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— Squidward describing the Tattletale Strangler, "SpongeBob Meets the Strangler"
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The Tattletale Strangler is a dangerous criminal who lives in Bikini Bottom, known for attempting to strangle anyone who rats him out to the police. He first appears in the episode "SpongeBob Meets the Strangler" and later appears in the online game Bikini Bottom Brawlers. He has since appeared in several other episodes of the SpongeBob SquarePants series.
Description[]
He is a large, buff army green fish with a unibrow, brown hair, spiky teeth and a stitch on the left side of his head. He wears gray pants, black boots, and a dark blue jacket, and under it is a white shirt. When he is about to strangle someone, his fins turn into fingers. He wears a fake mustache when he pretends to be SpongeBob's bodyguard.
In the SpongeBob Schwammkopf Folge 26 album cover and Gary's Adventure, he is purple instead of army green.[1]
Personality[]
The Tattletale Strangler is a notorious individual, as even the bravest and toughest fish fear him. He is a pure criminal who has no respect for police officers and will stop at nothing to break the law. He has an irreverent, despicable, and irresponsible attitude, as he has sworn to strangle any and all of his victims for reporting him to the authorities, when they completely have a reason to.
Despite his intimidating demeanor, he has a weakness, which is annoyance at the hands of SpongeBob.
In his next appearances as a background character, he seems to have made amends with SpongeBob and bears no intent to harm him or be as far away from him as possible.
Role in series[]
"SpongeBob Meets the Strangler"[]
He is first seen littering on the Krusty Krab property when SpongeBob is on litter patrol. After finding out that he is the one responsible for this, SpongeBob calls the police on the Strangler and succeeds in getting him arrested. However, due to his strength, he manages to escape from his cuffs. The Strangler later disguises his notorious identity using a gag mustache, and SpongeBob, deceived by the disguise, accidentally hires him as his bodyguard.
Afterwards, the Strangler suggests that they hide somewhere private so he can get revenge on SpongeBob, unbeknownst to the latter. After several hours of running errands and attempting to gain entrance to SpongeBob's house, the two finally get inside, but are subsequently interrupted by SpongeBob's on-time party and birthday party, preventing the Strangler from revealing his true identity and intentions.
After the partying ends, the Strangler finally plans to strangle SpongeBob, only for Patrick to enter his house. The real Strangler falsely accuses Patrick of being him, leading Patrick to turn himself in. When SpongeBob continuously jabbers about Patrick's alleged criminal status, the Strangler steams with fury and eventually gives up and reveals his true identity.
He is no longer intent on harming SpongeBob and runs away just to be far away from him, which he eventually accomplishes; however, the Strangler's cellmate turns out to be someone just as annoying as SpongeBob: Patrick.
"Call the Cops"[]
He makes a cameo on a "Wanted" poster at the Police Station.
"The Krusty Slammer"[]
He is one of the prisoners imprisoned in the Krusty Slammer. He is also seen waving at Mr. Krabs when he, along with all the prisoners are back at the Krusty Krab.
"SpongeBob's Big Birthday Blowout"[]
He is one of the many guests invited to SpongeBob's surprise birthday party.
"Captain Pipsqueak"[]
The Tattletale Strangler can be seen practicing lines, articulating the phrase "I am the Strangler" in different tones. When Nosferatu is picked instead of him, the Strangler shoves Nosferatu out of the way and begins arguing. Man Ray shoots the Strangler with his laser gun, evaporating him into ashes.
Role in games[]
Gary’s Adventure[]
An purple variant of him is used as one of the enemies.
Bikini Bottom Brawlers[]
He is seen floating down with an SpongeBob parachute in the Bikini Bottom Airport map.
Role in books[]
Find a Missing Star[]
He, Sticky Fins Whiting, and Dorsal Dan are hired by Karen to bury a bomb near the Krusty Krab as part of an elaborate plot to blow it up as a gift for Plankton, and kidnap Patrick due to witnessing their bomb planting. SpongeBob and Squidward discover the criminals' hideout upon Mount Climb-Up-And-Fall-Off and are quickly captured.
After realizing that the bomb will blow up the people attending the mayor's party, Karen commands the Strangler and the others to defuse it but they refuse, with him stating that digging up the bomb would go against the bomber's code. Soon after, the Strangler and the other criminals leave their cave hideout and are blown up by the bomb flung by Plankton's invention.
Trivia[]
- When the Strangler takes off his fake mustache, nobody seems to recognize him during the montage of him trying to leave Bikini Bottom.
- Squidward also does not seem to recognize him when the third party is thrown even though he did earlier in the episode when telling SpongeBob who he is.
- There are several implications that SpongeBob knew that his so-called bodyguard was the Strangler all along:
- Taking too long with his errands.
- Taking six hours and twenty minutes to get into his house, only to subsequently use the key under his doormat.
- Climbing on top of him to gain entrance by placing his spiky cleats in his eye sockets.
- At one point, he says "Don't mention it, Strangler—I mean bodyguard."
- Sending numerous people party invitations and throwing three parties in a row.
- Chasing him all the way to the police station and placing him behind bars.
- According to SpongeBob's Director's Commentary for the level "Squidward Super Shooter!," the second exercise in Sandy's exercise program was to wrestle with the Tattletale Strangler.
- The teller from the episode "The Great Patty Caper" is an edited version of his character model.