The Curse of the Hex

Not to be confused with The Curse of Bikini Bottom.

"The Curse of the Hex" is a SpongeBob SquarePants episode from season 7. In this episode, an evil hagfish curses the Krusty Krab.

Characters

• Patchy the Pirate ^{(original airing only)}
• Potty the Parrot ^{(original airing only)}
• Incidentals
  • Incidental 48
  • Stretch
  • Mary
  • Incidental 41
  • Incidental 153 ^(cameo)
  • Incidental 103
  • Incidental 102
  • Dale ^(cameo)
  • Troutenheimer
  • Incidental 6
  • Incidental 40
  • Incidental 49
  • Incidental 7
  • Incidental 42
  • Judy
  • Incidental 63
  • Incidental 9
  • Incidental 67
  • Incidental 14
  • Incidental 13
• Eugene H. Krabs
• Squidward Tentacles
• Madame Hagfish ^(debut)
• SpongeBob SquarePants
• French Narrator
• Witch ^{(on the back of Dangerous Tasks)}
• Eel (The Curse of the Hex) ^(debut)

Synopsis

File:The Curse of the Hex 028.png

Madame Hagfish

The episode starts on one stormy night, with customers leaving the Krusty Krab with an umbrella but end up getting carried away with the strong wind. Squidward, SpongeBob, and Mr. Krabs are about to leave the Krusty Krab when an old hagfish named Madame Hagfish appears at the door of the Krusty Krab. Squidward is afraid of her and tells her that the Krusty Krab is closed, but she ignores him and orders from the restaurant. She attempts to convince Squidward to give her a Krabby Patty but he refuses because it was closed and she did not have the right and/or enough money (she has 3 seashells). After various attempts to make her leave, SpongeBob feels sorry for Madame Hagfish and whispers to her. The Hagfish then leaves and claims that they have not seen the last of her. She then leaves along with the storm and Mr. Krabs questions SpongeBob on what he whispered and makes a joke. SpongeBob then laughs suspiciously.

Later, when the Krusty Krab closes, SpongeBob secretly goes behind the Krusty Krab to give The Hagfish two delicious Krabby Patties before being caught by Mr. Krabs. It is revealed that was what SpongeBob whispered to The Hagfish. Mr. Krabs yells at SpongeBob and takes the patties from him. The Hagfish becomes furious and chants secret words along with the phrase "I hereby curse the Krusty Krab" which supposedly puts a curse on the Krusty Krab before flying away. SpongeBob becomes very worried about this but Mr. Krabs says that it is a bunch of nonsense.

The next day, Mr. Krabs watches out the door the whole day, and there are no customers. He says he has a funny feeling about the so-called curse. Suddenly, a plate falls from the attic of the Krusty Krab. It startles Squidward, making him drop his coffee and start a fire, burning much of Mr. Krabs' money. SpongeBob attempts to put the fire out but just ends up turning all of Mr. Krabs' money to ash. Mr. Krabs and SpongeBob then set out to try to find the Old Hagfish in hope that she would lift the curse off of the Krusty Krab.

File:The Curse of the Hex 139.png

It takes them a few hours to find her, but they finally come to a covered wagon where she lives. Mr. Krabs begs for her to lift the curse. She agrees on a compromise. They must find a sacred golden doubloon from the deadly golden eel. They locate the eel (who is sleeping inside a cave full of green goo that SpongeBob identifies as "leftover pudding"). They try to get the doubloon from him but SpongeBob trips, thus waking him up. The eel grabs Mr. Krabs and attempts to suffocate him. SpongeBob then hits the eel lightly on the neck but the doubloon flies out of the eel's throat and Mr. Krabs catches it. They get it to the Hagfish, who uses it for her laundry machine. The Hagfish agrees to lift the curse and reveals that she merely placed a closed sign on the Krusty Krab's front lawn and removes it. She then tells an annoyed Mr. Krabs that she would not waste real hexes on someone like him and leaves. Many customers then show up at the Krusty Krab. Inside the Krusty Krab, Mr. Krabs again says that there is no such thing as curses, or witches, or magical sea creatures. As the episode ends, the Krusty Krab begins shaking, and the golden eel pops up from underground scaring away all of the Krusty Krab's customers.

Production

Character design for this episode was in production during Veterans' Day 2009, and background design was on February 19, 2010.

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

File:223-745 prod.mov

On March 26, 2010, ABC News reporter Neal Karlinsky did a behind-the-scenes news story on the production of the series with the SpongeBob crew. A storyboard panel from this episode could be seen on an artist's drawing tablet, with the panel having been swapped out from one from "Krusty Dogs." A different storyboard drawing from the episode could also be seen, with a layout design being added into the background of a panel.

