SpongeBob SquarePants (pitch bible)
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Description
First draft
The first draft of the pitch bible begins with a two-page description of SpongeBob, known as SpongeBoy at the time. The next page introduces the show's setting: Bikini Bottom, an underwater city in the Pacific Ocean. This is followed by four pages of background paintings, depicting SpongeBob's house, Squidward's house, and ship funnel houses. The bible then describes how Bikini Bottom's residents talk, walk, and act like people. It introduces the Krusty Krab (spelled "Crusty Crab" at the time), a fast food restaurant which functions as the local hangout.
The next few pages introduce the rest of the characters, in order:
After the character descriptions, there are two pages of story ideas for episodes. Some of these story ideas were eventually adapted into episodes (like SpongeBob and Squidward delivering a Krusty Krab pizza in "Pizza Delivery," and SpongeBob losing his nametag in "Missing Identity"). Other ideas were never adapted into episodes (such as SpongeBob drinking a fridge full of salty sodas, and Pearl becoming obsessed with a new karaoke machine at the Krusty Krab).
The next page is a summary titled "Why 'SpongeBoy'?" which describes the show's unique qualities: a tropical undersea setting, a big-hearted lead character, and a cast of aquatic friends. This page features an illustration of the main cast: SpongeBob, Patrick, Squidward, Mr. Krabs, Pearl, Sandy, and Plankton.
The final page is a description of Stephen Hillenburg, accompanied by a photo of Hillenburg wearing homemade glasses made from a sponge.
Later revisions
The pitch bible went through at least two later revisions, which added new content. These additions were mostly made to help Nickelodeon executives agree to make the show, but some were simply made to emphasize the uniqueness of the show's setting and plot.
In these later drafts, the show's concept was presented as a fictional report from a team of deep sea divers. The research was dedicated to a diver dedicated to Bucky Leavitt, whose diving suit imploded due to water pressure. Other added content included a comic of SpongeBob flipping Krabby Patties, as well as a variety of longer episode ideas: "Jellyfishing," "Reef Blower," "Mussel Beach," "Squeaky Boots," "Bubblestand," and "Employee of the Month."
After feedback from Nickelodeon executives, Stephen Hillenburg made a final version of the pitch bible, which included a major addition: Mrs. Puff and her boating school. Nickelodeon wanted SpongeBob to be a child who attended school, with his teacher as a main character. Hillenburg compromised by creating Mrs. Puff, a pufferfish who owns a boating school where she teaches SpongeBob how to drive. This way, Hillenburg satisfied Nickelodeon's requests while keeping SpongeBob as an adult character.[2]
The final version of the pitch bible included a detailed diagram of Mrs. Puff's school building, two designs for Mrs. Puff, and a comic showing how SpongeBob always fails his driving lessons by crashing a boat. It also included new scenic drawings showing the layout of SpongeBob's house, Goo Lagoon, and Sandy's treedome.
Differences from the series
- SpongeBob is seen with a red hat with a "C" on it, with a green underside and blue backside. His shirt is blue and he is wearing blue shoes and pink socks. His pants are a slightly darker shade of yellow.
- SpongeBob's pineapple is described as having two bedrooms, unlike the final series, in which it only has one.
- The Krusty Krab is spelled as "the Crusty Crab" in the pitch bible.
- It is stated that Sponge Boy never takes off his Crusty Crab uniform, but this is not true in the series.
- Sponge Boy is said to be incapable of winning the Employee of the Month award despite his goal, and is stated to be a hard-working but largely incompetent Crusty Crab employee in general. In the series, he is a highly competent Krusty Krab employee who has won the Employee of the Month award many times.
- Some of Sponge Boy's stated interests (rust, friction, and odors, among others) are not shown in the series.
- Shelley is mentioned as singing with bird-like sounds. Shelley has never sung or made any sounds in the series.
- It's stated that Sponge Boy plays the ukulele. While not false, this detail is rarely shown in the series.
- The Goo Lagoon's role is replaced by "muscle beach," an image of which can be seen on page 53.
