"The Big Bad Bubble Bass" is a SpongeBob SquarePants episode from season 13. In this episode, Karen tells the fairytale of a nerd trying to steal an action figure from his three little neighbors.
Characters[]
- SpongeBob SquarePants
- Bubble Bass
- The Big Bad Bubble Bass (single appearance)
- Karen Plankton
- Karen the Computer Fairy
- Patrick Star
- Squidward Tentacles
- Spirit (single appearance)
- Gary the Snail
- Mama Bass
- Incidentals
- Mermaid Man (toy)
- Barnacle Boy (toy)
- Man Ray (toy)
- Jumbo Shrimp (toy)
- Miss Appear (toy)
- The Moth (toy)
- Dirty Bubble (toy)
- Robot Mantis (toy)
- Suburban dad doll
- Wonder Whale (toy)
- War Pig (single appearance, toy)
- Bionic Pig (single appearance, toy)
- Aaron Aardvark (single appearance, toy)
- Abby Aardvark (single appearance, toy)
- Albert Aardvark (single appearance, toy)
- Perilous Perciful (single appearance, toy)
Synopsis[]
The episode begins with Karen the Computer Fairy introducing the episode about Bubble Bass. Bubble Bass wakes up and declares his intent to get the Pigulon action figure to complete his collection. He dresses up in a Wolfman costume and goes to the Toy Barrel to try to obtain it, but the store is sold out of Pigulon figures. Bubble Bass notices that SpongeBob and Patrick bought the last Pigulon figure. Patrick rips open the package and uses the figure as a scratcher. Bubble Bass tries to obtain the figure from them, and SpongeBob agrees to give it to him at first, but soon rejects his offer after mentioning that he and Patrick bought it together.
While Karen continues narrating, Bubble Bass pushes her out of the scene. He later shows up at SpongeBob's house disguised as a toy inspector in an attempt to take back the Pigulon figure. SpongeBob lets Bubble Bass into his house and opens his hidden vault where he keeps his toys. SpongeBob and Patrick show the toys to Bubble Bass, continually asking him if any of their toys seem dangerous to him. Although several toys harm Bubble Bass, he throws them away, declaring them not to be dangerous. SpongeBob finally shows him the Pigulon figure, but instead gives him the Perilous Percival figure as he went out of order. The fuses on the toy result in Bubble Bass flying out of the house.
Bubble Bass goes back to SpongeBob's house, now portraying as a ghost hunter in an attempt to scan the house. He comes across the Pigulon figure, saying it contains spirits inside. He attempts to take the figure, but SpongeBob and Patrick say that they will make the figure vanish in their home. They call out a spell that results in a demon appearing, and Bubble Bass is taken in with him, as the Pigulon figure remains in SpongeBob's home.
Bubble Bass goes back again, asking SpongeBob and Patrick straightforward to hand over the figure. He drinks Fizz Bomb Cola to let out a burp on SpongeBob's house, destroying it in the process. SpongeBob and Patrick run to Patrick's house. After Patrick rejects Bubble Bass again, Bubble Bass uses more Fizz Bomb fuel and Volcano Sauce to destroy his house. SpongeBob and Patrick proceed to go inside Squidward's house. Angered, Squidward kicks Bubble Bass out, to which Bubble Bass proceeds to chug Fizz Bomb Cola from a truck and attempt to belch Squidward's house away. However, Squidward's house does not move, to which Squidward declares his house was "SpongeBob-proofed."
Karen continues to narrate the story, in which Bubble Bass gets the help of his mother. They show up at Squidward's house, to which Bubble Bass gives the Fizz Bomb fuel to his mother, but she says that she does not need it. She inhales a belch which destroys Squidward's house, as well as the water on the surface. Mama Bass tells SpongeBob and Patrick to hand over the figure. SpongeBob gives her the receipt, which makes Mama Bass angry. She inhales another belch which burps away Bubble Bass's clothes, leaving him in his underwear. Bubble Bass cries, but SpongeBob and Patrick give him the Pigulon figure, which is now broken. Karen concludes the narration with Bubble Bass having put the figure on his shelf and Squidward having to rebuild his house himself, mentioning how Squidward's insurance doesn't cover "Belch Damage". Squidward, enraged, blames Karen and her story for his house being destroyed. He chases after a now frightened Karen, although she disappears inside the storybook, much to Squidward's confusion, as the episode ends.
