Neptune's Spatula

**Episode** · Transcript · Gallery · Credits

October 14, 2000

 April 1, 2001

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April 14, 2001
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2003
February 5, 2004 (Orf 1)

October 20, 2004
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August 31, 2010 (QTV)

October 2, 2016
February 19, 2018 (PLUS PLUS)

March 14, 2018 (TET)
May 21, 2019

July 24, 2020
June 25, 2021

Jay Lender

David Fain

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"**Neptune's Spatula**" is a *SpongeBob SquarePants*episode from season 1. In this episode, SpongeBobpulls the golden spatula from the ancient grease, and must prove to King Neptune that he is royal fry cook material.

### Characters

* SpongeBob SquarePants
* Patrick Star
* Larry the Lobster
* King Neptune (debut)
* Incidentals
	+ Incidental 93
	+ Incidental 4
	+ Incidental 7
	+ Incidental 47
	+ Incidental 30
	+ Scooter
	+ Incidental 41
	+ Incidental 36
	+ Incidental 45
	+ Incidental 62
	+ Incidental 6
	+ Incidental 13
	+ Incidental 35 (normal; 20-colored)
	+ Incidental 63
	+ Incidental 31
	+ Incidental 14
	+ Fred
	+ Incidental 5
	+ Incidental 9
	+ Incidental 60
	+ Incidental 83
	+ Incidental 46
	+ Incidental 37A
	+ Incidental 42
	+ Incidental 8
	+ Incidental 67
	+ Incidental 39
	+ Incidental 27
	+ Incidental 40
	+ Incidental 85
	+ Incidental 48
	+ Incidental 68
	+ Incidental 65
	+ Incidental 16
	+ Incidental 92 (35-Colored)
	+ Incidental 28
	+ Incidental 2
	+ Incidental 10
	+ Incidental 3
	+ Incidental 12
	+ Incidental 96
	+ Incidental 104
	+ Incidental 106
	+ Incidental 49
	+ Incidental 97
	+ Incidental 105
	+ Incidental 107
	+ Incidental 108
	+ Incidental 109
	+ Incidental 101
	+ Incidental 103
	+ Incidental 98
	+ Incidental 71
	+ Incidental 22
	+ Incidental 23 (2-Colored)
	+ Incidental 37B
	+ Incidental 17
	+ Incidental 32
	+ Incidental 21
	+ Incidental 99
	+ Incidental 100
	+ Incidental 20 (color palette only)
	+ Incidental 25
	+ Incidental 33
	+ Incidental 102 (rough storyboard)
	+ Incidental 82 (rough storyboard)
	+ Incidental 87 (rough storyboard)
* Tom Kenny (cameo)
* Eugene H. Krabs
* Crowd at the Poseidome Colosseum
* Swordfish (debut)
* Gary the Snail (rough storyboard)

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The opening of the episode shows SpongeBob and Patrick visiting the Fry Cook Museum, where they see a greasy griddle with a golden spatula embedded in the grease. On it is a plaque, which reads "Many have tried to pull this spatula out of this ancient grease, but all have failed." Larry the Lobster then attempts to pull it out but fails. SpongeBob then reads "Only a fry cook who's worthy of King Neptune himself can wield the golden spatula." SpongeBob, while posing for a photo, accidentally and effortlessly pulls it out while pointing out the menu section to a woman, who in response to the dark clouds appearing in the museum says, "Holy smokes!" in a man's voice. It turns out she meant it in a literal sense because then King Neptune appears in a gust of smoke.

Neptune asks who pulled out the spatula, and everyone says it was SpongeBob. King Neptune refuses to believe this because he doesn't look like the fry cook he was thinking of and asks for proof. Patrick shows him the photograph he took, but Neptune still refuses to consider such a lowly being as SpongeBob worthy to hold the golden spatula. He challenges SpongeBob to a patty-making competition, The Ultimate Cookoff. If SpongeBob wins, he will stay at Atlantis forever and become a god. If he loses, he has to give up fry cooking forever. Patrick continually jeers to Neptune about SpongeBob's skills and says that he could complete up to 500 challenges. He is repeatedly zapped by Neptune three times until all that is left of him is a burnt mark on the floor. SpongeBob asks Neptune to restore Patrick, and he does so (only with Patrick's face now on his rear end).

