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Encyclopedia SpongeBobia

"Squidward the Unfriendly Ghost" is a SpongeBob SquarePants episode from season 1. In this episode, Squidward pretends to be a ghost after SpongeBob and Patrick think he is dead.

Characters[]

Synopsis[]

Squidward has just completed a wax sculpture of himself and declares that he has "conquered all artistic media." He is annoyed by SpongeBob and Patrick, who are playing a loud game, and goes to take a bath. SpongeBob and Patrick begin playing catch with a shell, but it flies into Squidward's house and knocks over the wax sculpture. The two think they have injured Squidward, and after several attempts to "resuscitate" him, they believe that Squidward has perished.

Squidward the Unfriendly Ghost 102

"One watermelon fresh from the manure fields, your spookiness!"

Having finished his bath, Squidward dramatically emerges from the bathroom in a rush of steam, wearing talcum powder and a white bathrobe. SpongeBob and Patrick believe that they are seeing Squidward's ghost, and, hoping to evade his wrath, promise to obey his every command. Rather than telling them the truth, Squidward plays along in order to have them pamper him and do chores for him.

When instructed to clean one of Squidward's rooms, SpongeBob and Patrick come across a comic book that details the story of the Flying Dutchman. According to the story, the Dutchman haunts the ocean because his corpse was callously used for a window display in a store instead of being put to rest. Sensing the similarity between the Dutchman and Squidward, the two friends decide that they should put Squidward. Despite Squidward's objections, SpongeBob and Patrick arrange for his burial and invite others to mourn him.

Squidward the Unfriendly Ghost 200

Squidward finally admits his charade, but SpongeBob and Patrick believe that Squidward is simply in denial about his death. SpongeBob blows a large bubble that encapsulates Squidward and sends him floating right out of the water, up to "the great beyond." As Squidward floats in the air, he is plagued by a flock of seagulls, much to his distress.

Production[]

Art[]

Music[]

 ) Production music
 ) Original music
 ) SpongeBob music

  Tales From The Swamp (E) - Ron Goodwin [title card]
  Smoke and Dreams - Otto Sieben [opening]
  Grass Skirts Blowing (Hilo March) - The Hawaiian Serenaders [SpongeBob and Patrick play games.]
  Bossa Cubana - Gerhard Narholz [Squidward takes a bath.]
  Seaweed 1 - Steve Belfer [SpongeBob and Patrick are tossing a shell back and forth.]
  Bossa Cubana - Gerhard Narholz [Squidward hears a thump.]
  Seaweed 1 - Steve Belfer [SpongeBob and Patrick enter Squidward's house.]
  Lovely Scenery C - Mladen Franko ["Squidward! Ahhh!"]
  Bossa Cubana - Gerhard Narholz [Squidward puts on a towel.]
  Dangerous B - Mladen Franko [SpongeBob and Patrick attempt to put the sculpture back together.]
  Dramatic Cue (H) - Ronald Hanmer [The sculpture's eyes turn over.]
  Deep Grief 1 - Otto Sieben ["He's pushing up daisies!"]
  Tales From The Swamp (E) - Ron Goodwin [Squidward comes out of the bathroom.]
  Dramatic Cue (D) - Ronald Hanmer ["Look what you've done to me!"]
  In the Crypt - Dave Hewson ["Enough! Listen up!"]
  Tales From The Swamp (C) - Ron Goodwin [The end of Squidward's speech]
  Gator - Steve Belfer [SpongeBob and Patrick take Squidward outside.]
  The Rake Hornpipe - Robert Alexander White [SpongeBob and Patrick feed Squidward.]
  Stack of Leis - Kapono Beamer [Night passes.]
  In the Crypt - Dave Hewson ["What's this? Napping on the job?"]
  The Achterhoek Dances - Jan Rap [SpongeBob and Patrick clean the back room.]
  In the Cradle (b) - Dick Stephen Walter [SpongeBob and Patrick find a comic book about the Flying Dutchman.]
  Tales From The Swamp (D) - Ron Goodwin ["Now he haunts the seven seas"]
  Seaweed 1 - Steve Belfer [SpongeBob and Patrick put Squidward to rest.]
  Funeral Music - Alfred Kluten [The mourners]
  Hawaiian Happiness - Jon Jelmer [Squidward confesses.]
  Vibe Link (B) - Richard Myhill ["Patrick, say that again."]
  Queen's Aloha Oe C - Kapono Beamer, Queen Lili'uokalani [The ending]

Release[]

Reception[]

  • "Squidward the Unfriendly Ghost" was ranked #95 during the Best Day Ever event from November 9–10, 2006.

