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Encyclopedia SpongeBobia
If you were looking for the article about the book, then see Wormy (book).
If you were looking for the article about the character, then see Wormy (character).

"Wormy" is a SpongeBob SquarePants episode from season 2. In this episode, Patrick and SpongeBob think Sandy's pet caterpillar is a dangerous monster when it becomes a butterfly.

Characters[]

Synopsis[]

Wormy 019

SpongeBob and Patrick looking after Wormy.

As the episode commences, SpongeBob and Patrick are given the task of pet-sitting Sandy's pets while she is out of town. One of the many animals left in their care is a small Monarch caterpillar named Wormy. Despite him requiring the least attention, SpongeBob and Patrick quickly befriend the caterpillar and enjoy a day of play together. As the two leave, they vow to have even more fun with Wormy the next day.

Overnight, Wormy undergoes a quick metamorphosis and becomes a monarch butterfly. When they return the following morning, SpongeBob and Patrick search for their new friend, but merely see what looks like a beautiful winged creature instead. Upon opening the jar and finding only Wormy's discarded chrysalis and best friend ribbon inside, Wormy flies onto SpongeBob's helmet who gets a close up of a frightening bug. SpongeBob and Patrick scream as they come to the grim conclusion that this "horrific beast" has devoured Wormy and is now on the loose. They try to trap the supposed monster by disguising Patrick as bait. When this fails after Patrick sees it up close, SpongeBob manages to encase the butterfly in a bubble and releases him outside the treedome, in an attempt to "save" Sandy's pets. However, now the butterfly is loose in Bikini Bottom, so SpongeBob and Patrick chase after him.

Wormy 150

"That flying monster has eaten three friends too many."

Beating the creature to the Krusty Krab, SpongeBob interrupts Squidward's photoshoot of Mr. Krabs with the very first dollar he earned at the Krusty Krab, so he could warn Mr. Krabs and Squidward, both of whom scoff at the tiny insect. Squidward and Mr. Krabs have a look and they both laugh until they sees the butterfly's close-up. Upon seeing this, they both scream as their teeth and eyes fall out. The two are scared senseless and run away, leaving their discarded undergarments behind. This causes SpongeBob and Patrick to believe that they were also eaten.

SpongeBob and Patrick begin to spread news of the "terrible monster" throughout Bikini Bottom. Mass chaos erupts with every tiny flap of his wings, and as a result of the people's hysteria, the whole town ends up destroyed in a fire.

A few days later, Sandy arrives back at the ravaged town, saying that it looks like a twister hit it and wonders where everyone is. Wormy then flies up to her and she recognizes him, saying that he was not supposed to change until her return, unzips her suit, grabs a jar, and places him inside. As the episode concludes with all the townsfolk cheering and celebrating the capture of the so-called monster, Sandy believes it to be just because they missed her that much and thinks maybe she should go out of town more often.

Production[]

On October 16, 2000, this episode segment, along with "Dying for Pie," "Imitation Krabs," and "Patty Hype" were officially completed and delivered to Nickelodeon Animation Studio.[citation needed]

Art[]

Sketches[]

Music[]

