Squidward the Unfriendly Ghost

**Episode** · Transcript · Gallery · Credits

February 5, 2000

 October 14, 2000

See more...
February 1, 2000

May 2, 2000
November 2, 2000

November 6, 2000
 March 17, 2001

August 9, 2001 (EBS)
September 9, 2002(Super RTL)

October 21, 2002 (SRF ZWEI)
January 26, 2004 (Orf 1)

September 28, 2004
November 22, 2005

August 18, 2007
July 16, 2008

July 26, 2009
September 24, 2016

February 13, 2017
May 5, 2019

July 14, 2020
June 15, 2021

Aaron Springer

Peter Burns

Others like you also viewed

"**Squidward the Unfriendly Ghost**" is a *SpongeBob SquarePants* episode from season 1. In this episode, Squidward pretends to be a ghost after SpongeBoband Patrick think he has died.

### Characters

* Squidward Tentacles
* Squidward's bonsai (debut; cameo)
* SpongeBob SquarePants
* Patrick Star
* Flying Dutchman (debut; cameo)
* Fish in magazine
* Sandy Cheeks (cameo)
* Eugene H. Krabs
* Incidentals
	+ Incidental 31
	+ Incidental 22
	+ Incidental 27
	+ Two Incidental 30s
	+ Incidental 2
	+ Incidental 62
	+ Incidental 23
	+ Fred
	+ Incidental 5
	+ Incidental 7
	+ Incidental 14
	+ Incidental 8
	+ Incidental 3
	+ Incidental 9
* Seagulls (debut)

ADVERTISEMENT

Squidward has just completed a wax sculpture of himself and declares that he has "conquered all artistic media." He is annoyed by SpongeBob and Patrick, who are playing a loud game, and goes to take a bath. SpongeBob and Patrick begin playing catch with a shell, but it flies into Squidward's house and knocks over the wax sculpture. The two think they have injured Squidward, and after several attempts to "resuscitate" him, they believe that Squidward has perished.

Having finished his bath, Squidward dramatically emerges from the bathroom in a rush of steam, wearing talcum powder and a white bathrobe. SpongeBob and Patrick believe that they are seeing Squidward's ghost, and, hoping to evade his "ghostly anger," promise that they will do anything he says. Squidward, instead of telling them he is not dead, gleefully plays along in order to have them pamper him and do chores for him.

When instructed to clean one of Squidward's rooms, SpongeBob and Patrick come across a comic book that contains the story of the Flying Dutchman. The story says that the Dutchman haunts the seas because his corpse was used as a window display in a store rather than being laid to rest. The two decide that since Squidward is a vengeful spirit, they must put him to rest. Despite Squidward's protests, SpongeBob and Patrick arrange for him to be buried and invite people over to mourn him.

Squidward soon admits his charade, but SpongeBob and Patrick believe that Squidward is simply in denial about his death. SpongeBob blows a giant bubble that encapsulates Squidward and sends him floating right out of the water, up to "the great beyond." Squidward is last seen high in the air and surrounded by seagulls, which only adds to his discomfort.

