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User:SpongeBot678/Shanghaied and Gary Takes a Bath in the UK

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Incomplete timeline of the history of "Shanghaied" and "Gary Takes a Bath" in the UK and Ireland.

Timeline

  • 28th October 2003 - A user on the Nickdisk forums posts about a technical fault on Nickelodeon UK, where The Brothers Garcia: Mysteries of Maya was interrupted by a SpongeBob episode. The user claims the episode was "Shanghaied," and their descriptions appear to suggest they aired the 15 minute version of the episode.[1] A similar post was made on the nick.co.uk message boards, although none of the posts state what SpongeBob episode was shown.[2]
  • The OP for the Nickdisk forum post says this was the first time "Shanghaied" aired in the UK, however this is disputed by another user, "NickUKFan1" who describes a very similar event that happened "a few weeks back."
  • 2004 - A promotional DVD called Nicktoons TV Favourites Volume 2 is released exclusively at KFC in the UK and Ireland. This DVD includes "Gary Takes a Bath," and several clips from the episode are used in an advert for Nicktoons TV included in the DVD, including the subliminal message girl.[3]
  • The version of "Gary Takes a Bath" used in this DVD removes the scene where SpongeBob has a bomb strapped to his chest.[4]
  • 2004 - A very short clip from "Shanghaied" is used in a Nicktoons TV promo.[5]
  • 5th December 2004 - In response to a post on Nick UK's message boards asking "When are the episodes You Wish/Shanghaied and The Lost Episode coming on Nick? Me and my brother are DYING to see them!!!!!" NickTVAnt replies "We looked into this, and sadly at the moment we're not allowed to show the episode! But we're working on it, and we hope to show it some time in the future. :-)"[6][citation needed]
  • Several days later, someone asks "Why can't you show You Wish/Gary Takes A Bath?" and NickTVAnt replies "Stupid and boring reasons. We're working on it. :-)"
  • 6th December 2004 - In response to a post by the same user on Nick UK's message boards asking if "You Wish"/"Gary Takes a Bath" are going to be shown, NickTVAnt replies saying "no to You Wish/Gary Takes A Bath. We hope to show it in the future, but can't show it at the moment. (Wah!)"[7][citation needed]
  • This is reposted on the Nickdisk forums, where several users recall seeing a clip from "Gary Takes a Bath" used in a Nicktoons UK promo, despite not having seen the episode before. The line is: "If I can't get you to come to the bath, I'll just have to bring the bath to you."[8]
  • 17th December 2004 - A user named "UKTJ" posts on a Nickdisk thread claiming that "Gary Takes a Bath" was shown on either a Nickelodeon UK channel "last September." The user goes on to say "The reason they aren't showing it now is the same reason an episode of The Amanda Show is edited... Exploding people (or in SB case, exploding sponge). Spongebob[sic] yells at Gary to take a bath otherwise a bomb strapped to his chest will explode, gary[sic] doesn't move, Spongebob[sic] explodes. The bit lasts probably 10 secs at most, don't see why Nick can't just cut it out like they (badly) did with The Amanda Show."[9]
  • This is the same scene that was cut from the Nicktoons TV Favourites Volume 2 DVD.
  • 1st February 2005 - A user posts on the Nick UK message boards "dear nickelodeon, will u[sic] eva[sic] show the spongebob[sic] episodes "You Wish" and "Shanghaied" again?" NickTVAnt replies saying: "You Wish" and "Shanghaied" are actually both names for the same episode - it's actually never been shown in the UK, though. Maybe one day! :-)[10]
  • This is inconsistent with the supposed accidental airing on the 28th of October 2003.
  • 23rd November 2005 - In a thread discussing "Shanghaied" on TV.com, a user says they haven't seen the episode because it was never aired in the UK.[11]
  • 22nd December 2005 - Almost exactly one month later, another user posts on the TV.com thread claiming "Shanghaied" did air in the UK, but not on Nickelodeon. They claim to have seen and recorded the episode on ITV1's Toonattik block, but that "Gary Takes a Bath" didn't air and that "you probraly[sic] won't see that ep of Spongebob[sic] on ITV1 (or any channel in the UK) again."[12]
  • 25th January 2006 - "Shanghaied"/"Gary Takes a Bath" (33) are skipped on Nicktoons. The schedule has "Pressure"/"The Smoking Peanut" (32) at 8am/pm, "Welcome to the Chum Bucket"/"Frankendoodle" (34) at 5pm and "The Secret Box"/"Band Geeks (35) at 6pm, suggesting that they were playing the episodes in order.[13]
  • 9th March 2006 - A user named "Squidley" makes a thread on SpongeBuddy Mania asking "When will new episodes be in the UK does anyone know[?]"[14] Minutes later, they post in another thread asking "Does anyone have shanghaid[sic], i[sic] havn't[sic] seen that one[.]"[15]
  • 10th March 2006 - After a, now-broken, YouTube link to "Shanghaied" is posted in the thread, Squidley returns and says "Thanks for shangaid[sic] yoshq now i[sic] have seen every episode from season one and two and three[.]"[16]
  • 24th-25th April 2006 - "Shanghaied"/"Gary Takes a Bath" are skipped on Nicktoons.[17][18]
  • 18th June 2006 - The Wikipedia page for "Shanghaied" is edited and the claim "This episode, along with Gary Takes a Bath, was never shown in the UK." is added to the trivia.[19]
  • 20th July 2006 - The previous edit is reverted by another editor who, in the edit summary, says "it has been shown in the UK, as I've seen it!"[20]
File:The Complete SpongeBob DVD collection.png
  • 24th July 2006 - A trailer plays at the start of the Fear of a Krabby Patty DVD advertising SpongeBob DVDs, some clips from "Gary Takes a Bath" appear in this trailer.[21] After the trailer finishes, a brief slide appears advertising "the complete SpongeBob DVD collection." None of the DVDs featured in the slide contain "Gary Takes a Bath."


