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Yellow Pavement

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"Yellow Pavement" is a SpongeBob SquarePants episode from season 13. In this episode, SpongeBob and Squidward star in Mrs. Puff's educational driving film.

Characters

Synopsis

Mrs. Puff is proud to present the educational boating film Safety At Sea. The film is designed to help student drivers learn the rules of driving to earn their license, using Squidward and SpongeBob as examples of good and bad drivers respectively.

Lesson #1: The Five-Point Pre Check
All drivers must check their boat before properly getting on the road. Squidward demonstrates the five basic checks required: checking the tire buoyancy, ensuring the propeller is oiled, confirming that the horn works, testing his signals, and fastening his seatbelt. SpongeBob, meanwhile, over-inflates his tires, dumps too much oil on the propeller and splashes it on Squidward, honks the horn too hard, and spins his signals fast enough that the boat takes flight. While putting his seatbelt on, he wraps it around the entire boat. Its tires pop and it falls onto Squidward's boat. SpongeBob asks if he can get his license now, but Mrs. Puff says he can't.

Lesson #2: Entering Traffic
Squidward, still injured, inches forward and waits for traffic to clear up. When the roads are clear, he looks both ways and moves forward slightly. SpongeBob comes from the side and rams into him, sending Squidward's boat flying into a billboard. SpongeBob asks for his license again, and Mrs. Puff again declines.

Lesson #3: Spotting Pedestrians
Drivers must watch out for pedestrians while on the road. Squidward tries his best to swerve around an old lady and a baby, going as far to lift his boat up to evade a common fruit vendor. He then spots two workers carrying a pane of glass, and runs off two boards and a truck as a ramp to stylishly jump over them. SpongeBob suddenly jumps into his way, bouncing on a pogo stick. Squidward almost runs into the old lady again, but she reveals her muscles and destroys his car, throwing it into a garbage truck. SpongeBob bounces into the camera, once again asking for his license. The film skips due to a missing reel.

Lesson #29: Navigation
Mrs. Puff describes a selection of road signs that drivers might encounter. Squidward, now heavily bandaged and with his boat damaged, first runs over some speed bumps; then sees a "Slow Children At Play" sign, but the children in front of him are so slow that he drives around them. Overwhelmed by directions, Squidward checks his map and merges into the freeway—only for Mrs. Puff to narrate that reading a map while driving is bad driving etiquette. SpongeBob shows up reading a map and driving the wrong way, skidding against Squidward's boat and sending him out of control. Squidward's boat goes off an unfinished bridge and explodes.

File:Yellow Pavement 106.png
Squidward and SpongeBob driving.

Lesson #53: Proper Passenger Etiquette
An even more injured Squidward is driving with SpongeBob as his passenger. SpongeBob tells Squidward that he will earn his license at the end of the film, jumping on the dashboard and blocking his vision. Squidward pushes him away. When Mrs. Puff tells him not to be a "backseat driver," he grabs hold of Squidward's brace and makes him drive out-of-control. Next, SpongeBob turns up the music too loud, then sets the AC too cold and too hot. He sets the car in reverse, almost crashing into the slow children from earlier until Squidward takes control again. Squidward shoves SpongeBob in the glove compartment.

Lesson #54: Road Rage
Patrick passes Squidward, making him angry and causing him to speed up. Mrs. Puff describes an acronym to help potential drivers in troublesome situations like this, "RAGE"; which stands for "Relax And Go Elsewhere." SpongeBob comes out of the glove compartment and helps Squidward relax through deep breathing, drinking tea, and raking a small Zen garden. Just after Squidward is finally relaxed, it turns out that the car has completely stopped and there is a long line of traffic behind them. Squidward tries to start the car, but it sputters instead. A large trucker steps out and grabs Squidward. Before he can punch him, the film itself burns up and disintegrates.

SpongeBob attempts to fix the film, but gets caught in the projector himself. Mrs. Puff tells him to get out, and says that they cannot finish the film, walking off as the class cheers. SpongeBob still wants to finish class and get his license (to the disdain of his classmates), so he tries to conclude the video himself.

File:Yellow Pavement 172.png
SpongeBob's own movie.

SpongeBob's "film" opens with a crudely-drawn prop of his driver's license. SpongeBob narrates that he was such a good driver that he got a ceremony in his honor at city hall. He then brings peace to the world by delivering Krabby Patties, catching criminals, and preventing the ice caps from melting. In the final shot, cutouts of Mrs. Puff and Squidward start kissing him.

Mrs. Puff snaps and violently turns the lights on, revealing SpongeBob making the video himself using paper cut-outs in front of the projector screen. She dismisses the students, then throws SpongeBob's cut-outs into the fireplace. The students drive their desks out of class, but Mrs. Puff grabs SpongeBob and takes him back in. She confiscates his paper license, tears it up, then kicks him out of class and slams the door.

