Season 7/production

The average premise for an episode would take about a week, according to Richard Pursel. From there to final animation, episode production would usually take from 9 months to a year.

Developments

File:Season7insidejob.jpeg

Outline for episode #223-702 "The Inside Job," written by Mr. Lawrence and dated 7/23/08.

The seventh season of the series was ordered on March 13, 2008, and the earliest publicly available outlines of episodes date back to July of that year. When Vincent Waller was asked on his blog if the show would have a seventh season, (as the sixth had just wrapped) he responded saying "One can't be sure of a future. Space trash might get me tomorrow, but we are a about a quarter way through season 7. So Im pretty sure there will be eye candy for your viewing pleasure."

• Original doodle gag by Vincent Waller.
  Original doodle gag by Vincent Waller.
• The final gag, as seen in the original airing of the episode.
  The final gag, as seen in the original airing of the episode.

On October 9, 2008, Vincent Waller posted a doodle on his blog of SpongeBob stuck up a man's behind, with the man holding a coin in his hand. This doodle would serve as an inspiration for a gag in "Kracked Krabs," where he ends up in the same situation after trying to scam a hotel attendant like Mr. Krabs.

On January 6, 2009, the now usurped SpongeBob.com website opened a blog mainly headed by writers (such as Dani Michaeli and Derek Iversen) and production assistants (Philip Harris and Andrew Goodman). The first post to be written on the site (the first posted was dated on 1/6, however this is dated 1/4) was entitled "Crew Blog," was written by at the time by Goodman, who wrote up a comedic post that took "a wild ride into the future...of SpongeBob!" - however, various statements had been redacted. Some of Goodman's descriptions hinted at future episodes: When it is said that "we have been hard at work on our biggest special ever, celebrating (theme of special redacted)!" and that there would "tons of new (type of sequences redacted), each more hilarious than the last" it refers to the previous season's "Truth or Square" and its fake clip show sequences. Goodman also stated that there would be an episode with a new format, in which "SpongeBob and Patrick travel (mode of transportation and destination redacted)". This likely a nod to "Back to the Past," where SpongeBob and Patrick travel back in time. It also features a 15-minute episode format, and while not necessarily new, it had only been used in the series once at that point.

• Right top corner of a season 7 outline, which would end up being for "Sponge-Cano!"
  Right top corner of a season 7 outline, which would end up being for "Sponge-Cano!"
• Full outline
  Full outline

On March 3, 2009, Vincent Waller posted a doodle he drew over the top of an outline for a season 7 episode on his blog, which included a sickly man and a volcano. This outline would be the basis for the episode "Sponge-Cano!"

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On March 24, 2009, Vincent Waller posted four rough doodles by him and Aaron Springer. Waller's doodles (the third and fourth images) were created as presentation pieces for Nickelodeon executives, likely to pitch the Legends of Bikini Bottom miniseries. Kenny Pittenger said that the episode would be "a party" (unless [he had] to do layouts)." These doodles would contribute to the production of the episode "Trenchbillies." On the same day at the official creator blog, Dani Michaeli said that what he thought was the funniest moment from the show was in an upcoming episode, likely from the seventh season.

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On March 25, 2009, Kris Wimberly announced that he had joined the series' crew.

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On April 1, 2009, Kenny Pittenger posted a doodle on an episode's storyboard cover at his blog, Kenny's Korner, with text on it reading "-elds Part 1." The full title that was ultimately cut off on the image Pittenger posted was "Save Jellyfish Fields," which was the original title for "SpongeBob's Last Stand."

