"Dopey Dick" is a SpongeBob SquarePants episode from season 13. In this episode, Fishmael Tentacles joins a crew of sailors hunting down the great white jellyfish.

Characters[]

• Captain SpongeHab ^{(single appearance)}
• Fishmael Tentacles ^{(single appearance)}
• Capn' A. Krabs^{[4] (single appearance)}
• Planky^{[4] (single appearance)}
• Pat-Buck Star^{[4] (single appearance)}
• Nematodes
• Dopey Dick ^{(single appearance)}
• Kevin (1830s) ^{(single appearance)}
• Incidentals
  • Incidental 30s
  • Incidental 30As
  • Jellyspotter (Incidental 30s)
  • Jellyspotter (Incidental 30As)
  • Loser 2
  • Teen 13
  • Upturn's employee 7
  • Upturn's employee 8
  • Jody Ann Chovy

Synopsis[]

The episode begins with a great-white jellyfish known as Dopey Dick opening a book titled after him. The story's narrated by Fishmael Tentacles, an ancestor of Squidward, looking for work from town to town, ending up in a seaside town. He comes across and subsequently slips on jellyfish jelly, leading him into The Jelly Squirt Inn, landing right at the bar's counter, meeting an old-timey Capn' A. Krabs and a parakeet version of Plankton named Planky. Planky offers him some jelly, but Fishmael explains that he's only here to find an occupation, suggesting a potential career as a cashier to Krabs. Unfortunately, Fishmael is denied of a job - but thankfully for him, Pat-Buck snatches him under a table and tells him of a gig as a crew member on Captain SpongeHab's pineapple ship. Fishmael refuses to work on a ship, thinking it's too low-brow, but Pat-Buck ignores his reply, knocks him out, and kidnaps him.

Fishmael finds himself on SpongeHab's quarters, and Pat explains that the captain has a special job for him, so the star shows him the "ropes," literally, going on with teaching him. All of that ropey education was only meant for Fishmael to be tied up to the ship's pole with his tentacles, and Pat-Buck along with the rest of the sailors (jellyspotter anchovies) frolic around enjoying themselves. That is, until Captain SpongeHab enters the scene with a frightening presence, telling the crew all about great-white jellyfish Dopey Dick with bubble-gum imagery, and saying to give him a holler if they see him. Quickly enough, Dopey's spotted and the crew scrambles to catch him. SpongeHab tells Fishmael he's got a special job for him, and it ends up being used a harpoon to reel in the jellyfish. Dopey and Fishmael are on a wild chase for quite a while, so Fishmael uses his awful recorder-playing skills to calm Dopey down. This ends up working, and Dopey is caught and pulled just above the ship's platform. SpongeHab then shows the crew the best part of hunting down and catching a jellyfish - releasing it. The anchovies and Pat-Buck are initially disappointed, but it later warms their heart. Everything seems like it's off to a good conclusion, but it abruptly comes to a pause when Dopey is hooked in by another ship.

That ship turns to be the ones owned by Capn' A Krabs and Planky, who instead of catching and releasing Dopey Dick, plan to exploit his jelly and kill him off. SpongeHab, Fishmael, and Pat-Buck angrily rebel against this, but the anchovy sailors quickly switch sides and Planky destroys the near entirety of their ship with the power of nematodes. Despite all the destruction, SpongeHab still wants to save Dopey, and Pat-Buck is commanded to use his oar and follow the evil duo who kidnapped the great-white.

Day turns to night, and the crew quietly sneaks onto Krabs and Planky's ship while they're asleep and rescue Dopey Dick, who thanks them and escapes. Their plans are immediately foiled when the opposing crew awakes, and they seem doomed, but Dopey snatches them from the ship. Krabs and Planky try to harpoon Dopey back onto the ship, but the jellyfish turns around and rams into it, leaving the boat destroyed. Krabs and Planky try to avoid Dopey in the ocean, but their harpoons leave them tied onto him when brought out of the water. After a day of complete mania, a frightened Fishmael states that he doesn't want to work with SpongeHab anymore, causing the sponge and Pat-Buck to laugh. Dopey then jumps into the remains of Krabs and Planky's ship, creating a whirlpool and leaving Fishmael as the lone survivor of "Dopey Dick."

