Don't Make Me Laugh

Characters

• Template:Data:Links
• Patrick Star
• Usher
• Squidward Tentacles
  • Squidward's reflection
• Eugene H. Krabs
• Lady Upturn
• Grandma SquarePants
• Fifi
• French Narrator
• Nurse
• Robot Template:Single appearance
• Sparklenose Template:Single appearance
• Lucky ^{(cameo on side of milk truck)}
• Cindy
• Template:Data:Links
  • Fred
  • Incidental 1D
  • Incidental 6
  • Incidental 9
  • Incidental 11
  • Incidental 16
  • Incidental 27
  • Incidental 49
  • Incidental 50
  • Incidental 67
  • Incidental 93
  • Incidental 101
  • Incidental 116
  • Incidental 118C
  • Incidental 124
  • Incidental 127
  • Incidental 153
  • Lady inc
  • ProhibitionPatron 3
  • ProhibitionPatron 4
  • SpeakeasyGGServer 1
  • "Doctor" incidentals
  • "C" incidentals

This list is incomplete, but you can help Encyclopedia SpongeBobia by expanding it.

Synopsis

SpongeBob and Patrick are going to see a funny movie, but end up in the wrong theater, seeing a romantic movie called Prudence in Love. When Patrick starts laughing, SpongeBob laughs along with him: the years of excessive laughing cause SpongeBob's funny bone to get stuck in high gear, making him laugh uncontrollably. His laughing annoys the rest of the moviegoers and the usher kicks him out. SpongeBob cannot stop his laughing and tries to hold it in, but this does not work.

File:2024-02-12 1719pm SpongeBob SquarePants 08.png

SpongeBob laughing at the Krusty Krab.

As SpongeBob tries to go back home, he sees a man wearing a funny hat and laughs, mistakenly offending him. He then laughs at a milkman crying over spilled milk. The next day, he goes to work and tries to stifle his laughter. He runs into Squidward and laughs at his face, and locks himself in the storage room so nobody will hear him. However, the vents carry his laughter into the dining room, making everyone leave. Mr. Krabs comes in and tells SpongeBob to stop, but Lady Upturn and Fifi enter, angered that nobody has taken their order. Fifi swipes a patty from the grill and Lady Upturn falls when lunging at her, making SpongeBob laugh. Mr. Krabs kicks him out, although SpongeBob claims he is not laughing at person. Fifi attacks him and he leaves the restaurant.

SpongeBob runs through town, laughing. He locks himself in a dark building, hoping that there will be nothing to laugh at, but he ends up in a hospital operating room. As a doctor operates on a robot, his tears of laughter short circuit the robot and make it attack the doctor and nurse. He runs away and finds himself unable to stop laughing, deciding to go to the cemetery so nothing will make him laugh. However, he ends up at a clown funeral, which he finds funny. The supposedly dead clown comes to life, making SpongeBob laugh. He leaves but trips over a stand with a flower wreath. It makes the clown sneeze and his nose explodes, and SpongeBob runs away laughing.

File:2024-02-12 1719pm SpongeBob SquarePants 12.png

SpongeBob sees his grandma.

Hours later, SpongeBob's laughter has made his mouth take up his entire face. He sees a movie called Weep playing in theaters, which consists of people crying, and decides to watch. However, he starts laughing, driving the patrons away. He runs into his grandmother, who claims that she also got her funny bone stuck at SpongeBob's age, and it happens to everyone in the family. Accepting that laughter is a part of his family, SpongeBob sits next to his grandma and laughs at the movie with her. Patrick is crying at the movie, but only because he ran out of popcorn.

Production

File:SB1408 recording .mp4

Jim Meskimen, the son of Marion Ross (voice of Grandma SquarePants) shared a clip of her lines being recorded for this episode at TikTok on January 27, 2023.

This episode was confirmed on September 5, 2023.

Trivia

General

• The plot of this episode is similar to the season 4 episode "Funny Pants," as both episodes involve SpongeBob finding everything funny, much to everyone's annoyance.
• One of Patrick's expressions at the beginning of this episode is recycled from "SpongeBob's Bad Habit."
• This episode marks the first instance of "Kailua Jubilee" playing in a title card since "My Leg!"
• This episode was paired up with "Squidiot Box" during the original American airing.
  • Coincidentally, that is the episode it follows in production order, with this having the production code of 325-1408, and "Squidiot" having the code of 325-1407.
• This is the first episode in the main SpongeBob SquarePants series to be copyrighted in a year that ends with a four. However, the The Patrick Star Show episodes "The Commode Episode," "Tying the Klop-Knot," "Chum Bucket List," and "Big Baby Patrick" were the first ones to be copyrighted in a year ending with a four, despite being leaked in 2023.
  • This is also the first episode premiere to be copyrighted in 2024.
• The episode would premiere unannounced on Nickelodeon at 5:19pm and Nicktoons at 9:15pm, with TV guides indicating that a rerun of "BassWard" would air instead.
• This is Grandma SquarePants' first appearance and speaking role since "Pet Sitter Pat," over 12 years prior to this episode's airing.
  • Between "Pet Sitter Pat" and this episode, she appeared in the short "What Else Can a Krabby Patty Do?."
• The castle background in Prudence in Love is recycled from King Krabs's castle in "Dunces and Dragons." The stained glass representations of SpongeBob and Patrick are still visible if one looks closely.
• As SpongeBob goes to watch Weep in theaters, the "Hollywood Fisherman Screen" background is reused from "F.U.N."
• As SpongeBob walks into the cemetery, a background from when SpongeBob and Patrick mowed through the area in "The Curse of Bikini Bottom" is reused.
• This is the first episode to premiere out of packaging order in the United States since "Ain't That the Tooth".

Episode references

• The octopus vendor from "Walking Small" is at the concession stand.
• The usher at Reef Cinema is the same one from "Best Day Ever."
• The hat store from "My Pretty Seahorse" reappears.
• SpongeBob visits The Seven Seas theater from "SpongeBob LongPants" to watch Weep.
• The Krusty Krab storage room from "Imitation Krabs" is seen again.
• Many one-off characters from previous episodes return here: the green fish in the stands from "Boating School," some of the fancy fish from Squidward's dream in "Sleepy Time," the doctors from "Code Yellow," the clowns from "Don't Feed the Clowns," and a few of the speakeasy patrons from The Patrick Star Show episode "Enemies a la Mode."
• Graffiti that reads "Sharks" and "Pods" can be seen in an alley. This was previously seen in "Whirly Brains."
• The purple doctor has orange arms, like he did in "I Was a Teenage Gary."
• The robot has a striking resemblance to the robot seen in the Night of the Robot movie from "Krab Borg."
• A poster of SpongeBob reads "Laughing Maniac," referencing when he is called the "open window maniac" in "Hall Monitor."
• When SpongeBob is watching Weep, the patrons he bothers are the lady inc and a blue Fred, just like in "Something Smells."
• SpongeBob sliding under the Krusty Krab window trying to contain his laughter is an homage to a scene in "Dying for Pie," where he slides across the Krusty Krab window as Squidward meets the enterance.
• Fifi's love of Krabby Patties returns from "A Place for Pets," stealing a patty from the grill as Lady Upturn comes into the Krusty Krab kitchen to complain about SpongeBob.

Videos

File:SpongeBob Universe + Rock Paper Scissors Promo - Starting February 12, 2024 (Nickelodeon U.S.)

File:Rock Paper Scissors Countdown - February 12, 2024 (Nickelodeon U.S.)