Production[]
This episode was confirmed by Cartoonlounge.de on April 8, 2022.[4]
Promotional art[]
- By Eliza Herndon.[5]
Art[]
Character design[]
- Posted by Dave Cunningham.[1]
Background design[]
- Designed by Rebekie Bennington.[6]
Prop design[]
- Designed by Joann Chang.[7]
Sketches[]
- By Eliza Herndon.[8]
Storyboards[]
- All except three boards were plussed by Eliza Herndon;[9][2][3] the rest were plussed by Simon Edwards, Eddie Trigueros, and Ibrahim J. Corona.[9]
- The first nearly-three minutes of this episode's storyboard can be found on Eliza Herndon's website.
Production notes[]
Dave Cunningham:
- Dave Cunningham said that this episode owes a lot to Kit Boyce (who helped out with the woodcut storybook illustrations) and digital supervisor Chris Evans (who did the CG for the "live-action storybook.")[10]
Eliza Herndon:
- At the time of its release, this was Eliza Herndon's favorite episode she'd worked on, saying that "Bubble Bass is an INCREDIBLY fun character to work with who serves as a great vehicle for really exaggerated action and LOTS of energy, so it was a very rewarding experience!"[2]
- While plussing the boards for the scene in Bubble Bass' house, Herndon added in various objects referencing the series' past. She said it was really satisfying to give nods to previous SpongeBob endeavors.[11]
- The bran flakes & and conch shell that appear in Bubble Bass' room are references to "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy II." Since that episode is one of Eliza Herndon's all-time favorites, she was glad that she could pay an homage to it.[12]
- While plussing the boards for the scene in Bubble Bass' house, Herndon added in various objects referencing the series' past. She said it was really satisfying to give nods to previous SpongeBob endeavors.[11]
Music[]
| ( ‣ ) Production music |
| ( • ) Original music |
| ( ◦ ) SpongeBob music |
• Riverboat Rumpas Instrumental - Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Title card.]
‣ The Fairytale Princess - Adam Saunders, Mark Cousins [Opening.]
• Udons Demise - Nicolas Carr [Bubble Bass slaps his alarm clock.]
‣ Slippery Sid - Roger Roger [Bubble Bass wakes up.]
‣ Avengers [#104] - Paul Hart, David Arnold ["Pigulon, leader of the Swine Force 3 Action Team, will be mine!"]
‣ Shock Headed Peter - Ronald Hanmer ["And I know just what to wear!"]
• Lap Steel - Nicolas Carr [Transition to next scene.]
• A Short Fishy Conversation - Nicolas Carr, Barry Anthony [Bubble Bass arrives at the Toy Barrel.]
• Tension Bits - Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, and Jeremy Wakefield ["Sold out?"]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 6A - Jeremy Wakefield ["Without Pigulon, my life is over!"]
• Rip Tide - Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [SpongeBob and Patrick have the last Pigulon figure.]
‣ Five Dramatic Bridges B - Kurt Rehfeld [Patrick opens the packaging with his mouth.]
• Rip Tide - Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Patrick uses the Pigulon figure as a scratcher.]
‣ Eight Dramatic Bridges - Ronald Hanmer ["This cannot stand."]
• Skipping to School - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Bubble Bass asks SpongeBob and Patrick for the toy.]
• Big Bass Bubble Bass. - Nicolas Carr ["By the gods of nerdom, I will acquire that Pigulon!"]
‣ The Fairytale Princess - Adam Saunders, Mark Cousins [Karen interrupts Bubble Bass.]
• Big Bass Bubble Bass. - Nicolas Carr ["I have a toy to rescue."]
• Mermaidman Brass Hits - Nicolas Carr [Bubble Bass slams a badge in SpongeBob's face.]
• Noodly Shinanigans - Nicolas Carr, Barry Anthony [Bubble Bass arrives at SpongeBob's house dressed as an inspector.]