The scene cuts to Fishmael back at the Jelly Squirt Inn, turning out to be a story that he told all along. Everyone at the inn laughs at how he over-exaggerates himself as the hero, as they were all there themselves. Fishmael angrily leaves the inn, and everyone gets another round of jellyfish jelly on the house. Dopey Dick squirts jelly to all of the inn's customers, even Fishmael, who grumpily stands outside. Dopey subsequently closes the book he opened in the beginning of the episode and Fishmael states "The End," concluding the segment.

Production[]

This episode was confirmed by Cartoonlounge.de on December 20, 2022.^[5]

Art[]

Character design[]

• Designed by Ian Vazquez,^[1] and the main cast (excluding Mr. Krabs) were originally designed by Benjamin Arcand.^[4]

Background design[]

• Uncolored layouts designed by Sterling Ritcher.^[3]

Storyboards[]

• Rough boarded by Benjamin Arcand^[6] and plussed by Kyle Morrison.^[2]

Production notes[]

Ian Vazquez:

• Vazquez thought that for this episode, it would be cool to lean into the cool, desaturated palette to create a pen-and-ink illustration feel. The color red was spared for Capn' Krabs and parts of the disloyal anchovies.^[1]
• Most of 1830s versions of the characters are directly based off of the designs found in Benjamin Arcand's rough boards.^[4]
• Following the jellyspotters' addition to the episode, Vazquez thought it would be fun to make up a backstory for Kevin: "Kevin was a nobleman who pursued Jellyfish whaling as a hobby and took the credit while Krabs did all the hard work. But Krabs was smart & sneaky and Kevin bad with money so..."^[7]

Kyle Morrison:

• Morrison said that despite the moments featuring the Jellyspotters being very "brief," they said that they were "a lot of fun to give personality to and make them each unique".^[2]
  • This episode also featured some of their favorite SpongeBob closeups they've done on the show.^[2]

Music[]