  • 23rd October 2006 - The Complete 2nd Season DVD box set is released in the UK (and presumably Ireland too).[22] "Shanghaied" and "Gary Takes a Bath" are both available on disc 2.
File:Dvd snapshot 01.04.520.png
  • Despite being cut on the Nicktoons TV Favourites Volume 2 promotional DVD, the scene in "Gary Takes a Bath" where SpongeBob has a bomb strapped to his chest is unedited on this release.


  • 13th November 2006 - "The complete SpongeBob DVD collection" trailer from the Fear of a Krabby Patty DVD is reused at the start of the Lost in Time DVD, again including the clips from "Gary Takes a Bath."[23]
  • 15th January 2007 - "Shanghaied"/"Gary Takes a Bath" are skipped on Nickelodeon.[24]
  • 2nd February 2007 - "Shanghaied"/"Gary Takes a Bath" are skipped on Nickelodeon.[25]
  • 14th February 2007 - In a marathon, where almost every other season 2 episode is aired, "Shanghaied"/"Gary Takes a Bath" are skipped on Nicktoons.[26]
  • 15h February 2007 - "Shanghaied"/"Gary Takes a Bath" are skipped on Nickelodeon.[27]
  • 10th April 2007 - A thread is created on SpongeBuddy Mania saying "Nickelodeon UK never show "Shanghaied" or "Gary Takes a Bath." I asked them why once, and I think its because they're not allowed to." A user named PhilipB replies saying "They do now. 0_o They showed them ages ago... and still do." A user named DJ Sponge replies saying "I've seen them on Nick UK about 5 times."[28]
  • 18th June 2008 - A thread is created on TV.com asking "Why was 'Shanghaied / Gary Takes a Bath' never shown in the UK?"[29] This thread is almost a complete reversal of the previous TV.com thread. The OP asks two questions: "Why was it banned by CITV?" and "Why can't they just show it on Nikelodeon[sic]?" The other TV.com thread, from almost three years prior, had a user who claimed it was shown on CITV, and that that was the only time they saw the episode on UK TV.
  • There is little else worth of interest in the thread, besides a final comment made by another user, who states "Yeah I live in the Uk[sic] and they never played it." They go on to mention a "Gary the Snail's show thing they're doing" and say the promo for it includes a clip from "Gary Takes a Bath", "so maybe they will play it soon."
  • 9th July 2008 - "Shanghaied"/"Gary Takes a Bath" are skipped on Nickelodeon.[30]
  • 9th September 2008 - "Shanghaied"/"Gary Takes a Bath" are skipped on Nickelodeon.[31]
  • 31st October 2008 - An IP address edits the page for "Shanghaied" on SpongePedia claiming that the episode aired in the UK that day.[32] They also edited the page for "Gary Takes a Bath" saying the episode "hadn't aired in the UK yet."[33]
  • 2nd November 2008 - A bunch of nonsense is added to the "Gary Takes a Bath" page on SpongePedia.[34]
  • 4th November 2008 - The nonsense on the "Gary Takes a Bath" page is reverted and the statement is changed to "This episode is not on Nick UK. It was banned. But after 7 years on October 31, 2008 this episode was aired in the UK along with episode Shanghaied."[35] The "Shanghaied" page is also updated to reflect this.[36]
  • 19th March 2009 - "Shanghaied"/"Gary Takes a Bath" are aired on Nickelodeon.[37]
  • 18th April 2009 - "Shanghaied"/"Gary Takes a Bath" are aired on Nicktoons.[38]
  • 20th April 2009 - "Shanghaied"/"Gary Takes a Bath" are rerun on Nickelodeon.[39]
  • 2nd May 2009 - "Shanghaied"/"Gary Takes a Bath" are rerun on Nickelodeon.[40]
  • 5th May 2009 - "Shanghaied"/"Gary Takes a Bath" are rerun on Nicktoons.[41]
  • 31st July 2009 - "Shanghaied"/"Gary Takes a Bath" are rerun on Nicktoons. Twice.[42]
  • 6th August 2009 - "Shanghaied"/"Gary Takes a Bath" are rerun on Nickelodeon.[43]
  • 17th August 2009 - "Shanghaied"/"Gary Takes a Bath" are rerun on Nicktoons. Twice. Again.[44]
  • 7th September 2009 - "Shanghaied"/"Gary Takes a Bath" are rerun on Nicktoons. Twice.[45]
  • 3rd December 2009 - In a thread on SpongeBuddy Mania discussing banned episodes, the same creator of the last thread says that there was a "long period" where "Shanghaied"/"Gary Takes a Bath" weren't aired. They're "not sure" if it was banned, but Nick UK didn't air it for "over a year".[46]
    • OP replies saying they "believe it aired twice over the course of 5 years" and read that ["Shanghaied"] was "banned because of the graphic perfume scene" and "Gary Takes a Bath" was "banned because of the soap joke".