This episode was added to the United States Copyright Catalog on August 23, 2010, alongside the other 5 episodes from the SpongeBob's Legends of Bikini Bottom event. It was confirmed on October 22, 2010.

Press art

• Rough sketched by Vincent Waller, cleaned up by Kenny Pittenger, Peter Benett, and Brad Vandergrift.

• File:741-746 art rough.jpeg
• File:741-746 art final.jpeg

Art

• File:168917 488303671365 3304150 n.jpg
• File:132789 488303716365 483924 o.jpg

Character design

• Designed by Virginia Hawes.

• Eel
  Eel

Background design

• Painted by Andy Clark.

• File:098d3635618699afb60379e5cd1b7658.jpg

Music

( ‣ ) Production music

( • ) Original music

( ◦ ) SpongeBob music

 ‣ Slovakian Czardas Duo - Lars-Luis Linek [Title card]
 ‣ Animal Antics [#45] - Phil Green [Thunderstorm]
 • Lopey Sailor's Jig - Michael Bolger, Nicolas Carr ["Ah, the end of another successful business day."]
 ‣ Dramatic Bridge 3 - Phil Green [Madame Hagfish introduced]
 ‣ Desperate Situation - Phil Green ["I'm sorry, ma'am... but we're closed."]
 • Who Said That- Jolly Good Fellow 2 - Nicolas Carr, Barry Anthony [Hagfish enters Krusty Krab]
 • Steel Licks 22 - Jeremy Wakefield ["Oh, boy, some people."]
 • Happy Sack Shanty - Michael Bolger, Nicolas Carr [Hagfish orders a Krabby Patty]
 • Another Tragic Tale Of Woe - Michael Bolger, Nicolas Carr [Madame Hagfish begs for a Krabby Patty.]
 ‣ Dramatic Bridge 4 - Phil Green ["You haven't seen the last of... me!"]
 • Steel Licks 54 - Jeremy Wakefield [Krabs laughs]
 • Tip Toe Jig 2 - Michael Bolger, Nicolas Carr [Krabs smelling money]
 ‣ Drama Link (F) - Hubert Clifford ["Mr. Krabs!"]
 • Steel Licks 7 - Jeremy Wakefield ["Oh please, Mr. Krabs don't fire me. Please!"]
 • Tip Toe Jig 2 - Michael Bolger, Nicolas Carr [Krabs throws away the patties]
 ‣ Desperate Situation - Phil Green ["But what about the... the... the..."]
 • Steel Licks 43 - Jeremy Wakefield [Record skipping]
 ‣ Desperate Situation - Phil Green ["But what about the curse?"]
 • Krusty Krab Jig - Michael Bolger, Nicolas Carr [Krabs says curses are nonsense]
 ‣ Voodoo Victim - Gilbert Vinter [No customers]
 ‣ Tales From The Swamp (C) - Ron Goodwin ["Me money!"]
 ‣ The Jitters - Raymond C. Jones [Krabs' money burning]
 ‣ Dramatic Cue (E) - Ronald Hanmer [SpongeBob trying to put out the fire]
 ‣ Lonely Stranger - Laurie Johnson [Microscope]
 ‣ Dramatic Cue (E) - Ronald Hanmer ["I don't got it."]
 • Steel Licks 53 - Jeremy Wakefield ["There is a no-contract clause in it too."]
 • Another Krusty Krab Day - Michael Bolger, Nicolas Carr [SpongeBob and Mr. Krabs drive to Madame Hagfish's house.]
 ‣ The Jovial Buccaneers [#36] - John Fox ["Well, I'll be the slimy son of a slippery sea slug, boy! It's her!"]
 ‣ Why Am I So Poor? (b) - Niko Radic, Laszlo Borteri ["Give me one good reason why I should lift the curse."]
 ‣ Mystery Murder [#60] - Phil Green ["I will lift the curse, provided you two complete a dangerous task."]
 ‣ Dark and Scary - Harry Lubin ["Bring me the sacred gold doubloon from the throat of the giant golden eel!"]
 ‣ The Great White (D) - Gregor F. Narholz [Lair of the golden eel]
 ‣ Alone In The Old House - Gregor F. Narholz [SpongeBob and Krabs find the eel]
 ‣ Tipsy Turvy - Phil Green [SpongeBob trips]
 ‣ The Great White (D) - Gregor F. Narholz [Eel wakes up.]
 ‣ The Great White (A) - Gregor F. Narholz ["Look out for its tail!"]
 ‣ The Silver Blade - Ilona Sekacz ["Take this!"]
 ‣ Why Am I So Poor? (b) - Niko Radic, Laszlo Borteri ["Madame Hagfish, we've got the gold doubloon you asked for."]
 • Slide Whistle Stooges 2 No Whistle - Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Hagfish lifts the curse]
 • Jovial Pirate's Jig - Michael Bolger, Nicolas Carr [Ending]

