Don't Feed the Clowns

Characters

• Template:Data:Links
• Patrick Star
• Jellyfish
• Elephant snail Template:Single appearance
• Template:Data:Links
  • Clowns
    • Little clown Template:Debut
  • Frank (Inc 105)
  • Stretch
  • Dale
  • Incidental 30 ^{(normal; 68-colored)}
  • Incidental 92
  • Old Man Walker
  • Carol (Inc 22)
  • Incidental 68
  • Incidental 20
  • Incidental 16
  • Steve
  • Harris
  • Incidental 63
  • Incidental 18
  • Sandals
  • Judy
  • Incidental 6
  • Incidental 31
  • Incidental 13
  • Incidental 69
  • Billy (Inc 158)
  • Incidental 67
  • Fred
  • Incidental 2
  • Incidental 41
  • Incidental 47
  • Incidental 14
  • Incidental 3
  • Incidental 48
  • Incidental 103
  • Steven
  • Incidental 8
  • Incidental 42
  • Incidental 152
  • Mr. Mailman (Inc 154)
  • Lenny
  • John
  • Incidental 25
  • Joe
  • Scooter
  • Incidental 157
  • Howard Blandy
  • Harold (Inc 40)
  • Incidental 49
  • Incidental 60
  • Incidental 119
  • Fire fish
    • Incidental 27
    • Harold (Inc 36)
    • Incidental 64
• Ringmaster Template:Single appearance
• Ringmaster's assistant Template:Single appearance
• Mrs. Puff
• Mr. Puff ^{(indirectly mentioned)}
• Vendor Template:Single appearance
• Boss Template:Single appearance
• Guard
• Mr. Crustacean
• Flats the Flounder Template:Cameo

Synopsis

File:Don't Feed the Clowns 074.png

SpongeBob meets a clown.

In the beginning of the episode, SpongeBob and Patrick are watching clowns perform acts at the circus. SpongeBob then sees a little clown who seems hungry, so he offers him a piece of popcorn, though the ringmaster prevents this and tells SpongeBob not to feed the clowns. SpongeBob and Patrick then witness the other clowns saving no pieces of candy in a box for the little clown. Out of sympathy, SpongeBob tries to feed the clown a bag of popcorn, but circus' gone. The little clown is then found hiding in a popcorn bucket and reveals that he wants a job.

SpongeBob then sees a hot dog stand and suggests that the little clown gets a job as a hot dog vendor. He shows him the ropes, but little clown does not serve them properly. Just then, a muscular fish spots the two interfering with his hot dog stand. SpongeBob realizes that it was his cart and tries to apologize, but then the vendor grabs him and the little clown and turns them into a hot dog shape in a bun, He squeezes SpongeBob and the clown into a bun and then proceeds to throw it and kicks SpongeBob and the little clown out from the Hot Dog stand and told him to stay out in anger.

Later, at Template:Data:Links, SpongeBob tries making the little clown's appearance less clown-like and more presentable for a job. Afterward, the clown gets a job as a businessman. Due to him slamming his stamp ink-covered face onto the papers and stamping his co-workers' faces, he gets fired from the job.

The next job that the little clown gets is a fireman. He drives a firetruck to Mrs. Puff's Boating School, which is on fire. Instead of using a hose to put it out, he uses clown streamers. Afterward, the school burns down and Mrs. Puff furiously screams at the little clown that he is fired.

The final job that the little clown gets is a baker at the Bikini Bottom Bakery. SpongeBob has his sentient eyes enter the bakery to make sure he does not mess his job up this time. As with his previous occupations, he does not follow directions and instead throws pies at the customers. As a result, the little clown is fired. He and SpongeBob are then rolled into a pie by the head baker, Mr. Crustacean.

After this catastrophe, SpongeBob concludes that the little clown is unfortunately not fit for a job. However, he then finds a place suitable for him in Kelp Forest. SpongeBob cuts the kelp with a machete and then reveals the slapstick plains. The little clown, after a long time of suffering through misery, is finally happy thanks to this place, as the episode ends.

Production

An unknown draft of this episode's script was completed on January 21, 2017.

Brian Morante posted an image of this episode's script (albeit censored with a Post-it doodle of SpongeBob) on February 17, 2017.

The episode was confirmed by Vincent Waller on November 2, 2017.

Despite being copyrighted in 2018, this episode was completed in 2017.

Script

• Script doodle by Brian Morante.

• File:SB1237.jpeg

Art

• File:Ringmaster & Assistant concept art.jpg
• File:Snail Elephant concept art.jpg
• File:Clowns 1.png
• File:Clowns 2.png
• File:Clowns 3.png
• File:Clowns 4.png
• File:Clowns 5.png
• File:DFTC Boss Concept Art.jpg
• File:Adam Paloian misc characters.png
• File:Free him.png

Storyboards

File:Dont Feed the Clowns!

File:Don't Feed the Clowns Final

Release

Format	Title	Region
DVD	The Complete Eleventh Season	United States
	Chatterbox Gary	Japan
Box set	Another 100 Episodes	United States
	The Best 300 Episodes Ever	United States
Digital release	SpongeBob SquarePants Vol. 18	Global
	SpongeBob Schwammkopf, Staffel 11, Vol. 2	Germany

Trivia

General

• This episode was originally titled "The Taming of the Clown."
• According to the United States Copyright Catalog, this episode was originally scheduled to premiere on Monday, January 15, 2018 along with its sister episode, but was pulled.
• The title card background for this episode is similar to that of "Plankton Gets the Boot," though Template:Data:Links's eyes are replaced with circus balls and the background is light green instead of blue.
• The ringmaster mentions the episode title twice when he says, "Don't feed the clowns."
• When Mrs. Puff deflates after yelling "You're fired!" to the little clown, she looks like her deflated form in "Demolition Doofus."
• In the UK and Ireland, the scene where Fred is stung by jellyfish after the honey pie lands on his face was edited to slow down flashing lights.

Dub facts

• In the Hebrew dub, SpongeBob mentions pies tasting like Israel sauces.
  • The hot pepper pie is replaced by a "Matbucha" pie.
  • The lemon pie is replaced by an "Amba" pie.
  • The honey pie is replaced by a "Hummus" pie.

Cultural references

• This episode's title is a pun on "Don't feed the animals."
• The original title for this episode is a reference to "The Taming of the Shrew," written by William Shakespeare.

Errors

File:SpongeBob's missing eyelashes mistake in Don't Feed the Clowns.png

SpongeBob's missing eyelashes.

• SpongeBob's eyelashes are missing when the customers run off shortly before the hot dog vendor arrives.

File:Don't Feed the Clowns 111.png

Two Incidental 41s.

• When a security guard drags the employer with the no sign out, Incidental 41 is replaced with another Incidental 41.

File:Don't Feed the Clowns credits.jpg

"Ring Master."

• In the closing credits, Ringmaster is incorrectly listed as "Ring Master."

Video

File:SpongeBob SquarePants - Stop Clowning Around Nickelodeon

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
German	Clown-Kummer	Clown Grief
Russian	Клоунов не кормить! Klounov ne kormit'!	No Feeding the Clowns!
Spanish (American)	No alimente a los payasos	Don't Feed the Clowns
Spanish (European)	No den de comer a los payasos	Do Not Feed the Clowns