• Puffy Fluffy design from "A Pal for Gary" #1
  Puffy Fluffy design from "A Pal for Gary" #1
• Puffy Fluffy design from "A Pal for Gary" #2
  Puffy Fluffy design from "A Pal for Gary" #2
• A design from "Kracked Krabs"
  A design from "Kracked Krabs"
• A design from "Greasy Buffoons"
  A design from "Greasy Buffoons"
• A cut design from "Someone's in the Kitchen with Sandy"
  A cut design from "Someone's in the Kitchen with Sandy"

On June 14, 2009, character designer Robertryan Cory opened up a Flickr account and begun posting various designs from SpongeBob episodes he had worked on. From then to June 16, he also posted a few designs from various unreleased episodes, including two Puffy Fluffy drawings from "A Pal for Gary," two SpongeBob ones from "Kracked Krabs" and "Greasy Buffoons," and a cut furless Sandy from "Someone's in the Kitchen with Sandy." On the following day, it was then rumored on SpongeBuddy Mania that there would be a "new episode coming out where Plankton takes Sandy's fur in order to get to the Krabby Patty Secret Formula," and Cory's designs were directly referenced in discussions.

• Layout from "A Pal for Gary"
  Layout from "A Pal for Gary"
• A rough storyboard from "Rodeo Daze"
  A rough storyboard from "Rodeo Daze"
• Another rough storyboard from "Rodeo Daze"
  Another rough storyboard from "Rodeo Daze"

On July 14, 2009, the Square Roots: The Story of SpongeBob SquarePants documentary was released on VH1. Various episodes from the season were shown in their production stages such as an in-progress layout drawing from "A Pal for Gary," "SpongeBob's Last Stand" being recorded, and Nate Cash's storyboards from "Rodeo Daze."

• "Growth Spout" design
  "Growth Spout" design
• "Back to the Past" design #1
  "Back to the Past" design #1
• "Back to the Past" design #2
  "Back to the Past" design #2
• "Back to the Past" design #3
  "Back to the Past" design #3
• "Back to the Past" design #4
  "Back to the Past" design #4
• "Model Sponge" design
  "Model Sponge" design

On July 17, 2009, Cory posted character designs for more unreleased episodes. These would end being for "Growth Spout," "Back to the Past," and "Model Sponge."

• "SB & Pat Dirty Hippies" 1
  "SB & Pat Dirty Hippies" 1
• "SB & Pat Dirty Hippies" 2
  "SB & Pat Dirty Hippies" 2
• "Safari Pat"
  "Safari Pat"

On August 31 and October 10, 2009, Cory posted three unused designs - two of SpongeBob and Patrick as hippies, and one of Patrick in his safari outfit with a net; both were removed for being too "off-model." The episode they would end up being cut from was "SpongeBob's Last Stand."

• Charles' design by Vincent Waller
  Charles' design by Vincent Waller
• His appearance the final episode.
  His appearance the final episode.

On January 27, 2010, Vincent Waller posted a drawing of a character he called the "Crusty Old Sea Dog," saying that he gets to design a character once in a while. That character would end up being Charles from "Welcome to the Bikini Bottom Triangle," who tells SpongeBob of the triangle, and cooks the Krabby Patties at the Krusty Krab while the rest of the gang are inside the giant vacuum that's gotten a hold of their possessions.

• File:Neil karlinsky infiltrated bikini bottom March 26, 2010

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"The Curse of the Hex"

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"The Wreck of the Mauna Loa"

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"The Wreck of the Mauna Loa"

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"The Wreck of the Mauna Loa"

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"Krusty Dogs"

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"Perfect Chemistry"

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"Big Sister Sam"

On March 26, 2010, a news story about the production of the series was ran on ABC News' Nightline, being reported by Neal Karlinsky. The story was originally intended to air on February 18, March 2, and March 3, before finally landing on its current air date. During the story, production of various upcoming season 7 episodes are seen, including "The Curse of the Hex," "The Wreck of the Mauna Loa," "Krusty Dogs," "Perfect Chemistry," and "Big Sister Sam." Some production material for the already released episodes, "Tentacle-Vision" and "Squidward in Clarinetland," are also seen.

