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Encyclopedia SpongeBobia
If you were looking for the article about the abrasive side, then see Abrasive Sponge.

"The Abrasive Side" is a SpongeBob SquarePants episode from season 7. In this episode, Gary orders SpongeBob a product that helps him to reject unreasonable requests, which ultimately backfires.

Characters[]

Synopsis[]

In the beginning of the episode, SpongeBob is waiting at the bus stop to go to Glove World! A fish steps on SpongeBob's face, not realizing he was there since he was sleeping on the ground. SpongeBob informs him of this and he steps off his face. SpongeBob tells him he spent the night there, so he would be first in line as he promised Patrick that they would be first in line, and first to get on the bus. The man says "Hmm, interesting stuff. Say, do you mind if I cut in front of you?" SpongeBob tries to say no, but he ends up letting the fish cut him anyways, making him behind the other fish. Then a lot of fish come and cut in front of him. Patrick comes and asks SpongeBob why he is not first (like he promised). SpongeBob says he's sorry but they'll still be able to catch the first bus. Patrick, now no longer mad at SpongeBob for breaking his promise, becomes happy, and the bus comes, so they run to it.

They almost get in the bus, but then Sandy comes and asks SpongeBob for him to do "Operation: Acorn Smoothie." SpongeBob says no but after a guilt trip from Sandy, he unhappily agrees. He tells Patrick he'll be on the next bus, so Patrick goes to Glove World! without SpongeBob. After the situation with Sandy, he goes back to the bus stop, then Mr. Krabs asks SpongeBob to say no to Pearl about the new shoes that she desperately wants.

Afterwards, he goes back to the bus stop and his Grandma asks him to help her cross the road. SpongeBob, as usual, says no but then his guilt trips into helping anyways. Patrick returns and is mad at SpongeBob for making him go to Glove World by himself. SpongeBob says he's sorry but people kept asking him to do things. Patrick tells SpongeBob that sometimes he just has to say no, and he needs to grow thicker skin, then it reminds him to ask SpongeBob to scratch his back, which SpongeBob does.

The Abrasive Side 077

Gary orders SpongeBob an abrasive side.

Later, he is shown at his house crying to Gary about how he can't say no to anything anyone asks him. Gary then goes to a catalog and orders something for SpongeBob, which turns out as an adhesive fabric named "Abrasive Sponge" which is an abrasive side designed for doormat sponges to stick on their backs and strengthens their attitudes. SpongeBob feels this is perfect for his situation, so he sticks it on his back, and it begins to insult Gary. SpongeBob is oblivious to this and goes off after saying goodbye to him.

He goes out and Pilar asks him to carry his groceries for him. His body rotates and the abrasive face says "Carry 'em yourself, fishface!" for SpongeBob. He does the same for Larry who asked him to help him put sun lotion on, Grandma who asked for help crossing the street, and Sandy who asked him to help her with a science invention. However, the abrasive side simply launches nasty insults at them, leaving them baffled, while Sandy's head vanishes when her dropped laser misfires and pierces her helmet.

He then goes into the Krusty Krab, where Mr. Krabs asks him to do a seventeen-hour extra shift. SpongeBob says yes, but then his abrasive side rejects the offer unless Mr. Krabs pays him for overtime, Mr. Krabs is confused for he never heard this word before, so he goes into his office and looks it up on a dictionary. When he discovers that it leads to his financial loss, Mr. Krabs is terrified at this disgusting word. SpongeBob goes home and Squidward sarcastically says "Oh, fun. I suppose you want me to play some stupid game, or you'll just follow me around all day and never ever leave, huh?" The abrasive sponge angrily taunts "'Fraid not, Schnozward! I wouldn't hang out with you for all the money in Krabs' mattress!" Relieved that SpongeBob did not bother him, Squidward hugs him in tears of joy saying "You don't know how long I've waited to hear those words!"

The Abrasive Side 142

SpongeBob sees his abrasive side in the mirror.

Patrick says it's time for their play-date. SpongeBob talks but the abrasive side fights himself. Patrick is terrified and promptly leaves. SpongeBob is confused but goes into his house and goes to the bathroom and stares into the mirror, and realizes that it is causing more trouble than good (mainly because it has a mind of its own). He asks Patrick for help, but the abrasive side scares him away again. SpongeBob then goes to Mr. Krabs for help, who is still cowering at the word overtime. The abrasive face takes over and tells Mr. Krabs he wants overtime. Mr. Krabs screams then kicks out SpongeBob for using offensive language. Eventually, SpongeBob makes it to a headless Sandy and pulls a string below her helmet to restore her head.

