The episode begins with SpongeBob waking up and realizing that it is April Fool's Day. Squidward sees him and wonders what SpongeBob is so pleased about, until he looks at the calendar, and realizes that it is April Fool's Day, which he says is SpongeBob's favorite holiday. Fearing the worst has to come, Squidward calls Mr. Krabs saying he caught something terrible and that he just could not be able to make it to work. Mr. Krabs says that there is an art collector in his office who wants to buy Squidward's art and name him the artist of the month. So, Squidward immediately rushes to the Krusty Krab, only to find that it was a silly prank by SpongeBob and Mr. Krabs. Squidward attempts to resign from his job, but SpongeBob persuades him to stay, promising not to pull any further pranks on him.
However, SpongeBob continues to prank the customers inside the Krusty Krab while not pranking Squidward but getting carried away with it. The customers do not take offense to SpongeBob's pranks as they are harmless and playful in nature and they even laugh with SpongeBob. Although Squidward is not receiving any more tricks as SpongeBob promised, he gets furious over his and the customers' laughter. Eventually, an angry Squidward decides to get revenge on SpongeBob by showing him what he feels is a "real" prank.
Squidward sets an elaborate rope trap attached to an anchor suspended from the ceiling and squirts a blob of mustard in the middle of the lasso. As SpongeBob goes to clean it up, Squidward cuts the rope holding the heavy anchor, causing SpongeBob to get his foot caught in the rope, triggering a chain reaction that sends him flying around the restaurant, colliding into several objects and areas, ending with him landing in a garbage can. Squidward laughs hysterically at him, but a hurt SpongeBob runs out of the restaurant crying. Bewildered by SpongeBob's reaction, Squidward calls out to him, saying that he was just kidding, and turns to the customers for support. But the customers are appalled by Squidward's prank, seeing it as far too harsh and nasty to be funny. They all feel sorry for SpongeBob and call Squidward out on this as they storm out of the restaurant in disgust. Distressed at their reaction, Squidward frantically insists that it was only a joke, but as he looks around at the damage his prank did to the restaurant, it slowly dawns on him that SpongeBob's pranks were actually funny, harmless, and meant to make people laugh so that SpongeBob could laugh with them. While his prank was just cruel, and meant to hurt and humiliate SpongeBob so he could laugh at him, as he couldn't tolerate the latter being happy on his favorite holiday. Overcome with immense guilt, Squidward realizes that he has no choice but to apologize to SpongeBob, albeit without any confidence.
Squidward goes to SpongeBob's house and sees SpongeBob's hat behind a rock. He goes over to apologize but then sees that it is just Patrick wearing the hat while digging. Squidward asks why he is wearing the hat and where SpongeBob is, and Patrick tells Squidward that SpongeBob is in the house "impressed" (instead of depressed) and was crying a lot. This, of course, makes Squidward feel even more guilt and he rushes over to SpongeBob's house and bangs on the door. He has gone so far as to force his way in, but SpongeBob slides his arm through the door and removes the doorknob, clearly in no mood to talk to him. Losing patience, Squidward gets his clarinet and starts playing badly, refusing to stop until SpongeBob reluctantly answers him. Squidward sadly attempts to apologize, but considering that apologizing to people is not something Squidward usually does, especially to the one person whom he despises the most, it is not so easy.
Squidward tries other methods of apologizing to SpongeBob, including sending him an apology note in a bottle but shoving the cork all the way in the bottle and apologizing to SpongeBob far away via two cans attached to a string, but these are foiled by SpongeBob not having a bottle opener and Patrick using the string as floss, respectively. Eventually, he is able to apologize by putting a bubble over his head, so that SpongeBob cannot even hear his apology. Squidward walks away, saying that his conscience is clear, but is confronted by memories of what he did. After he imagines his mother telling him he stinks, he runs back and genuinely apologizes to SpongeBob, even admitting he likes him, his friends, and everyone else in Bikini Bottom, but tells SpongeBob not to tell anyone. SpongeBob promises not to tell and forgives him, but then fully opens his front door, revealing that everyone else is inside behind him, and witnessed Squidward's apology. They all say "April Fools!" to Squidward, who is flabbergasted by this. Squidward states that he was fooling them as well before running away to his house, while laughing maniacally, causing SpongeBob to ask, "What would we do without Squidward?," ending the episode.