• Parting of the Clouds Sting - Nicolas Carr [SpongeBob's vault opens.]
‣ Travelling Circus - Eric Jupp [SpongeBob shows Bubble Bass his toys.]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 30B - Jeremy Wakefield [Albert Aardvark toy explodes.]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 31D - Jeremy Wakefield ["Many, many toys later..."]
‣ Avengers [#104] - Paul Hart, David Arnold ["This is Porktastic Pigulon."]
• Love Sting - Nicolas Carr [Bubble Bass excited to see the Pigulon figure.]
‣ Travelling Circus - Eric Jupp ["Oops, I went out of order."]
• Lap Steel - Nicolas Carr [Transition to next scene.]
‣ Stool Pigeon - Kenny Graham [Bubble Bass arrives dressed as a ghost hunter.]
‣ Space Horizons - Wolf Helling [Bubble Bass pretends to detect a ghost.]
‣ Satanic Liturgy A - Gregor Narholz [SpongeBob and Patrick summon a ghost.]
‣ Satan's Truck - Justin Clarence Forsley [The ghost pig appears.]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 35 - Jeremy Wakefield ["Pigulon is saved!"]
‣ Grotesque - John Fox, Mac Prindy [Bubble Bass burps away SpongeBob's house.]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 31E - Jeremy Wakefield ["They just don't make rocks the way they used to."]
‣ Dramatic Cue (C) - Ronald Hanmer [SpongeBob and Patrick banging on Squidward's door.]
‣ Hippo Bird - Arthur Wilkinson ["Hey, what part of 'not interested' don't you understand?"]
‣ Comedy Punctuations And Bridges 4 - Fredric Bayco ["I said, 'not interested!'"]
‣ Eight Dramatic Bridges - Ronald Hanmer ["Then I'll chug, and I'll glug, and I'll belch your house down too!"]
‣ Comedy Punctuations And Bridges 3 - Fredric Bayco [Fizz Bomb Cola truck arrives.]
‣ Long Legged Beasties - Fredric Bayco [Bubble Bass belches on Squidward's house but it doesn't move.]
‣ Goblin Ballet - Ernest Tomlinson ["With his belching now foiled, he had but one plan: run home to his mommy, and cry like a man."]
‣ Charlie's Bike E - Peter Balding, Otto Sieben [Mama Bass drives to Squidward's house.]
‣ Eight Dramatic Bridges - Ronald Hanmer [Mama Bass belches on Squidward's house, destroying it.]
• Tentacally Speaking - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Bubble Bass' mom tells SpongeBob and Patrick to give Bubble Bass the toy.]
• Tension Bits - Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Mama Bass burps away Bubble Bass's clothes.]
• Nude Sting - Nicolas Carr [Bubble Bass sees himself in his underwear.]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 34D - Jeremy Wakefield [Bubble Bass cries.]
• You're Nice - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Bubble Bass finally gets the toy.]
‣ The Fairytale Princess - Adam Saunders, Mark Cousins [Karen finishes the story.]
‣ Hippomania - John Fox, Mac Prindy [Ending.]
This list is incomplete, but you can help Encyclopedia SpongeBobia by expanding it.
Release[]
- This episode is available on the SpongeBob SquarePants Vol. 22, The Complete Thirteenth Season, Another 100 Episodes, and The Best 300 Episodes Ever DVDs.
Trivia[]
General[]
- This episode was originally going to be titled "Big Bad Bubble Bass,"[9][1][13][14][4] but later on, the word "The" was added to the title.
- This episode was originally going to premiere on Nickelodeon UK and Ireland on April 29, 2022 at 12:45 PM, but it was pulled and replaced with a rerun of "Born to Be Wild."
- This episode has multiple similarities with "Patnocchio." Both episodes are narrated by Karen as a fairy and parody a classic fairytale. Additionally, they both open with the same music and have the same title card background.
- The synopsis of this episode indirectly references the book The Three Little Neighbors.
- This episode marks the return of Zeus Cervas to the main series as a storyboard director.