In the Poseidome, King Neptune makes 1,000 Krabby Patties, in the time it takes SpongeBob to make just one, winning the challenge. However, when Neptune shares his patties with the audience, they think that they taste awful. Neptune is angered by this and asks why they would think that SpongeBob's would be any better. He tastes SpongeBob's Krabby Patty and finds it to be delicious. Neptune regurgitates the patty and eats it again, saying "I think I'd like to try it a second time," disgusting the audience in the process.

As the episode draws to a close, SpongeBob is declared the winner, but when he finds out that his friends cannot come with him to Atlantis, he tearfully refuses to go to Atlantis, and instead arranges for King Neptune to be a trainee under SpongeBob at the Krusty Krab, teaching him that "perfect Patties are made with love, not magic."

### Running gags

* King Neptune zapping Patrick whenever he interrupts him.
* King Neptune laughing loudly with disbelief whenever someone insists SpongeBob pulled out the spatula.

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### Deleted scene

According to Jay Lender's Twitter account, there was a scene for King Neptune flexing his moustache, and Patrick and Gary being as the audience for SpongeBob during Mr. Krabs' announcement were cut because of time constraints.

### Music

**‣** The Tale of Ben Hur 1 [#41.02] - Gregor F. Narholz *[title card]*

**‣** Hawaiian Link (A) - Richard Myhill *[opening]*

**‣** Honolulu Lula - Terry Day *[SpongeBob and Patrick at the Fry Cook Museum]*

**‣** Roman Legion - David Farnon *[the golden spatula]*

**‣** Heavenly Voices (b) - David Farnon *[choir]*

**•** Tension Build - Nicolas Carr *[SpongeBob pulls out the spatula]*

**‣** Gates of Troy - David Farnon *[Neptune appears]*

**‣** A Dangerous Affair [#30] - Richard Myhill *["A fine jest, boy."]*

**‣** The Black Death - David Farnon *[hot dog vendor]*

**‣** A Dangerous Affair [#30] - Richard Myhill *["It is even funnier a second time!"]*

**‣** The Black Death - David Farnon *[Neptune compliments Larry]*

**‣** Sunset Strip - Reg Owen *[Neptune and Larry making poses]*

**‣** Brave and Bold - Chris Payne, Paul Rogers *["This joke has gone far enough!"]*

**‣** In the Taverna - Dick Stephen Walter *[photo of SpongeBob holding spatula]*

**‣** Wargames Linking Section (h) - Keith Mansfield *[Patrick zapped.]*

**‣** Wargames Linking Section (g) - Keith Mansfield *[Neptune issues a challenge.]*

**‣** Battle March Link (f) - Keith Mansfield *["Your friend's arrogance will cost you dearly."/"Three challenges!"/"There will be but one challenge."]*