 ) Production music
 ) Original music
 ) SpongeBob music

  12th St Rag - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Title card]
  Dreamy Hawaii - Terry Day [opening]
  Earls Revenge - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Sandy's pets]
  Children 2 - Dave Hewson ["Hey, little fella."]
  Puka A - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [playing hide, seek]
  That's What Friends Do - Peter Straus
  Youthful Days - Mike Sunderland ["Gee, SpongeBob, I don't want today to end ever."]
  Code "Dead End" - Gregor F. Narholz [Wormy turning into a butterfly]
  On The Beach - Kapono Beamer ["Here I come, Wormy!"]
  House Of Horror [#10.2] - W. Merrick Farran ["I think something bad happened to Wormy."]
  House Of Horror [#10.5] - W. Merrick Farran [SpongeBob and Patrick scream.]
  Flight in Panic 1 - Gregor F. Narholz [SpongeBob and Patrick running to the door/SpongeBob and Patrick running backwards]
  Hangman (B) - Dave Hewson ["Now what?"]
  Action Cut A - Gregor F. Narholz ["He's eaten Patrick!"]
  Footsteps of Horror - W. Merrick Farran [phone in jar/Patrick on a dinner plate/Patrick runs away]
  Death Trap [#26.03] - Gregor F. Narholz [SpongeBob traps the butterfly in a bubble]
  Bridgehead Alt. End - Sam Fonteyn ["Yeah!"]
  Lovely Scenery C - Mladen Franko ["...headed straight for the Krusty Krab!"]
  Hit and Run - Sam Spence [secret entrance]
  Frankenstein's Niece A - Gregor F. Narholz [SpongeBob warns Krabs about the "monster"]
  A Sad Affair - Mike Sunderland [SpongeBob and Patrick crying]
  Frankenstein's Niece A - Gregor F. Narholz ["That's the monster?"]
  The Rake Hornpipe - Robert Alexander White ["Get a load of the scary monster."]
  Frankenstein's Niece A - Gregor F. Narholz [Squidward and Krabs scream/"It ate them! And there it goes!"]
  Thats It ! - Nicolas Carr [thumbs up]
  Seaweed 2 - Steve Belfer [SpongeBob, Patrick warning everyone]
  12th St Rag - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [everyone running from the butterfly]
  Bridgehead Alt. End - Sam Fonteyn [ending]

Release[]

Reception[]

  • "Wormy" was ranked #57 during the Best Day Ever event from November 9–10, 2006.
  • "Wormy" was ranked #43 during the SpongeBob's Top 100 event in the UK and Ireland from June 4-8, 2012.

Trivia[]

General[]

  • This is the 50th episode segment in the series in both production and premiere order.
  • This episode was originally going to be titled "Shoo Fly."[3]
  • The title card background for this episode is similar to that of "Sandy's Rocket," except this one is mismatched and has bubbles in it.
  • At the beginning, Patrick whistles and SpongeBob remarks "I didn't know you spoke bird," to which Patrick replies, "No, that's Italian, SpongeBob." In the Italian dub, he says that it is Spanish.[4]
  • From a production standpoint, this episode marks Sandy's return after her ten-month hiatus in "Fools in April."
    • Additionally, both episodes use "12th St Rag" as title card music.
    • However, in airing order, Sandy appeared in between the two episodes in "Christmas Who?"
Wormy 053

An image of regular caterpillar shown in this episode.

Caterpillar

A real Monarch Caterpillar close-up for a comparison.

  • When Wormy is about to transform, he is depicted with a stock image of a caterpillar. The stock image is edited to look green, in order to match the colors used for Wormy when he is animated.
  • Wormy is able to complete the full transformation from a caterpillar to butterfly in just one night. In real life, this is impossible, and the length varies with different species of butterfly. In Wormy's case, Monarch butterflies spend 10 to 16 days in the chrysalis stage when changing into a butterfly.
    • Sandy lampshades this by saying, "You weren't supposed to change 'till I got back."
    • While Wormy's transformation was supposed to be a beautiful miracle of nature, we hear the background score gradually getting spine-chilling—a foreshadowing of things to come.
  • In this episode, SpongeBob and Patrick act like they don't know what butterflies are and don't know about their metamorphosis; however in "Bubblestand," SpongeBob blew a butterfly bubble, and in "Tea at the Treedome," SpongeBob saw a butterfly briefly when he realized there was no water in the treedome.
Wormy Butterfly Close Right

An image of the cleg fly close-up shown in this episode.

Real monarch butterfly closeup

A real monarch butterfly face close-up for comparison.

Horsefly_close-ups_in_SpongeBob_and_Bill_Nye_the_Science_Guy

Horsefly close-ups in SpongeBob and Bill Nye the Science Guy

SpongeBob and Patrick hiding behind the cash register.

