Bubble Buddy

If you were looking for the article about the character, then see Bubble Buddy (character).

"Bubble Buddy" is a SpongeBob SquarePants episode from season 2. In this episode, SpongeBob creates a bubble friend after seeing that everyone else is busy.

Characters

• French Narrator
• SpongeBob SquarePants
• Patrick Star ^{(voice only)}
• Sandy Cheeks ^{(voice only)}
• Squidward Tentacles
• SpongeBob's buddies
  • Stick Buddy ^(debut)
  • Rock Buddy ^(debut)
  • Sink Buddy ^(debut)
  • Bubble Buddy ^(debut)
• Eugene H. Krabs
• Criminal ^(debut)
• Incidentals
  • Fred
  • Incidental 2
  • Incidental 3
  • Steven
  • John
  • Incidental 6
  • Incidental 7
  • Incidental 8
  • Incidental 9
  • Incidental 10
  • Incidental 12
  • Incidental 13
  • Incidental 14
  • Incidental 16
  • Incidental 20
  • Incidental 21
  • Carol (Inc 22)
  • Charlie (Inc 23)
  • Incidental 24
  • Incidental 27
  • Incidental 30
  • Incidental 31
  • Don the Whale
  • Incidental 37B
  • Scooter
  • Lou ^{(deleted scene)}
  • Harold (Inc 40)
  • Incidental 41
  • Judy
  • Incidental 46
  • Incidental 47
  • Incidental 48
  • Incidental 49
  • Incidental 60
  • Incidental 64
  • Incidental 67
  • Incidental 70
  • Mabel (Inc 82)
  • Gale
  • Stretch
  • Steve
  • Dale
  • Frank (Inc 155)
• Larry the Lobster
• Grubby Grouper ^(debut)
• Pearl Krabs
• Drink vendor ^(debut)
• Seahorse ^(mentioned)
• Other beachgoers

Synopsis

As every day is a holiday for SpongeBob, he wakes up wearing a Viking costume and proclaims it to be Leif Erikson Day. He then goes outside to celebrate with his friends, but finds notes at the houses of Patrick, Sandy, and Squidward notifying that they cannot, or will not, play with him due to different reasons. SpongeBob decides to, literally, make a new friend, and after several failed attempts with a stick, rock and sink, he blows a bubble figure, whom he names Bubble Buddy.

The two go to the Krusty Krab, where SpongeBob orders everything on the menu for Bubble Buddy. However, SpongeBob makes several specifications on Bubble Buddy's behalf that Squidward is forced to bend over backward to accommodate because if he doesn't, Mr. Krabs fill his life with misery and woe, even if he quits the job. After the meal, Bubble Buddy pays with "bubble-money," which quickly pops, infuriating both Squidward and Mr. Krabs.

File:Bubble Buddy 031.png

"This... is... great!"

SpongeBob and Bubble Buddy next go to the Goo Lagoon, where they continue to cause trouble with their benign antics: holding up the restroom, causing misunderstandings, and leaving one fish to face high tide. Eventually, the beachgoers become fed up and begin to riot, even tipping over the lifeguard tower. Squidward steps in and blames SpongeBob and the bubble he has created, causing the mob to direct their efforts towards popping Bubble Buddy. They surround SpongeBob and Bubble Buddy, brandishing sewing needles and chanting their intent to pop the bubble. SpongeBob tries to escape by inflating Bubble Buddy, but he fails to be fly away from the crowd's grasp. SpongeBob implores them to realize that Bubble Buddy is his special friend, prompting the crowd to remember similar friends of their own.

File:Bubble Buddy 195.png

Unfortunately, this is not enough to change their minds. As the crowd throws SpongeBob out of the way, Squidward brings down his needle. All of a sudden, Bubble Buddy comes to life and catches Squidward's arm before the needle reaches him, much to the shock of everyone except SpongeBob. Bubble Buddy informs SpongeBob that "things are getting a little weird around here," and departs in a bubble taxi, floating into the sky and wishing SpongeBob a Happy Leif Erikson Day. The majority of the crowd, satisfied, leaves to go on with their lives. SpongeBob happily cries for his friend blowing up so fast before leaving in a flurry of bubbles. All but one of them pop, and Squidward, left behind in a daze, awkwardly greets it.

Production

Art

Background design

• Sourced from the Internet Archive, done by the crew in-house at Nickelodeon.

• Title card background.
  Title card background.
• File:SB148-SC.007A.png
• File:SB148 SC.7B(72dpi).png
• File:SB148-SC.010.png
• File:SB148-SC.019.png
• File:SB148-SC.020.png
• File:SB148-SC.026.png
• File:SB148-SC.046.png
• File:SB148-SC.057.png
• File:SB148-SC.058.png
• File:SB148-SC.063.png
• File:SB148-SC.072.png
• File:SB148-SC.077 .png
• File:SB148-SC.078.png
• File:SB148-SC.083A.png
• File:SB148-SC.088A.png
• File:SB148-SC.090.png
• File:SB148-SC.090A.png
• File:SB148-SC.091.png
• File:SB148-SC.104.png
• File:SB148-SC.109.png

Character designs

• File:Drink vendor sketch.jpeg

Storyboards

• Rough and tight clean-up by Heather Martinez.