• Early "ancient warrior" design
  Early "ancient warrior" design
• Final "ancient warrior" design
  Final "ancient warrior" design
• Sticky note doodle of the character on a storyboard for the episode "Pat's Sooo Mature"
  Sticky note doodle of the character on a storyboard for the episode "Pat's Sooo Mature"

On July 1, 2010, Vincent Waller posted two rough designs for a character in a "future show," and the crew waited to see which one would get chosen. The latter "dolphin" design was chosen, and on July 15, 2010, Waller posted a doodle of the ancient warrior on a season 8 episode's storyboard cover, saying he was "having to go in and adjust a board to match a character change, after the initial animation was done." This design would ultimately be used for the ancient warrior in the aforementioned "Sponge-Cano!"

Writing crew

Both Dani Michaeli and Derek Iversen, who outlined various episodes this season, said that ideas for the series can be inspired by real life. Michaeli harkened back to season 5's "Picture Day," where he told Steven Banks of his daughter's bad picture day, and "they both simultaneously realized this could be a SpongeBob story." He said his wife was a source of SpongeBob ideas, as her obsession with reality home improvement shows was the spawn for the basis of a previous season episode "House Fancy." Iversen said that during his days as a production assistant, he "was dreaming up stories that I hoped might one day become part of SpongeBob SquarePants lore" - although he eventually realized that after becoming a writer, "there [was a lot more that goes into making an episode of SpongeBob SquarePants] than I ever imagined back then", and even at the time he "still didn't know how it ALL [worked]." While he jokingly stated that he could not disclose anything that occurs during writer's meetings, he, like Michaeli, instead talked about coming up with ideas. He said that it while it would be harder to come up with new ideas for the show as more episodes are completed, they were "luckily" able to go "straight to the source," using an allusion of deep-sea South Pacific exploration and observing the citizens of Bikini Bottom to refer to life experiences and observing the people surrounding them. "Do any of these observations make for a new SpongeBob show? Not necessarily. But each one could be an idea for an idea for a show. As a writer, it's my job to take that idea for an idea, and make it into An Idea." Michaeli, Iversen, Steven Banks, and Richard Pursel said that the most challenging part of outlining new episodes was coming up with new cartoon ideas after doing more than 200 of them.

Production assistance

Philip Harris, who joined the crew during production of season 6 in 2008, continued his duties this season as a production assistant. His job is to help out the crew, including bringing tablets for the writers to document their ideas. He jokingly stated that their job includes "leading the way "when a layout artist is afraid to walk back to his car because the parking garage is dark and he swears he heard strange noises," and directing a prop designer to Human Resources when they are lonely and need a hug. However, they aren't allowed to "made prank phone calls to the Creative Director's home phone every Saturday morning", "accidentally use an original season 1 drawing to make a paper airplane", and "sign a secret alliance with Plankton to take over Nickelodeon Studios". According to him, the crew had a mandatory naptime every day from 1:00pm to 3:00pm.

Kris Wimberly talked about his experience working with his cartooning heroes on SpongeBob. Wimberly said that people at the studio don't dress up like one would at a typical office, as "when you work with cartoons all day, the dress code is more like working with your Uncle Leroy at the local sporting goods store", since you never know what challenge might come next. Even though the crew is composed of adults, they "keep a healthy balance of cake and hard work... and video games!" Many of the people at the studio have the philosophy that "in order to make a successful cartoon, one must live like a cartoon", and as such, situations such as "seeing Derek Iversen riding his bike past your office door", "[Vincent] Waller bursting out with funny cartoon voices in the middle of a meeting", and "Dani Michaeli holding a riveting conversation about comic books" aren't impossible to see. Wimberly said that one is "able to come across more creativity than [one would] know what to do with" at the studio, questioning where else one could find things such as "an office decorated like Steve Downs' Tiki hut", "post-its all over the place of Kenny Pittenger's drawings making fun of Derek", and a "20-foot cardboard cutout of SpongeBob's butt".

Crew

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"Deal with Death": A Christmas card for Vincent Waller by Kit Boyce.

