The Krusty Krab reaches closing time and SpongeBob is about to leave, but is ordered by Mr. Krabs to take the trash on his way out. When SpongeBob goes around to the back of the restaurant, he reads some of the dumpster writing, eventually finding one passage in particular reading "Krabs is a..." As SpongeBob reads the last word, which is censored via a dolphin sound, a nearby garbage man is disgusted at his usage of the word and walks off. Confused, SpongeBob repeats this new word to the arriving Patrick, who informs him that it is a "sentence enhancer" used in refined conversation. They begin to repeat it to themselves and use it in conversations.
The next day, SpongeBob walks into the Krusty Krab using the word and the customers are shocked, horrified and disgusted by his usage of the word. SpongeBob greets Patrick with their new word, then shares it over the intercom. The Krusty Krab customers, appalled by what they hear, leave for the sake of going somewhere "family-oriented." In the bathroom, Mr. Krabs is alerted to the empty restaurant and rushes out. Squidward explains that SpongeBob and Patrick have learned a new word, and that SpongeBob said it to everybody in the Krusty Krab over the intercom, causing the customers to leave.
After Squidward explains SpongeBob and Patrick's new word, Mr. Krabs sternly informs them that their new word is actually an expletive that is the eleventh of thirteen bad words that should never be uttered, as they are all bad words. SpongeBob and Patrick wipe their tongues and promise Mr. Krabs that they will never use it again.
Later, at SpongeBob's house, SpongeBob and Patrick play a game of Eels and Escalators. Patrick keeps moving up escalators while SpongeBob gets sent down the eels. After losing the game, SpongeBob accidentally angrily shouts out the expletive they promised not to say. Patrick then races to the Krusty Krab to tell Mr. Krabs, while SpongeBob tries to stop him. During the chase, Patrick repeats the curse word, giving SpongeBob the excuse to tell on him instead. Thanks to Patrick's detour aboard an ice cream truck, SpongeBob reaches the Krusty Krab first and rushes to Mr. Krabs. However, SpongeBob cannot get to the point, giving Patrick time to catch up and add to the clamor. Eventually, Mr. Krabs commands them to spit out what they mean to say, which turns out to be the bad word.
Enraged, Mr. Krabs takes SpongeBob and Patrick outside and tells them to wait. Fearing their upcoming retribution, the two friends apologize to each other and vow to strike the word permanently from their lips. Mr. Krabs returns with cans of paint for them to give the Krusty Krab a fresh coat of paint as punishment. However, he hits his foot on a rock, and in his pain, he shouts all thirteen expletives. Once SpongeBob and Patrick tally the curses, they run to Betsy Krabs' house to tell on her son while he chases after them. As Betsy answers the door, she is greeted by a cacophony of cursing from all three of them, causing her to faint.
Mr. Krabs reprimands SpongeBob and Patrick for using such salty language in front of his mother. However, Mama Krabs quickly regains consciousness, scolds all three for their sailor mouths, and sets them to work painting her house. After some time, she decides to reward them with some lemonade. On her way to get it, she hits her foot on a rock and shouts in pain. What they take to be a bad word, however, is actually the car horn of Old Man Jenkins' jalopy, with Jenkins greeting Betsy, giving them all a good laugh.
Production
Tom Kenny talked about this episode prior to its airing on May 18, 2001, in an interview seen in various national newspaper articles about the show. "In one episode I like, which hasn't aired yet, SpongeBob and Patrick pick up a curse word from Mr. Krabs. They walk around saying it and getting in trouble the whole episode, even though they don't know what it means. Every time they say it, there's the sound of a loud foghorn."[4]
The episode became controversial due to profanity, despite the episode censoring out the apparent curse words with marine sound effects (i.e. foghorn, seal barking, dolphin chirping, etc.).
According to a report titled Wolves in Sheep's Clothing,[5] which documents the increase in potentially violent, profane, and sexual content in children's programming, the Parents Television Council, a watchdog media group, and fans believed the SpongeBob SquarePants episode "Sailor Mouth" was an implicit attempt to promote and satirize use of profanity among children. The episode originally aired during the 2001–02 television season, ironically the season in which the PTC named SpongeBob SquarePants among the best programs on cable television,[6] but the report cited a repeat broadcast of this episode from 2005 to prove its point that it promoted use of profanity among children.[5] In a later report, several members of the PTC listed "Sailor Mouth" as an example of how levels of profane, sexual, and violent activity has increased in children's television programming.[7]Nickelodeon, in response to the incident, said "It's sad and a little desperate that they stooped to literally putting profane language in the mouths of our characters to make a point. Has the FCC looked at this?"[8] Richard Huff of the New York Daily News criticized the report for misinterpreting "Sailor Mouth" over its intent to satirize profanity implicitly.[9]
"Sailor Mouth" was ranked #96 during the Best Day Ever event from November 9–10, 2006.
"This was also one of the silliest recording sessions ever. We had to come up with fake cuss words to stick in the dialogue to be bleeped out later. I was laughing so hard, they recorded me while I lay on the floor of the sound booth."
Trivia
General
SpongeBob is a noticeably darker shade of yellow in this episode.
This also occurs in "Frankendoodle" and "Krusty Love," though he's a slightly darker shade of yellow in the former.