Production

Amy Lewis did background painting for this episode between July 16[3] and July 31, 2022.[4]

This episode was confirmed by Cartoonlounge.de on December 20, 2022.[5]

Model sheets

Art

Background design

  • Art direction by Peter Bennett,[6] layouts by George Nachev, traditionally painted by Amy Lewis[7] in gouache,[8] with line and editing drawn digitally on top.[9]

Storyboards

  • Directed by Sherm Cohen, rough boarded by Eddie Trigueros, plussed by Zach Heffelfinger.[1]

Workprint

[4]

Production notes

Zach Heffelfinger:

  • Heffelfinger said that Squidward's beat up designs were "super fun,"[1] and "[he] had a blast cleaning up sections of [Eddie Trigueros'] board, and learned a lot from [his] stuff."[10]

Music

( ‣ ) Production music
( • ) Original music
( ◦ ) SpongeBob music

 ‣ Horlepiep - Jan Rap [Title card.]
 ‣ Marching On - Wilfred Burns [Mrs. Puff introduces her educational driving film.]
 • Hot Steel and Slide Licks 7A - Jeremy Wakefield [Mrs. Puff sighs.]
 ‣ Honey Blonde - Stuart Crombie, Dennis Berry ["First lesson: The Five Point Pre-Check."]
 ‣ On the Slide - Richard Toeman [SpongeBob checks his vehicle.]
 ‣ Cinnamon Stick - Frank Sterling ["Now to our second lesson: Entering Traffic."]
 ‣ Polka Vivace - Paul Fenoulhet ["Lesson #3: Spotting Pedestrians."]
 ‣ Long Legged Beasties - Fredric Bayco ["But there's still one pedestrian waiting to strike."]
 • Hawaiian Misadventures B - Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [SpongeBob bouncing on his pogo stick.]
 ‣ A Cheerful Song (a) - Peter Balding, Otto Sieben ["Lesson #29: Navigation."]
 ‣ In a Busy Mood - Cedric Palmer ["Sometimes, even Mr. Good Driver may be overwhelmed with directions."]
 ‣ Frantic Pursuit - Roger Roger [SpongeBob driving erratically on the freeway.]
 ‣ Flying Saucer - Donald Thorne ["Lesson #53: Proper Passenger Etiquette."]
 ‣ Long Legged Beasties - Fredric Bayco [SpongeBob plays with the boat's control console.]
 • Breakdance Bust-a-Move - Nicolas Carr [SpongeBob plays music on the radio, making the boat - and the houses around them - bounce.]
 ‣ Long Legged Beasties - Fredric Bayco [SpongeBob messes with the air conditioner.]
 • Hot Rod to Hell - Nicolas Carr [SpongeBob accelerates the boat into reverse.]
 ‣ Bubbling Over - Ernest Tomlinson [Slow children crossing.]
 • Hot Rod to Hell - Nicolas Carr [SpongeBob and Squidward reversing towards the kids.]
 ‣ Long Legged Beasties - Fredric Bayco [Squidward stuffs SpongeBob in the glove box.]
 ‣ Broadway Bustle - Leslie Manson ["Lesson #54: Road Rage."]
 • Bathroom Nirvana - Nicolas Carr [SpongeBob tries to help Squidward relax.]
 • ? - Nicolas Carr [SpongeBob and Squidward raking sand.]
 • Squidwards Hair - Nicolas Carr [SpongeBob and Squidward hear drivers yelling from behind them.]
 ‣ Broadway Bustle - Leslie Manson [SpongeBob and Squidward try to drive away.]
 ‣ Zoo Doings - Jack Shaindlin ["This darn projector! Just when we were getting to the good part!"]
 • Inside SpongeBob's Brain - Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [SpongeBob tells a story about getting his boating license.]
 • ? - Nicolas Carr ["That is quite enough!"]
 • Quick Zip - Nicolas Carr [SpongeBob holding paper cut-outs.]
 ‣ Horlepiep - Jan Rap ["We'll resume the correct lesson next week."]
 • Ripped Hide - Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Ending.]

Release

Broadcast

Distribution

Format Title Region
DVD The Complete Thirteenth Season United States
Box set Another 100 Episodes United States
The Best 300 Episodes Ever United States
Digital release SpongeBob SquarePants Vol. 23 United States

Trivia

General

  • The title card background is the same as "Driven to Tears," but with the tire marks being removed and in widescreen.
  • This episode reveals that Mrs. Puff's first name is Penelope.
  • This episode contains two fourth wall breaks:
    • Mrs. Puff talks to the audience in the beginning.
    • Squidward looks at the viewer with binoculars.
  • The fruit seller from The Patrick Star Show episode "Klopnodian Heritage Festival" makes an appearance.
  • The speed bump sign looks similar to signs used by many European countries such as Italy and Germany.
  • In the UK and Ireland, numerous scenes of fast motion were edited, such as the film static effects on the title cards and some of the road scenes.[12]
  • This is the first episode where Eddie Trigueros serves as a storyboard director instead of a storyboard artist. He also served as a storyboard director for The Patrick Star Show episode "The Drooling Fool."
  • This is the third episode to be formatted as a training video. The first was "Krusty Krab Training Video," and the second was "Boat Smarts."
  • This is the third episode to premiere on Saint Patrick's Day. The first was "Survival of the Idiots," and the second was "Toy Store of Doom."

