Walking Small

Template:Episode/18b

Characters

• Sheldon J. Plankton
• Nat Peterson
• Tina Fran
• Bill
• Lifeguard Fish
• Billy
• Evelyn
• Martin
• Scooter
• Perry
• Vera Fishbowl
• Clay
• Jennifer Millie
• SpongeBob SquarePants
• Monroe Timmy ^(debut)
• Lou
• Tommy
• Electric Eel ^(debut)
• Charlie
• Shubie
• John
• Harold "Bill" Reginald
• Nazz-Mimi
• Tom
• Archie
• Abigail Marge
• Octopus Vendor ^(debut)
• Frankie Billy
• Larry the Lobster
• Nathiel Waters
• Anchovy
• Sally
• Franco
• Buddy
• Horace
• Harry
• Sadie Rechid
• Harold (red fish)
• Cara
• Fred
• Don the Whale
• Ivy
• Lonnie
• Dennis
• Other Goo Lagoon Beach Goers

Synopsis

At Goo Lagoon, Plankton arrives to turn the beach into the future site of the "Chum Bucket Mega Bucket," and demands everyone to leave the beach. However, due to his tiny size and small voice nobody pays attention to him. He concludes that he needs someone big to help clear the sea creatures of the beach for him, and encounters SpongeBob. Plankton decides to trick SpongeBob into being "assertive" in order to get the things that he wants.

SpongeBob tries to buy ice cream, but gets cut off once and then has his ice cream stolen. He once again tries to buy and ice cream but learns that there are no more left. He notices Plankton crying nearby and asks him what's wrong. Plankton says that he bought a second ice cream that he doesn't need, and he doesn't have anybody to give it to. SpongeBob offers to eat the ice cream. Afterwards, Plankton offers to teach SpongeBob how to be assertive. He tries to get SpongeBob to take his ice cream back from the person who stole it, but SpongeBob's kindly nature prevents him from being able to take it. Plankton, unhappy with SpongeBob's performance, climbs into SpongeBob's mouth and uses his words to forcefully take the ice cream. He attempts to have SpongeBob forcefully take back his metal detector that he lent to another beach-goer, yet SpongeBob misinterprets Plankton's instructions and the person he lent the detector to is pointed out buried treasure by SpongeBob.

By this point, Plankton decides to give up, but SpongeBob promises to prove to him his ability to be assertive. Plankton allows SpongeBob another chance. SpongeBob commits a series of both assertive and antagonistic acts to beach-goers, including stealing the hotdogs of characters in line to buy them and cutting the strings of people's kites, and everybody leaves the beach.

Plankton then reveals his true intentions to SpongeBob, making him very upset. SpongeBob defeats Plankton by becoming "aggressively nice", and he undoes the actions that led to the people leaving the beach. Plankton leaves the beach due to the overwhelmingly generous acts of kindness that SpongeBob executed.

Production

Several production images suggest that this was originally intended to have the episode production code, "16b." However, it's actually ended up being "18b."

