A Cabin in the Kelp

Characters

• Template:Data:Links
• Gal Pals
  • Karen Plankton
  • Sandy Cheeks
  • Mrs. Puff
  • Pearl Krabs
• Wolfworm ^{(single appearance)}
• Moose snail Template:Debut
• Flibberty Gibbet Template:Debut
• Saleslady ^{(single appearance)}
• Incidental 115 ^{(pictured on brochure)}
• Incidental 2 ^{(pictured on brochure)}
• Jellyfish Template:Cameo

Synopsis

Pearl joins the Gal Pals.

The episode begins with the outside of Mrs. Puff's Boating School. The Gal Pals - Karen, Sandy, and Mrs. Puff - are preparing for a camping trip. They load their trailer and afterwards attach it to the boat. Pearl, the newest member, plans to prank them by having SpongeBob scare them. When Pearl arrives, Sandy puts her backpack, which has SpongeBob in it, in the trailer. The Gal Pals start driving and sing a song. They run over a pothole and the trailer disconnects from the boat, crashing in a pit of mud. SpongeBob is able to get out before the trailer sinks, and he finds a lucky peanut.

At the cabin, Sandy notices that the trailer has disconnected. Pearl is sad about losing her backpack, but Karen says that they can buy a new one. The Gal Pals quickly redecorate the abandoned cabin, and Pearl leaves to call SpongeBob. She advises him to "follow the trees" to find the cabin, and he runs into the woods. At night, the Gal Pals are sitting around a campfire. Sandy gives Pearl a necklace, and she, Karen, and Mrs. Puff tell her a scary story about the former fourth Gal Pal to whom the necklace belongs, Flibberty Gibbet, who is still roaming around in the woods for revenge after an argument. Pearl is scared and throws away the necklace, and the other Gal Pals start laughing at her, having successfully pranked her. Pearl laughs as a hand grabs the necklace from the floor.

After a noise, Mrs. Puff and Sandy explain that the story of Flibberty Gibbet was actually true. Pearl thinks the noise is SpongeBob, who is still lost. Karen plans for all four of them to jump out and scare SpongeBob. A monster then appears, and they run into the cabin and plan to escape.

File:A Cabin in the Kelp 181.png

The Gal Pals try to warn SpongeBob not to go in the cabin.

SpongeBob appears at the cabin and is grabbed by the monster. The Gal Pals run in to save him, only to find that the monster is actually a saleslady selling pinecones on sticks. Flibberty Gibbet appears, not intending any harm to the Gal Pals, and they get scared and run away in terror. SpongeBob chases after them with his lucky peanut. The episode ends with a fourth wall break as the four girls crash into the screen. They slide down, and then a "The End" sign shows up.

Production

The episode was confirmed by Vincent Waller on June 29, 2019.

Storyboard

File:SpongeBob SquarePants Storyboard - Cabin in the Kelp

Release

• This episode is available on the SpongeBob SquarePants Vol. 20 and The Complete Twelfth Season DVDs.

Trivia

General

• This is the first episode in the series when sorted in alphabetical order.
• SpongeBob is the only male main character present in this episode. All four female main characters are also present.
• This episode was paired up with "The Ghost of Plankton" during the episode's original American airing, but has since been re-airing with its sister "The Hankering."
  • Additionally, it was paired with "Krusty Katering" during the SpongeBob Code-Catcher Challenge.
• This is the first episode to use Part 1 of "House Of Horror" since "Yeti Krabs."
  • This is also the first episode in which Part 2 and Part 4 play since "Sanctuary!"
    • This also marks the third episode where the track plays four out of five parts of the version. The first was "Graveyard Shift" and the second was "Sanctuary!"
• This is the second episode in which Karen, Sandy, and Mrs. Puff form their friend group after "Girls' Night Out."
  • Pearl becomes the newest Gal Pal, making her the only non-adult member.
• In one scene, Pearl looks at the audience and says, "She must be psychic," breaking the fourth wall.
• This is the third episode in the series where Karen appears without Plankton. The first was "Mall Girl Pearl," and the second was "Don't Wake Patrick."
• Kristen Morrison is credited as a storyboard artist in this episode, while she is usually credited as a storyboard director.
  • This is also her last episode before she went to work on the Disney animated series The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse.
• This episode's German title is "Die Hütte Im Seetang," which translates to "The Hut in Kelp."
• This episode accidentally premiered in Italy on September 6, 2019.
• In the Russian dub, the title card text is not translated or narrated while it usually gets narrated.
  • However, this mistake got fixed when the episode re-ran on Nick HD on March 25, 2020.
• This is the third episode where Michelle Bryan is the only animator, with the first being "My Two Krabses" and the second being "Pat Hearts Squid."
• This is the fourth episode in which Pearl appears, but Template:Data:Links does not. The first was "Tunnel of Glove," the second was "Patnocchio," and the third was "Goons on the Moon."
• The title card is similar to that of "Bunny Hunt" in several ways:
  • Both use "Coconut Cream Pie" as the title card music.
  • Both use red text and place it similarly.
  • Both depict something based on the episode.
  • Both depict dark/empty places.

Cultural references

• The episode's title references the film The Cabin in the Woods.
• SpongeBob's line "I am SpongeZan, of the brine apes!" references Tarzan, lord of the apes.

Video

File:“SpongeBob ScarePants” Promo (Oct. 2019)

File:Pearl's Scary Gal Pals Camping Trip 😱 - "A Cabin in the Kelp" Full Scene - SpongeBob