This is the first episode for two things:
The first episode in the series where a title card song has lyrics.
The first appearance of Mr. Krabs' mother.
This episode, according to the production art, was originally titled "Barnacles."
This is probably because "Barnacles" is a curse in SpongeBob (along with "Tartar Sauce").
SpongeBob also curses in "Krusty Love." The curses in said episode are not bleeped, but either gibberish or profanities native to ocean dwellers.
According to two interviews found here and here, the idea for this episode came from a childhood experience:
Learning a curse word is a classic thing that all kids go through. It was inspired by creative director Derek Drymon's experience of getting in trouble as a child for using the f-word in front of his mother. Drymon said, "The scene where Patrick is running to Mr. Krabs to tattle, with SpongeBob chasing him, is pretty much how it happened in real life." The end of the episode, where Mr. Krabs uses more profanity than SpongeBob and Patrick, was inspired "by the fact that [Drymon's] mother has a sailor mouth herself."
Bad word number 11 is later said in other parts of the SpongeBob SquarePants franchise:
The sound effect for bad word number 11 is used to censor David Hasselhoff's name. This possibly might be because of royalty fees or because Nickelodeon didn't have the rights to use his name in video games.
The sound also plays in the stage Bubble Blowing Baby Hunt when Mindy tells Patrick about the Smash move. It is unknown what word this is meant to censor, but it is most likely a curse word, or just there for comedic effect.
The Krusty Krab is referred to using female pronouns.
In the Broadway musical, after Plankton's cover is blown, Mr. Krabs calls Plankton a "[dolphin chirp]," to which Plankton replies, "How dare you call me a [dolphin chirp]!"
Bad word number 11 is said by Chip II Plankton in the episode "Karen's Baby," when Karen stops Chip from playing a dangerous video game at the arcade.
In The Patrick Star Show episode "Cleanin' House, GrandPat says number 11 when stating that he does not want to help clean the house.
Mr. Krabs' "Huh?" from when Squidward was whispering to him was reused from "Squeaky Boots."
Dolphin noises are heard in other episodes, but they are not used to censor expletives. An example would be the dolphin noises in "Jellyfish Jam." Another one would be SpongeBob making dolphin noises in "The Paper" and "You Don't Know Sponge."
"Squidward smells GOOD" (the last word added by SpongeBob, who assumed that the writing was unfinished)
"Krabs is a—–[dolphin chirp]"
The "Squidward Smells" writing behind the green mess on the dumpster looks very similar to the "Something Smells" title card.
When Squidward whispers to Mr. Krabs about what word SpongeBob said, he actually says, "Johnny Vandalism."
The dolphin chirp sound is actually the sped-up call of a kookaburra originally used in the 1963 film, Flipper, and is still available from the first volume of The Premiere Edition from The Hollywood Edge sound effects library released in 1990.
List of sound effects used to censor the curse words:
Klaxon horn (at the end only) used by Old Man Jenkins' jalopy.
Mama Krabs' lip sync was assumed to be cursing (when her words were filtered by Old Man Jenkins' car horn). However, she actually says, "My poor old foot!"
According to an interview from February 1, 2015, with SpongeBob's voice actor, Tom Kenny, the cast members originally used fake profanities in place of real ones. This proved too difficult for them, however, and thus the show's creator Stephen Hillenburg gave the cast full permission to actually curse in the recording studio when they were making this episode.[10]
A version of the episode with this uncensored cursing does exist, though is almost guaranteed to never be publicly released. Any attempts to upload the uncensored audio of the episode on video-sharing sites have been greeted with copyright takedowns by Paramount.
The episode's script, which can accessed through a DVD-ROM feature on the third disc of The Complete 2nd Season DVD, shows "(bleep)" in place of the curse words.
This episode is based on the stereotype of sailors using an abundance of profanities. The episode's title is based on the term, "sailor mouth," meaning someone who curses a lot. Other terms include "cursing like a sailor." Other names include "foul-mouth" and "potty mouth."
When SpongeBob walks into the Krusty Krab after reading the dumpster writing, a Help Wanted sign is seen. Also, the road leading to the Chum Bucket is missing.
Right after SpongeBob and Patrick make a promise to Mr. Krabs, a bubble transition is shown. For a brief second, a blue screen appears at the bottom of the screen that says ETC 1:4 on the bottom screen.
This error has also happened in a few other episodes, such as "Doing Time."
When SpongeBob says "Yea, verily. Now, let's play a nice wholesome game of Eels and Escalators," the game board is shown, but SpongeBob's left arm and the dice that he has in his left hand are missing, while Patrick is sitting down. In the next scene, when Patrick says "Oh boy, my favorite!", he is lying down again.
Just before Patrick says "Ohhhhh. You said number 11," he bounces for a split second.
File:Blueholesm.pngSpongeBob's transparent hole.Right before Mr. Krabs walks out of the Krusty Krab with the paint cans, one of SpongeBob's holes is transparent.
When Mama Krabs goes to SpongeBob, Patrick, and Mr. Krabs and says "I guess you three scallywags have earned a glass of lemonade," the dots on her claw become blue for a moment.
Mr. Krabs' right foot gets hit, but he holds his left foot, which is uninjured. Mama Krabs has the same error.
For a majority of this episode, SpongeBob's top left pore is bigger than it usually is.