### Music

**‣** Tales from the Swamp (a) - Ron Goodwin *[title card]*

**‣** Smoke and Dreams - Otto Sieben *[opening]*

**‣** Hilo March - The Hawaiian Serenaders *[SpongeBob and Patrick play games.]*

**‣** Bossa Cubana - Gerhard Narholz *[Squidward takes a bath.]*

**•** Seaweed 1 - Steve Belfer *[SpongeBob and Patrick are tossing a shell back and forth.]*

**‣** Bossa Cubana - Gerhard Narholz *[Squidward hears a thump.]*

**•** Seaweed 1 - Steve Belfer *[SpongeBob and Patrick enter Squidward's house.]*

**‣** Lovely Scenery C - Mladen Franko *["Squidward! Ahhh!"]*

**‣** Bossa Cubana - Gerhard Narholz *[Squidward puts on a towel.]*

**‣** Dangerous B - Mladen Franko *[SpongeBob and Patrick attempt to put the sculpture back together.]*

**‣** Dramatic Cue (H) - Ronald Hanmer *[The sculpture's eyes turn over.]*

**‣** Deep Grief 1 - Otto Sieben *["He's pushing up daisies!"]*

**‣** Tales from the Swamp (a) - Ron Goodwin *[Squidward comes out of the bathroom.]*

**‣** Dramatic Cue (D) - Ronald Hanmer *["Look what you've done to me!"]*

**‣** In the Crypt - Dave Hewson *["Enough! Listen up!"]*

**‣** Tales from the Swamp (c) - Ron Goodwin *[The end of Squidward's speech]*

**•** Gator - Steve Belfer *[SpongeBob and Patrick take Squidward outside.]*

**‣** The Rake Hornpipe - Robert Alexander White *[SpongeBob and Patrick feed Squidward.]*

**‣** Stack of Leis - Kapono Beamer *[Night passes.]*

**‣** In the Crypt - Dave Hewson *["What's this? Napping on the job?"]*

**‣** The Achterhoek Dances - Jan Rap *[SpongeBob and Patrick clean the back room.]*

**‣** In the Cradle (b) - Dick Stephen Walter *[SpongeBob and Patrick find a comic book about the Flying Dutchman.]*

**‣** Tales from the Swamp (d) - Ron Goodwin *["Now he haunts the seven seas"]*

**•** Seaweed 1 - Steve Belfer *[SpongeBob and Patrick put Squidward to rest.]*

**‣** Funeral Music - Alfred Kluten *[The mourners]*

**‣** Hawaiian Happiness - Jon Jelmer *[Squidward confesses.]*

**‣** Vibe Link (b) - Richard Myhill *["Patrick, say that again."]*

**‣** Queen's Aloha Oe C - Kapono Beamer, Queen Lili'uokalani *[The ending]*

### Release

* This episode is available on the Halloween, Complete 1st Season, Karate Choppers, First 100 Episodes, Glumly Squidward, Nautical Nonsense and Sponge Buddies (Danish and Norwegian only), Holidays with SpongeBob 3-DVD Gift Set, The Ultimate SpongeBob Box Set, SpongeBob SquarePants Vol. 1, The Complete First Season, From the Beginning, Part 1, The SpongeBob SquarePants Collection, SpongeBob ScaryPants Collection, The SpongeBob SquarePants 8 Season DVD Collection, The First & Second Seasons, Movies & TV Collection, and The Best 200 Episodes Ever DVDs.
* This episode is also available on the HalloweenVHS tape.

### Reception

* "Squidward the Unfriendly Ghost" was ranked #95 during the Best Day Ever event from November 9–10, 2006.

### General

* According to Sherm Cohen, this episode was originally going to be called "Squidward's House of Wax."
* This episode marks the debut of the Flying Dutchman, although he is only seen in pictures. His first physical appearance is in the episode "Scaredy Pants."
* This is one of seven episodes in which the 1986Paramount logo is plastered with the 2002Paramount logo. The others are "Help Wanted," "Squeaky Boots," "F.U.N.," "Employee of the Month," "Karate Choppers," and "Rock Bottom."
* When SpongeBob says, "G7," a C minor 7th chord is played on a ukulele.
* This is the first episode in which Squidward's name appears in the title.
* This is the first episode to use the track "Tales from the Swamp."
* The scene where SpongeBob says, "Okay, get in" and Patrick opens a coffin for Squidward has become a popular meme.
* In the French dub, this episode is called "Le Fantôme de Carlo," which translates to "The Ghost of Squidward."

* A scene from this episode was briefly featured in the 2019 film *Pet Sematary*, namely, the scene where SpongeBob and Patrick cling to each other and get scared. Coincidentally enough, Clancy Brown, who generally voices Mr. Krabs and has a cameo in this episode, had previously starred in *Pet Sematary Two* as Gus Gilbert, the sheriff of Ludlow who gets killed by his stepson's reanimated dog and then reanimated as a murderous zombie.
* This episode was paired up with different episodes in different marathons:
	+ During the Bikini Bottom's Most Wanted, this episode was paired with "Life of Crime."
	+ During the Best Day Ever marathon, this episode was paired up with "Sailor Mouth."
	+ On the October 27, 2009 airing, this episode was paired with "Scaredy Pants."
	+ On the April 1, 2017 airing, this episode was paired up with "Frankendoodle."

### Cultural references

* The episode title is a reference of *Casper the Friendly Ghost*.

* When Patrick and SpongeBob are carrying Squidward around in servitude to him, they stumble upon an aquatic version of the painting *Can-can*. Squidward quips that it is "Too loose, Lautrec," a pun on the name of the artist, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, with an accompanying rim shot.

### Errors

* Right before wax Squidward frowns again, a bit of his head randomly disappears for a second.

* When Squidward is on the royal bed, SpongeBob's house is missing.
* When SpongeBob and Patrick enter Squidward's house to retrieve the shell, they exit from the lift to Squidward's room. Additionally, Squidward's door has a different appearance. In other episodes, the appearance of his door is different from how it is depicted in this episode.

* When SpongeBob says, "Never mind," his eyelashes are missing.
* When Mr. Krabs says, "We all came when we were sure you were dead," his white undershirt is gone. It then returns again.
* When SpongeBob is running to the green coral, the shell is never seen lying near the coral.
* When Squidward shouts, "Hey," a small white bubble is seen for a split second on the left side of the screen.
* The rock SpongeBob throws does not appear to be broken after he and Patrick try to figure out what to do next.
* When Patrick is blown around the room, it shows that he lands vertically across the face, while the next still frame indicates he landed on his face horizontally.
* When the camera pans down to reveal that the Squidward sculpture has melted, SpongeBob and Patrick are standing next to each other. However, in the next shot, SpongeBob and Patrick are standing across from each other.
* When SpongeBob and Patrick send Squidward to the great beyond, Patrick's house is nonexistent.
* When the bubble carrying Squidward to the great beyond leaves the ocean, the water surrounding Bikini Atoll freezes for the last few frames.
* The Flying Dutchman's body in the display window is green as if he is a ghost, but he is not supposed to be a ghost yet.
* When Squidward says, "Too loose, Lautrec," SpongeBob's eyes are not colored in.

1. ^ Date confirmed by *SpongeBob Exposed!*, The First 100 Episodes, and the iTunes listing.
2. ^ https://ytv-schedule-archives.fandom.com/wiki/February\_5,\_2000
3. ^ http://youtv.vn/lich-chieu/24-9-2016.imc
4. ^https://twitter.com/ShermCohen/status/1418350769925808128
5. ^https://nickstory.fandom.com/wiki/October\_11,\_2004
6. ^https://nickstory.fandom.com/wiki/November\_9,\_2006
7. ^https://nickstory.fandom.com/wiki/October\_27,\_2009
8. ^https://nickstory.fandom.com/wiki/April\_1,\_2017