After hearing SpongeBob's explanation, Sandy advises him to remove it for good. She pulls it off while he grabs on Patrick, causing him to yell in pain briefly. The abrasive sponge is then packaged and returned to sender. SpongeBob soon remembers owing Grandma an apology and heads to her home, only to discover that she also has attached an abrasive sponge to herself in order to teach him a lesson for being rude to her, which horrifies him, causing him to yell "No!" in despair as the episode ends.

Production[]

This episodes was confirmed and added to the US Copyright Office on April 12, 2010,[2] along with its sister episode "Earworm."

Model sheets[]

Music[]

 ) Production music
 ) Original music
 ) SpongeBob music

  Clownfish Capers - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Title card]
  City Dash - Harry Lubin [traffic]
  Cream Pie - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield ["I spent the night! That's how you get the best spot around here!"]
  Light Conversation 1 Full Mix - Nicolas Carr, Barry Anthony [people cutting in front of SpongeBob]
  Salty Krab Jig - Michael Bolger, Nicolas Carr [Krabs appears]
  Drama Link (E) - Hubert Clifford [Pearl's tears flooding the street]
  At The Zoo - Gerhard Trede ["Help your granny cross the street, hm?"]
  Steel Licks 18 - Jeremy Wakefield ["Hello, SpongeBob."]
  Steel Licks 78 - Jeremy Wakefield ["I tried, how I tried! But everyone needed my help and I, uh..."]
  Steel Licks 22 - Jeremy Wakefield ["Can you scratch my back?"]
  Hawaiian Cocktail - Richard Myhill [SpongeBob crying at home]
  Dancing The Hula - Kapono Beamer [Gary makes a phone call]
  Befuddled Gent - Phil Green [industrial size abrasive sponge]
  Gag 12 - Zbigniew Wiszniewski ["Why don't you scram, you little freeloader?"]
  Lap Steel - Nicolas Carr ["See you, Gary!"]
  I've Got an Abrasive Side - Nicolas Carr ["I've got an abrasive side..."]
  You're Nice - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [abrasive side insulting people]
  Spindlelegs - Cedric King-Palmer ["Hey, Grandma."]
  Befuddled Gent - Phil Green ["Sorry, Granny. Why don't you walk yourself across the street?"]
  A Jolly Jaunt (a) - Dick Stephen Walter [SpongeBob visits Sandy]
  Shock Headed Peter - Ronald Hanmer [abrasive side insults her]
  The Tip Top Polka/The Cliff Polka - Chelmsford Folk Band [at the Krusty Krab]
  Down in Davie Jones Locker - Nicolas Carr ["Sorry, Krabs, I'm busy. Unless you're paying me overtime."]
  Happy Crusty Crew 2 - Michael Bolger, Nicolas Carr [Krabs looks up "overtime" in the dictionary]
  Dramatic Impact (3) - Ivor Slaney [Krabs screams]
  Light and Stupid Conversation - Nicolas Carr, Steve Marston ["Oh, fine. I suppose you want me to play some stupid game, or you'll just follow me around all day and never ever leave, huh?"]
  Comedic Conversation - Nicolas Carr, Steve Marston [abrasive side insults Squidward]
  Synopsis - Frank Harlow [Squidward hugs SpongeBob]
  Gator - Steve Belfer [Patrick appears]
  Sneaking About - Phil Green [abrasive side insults Patrick]
  Cloak And Dagger [#69] - Phil Green [Patrick cries]
  Harry the Hippo - Phil Green ["Don't you remember? We told that pink freak to beat it!"]
  Cloak And Dagger [#70] - Phil Green [SpongeBob gasps]
  Unsettled Menace - Phil Green ["Yes, Patrick! Help me get this abrasive side off my back!"]
  Tragic Bridge 4 - Phil Green ["It happened again!"]
  Steel Licks 41 - Jeremy Wakefield [Krabs still reading the dictionary]
  Dramatic Bridge 1 - Phil Green ["Mr. Krabs! Mr. Krabs!"]
  Dramatic Impact (6) - Ivor Slaney [Krabs gasps]
  Drunken Sailor Transition - Nicolas Carr [Krabs kicks SpongeBob out]
  Tragic Bridge 2 - Phil Green [SpongeBob goes to Sandy for help]
  New Vibe Hits - Nicolas Carr ["Huh?"]
  Steel Licks 39 - Jeremy Wakefield ["Well, I just couldn't say no to anybody."]
  Watch Out! - Dick Stephen Walter ["Who he is just stinks!"]
  Drama Link (B) - Hubert Clifford [Sandy removing the abrasive side]
  Tentacally Speaking - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield ["All done!"]
  Spindlelegs - Cedric King-Palmer [SpongeBob visits Grandma]
  Shock (F) - Dave Hewson ["Make your own hot cocoa, I'm busy!"]
  Nude Sting - Nicolas Carr [SpongeBob screams]

Release[]

Reception[]

  • "The Abrasive Side" was ranked #15 during the SpongeBob's Top 100 event in the UK and Ireland from June 4-8, 2012.

