SpongeBob SquarePants has entertained viewers for over 20 years, and the best SpongeBob episodes carried the show to five Daytime Emmy Awards. SpongeBob SquarePants came to Nickelodeon in 1999 and became one of the most popular cartoons of all time with ridiculous situations and silly characters, delivering something for kids and adults alike. SpongeBob continues with over two decades of entertaining cartoons, and it shows no signs of slowing down, with fans hoping to see more great episodes in the years to come.
With SpongeBob and his friends Patrick, Sandy, Mr. Krabs, Squidward, and more, the show's best episodes have taken fans to the pineapple under the sea for over two decades and even had some movies based on the series. With the episodes also streaming on Paramount+, anyone can enjoy these silly adventures as the best SpongeBob episodes usually contain an ensemble effort from SpongeBob and his friends, a zany plot, at least one memorable moment, and possibly even a song or two.
30 Big Pink Loser/Bubble Buddy
Season 2, Episode 23
Season 2 introduces audiences to the Bubble Buddy in the 23rd episode. This was a big one for SpongeBob as he was lonely and decided he would create his own new friend out of liquid soap. However, he had no idea that it would become sentient and come to life to become his new buddy. This is also something the citizens of Bikini Bottom didn't expect since the Bubble Buddy began to make everyone's lives hell. SpongeBob has to decide if he will keep the friend around or end his neighbors' misery.
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That was the best part of the entire episode and helped create a new character that lived on in fans' imaginations long after he last appeared. The second episode was very different, as SpongeBob wanted to make Patrick Starfish happy. When SpoingeBob learns that Patrick is depressed because he never wins an award, he decides to get him a job at the Krusty Krab to win Employee of the Month, but Patrick can't seem to do anything right, making things worse.
29 Sleepy Time/Suds
Season 1, Episode 15
Some of the best SpongeBob SquarePants episodes deal with surrealism, and one of the earlier installment that played this off perfectly was the first season episode, "Sleepy Time." In it, SpongeBob is wearing down, and when he sleeps, he suddenly finds himself traveling into his friends' dreams and starts to wreak havoc in their subconscious, much to their chagrin. This is a true case where SpongeBob proves that he can drive anyone mad, even when they are asleep and away from him.
In the episode "Suds," SpongeBob gets what ends up being one of the show's most iconic illnesses as he gets the cold, which for him is called "the suds." Patrick, of all people, tries to cure him by pretending to be a doctor, but as expected, it only makes things worse. The best part of this section was seeing how Patrick was torturing SpongeBob in the name of curing him, and his experiments just get worse as the episode wears on.
28 Naughty Nautical Neighbors/Boating School
Season 1, Episode 4
Some of the best moments in SpongeBob SquarePants episodes are when the little yellow troublemaker spends time with his teacher, Mrs. Puff. He makes her life so miserable that she has, at times, preferred to remain in jail rather than spend one more moment with SpongeBob. It is shown in true clarity in the first season episode, "Boating School," when fans meet Mrs. Puff for the first time. SpongeBob inadvertently destroyed so much of Mrs. Puff's life that it is nice to see where it all started, all with a driving exam.
"Nauthy Nautical Neighbors" was the first time that the series showed SpongeBob and Patrick having a fight.
The second episode was not as good but was also a first for SpongeBob SquarePants episodes. Much like "Boating School," which was the first chance to see Mrs. Puff, "Naughty Nautical Neighbors" was the first time the series showed SpongeBob and Patrick fighting. This led to Patrick becoming best friends with Squidward, which is not good for SpongeBob's neighbor either. The best part here was seeing what happens when a person drinks too much seltzer too fast.
27 The Nasty Patty/The Idiot Box
Season 3, Episode 44
In Season 3, SpongeBob SquarePants had a perfect episode that showed how easy it is for people filled with joy to have fun even when there is really nothing to do. In "Idiot Box," SpongeBob and Patrick find a big empty box they can fit. They then have the time of their lives using their imagination to have fun inside this empty box. Squidward, who has always been more literal and materialistic, doesn't understand it, and their joy is enough to drive him to fits of anger, showing his true lack of imagination.
The second story in this episode is "The Nasty Patty," which takes SpongeBob and puts him into an almost noir thriller. When Mr. Krabs thinks that a health inspector is trying to scam him for free food, he feeds him a bad Krabby Patty with a sock in it. When he thinks that he just killed the inspector, he orders SpongeBob to help him dispose of the body. It is a very disturbing segment, and it shows the depths that Krabs would go to when he wants to cover up his own misdeeds.
26 The Chaperone/Employee of the Month
Season 1, Episode 12
One of the long-running jokes in SpongeBob SquarePants episodes concerns SpongeBob winning Employee of the Month every single month at the Krusty Krab. This all started with the season 1 episode, "Employee of the Month." However, in this episode, SpongeBob and Squidward get into a heated competition to win the next Employee of the Month award, which involves them setting up booby traps to foil the other's plans. While SpongeBob should have just let Squidward win to be kind, it turns into a slapstick comedy of errors instead.