- Bubble Bass' figure collection includes Man Ray, Jumbo Shrimp, Miss Appear (which is just an empty box), The Moth, the Dirty Bubble, War Pig, and Bionic Pig.
- SpongeBob's figure collection includes Aaron Aardvark, Abby Aardvark, Albert Aardvark, and Perilous Perciful. Like Bubble Bass, he also owns figures of Man Ray, Jumbo Shrimp, the Moth, and the Dirty Bubble, along with figures of Mermaid Man, Barnacle Boy, Robot Mantis, suburban dad, and Wonder Whale.
- SpongeBob is seen whistling with his nose to open the vault, a reference to the show's theme song.
- Bubble Bass calls SpongeBob "ScumBob," which is a fan-made term in the SpongeBob SquarePants fanbase used to describe bad episodes of the show and the franchise.
- Squidward breaks the fourth wall by scolding at Karen the Computer Fairy and blaming her fairy tale for the destruction of his house.
- This is the first episode where Karen mentions Squidward by his name.
- This is the second episode where a character explodes into fireworks of themselves. The first episode is "Plankton Paranoia."
Episode references[]
- The Toy Barrel returns from "Toy Store of Doom."
- Some of the action figures in SpongeBob's collection were first seen in "Goons on the Moon," owned by Squidina.
- Volcano Sauce, from "Karate Choppers," returns.
- Various items from previous episodes can be seen on Bubble Bass' shelf,[12] such as:
- His burger bib from "Pickles."
- The bran flakes and conch shell from "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy II."
- The paddle ball from "Have You Seen This Snail?"
- And the kiddie meal from "Mermaid Man vs. SpongeBob."
- The painting seen in Squidward's gallery is a prototype design for Bold and Brash.
- All of Karen's narration is in rhyme, which is similar to "SpongeBob vs. The Patty Gadget."
Cultural references[]
- The title of this episode, as well as the plot, is a reference to the fairytale "The Three Little Pigs." More specifically, the Big Bad Wolf.
- The clothes that SpongeBob, Patrick and Squidward wear are the same clothes that the three pigs wear in the 1933 Walt Disney Pictures short film, Three Little Pigs.
Errors[]
- During the premiere of this episode and its sister episode, the end credits were shown twice, even though both episode segments are paired together. This was corrected for all subsequent reruns.
- A similar error also occurred during the premiere of The Patrick Star Show episode "Patrick's Alley."
- When Bubble Bass screams as Patrick rips open the Pigulon package, the ground near Bubble Bass's feet overlaps Patrick's arm.
- When Bubble Bass tries to burp down Squidward's house on his first attempt, white borders are seen on the left and right sides of the screen as it shakes.[15]
- The path to Patrick's rock is missing. However, it appears when Mama Bass drives to Squidward's house.
Videos[]
Names in other languages[]
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| German | Böser Bube Blubberbernd | Bad Boy Bubble Bass |
| Russian | Большая бяка Баббл Басс Bol'shaya byaka Babbl Bass |
The Big Nasty Bubble Bass |
References[]
- ^ a b c Dave Cunningham on Twitter - "Prelim designs and color..."
- ^ a b c Eliza Herndon on Twitter - "Thread o' storyboards for..."
- ^ a b Eliza Herndon Art
- ^ a b Big Bad Bubble Bass - Episode 274a - SpongeBob SquarePants | Cartoonlounge.de
- ^ Eliza Herndon on Twitter - "Spiffied up an old..."
- ^ Backgrounds and Props - The Art of Rebekie Bennington
- ^ Props & FX | Joann Chang
- ^ Eliza Herndon on Tumblr - "found a bunch..."
- ^ a b c Dave Cunningham on Twitter - "Tune in tonight for the premiere..."
- ^ Dave Cunningham on Twitter - "This episode owes a lot..."
- ^ Eliza Herndon on Twitter - "I love little details to a fault..."
- ^ a b Eliza Herndon on Twitter - "The references from above!..."
- ^ SpongeBob SquarePants Episode Listings - The Futon Critic
- ^ SpongeBob SquarePants: Series Overview - Zap2it
- ^ SpongeBob Error: White Borders