10 Most Memeable SpongeBob Moments & The Best SpongeBob Memes
He lives in a pineapple under the sea, bringing nautical nonsense to all. SpongeBob Squarepants is not only the longest-running show in Nickelodeon history but perhaps holds the most significant influence on meme culture of any cartoon or TV show in recent memory. So if you scroll through a Twitter thread or Facebook news thread today, it won’t be long before you find at least a reference to SpongeBob.
They range from beautiful jokes from classic episodes to simply being a funny line or animation frame used out of context. Many come from iconic episodes and are relatable both in and out of their original scenes.
Imagination Hands
In the classic Season 3-episode "Idiot Box", SpongeBob and Patrick get a package containing a large television, which they immediately throw out to play in the box. When Squidward points out the poor logic of what they did, SpongeBob happily replies instead of TV, all they need is their imagination, making a sparkly rainbow with his hands.
It’s already a funny moment that harkens to SpongeBob’s endearing sense of childlike wonder, but it may be even funnier outside the original setting. It has been used by many to showcase a deadpan reaction to something, or even just using replacing “Imagination” with “Procrastination” or “Nobody Cares.”
Wake Up, Squidward!
Squidward, despite considering himself the most serious-minded of the group, more often than not makes himself an easy target for memes. For example, in Season 1’s "Home Sweet Pineapple", SpongeBob tries to find a place to sleep for the night after he loses his home. Sneaking into Squidward’s house, SpongeBob requests to sleep in his bed, which Squidward, sleepwalking, allows.
Without realizing what he just agreed to, he goes back to sleep, only to awaken quickly with wide, bloodshot eyes. This frame has been used for people who face existential dread, stressful events happening the next day, or the alarm clock being louder than we’d like.
Krusty Krab Pizza
In Season 1's Pizza Delivery, SpongeBob and Squidward are forced by Mr. Krabs to deliver a pizza, walking through the ocean plains without a mode of transport. SpongeBob begins singing the phrase “Krusty Krab Pizza is the pizza for you and me” in various styles, from his normal voice to beatboxing, finishing with the wail of a rockstar.
Nowadays, if you walk into an animation convention or a crowd of SpongeBob enthusiasts and sing this phrase in the latter sense, chances are someone will immediately know and sing it back with you.
No, This is Patrick
Being the least intelligent out of the central cast, Patrick lends his character to hilarious situations. In Season 2’s Big Pink Loser, he sets out to win an award for something. He tries handling the cash register at the Krusty Krab, answering the phone to hear people ask, “Is this the Krusty Krab?”. Patrick misses the point, replying every time, “No, this is Patrick,” and hanging up.
Patrick’s response has been paired with clips from movies and TV, especially those involving phone conversations or just funny reactions to questions, especially if the added context is life-or-death.
Imma Head Out
This meme is a perfect example of one frame caught at the most effective time. This meme comes from a single frame of a Season 2 episode known as “The Smoking Peanut.” It has little to do with the actual episode itself, depicting SpongeBob secretly causing a scandal involving a giant sea clam and a peanut.
But its lack of context helps its adaptable nature, with SpongeBob’s droopy, mid-blink eyes showing a complete lack of enthusiasm. Caught mid-frame leaving his chair, he’s ready to leave whichever unpleasant situation or topic the meme calls for, just feeling done with life in general.
Mocking SpongeBob
Some of the best moments on the show often come entirely out of left-field, with little regard for logic or build-up. For example, in Season 9’s "Little Yellow Book", Squidward finds SpongeBob’s diary, filled with his deepest secrets.
To demonstrate such a secret, when Mr. Krabs comes out wearing plaid, SpongeBob proceeds to mimic a chicken, to which customers laugh and Krabs takes offense. His chicken face has become a popular way to mock people in an absurd situation, especially on Twitter. It is even the favorite meme of SpongeBob’s voice actor, Tom Kenny.
Squidward at the Window
The Season 7 episode "That Sinking Feeling" begins with SpongeBob and Patrick playing and laughing outside while Squidward looks on annoyed through his window. The rest of the episode follows Squidward dealing with his most annoying neighbors drilling a tunnel beneath his home, but this is considered the most remembered moment.
Much like other SpongeBob memes, it is funny but adaptable to many situations with a sense of relatability. Many have expressed empathy with Squidward watching in the shadows behind bars in envy as the sea creatures outside enjoy life to the fullest in the underwater sunshine.
Tired SpongeBob/Sneaky Patrick
These two often get referenced separately and together, always providing a hilarious combination. In a classic scene from Season 1’s "Nature Pants", SpongeBob hides behind a rock in Jellyfish Fields, naked after running from Patrick, panting, exhausted. Little does he realize that Patrick is hiding directly above him, waiting to catch him like a cat swiping its prey.
This pair relates heavily to people completing complex tasks from homework assignments, paying bills, dealing with relationship problems, only for something even more daunting right around the corner.
Surprised Patrick
This moment comes after SpongeBob and Patrick are chased by a siren-Esque frogfish in a harrowing moment from the first theatrical film. After the two escape, the frogfish eats their mode of transportation, the Patty Wagon, only to for itself get eaten by an even large creature. SpongeBob and Patrick can only sit there, dumbfounded with their mouths open.
While both make for a funny enough image, Patrick alone is worth the pause, often used to showcase an appalled reaction to a current event, somebody’s actions in a video or movie, or something in their personal lives.
Dabbing Squidward
This meme did not come directly from the show itself, but that didn’t stop it from becoming instantly iconic. In 2016, Vine user Deon_Dunk filmed a video of a Squidward walk-around character in a parade at Universal Studios Florida. Someone just off-camera made a dab motion and shouted for him to do, to which the grumpy clarinet enthusiast quickly complied.
It quickly became a favorite amongst the vine community, mainly due to the abruptness of the action, the reaction from the crowd, and Squidward, in general, being the least likely character to dab. Such an action, once again, made a hilarious meme from the show’s most “serious” character.
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