Top 10 Greatest SpongeBob Squarepants Running Gags
We’re ready… for some recurring, hilarious jokes. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 SpongeBob Running Gags. For this list, we’re looking back at some of our favorite catchphrases, quirks, and all-around funny gags that keep popping up under the sea.
#10: “Meow”
This snail’s got such a way with words. Snails have been classified as the felines of the sea; so naturally, Gary’s dialogue mostly consists of one word – “meow”. While initially making small kitten noises during the show’s early seasons, as time progressed and he became a much more prominent character, Gary soon began meowing in near full sentences. What makes this even funnier is that, aside from SpongeBob, nobody fully knows what Gary’s actually saying. He could be offering words of wisdom, or giving SpongeBob an attitude; we may never know …and we’re not sure we’re ready to find out.
#9: Old Man Jenkins
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Of all the citizens of Bikini Bottom, very few have been name-dropped as much as Old Man Jenkins. What makes this mysterious elderly fish so interesting is that he’s been seen in many different shapes and sizes. One day he could be a wide guy with a noisy jalopy, the next day he could be a bluefish eaten by a seahorse, or even an angry farmer who’s bitter towards city folk and their flying machines. In recent years, this particular gag has slowed down since the creators finally settled on Old Man Jenkins’ design – a skinny green fish with overalls whose lights aren’t always on upstairs.
#8: Mrs. Puff Inflating
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They don’t call her Mrs. PUFF for nothing. Whenever involved in an emotionally stressful situation, she rapidly inflates like an oversized balloon. On the one hand, it’s sad to see how stressful Mrs. Puff’s life has become thanks to SpongeBob – it’s gotten to the point where she actually has a criminal record. However, it’s hard not to chuckle at how she’s her own personal airbag – made even more fitting by the fact that she’s a pufferfish. But Mrs. Puff better be careful not to get too worked up or she just might pop. Literally.
#7: Explosions
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Did we mention that this show is an explosive success? Turns out that that’s also a literal statement since explosions are a common occurrence in Bikini Bottom. Sometimes they’ll happen when someone comes crashing down, or when they’ve eaten too many Krabby Patties; and then there are times all it takes is a light tap and the whole place goes up in smoke. Of course, the best kinds of explosions are the ones that happen for no actual reason – which in turn increases the cartoony, zany charm that we love about this absorbent show… so long as we don’t get caught in the crossfire.
#6: Time Cards
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Need a hilarious method of emphasizing how much time has passed in an episode? The series excels at this with its own colorful, handy dandy time cards – conveniently read aloud by the series’ French Narrator. It doesn’t matter how much time has passed –a few hours, a couple of days, or even nearly 2000 years – it could even take so long that they need a new narrator. What makes this gag even funnier is when the cards display an absurd or silly saying that really shows off how painfully long something can take. Here’s to hoping that they don’t run out of these cards, as there is no shortage of hilarity as time passes.
#5: Plankton’s constant failures
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For years, Plankton has tried –and failed- to steal the Secret Formula to Mr. Krabs’ world-famous Krabby Patties. There is no level that Plankton won’t stoop to (pun intended) to achieve his goal. His schemes range from ingenious and conniving to harebrained and full of holes. Despite him putting his best foot forward, it always ends in failure either because of his own arrogance or because he’s been outsmarted by Mr. Krabs– and it usually ends with him being launched all the way back to the Chum Bucket. It’s really for the best that Plankton never finds out the Secret Formula, or it’ll spell certain doom not only for the Krusty Krab, but for all of Bikini Bottom.
#4: “EVIL!!!”
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Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy were once the greatest superheroes under the sea. However, decades of crime-fighting have taken its toll on the duo, especially the former. In any given situation, he will panickedly scream the word “EVIL”. Sometimes he’ll even shout it if he hears someone say it. The way his voice cracks whenever he screams the line is just too priceless, and late voice actor Ernest Borgnine owned it in a way that his character’s stand-in actors could only dream of. We wouldn’t exactly classify laughing at a senile old man as appropriate, but the way the show sells it with both his voice and overall reaction is comedy gold.
#3: Squidward’s annoying neighbors
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How did Squidward ever get surrounded by such crazy neighbors? Nearly every day, this grumpy cephalopod finds himself reluctantly dealing with SpongeBob and Patrick’s shenanigans. They could be disturbing his peace and quiet with their playtime, show up at his house uninvited, or even worse, they could end up destroying his personal property, with Squidward getting hurt in the process. No matter how hard he tries, he can’t seem to get rid of them or keep them quiet – and any attempt to do so always makes things worse. To their credit, our favorite knuckleheads don’t usually try to ruin Squidward’s day on purpose, but it’s hard to ignore them when they have a tendency to cause so much chaos.
#2: SpongeBob failing his boating test
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SpongeBob has taken his driving test more times than anyone in history, and it always ends in failure. No matter how confident and optimistic he may be, he’s a reckless disaster behind the wheel – much to the agony of poor Mrs. Puff. Even if there’s a slight chance of him finally earning his coveted license, it’s yanked away by the end of the episode; he can’t even get his license in his dreams. It could be easier to just GIVE SpongeBob a license just to end the cycle, but that would only spell a greater doom for Bikini Bottom. Plus, we’d lose the chaotic yet hilarious dynamic between SpongeBob and Mrs. Puff, so perhaps it’s for the best that SpongeBob’s quest is a fruitless endeavor.
Before we unveil our number one pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
Squidward getting hurt
Plankton getting stepped on
Disrespecting Squidward’s “art”
Patrick falling down
“Chocolate!”
#1: “My Leg!”
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Taking our number one spot is the Wilhelm scream of Nickelodeon. Whenever there’s pandemonium or destructive chaos in Bikini Bottom, you’re almost always guaranteed to hear the painful cry of “my leg!” in the mix of it all. One recycled sound bite used throughout the first few seasons blossomed into one of the funniest catchphrases of the series – brought to life by series writer and voice actor, Doug Lawrence. There have been several variations of the line, but the hilarious, agonizing context is what makes this gag so iconic – seriously, you know a throwaway line is popular enough when they make an entire episode as an homage to the joke.
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