( ‣ ) Production music

( • ) Original music

( ◦ ) SpongeBob music

 • Drunken Sailor - Nicolas Carr [Title card.]
 ‣ Shiver My Timbers - Gareth Walters [Opening.]
 • Fry Cook Ballad B - Nicolas Carr, Steve Marston [Fishmael walking through town.]
 • Missing Frycook 2 - Nicolas Carr [Fishmael slips and slides on jellyfish jelly.]
 ‣ Hornpipe Humour - Tony Ross [Fishmael enters the Jelly Squirt Inn.]
 • Hot Steel and Slide Licks 12D - Jeremy Wakefield [Fishmael drinks a shot of jelly juice.]
 • Whats This Sting - Nicolas Carr [Fishmael hears a voice.]
 • Poor Ol Sod Shanty - Michael Bolger, Nicolas Carr [Patbuck tells Fishmael about a ship in need of help.]
 ‣ Hornpipe Humour - Tony Ross [Patbuck takes Fishmael with him to Ye Olde Pineapple.]
 ‣ Crossing The Alps, 24th Of June - Gordon McCulloch [Fishmael aboard Ye Olde Pineapple.]
 • Lap Steel - Nicolas Carr ["Later..."]
 ‣ Sailors Hornpipe (a) - Richard Harvey, Brian Gulland [Patbuck ties Fishmael to a mast.]
 ‣ Swashbucklers - Larry Ashmore [Captain SpongeHab is introduced.]
 ‣ Dramatic Encounter - Gregor F. Narholz ["I brought you all here for a special mission..."]
 ‣ Five Dramatic Bridges A - Kurt Rehfeld ["Dopey Dick!"]
 ‣ Evil Atmosphere - Clive Richardson ["Was Dopey Dick the beast who took off thy leg, Captain?"]
 ‣ Seafaring Folk - Frederick Charrosin [SpongeHab shows that his leg is fine.]
 ‣ Pirate Salute [#12] - Con Ardt [SpongeHab chews a piece of gum from off the ground.]
 ‣ Pirate Salute [#13] - Con Ardt [SpongeHab blows a gum bubble in the shape of Dopey Dick.]
 ‣ Swashbucklers - Larry Ashmore [SpongeHab tells his crew to keep an eye out for Dopey Dick.]
 ‣ Dramatic Encounter - Gregor F. Narholz [SpongeHab sees Dopey Dick in the water.]
 ‣ Lugubrious Loon - Ernest Tomlinson [Dopey Dick making noises.]
 ‣ Up She Rises - Sam Spence [Fishmael used as a harpoon to catch Dopey Dick.]
 • Grass Skirt Chase - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Dopey Dick pulls the ship across the ocean.]
 • Hgliss & Bell - Nicolas Carr [Fishmael gets an idea.]
 • Presto Fanfare - Nicolas Carr [Shot of Fishmael's piccolo.]
 • Squidward's Solo Picollo - Nicolas Carr, James King [Fishmael playing his piccolo.]
 ‣ Nautical Fantasy - William Trytel [Ship crew pulls Fishmael and Dopey Dick out of the water.]
 • Hot Steel and Slide Licks 18 - Jeremy Wakefield [Ship crew wants to spread Dopey Dick's jelly on bread.]
 ‣ Hello Sailor (B) - Richard Myhill [Dopey Dick gets released back into the ocean.]
 ‣ Heavy Duty - Wilfred Burns [Capn' A. Krabs appears in his own ship.]
 ‣ Pirate Salute [#12] - Con Ardt ["Dopey Dick is our friend."]
 • Nude Sting - Nicolas Carr [SpongeHab's crew abandons ship.]
 • Hot Steel and Slide Licks 38A - Jeremy Wakefield [SpongeHab's crew joins Krabs' crew.]
 ‣ Mutiny - Charles Ancliffe [Krabs' ship attacking SpongeHab's ship.]
 ‣ Furious Attack - Alan Wynn [Krabs sails away with Dopey Dick.]
 ‣ Evil Atmosphere - Clive Richardson [Krabs and his crew sleeping at night.]
 ‣ Heavy Duty - Wilfred Burns [SpongeHab, Patbuck, and Fishmael see Dopey Dick on Krabs' ship.]
 ‣ Incidental Pieces 18 - Dennis Wilson [Dopey Dick being pumped for his jelly.]
 ‣ Evil Atmosphere - Clive Richardson [SpongeHab, Patbuck, and Fishmael sneak aboard Krabs' ship.]
 ‣ The Adventurers - Wilfred Burns [SpongeHab, Patbuck, and Fishmael rescue Dopey Dick.]
 ‣ Heavy Duty - Wilfred Burns ["Somebody owes me 300 tons of jellyfish jelly."]
 ‣ Trouble Spot - Van Phillips [Dopey Dick destroys Krabs' ship.]
 ‣ Bloodbath - Frederick Charrosin [Krabs and Planky stuck to Dopey Dick's back.]
 • Hot Steel and Slide Licks 20D - Jeremy Wakefield ["Captain SpongeHab, I don't wanna work here anymore."]
 ‣ Pirate Ship - John Hastings [Dopey Dick creates a whirlpool.]
 • Saloon Piano - Nicolas Carr [Everyone laughing at Fishmael's story.]
 • Drunken Sailor - Nicolas Carr [Dopey Dick squirting jelly on everyone.]
 • Fry Cook Ballad B - Nicolas Carr, Steve Marston [Fishmael hit by a stream of jelly.]
 • Fry Cook Ballad Closer - Nicolas Carr, Steve Marston [Ending.]

Release[]

• This episode is available on the SpongeBob SquarePants Vol. 23 digital collection and The Complete Thirteenth Season DVD.

Trivia[]

General[]

• This episode was paired up with a rerun of "Breakin'" during the original airing.^[8]
• This episode's title is the same name of the shark in the Looney Tunes cartoon "Rabbitson Crusoe."
• This episode is set during the 1830s.
• All of the incidental characters who appear in this episode are anchovies.
  • Ian Vazquez has stated that the anchovies are his favorite characters, likely explaining why they're the only incidentals to appear in the episode.^{[citation needed]}
• Various similarities and differences can be made with the past and modern incarnations of the main cast from this episode.
  • SpongeHab retains SpongeBob's love and respect for jellyfish, and his "catch and release" technique is retained as well. The pineapple boat that the '30s captain uses foreshadows his house that's seen throughout the series. Unlike SpongeBob, SpongeHab is slightly more intimidating and commanding and pertains a strong leadership position, whereas SpongeBob is rarely frightening and is easily stepped on.
  • Fishmael retains Squidward's love for instruments, evolving from liking recorders to clarinets, although he's equally bad at them. Fishmael also suggests working as a cashier at the Jelly Squirt Inn - to which Krabs denies. Squidward himself would later be presented as a cashier in the series. Squidward also pertains Fishmael's sense of misery and egotism, which the former would expand into his own character. Unlike Squidward, Fishmael is willing to go along with SpongeHab's manic adventures, while Squidward always tries to avoid getting in any of SpongeBob's.
  • Capn' A. Krabs retains Mr. Krabs' love for money and owns a restaurant, but unlike the main series where he’s Plankton's rival, Capn' A. Krabs and Planky are on the same team in this episode. Capn' A. Krabs is also portrayed as a villain and isn't involved in SpongeHab or Fishmael's antics, but Mr. Krabs is always stuck with them at the Krusty Krab.
  • While Plankton is no longer friends with Mr. Krabs, Planky was Capn' A. Krabs' co-worker and pet parakeet, also working on the same level as the crustacean. Otherwise, Planky is about as equally as antagonistic as modern Plankton is.
• This episode is 15 minutes long, while its sister is 7 minutes long, following the same formula as "Shanghaied," "Back to the Past," "Feral Friends," "Squirrel Jelly," "Swamp Mates," "Handemonium," "Krusty Koncessionaires," and "Squidferatu."
• This is the third episode in which only an alternate version of SpongeBob appears instead of the main-universe SpongeBob. The first was "The Algae's Always Greener" (where he only appears in the Mr. Plankton universe) and the second was "Welcome to Binary Bottom" (which features his robot counterpart SpongeBot).

