Jump to content

Tea at the Treedome

From SpongeBob Wiki
Revision as of 10:30, 6 September 2025 by imported>AndromedaMapping1
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
If you were looking for the article about the chapter book, then see Tea at the Treedome (book).
If you were looking for the article about the Russian DVD, then see Tea at the Treedome (DVD).

"Tea at the Treedome" is a SpongeBob SquarePants episode from season 1. In this episode, SpongeBob meets Sandy Cheeks and struggles to breathe in her treedome.

Characters

Synopsis

While SpongeBob is jellyfishing, he stumbles upon a land squirrel fighting a clam. He attempts to save her, but she saves herself just before the clam eats SpongeBob. After the squirrel, named Sandy, saves SpongeBob, the two greet each other and start bonding. When he notices the air helmet she uses to help her breathe, he convinces her that he likes air too, despite not knowing what air is. Sandy tells SpongeBob to come over to her treedome for tea and cookies, and gives him a map of where her treedome is.

File:Tea at the Treedome 097.png
"Pinky out."

SpongeBob goes to Patrick to tell him about what he went through. When Patrick hears from SpongeBob that Sandy wears a "hat full of air," he misinterprets this as a statement that she "puts on airs," and that he needs to be fancy by putting his pinky out. The next day, SpongeBob arrives to Sandy's home, but when he goes inside, he realizes the treedome is entirely filled with air. SpongeBob starts having trouble breathing and begins to dehydrate as a result, but will not admit this to Sandy.

As Sandy is showing her house, SpongeBob attempts to use a birdbath to absorb water, only for the bird to angrily kick him out. Patrick reminds him to put his pinky out, and SpongeBob also brings flowers for Sandy. SpongeBob asks Sandy for water when she asks if he needs anything, but misinterprets this as needing a vase with water inside for the flowers. When Sandy leaves, SpongeBob desperately wants to get out of the treedome, but before he gets out, he remembers Patrick's advice, "When in doubt, pinky out," and remains in the treedome despite being severely dehydrated.

File:Tea at the Treedome 185.png
"What kind of place is this?!"

Sandy comes back with the water vase for the flowers, and attempts to start talking to SpongeBob again. When an oven timer inside her treedome goes off, Sandy leaves again. SpongeBob starts wondering if he needs the water in the vase, repeatedly telling himself he doesn't need it, but eventually relents. SpongeBob drinks all the water in the vase and bolts for the door, only for Patrick to come inside and prevent him from leaving. Patrick says that everything will be fine, but as he walks and stays inside the treedome, he starts choking due to the lack of water as well.

The two attempt to get out, and when Sandy comes to them with some tea and cookies, she is shocked when she sees the two have dried up as live-action objects. As a result, Sandy quickly brings water helmets for them so they can survive in the treedome and tells them if they needed water, then they should've asked for it. The trio happily drink some tea.

Production

Creation of Sandy

File:SB 001 SLATE.png

Stephen Hillenburg stated in the "Everybody's Talking: The Voices Behind SpongeBob SquarePants" special feature on The Complete 1st Season DVD and a 2014 interview that he created Sandy as "a strong female character that could be a friend to SpongeBob but not a love interest."[8] However, when Tim Hill helped Hillenburg create a pitch bible for SpongeBob in 1996, it was suggested that a hint of romance should be added between SpongeBob and Sandy.[citation needed] This idea was included in the bible, but Hillenburg eventually decided against Sandy being a love interest in the show.

This episode's recording script was completed on July 27, 1998. The finished master was delivered to Nickelodeon Animation Studio on April 27, 1999.

Script

Storyboards

Cels

Sketches

Paintings

Music

( ‣ ) Production music
( • ) Original music
( ◦ ) SpongeBob music

 ‣ Moloka'i Nui A - Kapono Beamer [Title card]
 • Closing Theme 2 - Steve Belfer [Opening]
 ‣ On Fire - Gregor F. Narholz [Sandy fights a giant clam]
 ‣ Death Trap [#27.2] - Gregor F. Narholz [The clam attacks Sandy]
 ‣ The Adventure Begins - Jonathan Neal ["You have fought well, giant clam."/SpongeBob continues trying to open the clam]
 ‣ Wild Panic [#39] - Gregor F. Narholz ["Your shell is mine!"]
 ‣ Return Of The Surfin' Headhunters - The Mel-Tones ["Hold on there, little square dude."]
 ‣ Moloka'i Nui A - Kapono Beamer [Sandy introduces herself to SpongeBob]
 ‣ Heroes Win [#34] - Gregor F. Narholz ["Oh, yeah? Watch this!"]
 • 12th St Rag Slo - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Sandy invites SpongeBob over to her treedome for tea and cookies]
 ‣ Cocktail Lounge - Dick Stephen Walter ["That's just fancy talk."]
 ‣ Armed Attack 3 - Mladen Franko [SpongeBob bangs on Sandy's door]
 ‣ Merlins Hill - Jennifer Jones [Harp music is heard]
 ‣ Aloha - Dick Stephen Walter ["Course there's no water."]
 ‣ Hawaiian Cocktail - Richard Myhill [Sandy gives SpongeBob a tour]
 ‣ Hippo's In My Bath - Richard Myhill ["Pinky, pinky!"]
 ‣ Dead March 2 - Frederic Chopin, Alfred Kluten ["I brought you some flowers."]
 ‣ Encirclement - Jean Clero ["I gotta get out of here!"]
 ‣ Merlins Hill - Jennifer Jones ["I like you, SpongeBob."]
 ‣ Encirclement - Jean Clero [SpongeBob struggles to open the door]
 ‣ Cocktail Lounge - Dick Stephen Walter ["When in doubt, pinky out."]
 ‣ Tribute To The King - Gregor F. Narholz ["I don't need water! Water's for quitters!"]
 ‣ Action Cut A - Gregor F. Narholz ["I don't need it... I don't need it..."]
 ‣ Kung Fu Saturdays - The Mel-Tones ["I need it!"/"What kind of place is this?!"]
 ‣ Dramatic Cue (H) - Ronald Hanmer [Sandy sees that SpongeBob and Patrick are dried up]
 • You're Nice - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Ending]

