We GOTTA Get SPONGEBOB Back

This is like something that would play on Adult Swim in the late 2000s at 2 am

“Everything is fine now that sponge bob is gone.” NOT EVEN HALF A SECOND LATER “I gotta get SPONG BOB BACK!”

The almost nonchalant "its not him" was the scariest part of this whole thing

The funniest/creepiest thing about this is that this is almost exactly what happens in the actual show when Spongebob leaves/goes missing for an episode, everything falls apart everywhere and it's just total chaos until someone brings Spongebob back XD

"whatever you do, don't look back" *immediately looks back*

But seriously we gotta get spongebob back

Patrick knowing immediately it’s not Spongebob is an absolutely horrifying line at first, but then you really think about it and it’s kinda endearing. Patrick IS SpongeBob’s bestfriend after all, he’s the only one who would be able to pick up on if the shape really WAS Spongebob.

Patrick knew about the search, had a key to SpongeBob’s house, and was aware of the portal. He’s either behind it, or he doesn’t want to get SpongeBob back

It all went downhill after Patrick said “it’s not him”

My phones on 1% BUT WE *G A T T A* GET SPONGEBOB BACK

8 years later I still think about this video from time to time. It feels like SpongeBob was erased from the show's universe and history been rewritten, as evidenced by the wall of Squidward's portraits as employee of the month. The entire town seems to be aware of what happened, but they do not wish to return to the previous status quo. Throughout the video you can notice many props and objects shaped like SpongeBob, and his arm in Mr Krabs' desk. Also the implication that Sandy was replaced by someone else and everyone is playing along. And Patrick having the Ice Key, an unobtainable item from the N64 game Banjo-Kazooie that was supposed to unlock a cut feature called Stop n' Swop, to transfer data from BK to a compatible game. Ending with Gruntilda's laugh and silloute further cements the connection with BK. It is interesting because the Ice Key itself is also shrouded in mystery, as the the intended purpose of it was never realized.

The chaos of how Squidward gets from the ambulance to Mr. Krabs’s office is my favorite. This video is beautiful from beginning to end.

Why is this actually kind of unnerving? Like, as soon as they get inside Spongebob’s house, shit just seems off enough to seem creepy.

it’s been a few years and i still have no idea what kind of feeling this is supposed to convey

I watched this when I was 7 and genuinely thought this was an actual episode

squidward: ah it sure is comfortable around here now that spongebob is gone *immediate regret*

“WE NEED SOME WHEEELS” - Squidward, moments after stealing an ambulance and crashing it straight into the Krusty Krab

Wait wait wait wait wait. JOE! YOUR THE ONE WHO MADE THE DOG OF WISDOM!

I like how he says how comfortable it is around here without spongebob, and then immediately says he needs spongebob back

This Video symbolises Spongbob: Squidward is from Spongebob Sandy is from Spongebob Mr. Krabs is from Spongebob Sandy is from Spongebob Spongebob is from Spongebob Plankton is from Spongebob That's just my theory

This is legitimately one of the only pieces of media that accurately simulates a nightmare, where the people around you understand the dream logic, but you don't. That feeling peaked at "It's not him."

This video was way ahead of its time

Admit it, we all watched this when we were young. This is so nostalgic.

Squidward: **Calls Sandy like it’s an actual emergency** Sandy: “hOwDy SquiDwArd, wAnnA tALk aBoUt tExAs?”

*Spongebob was hiding as a cereal box in 7-Eleven*

This is now the plot to the fourth SpongeBob movie

Things I noticed after watch the video at a slower speed; 0:11 the flag on far right side of the Krusty Krab is a blue and gold swastika 0:49 - Mr Krabs’s desk on the left hand corner.. SpongeBob’s hand…. -Upper left hand corner, gold swastika flag - Left hand side bookshelf, Planktons body 0:55 - Mr Krabs chair has skulls on it 1:10 - Sandy’s phone is a skull 1:23 - Sandy’s car sticker “TexASS” 😂 - Nickelodeon symbol on the street

The fact Patrick knew it wasn’t spounegbob,and the fact Mr. krabs said “whatever you do,don’t look back!” Scares me. They knew about this somehow.

*Plot twist: They couldn't find a voice actor for Spongebob*

I like the Banjo-Kazooie reference at the end.

