"Squeaky Boots" is a SpongeBob SquarePants episode from season 1. In this episode, SpongeBob buys boots from Mr. Krabs, which causes an annoying squeaky sound.

Characters[]

• Eugene H. Krabs
• Pearl Krabs ^(debut)
• Squeaky boots ^(debut)
• SpongeBob SquarePants
• Squidward Tentacles
• Money ^{(in Mr. Krabs' dream)}
• Gary the Snail ^(cameo)
• Cindy ^(debut)
• Incidentals
  • Fred ^{(production order debut)}
  • Incidental 2 ^{(production order debut)}
  • Incidental 3 ^{(production order debut)}
  • Steven ^{(production order debut)}
  • John ^{(production order debut)}
  • Tom ^{(production order debut)}
  • Incidental 7 ^{(production order debut)}
  • Incidental 8 ^{(production order debut)}
  • Incidental 9 ^{(production order debut)}
  • Incidental 10 ^{(production order debut)}
  • Incidental 11 ^(debut)
  • Incidental 18 ^{(production order debut)}
  • Incidental 21 ^{(production order debut) (5-colored)}

Synopsis[]

The episode begins on Pearl's birthday, where Mr. Krabs attempts to cheaply entertain her party guests. When this does not receive a warm reception, he moves on to presenting Pearl with his present. She opens the package, eagerly hoping for a pair of the popular flipper slippers all her friends wear. What she finds instead is a pair of rubber fishing boots; a real bargain for Mr. Krabs, but a mortifying gift for her. Pearl starts to cry, and she cries so loudly, it causes the house and everything to shake.

Left stuck with a two-dollar pair of boots, Mr. Krabs wonders what he can do with them. SpongeBob arrives to ask for his paycheck, and Mr. Krabs decides to play up the value of the boots, telling SpongeBob they are meant only for the world's greatest fry cook. At first, SpongeBob doesn't seem to believe it, but Mr. Krabs wins him over saying they are far from ordinary and were handed down by "the most famous fry cook in the sea." SpongeBob longs to wear such a pair, but Mr. Krabs denies his request until SpongeBob offers up his paycheck in exchange. SpongeBob also makes other offers until Mr. Krabs stops him, claiming the excitement is giving him a heart attack.

Moments later, Squidward is polishing off a drinking glass when he notices SpongeBob dancing right in front of him wearing tall black boots. SpongeBob asks Squidward if he likes them, but Squidward doesn't respond. SpongeBob, however, takes a liking to the new boots immediately, thinking they are pretty cool and have made him an official fry cook. He then proceeds to start bouncing around in them. Unfortunately, the boots make a loud squeak every time they move, much to the annoyance of Squidward. To Mr. Krabs' ears, the boots merely make the sound of music.

That night, Mr. Krabs begins to dream about the cash lining his register, but sounds of squeaking invade his slumber and the squeaky boots appear in his dream jumping in his register. He awakens to see his window opening and closing squeakily. He goes to close it, but he steps into a knothole, breaks his leg literally in two and falls outside. Limping back upstairs, he finally closes the window and returns to sleep, but the window opens once more. Repeated attempts eventually yield success, but he breaks his other leg on the way back to his hammock and becomes entangled in it, just as the window resumes squeaking open and closed.

Trudging to work on bandaged legs, the tired Mr. Krabs looks forward to at least having a successful business day and a bit of peace and quiet. He arrives to find Squidward leaving for a week-long vacation in a huff, saying he can’t take ‘the world’s greatest fry cook’ anymore. Mr. Krabs cannot understand what could be wrong when business is booming, but it soon becomes clear as SpongeBob comes into view, revealing that the squeaking of his new boots are to blame. Mr. Krabs is rather surprised SpongeBob is still wearing his new boots (as it seems he hasn’t taken them off since the other day), with SpongeBob replying that he loves them. Enthusiastic as ever about wearing the boots of "the world's greatest fry cook," SpongeBob demonstrates how he hopes to live up to the title by performing various feats and tricks with the boots squeaking all the while. The tricks start with him running in place while holding plates of krabby patties before giving them to the customers. SpongeBob even manages to make the boots "talk" by moving them around, asking "can I take your order?" While the customers don't seem to be bothered by the squeaky noise, Mr. Krabs grows even weaker and wearier. SpongeBob then begins performing more and more tricks with his boots and starts zooming out of control all over the Krusty Krab, causing Mr. Krabs to retreat to his office for peace. The sounds permeate inside, however, and he decides he must get rid of the boots once and for all.