This episode was originally called "April Fools," as seen on the old Nickelodeon website and various production material. It was also originally known as "Poisson D'Avril" and "Instant Karma."[2]
This is the first episode for a few things:
The first episode to use "12th St Rag" for title card music.
Bubble Bass' final appearance in the series until 11 years later. He would later return in "Plankton's Good Eye" and would stay on the series as a recurring character since then.
However, his skin tone in this episode is mauve rather than olive green. This is the only time he appears this way.
On the April 1, 2013[3] airing when Squidward says, "I was just kidding," it was interrupted by Nick Studio 10 (which ran from March to mid-June) for 30 seconds by showing a sheep singing, and cut back to Squidward saying, "It was just a joke."[4]
This episode was referenced in "Friendiversary" when Squidward tries to restore SpongeBob's memories, he tries to make SpongeBob remember the lima beans and car chase. This is a reference to the scene when SpongeBob mentioned the lima beans and car chase.[6][7]
Dub facts
In the Polish dub, the episode's title is "Prima Aprilis," translates to original title.
Errors
When Squidward looks at the calendar, his mouth does not sync with what he is saying.
After being pranked the first time, Squidward places his hat on Mr. Krabs' desk, but he has it in his hand when he leaves Mr. Krabs' room.
During the scene of Squidward's prank, Incidental 71 is naked and everyone except for Squidward is poorly drawn. However, when he says "April Fools, jerk," he is better drawn and is wearing a purple shirt and shorts.
When Squidward's head explodes while apologizing, neither his house nor Patrick's house is there anymore.
When Squidward gives SpongeBob a message in a bottle, he puts a cork in it, which disappears as it rolls towards SpongeBob.
When Squidward sees Patrick, the hat is down to Patrick's eyebrows. However, when Squidward says, "Why are you wearing that hat?!" the hat is farther up Patrick's forehead.
When SpongeBob and the others say "April Fools!" to Squidward, SpongeBob's mouth does not move.
Squidward's April Fools prank propels SpongeBob with an anchor. However, when the anchor drops, SpongeBob flies like usual, but the anchor is gone completely. Also when the anchor drops, the rope is tied to both of SpongeBob's legs, but through the rest, it is tied to one of his legs.
When the fish leave the Krusty Krab, multiple far-distance fish clone simultaneously.
When SpongeBob tells Gary that they are moving, Gary has an eyebrow that vanishes in the next shot.
The first time Squidward tries to apologize to SpongeBob, when he blinks, his eyelids turn to the teal color they would become in season 2 rather than the seafoam they are for this season.
When SpongeBob pranks Incidental 41, his right tooth turns yellow for a split second.
File:Fools in April 119.pngSpongeBob with black pores.When SpongeBob passes through Bubble Bass' rear, his shirt is white and his shorts are dark blue, but when Squidward sees the injury afterward, his shirt is light green and his shorts are purple.
Right before passing through Bubble Bass' rear, SpongeBob's right pores were colored black.
When SpongeBob is taken around the bar, there is a frame with his mouth missing.
Even after SpongeBob reveals to the old lady his prank of giving her a spoon rather than a fork, she still walks away with the spoon.
When Squidward imagines the fish telling him, "April Fools, jerk," Incidental 6 was shown in the illusion; earlier, Incidental 71 told him this.
Similarly, Squidward imagines his mother telling him, "You stink!", when she wasn't even in the Krusty Krab.
While Squidward is running through the restaurant to "catch" SpongeBob, the same characters can be seen over and over again, as if he was running in a circle, but is actually running in a straight line.
When SpongeBob and the others say "April Fools!" to Squidward, Sandy's head and eyes duplicate themselves.
This error has been fixed on Nicktoons airings.
When SpongeBob mentions the lima beans and car chase to Squidward, his two teeth have been colored black.
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