  • 4th December 2009 - The SBMania user PhilipB, who appeared earlier, replies to a user claiming that the UK (and the US) have no banned episodes and just "episodes [that] aren't aired for long periods of times."
  • "No, sorry, but Shanghaied/Gary Takes a Bath was deffo banned by the Nick UK editorial team. It was mentioned in the guidebook AND on the list of episodes they should not show. As said, two times accidentally it was show, until recently when Ofcom cleared the episode and allowed it for broadcast."[47]
  • He claims it was show[sic] "two times accidentally, until recently" even though, two years prior, he took part in a forum thread where he said "they showed them ages ago and still do" and didn't dispute the claims of another user who claimed to have seen it "5 times" on Nick UK.
  • He also states, "Ofcom cleared the episode and allowed it for broadcast." This is not something Ofcom does, they only deal with complaints that are made after shows are broadcast. Clearing and allowing episodes for broadcast would either be done in-house by Nickelodeon UK, or by a third-party company. The only way Ofcom could've been involved in this, would be if someone saw an airing of "Shanghaied"/"Gary Takes a Bath" and complained to Ofcom, who then looked into it, and decided it was not worth pursuing.
  • 5th December 2009 - The OP of the SBMania thread quotes PhilipB's post and says "They can broadcast it in the UK? I heard they reran in 2008 and got it pulled from schedule. Again. :|"[48]
  • 30th December 2009 - "Shanghaied"/"Gary Takes a Bath" are rerun on Nickelodeon.[49]
  • 27th January 2010 - Completely unrelated, but "Christmas Who?" airs on Nickelodeon for no apparent reason.[50]
  • 29th April 2010 - "Shanghaied"/"Gary Takes a Bath" are rerun on Nickelodeon.[51]
  • 13th May 2010 - "Shanghaied"/"Gary Takes a Bath" are rerun on Nickelodeon.[52]
  • 16th July 2010 - "Shanghaied"/"Gary Takes a Bath" are rerun on Nickelodeon.[53]
  • 3rd September 2010 - A user named Mcb1209 adds this to the ESB page for "Shanghaied":
"This episode (along with its episode partner, Gary Takes a Bath) was banned in the United Kingdom and Australia due to its frightening and dark storyline involving ghosts, along with a disturbing, slow-motion scene involving a tired and scared SpongeBob and Patrick getting sprayed with perfumes along to spooky, unsettling music. It was deemed too uncomfortable to watch for younger viewers. After seven years of not airing, both episodes finally returned to Nickelodeon (UK & Ireland) and Nickelodeon Australia in September 2008 for a single airing. After complaints from parents, the episodes were banned again and have not aired since."[54]
  • An identical trivia point was also added to the page for "Gary Takes a Bath,"[55] except the reasons changed to "due to a "don't drop the soap" gag involved in the script, which was regarded too inappropriate for a children's cartoon. Also, while SpongeBob is "assaulting Gary's mind with subliminal messages", a picture of a strange, crossed-eyed, awkward girl with freckles and pigtails appears suddenly with a giggle that was deemed too frightening for younger viewers."
  • The claim "both episodes finally returned to Nickelodeon (UK & Ireland) and Nickelodeon Australia in September 2008 for a single airing. After complaints from parents, the episodes were banned again and have not aired since." is unlikely to be true, I can't find anything to confirm Nick UK aired either episode in September 2008, and even if they did, it certainly wasn't pulled again afterwards. I can't comment on the claims about Australia, I have no knowledge of the show in Australia.
  • 3rd November 2010 - "Shanghaied"/"Gary Takes a Bath" are rerun on Nickelodeon.[56]
  • 7th November 2010 - An IP address edits the ESB page for "Shanghaied," removing the claim that the episode "[returned] in September 2008 for a single airing. After complaints from parents, the episodes were banned again and have not aired since then[.]" In the edit summary they state that the episode is "Not banned was on a few weeks ago in the UK[.]"[57]
  • Two hours later, a different IP address edits the "Gary Takes a Bath" page, claiming "[...] the episode (along with Shanghaied) reaired in Australia in November 2010 .[sic]"[58]
  • 13th November 2010 - The same IP address who made the edit to the "Gary Takes a Bath" page on the 7th of November returns, updating the "Shanghaied" page to state that "it also aired with Gary takes a bath in Australia in November 2010."[59]
  • 27th February 2011 - An IP address edits the ESB page for "Gary Takes a Bath," adding that despite the episode's supposed ban in the UK and Ireland, it was included on The Complete Second Season DVD in Region 2. The editor also states that "the episode returned to TV on 27th February 2011 in the UK!"[60] They did not make any changes to the page for "Shanghaied."