- Mr. Krabs' name was originally "Mr. Crabs."
- The plot of "Squeaky Boots" is slightly different. It is stated Mr. Crabs has to purchase the boots from Sponge Boy. However, in the episode, he just steals them.
- The plot of "Reef Blower" is drastically different. The plot is later expanded upon later in the pitch bible, but a brief snippet is seen near the beginning.
- Sponge Boy and Patrick get new reef blowers in the mail and use them, which annoy Squidward. They both create a huge pile of sand and accidentally knock down Squidward's house, which upsets him. Fed up with their idiocy, he takes his house and moves it to a hill far away from them. Sponge Boy and Patrick then try everything they can to get Squidward to come back.
- This plot would be used again in the season 2 episode "Squidville."
- The layout of Bikini Bottom is vastly different. The Chum Bucket and Krusty Krab are just a few blocks away from Sponge Boy's house. Jellyfish Fields is right next to his house as well. Sandy's treedome is also connected to the road to Patrick's rock. A large unknown building is next to Jellyfish fields, and a massive flower arch can be seen in the background. Mr. Krabs and Pearl's house are in the style of a generic background building.
- In one background painting, the sign for the Krusty Krab can be seen, however, it is missing its name and is next to two generic background buildings, and the Krusty Krab itself is not present.
- The Chum Bucket is designed to look like a soda can with a straw on top as opposed to a metallic bucket held by a glove as in the series.
- Squidward's house varies in design, from the current to an old one. In one picture, an umbrella on top of the house and a reef backyard can be seen. In another, it is much more tall with a bigger "forehead" and has a grass yard surrounding it.
- Sponge Boy's house only has 1 window.
- Patrick's house is sometimes shown with an anchor behind it.
- Boatmobiles are drawn more literally as boats, and incidental characters look very different than the current designs, featuring species rarely shown in these types of characters, such as angler fish, sharks, whales, and crabs. It is also stated they go on exotic vacations, however, this has never been shown in the show.
- SpongeBoy's bedroom, called "SpongeBoys' Quarters," is different to the main show.
- Naval flags resembling those from the Krusty Krab can be seen hung from the wall. In Gary's place, there is a treasure chest containing shirts SpongeBoy wears. Two pipe gauges, a barrel, and extra window, different bedsheets, and a front ladder are also seen, but not present in the pilot. Sponge Boy's bed frame is made of tiki torches that are actively lit.
- Krabby Patties were originally called "Barnacle Burgers." Other items listed on the menu include "coral fries," and "salty sodas."
- Sponge Boy is said to have a job as a waiter, however in the show he is a fry-cook.
- The Krusty Krab's interior is slightly different.
- The main boat is wider, the window between the main room and kitchen is shifted towards the left and is slightly bigger, the door that usually leads to the Kitchen is labeled "Crew Only," among other minor things.
- Squidward is shown with a larger nose, larger neck, and in a shade of pastel purple. He is seen wearing a dark teal shirt with a yellow spot.
- Squidward originally played the oboe.
- It is stated he listens to Beethoven, however he has never been referenced in the series.
- It is stated he gets his tentacles manicured every Thursday, however this is not shown in the series.
- It is stated he and Sponge Boy play in oboe and ukulele duets, and Sponge Boy is the only one who appreciated his music.
- However, in the main show, SpongeBob has been shown on numerous occasions to not like Squidward's music, and SpongeBob has only played the ukulele in a duet with Squidward in "Hello Bikini Bottom!"
- Patrick is drawn slightly more wiggly, and his shape is slightly different. His shorts feature a darker shade of purple on the flowers.
- Patrick's rock is shown with a doorbell.
- It's stated that Patrick can dehydrate himself if he forgets to stay out of the sun.
- Patrick is stated to be in awe of everything Sponge Boy does, but the main show has shown many instances of Patrick being disinterested or ignorant of SpongeBob's endeavors.
- Pearl's character is drastically different.
- She is seen with a blonde pigtail hairstyle, a tail, a different dress, and boots.