• File:Bubble buddy storyboards.jpeg
• File:Incidentals Crowds 1999 Pose sheets 01.jpg
• File:Tattoo sb bb.png

Music

( ‣ ) Production music

( • ) Original music

( ◦ ) SpongeBob music

 ‣ Surfin' Fun - Grahame Maclean, Barry Ryder [Title card.]
 ‣ Hawaiian Link (A) - Richard Myhill [The opening.]
 ‣ Salute to the King (c) - Paddy Kingsland ["Hey, everybody! It's Leif Ericsson Day!"]
 • Puka A - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Everyone's busy]
 • Sleigh Bells - Nicolas Carr [Snow is seen inside Sandy's treedome.]
 • Puka A - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [SpongeBob goes to Squidward's house]
 ‣ The Land Is Ours - Gregor F. Narholz ["Bubble Buddy!"]
 ‣ Hawaiian Link (A) - Richard Myhill [Exterior of Krusty Krab]
 • Seaweed 1 - Steve Belfer [SpongeBob introduces Bubble Buddy to Squidward]
 ‣ The Tip Top Polka/The Cliff Polka - Chelmsford Folk Band [Krabs pops out of cash register]
 ‣ Romeo & Juliet Overture - Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Fiachra Trench [Krabs tattoos himself]
 ‣ The Rake Hornpipe - Robert Alexander White [Squidward serves shampoo]
 • You're Nice - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Bubble Buddy wants one of everything on the menu.]
 ‣ Carousel Ride - Derek Holt [Carnival style]
 • Idea Sting - Nicolas Carr [Bubble money]
 ‣ Shock (C) - Dave Hewson [Squidward and Krabs furious]
 ‣ Surfin' Fun - Grahame Maclean, Barry Ryder [SpongeBob takes Bubble Buddy to Goo Lagoon]
 ‣ Vinyl Scratch [#99.03] - Nigel Piper ["Shake that bubble butt!"]
 ‣ Surfin' Fun - Grahame Maclean, Barry Ryder [People still waiting for the bathroom]
 ‣ Hawaiian Link (B) - Richard Myhill ["He kept us waiting for a bubble?"]
 ‣ Dangerous C - Mladen Franko ["He owes me money!"/"He made me provide excellent service!"]
 ‣ Heavenly Voices (A) - David Farnon [Scooter's ghost floats up]
 ‣ Killer On The Run A - Gregor F. Narholz [Everyone tips the lifeguard stand/Everyone goes to the lifeguard/Everyone holds a needle.]
 ‣ House Of Horror [#10.2] - W. Merrick Farran [Everyone is surrounding SpongeBob with needles.]
 ‣ House Of Horror [#10.5] - W. Merrick Farran [SpongeBob screams.]
 ‣ Thrill Ride - Gregor F. Narholz [SpongeBob temporarily escapes]
 ‣ Hawaiian Breeze - Jon Jelmer ["He's not just a bubble, he's a Bubble Buddy."]
 ‣ Fight the Beast! [#61] - Gregor F. Narholz ["Pop the bubble! Pop the bubble!"/Everyone gasps]
 ‣ Dancing The Hula - Kapono Beamer [The ending.]

Release

Distribution

• This episode is available on the Lost at Sea, Complete 2nd Season, SpongeBob on DVD, Imitation Krabs, Nickelodeon KFC Promo DVD Volume 3, Holiday Cruise Collection, Beach Bob, Your Shoe's Untied, First 100 Episodes, 友達はサイコ～編, Exposed!: The Ultimate Box Set, The Ultimate SpongeBob Box Set, SpongeBob SquarePants Vol. 2, Complete Second Season, From the Beginning, Part 1, The SpongeBob SquarePants Collection, The SpongeBob SquarePants 8 Season DVD Collection, The First & Second Seasons, The Best 200 Episodes Ever, and The Best 300 Episodes Ever DVDs.
• This episode is also available on the Lost at Sea and Anchors Away VHS tapes.
• This episode is available on various streaming platforms.

Reception

• "Bubble Buddy" was ranked #23 during the Best Day Ever event from November 9–10, 2006.

