SpongeBob's Lost Episode
SpongeBob's Lost Episode (also known as SpongeBob's Lost Episode Marathon and SpongeBob's Lost Episode Sweepstakes) was an event held on March 21, 2003, with a two hour marathon leading up to the "world-premiere" of "The Sponge Who Could Fly."
Promotion
The two hour countdown marathon generated a huge amount of interest among viewers who were eager to see the lost episode. During the marathon, celebrities Dave Aizer (the host of Nickelodeon's Slime Time Live), Whoopi Goldberg, Coolio, Rosie Perez, Frankie Muniz, Randy Jackson, and Jennifer Love Hewitt guest starred in the promos alongside Patchy trying to find the lost episode. The hosts of U-Pick Live (Brent Popolizio, Candace Bailey and Jeff Sutphen/Pick Boy) also appeared during the countdown commenting on Patchy's progress in finding the lost episode.
Nickelodeon also hosted a sweepstake event on the same day, sponsored by Burger King, Hostess, Danone Danimals, Cheetos, and the 2003 film Daddy Day Care. The viewer would call 1-800-324-4409 and win prizes. The grand prize of the contest included a trip to Jamaica, one thousand dollars, a treasure chest filled with various SpongeBob merchandise, and another treasure chest filled with Twinkies. Five hundred first prize winners would win a special T-shirt based on the episode.
Premiere
| Title card | # | Title | U.S. airdate | U.S. viewers (millions)
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 59 | "The Sponge Who Could Fly" (tr • ga) | March 21, 2003 | 4.33[2] (HH)* | |
| SpongeBob wishes he could fly with the jellyfish, despite the residents of Bikini Bottom repeatedly making fun of him. | ||||
*(HH) indicates the amount of households the episode was viewed in.
Schedule
| Time | Episode | Viewers (in millions)[4] |
|---|---|---|
| 8:00pm - 8:30pm | (#053): "New Student Starfish" / "Clams" | N/A |
| 8:30pm - 9:00pm | (#052): "Chocolate with Nuts" / "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy V" | N/A |
| 9:00pm - 9:30pm | (#055): "The Great Snail Race" / "Mid-Life Crustacean" | 7.051 |
| 9:30pm - 10:00pm | (#059): "The Sponge Who Could Fly" NEW! | 7.635 |
Trivia
General
- The episode "The Sponge Who Could Fly" was available on the Lost at Sea DVD and The Sponge Who Could Fly VHS tape, both released on March 4, 2003, respectively, 17 days before it aired on American television.
- This episode broke the viewership record for the series, beating the previous record of 6,321,000 viewers from "Party Pooper Pants" on May 17, 2002 and not being broken until "Have You Seen This Snail?" received 7,934,000 viewers on November 11, 2005.
- Despite being advertised as the "Lost Episode," the rest of the episodes in production order before and after this episode didn't air on American television until 2004. Additionally, the rest of season 3 had premiered in Canada on YTV in November 2002 before airing in the United States.[5]
- Despite the episode being advertised as a "world-premiere," it already made its first worldwide airing in South Korea on EBS (Educational Broadcasting System) on October 29, 2002, along with the rest of the third season, nearly five months prior to this event being held.[6]
Gallery
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"Grrrr... SPONGEBOB BETRAYED US!"
