MuseBob ModelPants
"MuseBob ModelPants" is a SpongeBob SquarePants episode from season 15. In this episode, when Squidward's one-off portrait of SpongeBob takes the art world by storm, he has no choice but to produce more.
Characters
- SpongeBob SquarePants
- Squidward Tentacles
- Patrick Star
- Mrs. Puff (mentioned)
- Peggy Grouperheim (single appearance)
- Greaser fish
- Garbage man
- Incidentals
- Gary the Snail (cameo)
Synopsis
Squidward is painting in his yard when he is interrupted by SpongeBob and Patrick playing tag. SpongeBob then crashes into the painting, causing it to depict him. While he thinks it looks beautiful, Squidward throws it into the trash, saying that's where it belongs. Just then, three garbage men arrive in a garbage truck, and upon seeing the painting, they find it to be a magnificent masterpiece. SpongeBob points out that they love his artwork, but Squidward insists it's only because garbage men like trash, just like that painting.
An art dealer, Peggy Grouperheim, then arrives on her yacht and asks who is responsible for the wonderful piece of art, after which everyone points to Squidward. Peggy buys the painting for a large sum of money, prompting Squidward to show her his self-portraits, but she doesn't like them. Instead, she tells him to paint more pictures of SpongeBob in order to get a show at her art gallery and hands him her card. Squidward is thrilled that the whole world will know about his art, but he doesn't want SpongeBob to be the model for his paintings since he hates him, so he decides to paint him from memory. However, he fails, so he hides in a trash can in the Krusty Krab's kitchen to secretly paint SpongeBob while he works. But SpongeBob replaces the hot oil and pours it into the garbage, frying Squidward.
Resorting to another plan, Squidward sneaks into SpongeBob's house at night to paint him while he sleeps. However, he ends up covering everything in paint except for SpongeBob. He then goes to Jellyfish Fields, trying to use martial arts to capture SpongeBob on canvas while he and Patrick are jellyfishing. Squidward throws canvases at everyone but SpongeBob, and after accidentally hitting an angry fish's children, they beat him up. To be even more direct, Squidward starts beating SpongeBob with a canvas to forcefully capture his image. He successfully completes the painting, and Peggy purchases it from him, urging him to continue.
SpongeBob is overjoyed to be Squidward's muse and insists on modeling for him to help him achieve his artistic dreams. However, when Squidward begins painting, SpongeBob constantly fails to hold a pose because he can't decide on one, so Squidward glues him in place. Squidward creates painting after painting of SpongeBob, earning more and more money from Peggy, but the work completely drains him. Eventually, Squidward starts to get overwhelmed from painting pictures of SpongeBob nonstop and when he can't stay still in a sofa long enough for Squidward to paint because he likes the fart noises made by the cushion. He starts hallucinating with the pictures depicting SpongeBob, goes mad, and destroys his paintings along with his entire house. Peggy then arrives with a truckload of money, but seeing Squidward's house collapse, she remarks that she has once again overworked an artist and makes a phone call to set a price for Squidward's payment.
Although he has lost his fame and all his money, Squidward enjoys painting while fully wrapped in a body cast. One of the garbage men arrives and asks Squidward if he has finished his painting, then throws it into the garbage truck, crushing it.
Production
This episode was confirmed by Cartoonlounge.de on August 4, 2024.[3]
Art
Background design
- Art direction by Shane Richardson, layouts designed by George Nachev, painted by Amy Lewis.[4][5]
- On April 8, 2025, the official SpongeBob SquarePants Instagram account uploaded a reel in collaboration with Amy Lewis, comparing the in-progress background paintings from this episode and its sister to the finished animation of their respective scenes.[6] A similar reel was posted one week later on April 15 for World Art Day, with scenes from this episode only included.[7]
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Squidward's studio (day)
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Squidward's studio (night)
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Wall of SpongeBob portraits
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Hall of SpongeBob portraits
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Hall of SpongeBob portraits (with exit, knight statues)
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Process photo #1
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Process photo #2
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Process photo #3
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Process photo #4
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Process photo #5
Storyboards
- Storyboarded by Zeus Cervas, supervised by Sherm Cohen, plussed by Tobias Krebs.[1]
Music
| ( ‣ ) Production music |
| ( • ) Original music |
| ( ◦ ) SpongeBob music |
‣ Jaunty Skipalong - Cedric Palmer [Title card and opening.]
• Cream Pie - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [SpongeBob and Patrick playing tag.]
• A Simple Conversation 1 - Nicolas Carr, Barry Anthony [Squidward throws away his painting.]
‣ Whimsey - Arthur Wilkinson [Garbagemen admire the painting.]
‣ Charlie The Chimp - Conrad Leonard [Peggy Grouperheim appears.]
• Is This Heaven - Nicolas Carr ["Wow, she actually liked your painting, Squidward."]
• ? - Nicolas Carr [Squidward floats into his house.]
• Down in Davie Jones Locker - Nicolas Carr ["But I gotta paint SpongeBob!"]
• Got It - Nicolas Carr ["I'm a genius!"]
‣ Perfect Hostess - Allan Gray [Squidward paints from memory.]
