Help Wanted (SpongeBob SquarePants)

"Help Wanted (SpongeBob SquarePants)"

Help Wanted is the best episode of the best animated series SpongeBob SquarePants. It is the pilot episode of the series. It aired after the 1999 Kids' Choice Awards on May 1, 1999. It officially aired on July 24, 1999.

Plot

A narrator with a French accent introduces SpongeBob SquarePants, a sea sponge who lives in a pineapple in the city of Bikini Bottom. SpongeBob's foghorn alarm clock rings, waking him up in the morning. He tells his pet snail Gary that he must be in good shape because this particular day is important. He gets dressed and goes to his exercise room and lifts a bar-weight (which is actually two stuffed animals, though SpongeBob still has trouble lifting them). Afterward, SpongeBob exclaims he is ready.

After motivation from Patrick, SpongeBob goes to the Krusty Krab for a job interview. Squidward Tentacles, the head cashier, is cleaning the window (which features a picture of him and the word "LOSER" written on the window). Squidward sees that SpongeBob wants the job, and he rushes to Mr. Krabs, the owner of The Krusty Krab, that SpongeBob does not qualify for the job. SpongeBob runs in, and immediately trips over a nail. Squidward persuades Mr. Krabs to not hire SpongeBob, and Mr. Krabs tricks SpongeBob and asks him to buy a "hydrodynamic spatula with port and starboard attachments and a turbo-drive". If SpongeBob obtains the item, he can become a member of the Krusty Crew.

As soon as SpongeBob rushes off, six buses circle The Krusty Krab then Mr. Krabs says "I smell a smelly smell that smells smelly. ANCHOVIES!!!!!!!!!" and the buses drop off a large crowd of hungry smelly anchovies. They barge into the Krusty Krab, demanding Krabby Patties. Attempting to keep things in order, Squidward complains about their behavior, and then requests that there be a single-file line in front of the cash register. But the anchovies abruptly protest, forming a riot that resembles a stormy sea. This forces Mr. Krabs and Squidward to climb up the "mast". When it seems like it is the end for them, SpongeBob arrives, flying on his hydrodynamic spatula with port and starboard attachments and a turbo-drive (according to him, the Barg'n Mart only had one in stock). SpongeBob flies into the kitchen and as fast as he can, satisfies the needs of the hungry anchovies. SpongeBob made a Krabby Patty before he was hired (a video of a baby SpongeBob making a perfect Patty on the first try is seen in the episode "Friend or Foe?") and it is assumed that he did not know the Krabby Patty secret formula.

When the last anchovy is fed, Mr. Krabs is delighted. He hires SpongeBob, by welcoming him to the Krusty Crew and giving him a name tag. Even though Squidward is upset, Mr. Krabs does not listen to him and goes into his office with a wheelbarrow full of money. The episode ends with Patrick ordering a Krabby Patty. SpongeBob races into the kitchen and makes a huge stream of Krabby Patties, which then hits Patrick and sends him flying out of the restaurant. Worried, Squidward calls Mr. Krabs to come see his new employee.

Production

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Creator Stephen Hillenburg became an animator during his period of study at the California Institute of Arts.

Origin of SpongeBob SquarePants

Main article: SpongeBob SquarePants

SpongeBob SquarePants was initially conceived in 1984, when creator Stephen Hillenburg he was teaching and studying marine biology at what is now the Orange County Ocean Institute. During this period, Hillenburg became fascinated with animation, and wrote a comic book entitled The Intertidal Zone starring various anthropomorphic forms of sea life, many of which would evolve into SpongeBob SquarePants characters, including "Bob the Sponge", who was the co-host of the comic and resembled an actual sea sponge as opposed to SpongeBob. In 1987, Hillenburg left the institute to pursue his dream of becoming an animator, and began to envision the possible concept of a project involving anthropomorphic sea life, drawing several rough sketches. In 1992, Hillenburg began to attend the California Institute of the Arts to study animation, having been accepted into the institute by Jules Engel, who was impressed with Hillenburg's previous work.

While attending animation school, Hillenburg received a job on the children's TV series Mother Goose & Grimm, and worked on the series from 1991 to 1993. When attending the California Institute of the Arts, he made his thesis film entitled Wormholes, which was funded by the Princess Grace Foundation and was later displayed at various animation festivals. In 1993, Hillenburg graduated from the institute, earning a Master of Fine Arts in experimental animation. In 1995, Joe Murray, creator of Rocko's Modern Life, met Hillenburg at one of said animation festivals, and offered him a job as a director of the series. Hillenburg then joined the Nickelodeon animated series as a writer, producer, and storyboard artist during the series' third season, continuing his position for much of the fourth season. The third season episode "Fish-N-Chumps" (November 12, 1995) was directed by Hillenburg, and involved Rocko, Heffer, and Filburt going on a fishing trip, oblivious to the fact that a pair anthropomorphic fish are attempting to catch them from underwater. While working on Rocko's Modern Life, Hillenburg became friends with Tom Kenny, who was later approached by Hillenburg to become the voice of SpongeBob SquarePants, and future SpongeBob SquarePants collaborators Doug Lawrence, Paul Tibbitt and others.

Rocko's Modern Life ended in 1996. Shortly following this, Hillenburg began working on SpongeBob SquarePants, teaming up with several Nickelodeon veterans and Rocko crew members. To voice the character of SpongeBob, Hillenburg approached Tom Kenny, who had worked with him on Rocko's Modern Life. Originally SpongeBob was to be named SpongeBoy but this name was already in use. This was discovered after voice acting for the original seven minute pilot was recorded in 1997. The Nickelodeon legal department discovered that the name was already in use for a mop product. Upon finding this out, Hillenburg decided that the character's given name still had to contain "Sponge" so viewers would not mistake the character for a "Cheese Man." Hillenburg decided to use the name "SpongeBob." He chose "SquarePants" as a family name as it referred to the character's square shape and it had a "nice ring to it".

Development

Whilst pitching the cartoon to Nickelodeon executives, Hillenburg donned a Hawaiian shirt, brought along an “underwater terrarium with models of the characters”, and Hawaiian music to set the theme. The setup was described by Nick executive Eric Coleman as "pretty amazing". When given money and two weeks to write the pilot episode (“Help Wanted”), Derek Drymon, Stephen Hillenberg, and Nick Jennings returned with, described by Nickelodeon official Albie Hecht, “a performance (I) wish (I) had on tape”. Although described as stressful by executive producer Derek Drymon, the pitch went “very well”; Kevin Kay and Hecht had to step outside because they were “exhausted from laughing”, making the cartoonists worried.

Tom Kenny, the voice of SpongeBob SquarePants.

SpongeBob SquarePants aired its first episode, "Help Wanted/Reef Blower/Tea at the Treedome," on May 1, 1999, following the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. The series later made its "official" debut on July 17, 1999 with the second episode "Bubblestand/Ripped Pants."

Reception

Voted #6 2009 SpongeBash Marathon

Voted #24 2006 Best Day Ever Marathon

External Links

• "SpongeBob SquarePants" Help Wanted/Reef Blower/Tea at the Treedome at IMDb