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VOICE OVER: Phoebe de Jeu WRITTEN BY: Joey Turner
Watching this show is like watching an aquarium - they know we’re out there. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Fourth Wall Breaks in SpongeBob SquarePants. Before we begin, we publish new content every day, so be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to keep notified about our latest videos.
For this list, we’ll be looking back at some of the funniest instances of self-awareness in Bikini Bottom -and the hilarious reactions that follow. Just be warned, not only will these moments contain spoilers, but they’ll make you think… are they watching us back?
#10: The Disturbed Family
“I Had an Accident”
Remember this ending where SpongeBob, Sandy, and Patrick are getting mauled by a live-action gorilla? SpongeBob asks what the ape is doing underwater in the first place, and the primate hastily rides off into the sunset on a live-action horse… sure, why not? However, immediately afterward, we zoom out to a family sitting on their couch watching the episode and looking even more confused than we are before finally shutting the TV off. It’s like the show itself predicted the audience’s reaction to this bizarre ending and decided to beat their viewers to the punch. It works perfectly with the family’s hilarious reaction and shows that the series rarely takes itself too seriously.
#9: The Trusty Slab
“SpongeBob’s Big Birthday Blowout”
While on a tour of the surface, SpongeBob and Patrick end up visiting an eerily familiar restaurant – the Trusty Slab. If it wasn’t already obvious, this is the surface world/live-action counterpart of the Krusty Krab, and its employees are all human equivalents of SpongeBob, Squidward, and Mr. Krabs. Naturally, there’s also a live-action Patrick and Sandy as Trusty Slab customers and a humanized Plankton as the restaurant’s biggest rival. All these humanized duplicates are portrayed by their respective counterpart’s voice actor, and they not only showcase their acting skills outside the recording booth but also how they perfectly replicate their character’s mannerisms. If only SpongeBob and Patrick could see the connection as we can.
#8: “You Just Struck Another Pedestrian”
“No Free Rides”
Ah, the French Narrator – the seldom seen, Jacques Cousteau-like voice that helps set the scene at the beginning of an episode and reads the time cards. However, it can be a dangerous job. For example, while setting the scene for SpongeBob’s boating test, he accidentally ends up right in the little square dude’s path. SpongeBob quickly approaches and then… BAM! He accidentally runs over the poor Narrator –we even get a brief shot of the unconscious storyteller and his camera. Thankfully, the Narrator survives the accident, but it just goes to show that not even he can escape the series’ zany slapstick –he’s definitely a lot safer as a disembodied voice.
#7: SpongeBob takes The ‘Shortcut’
“Born to be Wild”
Another staple of the series is the bubble wipes – where a huge wall of bubbles floats across the screen as we transition from one scene to another. While it’s definitely a dazzling sight, in the episode “Born to be Wild”, it has an even more practical use. SpongeBob fears for Bikini Bottom’s safety when a biker gang starts riding into town; he needs to warn everyone and decides to take the shortcut. What is the shortcut, you may ask? Hitching a ride on the bubble wipe, which takes him directly to the next scene inside the Krusty Krab. It’s comforting to know that SpongeBob can rely on going meta in a state of emergency.
#6: The Narrator Quits
“Can You Spare a Dime?”
A newly unemployed Squidward has been living with SpongeBob until he can get back on his feet, and while SpongeBob is saintly optimistic, the French Narrator isn’t so patient. He reads two title cards showing how Squidward’s been mooching off his neighbor for months; but on the third card, so much time has passed that the producers had to hire a new narrator once Frenchy got tired of waiting. Thankfully, Frenchy came back a few episodes later, but you know it’s bad when even HE can’t stand Squidward’s freeloading anymore. Coincidentally, it was at this sudden departure that SpongeBob finally snaps and tries to shoo his lazy neighbor away –way to stand up for Frenchy, little square dude.
#5: Squidward’s Pain
“Drive Thru”
Every so often, a character will have no one else to talk to but themselves, but they’ll look directly towards the camera to keep us in the loop with what’s going on. In one instance, after Squidward gets his eardrum shattered from a cruel prank, he looks directly at the camera and confirms that he is in horrible pain. He assures us that he’s not faking it, but we were already convinced –the poor guy had tears in his eyes, for Neptune’s sake. Considering what Squidward tends to go through on a daily basis, it’s easy to feel sorry for him –but it’s sad watching him reach out to the audience for sympathy like this.
#4: Underwater Physics
“Life of Crime”
With their new life on the run, SpongeBob and Patrick take a brief moment of comfort around a campfire. However, Patrick quickly points out what a lot of us are wondering – how can they start a fire if they’re underwater? Before Patrick can even finish the question, the fire immediately goes out. Being a zany, surreal cartoon means that the series doesn’t have to obey the laws of physics, but it’s a lot funnier when they decide to point out their own inconsistencies –and the perfect timing for the joke’s punchline made it even better. This wouldn’t be the last time the series calls out its own logic, but it never stops being hilarious.
#3: Squidward’s 11 Minutes of Misery
“Club SpongeBob”
Thanks to his burning curiosity, Squidward ends up trapped in the middle of the Kelp Forest with SpongeBob and Patrick. Realizing he’s now living his worst nightmare, the cephalopod asks himself why every 11 minutes of his life is full of misery. Any longtime viewer knows that SpongeBob’s adventures usually have an 11-minute runtime, and Squidward always seems to know that 11 minutes is all it takes for something to go awry (I’ll give him 11 minutes). There’s a lot more truth to his whining since, in a lot of episodes, our poor grouchy neighbor ends up suffering in one way or another. It’s kind of sad that he’s able to count the minutes of his own misery.
#2: The Talking Ceiling
“Krusty Krab Training Video”
Throughout the Krusty Krab’s training video, the omniscient narrator has been explaining the ins-and-outs of the restaurant to potential new employees. Aside from a few small interactions, no one really questions the narrator’s existence… until Patrick enters the scene. The minute he hears the narrator speak, Patrick is frightened by the ‘talking ceiling’ and tries to warn Squidward –only to have his concerns brushed off. We can’t say we blame Patrick – wouldn’t you find some disembodied voice coming from the ceiling kind of unsettling? Not all of them are as soothing and iconic as the French Narrator. Regardless, it’s always a treat to hear the voice-overs acknowledged by the characters –even if it is out of fear.
Before we unveil our number one pick, here are a few meta honorable mentions.
Secondary characters leave
“The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water”
Patrick runs out of Time Cards
“Wet Painters”
Squidward meets his voice actor
“Goons on the Moon”
Squidward alone
“SB-129”
SpongeBob imitates the Narrator
“Mimic Madness”
#1: Mr. Krabs vs. the Orchestra
“Clams”
While clam fishing, SpongeBob accidentally hooks Mr. Krabs’ millionth dollar on his line. Suddenly, dramatic “Jaws” music starts playing, and Krabs is terrified at what will happen. Frantic, Krabs manages to find a live-action orchestra playing the music and begs them to stop –to no avail. Later on, he actually manages to use the orchestra to draw out the monstrous clam and save his beloved dollar. Having the characters acknowledge the background music is hilarious enough, but to try and stop it or use it to their own advantage goes beyond meta at this point –now it’s like they want to change the whole episode’s narrative. It almost makes you wonder, how much control do the characters have over their lives?