  • The live-action insect footage used throughout this episode are all royalty-free, and owned by Oxford Scientific Films. All of the footage can be found on Getty Images.[5]
    • The emerging butterfly footage was also used in Microsoft Encarta '95.[6]
    • The infamous cleg fly close-up footage was also used in the Bill Nye the Science Guy episode "Insects."
    • The live-action butterfly clips (i.e. when Wormy emerges and the news bulletin about the "monster" attacking) depict a female Monarch butterfly with thicker wing veins, compared to male Monarchs having thinner wing veins. This suggests Wormy may have actually been a female butterfly, as it is very hard to determine a Monarch caterpillar's gender until it metamorphoses into an adult butterfly (and thus Sandy assumed that the caterpillar was male).
  • This episode and "Patty Hype" were banned in some countries, due to Wormy's face being a cleg fly close-up frightening young viewers.[7]
  • Patrick's line "Why does this keep happening to me?!" is reused in the online game Dirty Bubble Busters.
  • In this episode, it is revealed that Patrick has green eyes during the close-up as Wormy crawls down Patrick's helmet.
  • After running away from the Krusty Krab, neither Squidward nor Mr. Krabs appear again for the remainder of the episode.
Wormy 161

SpongeBob and Patrick putting up the butterfly poster that says, "Beware."

  • The warning poster SpongeBob and Patrick put up depicts a viceroy butterfly, while Wormy is actually a Monarch butterfly. Viceroys belong to a different family group of butterflies and are smaller and less common than the Monarchs. The reason why Viceroys resemble Monarchs is due to Müllerian mimicry, in which two separate species that share a certain predatory defense mechanism (in this case, tasting bad and to birds) also share very similar warning patterns.
    • It is very likely that SpongeBob and Patrick did not know the difference between the two species, having never seen a butterfly up close until now.
Wormy 167

"Dogs" can be on a building.

  • When SpongeBob stands on a treasure chest, warning people about the butterfly, the word "Dogs" can be seen on a building in the background, despite the fact that dogs live on land (and "Patty Hype" implies that they aren't well-known underwater).
  • "My leg!:" After seeing a butterfly that is attacking Bikini Bottom on the newscast, Fred runs out of his house and falls on the ground.
  • It was revealed that Mr. Krabs still has the very first dollar he earned since the Krusty Krab first opened, as it is seen during Squidward's photoshoot.
  • When SpongeBob says, "We did it, Patrick!" during the destruction scene, a meteor can be seen flying down until it falls off-screen in the background for a few seconds later, at which point a flash can be seen in the background, referencing the landing explosion.
  • This is the first episode for a few things:
    • This is the first episode to permanently feature Patrick's new "Z" shaped eyebrows.
    • This is the first episode where Sandy's tail is out of her diving suit, right after season 1 as her tail was inside of her diving suit.
    • This is the first episode to play "Code "Dead End"." This soundtrack would not be used again until "The Donut of Shame."
    • This is the first episode to feature a shortcut to the Krusty Krab.
  • This episode marks the second time that the Krusty Krab cash register boat operates like a vehicle. The first time was in the episode "F.U.N."
  • This marks Fred's 25th appearance.
  • This episode was paired up with different episodes in different marathons:
  • There are three books based on this episode, titled Wonderful Wormy, Salty Sea Stories, and Wormy, respectively.
    • In the LeapPad adaption of this episode, there is an extra scene at the end where Sandy reveals that the "monster" was Wormy all along, and SpongeBob and Patrick are relieved.
  • 12th Street Rag nearly bookended this episode, but Bridgehead Alt. End takes its place for the ending.
  • SpongeBob's bubble blow in this episode resembles the sound of Wormy by a bit.

Errors[]

SpongeBob's missing eyelashes mistake in Wormy

SpongeBob's missing eyelashes.

  • When SpongeBob says, "Uh sorry, I don't speak Italian," his eyelashes disappear for a split second.
Wormy 016

Sandy suddenly has her spacesuit and helmet on, despite not being shown to put them on.