Release

Broadcast

• Even though this is part of Legends of Bikini Bottom, it premiered in June 2011, while the rest of the miniseries premiered on television in January 2011.
  • This episode was originally going to premiere on January 28, 2011, and later, January 29, 2011, before being delayed to June.
  • Despite this, from this episode were still used in the miniseries' promos.
• This episode premiered as a part of SpongeBob's Summer of New Premieres in June 2011.
• When this episode aired on TV for the first time, it didn't have the book opening in the title card.

Distribution

• This episode is available on the Legends of Bikini Bottom, Complete Seventh Season, SpongeBob SquarePants Vol. 12, Terror on Nickelodeon, The SpongeBob SquarePants Collection, Triple Pack 3, The SpongeBob SquarePants 8 Season DVD Collection, The Best of Bikini Bottom, Sunđer Bob Kockalone DVD 6, Kids Double Pack, Kids Double Pack: Volume 3, Next 100 Episodes, Big Hits: Volume 2, The Best 200 Episodes Ever, The Seventh & Eighth Seasons, and The Best 300 Episodes Ever DVDs.

Trivia

General

• This episode was originally going to be titled "Hagfish Hex," as seen on some of the original character model sheets on Facebook.
• This episode originally had the packaging code of 142a and was paired with "The Main Drain." It was later changed to 142b and was paired up with "Sponge-Cano!" Finally, it was changed to 141a, and was once again paired with "The Main Drain."
• This episode was released online before it aired on television. It was also released on the Legends of Bikini Bottom DVD, released on November 16, 2010, almost seven months before it aired on American television.
• The Paramount+ streaming release merges this episode, "The Monster Who Came to Bikini Bottom," "Welcome to the Bikini Bottom Triangle," "The Main Drain," "Trenchbillies," and "Sponge-Cano!" into a one-hour and seven minute long compilation.
• The hagfish's money is somehow based on real life ancient societies that once used shells and beads as currency.
• The curse is actually a closed sign planted in front of the Krusty Krab.
  • The ending of the episode is similar to "Squid's Day Off," as both end with someone changing a closed sign to open.
• This is the first episode to use bones as the title card text. The second is "My Leg!"
• This is the second episode with the title format "The Curse of..." The first is "The Curse of Bikini Bottom."

Dub facts

• This episode was set to air sometime between December 24 - 30, 2010 at 9:45am on Nicktoons in Germany, but it was delayed to February 4, 2011.

Errors

File:The Curse of the Hex 010.png

"Kraboy Patty" instead of "Krabby Patty."

• When Mr. Krabs says, "Ahhh, the end of another successful business day," the Galley Grub lists a Krabby Patty as "Kraboy Patty."
• Usually in Krusty Krab's kitchen there is a backdoor leading to the street, but in this episode there is no door.

File:The Curse of the Hex 091.png

Wrong colored ground.

• When Mr. Krabs reveals a record player in SpongeBob's chest and moves the pin, the ground behind him is white despite being gray in all other scenes of him at the back of the Krusty Krab.
• Mr. Krabs' money shouldn't have been out of the cash register because it never got touched, except the trail of fire that streaked on it.
• When SpongeBob and Mr. Krabs park the car at Madame Hagfish's house, it is near the parking sign. But when they come back with the golden doubloon, the car disappears.
• When the customers run out of the Krusty Krab at the end, Incidental 13 suddenly disappears before running off-screen and Incidental 49's left eye is white instead of black in one frame.

Video

File:SpongeBob SquarePants - "The Curse of the Hex" Official Promo

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
French	La malédiction de la sorcière	The Sorceress' Curse
German	Der Fluch des Banns	The Curse of the Spell
Hungarian	A boszorkány átka	The Curse of the Hex
Italian	Il sortilegio del Krusty Krab	The Spell of the Krusty Krab
Russian	Проклятье Хекс Proklyat'ye Kheks	The Curse of the Hex
Spanish (Latin America)	La maldición del hechizo	The Curse of the Spell
Spanish (Spain)	La maldición de la hechicera	The Curse of the Sorceress