Help Wanted

"Help Wanted" is the pilot episode of SpongeBob SquarePants, and it is also the first segment of the very first episode.
==Synopsis==
A narrator with a French accent introduces us to the undersea town of Bikini Bottom and one of its residents, SpongeBob SquarePants, an anthropomorphic sea sponge who, as stated in the theme song, lives in a pineapple. SpongeBob wakes up and tells his pet snail, Gary, that he has to be in good shape, because today is an important day for him - he's going to apply for the job of fry cook at the Krusty Krab. As he approaches the restaurant, SpongeBob briefly loses his confidence, but his best friend, Patrick Star, cheers him on.
Squidward Tentacles, the Krusty Krab's head cashier who happens to be SpongeBob and Patrick's neighbor, is cleaning the window when he sees that SpongeBob wants the job. Frightened by this idea, he tells the restaurant's owner, Eugene H. Krabs, that SpongeBob is not qualified for the job. when SpongeBob walks in to apply for the job, Mr. Krabs tells SpongeBob that he can join the "Krusty Krew" if he passes a "test", in which he has to obtain a "Hydrodynamic Spatula with Port and Starboard Attachments and a Turbo-Drive" (essentially sending SpongeBob on a snipe hunt), believing that there is no such thing and that SpongeBob will never come back trying to find it.
As soon as SpongeBob leaves, five buses drop off a large crowd of hungry Anchovies. They barge into the Krusty Krab, demanding Krabby Patties. Attempting to keep things in order, Squidward complains about their behavior, then requests that there be a single-file line in front of the cash register. But the anchovies angrily protest, forming a riot set to resemble a stormy sea. This forces Squidward and Mr. Krabs to climb up the "mast". Just in the nick of time, though, SpongeBob returns 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), which surprises Mr. Krabs. SpongeBob flies into the kitchen and as fast as he can, satisfies the needs of the hangry anchovies with huge streams of Krabby Patties.
Delighted at SpongeBob's performance, Mr. Krabs hires him, much to Squidward's dismay. Squidward tries to protest this, but Mr. Krabs does not listen to him, because he wants to go and count the huge money he just made in his office. At the end, Patrick walks in and asks for a Krabby Patty. SpongeBob races into the kitchen and makes a huge stream of Krabby Patties which hit Patrick and send him flying out of the restaurant.
==Production==
===Development===
While pitching the cartoon to Nickelodeon executives, Hillenburg donned a Hawaiian shirt, brought along an "underwater terrarium with models of the characters", and Hawaiian music to match the theme. The setup was described by Nick executive Eric Coleman as "pretty amazing". When given money and two weeks to write the pilot episode, Derek Drymon, Stephen Hillenberg, and Nick Jennings returned with, described by Nickelodeon official Albie Hecht, "a performance [I] wish [I] had on tape". Although described as stressful by executive producer Derek Drymon, the pitch went "very well"; and Hecht had to step outside because they were "exhausted from laughing", making the cartoonists worried.
The original version of this pilot had its title card and opening credits placed between the first two scenes, rather than at the very beginning of the episode like on the series proper. The original version can only be found on the Best of Nicktoons 1998 VHS tape, which was only given out to Nickelodeon Animation Studio employees.
SpongeBob SquarePants aired its first episode, "Help Wanted" / "Reef Blower" / "Tea at the Treedome", on May 1, 1999, following the 1999 Kids' Choice Awards. The series later made its "official" debut on July 17, 1999 with the second episode, "Bubblestand / Ripped Pants".
===Animation===
This pilot was made and recorded in 1997, so it has many differences to the rest of the series. However, the original version of the episode had many other minor differences that were corrected later. For example, this is the only episode where SpongeBob's bed is on the right (excluding two later first-season episodes, "Pickles" and "Employee of the Month"), and his blanket is solid blue, as opposed to purple with flowers. Differences in voices are another example. SpongeBob's voice is slightly lower and Patrick's is deeper. Designs and colors are also different. For example, SpongeBob has fewer holes than in newer episodes, Mr. Krabs' eyelids are bright pink opposed to red, Patrick's pants are in a slightly different color, Squidward's complexion is paler, his laugh is different, the comedic "splat" sound is different, and his nose does not puff in and out when he laughs. Gary's eye pupils are red dots and his irises are smaller, he lacks eyelashes, and he has a lower tone of voice in the "meow" (although Tom Kenny claims to use a new "meow" for each episode). Squidward also appears to have rows of bamboo poles behind his house. Differences in SpongeBob's house are also present in this episode, but not in others, such as there is only one window in the front. Also, SpongeBob and Patrick are slightly fatter, and SpongeBob's alarm clock has a different ship horn sound than his alarm clock in later episodes. The changes were made when the TV series officially aired.
==Home video releases==
;VHS
* The Best of Nicktoons 1998 (original pilot version)
;DVD
* SpongeBob SquarePants: The Complete 3rd Season (included as a bonus feature)
* SpongeBob SquarePants: 10 Happiest Moments (included as a bonus feature)
* SpongeBob SquarePants: The First 100 Episodes
* SpongeBob SquarePants: SpongeBob, You're Fired!