Doodles

• Most of these were drawn by Vincent Waller, although it is noted when otherwise. There are more doodles on Waller's blog than seen here, but only the ones drawn on work time cards, were made during the process of episode production, or are related to the show are featured.

• "11-12 Timecard," 11/12/08[32]
  "11-12 Timecard," 11/12/08
• "Curmudgeon," 11/14/08[33]
  "Curmudgeon," 11/14/08
• "Flurry of Blurry," 11/18/08[34]
  "Flurry of Blurry," 11/18/08
• "Board Gargle," 11/19/08[35]
  "Board Gargle," 11/19/08
• "Money Talks," 11/20/08[36]
  "Money Talks," 11/20/08
• "Sponge Doodle," 12/16/08[37]
  "Sponge Doodle," 12/16/08
• "Sponge Doodle," 12/16/08[37]
  "Sponge Doodle," 12/16/08
• "Sponge Doodle," 12/16/08[37]
  "Sponge Doodle," 12/16/08
• "Sponge Doodle," 12/16/08[37]
  "Sponge Doodle," 12/16/08
• "Sponge Doodle," 12/16/08[37]
  "Sponge Doodle," 12/16/08
• "Finally a Meeting and a Pen in the Same Room," 1/27/09[38]
  "Finally a Meeting and a Pen in the Same Room," 1/27/09
• "Sneaking N," 2/4/09[39]
  "Sneaking N," 2/4/09
• "Lips," 2/9/09[40]
  "Lips," 2/9/09
• "Another Time Card," 2/11/09[41]
  "Another Time Card," 2/11/09
• "Mix Doodle Bites," 3/13/09[42]
  "Mix Doodle Bites," 3/13/09
• "How We Met...or Not,"[43] 4/13/09[44]
  "How We Met...or Not," 4/13/09
• "IllumiNaughty," 4/17/09[45]
  "IllumiNaughty," 4/17/09
• "T.G.I.F.," 4/17/09[46] - by Kenny Pittenger
  "T.G.I.F.," 4/17/09 - by Kenny Pittenger
• "Angry Clam," 5/16/09[47]
  "Angry Clam," 5/16/09
• "Patrick," 5/20/09[48] - by Kenny Pittenger
  "Patrick," 5/20/09 - by Kenny Pittenger
• "Piffle Doodle," 5/26/09[49]
  "Piffle Doodle," 5/26/09
• "5-27 Time Card Doodle," 5/27/09[50]
  "5-27 Time Card Doodle," 5/27/09
• "Sandy and pat sketch," 6/25/09[51] - by Kris Wimberly
  "Sandy and pat sketch," 6/25/09 - by Kris Wimberly
• "SB ManMouth," 6/26/09[52]
  "SB ManMouth," 6/26/09
• "In Meeting Drawing," 7/1/09[53]
  "In Meeting Drawing," 7/1/09
• "Pitch Doodle," 10/22/09[54]
  "Pitch Doodle," 10/22/09

Images

Can You Trust It? (January 5, 2009)

A fire extinguisher at the studio.

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SpongeBob Field Trip to the Ocean Institute (March 2009)

The crew take a trip to the Ocean Institute.

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The Newport Beach Film Festival (April 25, 2009)

Vincent Waller spent the day at the festival with Tuck Tucker, Dave Cunningham and Brad Vandergrift drawing SpongeBob characters for kids and adults following a screening of the show.

• Nicole, Amber, and Karen, the women who helped organize the event
  Nicole, Amber, and Karen, the women who helped organize the event
• Shot by Vincent Waller of the Ni Hao, Kai-Lan crew, drawing characters just as the SpongeBob crew did.
  Shot by Vincent Waller of the Ni Hao, Kai-Lan crew, drawing characters just as the SpongeBob crew did.

Roof Top RDK (December 8, 2009)

The crew at the rooftop of Rough Draft Korea.

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