Arguably one of the most influential animated T.V. shows ever created, SpongeBob SquarePants has permeated popular culture on a global scale like no other. While SpongeBob is one of the longest-running animated series, many agree that the first three seasons, spanning the years 1999 to 2004, was the golden age of the show, when most of the most memorable episodes were produced.
In recent years, the SpongeBob SquarePants cinematic universe has grown exponentially with 3 new spinoff shows, including a Squidward Show being developed jointly by Netflix and Nickelodeon. Over at Ranker, thousands of Goofy Goobers have taken the opportunity to look back and vote on the show's greatest hits.
Artist Unknown (September 21, 2001)
An episode full of double entendre and innuendo, "Artist Unknown" spawned several of the show’s most memorable lines and jokes, which have since been memeified, most notably the artwork “Bold and Brash”, which has gone on to have a pop-culture following in real life.
The episode follows Squidward who has become an art teacher at the local rec center as he struggles to teach his only pupil, SpongeBob, the “right way” to make art.
Big Pink Loser (November 16, 2000)
This episode centers around Patrick, who after seeing SpongeBob's numerous awards, starts a job at the Krusty Krab in order to win his own award. "Big Pink Loser" features one of the most famous scenes from the show when Patrick is manning the Krusty Krab phone and someone calls asking "Is this the Krusty Krab?” to which Patrick replies "No, this is Patrick!".
The gag is repeated multiple times with Patrick becoming angrier and angrier each time.
Chocolate With Nuts (June 1, 2002)
“Chocolate! Chocolate!” is one such memorable line from this classic episode where SpongeBob and Patrick become chocolate bar salesmen to get rich quick. While the episode spawned several memes, just like most of the other early SpongeBob episodes, there was a “B plot” directed at a more adult audience.
The voice of SpongeBob, Tom Kenny, cites Chocolate with Nuts as one of his favorite episodes, stating that "it’s a very sick episode. You can spend hours theorizing about what these eleven minutes says about truth, lies, Big Business, entrepreneurship, and consumerism." on the podcast Tom Kenny's Top 20.
Shanghaied (Mar 09, 2001)
Displaying probably the most outlandish yet horrific background artwork in the show, "Shanghaied" follows SpongeBob, Patrick, and Squidward as they are press-ganged into the crew of the Flying Dutchman and his ghostly pirate ship.
The most memorable scenes in the episode are Squidward’s descent into the “Fly of Despair” a bottomless pit of horrific imagery and SpongeBob and Patrick’s struggle through the “Perfume Department”. TV Critic, Jared Russo, of the website Medium, describes this episode as "a perfect encapsulation of the humor that SpongeBob is known for”.
The Idiot Box (March 1, 2002)
In a seemingly simple SpongeBob episode setup, SpongeBob and Patrick use a cardboard box to “imagine” various fantasy-adventure scenarios, much to the annoyance of Squidward, which has since sparked many fan theories about the so-called “Idiot Box”.
Over at Reddit, a number of fans have hypothesized the inner workings of SpongeBob and Patrick’s seemingly magical cardboard box. Redditor, mikeyfreshh, proposes that Squidward is truly the one that has the best (over)imagination, to the point of hallucinations and psychosis after years of living next to SpongeBob.
The Snowball Effect (February 22, 2002)
In one of SpongeBob’s more lighthearted episodes, we find Bikini Bottom covered in a blanket of snow, prompting SpongeBob, Patrick, and Squidward to have a Mexican standoff snowball fight. As the episode progresses, the snowball fight becomes bigger and more elaborate, setting off an “arms race” between the three.
In the episode, there are a number of thematic allusions to the 20th-century Cold War between the USA and the Soviets. For example, Patrick is dubbed the "Pink Menace" which alludes to the "Red Menace", often used by the United States to refer to the Soviet Union.
Band Geeks (September 7, 2001)
Much beloved by the SpongeBob fandom and often ranking at the top of many best episodes lists, Band Geeks is an emotional rollercoaster of an episode where we follow Squidward as he tries to turn a bunch of Bikini Bottom misfits into a professional marching band in order to impress his arch-rival, Squilliam Fancyson.
The episode climaxes when Squidward’s marching band performs at the halftime show for the Super Bowl. This epic scene, with the band going full rock-and-roll blending animated and live-action elements to the song "Sweet Victory", went on to win Best Sound Editing in Animation at the 2002 Golden Reel Awards.
Graveyard Shift (September 6, 2002)
While being forced to work a 24-hour night shift by Mr. Krabs, SpongeBob and Squidward begin experiencing seemingly supernatural occurrences revolving around the Hash-Slinging Slasher, a Krusty Krab former fry cook who now haunts the establishment.
Upon its release, Graveyard Shift was met with critical acclaim, especially the surprise Nosferatu gag at the end, to which the venerable film magazine, Variety, described as “perfectly represents the nonsensical comedy that keeps SpongeBob fans hungry for more."
The Camping Episode (April 3, 2004)
One of the last truly great SpongeBob episodes, The Camping Episode follows SpongeBob, Patrick, and Squidward as they try to survive the “great outdoors”, while camping overnight just outside their homes. This episode was especially known for its recurring Sea Bear gag, which has a half-bear half-fish creature continually attacking Squidward after he disregards the Sea Bear’s supposed existence.
Another highlight from the episode is the Campfire Song Song with its catchy melody and lightning-fast lyrics.
Pizza Delivery (August 14, 1999)
Harkening back to the first season of SpongeBob, Pizza Delivery has SpongeBob and Squidward venture on an epic road trip across the underwater desert to deliver a special edition “Krabby Patty Pizza” to a very demanding customer. The episode is filled with classic gags such as various survival tricks of the pioneers and the Krusty Krab pizza theme song in its various iterations.
Pizza Delivery was well received by critics and audiences alike and cemented the character of SpongeBob we know and love today. Tom Kenny, the voice actor for SpongeBob, states that he particularly likes the setup of the episode, “Squidward just wants to get out of there, but SpongeBob sees his pizza delivery as a sacred oath between himself and the customer.”