  • 18th March 2011 - An IP address adds a completely unsourced claim to the "Gary Takes a Bath" page: "This episode was almost banned in USA because of the weird looking girl from the subliminal message."[61]
  • 19th April 2011 - In a trivia point about the "huge controversey[sic]" apparently caused by the "don't drop 'em" gag in "Gary Takes a Bath," a user named Airmario3 adds that "It [the episode?] was blocked [banned?] anyway for the scary picture [subliminal message girl?] in the episode."[62]
  • 16th May 2011 - In a SpongeBuddy Mania thread discussing "Shanghaied," PhilipB posts: "I remember when this was truly the lost SpongeBob episode as it was never aired in the UK until a couple of years ago for some reason, that and 'Gary Takes A Bath' too." SBRoxMan replies: "Some sources say CITV banned it, while other sources say that parents complained to Ofcom about "scary scenes" in the episodes, so it got banned, and when it re-aired again, people started to complain again. Either way, I think both reasons sound stupid."[63]
  • 17th August 2011 - A user named "Haroldfan4eva" creates a page on ESB for the subliminal message girl, titled "Crazy Girl." The trivia section reads: "She (along with "dubloons" being mentioned) is what got Gary Takes a Bath cancelled in the UK."[64]
  • 20th August 2011 - An IP address attempts to remove the claims that "Shanghaied" was banned in the UK and Ireland from the trivia section.[65]
  • 21st August 2011 - The previous edit to the "Shanghaied" page is undone by a user named "The Midna."[66]
  • 31st August 2011 - An IP address edits the ESB page for "Gary Takes a Bath," adding to the trivia section: "The Sky description for the episode is "Gary takes a bath, well... what did you expect?". As stated, Gary does not actually take a bath in the episode." Sky is a TV provider in the UK and Ireland, and this is indeed the description that appears on listings when Nickelodeon UK airs the episode.[67]
  • 2nd September 2011 - The claim that "Shanghaied" and "Gary Takes a Bath" were rerun in the UK and Ireland on the 27th of February 2011, which had already been present on the page for "Gary Takes a Bath" since that date, is added to the "Shanghaied" page.[68]
  • 9th October 2011 - A user named Jozza27 edits both the "Shanghaied" and "Gary Takes a Bath" pages to add this: "^ (who ever editied this) I don't know where you get your information from but i have seen gary takes a bath and shanghaied heaps in Australia as i have lived there"[sic][69][70] They remove it minutes later.[71][72]
  • 10th October 2011 - A user named Gumba Jonny edits the "Gary Takes a Bath" to page to clean up the trivia, completely removing the trivia point edited by Airmario3 on the 19th of April 2011, and slightly changing the wording on a few others. The claims that the episode was banned in the UK, Australia, and "almost banned" in the US, remain up.[73]
  • 31st October 2011 - "Shanghaied" is rerun on Nicktoons at 1pm and 7:05pm, and at 4pm on Nickelodeon.[74]
  • 19th November 2011 - An IP address edits the "Shanghaied" page, claiming that the perfume department scene was "offending."[75]
  • 5th March 2012 - A user named "NotQuiteAFreak" makes a post on GameFAQs's Cartoons and Animations board, titled "Just watched the episode "Shanghaied" on the Spongebob[sic] Season 2 Boxset.." The post reads: "And it's weird, I don't think I've ever seen this episode being broadcast, at least not on the repeats on Nickelodeon. Was it a one-off special or did they remove it from broadcasts? Or is it something completely different?" A user replies "As a bit of note, neither DVD release contains the episode entirely. The release on the individual disc Sea Stories has three versions of the episode (remember the different endings?)[...]" OP replies: "No, I've never seen it before. :3 Though, apparently it was banned in the UK until February of last year. Which would explain why I haven't seen it until now[...]"[76]
  • 29th March 2012 - IHeartSpongeBob edits the characters section on the "Gary Takes a Bath" page, adding a claim that the subliminal message girl was only in "some broadcasts" of the episode.[77]
  • 7th April 2012 - In a thread discussing "The Sponge Who Could Fly" PhilipB claims CITV never aired that episode and Nick UK rarely showed it. He compares it with "Shanghaied" and goes on to say "["Shanghaied"] was never ever shown on Nick UK or CITV for many many years," that he "can't remember why it was banned," thinks it was "too scary" and that Nick UK didn't show it until "2007 or so."[78]
  • 23rd June 2012 - A user named Icephines adds the categories "Banned episodes in the United Kingdom" to the "Gary Takes a Bath" page,[79] and both "Banned from airing in the Uk" and "Banned episodes in the United Kingdom" to the "Shanghaied" page.[80][81]
  • 29th June 2012 - A user named Conker's Bad Fur Day edits the "Gary Takes a Bath" page, changing the sentence "After seven years of not airing, both episodes finally returned to Nickelodeon (UK & Ireland) and Nickelodeon Australia in September 2008 for a single airing" to "After seven years of not airing, both episodes finally returned to Nickelodeon in Europe and Australia in September 2008 for a single airing." Every other mention of the UK remained unchanged in this paragraph.[82]
  • 4th July 2012 - An IP address updates the trivia section on the page for the subliminal message girl to be more in-line with what was already present on the "Gary Takes a Bath" page, also stating that "Both countries had those episodes banned for about 9 years."[83][84]
  • 28th August 2012 - A new thread is created on SBMania discussing controversial episodes. PhilipB returns and says "Shanghaied" was banned in the UK until 2007. A user asks why and he replies "Because it was scary? Either that or because it was paired with Gary Takes a Bath which was also scary to children." Another user says "apparently the perfume dpartment[sic] scene caused some controversy."[85]
  • 30th September 2012 - A user named "Family guy sucks" edits the subliminal message girl page to add that, in response to the unsubstantiated claim the US almost banned the episode, "they could have just cut her out."[86]
  • 2nd October 2012 - Family guy sucks returns to the subliminal message girl page, adding Ireland to the list of countries "Gary Takes a Bath" was banned in. The UK and Ireland share the same Nickelodeon feeds.[87]
  • 8th October 2012 - The Ghouls Fools DVD releases in the UK and Ireland with "Shanghaied" included.[88]
  • 25th October 2012 - An IP address removes almost everything that was in the trivia section on the subliminal message girl page, stating in the edit summary "The whole trivia section needs to be cited. Where are the sources that prove Spongebob[sic] was banned for nine years? References?"[89]
  • 11th November 2012 - A different IP address tries to readd the trivia to the subliminal message girl page, this time restating the claim about the episode almost being banned in the US, and saying that "In many countries this joke was cut from the episode."[90]
  • Around February 2013(?) - A game called ClipDeck is added to the Nicktoons.co.uk website, the game features random clips from shows, allowing players to mix them together and make their own clips.[91] It is basically a kid-friendly YouTube Poop maker. Later revisions of the page still seem to work on the Wayback Machine.[92] The game included at least seven clips from "Shanghaied"[93] and three from "Gary Takes a Bath."[94]
  • Completely unrelated but another clip the game included was the scene in "Doing Time" where the cops straighten out parking meters.[95] This scene was later removed from UK and Ireland airings of the episode, I just think this is kind of funny.