Art

Music

( ‣ ) Production music

( • ) Original music

( ◦ ) SpongeBob music

 ‣ Chill Out - The Surfdusters [title card]
 ‣ Gruesome - The Surfdusters [Plankton talking on megaphone]
 ‣ Static Time - John Scott ["You'll see! You'll all see!"]
 ‣ Grass Skirts Blowing - Jan Rap [stepping on the beach]
 ‣ Hawaiian Breeze - Jon Jelmer [Plankton crying]
 ‣ Seaweed - Steve Belfer ["Isn't it great to get the things you desire?"]
 ‣ The Nightmare Begins (a) - John Devereaux [Plankton laughs evilly]
 ‣ Gator - Steve Belfer ["Um, excuse me, sir."]
 ‣ The Beast Within - Paddy Kingsland ["There's the guy who took your ice cream."]
 ‣ Zelle 506 - Gerhard Trede [Plankton threatening the eel]
 ‣ The Beast Within - Paddy Kingsland ["...when you're maniacal?!"]
 ‣ Hawaiian Link (a) - Richard Myhill [later...]
 ‣ Italian Summer - Hendric Haydegg [metal detector]
 ‣ Hawaiian Flower - Jon Jelmer ["Oh, nothing, SpongeBob."]
 ‣ ? - rimshot
 ‣ Cravin' the Big Wave - Vince Caputo, Tom Hedden, David Robidoux [SpongeBob shakes sand off his towel]
 ‣ Brave and Bold - Chris Payne, Paul Rogers [hot dog stand]
 ‣ Arnold is Back 1 - Gregor F. Narholz [kite flyers]
 ‣ Unpreventable - Gregor F. Narholz [SpongeBob pops the volleyball]
 ‣ Hawaiian Link (b) - Richard Myhill ["Plankton?"]
 ‣ House of Horror (5) - W. Merrick Farran ["Mega Bucket?!"]
 ‣ Fates - Gregor F. Narholz ["You used me... for land development!"]
 ‣ Missile Disaster - John Fox ["Only aggressive people conquer the world!"]
 ‣ Orchestral Effect (f) - Dick Stephen Walter ["What about aggressively nice people?"]
 ‣ Vergnügungspark - Gerhard Trede [SpongeBob being aggressively nice]
 ‣ Hawaiian Cocktail - Richard Myhill [Plankton crying]
 ‣ Surfing Crazy - Warren Bennett [ending]

Release

• This episode is available on the SpongeGuard on Duty, Complete 1st Season, and First 100 Episodes DVDs.

Reception

• As of August 11, 2015, The Internet Movie Database (IMDB) gives this episode a rating of 8.5/10 based on 201 ratings by users.tt0707311 TV.com users give this episode a rating of 8.6/10 based on 178 votes.

Trivia

Template:Trivia

• In the Czech Republic, this episode aired with a Season 3 episode, in 2009.
• This episode aired on the Nicktoons Network on October 19, 2006 with a western version of the theme song in the end credits due to being paired with "Texas."
• MY LEG: SpongeBob blows sand around with a towel.
• This is the second episode to have the title card feature the music "Chill Out." The first being "Plankton!"
• The United Plankton Pictures, Inc. logo for this episode credits strangely has cows mooing sound due to being paired with "Texas."
• The part where SpongeBob says "Steppin on the beach" has become a sensation on the internet being used as memes and Sparta remixes.
• Plankton is seen with mama doll in his suit case.
• The title card design is similar to that of "Ripped Pants."
  • Coincidentally, this episode and "Ripped Pants" mainly take place at Goo Lagoon.
• When the girl lying on the beach says, "Do you hear something?," the violet liquid on the nose at the guy at the bottom left side is shaped like Squidward's head.
• The eel seen in this episode reappears in "Your Shoe's Untied" (or at least a female version of it) and "Enchanted Tiki Dreams."
• This episode originally premiered in the Republic of Cyberia on P!nk's 30th birthday.
• A production image from this episode appears on the opposite page of the introduction page of The SpongeBob SquarePants Experience: A Deep Dive into the World of Bikini Bottom.

Cultural References

• The name "Walking Small" is a parody of the film Walking Tall.
• The rhythm of "Steppin' on the Beach" is similar to Jethro Tull's Aqualung.
• When Plankton is putting things in his suitcase, he puts in a shirt that looks like Charlie Brown's, except it has a red zig-zag.
• SpongeBob's stand-up routine is patterned after Jerry Seinfeld ("What's the deal with...?").

Errors

• When SpongeBob is being "assertively nice," he gives out five kites. At the end of the episode there are only four.
• After Scooter rode with SpongeBob (who was shaped as a surf board) his pants are green. Though when Plankton is seen moping away in public Scooter's pants suddenly turned purple.
• After SpongeBob cleans the girl's ice cream, it is still dirty in a later shot.
• SpongeBob's tan permanently disappears after just one shot with it.
• When Fred gets sand in his eye, it is unknown why he says "MY LEG!"
• There are six kids lined up at the hotdog bar, and the octopus gives each a hotdog. When SpongeBob extends his tongue, there are only four kids there. The camera cuts back to the bar, and five kids are seen leaving.