Back at the pineapple house, SpongeBob heads to bed, still wearing the boots, vowing never to take them off, as they've changed his life (even though Gary appears to be annoyed by them as well). While he is sleeping, Mr. Krabs slips off the boots from SpongeBob's feet and brings them back to the Krusty Krab to hide them. The next morning, Mr. Krabs is sitting peacefully with his dollar bills when SpongeBob enters with a little sobbing, apologizing for losing the "blessed boots," and admitted his belief of his fault. Mr. Krabs attempts to console him with "magic oven mitts," but they do nothing to heal SpongeBob's pain. Unsure of what else to do, Mr. Krabs takes a customer's order. However, the order comes out as a series of squeaks. Horrified, Mr. Krabs soon hears everyone and everything making the squeaking sound.

Driven to madness, Mr. Krabs snaps and confesses he took the boots and hid them underneath the restaurant's floorboards. He pulls the floorboards out, takes the boots to the kitchen and dips them into the fryer to shrink them before devouring the shriveled footwear. Confused, SpongeBob asks why he ate his boots and Mr. Krabs replies that he doesn't need special boots to be a great fry cook as he already is one. He gives SpongeBob his long-overdue paycheck and an extra bonus, before quickly deciding to take back that extra bonus. Mr. Krabs then heads off on a week-long vacation with Pearl, having finally bought her a pair of Flipper Slippers for the trip. Much to his dismay, however, he starts hiccupping with squeaks coming from him as he drives and continues all the way down the road, ending the episode.

Production[]

Cels[]

Paintings[]

Layouts[]

Storyboards[]

Sketches[]

Model sheets[]

Music[]

( ‣ ) Production music

( • ) Original music

( ◦ ) SpongeBob music

 ‣ What Shall We Do with the Drunken Sailor? - Okko Bekker [Title card.]
 ‣ When Daylight Shines / Captain Lenoe's - Michael Arthur, Colin Cater, Mick Graves, The Folk Players, Sarah Graves, Simon Ritchie [The opening.]
 ‣ Music Box [#35.01] - Judith Leonie Cann [Pearl unwraps her presents.]
 ‣ Sailor's Waltz - Heinz Matschurat [At the Krusty Krab]
 • Gator - Steve Belfer ["SpongeBoy-Me-Bob!"]
 ‣ What Shall We Do with the Drunken Sailor? - Okko Bekker [Mr. Krabs offers SpongeBob the boots.]
 ‣ The Tip Top Polka/The Cliff Polka - Chelmsford Folk Band [SpongeBob shows his new boots to Squidward.]
 ‣ Maui Beach - Hans Haider [Krabs dreaming with money.]
 ‣ The Rake Hornpipe - Robert Alexander White [Squeaky window]
 ‣ Here's Adieu Sweet Lovely Nancy (B) - Tim Laycock, Robert Alexander White [The next day]
 • Closing Theme 1 - Steve Belfer ["Could the greatest fry cook do that, Mr. Krabs?"]
 ‣ Shock (F) - Dave Hewson [Mr. Krabs screams.]
 ‣ Shark Alert [#47] - David Farnon [Mr. Krabs hides in his office.]
 ‣ Footsteps of Horror - W. Merrick Farran [Mr. Krabs sees SpongeBob asleep.]
 ‣ Hawaiian Cocktail - Richard Myhill [Tearful apology.]
 ‣ Orchestral Effect (f) - Dick Stephen Walter [Magic oven mitts]
 ‣ Botany Bay (b) - Robert Alexander White ["They're not the same!"]
 ‣ Killer Birds - Gregor F. Narholz [Mr. Krabs hears squeaking.]
 ‣ Muscovite Rebellion - David Arnold, Paul Hart [Mr. Krabs goes crazy.]
 ‣ Killer Birds - Gregor F. Narholz ["Oh, please, make it stop! It is the squeaking of the hideous boots!"]
 ‣ Death Trap [#26] - Gregor F. Narholz [Mr. Krabs eats the boots.]
 ‣ The Twin Sisters - Chelmsford Folk Band [SpongeBob did not need the boots after all.]
 • Cream Pie - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [The ending.]