  • 17th February 2013 - A thread is created on SBMania discussing the most interesting of topics in SpongeBob history, "that weird hillbilly girl from gary takes a bath." A user replies saying "This was the reason, this episode got banned in the UK[...] But, atleast it's no longer banned."[96]
  • 18th February 2013 - A user named "Purdy" replies saying "we almost lost the episode by ban but luckily it was never bannned here for some reason =P," Purdy's SBMania location is set to "Some Place."
  • 20th February 2013 - SBRoxMan, who has previously taken part in threads about this topic, joins the thread and says "I don't get how she could get the whole episode banned in the UK. Why not just delete the scene where she appears and allow the other parts to air?" Another user, also from the UK, says "I always thought the reason Shanghaied/Gary Takes A Bath was banned was because of Shanghaied being too scary" and that they doubt it was because of the "hillbilly girl."
  • 25th February 2013 - Five days later, another user says, "I thought it was banned for the "don't drop the soap" joke."
  • 26th February 2013 - A day after that, another user, from "South West England" according to their profile, says "I thought it was banned because of the scary heads in shanghaied." Then the thread dies.
  • 28th June 2013 - A user named Trophy92588 updates the subliminal message girl page claiming that the scene was cut in some countries for "mature reasons." [???][97]
  • 4th March 2014 - The list of episodes by country/UK and Ireland page is created.[98] The page claims "Shanghaied" premiered on July 30, 2003, "Gary Takes a Bath" is not present on the page. It is not clear where this date came from.
  • 29th October 2014 - "Shanghaied" is rerun on Nicktoons.[99]
  • 1st November 2014 - "Shanghaied" is rerun on Nicktoons.[99]
  • 5th May 2015 - Jensonk edits the "Gary Takes a Bath" page, adding a citation needed template to the claim that the episode was "almost banned in the US because of the creepy subliminal message girl."[100]
  • 25th February 2016 - A user named Br4d3n14 edits the "Gary Takes a Bath" page, adding that the episode may have been banned in the UK and Ireland "possibly for Spongebob[sic] strapping a bomb to his chest."[101]
  • 25th October 2016 - "Shanghaied" and "Gary Takes a Bath" are rerun on Nicktoons at 1:30pm and again at 11:29pm.[102]
  • 16th July 2017 - A user named "TheInternetRuinedMyLife" edits the "Gary Takes a Bath" page, adding a citation needed template to the trivia point about the episode being banned in the UK and Australia and removing the point about the episode possibly being banned because of the scene where SpongeBob has a bomb strapped to his chest. The trivia point about the episode almost being banned in the US remains up.[103]
  • 29th October 2017 - A user named "JellyfishingSponge" makes a thread on SBMania titled "SpongeBob UK Censorship." "Gary Takes a Bath" is mentioned in the opening post: "This episode was banned in the UK for a while, it started to air again in around 2009."[104]
  • 31st October 2017 - In page 2 of the "SpongeBob UK Censorship" thread, a user named "Katniss" asks "Why was Gary Takes a Bath banned?" Another user named "Depressed Luigi" replies with simply: "Doubloons! Don't drop them......"[105]
  • 3rd February 2018 - Over seven years after it was first added to the page, the trivia point about "Gary Takes a Bath" being banned in the UK and Australia is removed from the page by Bluebunny507 for being unsourced. The trivia point about the episode almost being banned in the US is also removed.[106]
  • 6th February 2018 - Just three days later, a user named "Wackadoodle" readds both points, albeit in a much shorter form than they were in previously.[107]
  • 11th June 2018 - Bluebunny507 edits the "Shanghaied" page, removing the trivia point about the episode being banned in the UK and Australia.[108]
  • 11th July 2018 - EmilyHarmonizer02 adds a citation needed template to the claim on the subliminal message girl page that the scene was cut from the episode in some countries.[109]
  • 23rd October 2018 - EmilyHarmonizer02 edits the "Gary Takes a Bath" page, adding a source to the trivia point about the episode being banned in the UK and Australia.[110]
  • The source is an article on the website Onbites.com titled "9 Cartoons That Have Been Banned In Various Countries For Surprising Reasons."[111] In a section for SpongeBob SquarePants it reads: "Both the UK and Australia banned the Shanghaied/Gary Takes a Bath episode. The issue with Shanghaied was that its nightmare sequences were too scary for children, whilst the issue with Gary Takes a Bath was its adult ‘don’t drop the soap’ gag and its image of a cross-eyed girl." It is not clear to me when this article was originally published, however, this is identical to what was previously present on the "Gary Takes a Bath" page on ESB, and would continue to be available on other websites such as IMDB, for many years to come.
