A Tinkle in Time

Characters

• Tinkle
• Patrick Star
• Squidina Star
• Cecil Star
• Bunny Star
• GrandPat Star
• Skip
• Leilani
• Cave Patrick
• Bubblebassasaurus
• Squidasaurus Rex
• Pterascallop
• Captain Doug Quasar
• Pat-Tron
• Pat the Hapless
• Regigilled
• Worm King Template:Single appearance
• Alien Upturn Template:Single appearance
• Alien Bubble Bass Template:Single appearance
• Mega Toilet Template:Single appearance
• Toilet people Template:Single appearance
• Template:Data:Links
  • Fred
  • Incidental 2
  • Steven
  • Incidental 14
  • Incidental 16
  • Incidental 27
  • Incidental 30A
  • Incidental 33
  • Harold (Inc 36)
  • Scooter
  • Incidental 41
  • Incidental 46
  • Incidental 49A
  • Incidental 92
  • Incidental 111
  • Stretch
  • Incidental 118D
  • Incidental 171
  • Tooth patient

This list is incomplete, but you can help Encyclopedia SpongeBobia by expanding it.

Synopsis

Tinkle get a roll of toilet paper from the bathroom and goes around the house looking for someone to play with. GrandPat is busy repairing his motor scooter, Cecil is giving Bunny a new tattoo, and Patrick is doing a circus show. Frustrated with Tinkle's begging, Patrick tosses the toilet paper roll again, causing it to hit the time closet's on button. Tinkle chases after it, goes through the closet, and winds up in prehistoric times.

Tinkle spits the roll at Cave Patrick, who is sneaking up behind Squidasaurus Rex. The dinosaur chases him, but Tinkle bites it and flings it into a volcano, roasting it. Cave Patrick eats the dinosaur meat and takes a nap. The time closet reappears, and Tinkle hears a voice calling for him, so he follows it and ends up on the S.S. Super Minnow.

Captain Quasar recognizes Tinkle as an antique, non-futuristic toilet, and takes him to an antique show. An alien version of Lady Upturn appraises Tinkle as a hat, as Pat-Tron correctly predicted. When an alien version of Bubble Bass asks to use the toilet, Tinkle reacts in fear, and runs away when he hears another voice calling for him from the time closet.

In Patgar, Pat the Hapless is hunting for the rare scroll of enchantment. He collects it and gets hit by poison darts, making him delirious. Tinkle tries to take the scroll from him, mistaking it for a toilet paper roll. In their struggle, the scroll falls off a cliff and is eaten by monsters. Tinkle jumps down to retrieve it, and comes back safely, impressing Pat the Hapless.

Pat the Hapless takes Tinkle as his steed, and they go around the land decapitating every king, leaving them as the rulers. While relaxing, the time closet reappears, and an unfamiliar voice calls Tinkle. He heads off, and the kings reappear to demand their crowns back. Pat the Hapless gives them back and sulks over losing Tinkle.

Tinkle ends up at the end of time, where the Mega Toilet talks to him. He explains that Tinkle's adventures through time have led to him being summoned to the year T0113T, where toilets are the leading race. Due to being worn as hats in Captain Quasar's time, they were worn as hats, and developed intelligence through osmosis. The Mega Toilet shows Tinkle the utopian land that Tinkle's actions have created. To ensure the future, Tinkle must return to his own time, which he initially refuses to do. The Mega Toilet summons a holographic toilet paper roll and throws it through the time closet door, bidding Tinkle farewell.

Patrick finishes his circus act, only managing to catch one acrobat. However, he drops him while celebrating. Patrick calls for Tinkle and Squidina notices him laying in front of the time closet, asleep. Unaware, Squidina comments that it is almost like Tinkle traveled through time and space from how deep he is sleeping.

Production

This episode was confirmed by Dave Cunningham on Twitter on February 13, 2025.

Release

Broadcast

• This episode premiered as part of the 2025 event "Friday Night Hits."
• This episode along with its sister episode, "TV or Not TV," were originally scheduled to premiere on April 4, 2025 at 7:00 PM, before being moved back to its initial April 11 slot.
• Amazon Prime Video, American iTunes, Google Play, and the Microsoft Store released this episode early along with its sister episode on Saturday, April 5, 2025, six days before the American airdate.

Trivia

General

• This is the first episode in the series to credit the special guest in the opening credits.

Cultural references

• This episode's title is a pun of the 1962 science fantasy novel A Wrinkle in Time.
  • The SpongeBob SquarePants episode "A Skin Wrinkle in Time" and "A Patty in Time" also reference this.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Russian	Идти в тубзик со временем Idti v tubzik so vremenem	To Go to the Toilet with the Times (a reference to the Russian phrase "Идти в ногу со временем" equivalent to the English phrase "To go with the times")