Top 10 Times SpongeBob SquarePants Was Censored

The episode “Procrastination” deals with the theme of… well, procrastination. SpongeBob struggles to write an 800-word essay for boating school. After having difficulty starting, he eventually looks out his window and sees everyone outside having a wonderful time, including Patrick and Sandy. Patrick makes a motion to put suncream onto Sandy’s back, which to some viewers looked like he was taking off her bikini. SpongeBob then returns to write, daydreaming about getting his driving license. He imagines a racing car, but it abruptly and violently flips over. Apparently, Nickelodeon thought this car crash to be too violent for kids. Both reasons caused them to cut the scene entirely.

Released in 2020, “Sponge on the Run” revolves around SpongeBob trying to rescue Gary, his beloved pet snail. Originally, he was planned to be stolen by photorealistic CGI animated alien anthropomorphic cats. Their motivations were to have Gary release their ancient evil god, converting Earth into a giant litter tray. The plot would have involved SpongeBob and his friends traveling to alien planets in a science-fiction adventure. Eventually, the entire plot was trashed, as the writers thought it to be “too far-fetched” for a movie about a talking sponge wearing square pants.

In this episode, SpongeBob forgets how he’s supposed to tie his shoelaces. One famous scene involves him watching a show about a sea anemone on TV. Then, Gary enters the shot, approaching SpongeBob and prompting him to hastily switch channels to football. This joke could go over the heads of children, as it is fairly adult, implying that SpongeBob was watching something only for mature audiences. As such, Nickelodeon seemingly decided it was too inappropriate for younger audiences, cutting the scene in some international versions. It would live forever as a meme, however.

SpongeBob and Patrick have an epic snowball fight with one another, trying to get Squidward to join. Despite being a relatively tame theme for the episode, one storyboarded scene was far too dark to ever reach the light of day. This involves Squidward inside a dungeon full of snowmen, and screaming “I’ll bring them to my snow dungeon and extract their valuable secrets!” We don’t need to explain why this one was censored. Even if the scene made it past the storyboarding stage, we’re not sure it would’ve aged well.

Popular side character Larry the Lobster opens a new gym, attempting to get everyone in Bikini Bottom in shape. One scene from the storyboard proved so edgy that it was never animated. In the storyboard, Larry tells one customer the only thing you can eat worse than donuts is glass. Larry proceeds to smash a glass in the fish’s mouth, forcing him to chew and swallow. Nickelodeon thought this scene was too dangerous to show to kids, which makes a lot of sense. This joke is surprisingly adult, even for “SpongeBob.”

“F.U.N.” is one of the most famous and iconic episodes, focusing on SpongeBob and Plankton becoming friends. It’s a wholesome storyline, but one joke was too dark to make it past the storyboards. It involved Plankton using his jellyfish net as if it were a gun. Plankton then asks, “So what happens after we shoot ‘em?,” making gun-shot sound effects. SpongeBob understandably looks horrified, responding, “You don’t shoot ‘em!” Considering that the Columbine High School massacre happened only a few months earlier, there was no way Nickelodeon would ever pull the trigger on this one.

This is without a doubt one of the most controversial “SpongeBob” episodes ever produced. It involves SpongeBob and Patrick caring for a baby scallop. SpongeBob takes the role of the mother and Patrick the father, leading to many whacky scenarios between the three. Unfortunately, the 2000s were much less progressive than the 2020s… which still sadly aren’t that progressive. It sparked a lot of outrage for showing what some viewers deemed to be a gay relationship. This meant a lot of scenes showing the two raising their child were cut from the episode, due to the significantly more prejudiced political climate.

“Ripped Pants” has been a fan favorite for almost 25 years now. SpongeBob’s peers find his ripped undergarments hilarious, causing him to repeatedly make jokes about it. Eventually, they tire of his repetitive joke, until the pants become sentient and leave SpongeBob. After losing most of his friends, he sings a heartfelt ballad about his ripped pants. Unfortunately for viewers in Italy and other overseas regions, this song never happens. Instead, SpongeBob begins to sing, and then it abruptly jumps to the end of the song. Also in some places, the ripped pants were censored with a black bar, leading viewers to believe it was much worse than just his underwear being exposed.

This notorious episode’s central plot line focuses on the Krusty Krab going under quarantine due to a mysterious illness. A health inspector decides the Krusty Krab is a hazard, putting the restaurant and all its personnel under quarantine. Nothing is particularly offensive about this episode, but that didn’t stop it from being banned in 2020. The episode’s timing was less than ideal, coinciding with the real-life COVID-19 pandemic disrupting the entire planet. So, Nickelodeon decided to pull the episode temporarily, believing it would be too insensitive to release at such a stressful time.

SpongeBob and Patrick have a “big night out” with Mr. Krabs so that he can feel young again. This night out involves a bunch of wacky misadventures, such as visiting a children's arcade. Mr. Krabs decides it’s too childish for him until Patrick tells him they are just about to go on a “panty raid.” The trio sneak into a woman’s house, stealing her underwear, but are then caught by Mr. Krabs’ mother - the true owner of the undergarments. With the