Trivia

General

• The music heard during this episode's title card and opening credits was later used as theme music for the "Nicktoons Summer Beachhouse," which ran during the summers of 2002 and 2003.
• Leif Erikson Day is actually a real holiday. It is celebrated on October 9.
  • This is the same day as Squidward's birthday.
• The mentioned Krabby Patty meal, "Junior Senior Sophomore Patty," is a reference to the second, third, and fourth years of high school and college in the United States:
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
• This is the first episode to use the track "Puka."
• The title card for this episode is similar to the bubble letters with SpongeBob in the bath in the show's intro, one of the backgrounds that SpongeBob and Patrick are in in "Opposite Day" and one of the backgrounds that SpongeBob and Plankton are in in "F.U.N.," though slightly different and is not mirrored.
• SpongeBob's line "they blow up so fast" is derived from the phrase "they grow up so fast."
• Bad things Bubble Buddy does:
  • Make Squidward provide excellent service.
  • Give Mr. Krabs bubble money.
  • Clean Pearl's flipper, making her cry.
  • Have Scooter die from the causes of a high tide.
  • Make the Bikini Bottomites think they're fat (bubble butt).
  • Spend a long time in the Port-O-Head.
• Bad things Bubble Buddy is falsely accused of doing:
  • Poisoning the Bikini Bottomites' water supply.
  • Burning their crops.
  • Delivering a plague unto their houses.
• When Incidental 40 says that SpongeBob kept them waiting for a bubble, Incidental 32 is in the line. The same Incidental model is then seen when Larry says that he called him fat.
• This and its sister episode "Big Pink Loser" were the only episodes to have PAL audio pitch in PAL countries until "Fear of a Krabby Patty"/"Shell of a Man" in season 4.
  • This and its sister episode were the only season 2 episodes to be PAL pitched in the UK. However, as of 2021, both episodes are now in NTSC.
• There is a sequel to this episode titled "Bubble Buddy Returns" in season 8.
• This episode gets a prequel in Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years titled "To Pop a Bubble."
• On the November 10, 2006 airing, this episode was paired with "Skill Crane."
• During the SpongeBob vs. The Goo marathon, this episode was paired with "Sun Bleached."
• In the UK and Ireland, this episode is tagged as a sensitivity warning, which is the first episode to do so.
  • The warning contains "SENSITIVITY - POLITICAL - BULLYING/MOBBING" which was the angry mob vowing to get rid of Bubble Buddy.

Dub facts

• In Indonesia, Sandy's note is narrated by SpongeBob instead of Sandy herself.
• In the Odia dub, SpongeBob shouting "No!" in slow motion is left mute.

Cultural references

• When SpongeBob looks at the menu for the Krusty Krab, one of the foods mentioned is the Quarter Ouncer Double Pounder. This is a parody of the McDonald's burger the Double Quarter Pounder.

Errors

File:Chuck Klien error in Bubble Buddy.png

Chuck Klein's surname misspelled as Chuck Klien.

• In the opening credits, Chuck Klein's surname is misspelled as Chuck Klien.
• In the opening credits, "Special Guest Star" is missing above Corky Carroll as Grubby Grouper.
• When SpongeBob goes to Squidward's house, the note isn't there, but when he is at Squidward's front door the note is there.
• When Squidward looks at his reflection in Bubble Buddy, his hat is missing, but it is seen in the next scene.

File:BBMenu.png

The prices are missing.

• During the scene with the menu, the prices are gone.

File:BBeyes.png

Squidward's miscolored eyelids.

• After SpongeBob remarks that Bubble Buddy doesn't like the taste of his shampoo, Squidward's eyelids briefly are colored the same color as his skin instead of darker.
• When Squidward gives Bubble Buddy a Krabby Patty, lettuce is shown inside it. But when SpongeBob looks in the Krabby Patty, the lettuce turns into cheese.
• When SpongeBob tells Squidward that Bubble Buddy is lactose intolerant, part of his top right corner detaches.

File:Vlcsnap-2022-09-29-19h39m01s090.png

• After SpongeBob tells Squidward that the ketchup should be under the patty, he can clearly be seen putting the ketchup over the patties.
• After Squidward is done with every way Bubble Buddy prefers his patties, he says that the bun on the Krabby Patties has no crust, but there is clearly crust on the buns.
• Bubble Buddy goes to the restroom, but he is with SpongeBob in the scene where he says "Shake that bubble butt!," and then he is back in the restroom.

File:Nolips.png

Incidental 40 without lips.

• When Incidental 40 angrily says "That's it!" as he opens the door to the restroom, his lips disappear for a few frames.
• Scooter becomes a semi-transparent angel after he is buried. However, when he floats up to the surface until he fades out, he is opaque.
• When SpongeBob says, "Would you mind not getting so close with those pins? Pointy objects make Bubble Buddy uncomfortable," Pearl's bottom face skin is gray. However, when SpongeBob says, "Oh, no, he already took care of that, but thanks for your concern," her bottom face skin is white.
• When SpongeBob inflates Bubble Buddy to escape the angry crowd, Squidward is drawn with an extra leg.
• During the scene where Bubble Buddy leaves, when Larry comes to a stop he cycles through all his visemes.

Videos

• File:Happy Leif Erikson Day! 📅 “Bubble Buddy” 5 Minute Episode SpongeBob
• File:Beware the Bubble Buddy - New SpongeBob Series - The Bikini Bottom Inquirer Ep 5
• File:SpongeBob SquarePants - Bubble Buddy's Day At The Beach (S2, E3) - Paramount+

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
German	Bernhard Blase	Bernhard Bubble
Hungarian	Buborékbarát	Bubble Friend
Italian	Amico bolla	Bubble Buddy
Polish	Kumpel Bańka	Bubble Buddy
Russian	Баббл Бадди Babbl Baddi	Bubble Buddy
Spanish (Latin America)	Amigo burbuja	Bubble Buddy
Spanish (Spain)	El amigo pompa	The Bubble Buddy