  • When the final shot of Sandy is shown in her bikini before she leaves the treedome, in the next shot, she is wearing her spacesuit and helmet.
  • When SpongeBob points at Wormy, his other tooth goes missing.
  • As mentioned above, when Wormy's face is viewed as a close-up in butterfly form, the wrong insect is shown. As Wormy is a butterfly, there are enormous, rainbow-colored, shimmering eyes and sharp mouthparts are seen, distinctive to that of a cleg fly (a kind of horsefly), instead of circular black eyes and a proboscis (tongue). Furthermore, butterflies do not make buzzing sounds, which (again) is a characteristic of flies.
Wormy error

SpongeBob's missing arm.

  • When SpongeBob and Patrick are about to hide behind the picnic table from Wormy, SpongeBob's left arm disappears for a couple frames.
  • After Wormy's first close-up is shown, SpongeBob and Patrick scream and run in opposite directions from each other. Then in the very next scene, they are shown hiding from Wormy in the exact same spot behind the picnic table that is tipped over.
Wormy 102

SpongeBob is somehow able to put his bubble wand through the bubble soap container despite him never taking the cap off.

  • When SpongeBob collects the bubble soap with his bubble wand, the cap is still on the container and he is never shown taking it off either.
Wormy 103

SpongeBob blowing a bubble, even though he is wearing a water helmet.

  • SpongeBob is able to blow a bubble in Sandy's treedome, despite the fact that he is wearing a water helmet.
  • SpongeBob does not take off his helmet when he is wearing a cheerleader outfit.
Wormy 107

SpongeBob's teeth are yellow instead of white.

Wormy 135

SpongeBob's teeth are yellow instead of white again during the shot of him saying, "I can't watch!" seconds before he pushes his eyes into his head while being in the order boat at the Krusty Krab.

  • SpongeBob's teeth turn yellow for a couple frames while he tells Patrick that Sandy's pets are safe from Wormy and during the shot of him saying, "I can't watch!" seconds before he pushes his eyes into his head while being in the order boat at the Krusty Krab.
  • During some of the high-speed actions that take place in Sandy's treedome throughout, bubbles are seen floating around. This is incorrect as Sandy's treedome is not filled with water.
Wormy 108
  • The path from Sandy's treedome incorrectly leads to the Krusty Krab in this episode. Due to this, the Chum Bucket and its pathway across from the restaurant are missing.
Wormy 121

Squidward's missing employee hat.

  • Squidward's Krusty Krab employee hat is missing when Mr. Krabs asks "What's the meaning of this, SpongeBob?!"
  • When Squidward and Mr. Krabs take a closer look at Wormy, Squidward stands to his right and Mr. Krabs to his left. After Wormy's third close-up is shown, they are standing on opposite sides before running off.
Wormy 147

Squidward's underwear is visible in the photo, even though he does not wear pants or underwear.

  • After Mr. Krabs and Squidward run away from Wormy, two pairs of underwear can be seen laying on the floor. This is also incorrect as Squidward does not wear pants or underwear.
  • At the end of the Krusty Krab scene, SpongeBob's front teeth are connected for a few frames.
Wormy 172

"Attention, attention! This just in! A giant monster is attacking Bikini Bottom."

  • The wings of a postman butterfly can briefly be seen on the stock footage playing on the TV, despite there being no other butterflies in this episode besides Wormy.
Unknown incidental 26 error

Unknown incidental 26's dorsal fin transformation.

  • When unknown incidental 26's eyes sink into his mouth while freaking out from watching TV, his long and curved dorsal fin transforms into a short and spiky dorsal fin.
Wormy 181

The city is not destroyed during the traffic light scene.

Wormy image

Sandy's suit unzipped with nothing inside before grabbing a jar to capture Wormy in.