Release

Broadcast

  • This episode, along with "To Save a Squirrel" and "Ditchin'," premiered the latest in the day out of any episode in the series, at 9:45 pm Eastern Time.

Distribution

Reception

"This one introduced Sandy (Carolyn Lawrence). Nick Jennings' painting of crusty, dried out SpongeBob is classic. Also, Patrick's exhorting SpongeBob to keep his 'pinky up,' oblivious to the fact that SpongeBob is freaking out."

Trivia

General

File:Tea at the Treedome title card 2.png
Original title card.
  • An original title card with a different background and font colors can be found on the SuperSponge asset discs. It is the only title card on the discs that does not match its final version. It has never been used in any broadcast, home video release, or streaming release of the episode.
File:Tea at the Treedome Edgar version.png
Edgar Larrazabal version.
File:Tea at the Treedome Tom version.png
Tom Yasumi version.
File:Tea at the Treedome Tom Yasumi original airing.png
Tom Yasumi credited in the original airing.
  • In early American reruns, the Tales from the Deep DVD,[10] and the Deep Sea Sillies VHS releases of this episode, Edgar Larrazábal was incorrectly credited as the animation director instead of Tom Yasumi.[11][12] In the original American airing on May 1, 1999, The Complete 1st Season DVD,[13] 10 Happiest Moments DVD,[14] The First 100 Episodes DVD,[15] subsequent American reruns,[16] all international non-US airings, digital releases, and streaming services, Tom Yasumi has been credited correctly as the animation director.
    • This is also Yasumi's first episode credited as an animation director.
  • In this episode, SpongeBob and Sandy meet as adults; however, in the Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years spin-off, they meet as children, which is not canon to the original series. This inconsistency is explained in the episode "Kitchen Sponge."
    • In the Kamp Koral series finale, "End of Summer Daze," this episode is explicitly mentioned when Sandy explains that she cannot board the bus with SpongeBob and Patrick to preserve the timeline, and says "See you for tea at the treedome!"
    • Additionally, aspects from Kamp Koral started being incorporated into the main show beginning with "Something Narwhal This Way Comes."
  • Sandy's tail isn't shown throughout the first season when she is in her water protection suit, but every season onward has her tail shown even with her suit on, starting with "Wormy."
  • SpongeBob's dehydrated appearance and dry voice from this episode are later used in the console version of Battle for Bikini Bottom and all versions of Battle for Bikini Bottom: Rehydrated if SpongeBob is in Sandy's treedome.
  • The scene that shows SpongeBob completely dehydrated and attempting to not take the water from the flower vase and the part where he says, "I need it!" have become popular internet memes.
    • The scene where Patrick carries dehydrated SpongeBob and gets dehydrated himself while yelling, "What kind of place is this?!" has also become a popular internet meme.
    • Sandy's screaming face has also become a popular internet meme.
  • The water helmets in this episode feature two openings.
  • The cells of the characters in this episode have thinner outlines than the rest of the season 1 episodes.
    • Likewise, SpongeBob looks noticeably different than in other season 1 episodes (including "Reef Blower").
  • This is the first episode for many things:
    • This was the first segment produced for the series after the pilot, which was produced before a season was ordered.
    • This is the first episode where Squidward does not appear. However, he does appear in the novelization of the episode.
    • This is the first episode that Peter Burns, Doug Lawrence, and Paul Tibbitt wrote.
    • This is the first episode to have Derek Drymon as the creative director.
    • This is the first episode in production order with no bubble transitions after the opening credits. The only transitions used were fades and wipes.
    • This is the first episode that SpongeBob's glasses for jellyfishing/reading are used.
      • In this episode, the edges of SpongeBob's eyes can be seen through the glasses' lenses; in most other episodes, they are not.
    • This episode marks the first appearance of a female main character.
    • This is the first episode to be exactly 11 minutes.
    • This is the first episode to feature music composed by Sage Guyton and Jeremy Wakefield.
    • This is the first episode to be music edited by Nicolas Carr.
  • This is one of the few episodes to have the second door in Sandy's treedome be used.
    • In most of the rest of the series, it is just the door that is on the outside of the dome that is used, even though both doors still exist.
  • An image of SpongeBob starting to dry out is shown on the protective case of The SpongeBob SquarePants Experience: A Deep Dive into the World of Bikini Bottom.
    • A storyboard image also appears on the chapter 1 title page of the book.
  • This episode was previously paired up with:

Dub facts

  • The scene where SpongeBob looking back while he's trying to escape from Sandy Cheeks' treedome, Sandy's line "I like you, SpongeBob. We could be tighter than bark on a tree." in SpongeBob's head wasn't heard in the Indonesian dub.

Errors

  • When SpongeBob puts his binoculars away, his teeth turn yellow for one frame.
  • When SpongeBob says, "That little squirrel is in trouble," the left part of his belt is missing.
  • When Sandy says, "No kidding?," her neck is white instead of brown for a couple frames.
  • When SpongeBob runs to Patrick's rock, after he says, "Patrick, Patrick, Patrick?" his mouth moves as if saying "Patrick," but no sound comes out.
  • When Patrick tells SpongeBob how to be fancy, SpongeBob lifts his right-hand pinky finger up. From the back view, it looks like SpongeBob is holding up one of his middle fingers instead of his pinky.
    • Also, in the next scene where SpongeBob and Patrick approach the treedome, SpongeBob then has his left hand up and it looks like is holding up his index finger rather than his pinky.
  • The red light on Sandy's front door where the water gets drained is not there when SpongeBob and Patrick first walk up to the treedome.

Videos

Names in other languages

Language Name Meaning
Arabic فقاعة الهواء
fuqaeat alhawa'		 Air Bubble
Dutch Op de thee bij Sandy Tea at Sandy's
Finnish Teetä puun katveessa/Ilmaista teetä Tea under the tree/Free tea
German Experten Experts
Hebrew תה מתחת לכיפה
Te Mitahat Lechifa		 Tea Under the Dome
Hungarian Meghívás teára Invitation for Tea
Italian Tè sotto l'albero Tea Under the Tree
Mandarin (China) 橡树屋的茶点 Tea and Dim Sum of the Oak Tree House
Mandarin (Taiwan) 我的好朋友 My Good Friend
Polish Herbatka pod kopułą Tea under the Dome
Russian Чаепитие под куполом
Chaepitie pod kupolom		 Tea-drinking under the Dome
Spanish (Latin America) Tomemos el té Let's Have Tea
Spanish (Spain) Té en la bóveda del árbol Tea at the Treedome

References

  1. ↑ Page 60 from the Prince George Press September 16, 1999.
  2. ↑ Cable Guide (UK) January 2000 - pg. 40
  3. ↑ Juice! - 2000 - YouTube
  4. ↑ What's New on Nick?: March 6-12, 2000 - Nickelodeon Australia, Retrieved on December 17, 2009.
  5. ↑ http://tvp.netcollect.ru/tvps/zvfanvgedsxq.jpg
  6. ↑ SpongeBob SquarePants | Wiki Dobragens Portuguesas - listed on the "Estreia" part of the page's infobox
  7. ↑ Edgar Larrazábal was incorrectly credited as animation director on early reruns and home video releases. See the trivia section of this article for more info.
  8. ↑ How "SpongeBob Squarepants" Stayed Fresh and Subversive Over 15 Years
  9. ↑ SpongeBob SquarePants: SuperSponge Development Archives - Internet Archive
  10. ↑ SpongeBob: Tea at the Treedome title card (Tales from the Deep DVD version)
  11. ↑ Tea at the treedome screenbug house 2002
  12. ↑ April 2002 ScreenBug Tea At The TreeDome
  13. ↑ SpongeBob: Tea at the Treedome title card (Season 1 DVD version)
  14. ↑ SpongeBob: Tea at the Treedome title card (10 Happiest Moments DVD version)
  15. ↑ SpongeBob: Tea at the Treedome title card (The First 100 Episodes DVD version)
  16. ↑ SpongeBob: Tea at the Treedome title card (February 22, 2021 airing; Sponge On The Run Special Look Screenbug)
  17. ↑ November 9, 2006 - Nickstory
  18. ↑ July 31, 2020 - Nickstory
  19. ↑ November 14, 2020 - Nickstory

de:Experten (Episode) es:Tomemos el Té fr:Asphyxies en chaîne hr:Čaj na svježem zraku hu:Meghívás teára id:Tea at the Treedome it:Te' sotto l'albero nl:Op de thee bij Sandy pl:Herbatka pod Kopułą pt-br:Chá em Terra Firme ru:Чаепитие под куполом uk:Tea at the Treedome zh:我的好朋友

Retrieved from "https://spongebob.wiki/index.php?title=Tea_at_the_Treedome&oldid=282622"