Release[]

• This episode is available on the Christmas, Complete 1st Season, Nick For the Holidays!, Hall Monitor, Home Sweet Pineapple (Greece), First 100 Episodes, SpongeBob SquarePants, iSponge Offer Pack, Holidays with SpongeBob 3-DVD Gift Set, SpongeBob on DVD, The Ultimate SpongeBob Box Set, Splash from the Past!, SpongeBob SquarePants Vol. 1, Christmas DVD Double Pack, The Complete First Season, From the Beginning, Part 1, The SpongeBob SquarePants Collection, The SpongeBob SquarePants 8 Season DVD Collection, The First & Second Seasons, Collection Triple, Movies & TV Collection, The Best 200 Episodes Ever, and The Best 300 Episodes Ever DVDs.
• It is also available on Nicktoons Collection Volume 3 on GBA Video.

Trivia[]

General[]

• In some pieces of production art, this episode was originally titled "Squeeky Boots."
• Mr. Krabs shouts out "SpongeBoy, me Bob!" when SpongeBob first walks into his office. "SpongeBoy" was his original name, until the Nickelodeon legal department found out that the name might be copyrighted, as it was already in use, possibly by an art themed pencil product.^[2]
• In recent UK and Ireland airings, the scene where a sad SpongeBob has his face pressed down right on top of the hot grill after he fears he lost the boots is cut due to the dangerous action of this scene.^[3]
• A few scenes in the episode were reused again later on:
  • Mr. Krabs' nervous face as SpongeBob makes the boots talk is reused when he begins hearing squeaking everywhere.
    • The frightened faces he makes are also reused several times during the hallucination.
  • Fred saying "I said I'll take a squeak squeak" is used again a few seconds later, but replaced all the dialogue with squeaks.
    • SpongeBob's sad face when he says, "I heard his order, Mr. Krabs" is reused when Mr. Krabs confesses and says "I did it!" a second time.
  • The closeup shot of SpongeBob's boots after he walks up to Mr. Krabs is reused when Mr. Krabs starts having a nightmare.
    • The scene where SpongeBob first wears the boots is also reused in the same scene after a few seconds.
  • Mr. Krabs' screaming from SpongeBob saying, "And this..." over and over is used again when he yells "Stop it!"
    • Also, Mr. Krabs' screaming sound would later be reused in "Patty Hype," "Squilliam Returns," "Once Bitten," and "Jailbreak!"
• The amount of tricks SpongeBob performs with his boots include:
  • Jumping/bouncing up and down, making them squash and stretch.
  • Hopping around with his head in one boot and his lower half in the other.
  • Walking upside down with the boots on his hands.
  • Moonwalking.
  • Running in place really fast before spinning around and ending with a kneel, all while holding plates of Krabby Patties in each hand.
  • Leaning over to one side without having to move his feet at all.
  • Moving the boots around to make them squeak and say, "can I take your order?"
  • Holding his breath, which makes them inflate, allowing him to float.
  • Levitating horizontally with his legs stretched far apart.
  • Twisting them together.
  • Running/jogging backwards.
  • Cane dancing.
  • Zooming in various directions in midair.

• During a promotion for The Rugrats Movie VHS tape and DVD released on March 30, 1999, a set of scratch-and-sniff stickers were released at specified fast-food restaurants to be used with certain Nicktoons. One of them was used when Mr. Krabs dropped the boots in the French fry oil. It obviously smelled like French fries.^[4] Also, the symbol that signaled one to "sniff" at the bottom right part of the screen was filmed along with the episode in American TV airings, and not edited out until late 2002, almost three years after the scratch-and-sniff card packs were put out of circulation.
  • The "Smell-O-Vision" screen-bugged print of this episode was used on the Nicktoons Collection Volume 3 Game Boy Advance Video release in 2005.

• In a promotion leading up to the release of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, the title character of said movie appeared in the lower-right-hand corner during a rerun of this episode and, using one of his inventions, temporarily transformed the cartoon into a puppet show during the scene where SpongeBob is talking to Mr. Krabs in his office. The video evidence of this puppet scene has been uploaded online as late as 2021.^[5] It was also done during a rerun of the episode "Hooky."