0:13: Denial 0:25: Anger 1:09: Bargaining 2:35: Depression 2:57: Denial

This is like PERFECT dream logic. The weird order of events. The juxtaposition of what feels like really intense serious moments and jokes, The constant feeling of pacing forward, The odd details that you don’t really question until after the dream is done.

It's weird, as soon as Squidward says "We gotta get Spongebob back!" everyone just knows what to do.

who's here from The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants?

ITS A CANNON MOVIE NOW

WHY IS PATRICK THE ONLY SANE ONE IN THIS VIDEO?

The concerning part is that it gets genuinely scary towards the end.

Looking back at this now this would be a perfect lost episode story. I also like of how off key distorted and slowed down the music gets when they enter SpongeBob’s house as if the episode knew something was off even then the most unnerving quote will always be. “That’s not him”

For So Long. I laughed every second and i couldn’t stop until the end. I missed a-lot of jokes. That just showed me ALOT of funniness they made in this one video The Fact they combined 2D with 3D is an Awesome Idea for a short to find spongebob. Thx Joe!

Squidward: I GOTT A BRING SPONGEBOB BACK!!! Also Squidward: *goes GTA mode*

patrick saying “It’s not him” is horrifying for some reason.

I can't believe Nickelodeon would steal this amazing plotline for the fourth SpongeBob movie!

2:28 I have recently learned that this part is a reference to Genesis 19:26 in the Bible. "But Lot's wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt."

He protecc, He attac, But most importantly, He gotta get spongebob bacc.

Patrick saying "it's not him" gave me chills

This is probably the most psychologically accurate depiction of a dream/nightmare I’ve ever seen. The inconsistent pacing, change in scenery, and overall randomness perfectly reflects a dream/nightmare someone would have.

we all remember this video, No matter what. We remember it.

My favorite part about this is how there isn’t even a beat in between “it sure is nice around here without spongebob” and “we GOTTA get SPONGEBOB back”

Idk if y’all knew this, but the “whatever you do, don’t look back!” Scene is directly parodying a part of the Bible, where (in short) a city was being invaded, and the citizens had to evacuate. The angels came down from heaven and told them not to look back, and all the people who looked back at the destruction turned into piles of salt. Not even lying.

WE GOTTA GET SPONGEBOB BACK

When I was younger this traumatized me

honestly, this is what all dreams feel like.

2:02 Patrick has seen this before. He knows what's happening. Yet he hasn't left his rock. He knows it's useless. He knows that if he interferes he's going to end up having the same fate as Spongbob. *And he was right.*

Bruh how am I JUST realizing after so many years the type of flags hanging on top of the Krusty Krab 💀

The fact that the only events relevant to future events in the episode have to have happened less than 10 seconds ago makes this so trippy

Sometimes I forget this guy is unironically a good artist when he wants to be

No one: The History channel after midnight:

this is what happens with a full on nightmare happens because of watching too much SpongeBob and I love it

this is equivalent to a fever dream in my opinion because I saw this when I was 7 or 8 and I had random nightmares about it idk why but I did

Imagine a child clicks on this and ACTUALLY thinks it's spongbob.

The fact that Patrick immediately knows what Squidward is gonna say and knows that the thing under the blanket isn't SpongeBob makes me feel like Patrick has been in a never ending loop or something else. Either that or I'm overthinking it.

My doctor “dreams have meanings” My dreams :

Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if Squidward didn't look back.

Patrick saying "It's not him." It sounds like something a character would say in your dream

Dude you literally predicted The SpongeBob Movie 4 😂

Who is here after announcement of Spongebob 4th Movie on 11th of April 2024 ❤

I can’t believe the person who made this made “dog of wisdom”

Here are all the crimes squidward committed in this video: 0:25 Assault 0:26 Attempted robbery 0:38 Assault 0:39 Grand theft auto 0:40 Murder 0:48 Property damage 1:44 Trespassing 2:33 Manslaughter of 3 people Squidward committed 8 crimes in less than 3 minutes.

Megamind: "Ahh. It sure is comfortable around here now that Metroman's gone. I've gotta get Metroman back. I've gotta get METROMAN BACK!"