Trivia[]

General[]

  • According to Sherm Cohen, this episode was originally going to be called "Squidward's House of Wax."[4][5]
  • This is the first episode for a few things:
    • The debut of the Flying Dutchman, although he is only seen in pictures. His first physical appearance is in the episode "Scaredy Pants."
    • The first episode to use the track "Tales From The Swamp."
    • The first episode where every letter in the title card is completely in the show's font.
  • This is one of seven episodes in which the 1986 Paramount logo is plastered with the 2002 Paramount logo. The others are "Help Wanted," "Squeaky Boots," "F.U.N.," "Employee of the Month," "Karate Choppers," and "Rock Bottom."
  • When SpongeBob says, "G7," a C minor 7th chord is played on a ukulele.
  • The scene where SpongeBob says, "Okay, get in" and Patrick opens a coffin for Squidward has become a popular meme.
  • In the French dub, this episode is called "Le Fantôme de Carlo," which translates to "The Ghost of Squidward."
  • In the German dub, this episode is called "Die Wachsfigur," which translates to "The Wax Figure."
Polish 20200112 201549765

SpongeBob clip in Pet Sematary (2019 film).

  • A scene from this episode was briefly featured in the 2019 film Pet Sematary, namely, the scene where SpongeBob and Patrick cling to each other and get scared. Coincidentally enough, Clancy Brown, who generally voices Mr. Krabs and has a cameo in this episode, had previously starred in Pet Sematary Two as Gus Gilbert, the sheriff of Ludlow who gets killed by his stepson's reanimated dog and then reanimated as a murderous zombie.
  • This episode was paired up with different episodes in different marathons:
  • This episode was referenced in "Friendiversary" when Squidward gets trapped in a bubble and floats up when Squidward is trying to restore SpongeBob's memories. This is a reference to the scene that Squidward floats in a bubble.
  • The "Now do me a favor and stop doing me favors!" quote from this episode is used in SpongeBob Simulator as a chat line.

Cultural references[]

Squidward the Unfriendly Ghost 094

The French painting.

  • When Patrick and SpongeBob are carrying Squidward around in servitude to him, they stumble upon an aquatic version of the painting Can-can. Squidward quips that it is "Too loose, Lautrec," a pun on the name of the artist, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, with an accompanying rim shot.


Errors[]

StUG Error

A "chip" in wax Squidward's head.

  • Right before wax Squidward frowns again, a bit of his head randomly disappears for a second.
Squidward the Unfriendly Ghost 089

SpongeBob's house is missing.

  • When Squidward is on the royal bed, SpongeBob's house is missing.
  • When SpongeBob and Patrick enter Squidward's house to retrieve the shell, they exit from the lift to Squidward's room. Additionally, Squidward's door has a different appearance. In other episodes, the appearance of his door is different from how it is depicted in this episode.
SpongeBob's eyelashes mistake in Squidward the Unfriendly Ghost

SpongeBob's visible eyelashes mistake.

  • When SpongeBob and Patrick bring the Squidward sculpture in front of the window, SpongeBob's eyes are partially closed, but his eyelashes are still seen as they are walking.
Squidward the Unfriendly Ghost 129

The bed without a backboard

  • When the scene fades into night time after SpongeBob fails to play music on the tissue, the backboard of Squidward's royal bed disappears.
  • Whiteneck

    Squidward with a white neck.

    Squidward's neck briefly turns white when he's scolding SpongeBob for napping on the job.
Eyelashes

SpongeBob's missing eyelashes.

  • When SpongeBob says, "Never mind," his eyelashes are missing.
  • Squidward the Unfriendly Ghost 170

    Mr. Krabs without an undershirt and Sandy without a zipper.

    When Mr. Krabs says, "We all came when we were sure you were dead," his white undershirt is gone. It then returns again.
  • Among the mourners, Sandy's zipper is missing.
  • When SpongeBob is running to the green coral, the shell is never seen lying near the coral.
  • When Squidward shouts, "Hey," a small white bubble is seen for a split second on the left side of the screen.
  • The rock SpongeBob throws does not appear to be broken after he and Patrick try to figure out what to do next.
  • When Patrick is blown around the room, it shows that he lands vertically across the face, while the next still frame indicates he landed on his face horizontally.
  • When the camera pans down to reveal that the Squidward sculpture has melted, SpongeBob and Patrick are standing next to each other. However, in the next shot, SpongeBob and Patrick are standing across from each other.
  • When SpongeBob and Patrick send Squidward to the great beyond, Patrick's house is nonexistent.
  • When the bubble carrying Squidward to the great beyond leaves the ocean, the water surrounding Bikini Atoll freezes for the last few frames.
Squidward the Unfriendly Ghost 150

The Flying Dutchman's body is green.


Video[]

Nickelodeon_SNICK_Commercial_Breaks_(October_2,_1999)

Nickelodeon SNICK Commercial Breaks (October 2, 1999)

References[]

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