Episode references

  • This episode is very similar to "Boat Smarts" from season 5, as they are both educational films about driving, hosted by Mrs. Puff, and starring SpongeBob and Squidward.
    • The first half of this episode replicates a lot of central plot beats from the episode: Squidward is used to demonstrate good "boat smarts," while SpongeBob is used to demonstrate bad ones. Also, Squidward continuously suffers injuries because of SpongeBob's naive and careless ethics.
    • Coincidentally, "Boat Smarts" encored on the morning of the day that the aforementioned episode premiered.[11]
    • SpongeBob asking if he could get his license is similar to when he constantly asked if he could make a Krabby Patty in "Krusty Krab Training Video."
    • He also says the phrase "the moment you've all been waiting for!" and vocalizes a fanfare to introduce his fake license, just as the documentary narrator did.
    • The RAGE abbreviation from this episode is similar to POOP from its season 3 counterpart.
  • When Squidward uses binoculars to check the road, his realistic eyes resemble those of Patrick in "Idiot Box."
  • Patrick drives a boatmobile similar in appearance to the Bass Blaster 3000 from "Driven to Tears," although with a few modifications.
  • SpongeBob's snow-covered design is similar to the snow sponge's from "Out of the Picture."
File:Who's a Big Boy 001.png
The model from "Who's a Big Boy?"
File:Yellow Pavement 173.png
The model in this episode.
  • During SpongeBob's ending of the video, the puppet model used when he gets his driver's license is from "Who's a Big Boy?"
  • The cardboard drawing of Mrs. Puff resembles Patrick's "Big Fat Meanie" drawing from "New Student Starfish."


Cultural references

  • This episode's title references the 1964 series Red Asphalt, which is a series of driver's education videos.
  • When Squidward is disrupted by a pogo-stick-hopping SpongeBob, the screen freezes and text pops up labeling him under a fake scientific name ("Poriferous Aggravatus.") This gag is a reference to how Looney Tunes' Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner cartoons would label its characters similarly at the beginning of each short.
  • The background of the final shot of SpongeBob's cardboard puppetry "film" is similar to the one that would be used to end out every episode of the 1998 Cartoon Network series, Powerpuff Girls.
    • Coincidently, Tom Kenny also co-starred in The Powerpuff Girls as the Mayor of Townsville, the Narrator and various secondary and incidental characters from the series.
  • The shadow of the enormous trucker bears resemblance to Angus Shackleton, one of the main characters from John Trabbic's Middlemost Post.

Errors

  • When Squidward turns over to the granny, there's something up with his face for a frame.
  • When Squidward jumps over the glass, the right builder vest is brown instead of blue.

Videos

Names in other languages

Language Name Meaning
French Permis pas permis Permit Not Permitted
(title is shared with "Driven to Drive")
German Augen auf im Straßenverkehr Keep an Eye Out for Traffic
Italian Uno studente molesto A Disruptive Student
Japanese 良いドライバーと悪いドライバー
Yoi doraibā to warui doraibā		 Good Drivers and Bad Drivers
Polish Wodny ruch drogowy Water Traffic
Russian Жёлтая мостовая
Zhyoltaya mostovaya		 Yellow Pavement
Spanish (Latin America) Pavimento Amarillo Yellow Pavement
Spanish (Spain) Acera amarilla Yellow Pavement

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Zach Heffelfinger on Instagram - "Here are some super fun..."
  2. ↑ Nickelodeon UK - October 26, 2023
  3. ↑ Amy Lewis on Instagram - "Something crazy happened recently..."
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Amy Lewis on Instagram - "Here are a small handful..."
  5. ↑ SPONGEBOB SCHWAMMKOPF - EPISODE GUIDE
  6. ↑ Amy Lewis on Twitter - "Also Art Direction..."
  7. ↑ Amy Lewis on Twitter - "Here are a small handful..."
  8. ↑ Amy Lewis Art - Backgrounds/Concept Art
  9. ↑ Amy Lewis Art - SpongeBob SquarePants
  10. ↑ Zach Heffelfinger on Instagram - "Here are some super fun..." (Comments)
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Nickstory - March 17, 2023
  12. ↑ SpongeBob SquarePants UK edits - Yellow Pavement

ru:Жёлтая мостовая

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