Cultural references[]

• This episode's title and plot is a spoof of the 1851 novel Moby-Dick.
• Pat-Buck's name is a spoof of Starbuck from Herman Melville's novel, Moby-Dick. The difference is the "buck" bit in Starbuck's name was used in Pat-Buck's name.
  • Both this and its sister episode have plots and titles inspired by classic English literature, with "Plankton and the Beanstalk" clearly taking influence from the English fairytale, Jack and the Beanstalk.
  • "Fishmael" is a spoof of the main character's name in the book, Ishmael.
• Fishmael saying, "We're gonna need a bigger pineapple." is a reference to the famous line "You're gonna need a bigger boat" from the 1975 Steven Spielberg movie, Jaws.
• Sponge-Hab's outfit was inspired by Captain Ahab's from the 1956 Mobey Dick film and Capn' Krabs was inspired by Ahab's in the 2011 miniseries.^[4]

Episode references[]

• The jellyspotter anchovies are quick to abandon their original leaders out of fear and switch to opposing sides, just like they did in "I'm Your Biggest Fanatic."
  • They also repeat their "wah-wah-wah" line from that episode when SpongeHab's ship is torn to shreds, just as they did when all of Kevin's attempts to injure SpongeBob failed.
    • The "Fanatic" references seem to have been intentional, as Ian Vazquez states: "While some were anchovies in the script, with their easily changing loyalties & the jellyfishing theme I thought it'd be fun if the crew was just the same 5 Jellyspotters from "I'm Your Biggest Fanatic!"^[9]
• The nematodes quickly shred up SpongeHab's ship as they did to SpongeBob's house in "Home Sweet Pineapple."
• Capn' A. Krabs exploits jellyfish jelly for profit just like Mr. Krabs did in "Jellyfish Hunter."
• The town that Fishmael enters was designed to have similar wood to the pre-painted boat in "Abandon Twits."^[1]

Errors[]

• After Pat-Buck shows Fishmael the smiley rope, his head is cut off for a few frames.

• When Dopey Dick dances to Fishmael's music, his mouth disappears for a frame.
• When Captain SpongeHab frees Dopey Dick after he, Fishmael, Pat-Buck, and the anchovies hunt Dopey down, Pat-Buck's eyebrows are missing.
• In the Hebrew dub, nematodes are translated as silkworms.
  • In the same dubbing, Planky's line "Hardy har-poon, sucker" is said in the voice of Capn' A. Krabs.

Videos[]

References[]

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Ian Vazquez on Twitter - "Ahoy! A thread for..."
2. ^ ^{a b c d} Kyle Morrison on Twitter - "Dopey Dick" Supercut!..."
3. ^ ^{a b} Sterling Ritcher on Twitter - "A pan and some ext..."
4. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Ian Vazquez on Twitter - "Previz for 1830s versions..."
5. ^ SPONGEBOB SCHWAMMKOPF - EPISODE GUIDE | Cartoonlounge.de
6. ^ Benjamin Arcand on Twitter - "As promised, here's…"
7. ^ Ian Vazquez on Twitter - "After the Jellyspotters were added..."
8. ^ Nickstory - June 29, 2023
9. ^ Ian Vazquez on Twitter - "While there were some anchovies in the script..."