  • 28th January 2019 - The Onbites.com article is removed from the "Gary Takes a Bath" page.[112]
  • October 2019 - A very brief clip from "Shanghaied" is used in a Nicktoons UK promo for Horrid Half Term.[113]
  • 17th December 2019 - A user named "Actual AdvancedPlayer" edits the "Gary Takes a Bath" page, adding that the episode "was also eventually allowed to air in Australia in the UK."[114]
  • 15th February 2020 - The trivia about "Gary Takes a Bath" being banned in the UK and Australia is once again removed by EmilyHReturns.[115]
  • 14th April 2020 - The claims on the subliminal message girl page that the scene was cut from some countries and almost got "Gary Takes a Bath" banned in the US are removed.[116]
  • 22nd September 2020 - "Gary Takes a Bath" is added to the list of episodes by country/UK and Ireland page, with an October 31, 2008 airdate. Possibly sourced from SpongePedia?[117]
  • 24th August 2021 - The July 30, 2003 airdate for "Shanghaied" is removed by The Aura Warrior of Something from Whatever, citing the 16th May 2011 SpongeBuddy Mania forum post.[118]
  • 11th January 2024 - "Gary Takes a Bath" is rerun on Nickelodeon.[119]
  • 26th February 2024 - "Gary Takes a Bath" is rerun on Nickelodeon.[120]
  • 1st September 2024 - The British tabloid newspaper, the Daily Mail, publishes an article about adult jokes in children's movies and TV. the "don't drop 'em" joke in "Gary Takes a Bath" is mentioned right at the start of the article, with the claim: "Despite many not cottoning on to the meaning of the joke, the allusion got the episode banned in the UK and Australia."[121] The article was probably written quickly by someone who just looked at IMDB for two seconds, much to the appreciation of their readers, who showed a lot of interest in the subject.
  • 26th September 2024 - "Gary Takes a Bath" is rerun on Nicktoons.[122]
File:Nicktoons UK - 2024-09-29 0250am SpongeBob SquarePants.png
  • 29th September 2024 - "Gary Takes a Bath" is rerun on Nicktoons.[123]


File:Nickelodeon UK - 2024-10-16 0729am SpongeBob SquarePants (1).png
File:Nickelodeon UK - 2024-10-16 0729am SpongeBob SquarePants (2).png
  • 16th October 2024 - "Shanghaied" and "Gary Takes a Bath" are rerun on Nickelodeon.[124]


File:Well what did you expect.png
File:Well what did you expect 2.png
  • Apparently the episode summary used for the EPG has not been changed since the 2000s.


  • 28th October 2024 - "Shanghaied" is rerun on Nickelodeon. For some reason TV24 thinks they were showing a different episode.
  • 20th November 2024 - "Gary Takes a Bath" is rerun on Nicktoons during NickSpongeBob.[125]
  • 2nd December 2024 - "Gary Takes a Bath" is used as filler on Nicktoons after a late-night "Atlantis SquarePantis" airing.[126]
File:Nicktoons UK - 2024-12-15 1145pm SpongeBob SquarePants.png
  • 15th December 2024 - "Gary Takes a Bath" is rerun on Nicktoons.[127]


  • 11th February 2025 - An article is published on the film and TV website, Collider, titled "This Early, Inappropriate Episode of ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’ Was Pulled From Paramount."[128] The article is mainly focused on "Mid-Life Crustacean," but I guess that wasn't enough content for this obvious filler article, as there's also a section titled "Other 'SpongeBob SquarePants’ Episodes Have Been Taken Off the Air," where "Gary Takes a Bath" is mentioned:
  • "Ironically, one other episode would be banned...but this time, it was in the U.K. and Australia. The Season 2 episode "Gary Takes A Bath" has a small moment where SpongeBob, attempting to get his pet snail Gary to take a bath, shows off two bars of soap he calls "doubloons"...then tells Gary, "Don't drop 'em." It's clear that this is an inside reference to the myth about dropping soap in prison, but it was enough for U.K. and Australia censors to pull that episode."
  • The Daily Mail article from September 2024 is linked in this article, so presumably that was their only source.
  • 2nd October 2025 - "Shanghaied" and "Gary Takes a Bath" are scheduled to be rerun on Nicktoons at 4am.

