C.H.U.M.S

Characters

• Template:Data:Links
• Sheldon J. Plankton
• Eugene H. Krabs
• Bubble Bass
• Mama Bass ^{(voice and pictured only)}
• C.H.U.M. Template:Single appearance
  • C.H.U.M. 1
• Beefy chum Template:Single appearance
• Sea gator Template:Single appearance
• Baby chum Template:Single appearance
• Sludge Template:Single appearance
• Squidward Tentacles ^{(cardboard likeness only)}
• Karen Plankton ^(cut)

Synopsis

File:C.H.U.M.S 026.png

Plankton falls down the drain.

The episode starts with Plankton planning to steal the Krabby Patty formula, analyzing a path through the Krusty Krab's air ducts. As he launches towards the Krusty Krab, SpongeBob washes the restaurant while singing the "F.U.N. Song." The water from SpongeBob's hose sends Plankton falling into a sewer, landing on Bubble Bass's toothbrush after coming out of a faucet. Bubble Bass brushes his teeth, with Plankton still on his brush, before he spits into the sink, resulting in Plankton falling down the drain.

Plankton lands at the bottom of the sewer as he attempts to make his way out, but shaking occurs soon after, revealing a sea gator. While Plankton whimpers, a large batch of chum scares the gator away. The chum reveals a group of C.H.U.M. (Collective Hive Under Master), who bow down and proclaim Plankton as their master. The C.H.U.M. leader says that they are created when Plankton flushes chum into the sewer, and the flushed chum mixes with sewer gases. The leader takes Plankton to their village, where he gets the idea of using the C.H.U.M. to help him steal the formula.

File:C.H.U.M.S 088.png

The C.H.U.M. leader shows Plankton his city.

Plankton trains the C.H.U.M. for infiltrating the Krusty Krab. He asks the C.H.U.M. to batter down doors in their first exercise, function as weaponry in the second, and utilize karate against cardboard cutouts of SpongeBob, Mr. Krabs, and Squidward in the third. Although being harmed in every exercise, Plankton exclaims the C.H.U.M. as ready, before the Mr. Krabs cardboard cutout falls on him.

At the Krusty Krab, Plankton faces Mr. Krabs, as the C.H.U.M. army come out of the bathroom stalls. As the C.H.U.M. destroy the bathroom, they form a tank. The tank launches chum at Mr. Krabs, launching him towards the front window of the restaurant. He tries to ask SpongeBob for help, but he is too busy singing and playing with the hose to notice him. Mr. Krabs tries to hide from the C.H.U.M., as Plankton comes towards him on the tank, which soon forms a monster. Mr. Krabs continues trying to avoid them, but is soon caught.

As the C.H.U.M. attacks him, Mr. Krabs pledges to give up the formula, but he soon notices SpongeBob and makes a run around the outside of the Krusty Krab. While the C.H.U.M. chases him down, SpongeBob notices a penny, spraying the hose behind him, which sends Plankton and the C.H.U.M. down the sewer. SpongeBob soon notices Mr. Krabs, who praises him for saving him. At the Chum Bucket, Plankton asks to hang out with the C.H.U.M., but they prefer living in the sewer, as they flush themselves down and the episode ends.

Production

On January 24, 2021, Dave Cunningham said in an interview with the The Art of SpongeBob Discord server that he and Sherm Cohen supervised a few episodes prior to moving on to an at-the-time unannounced spin-off (The Patrick Star Show). This episode was one of them, as it was directed by Cohen and was scripted and storyboarded prior to that series' announcement, which was in August 2020.

This episode was confirmed by Cartoonlounge.de on August 24, 2021 and by Dave Cunningham on August 25, 2021.

This episode was added to the US Copyright Office on September 27, 2021, alongside its sister episode.

Vincent Waller confirmed who directed, storyboarded, and wrote this episode on October 18, 2021.

Promotional art

• Created by the SpongeBob and Patrick social media accounts.

• SpongeBob timeline
  SpongeBob timeline
• Patrick timeline
  Patrick timeline
• Collage of franchise comparisons
  Collage of franchise comparisons
• Find SpongeBob in a slew of Patricks
  Find SpongeBob in a slew of Patricks

Art

Character design

• Designed by Maddie Carter.

• Designs for various chum creatures
  Designs for various chum creatures
• Designs for the C.H.U.M. leader, Sludge
  Designs for the C.H.U.M. leader, Sludge

Release

• This episode is available on the SpongeBob SquarePants Vol. 21, The Complete Thirteenth Season, Another 100 Episodes, and The Best 300 Episodes Ever DVDs.

Trivia

General

• This is the last episode to be written by Ben Gruber.
• This is the first episode to have scenes storyboarded by Vincent Waller since "Mooncation" in production order and "Restraining SpongeBob" in packaging order.
  • This is also currently his last episode as a storyboard director. The credits only credit a crew member once as of season 12, so Vincent Waller is only credited as a co-executive producer.
• When it aired in Southeast Asia, this episode was paired with "Squidward's Sick Daze."
  • In Central/Eastern Europe, it was paired with "Pat the Dog."
• This episode was originally going to air on Nickelodeon UK and Ireland on April 25, 2022, but it was pulled and replaced with a rerun of "Surf N' Turf."
• This episode marks the return of former crew member Bill Reiss.

File:C.H.U.M.S 023.png

"F.U.N." reference.

• This is the second episode title to be in acronym form. The first is "F.U.N."
• This is the third episode to have chum letters in the title card. The first is "Plankton's Regular," and second is "Free Samples."
  • It is also the case with the "Later" time card from "The Hankering."

Episode references

• The "F.U.N Song" from the episode "F.U.N." is referenced in this episode, with SpongeBob singing the song and spelling out "FUN" while using his hose to spray away soap bubbles on the Krusty Krab windows.
• Mr. Krabs' quote "You and what army?" is the same line from "Plankton's Army."
  • Both this and that episode focus on Plankton forming an army to steal the secret formula.

Cultural references

• The title and plot is a parody of the 1984 film C.H.U.D., which chronicles bizarre creatures living in a sewer system.
  • The title also references the 1994 sitcom Friends, as "chums" is another word for "friends."
  • The plot is also similar to the 9th century book The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter and its Studio Ghibli adaptation The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, as Plankton meets his chum like the Bamboo Cutter meets Kaguya and they also both have a similar ending.

Errors

File:SpongeBob's yellow eye mistake in CHUMS.png

• The audio for Plankton's line, "I made it! Yes!" abruptly cuts off.
• While SpongeBob is spraying the Krusty Krab in the beginning of this episode, his right eye is yellow for one frame.
• The shot of the C.H.U.M. playing the trumpet is not animated.
• When SpongeBob is running over to Mr. Krabs, his eye turns a grayish-black color for one frame.

Videos

• File:SpongeBob Mega Event Promo (November 19, 2021)
• File:SpongeBob Mega Event Short Promo (November 19, 2021)
• YTV promo
  YTV promo
• File:Plankton Attacks the Krusty Krab with a Chum Monster! 🍔 - SpongeBob
• File:The F.U.N. Song Isn't Much Fun For Plankton 👀 - SpongeBob SquarePants - Nickelodeon UK-2

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
German	C.H.U.M.S	C.H.U.M.S
Russian	Логово чамов Logovo chamov	Lair of Chums