• ? - Nicolas Carr [Self portrait of Squidward.]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 8A - Jeremy Wakefield ["I've spent so long trying to forget SpongeBob exists, I've forgotten what he looks like!"]
• Whats This Sting - Nicolas Carr ["There's only one thing to do..."]
• Lap Steel-spce_01 - Nicolas Carr [Transition to next scene.]
‣ Smooth Detective - Dominic Glynn, Martin Smith [At the Krusty Krab.]
‣ Dramatic Menace - Sam Sklair, Otto Sieben [In SpongeBob's bedroom.]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 20D - Jeremy Wakefield [The next morning.]
‣ Domestic Fun (A) - Ernest Tomlinson [At Jellyfish Fields.]
• Karate Action - Nicolas Carr [Squidward throwing canvases at SpongeBob.]
• Grass Skirt Chase - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Squidward gets beat up.]
• Lap Steel-spce_01 - Nicolas Carr [Transition to next scene.]
‣ Tearaway - Ralph Dollimore [Squidward hitting SpongeBob with canvases.]
‣ Charlie The Chimp - Conrad Leonard [Peggy pays Squidward commission.]
‣ Voyage En Baroque - Gerhard Narholz, Fed Marius ["I'm... your muse?"]
‣ Minuet From String Quintet in E, Op. 11, No. 5 - Luigi Boccherini [Cavendish Music] [SpongeBob posing for Squidward.]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 21A - Jeremy Wakefield [Squidward glues SpongeBob down.]
‣ Symphony N.5 In C Minor - Op.67 - Allegro Con Brio - Ludwig Van Beethoven [Montage of Squidward painting SpongeBob.]
‣ Ballet School - Norman Dane [Squidward painting SpongeBob on a chair.]
‣ Serious Situation - Gerhard Trede [Squidward goes insane.]
• Spongemonger - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Squidward chased by SpongeBob paintings.]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 18 - Jeremy Wakefield [Squidward's house collapses.]
• Don't Breathe the Water - Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Ending.]
Trivia
General
- This episode premiered as part of the 2025 event "Friday Night Hits."
- This episode and its sister premiered on the day that Mr. Krabs was due to get fried by King Neptune in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie.
- This episode's title is similar to season 1's "MuscleBob BuffPants," season 4's "SquidBob TentaclePants," and season 7's "Model Sponge."
- Two of Peter Bennett's paintings (CowboyBob and the SpongeBob with off-centered eyes and a long nose) can be seen in a pile in Squidward's living room.
Episode references
- One of Squidward's paintings on his wall features SpongeBob in his band outfit singing from season 2's "Band Geeks."
- One of Squidward's paintings also include SpongeBob's smirk face from "Just One Bite."
- The stone statue of SpongeBob in Squidward's gallery is a recolor of the gold SpongeBob statue from season 6's "Porous Pockets."
- Squidward saying his one-off portrait of SpongeBob belongs in the trash is a reference to season 2's "Artist Unknown."
- A few of Squidward's paintings during the opening include Bold and Brash from season 2's "Artist Unknown," and Handsome Squidward from season 5's "The Two Faces of Squidward," as well as a painting of his statue from season 8's "Are You Happy Now?"
- Squidward using martial arts may be a reference to season 9's "Squid Defense."
- The plot of the episode is similar to the book The Art Contest: No Cheating Allowed!, where Squidward asks SpongeBob to make his own artwork and passes off one of his creations as his own to get into an art community.
- The plot is also reminiscent of the season 5 episode "The Krusty Sponge."
- During the montage of Peggy Grouperheim paying Squidward to paint more portraits, one of the backgrounds is reused from "Culture Shock."
- The pose and impression SpongeBob makes when Squidward yells at him to stay still is reused from season 12's "Pineapple RV."
Cultural references
- SpongeBob's outfit for his portrait is a reference to Leonardo Di Vinci's painting, Mona Lisa.
- The portrait of SpongeBob as melting clocks is a reference to the 1931 Salvador Dalí painting, The Persistence of Memory.
- The painting which shows SpongeBob, Patrick, and Gary references the Sandro Botticelli's painting, The Birth of Venus.
- The portrait of SpongeBob behind the pineapple fruit is a reference to the 1964 René Magritte's painting, The Son of Man.
- One of SpongeBob's sculptor pose idea is a reference to The Thinker by Auguste Rodin.
- Another one is Ariel from the 1989 Walt Disney film, The Little Mermaid.
- Thirdly, there is one which resembles the arts Pablo Picasso made.
- The song that Squidward sings when he destroys all his SpongeBob paintings is a reference to the nursery rhyme "This is the Way We Brush our Teeth."
Videos
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Storyboards — Tobias Krebs
- ↑ Nickelodeon UK - May 7, 2025
- ↑ MuseBob ModelPants (Episode 316b) - SpongeBob SquarePants - Cartoonlounge
- ↑ Amy Lewis on Instagram - "A few background paintings with some..."
- ↑ Amy Lewis on Twitter - "A couple of background paintings and..."
- ↑ SpongeBob SquarePants on Instagram - "we still can’t get over the artistry..."
- ↑ SpongeBob SquarePants on Instagram - "A few more background paintings from a new..."