongeBob that he "almost got that on his first try!" Mr. Krabs goes into his office,saying to himself "My work here is done." When SpongeBob tries the machine, Squidward expects him to lose, but SpongeBob effortlessly wins a teddy bear, which he names "Beary". Squidward dismisses this as "beginner's luck", and tries the machine again, but loses. SpongeBob then returns to the machine and wins a "friend" for Beary. Squidward begins to pull out another quarter, but remembers Mr. Krabs' words that it will "pay for itself in no time", and tells himself that he won't fall for the scam.

Later on, SpongeBob continues to effortlessly win several more stuffed animals from the machine, and Squidward is no longer able to resist his urges. He gets change from Mr. Krabs, and spends all of his money on the machine without winning even once. When Squidward tells Mr. Krabs that he has no more money for him, Mr. Krabs announces that it is pay day and gives Squidward a large sack of coins. Squidward tells Krabs that he will stop playing if he doesn't win with his very next quarter, but ends up playing for six hours, expending his entire salary. As Squidward sits on the floor crying, SpongeBob plays the machine and gets two plushes with one quarter. He says "It's not fair" and puts one of them back in using the claw.

When Squidward goes home, he tries to watch TV to get his mind off the machine, but finds himself unable to pick up the remote. He trys to turnm on the TV with one of his eyes, but it hurts. Then he goes to bed, and can't pick up the blanket or glass of soda. He soon finds that he can't pick up anything, and goes insane, proclaiming that he absolutely must win the crane. He puts back on his normal clothes, gets his piggy bank and runs to the Krusty Krab. The next morning, SpongeBob finds Squidward with his legs on the floor in front of the crane holding the joystick. Mr. Krabs then empties the machine and finds an enormous amount of Squidward's money, along with the deed to his house. SpongeBob tells Squidward that the secret to winning (is to close his eyes and be the crane). Squidward does this, and wins a old-looking teddy bear with his last quarter. He becomes overjoyed, pronounces his victory over the intercom, and insults a little boy who has just lost at the machine.

At the end of the day, Squidward walks home with SpongeBob, and sees a construction site. He operates the unoccupied crane with his eyes closed and picks up a girder. He ends up destroying the brand new mall and loses control of the vehicle, backing up down a hill as SpongeBob and the construction workers run away. He crashes into the Krusty Krab, destroying it. Squidward then exits the crane and tries to leave, but the furious construction workers surround him. SpongeBob tries to pick up Squidward with the crane, but picks up the stuffed animal that Squidward won instead. SpongeBob says "I guess I can only pick up toys" as the construction workers prepare to punch Squidward.

