SpongeBob SquarePants: 10 Hilarious Animation Errors Nobody Notices

As a whole, SpongeBob SquarePants is a cherished show, with the first four seasons especially praised for their witty humor and stellar character animation. That being said, animating is not an easy process whether it is digital or hand-drawn, it can be a time-consuming process that is never perfect.

This often results in the occasional animation error slipping through the cracks. Even some of the best episodes can have a few accidental slip-ups. Even the biggest blockbusters have had mistakes, and these are some from SpongeBob that even longtime fans probably never noticed.

SpongeBob’s Clothes Change Between Shots (MuscleBob BuffPants)

If SpongeBob changed clothes between the signup and the actual competition, that would make sense. However, SpongeBob’s clothes change from a swimming suit to his usual business casual clothing within the same scene as he goes from struggling with a drink to flying into a pole.

Unless it’s meant to be assumed that SpongeBob changed his clothes in mid-flight, this is definitely an error. That said, it goes by so quickly that most viewers likely never noticed it for years and years.

What Happened To The Chum Bucket? (Bummer Vacation)

It’s been established from the first episode in which he appeared that the villainous and show-stealing Plankton lives and operates across the street from the Krusty Krab. The Krusty Krab and the Chum Bucket are the ultimate rivals and it has been that way for many years, except for the occasional flub.

The worst error comes in the episode Bummer Vacation where SpongeBob is so obsessed with his job that he can’t take a vacation. He stalks the Krusty Krab at one point and it’s perfectly clear that there is no Chum Bucket across the street; just sand and a small house in the distance.

Krabs Can Apparently Fly (Dying For Pie)

Squidward, who has become the source of many fantastic memes over the years, refuses to act brotherly towards SpongeBob and as he points to the yellow protagonist, there is a brief second where a flaw can be found. Mr. Krabs does not have any legs and his body is hovering in mid-air which is a rather humorous sight.

There is another issue here as well: Squidward is missing legs too. In the show, Squidward Tentacles has four tentacles for legs, but in the same shot as Mr. Krabs, Squidward is seen only having two.

Squidward’s Disappearing Neck (The Lost Mattress)

Body parts continue to disappear as Squidward attempts to retrieve Mr. Krabs’ old mattress from the dump. He ends up being the victim of the guard worm for a second time, breaking the fourth wall as he acknowledges the danger he’s in.

Breaking the fourth wall seems to have consequences, because as he talks to the camera, Squidward’s neck vanishes, leaving his head to levitate in mid-air.

Where’s Squidward’s House? (Missing Identity)

At this point, the visual of Conch Street is iconic with SpongeBob’s pineapple house, Patrick’s rock, and Squidward’s Easter Island head house side-by-side. So it makes it rather confusing that somehow the animators forgot to add Squidward’s house to one scene in “Missing Identity.”

In a shot of the whole street, both the pineapple and the rock are in view, but somehow Squidward’s house is missing. It’s not a perspective issue either because Patrick is in a spot where the house should be visible. Insult to injury, the house does appear later in the scene.

Villian Is Not A Word (Mermaidman & Barnacleboy V)

Spelling errors are common, especially in credits, but this case is a bit different where on a big news broadcast, Bikini Bottom’s supervillains band together to create a new organization; Every Villain Is Lemons, also known as E.V.I.L. (as a parody of the likes of S.P.E.C.T.R.E. from the James Bond series).

However, there is a flaw in the words as they appear: “villain” is misspelled as “villian” which is equally as humorous as the joke itself.

Ghostly Ape (I Had An Accident)

In one of the show’s funniest yet random gags, a real gorilla comes and begins to pummel Sandy and Patrick. Due to the sheer amount of ridiculousness, it is understandable if fans did not notice an error in the animation combined with the green screen effects.

The entire time, the gorilla is partially transparent. There are shots where the viewer can see right through the gorilla and see Conch Street and the sandy fields of Bikini Bottom.

Mr. Krabs’ Arm Falls Off (Mermaidman & Barnacleboy V)

This is another “blink and the viewer will miss it” moment. It comes when Squidward chooses not to volunteer as a superhero leading to Krabs scolding him, pointing his claw at Squidward. If eyed carefully, it can be seen that Mr. Krabs’ arm detaches and falls off the screen.

Fortunately, it’s so quick that it just looks like Mr. Krabs put his arm down. However, his sleeve is still raised and does not go down, hinting at the idea that Krabs was supposed to be pointing for much longer. This isn’t the first time Krabs lost his arms though, it’s even mentioned in one of Mr. Krabs’ funniest quotes.

Why Do Squidward’s Eyes Turn Green? (Pizza Delivery)

For many fans, “Pizza Delivery” remains one of the best episodes about Squidward. In it, after an arduous journey, SpongeBob and Squidward are saved by a large rock that they can drive. According to SpongeBob, it’s an old pioneer trick and further confirms that this show can be bizarre.

SpongeBob is doubted by Squidward who is immediately proven wrong when SpongeBob runs him over with the rock. In a strange mistake, Squidward’s eyes turn green for the rest of the scene, even as he runs to catch up with SpongeBob.

Sandy Enters Through The Wrong Side (Pressure)

Most of the errors seen so far have been simply mistakes, but this one in “Pressure” is a bit egregious. Sandy is clearly seen running in through the front door of the Kruty Krab; within the same exact shot, Sandy is then running in from the right side of the Krusty Krab which has no door.

Was it that difficult to have her running through the front entrance? Instead, it comes off as a strange space-time anomaly happening inside the Krusty Krab. However, it is another case where most viewers likely never noticed it until years later.

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