What Ever Happened to SpongeBob?

"**What Ever Happened to SpongeBob?**" (also known as "**WhoBob WhatPants?**") is the 18th episode of the fifth season of _SpongeBob SquarePants_. It was first broadcast on Nickelodeon on October 13, 2008. The episode is about SpongeBob moving out of Bikini Bottom after his friends call him "idiot boy".

## Plot

SpongeBob wakes up one day, hoping to have a good day. However, a series of bad events happen throughout the day: he accidentally breaks Gary's shell when hugging him too hard, accidentally crushes a cake Patrick made for his mother's birthday, disturbs Squidward's beauty sleep, destroys Sandy's new robot or her invention, and accidentally deep-fries Mr. Krabs and two of his dollar bills. Each of these is met with SpongeBob being thrown out and angrily called "idiot boy" by all of his friends.

SpongeBob, believing none of his friends like him anymore and want him out of town, decides to leave Bikini Bottom. He leaves Gary with food and, without telling anyone else, walks out of town with a blanket-on-a-stick of supplies. That night, however, SpongeBob gets spooked in the dark and runs off a cliff, repeatedly bumping his head on the cliff rocks and getting knocked unconscious. Back in Bikini Bottom, Sandy and Patrick find a note from SpongeBob inside his pineapple and, feeling remorseful, show it to Mr. Krabs and Squidward. To make matters worse, without SpongeBob making Krabby Patties at the Krusty Krab, the city breaks out into massive chaos. The four resolve to retrieve SpongeBob. To this end, Sandy creates a sea sponge locator device, only for Squidward, having no intention of finding SpongeBob, to smash it with a mallet. Angered by this, Mr. Krabs bribes Squidward to find SpongeBob on foot by promising him a Fabergé egg as a reward; Squidward is followed by Patrick and Sandy.

Meanwhile, SpongeBob wakes up with amnesia. He sees a couple of tramp fish, who deem him "CheeseHead BrownPants" to steal his possessions, leaving him with only a bottle of bubble soap in his pants. SpongeBob eventually wanders into New Kelp City, a dilapidated urban city, where he attempts to get a job. Each time he does, he displays his bubble-blowing ability, but this strikes fear into all the residents of the city and results in his termination. Late that night, his activity brings up a confrontation with "the Bubble Poppin' Boys", a gang of greasers. They explain that having developed an unreasonable hatred against bubbles for blinding them upon popping in their eyes, and they have spent the last two decades killing anyone who blows bubbles, resulting in their unofficial ban and the city's downfall. The gang chases SpongeBob, who eventually defeats them by trapping them in a bubble that carries them out of the city forever. He is rewarded by getting the position of mayor of New Kelp City.

While on the road, Squidward's group learns about SpongeBob's mayoral appointment, but when they go to New Kelp City to retrieve him, SpongeBob cannot remember who they are and brushes them off. They manage to kidnap SpongeBob and return him to the Krusty Krab, but he still rejects them. Squidward celebrates this, only to slip on a spatula and throws the Fabergé egg onto SpongeBob's head, restoring his memory. SpongeBob is then given an apology from his friends for running him out of town. Although he forgives them, SpongeBob still decides to return to New Kelp City since the city still needs its mayor. At that moment, a breaking news report comes on, saying that the bubbles in New Kelp City are blinding the citizens, who blame SpongeBob. This finally makes SpongeBob change his mind, and he says that he will stay in Bikini Bottom, much to Squidward's chagrin.

## Infobox (spongebob episode)

- **series**: SpongeBob SquarePants
- **episode**: 18
- **season**: 5
- **production**: 151-535/151-536
- **guests**: * Ray Liotta as the Bubble Poppin' Boys Leader
- **director**: * Alan Smart
* Tom Yasumi
* Casey Alexander (cartoonist), Casey Alexander
* Zeus Cervas
- **writer**: * Casey Alexander
* Zeus Cervas
* Steven Banks
- **length**: 22 minutes
- **prev**: The Battle of Bikini Bottom
- **next**: The Two Faces of Squidward
- **season article**: SpongeBob SquarePants season 5, _SpongeBob SquarePants_ season 5
- **episode list**: List of SpongeBob SquarePants episodes, List of episodes