Trivia[]

General[]

  • The scene where Squidward said "You don't know how long I've waited to hear those words!" is sped up in the promo.
  • This is the second episode where Sandy is called a chipmunk. The first is "Someone's in the Kitchen with Sandy."
  • Incidental FG3 makes a cameo appearance standing in front of SpongeBob in line.
    • It is also his second appearance in an episode. The first is in "Selling Out."
  • SpongeBob's Abrasive Side speaks with a stereotypical New Jersey accent.
  • Squidward is the only character who actually prefers the abrasive face, as he dislikes SpongeBob's repeated attempts to play naive games with him.
  • Out of the insults caused by Abrasive SpongeBob, he makes a valid point when calling out Sandy and Mr. Krabs because the former invited SpongeBob to be a test subject without notifying, while the latter gave him an excessively long after-hour shift with the addition of no payment.
  • Two versions of SpongeBob are available as playable fighters in Super Brawl 3: normal SpongeBob and SpongeBob with the abrasive side, named Abrasive SpongeBob.
  • Despite Mr. Krabs being aware of overtime's definition in "Enemy In-Law," he still flips through a dictionary as if he has never heard of it before. However, this could be yet another detail to reflect his greed.
  • The only main characters not insulted by Abrasive SpongeBob were Plankton, Karen, Mrs. Puff, and Pearl, mainly because none of them except the latter appear in this episode.
  • The fact SpongeBob saying he never used immoderate language is incorrect since he used curse words a couple of times in "Sailor Mouth."
  • Despite the episode's premise about SpongeBob not being able to say "no" in this episode, he has said "no" several times in the series. For example, he said no to Pearl in the shoe store. He also says "no" in other episodes, such as "Gary Takes a Bath" where he is determined to get Gary to takes a bath, and in "A Pal for Gary" where he scolds Gary for ignoring and being mean to his "pal" Puffy Fluffy.
    • However, SpongeBob has trouble saying "no" again in "Treats!"
  • This episode marks the fourth time Patrick is called "Tubby," following "No Weenies Allowed," "Chocolate with Nuts," and "SpongeBob Meets the Strangler."
  • SpongeBob's 'abrasive side" is a reference to the rougher green side of real-life kitchen sponges, used to scrape off tough stains that the other side struggles with.
  • This episode marks the final use of the APM track "Dancing The Hula" for 6 years, until it returned in the season 11 episode "Man Ray Returns."
  • In Indonesia, this episode and its sister were banned from Global TV in Indonesia on later airings–in this case–due to excessive insulting throughout the episode. However, Nickelodeon Asia still airs the episode uncut.[citation needed]

Episode references[]

  • Abrasive SpongeBob tells Squidward that he would not hang out with him for all the money in Mr. Krabs' mattress. This is a reference to the episode "The Lost Mattress," since that episode reveals that Mr. Krabs keeps his money in his mattress.

Cultural references[]

Errors[]

SpongeBob's miscolored eye in The Abrasive Side

Part of SpongeBob's blue eye is red.

  • At one point, when SpongeBob is talking to Patrick, part of one of his blue eyes turns red for a split-second.
  • Patrick's eyebrows disappear for a fraction of a second when he is about to show his half-gone finger.
  • When Sandy rolls up the sleeves on her suit, there is black hair on her arms even though she already has fur.
  • When Pearl cries, her tears leaves puddles. When SpongeBob's grandma asks to help her cross the street, the puddles disappear.
The Abrasive Side 153

Overkill definition is unfinished.

  • Mr. Krabs' definition of overtime (More money per hour) is incorrect, as in reality, it refers to "salary paid for extra work beyond the standard shift," which is correctly described by the dictionary itself on-screen.
  • When the dictionary is open, the word "more" is missing from the definition of "overkill."
  • When the dictionary is open, the left side of the book is incomplete.
  • When the disappearator hits Sandy, it goes through her helmet.
  • When Sandy disappears, her tail is intact.
  • Grandma's abrasive side at the end comes out of nowhere, it only appears when she says "Make your own hot cocoa, I'm busy!"


Video[]

SpongeBob_SquarePants_-_"The_Abrasive_Side"_Official_Promo

SpongeBob SquarePants - "The Abrasive Side" Official Promo

References[]

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