  • At the part where SpongeBob and Patrick run away from Wormy along with everyone else, the city is destroyed, but when they reach a traffic light while being chased, the city is perfectly fine.
  • Incidental 7's dress changes from yellow to gray at one point when the Bikini Bottomites are being chased by Wormy.
  • Upon Sandy's return, when she unzips her suit to retrieve a jar from inside, the texture of the inside of her suit was there rather than her full Bikini. Nevertheless, as the residents of Bikini Bottom were expressing their support for Sandy, her suit had already been fully zipped up.
    Wormy 200

    Fred's transparent eyes.

Wormy 199

Patrick without eyes and eyebrows, SpongeBob without his buck teeth and floating, and Sandy's left arm and badge is gone.

  • When Patrick is with the people holding up SpongeBob and Sandy, he does not have eyebrows. In another shot during the same scene, he does not have eyes.
    • Also, SpongeBob's buck teeth and Sandy's left arm disappear for a split second.
    • In addition, he is floating and Sandy's badge is also gone.
  • Fred's eyes become transparent while carrying Sandy and SpongeBob at the end.
  • Some objects disappear, specifically:
    • The glass jar that lands on the grass after the first close-up of Wormy is shown.
    • SpongeBob's left arm when he and Patrick are about to hide behind the table from Wormy.
    • The apple inside Patrick's water helmet when he says, "I really don't taste that good, Mr. Monster."
    • Squidward's Krusty Krab employee hat and two pairs of underwear that are laying on the floor right before Squidward's workstation sails out of the Krusty Krab.
  • A few characters who appeared in this episode have their mouths synced incorrectly, specifically:
    • SpongeBob's mouth when he begs Wormy not to eat him.
    • Mr. Krabs and Squidward's mouths when they scream.
    • Patrick's mouth when he warns everyone about the "monster."
  • For all of the scenes with Sandy, her acorn is black instead of its usual color. This error also occurs in "Prehibernation Week."


References[]

Awards and nominations for SpongeBob SquarePants VE

Annie AwardsAnnie Award

Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting by a Female Performer in an Animated Television Production

Voice actors: Mary Jo Catlett as Mrs. Puff (in "No Free Rides," 2001)

Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting by a Male Performer in an Animated Television Production

Voice actors: Tom Kenny as SpongeBob SquarePants (in "Wormy," 2001)

Outstanding Individual Achievement for a Song in an Animated Production

Songwriters: Peter Straus and Paul Tibbitt for "The Very First Christmas" (in "Christmas Who?," 2001)

Directing in an Animated Feature Production

Directors: Stephen Hillenburg (for The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, 2004)

Music in an Animated Feature Production

Composers: Gregor F. Narholz (for The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, 2004)

Best Writing in an Animated Television Production

Writers: C.H. Greenblatt, Paul Tibbitt, Mike Bell, and Tim Hill (for "Fear of a Krabby Patty," 2005)Dani Michaeli, Sean Charmatz, Nate Cash, Luke Brookshier, and Paul Tibbitt (for "Patrick's Staycation," 2011)

Best Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production

Voice actors: Tom Kenny as SpongeBob SquarePants (in "Spy Buddies," 2007)Tom Kenny as SpongeBob SquarePants (in "Truth or Square," 2009)

Direction in an Animated Television Production

Directors: Alan Smart (for "Penny Foolish," 2008)Mark Caballero and Seamus Walsh (for "It's a SpongeBob Christmas!," 2012)

Best Home Entertainment Production

DVDs: SpongeBob vs. The Big One (2009)

Music in a Television Production

Composers: Jeremy Wakefield, Sage Guyton, Nicolas Carr, and Tuck Tucker (2010)

Character Animation in an Animated Television or other Broadcast Venue Production

Animators: Dan Driscoll and Savelen Forrest (for "It's a SpongeBob Christmas!," 2012)

Animated Effects in an Animated Production

Animators: Brice Mallier, Paul Buckley, Brent Droog, Alex Whyte, and Jonathan Freisler (for The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, 2015)

Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production

Voice Actors: Tom Kenny as SpongeBob SquarePants (for The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, 2015)

Best Animated Special Production

Episodes: "SpongeBob's Big Birthday Blowout" (2019)

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