Help Wanted (SpongeBob SquarePants episode)

Help Wanted
Title card
No. of season:	1
No. of epsiode:	1a
No. of series:	1
Writer:	Stephen Hillenburg Derek Drymon Tim Hill
Storyboard:	Stephen Hillenburg
Original air date:	May 1, 1999
Next:	Reef Blower

Help Wanted is the pilot of the SpongeBob SquarePants. In this episode, SpongeBob gets a job at the Krusty Krab.

Plot

Th episode begins with a narrator with a French accent introducing SpongeBob, a sponge who lives in a pineapple under the sea. The scene moves closer to where SpongeBob lives, who actually lives in a pineapple. SpongeBob's foghorn alarm clock rings, waking him up in the morning. He tells his pet, Gary that he must be in good shape because this particular day is important. He jumps off his diving board and then lands in his pants. He goes to his exercise room and lifts a bar-weight (which is actually two stuffed animals put with a metal bar). Afterwards, SpongeBob declares that he is ready. He runs outside and down the street to the Krusty Krab, repeatedly saying, "I'm ready" while his neighbor and best friend, Patrick, cheers him on.

SpongeBob sees the "Help Wanted" sign on the window. He then declares that he's ready to obtain the job, which he has dreamed of for years; however, he loses his confidence when he nears the Krusty Krab. Patrick confronts him and quickly convinces him to go for the job, and SpongeBob does so, thereby declaring he is ready three more times. Squidward, the head cashier, is cleaning the window (his head is drawn and "loser" is written above it). Squidward sees that SpongeBob wants the job, and so he runs into the Krusty Krab in an attempt to warn the restaurant-owner Mr. Krabs that SpongeBob doesn't qualify for the job. However, SpongeBob walks into the Krusty Krab and asks for the job before Squidward can say anything. To get rid of him, Mr. Krabs tells SpongeBob that he can join the Krusty Krew if he passes a "test"–which is to obtain a "hydrodynamic spatula with port and starboard attachments and a turbo-drive" (essentially sending SpongeBob on a wild goose chase) and to not come back until he gets one. SpongeBob then leaves trying to find one with Squidward and Mr. Krabs laughing and believing that SpongeBob won't find the spatula and will never come back.

As soon as SpongeBob leaves, 5 buses drop off a large crowd of hungry Anchovies. They barge into the Krusty Krab, demanding Krabby Patties. Trying to keep things in order, Squidward complains about their behavior, and then requests that there be a neat, single-file line in front of the cash register. The anchovies furiously protest, forming a riot of angry anchovies that resembles a stormy sea. This forces Squidward and Mr. Krabs to climb up the mast. Thinking that it's the end for them, they say their goodbyes. Suddenly, SpongeBob arrives, flying with his "hydrodynamic spatula with port and starboard attachments and a turbo-drive" (according to SpongeBob, the Barg’N-Mart only had one in stock). Squidward and Mr. Krabs are flabbergasted at the fact that SpongeBob actually passed the "test." SpongeBob flies into the kitchen and, as fast as he can, satisfies the needs of the angry anchovies.

When the last anchovy gets his Krabby Patty, Mr. Krabs is delighted. He immediately hires SpongeBob, by welcoming him to the Krusty Krew and giving him a nametag. Then, Mr. Krabs calls for three cheers for SpongeBob (in which Squidward unenthusiastically replies "Hooray" all three times). Even though Squidward is upset, Mr. Krabs doesn't listen to him because he wants to go and count the "booty" he had just made in his office. At the end, Patrick walks in and asks for a Krabby Patty. SpongeBob then flies into the kitchen and makes a huge stream of Krabby Patties, which hit Patrick and sends him flying out of the restaurant. Squidward, in a sarcastic and sing-song tone, tells Mr. Krabs to come see his new employee.

Character

• SpongeBob (debut)

Locations

• SpongeBob's House
• The Krusty Krab
• Barg'N-Mart

Notes

• SpongeBob had a pet scallop that he kept in a birdcage. This scallop can also be seen in "Missing Identity" and "Pineapple Fever."
• If one listens closely, the Honolulu March soundtrack is repeated twice.
• This is one of the 7 episodes in which the 1986 Paramount logo is plastered with the 2002 Paramount logo. The others are "Squeaky Boots," "F.U.N.," "Squidward the Unfriendly Ghost," "Employee of the Month," "Karate Choppers," and "Rock Bottom."
• This is SpongeBob's first appearance in the series.
• Right before Squidward tells the anchovies to get in a "neat single-file line", one of them says, "Speak up!”
• It's revealed that SpongeBob's first words were, "May I take your order?”
• The song sung when Spongebob was feeding the anchovies was "Living in the Sunlight" by Tiny Tim.
• It's also revealed that SpongeBob built a spatula out of toothpicks in wood shop. This also implies that SpongeBob and Patrick went to school together.
• Normally, when SpongeBob walks, his shoes make a squeaky sound. However, in this episode, it can't be heard yet.
• On September 7, 2013, there was a Live script reading with the voices at Universal Studios Hollywood for this episode. The live reading can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtjEqDkE6J0
• This is the first time a song is on the show (Livin' in the Sunlight, Lovin' in the Moonlight), as well as the first time a character in the show sings a song (Barg'N-Mart Jingle). However, it is not the first full "long" song sung by a character, that is The F.U.N. Song in "F.U.N.."
• SpongeBob's bed is on the right side when usually it's on the left side. This also happens in "Pickles."
• In Indonesia, the scene where Krabs and Squidward are nearly killed by angry anchovies before SpongeBob comes to save them, is sometimes shown and sometimes skipped. This is likely due to time constraints due to being aired along with ads which commonly lasts for 5 minutes. This often occurs in other episodes as well that also aired in Indonesia.

Errors

• Stephen Hillenburg in the "Written By" section of the title card was misspelled as 'Stephen Hilleburg.'
• Squidward cleans up the graffiti that says Loser as a picture of Squidward which has an arrow on it, but in the next scene, the arrow is missing. It isn't likely that Squidward cleaned it up since he was looking at SpongeBob at the time.
• The last time SpongeBob says, "I'm ready!", his collar turns red.
• When SpongeBob walks inside the Krusty Krab and says, "I've been waiting my entire life to join the Krusty Krab crew!" the Krusty Krab's lights were off. But when SpongeBob says, "And now I'm ready!" the lights were on. This error later happens again in "Your Shoe's Untied."
• In the Krusty Krab, all doors to the left of the cash register aren't there. When Mr. Krabs goes to his office, he goes to the right.
• When Mr. Krabs jumps every time he says, "Hip, hip!", his white undershirt disappears for less than a second.
• When Patrick convinces SpongeBob to go back and ask for a job, if one looks closely, one can see brush strokes.
• When SpongeBob arrived with the Hydro-Spatula, Squidward's skin changes from blue to white.
• When SpongeBob bounces, he has no pants or shoes.
• SpongeBob doesn't have a hole on the upper left corner of his head.