* SpongeBob SquarePants: The Pilot, a Mini-Movie, and the Square Shorts
;iTunes
* SpongeBob SquarePants: Volume 1
* SpongeBob SquarePants: From the Beginning - Part 1
==Trivia==
*This episode was produced as a stand-alone pilot before the show’s first full season was ordered. Because of this, it originally had no production code. It was later re-cut for broadcast and given the title "Help Wanted." The re-cut was produced along with the theme song sequence in the middle of season one. Together, the re-cut and the theme sequence make up production code "#127."
*This episode was not included on The Complete 1st Season set due to copyright issues with the song "" which played during the episode. According to Derek Drymon, Nickelodeon didn't want to pay Tiny Tim's estate for the rights. However, the episode was included on the German DVD release of Season 1, and was later included on The Complete 3rd Season as a bonus feature, and later reinstated in its proper spot on The First 100 Episodes set.
*This is the only episode where the music was scored by William B. Griggs, M.P.S.E., as the next episode to be produced, "Tea at the Treedome," was scored by Nicolas Carr.
*In the Italian dub of the episode, "" was mostly cut, most likely due to copyright issues.
*In the 2002 movie, Orange County, Jack Black's character Lance is seen watching and laughing at this episode.
*The Nicktoons TV premiere was the same day of the channel's launch in 2002.
*SpongeBob is shown to have a pet scallop that he kept in a birdcage. It can also be seen in "Missing Identity" and "Pineapple Fever".
*In this episode, SpongeBob's shoes do not make the squeaky sound usually heard when he walks.
*On September 7, 2013, there was a live script reading with the voice actors at Universal Studios Hollywood for this episode as part of SpongeBob Fan Shellabration.
*This, "Pickles," "Employee of the Month," "One Krabs Trash," and "Best Day Ever" are the only five episodes to have SpongeBob's bed placed on the right side of his room and not the left.
*This is one of six SpongeBob episodes in which the 1986 Paramount Pictures logo was plastered with the 2002 Paramount Pictures logo. The others are "Squeaky Boots", "F.U.N.", "Squidward the Unfriendly Ghost", "Employee of the Month", and "Rock Bottom".
*The end credits for the 1997 and 1999 versions of "Help Wanted" have several differences.
*This episode was ranked #29 and #17 in The 100 Greatest Nicktoon Episodes countdown.
*The plot of the episode was parodied in the later episode, "Gary's Playhouse", with Gary as SpongeBob, Spot as Gary, a slug as Patrick, a sea urchin as Squidward, a sea bunny as Mr. Krabs, and the nematodes as the anchovies. SpongeBob, Patrick, Squidward, and Mr. Krabs themselves even remember the episode and the scene's reference to it.
==International premieres==
* UK: January 3, 2000
* Ireland: February 28, 2000
* Canada: March 4, 2000
* Australia: July 26, 2000
* New Zealand: July 31, 2000
==In other languages==
Language 	Name 	Meaning
Arabic 	مطلوب موظفين 	Staff Required
Bulgarian 	Търси се Помощник 	Looking for a Helper
Cantonese 	急徵店員 	Expedited Clerk
Finnish 	Ravintola-Apulainen 	Restaurant Assistant
French 	Bienvenue à Bord 	Welcome Aboard
German 	Aushilfe Gesucht 	Looking for Help
Greek 	Ζητείται Βοηθός 	Help Wanted
Hebrew 	דרוש עובד 	Require Employee
Japanese 	バイト募集中 	Part-Time Job Wanted
Latvian 	Ir Vajadzīga Palīdzība	Need Help
Macedonian 	Бараме Помошник 	We are looking for a Helper
Norwegian 	Hjelp Ønskes 	Help Wanted
Polish 	Potrzebna Pomoc 	Help Needed
Russian 	Требуется Помощник 	Assistant is Required
Serbian 	Тражи се радник 	Looking for a Worker
Spanish (Spain) 	Se Necesita Ayudante 	Helper is Needed
Spanish (Latin America)	Se Busca Ayuda 	Help Search
Ukrainian 	Потрібен Помічник 	Assistant is Required
===Title cards===
HelpWantedCantonese.png|Cantonese
HelpWantedFrench.png|French
HelpWantedGerman.png|German
HelpWantedHebrew.png|Hebrew
HelpWantedMacedonian.png|Macedonian
==Videos==
SpongeBob's Official Debut 🦀 The Very FIRST 5 Minutes of SpongeBob!
SpongeBob SquarePants First Episode in 5 Minutes! 🐟 HELP WANTED
"Help Wanted" 🍔 Animatic - SpongeBob SquarePants
If SpongeBob was a Black & White Cartoon - "Help Wanted" - SpongeBob- Reimagined S2
==External links==
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Category:Series pilots
Category:Series premieres
Category:Censored episodes