In the second segment, "The Chaperone," Mr. Krabs orders SpongeBob to take his daughter Pearl to her high school prom. This story has little in the way of great, lasting story moments, but it does involve one of SpongeBob's best talents - absorbing liquid into his body and doing very strange things with it. From his dancing during the prom to absorbing all the punch and feeding it to Pearl's classmates with his nose, this has all the visual gags a SpongeBob fan could want.
25 Something Smells/Bossy Boots
Season 2, Episode 2
The first episode of season 2 featured both "Something Smells" and "Bossy Boots." However, it is "Something Smells" that ranks as one of the best episodes of the early seasons where SpongeBob can't figure out why no one wants to talk to him.
Patrick figures it is because SpongeBob is ugly, and Patrick goes on to explain how it is okay that he is ugly, and that he should just accept it. This is some really bad advice, but it shows that SpongeBob isn't the only oblivious character on the show.
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Of course, the real reason is SpongeBob's breath, but seeing Patrick help his friend learn to accept himself and find pride in his ugliness is perfectly ridiculous. "Bossy Boots" sees Krab's daughter, Pearl, get a job at the Krusty Krab, and she starts shaking things up. It is another funny episode, but it is "Something Smells" that carries this one to great heights.
24 Survival of the Idiots/Dumped
Season 2, Episode 9
"Survival of the Idiots" shows what happens when Sandy Squirrel hibernates, which is something shocking and new for Patrick and SpongeBob. However, when they decide to wake Sandy up, not understanding the importance of hibernation, Sandy goes on a rampage and the two clueless friends have to fight for their lives in her domed home.
There have been some monsters on SpongeBob, but seeing Sandy as a giant muscular squirrel on the rampage might trump almost all of them. Meanwhile, when Gary the Snail wants to spend time with Patrick, SpongeBob has to come to grips with this new predicament and figure out his feelings.
Sandy’s brown coloring and Texan accent indicate that she is a fox squirrel. Fox squirrel’s hair comes in several shades of red and brown. These critters are native to Canada, North and South Dakota, Colorado, and Texa
As with the best SpongeBob episodes, this was built on a misunderstanding when it comes to Gary's true desires. Both episodes deal with SpongeBob struggling to understand the limits of friendship, both with varying results as he oversteps the boundaries.
23 Club SpongeBob/My Pretty Seahorse
Season 3, Episode 2
In this season 3 episode, SpongeBob and Patrick were in their treehouse together when Squiward showed up and wanted to come in. While they tried to tell him there wasn't enough room, he demanded to come in and, as a result, the entire treehouse ended up flinging into the middle of Kelp Forest.
Trapped in the forest without a seeming way home, Squidward began to freak out while SpongeBob began to obey the instructions of a wind-up conch that offered up random bits of advice. The panic of Squidward and the hopeless optimism of SpongeBob presented a great, fun contrast.
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It also shows that sometimes SpongeBob's innocence is often the best mode of survival in the toughest of times, while Squidward's panic just makes things worse. The second episode sees SpongeBob adopt a stray seahorse only to learn that some animals were not meant to be tamed.
22 BubbleStand/Ripped Pants
Season 1, Episode 2
When it comes to "Ripped Pants," this episode remains best known for the song that it spawned, one that became almost impossible for viewers to get out of their heads. The entire song is based on the Beach Boys sound, but the lyrics are as ridiculous as expected for SpongeBob SquarePants. The theme that anyone can overcome their worst moments if they just sing a song fits SpongeBob perfectly. When it comes to song-centric episodes, few are better than "Ripped Pants."
The episode also features "BubbleStand," which has SpongeBob charge customers a quarter to blow a bubble. This leads to SpongeBob trying to teach Patrick how to blow bubbles, but this only causes problems with Squidward, who wants to show everyone else up and starts to create havoc at the same time. As the second-ever episode of the series, it really set the bar high for the then-new cartoon.
21 Have You Seen This Snail?
Season 4, Episode 3
The SpongeBob SquarePants episode "Have You Seen This Snail" was a little different, because it kept the entire episode based on one story instead of two smaller segments. It is also one of the saddest SpongeBob episodes.
In this episode, SpongeBob is so busy that he forgets to feed Gary the Snail for several days. As a result, Gary packs up and runs away, where he ends up being adopted by a kindly older woman.
However, SpongeBob realizes what happened and looks for his friend in despair, while Gary soon realizes this woman might not be as nice as he might have believed. The episode is still silly, but it is also a highly emotional SpongeBob SquarePants tale of friendship. This is also a rare supersized SpongeBob SquarePants episode with it taking up the entire 22 minutes of airing.
