Bubble Buddy Returns

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

Characters

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• Template:Data:Links
• Shiny Bubble Template:Debut
• Squidward Tentacles
• Ernest Borgnine ^{(cameo) (storyboard only)}
• Eugene H. Krabs
• Gary the Snail
• Patrick Star ^(mentioned)
• Uncle Raymond ^(mentioned)
• Ted
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  • Incidental 115
  • Old Man Walker
  • Incidental 7
  • Incidental 36
  • Incidental 37A
  • Incidental 63
  • Incidental 40
  • Incidental 45
  • Incidental 46
  • Incidental 41
  • Incidental 47
  • Incidental 107
  • Incidental 92
  • Incidental 64
  • Incidental 60
  • Incidental 73
• Greaser fish
• Unnamed Bikini Bottom Pillow Foundry worker Template:Debut
• Dinosaur bubble Template:Debut
• King Neptune ^(mentioned)

Synopsis

The episode begins with a bubble with a letter inside flying to Template:Data:Links while causing mischievous antics around town. It finally flies into SpongeBob's kitchen, where SpongeBob enjoying a bowl of Kelpo cereal with Gary. SpongeBob opens the letter, which is from his old friend, Bubble Buddy, asking him to babysit his son, Shiny. Shiny appears out of the bubble holding the letter. SpongeBob introduces himself and takes Shiny to meet Squidward. Unfortunately, Shiny causes mayhem in Template:Data:Links and SpongeBob cannot find him. Shiny keeps flying in Squidward's house and destroying furniture. SpongeBob is being careful so Shiny will not pop from all the sharp objects in Squidward's house, enraging him.

Eventually, SpongeBob catches him and takes Shiny to the Krusty Krab. Then, he goes into Mr. Krabs' office and flies everywhere around him. Mr. Krabs is shiny and clean from the bubble soap and tells SpongeBob to let Shiny play in the dirty dishes. Then, while SpongeBob is cooking Template:Data:Links, Shiny once again gets into mischief by sliding around and making the Krusty Krab floors slippery. All the customers keep slipping, so Mr. Krabs kicks them out. Then, Shiny flies into the city and gets into lots of trouble.

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SpongeBob and Bubble Buddy's reunion.

He goes into the Bikini Bottom Pin Factory, Bikini Bottom Scissor Works, and the Pitchfork Pantry. Then, SpongeBob decides to go to the Bikini Bottom Pillow Foundry since pillows are soft and harmless, only to find out that it is a dangerous place too due to the way pillows are produced.

When they get home, he feeds Shiny a hot dog in the form of a bubble, but then he pops. SpongeBob has the bubble soap to repair him. Finally, when he blows another Shiny, he grows two heads. Then, Bubble Buddy comes to his house to pick up Shiny. SpongeBob begins to apologize about Shiny, but Bubble Buddy says that it is okay, because sometimes it had happened to Shiny. Then, he traps Shiny into a bottle of bubble soap.

As they are leaving on a bubble plane, Shiny is normal again, blowing a raspberry out from the bottle and they go into the plane and fly away, as the episode ends.

Running gags

• Shiny floating into different sharp objects and factories, but does not pop while SpongeBob, who is trying to save him, ends up getting hurt.
• SpongeBob saying, "Shiny, No!"

Production

Storyboards

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Deleted scene

SpongeBob was originally going to see Ernest Borgnine's live-action face in Squidward's cupboard and say, "Borgnine." However, it was ultimately scrapped.

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Release

• This episode is available on the SpongeBob SquarePants Vol. 13, Complete Eighth Season, SpongeBob on Tour, The SpongeBob SquarePants Collection, The SpongeBob SquarePants 8 Season DVD Collection, Next 100 Episodes, The Best 200 Episodes Ever, and Seventh & Eighth Seasons DVDs.

Trivia

General

• This episode premiered as part of the 2011 Super Stuffed Nicksgiving Weekend event.
  • The title card for this episode is also similar to the bubble letters with SpongeBob in the bath in the show's intro, though still slightly different.
• In the letter from Bubble Buddy, it reads "We don't want him to go pop like his late Uncle Raymond." This is the first mention of any relatives of Bubble Buddy.
  • Figuratively speaking, Shiny Bubble is SpongeBob's grandson because SpongeBob created Bubble Buddy and Shiny is Bubble Buddy's son. This could be implied that SpongeBob is Bubble Buddy's father.
• As seen in other episodes, bubbles in the SpongeBob SquarePants universe have properties more similar to inflated balloons than bubbles. For example, when Shiny is caught in the blades of Squidward's fan, he does not pop. Instead, he spins around them, the way a helium-filled balloon would if caught in the same situation.
• Mr. Krabs references Bubble Buddy's original visit to the Krusty Krab in "Bubble Buddy," telling SpongeBob, "Bubble Buddy, huh? That guy still owes me money."
• SpongeBob says one of the games that he and Shiny could play is the "Let's do nothing at all" game and claims that Patrick is really good at that one. This may be a reference to "Big Pink Loser," when Patrick wins a trophy for doing absolutely nothing longer than anyone else, which would make sense why he is good at the "Let's do nothing at all" game.
  • Incidentally, that episode is the sister episode of "Bubble Buddy."
• Shiny shows no mouth signs of life until the end, just like his father in "Bubble Buddy."
• In "Bubble Buddy," the eponymous character drives an automobile home. In this episode, he rides an airplane home, implying he must have moved further away.
  • It is later confirmed in "Bubbletown" that he now lives in a town called Bubbletown.
• This is the first episode to have a title card reused outside of the Template:Data:Links episodes.
• This is the first episode to use the track "Porous Pursuit."
  • It is also the only season 8 episode to use that track.
• This is the final episode of the series to contain the 2002 Paramount logo.
• In Germany, this episode has two title cards.
• Xfinity/Comcast's description of this episode is actually for the original "Bubble Buddy."
• This episode's title card is the same as the one for "Bubble Buddy," except that the word "Returns" is added to it and Bubble Buddy's name is squished up more.

Cultural references

• Squidward paints his self-portrait to resemble Napoleon Bonaparte.

Errors

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Gary's shell error.

• After SpongeBob reads the letter from Bubble Buddy, the spots on Gary's shell swap colors.
  • This error also occurs in "Planet of the Jellyfish" and "Treats!"
• When Shiny erases the mustache from Squidward's painting, no ink is seen on his torso. The mustache could not be erased without touching the nose.

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His arm overlapping in his body.

• When the dinosaur bubble appears, one of SpongeBob's arm is overlapping in his body.