- She is described as the most intelligent citizen of Bikini Bottom, even being stated she is very gifted in math. however she is never shown to be smart in the series, oftentimes calling showcases of intelligence nerdy.
- Mr. Krabs tries to get her a job in restaurant book keeping, however is fruitless.
- Plankton's character is also different.
- His driver's license photo shows a human-esque face with glasses and antennae.
- His size is much smaller than the main series. This can also be observed in "Plankton!"
- His voice was originally meant to sound like Gregory Peck.
- It's stated he likes to go to the Crusty Crab for lunch.
- It's stated he often tries to lure Sponge Boy out of the Crusty Crab to work for him, but this has only been seen in "Welcome to the Chum Bucket."
- Barnacle Boy has seen the most change out of any other character.
- He originally wore a log with a woodpecker named Corky on it, with holes for his limbs.
- His neck is very long and extends out horizontally from the log.
- He can be seen with a mustache, beard hairs, a bubble pipe, glasses, and a large sailor hat.
- His character is also very different. He is stated to be a salty sailor with no discomfort. He likes to eat Bran when he is hungry. He is also stated to still be as competent as he was in his early years, and is well-groomed and wears his house slippers.
- Mermaid Man's character is different as well.
- He can be seen with a fin, and his body is less circular than the final design. An unknown thing is on his bald head, which may be a feather, hair, or a hat.
- He is stated to mostly eat aluminum TV dinners that make him daft.
- The animals, which he originally commanded and summoned, went off to do other things.
- His nickname is "Mermy."
- Sandy was originally a surfer character, instead of the scientist she is now.
- Sandy's thrill-seeking side is emphasized much more than her current characterization.
- It is stated that Sandy is the "apple of Sponge Boy's eye" and that their dates involve parachuting and crash helmets.
- Mr. Krabs has changed the least out of any other character, with the only thing different being his design being less wide and lacking a name tag.
- The plots of "Jellyfishing," "Reef Blower," "Squeaky Boots," "Bubblestand," and "Employee of the Month" are slightly different from the finalized episodes. Additionally, "Jellyfishing" was titled "Jelly Fishing" with a space, "Squeaky Boots" was titled "The Squeaky Boots," and "Bubblestand" was titled "Bubbles."
- On a group painting, the characters have minor differences.
- Squidward is seen in his final design.
- Patrick is seen wearing purple shorts with yellow flowers.
- Mr. Krabs is seen with a yellow shirt.
- Sandy is seen with an oxygen tank.
- Pearl's tongue is green, and her dress and shirt are orange and yellow.
- Barnacle Bill and Mermaid Man can be seen in their early designs from earlier in the pitch bible, but colored.
- Plankton is seen driving a limousine, submarine, and car hybrid. The design is close to the busses seen in the series.
Trivia
- The pitch bible shows the evolution of SpongeBob, confirming he is a sea sponge and not a synthetic sponge.
- An image of Mr. Krabs can be seen maneuvering a vehicle similar to the boat seen in the SpongeBob SquarePants theme song.
- In one drawing, Patrick can be seen working at the Chum Bucket. He is seen at a counter with a bucket hat, a register, and a sign saying "Welcome to the Chum Bucket." Another sign says "You are being watched," which is above a bubble with Plankton, sitting a stool, is using a telescope to watch for customers. Behind them, a Kitchen door with a window, and two other windows can be seen.
- On one page, another drawing of the Krusty Krab is seen, copyrighted 1996. It shows a countertop with a flower design and a register on it, Squidward behind it. SpongeBoy can be seen hiding by the window to the kitchen. Two lamps can be seen giving light to freshly made Barnacle Burgers. A sign saying "Order here" is seen, along with a clock. The walls are yellow and made of reefs, and the ceiling is brown with a yellow grid-like texture.
- Drawings from the pitch bible were included in "The Origin of SpongeBob SquarePants," a special feature on the first season DVD box set.
- This pitch bible is referenced in "Friendiversary" in SpongeBob's memory book.