References

  1. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20041128041106/http://emerald.bbboy.net/nickdisk-viewthread?forum=5&thread=666
  2. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20050122194314/http://nick.co.uk/messageboards/viewpost.aspx?post_id=18014&topic_id=12&next=0
  3. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btMjzc17KjY
  4. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vJJ-1hrP5w
  5. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQqi2n3iE4I&t=95s
  6. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20050427073734/http://www.nick.co.uk/messageboards/viewpost.aspx?post_id=39069&topic_id=12&next=39999
  7. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20050427073844/http://www.nick.co.uk/messageboards/viewpost.aspx?post_id=39924&topic_id=12&next=39938
  8. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20050427012755/http://bb.bbboy.net/nickdisk-viewthread?forum=5&thread=1215&postnum=60
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  10. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20050427074154/http://www.nick.co.uk:80/messageboards/viewpost.aspx?post_id=40121&topic_id=12&next=0
  11. ↑ https://thesbcommunity.com/archive/www.tv.com/shows/spongebob-squarepants/forums/episode-discussion-shanghaied-2520-152287/index.html
  12. ↑ https://thesbcommunity.com/archive/www.tv.com/shows/spongebob-squarepants/forums/episode-discussion-shanghaied-2520-152287/index-page=1.html
  13. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20060125084820/http://nick.co.uk/whatson/toons/ToonsSchedule.aspx (click "Info" and check the url to see the episodes that were on)
  14. ↑ https://www.sbmania.net/forums/threads/new-episodes-in-uk.6387/
  15. ↑ https://www.sbmania.net/forums/threads/watch-spongebob-online.5281/page-4#post-91220
  16. ↑ https://www.sbmania.net/forums/threads/watch-spongebob-online.5281/page-4#post-91317
  17. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20060424152107/http://nick.co.uk/whatson/toons/ToonsSchedule.aspx
  18. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20060425042319/http://nick.co.uk/whatson/toons/ToonsSchedule.aspx
  19. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Shanghaied_(SpongeBob_SquarePants)&diff=prev&oldid=59292553
  20. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Shanghaied_(SpongeBob_SquarePants)&diff=prev&oldid=64921132
  21. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuoqI5EEFkQ&t=86s
  22. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20080327174834/http://www.asda-entertainment.co.uk/asda/8559827.product
  23. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiUb1kRH_xE&t=20s
  24. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20070115030814/https://www.nick.co.uk/whatson/nick/nickSchedule.aspx
  25. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20070202225729/https://www.nick.co.uk/whatson/nick/nickSchedule.aspx
  26. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20070214074532/http://nick.co.uk/whatson/toons/ToonsSchedule.aspx
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  28. ↑ https://www.sbmania.net/forums/threads/shanghaied-gary-takes-a-bath.16163/
  29. ↑ https://thesbcommunity.com/archive/www.tv.com/shows/spongebob-squarepants/forums/why-was-shanghaied-gary-takes-a-bath-never-shown-in-the-uk-2520-1094077/index.html
  30. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20080703153448/http://www.nick.co.uk/whats_on
  31. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20080908043132/http://www.nick.co.uk/whats_on
  32. ↑ http://en.spongepedia.org/index.php?title=Shanghaied_(Episode)&diff=44934&oldid=40820
  33. ↑ http://en.spongepedia.org/index.php?title=Gary_Takes_a_Bath_(Episode)&diff=prev&oldid=44935
  34. ↑ http://en.spongepedia.org/index.php?title=Gary_Takes_a_Bath_(Episode)&diff=prev&oldid=45123
  35. ↑ http://en.spongepedia.org/index.php?title=Gary_Takes_a_Bath_(Episode)&diff=next&oldid=45124
  36. ↑ http://en.spongepedia.org/index.php?title=Shanghaied_(Episode)&diff=45262&oldid=44934
  37. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20090314100321/http://www.nick.co.uk/whats_on
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  44. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20090817121526/http://www.nick.co.uk/whats_on
  45. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20090903190535/http://www.nick.co.uk/whats_on
  46. ↑ https://www.sbmania.net/forums/threads/banned-episodes.26463
  47. ↑ https://www.sbmania.net/forums/threads/banned-episodes.26463/#post-431850
  48. ↑ https://www.sbmania.net/forums/threads/banned-episodes.26463/#post-431902
  49. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20091225143540/http://www.nick.co.uk/whatson/default.aspx?day=Wednesday
  50. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20100127064751/http://www.nick.co.uk/whatson/
  51. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20100426015807/http://www.nick.co.uk/whatson/default.aspx?day=Thursday
  52. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20100513055018/http://www.nick.co.uk/whatson/
  53. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20100715231824/http://www.nick.co.uk/whatson/
  54. ↑ https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/Shanghaied?diff=94015&oldid=93579
  55. ↑ https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/Gary_Takes_a_Bath?diff=next&oldid=93988
  56. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20100916160538/http://www.nick.co.uk/whatson/
  57. ↑ https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/Shanghaied?diff=next&oldid=101439
  58. ↑ https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/Gary_Takes_a_Bath?diff=prev&oldid=102763
  59. ↑ https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/Shanghaied?diff=next&oldid=104158
  60. ↑ https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/Gary_Takes_a_Bath?diff=next&oldid=120886
  61. ↑ https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/Gary_Takes_a_Bath?diff=next&oldid=121029
  62. ↑ https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/Gary_Takes_a_Bath?diff=next&oldid=127617
  63. ↑ https://www.sbmania.net/forums/threads/33a-shanghaied.28821
  64. ↑ https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/Subliminal_message_girl?oldid=149367
  65. ↑ https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/Shanghaied?diff=prev&oldid=150482