Production

Music

( ‣ ) Production music

( • ) Original music

( ◦ ) SpongeBob music

 ‣ Dombummel - Gerhard Trede [title card]
 ‣ The Girl I Left Behind Me - Brian Peters ["My machine has arrived?"]
 ‣ Ta-Ra C - Sammy Burdson, John Charles Fiddy [Skill Crane revealed]
 • ? - Nicolas Carr ["First one's free!"]
 ‣ Sailor's Waltz - Heinz Matschurat ["Come on, Squidward, you know you want to."]
 ‣ ? [Squidward loses]
 ‣ The Tip Top Polka/The Cliff Polka - Chelmsford Folk Band ["My work here is done."]
 ‣ Ta-Ra A - Sammy Burdson, John Charles Fiddy [SpongeBob wins]
 ‣ Comic Tension (a) - Dick Stephen Walter [claw falls onto a toy]
 ‣ Lighting the Fuse (b) - Dick Stephen Walter [claw falls onto a toy]
 ‣ Desperate Dilemma - Dick Stephen Walter [Squidward presses "grab" button]
 ‣ ? [Squidward loses again]
 ‣ Ta-Ra A - Sammy Burdson, John Charles Fiddy [SpongeBob wins again]
 • ? - Jeremy Wakefield ["Oh, I loosened that one up for you!"]
 ‣ The Drunken Sailor (b) - Robin Jeffrey, Tim Laycock [Squidward remembers what Krabs said]
 ‣ The Tip Top Polka/The Cliff Polka - Chelmsford Folk Band [Squidward depressed as SpongeBob keeps winning]
 ‣ Unease - Dick Stephen Walter ["Squid... ward..."]
 ‣ The Tip Top Polka/The Cliff Polka - Chelmsford Folk Band ["Need some change?"]
 ‣ ? [Squidward loses]
 ‣ Towerstreet 17 [#21] - Gerhard Narholz [montage of Squidward losing]
 ‣ ? ["You lose!"]
 • ? - Jeremy Wakefield [Squidward says he's out of money]
 ‣ The Rake Hornpipe - Robert Alexander White [payday]
 • Steel Licks - Jeremy Wakefield [Squidward used all his money on the crane]
 ‣ Ta-Ra C - Sammy Burdson, John Charles Fiddy [SpongeBob wins]
 ‣ Goodbye Rodney - Pete Ross Winslow [Squidward goes home]
 ‣ Pua Paoakalani B - Kapono Beamer, Queen Lili'uokalani [Squidward in bed]
 ‣ House of Horror - W. Merrick Farran ["I gotta win that crane!"]
 ‣ Towerstreet 17 [#4] - Gerhard Narholz [piggy bank sheds tear]
 ‣ ? [SpongeBob being the crane]
 ‣ Ta-Ra A - Sammy Burdson, John Charles Fiddy [SpongeBob wins]
 • Steel Sting - Jeremy Wakefield ["Yes! Yes, I do!"]
 ‣ ? [Squidward being the crane]
 ‣ Hollywood Fanfare - Larry Hochman [Squidward wins!]
 ‣ ? [a little kid loses]
 ‣ Comic Walk - Sidney Torch [Squidward teases him]
 • ? - Nicolas Carr [kid kicks Squidward]
 • You're Nice - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Squidward operating a construction crane]
 ‣ Dramatic Impact 5 - Ivor Slaney [Squidward destroys a mall being built]
 ‣ Drama Link (b) - Hubert Clifford ["Squidward, open your eyes!"]
 • ? - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [vehicle out of control]
 • SpongeBob Theme - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [ending]

Release

• This episode is available on DVD on Whale of a Birthday and The Complete 4th Season.

Reception

• "Skill Crane" was ranked #22 during the Best Day Ever event from November 9–10, 2006.

Trivia

Template:Trivia

• The idea of the Skill Crane was taken from the educational video game SpongeBob SquarePants Saves the Day.
• The background of the title card is similar to "Welcome to the Chum Bucket", "Enemy In-Law", and "Plankton's Regular".
• Squidward's obsession with the crane and the way the crane kept calling his name is similar to the episode "The Fever" in "The Twilight Zone."
• This is the sixth episode where its title card is being animated, the fifth being "SpongeBob Meets the Strangler.".
• It is shown that Squidward's deed to his house is in the money carton. This means Squidward sold his own house in order to get more money to win.
• This is one of the few episodes where Mr. Krabs is shown paying SpongeBob and Squidward, and given the amount of quarters he gave Squidward, he apparently pays them a standard worker's salary, in contrast to numerous claims of them being underpaid in other episodes.
• When Mr. Krabs said "What? My machine has arrived?!" he used my instead of me. Because he's a pirate, the right line is "What? Me machine has arrived?!"
• Squidward would've been arrested for ruining bunches of places including the Krusty Krab and Mr. Krabs and the construction workers are angry so Squidward probably got arrested after the show ended.
• It's impossible that Squidward has pockets in this episode because Squidward doesn't wear any pants.
• On The Winner Take All Sunday this episode was #8

Errors

• It's odd how Squidward played the game using the deed to his house if the machine only accepted quarters.
• When Mr. Krabs walks away with Squidward deed to his house, Mr. Krabs puts it in his pants but it disappears as he walks.
• The cash register does not appear at any time in the episode after Mr. Krabs swallows it.
• The quarters are gold in this episode but not silver, in the other episodes they are regular silver.
• At first the Skill Crane says "You Win" and then when SpongeBob wins the last time it says "Winner".
• There were only three construction workers running with SpongeBob back to the Krusty Krab, but when Squidward was about to leave, there were nine construction workers.