When SpongeBob SquarePants Went on Strike and Destroyed the Krusty Krab

SpongeBob SquarePants and discussions about the state of labor in this country may have more in common than you realize. Stephen Hillenburg’s long-running animated series has dipped its toes into the waters of the corporate landscape — particularly in episodes involving SpongeBob’s (Tom Kenny) crustaceous cheapskate boss Mr. Krabs (Clancy Brown). One such episode harkens, somewhat, to the labor disputes happening in Hollywood where workers are fighting back against the wealthy elite penny pinchers who make billions of dollars and are not willing to give a small portion of that back to the artist who’s built their fortunes (you can help the creatives on strike here). Squidward (Rodger Bumpass) leads SpongeBob in a short strike in the episode “Squid on Strike,” written by Walt Dohrn, Paul Tibbitt, and Mark O’Hare. The results of their strike are mixed, and the episode showcases how difficult workers’ uprisings can be in the state of the economy. But, interestingly, “Squid on Strike” does actually offer a glimpse of how workers’ solidarity can succeed.

Why Are SpongeBob and Squidward Striking?

In “Squid on Strike,” Mr. Krabs is shocked to see that his “profits are down three dollars from last month,” so he makes some changes to his worker’s paychecks. Rather than paying his employees a paycheck, he hands Squidward and SpongeBob a bill for petty disturbances. Squiward’s fines include grievances of one dollar for “breathing,” two dollars for “existing,” and a whopping 10 dollars for “standing.” The last charge is literally Squidward’s job — to stand at the cash register and take orders. Squidward will not stand for Mr. Krabs charging them extra for “goofing off,” so he convinces SpongeBob to go on strike for better working conditions, which causes them to get fired. That would violate most labor laws, but I doubt Mr. Krabs lets them fully unionize (or that Squidward would want to be in any union with just SpongeBob).

One problem: SpongeBob does not seem to understand how to strike. He cries after Mr. Krabs fires him, he cannot throw his hat to the ground — or as Squidward puts it, “a symbol of their oppression” — and he paints the phrase “Krusty Krab Funfair” instead of “unfair.” The last move attracts fish to the Krusty Krab, trampling Squidward. SpongeBob even signs the spatula of a teenager (Kenny) who crosses the picket line to take his job. However, SpongeBob eventually listens to Squidward’s impassioned speech about plans to “dismantle oppression board by board” — literally. Granted, SpongeBob admitted during the speech that he doesn’t “know what Squidward’s talking about, but he sure sounds convincing.” Overnight, he sneaks into the Krusty Krab and destroys the restaurant, misinterpreting Squidward’s words. Even in a literal sense, he does not understand Squidward — Squidward says they will “saw the foundation of big business in half” and SpongeBob saws “the tables of tyranny.” The stunt gets the pair their jobs back, but they have to work there forever to pay off their damages.

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The Fish of Bikini Bottom Swim Towards the Oppressor

In fairness to SpongeBob, he is not the only member of Bikini Bottom who does not seem to get the meaning of their strike. The response to Squidward tossing his hat on the ground is a police officer writing Squidward up for “littering” (a sign of how the police treats organized labor and favors corporations? Or just a joke? You decide). During Squidward’s speech, the community does not seem to listen to a word he’s saying. One woman slaps her husband in the face when Squidward says, “You have been cheated and lied to.” Another fish admits he has no idea what Squidward is talking about, but acknowledges Squidward “has a megaphone.” The crowd reacts to Squidward’s speech with cheers, but then one fish says “All this supporting is making me hungry,” and the group storms into the Krusty Krab, trampling Squidward — leading to Mr. Krabs bragging about gaining customers.

That trampling leads Squidward to make the following retort: “Nobody gives a care about the fate of labor as long as they can get their instant gratification.” His sentiment is understandable, and the whole episode shows how difficult striking can be. Convincing people to leave behind their comforts for a better future can be difficult, and many have been conditioned to keep eating Krabby Pattys. SpongeBob even meets a scabbing teenager willing to take his job without a second doubt.

SpongeBob represents the laborer David Zaslav must have thought of when he declared that a “love for working” could end the strike. SpongeBob does not accept Mr. Krabs’ paycheck, saying instead that “Grilling is my passion,” he almost pays Mr. Krabs for his “lollygagging” before Squidward stops him, and he cries when he gets fired for striking. Now, he does briefly see his plight after the teenager takes his job — he freezes for a second and stares into space. But that does not last long, and he only goes all-in on the strike after Squidward’s speech — which he admits he does not understand, but at least sees his peers’ passion. His misunderstanding leads him to physically try to dismantle big business; and even that act he does as a means to get his job back.

Squidward sees the difficulties ahead. SpongeBob shouts at Mr. Krabs that they will strike until they get their demands, even if it takes “forever.” That word rings in Squidward’s ears and keeps him up at night, imagining a day when he and SpongeBob are old and wrinkled but still on strike. That leads Squidward to run back to Krabs and beg for his job back, briefly giving up his workers’ solidarity. Especially in the Squidward-centered episodes, the pair’s encounters often hinge on SpongeBob unknowingly annoying Squidward, and this episode uses that discord to show the difficulties of workers uniting. Again, SpongeBob matches the citizens of Bikini Bottoms’ unfamiliarity with workers’ rights where even the police enforcing the law miss the meaning of Squidward’s actions.

What This ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’ Episode Gets Right About Strikes

Squidward does attempt to break the strike and beg for his job back, but as he flees, he meets Mr. Krabs knocking on his door. It turns out that the “Krusty Krab is a wreck,” and the restaurant is “ruined without you and the little yellow guy.” Not to mention the teenagers Mr. Krabs hired follow him around, even to Squidward’s house. Of course, Squidward smirks and takes Mr. Krabs for a walk and lists his demands, with the crustacean commenting, “I’ve got a bad feeling in the pit of me wallet.”

But Mr. Krabs gives in to his demands. Yes, the money-loving penny pincher briefly agrees to fork over some of his beloved money to Squidward and Spongebob. Keep in mind, the pair only went on strike for one day and Mr. Krabs caved. Even briefly, however, the episode does describe the language and means for an effective strike. They picket, they discuss being oppressed by corporate figures, and they attempt to build solidarity with the community and form “workers united.” “Squid on Strike” also presents the negative aspects of this, like crossing picket lines, replacement labor, and how many workers are mistreated. Granted, it comes as Squidward is about to cave and SpongeBob destroys their entire agreement by dismantling “big business” a little too literally. But even that moment displays that the worker can completely disrupt a company when mistreated. “Squid on Strike” may not make SpongeBob and Squidward into the model unified pair of workers, but it does present the appropriate language for “the gentle laborer” to “no longer suffer” under big business’ weight. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to mention that it is one of the best episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants‘ golden era, and a prominent example of the cartoon’s ability to appeal to both adults and kids alike.