  66. ↑ https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/Shanghaied?diff=next&oldid=150482
  67. ↑ https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/Gary_Takes_a_Bath?diff=next&oldid=152520
  68. ↑ https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/Shanghaied?diff=next&oldid=151753
  69. ↑ https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/Gary_Takes_a_Bath?diff=next&oldid=159037
  70. ↑ https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/Shanghaied?diff=next&oldid=158341
  71. ↑ https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/Shanghaied?diff=next&oldid=159698
  72. ↑ https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/Gary_Takes_a_Bath?diff=next&oldid=159694
  73. ↑ https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/Gary_Takes_a_Bath?diff=next&oldid=159700
  74. ↑ https://www.nickalive.net/2011/10/halloween-2011-on-nickelodeon-uk.html
  75. ↑ https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/Shanghaied?diff=prev&oldid=168449
  76. ↑ https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/203-cartoons-and-animation/62152773
  77. ↑ https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/Gary_Takes_a_Bath?diff=next&oldid=186967
  78. ↑ https://www.sbmania.net/forums/threads/59-the-sponge-who-could-fly.29723/#post-479168
  79. ↑ https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/Gary_Takes_a_Bath?diff=prev&oldid=222311
  80. ↑ https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/Shanghaied?diff=prev&oldid=222317
  81. ↑ https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/Shanghaied?diff=next&oldid=222317
  82. ↑ https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/Gary_Takes_a_Bath?diff=prev&oldid=225923
  83. ↑ https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/Subliminal_message_girl?diff=next&oldid=218651
  84. ↑ https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/Subliminal_message_girl?diff=prev&oldid=228747
  85. ↑ https://www.sbmania.net/forums/threads/controversial-episode.30558
  86. ↑ https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/Subliminal_message_girl?diff=prev&oldid=273643
  87. ↑ https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/Subliminal_message_girl?diff=next&oldid=273643
  88. ↑ https://www.nickalive.net/2012/10/nickelodeon-to-release-spongebob.html
  89. ↑ https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/Subliminal_message_girl?diff=next&oldid=284186
  90. ↑ https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/Subliminal_message_girl?diff=next&oldid=288602
  91. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20130205072911/http://www.nicktoons.co.uk/ClipDeck.aspx
  92. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20171014203808/http://www.nicktoons.co.uk/clipdeck.html
  93. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.nick.co.uk/gsp/international/nicktoons.co.uk/ClipDeck/MPEG4/Ep33_pt1%20SHANGHAIED*
  94. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.nick.co.uk/gsp/international/nicktoons.co.uk/ClipDeck/MPEG4/Ep33_pt2%20GARY%20TAKES%20A%20BATH*
  95. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20201011232037oe_/http://www.nick.co.uk/gsp/international/nicktoons.co.uk/ClipDeck/MPEG4/Ep45_pt2%20DOING%20TIME/POLICE%20%27WE%27RE%20GONNA%20STRAIGHTEN%27-MPEG-4%20.mp4
  96. ↑ https://www.sbmania.net/forums/threads/that-weird-hillbilly-girl-from-gary-takes-a-bath.32269/
  97. ↑ https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/Subliminal_message_girl?diff=next&oldid=358875
  98. ↑ https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_episodes_by_country/UK_and_Ireland?oldid=436789
  99. ↑ 99.0 99.1 https://www.nickalive.net/2014/10/halloween-2014-on-nickelodeon-uk-and.html
  100. ↑ https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/Gary_Takes_a_Bath?diff=next&oldid=663726
  101. ↑ https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/Gary_Takes_a_Bath?diff=next&oldid=808035
  102. ↑ https://www.nickalive.net/2016/10/halloween-2016-on-nickelodeon-uk.html
  103. ↑ https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/Gary_Takes_a_Bath?diff=next&oldid=1215103
  104. ↑ https://www.sbmania.net/forums/threads/spongebob-uk-censorship.59833/
  105. ↑ https://www.sbmania.net/forums/threads/spongebob-uk-censorship.59833/page-2
  106. ↑ https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/Gary_Takes_a_Bath?diff=next&oldid=1470324
  107. ↑ https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/Gary_Takes_a_Bath?diff=next&oldid=1474142
  108. ↑ https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/Shanghaied?diff=next&oldid=1558965
  109. ↑ https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/Subliminal_message_girl?diff=next&oldid=1600794
  110. ↑ https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/Gary_Takes_a_Bath?diff=next&oldid=1696233
  111. ↑ https://onbites.com/9-cartoons-that-have-been-banned-in-various-countries-for-surprising-reasons/
  112. ↑ https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/Gary_Takes_a_Bath?diff=next&oldid=1891545
  113. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpooiQ39eng
  114. ↑ https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/Gary_Takes_a_Bath?diff=next&oldid=2422390
  115. ↑ https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/Gary_Takes_a_Bath?diff=next&oldid=2612784
  116. ↑ https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/Subliminal_message_girl?diff=next&oldid=2750417
  117. ↑ https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_episodes_by_country/UK_and_Ireland?diff=prev&oldid=3279364
  118. ↑ https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_episodes_by_country/UK_and_Ireland?diff=prev&oldid=3595225
  119. ↑ https://tv24.co.uk/channel/nickelodeon/2024-01-11
  120. ↑ https://tv24.co.uk/channel/nickelodeon/2024-02-26
  121. ↑ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tv/article-13784835/the-outrageously-adult-jokes-hidden-in-your-favourite-childrens-movies-and-tv-shows-but-how-many-went-completely-over-your-head.html
  122. ↑ https://tv24.co.uk/channel/nicktoons/2024-09-26
  123. ↑ https://tv24.co.uk/b/skjx3c-o1s
  124. ↑ https://tv24.co.uk/channel/nickelodeon/2024-10-16
  125. ↑ https://tv24.co.uk/channel/nicktoons/2024-11-20
  126. ↑ https://tv24.co.uk/channel/nicktoons/2024-12-02
  127. ↑ https://tv24.co.uk/channel/nicktoons/2024-12-15
  128. ↑ https://collider.com/spongebob-squarepants-mid-life-crustacean-episode/
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