Doctor: All Dreams have meanings! My dreams:

My friends: Last night I had a dream that I kissed my crush My dreams:

I love how the animation keeps switching from like 2 fps to scarily realistic so quickly

This would be the best episode ever

used to have nightmares of this

"Don't worry Squidward, we're right behind ya lad." *Proceeds to die from being behind him*

The not even second long pause between "Sure is comfortable here now that SpongeBob's gone", and "I've gotta get SpongeBob back" gets me every time

The fact the Patrick knows they have to get SpongeBob back is proof Patrick is a phsycic

I like how instead of putting dark humor and depression on the theme of spongebob leaving squidward's life you put humor and i like it

The most accurate representation of a fever dream.

He stands in front of a register yet runs to a 7/11 to rob it...

Howdy squidward wanna talk about TEXAAAASSSS had me dying 😂

2:34 can we talk about sandy t-posing

Why does it bother people so much when Patrick said, "it's not him"

I just realized Sandy's not wearing a helmet under water

I just realised the start of the intro is upside down quite clever I must say 😁

I will never see SpongeBob in the same way again

The part where patrick said "It's not him" was so dream like and eerie.

Patric saying "it's not him" is so spooky and unsettling

random wife of lot reference got me in tears

sandy is going to give me nightmares

Anybody else think this kind of feels like an adult swim sketch

Squidward: “I finally succeeded to kill SpongeBob!” 1 zeptosecond later: Squidward: *_”I gotta get SpongeBob back!”_*