• This is the first episode for several things:
  • This and the sister episode "Sandy's Rocket" were the first episode pairing to not premiere on a Saturday morning. They first aired on a Friday night (September 17, 1999).
  • The debut of Pearl in the series. In production order, she is the seventh main character to debut, followed by Mrs. Puff, Plankton, and Karen. In the airing order, she is the last one to debut.
    • This episode marks the first time Pearl cries.
  • The first appearance of Mr. Krabs and Pearl's house.
  • The first episode to be centered around clothing.
  • The first episode where Mr. Krabs pays SpongeBob.
  • The first episode to be focused on Mr. Krabs instead of SpongeBob.
  • The first episode in production order to include the background fish characters. This does not count the Incidental 30s and Incidental 30As that appeared in "Help Wanted," who were unnumbered at the time of that episode's production.
  • The first episode to use the production tracks "What Shall We Do with the Drunken Sailor?," "Killer Birds," and "Footsteps of Horror."
• This is the second episode for two things:
  • The second episode produced for season 1 and the third overall (after "Help Wanted" and "Tea at the Treedome"). Its production code is 102.
    • The episode was one of the first ideas that Stephen Hillenburg had for the series, and he outlined its plot in his original 1996 pitch bible. The pitch bible also included a sketch, drawn by Hillenburg, of SpongeBob wearing the squeaky boots.
    • As a result of being the second episode made for the season, the first incidental characters were made specifically for this episode. On the incidental character model sheet, the first row of characters (incidentals 1-11) were all first designed for this episode, and they are at the top of the sheet because this episode's production predates every other episode where incidental characters appear.
  • The second episode to use CGI effects, this being in Mr. Krabs' hallucination. The first is "Jellyfish Jam."
• This is one of seven episodes in which the 1986 Paramount logo is plastered with the 2002 Paramount logo. The others are "Help Wanted," "F.U.N.," "Squidward the Unfriendly Ghost," "Employee of the Month," "Karate Choppers," and "Rock Bottom."
• This is the last episode in which SpongeBob's blanket color is cerulean-blue instead of violet-purple. It was already violet-purple in most episodes after "Boating School," but given this episode's early production order, it ended up maintaining the original color scheme.
• There is an online game based on this episode called Squeaky Boot Blurbs.

Cultural references[]

• Mr. Krabs' vision spinning is reminiscent of The Twilight Zone.
• The part in which Mr. Krabs goes crazy and shouts is a reference to the 1946 Christmas film It's a Wonderful Life, where George Bailey goes crazy at the bar.
• This episode takes many cues from Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart," the story of a man who commits a heinous crime and whose guilt and paranoia eventually drives him to confess. Mr. Krabs directly references "the beating of his hideous heart" when he mentions, "the squeaking of the hideous boots," and likewise motions to the floorboards to reveal his crime.
  • A heartbeat sound can be heard when Mr. Krabs is hearing the boots.

Errors[]

• When Mr. Krabs lets Pearl open her presents, the cake on the table is missing.

• When Mr. Krabs says, "Have a seat anywhere, but not on these beautiful priceless boots," as he and SpongeBob walk closer to the boots, SpongeBob's white eyeballs turn yellow for a split second.

• When SpongeBob says, "I'm ready! I'm ready! I want those boots!," his upper legs are colored white instead of yellow.

• Even though the boots make SpongeBob taller, he is shown to be about the same size as he usually is compared to Squidward sitting down at the ordering boat.
• After Mr. Krabs breaks his other leg, his broken legs disappear from the holes he stepped on.

• When Squidward comes out of the Krusty Krab for his vacation, his forehead wrinkles are missing for a split-second.
• When SpongeBob gets into bed with his boots on, his blanket is seen covering his whole body with his feet sticking out. However, after Mr Krabs climbs down the diving board ladder just before stealing them, the boots are seen entirely uncovered by the blanket, making SpongeBob’s body appear longer than it usually is.
• Mr. Krabs looks through the kitchen window door and sees that SpongeBob is so upset, he has his head down right on top of the hot grill. Although this couldn't happen because the grill is directly underneath the ordering window right next to the door.

• When Mr. Krabs tears off the Krusty Krab, the ground floor is not painted green. He also ends up on the left side of the Krusty Krab, even though he was on the right side less than five seconds before.

Video[]

Names in other languages[]

Language	Name	Meaning
Russian	Скрипучие сапоги Skripuchie sapogi	Squeaky Boots
Spanish (American)	Las botas chillonas	Squeaky Boots
Spanish (European)	Las botas chirriantes	Squeaky Boots

References[]

1. ^ Date confirmed by SpongeBob Exposed!, The First 100 Episodes, and the iTunes listing.
2. ^ Kid Leaves Stoop (September 7, 2022). The SpongeBoy Mop Doesn't Exist. Retrieved on March 11, 2023.
3. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFPfVl2CnYc
4. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=095KPBwoMyU
5. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJ2-FShMo-k