Drive Happy

Characters

• Template:Data:Links
• Coupe Template:Debut
• Mrs. Puff
• Patrick Star
• Squidward Tentacles
• Gary the Snail Template:Cameo
• Billy (lime fish)
• Harold (red fish)
• Fred
• Martin
• Frank (red shirt)
• Lenny
• Cara
• Nat Peterson
• Boat salesperson Template:Debut
• Mermaid Man Template:Cameo
• Truck driver Template:Cameo
• Mechanics
• Bikini Bottomites

Synopsis

At Bikini Bottom Boats, SpongeBob is being suggested numerous boatmobiles by the boat salesperson. The one that catches his attention the most is the self-driving car, Coupe, which he then buys. He shows his brand-new boat to Squidward and Mrs. Puff, who are really surprised that SpongeBob had the ability to obtain such a fancy vehicle.

At night, SpongeBob parks Coupe in his respective lot, but Coupe wants to be inside the house since it is raining, so SpongeBob carves a large quantity of his pineapple house to accommodate Coupe. The latter wants to sleep on SpongeBob's bed, leaving SpongeBob and Gary no choice but to sleep outside in the rain.

The following day, SpongeBob uses Coupe to get to the Krusty Krab and picks up Patrick, but Coupe ejects him after the latter annoys him with pushing his buttons. Arriving at the restaurant, he disapproves of being seen around the restaurant since he thinks it is too disgusting for his fanciness. As a result, instead of letting SpongeBob go to work, he forces him to do what he wants, which involves being pampered at an auto repair shop. SpongeBob lyingly claims that he has to use the bathroom, so Coupe sets him free for a moment, unaware of his intentions.

However, he suspects that SpongeBob is up to something harmful upon witnessing his buy a bag from the car store. When SpongeBob returns, he takes what is revealed to be a steering wheel out of the bag and installs it to Coupe to get to the Krusty Krab. Coupe prevents SpongeBob from getting to work by restraining him with his seatbelts. To escape from his manipulation, SpongeBob orders a triple Krabby Patty with five scoops of ice cream from the drive-thru and throws it onto Coupe's technology, interfering with his operation. He is eventually lifted up by Patrick, who wants the ice cream in which Coupe is covered.

SpongeBob gives up his self-driving days. Coupe asks what he plans on doing with him, and ends up becoming a kiddie ride outside of the Krusty Krab. He is rode excessively by Patrick while the latter eats ice cream, much to his misery and suffering.

Production

This episode was confirmed by Vincent Waller on December 28, 2017.

Art

File:Drive Happy Rough

File:Drive Happy Final

Reception

• Template:Reception

Trivia

General

• This is one of the few episodes where the Krusty Krab appears without Mr. Krabs.
• Irony: SpongeBob could have put Coupe in his garage if he did not want to be in the rain.
• This is the third episode where the Krusty Krab has a drive thru. The first is "Driven to Tears," and the second is "Drive Thru."
• This episode premiered on Carolyn Lawrence's 51st birthday, five years after SpongeBob Comics No. 17 was released, and three years after The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water was released in Pakistan.
• The "security blanket" that comes with the Wimp Wagon is a possible reference to "Dear Vikings," as the Vikings also use the security blanket to make the driver feel better.

Cultural references

• Coupe is a parody of K.I.T.T. from the 1982 TV series Knight Rider.
• One of the things shown on TV looks like The Phantom of the Opera.
• This is a very topical episode due to there being testing for real life driverless cars, except unlike in this episode, there is a steering wheel involved when the car gets too afraid to drive on its own.
• SpongeBob wears a helmet very similar to Kick Buttowski's from the 2010 series of the same name.

Errors

• 124 Conch Street never had a driveway in other episodes.
  • Besides this, Squidward's house is missing, probably due to the fact that the driveway is where his house usually is.