Spongebob is like dad Hes never coming back

Squidward we gotta get spongebob back! Spongebob leave the bottom

This video is a metaphor for the five stages of grief. Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance. We start with Squidward in his daily job, smiling. Anyone that has watched the show knows that Squidward is almost never happy, which means some big change in his life must have put him in this state of comfort. This is explained as soon as he speaks, which informs us Spongebob is "gone". Squidward almost immediately decides that he HAS to get Spongebob "back", changing his happy expression to one of horror and fear. This introduces us to the first stage, Denial. Squidward cannot face a reality where Spongebob is dead, and decided that he must somehow bring him back from the dead. This is really strange for someone who hates Spongebob, and who mere seconds before was gloating about how better he felt without him. This clearly represents the paradoxical nature of human existence, and how Denial can come in many ways, including newfound love for things previously hated on the single basis of things remaining constant, which also foreshadows the themes of "change" and "ends" we will see throughout the video. We soon follow Squidward stealing from a store, taking out his frustations on someone that had nothing to do with Spongebob's death. This is clearly the second stage, Anger. He tries to steal the money, he punches the fish, he just causes havoc and hurts people. This is what the fish means by "You know this is wrong, this won't bring Spongebob back". He is trying to inform Squidward that Spongebob is gone, that nothing he does can bring him back, and that what he is doing now only hurts other people, and won't help him reach Acceptance. Squidward continues his phase of Anger by not listening to him, ignoring him, and leaving the store as fast as he can only to steal an ambulance and continue on his way. Squidward is now trying to get help from the other people in Bikini Bottom, telling them that maybe, just maybe, if they all help, they can bring Spongebob back. Trying to make a deal with other people, who are also as powerless as him. This phrase is also cut off before he can finish, a metaphor for not being able to express himself correctly to others, and for how deep inside, he knows that he can't bring him back, even with the help of his entire city. This stage is Bargaining. Trying to make a deal with mortals to affect things he can't control, like death. Squidward goes to Mr. Krabs and invades his personal life, represented on him destroying the door to the Krusty Krab instead of opening it. This is where Squidwards works, and the crash of the vehicle symbolizes his personal life colliding with his work life. The cold, money-making Krabs sits behind a reinforced door that Squidward has to destroy to get to him. This represents the façade that Krabs puts on to hide his feelings. Nonetheless, Squidwards outbursts completely destroy this barrier, and it's here we see Mr. Krabs is also suffering from Spongebob's death, and is in the stage of Depression. This is represented by him asking Squidward how he plans to even get Spongebob back in the first place, with a sad expression on his face. He's completely done and wallowing in his own sadness. You can also see Spongebob's hand coming out of his desk. Severed hands are normally a metaphor for losing control over one's life, and this is representing how Krabs has lost himself in Spongebob's death. Squidward tells him that they "need some wheels", and calls Sandy, another example of bargaining. Sandy is convinced by Squidward that they need to get Spongebob back, and so she drives off a cliff to get to them and drive them towards Spongebob. Now, this cliff isn't in the show, and that's because this is a metaphor. Notice Sandy's face throughout the entirety of it all, she is happy, she asks Squidward if he wants to talk about Texas, she is in Denial. Her falling off a cliff and destroying part of her house is a representation of her falling through anger straight into bargaining alongside him, deciding to help them both try and bring Spongebob back. The group drives to Patrick's house, where he tells them that he knows of Spongebob's death, and that they gotta bring him back. He is sad, he knows they really can't, but since he has the key to Spongebob's house, he gives it to them. Now, he had the key this whole time, and knew that they had to bring him back, but he decided not to open the door. After all, he knows they can't bring him back, so why try? His sadness and laziness is a clear representation of the stage of Depression. His only friend and loved one has died, and we see it has impacted him quite a lot, more than the cold hearted bussiness man that Mr. Krabs is. He still follows the group inside the house, trying to explain to them that Spongebob is gone forever, and we can see a representation of the stages more clearly. Squidward walks first, being the one trying to reach Acceptance more than anyone. Patrick and Mr. Krabs, both in the stage of Depression, follow. Then Sandy, in the stage of Bargaining, who was moments ago in Denial, is the last one. Squidward finds what he thinks is Spongebob covered in a blanket in his home. Patrick, in his state of depression, tells Squidward that it isn't him. This whole scene of finding out that Spongebob is gone forever is Squidward trying to reach acceptance without going through Depression. This was the last option he had to bring Spongebob back, and this revelation, a reminder of mortality in such an impactful way, sends him spiraling into Depression, symbolized by the spiral we go through in the video. Mr. Krabs tells Squidward that they are "right behind him" in this stage, as moral comfort. The group is now walking into Acceptance. We can assume Sandy has gone through depression off-screen, based on her position behind everyone else in the group. Mr. Krabs tells Squidward to "not look back", to ignore distractions, to accept Spongebob's death. Squidward ignores, and this causes him to be separated from the group. When he looks back and reminds himself that they're all gonna die one day, he sees them turn into pillars of salt. This is a reference to the biblical passage of Genesis 19:23-26, where, during the destruction of Sodom, Lot's wife, Edith, ignoring the warnings of divine beings, looked back at her city being destroyed and turned into a pillar of salt. Squidward looking back directly parallels this story. He didn't kill them directly, but he made them all look back with him. Squidward, looking back, thought of his mortality, what he lost, what he had gone through. He thought of Spongebob. Of the actual good times they had. Of the lovable idiot who he didn't appreciate enough. And he lost himself in grief, yet again. The others not only warned him of losing himself, but themselves too. Through the entire video, Squidward was the leader, the one the group looked up to, and if the captain went down, the ship would surely follow. He lost vision of his goal, accepting the death of Spongebob, and made them all go back to grief over the past, and the destruction of their previous normal life, just like Lot's wife who herself had turned to see the destruction of her own past. Spongebob appears and starts killing Squidward with a spatula, which is out of character for Spongebob. As seen by the fact that Spongebob's eyes were originally black, this represents the concept of Spongebob's death. This metaphor of Spongebob's death itself chasing and killing Squidward makes him realize that dwelling on these stages more and more is just hurting him. It doesn't help to refuse death, it doesn't stop anything, it just takes away his friends, life, and what precious time he has left. This moment, this revelation of knowledge, is what helps Squidward realize that he can't bring Spongebob back, and that's okay. He doesn't need to. He just has to accept it and move on. This brings Squidward, and everyone else, to the last stage. Acceptance. We see Squidward in his daily job, further confirming all of this was his imagination and mind trying to fight these stages. Even if sometimes memories of Spongebob's death may slip and cause him some pain, he can still continue on his daily life as normal. He knows that even if he doesn't have Spongebob now, his memories will still be with him. Squidward putting the Krabby Patty down for "the rats to enjoy" is him leaving his pain behind. This is why Squidward's face was cooked on the meat, representing the struggles he went through in his quest to accept Spongebob's death. Even if he couldn't bring Spongebob back, he has accepted that the memories they made together will never leave him, and that he should value making memories with people before they pass away, as it is the only thing that will stay after their death. Edit: Fixed some incredibly minor typos and expanded the comment a bit with comparisons to Genesis 19:26. Edit 2: Minor revision.

Squidward: SANDY! Sandy: HoWDy SqUiDWarD. WanNa TaLk AboUT TeXaS

If spongebob was on adult swim

Such a great episode of SpongeBob SquarePants.

My friends dreams: omg i kissed my crush! My dreams:

Sandy: Doesn't use her helmet 34 million people: Impossible