**‣** Salute to Caesar 1 [#18.02] - Gregor F. Narholz *["You will face me in... the ultimate cook-off!"]*

**‣** Hawaiian Link (A) - Richard Myhill *[Patrick's face is on his butt]*

**‣** Timpani - Rolls (h) - Gary Kettel *[Neptune summons the clouds]*

**‣** Timpani - Rolls (i) - Gary Kettel *["Now, behold!"]*

**‣** Happy Jose - Ulrich Hans Wenzel *["My beloved home of Atlantis."]*

**‣** Wargames Link (d) - Keith Mansfield *[SpongeBob has to give up fry cooking if he loses]*

**‣** Timpani Signal 1 [#44] - Sammy Burdson *["Very well, then. To the Poseidome!"]*

**‣** Timpani Signal 1 [#44.2] - Sammy Burdson *["Very well, then. To the Poseidome!"]*

**‣** Roman Legion - David Farnon *[the ultimate cook-off]*

**‣** The Tip Top Polka/The Cliff Polka - Chelmsford Folk Band *["Don't worry, lad."]*

**‣** Whisper from the Past [#64] - Gregor F. Narholz *["Don't give up your dream, SpongeBob."]*

**‣** Entry of the Heroes E - Gregor F. Narholz *[played during the challenge]*

**‣** Entry of the Heroes A - Gregor F. Narholz *[played during the challenge]*

**‣** Time for Bed [#35.02] - Mark Emney *["Once upon a time..."]*

**‣** Entry of the Heroes B - Gregor F. Narholz *[King Neptune laughs]*

**‣** Caesar's Entry [#7.4] - Gregor F. Narholz *[Neptune wins]*

**‣** Short Fanfare [#29] - Alfred Kluten *["Free patties for everyone!"]*

**‣** The Oracle - David Farnon *[Neptune eats SpongeBob's patty]*

**‣** Historical Fanfare [#32.07] - Gerhard Narholz *[audience cheers]*

**‣** Vibe Link (b) - Richard Myhill *["You mean Patrick can't come?"]*

**‣** Hawaiian Cocktail - Richard Myhill *["It was nice knowing you, buddy."]*

**‣** Short Fanfare [#29.03] - Alfred Kluten *[bicycle appears]*

**‣** Hawaiian Cocktail - Richard Myhill *[SpongeBob cries]*

**‣** Power and Glory - Gregor F. Narholz *[Neptune turns SpongeBob into a god]*

**‣** The Twin Sisters - Chelmsford Folk Band *[the ending]*

### Release

* This episode is available on the Fear of a Krabby Patty, Complete 1st Season, The First & Second Seasons, The Ultimate Box Set, Home Sweet Pineapple (Polish only), The Adventures Of Waterman & Supervisor!, First 100 Episodes, Really Big Box Set, The Ultimate SpongeBob Box Set, The SpongeBob SquarePants Collection, The SpongeBob SquarePants 8 Season DVD Collection, Favorite Episodes Volume 2, Movies & TV Collection, The Complete First Season, SpongeBob SquarePants Vol. 2, Get to Work!, Your Shoe's Untied, Nickelodeon Fool Proof Fun, From the Beginning, Part 1, The Best 200 Episodes Ever, SpongeBob, You're Fired!, and Fools in AprilDVDs and on VideoNow.
* This episode is also available on the Nicktoons: Job Well Done VHS.

### Reception

* "Neptune's Spatula" was ranked #42 during the Best Day Ever event from November 9–10, 2006.
* "Neptune's Spatula" was ranked #38 during the SpongeBob's Top 100 event in the UK and Ireland from June 4-8, 2012.

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### General

* This is the first appearance of King Neptune.
* In Bahasa Indonesia, Patrick's lines during the conversation with King Neptune are harsher and more profane than in the original version, and include:
	+ "He is the new royal fry cook and you..." is changed to "He is the damn royal chef and you know that!"[*citation needed*]
	+ "Bring it on! SpongeBob can handle any! " is changed to "Just bring the hell it on! SpongeBob can handle every single damn thing!"[*citation needed*]
* A completely different King Neptune appears in *The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie*, and yet another different Neptune appears in the live-action segment of "Party Pooper Pants." However, the Neptune from this episode makes a brief reappearance in "SpongeBob vs. The Patty Gadget." In "Krusty Towers," Squidward mentions King Neptune XIV, which would explain that there are several kings who go by the name Neptune. Also, the same Neptune from this episode appears in "The Clash of Triton," "Hello Bikini Bottom!," "Trident Trouble," and "High Sea Diving."
* The man taking a shower in the live-action sequence is Tom Kenny, the voice actor of SpongeBob.
	+ The scene where Tom Kenny taking a shower was cut in Italy due to nudity.
	+ This is Tom Kenny's third live-action cameo after "Karate Choppers" and "Suds."
	+ The scene also became an internet meme.
* Neptune has a real-life human hand when SpongeBob asks him to fix Patrick, except that the human hand skin color is changed to green for Neptune.
* This the first episode where Atlantis is shown. The second is "Atlantis SquarePantis," where SpongeBob actually goes to Atlantis. This particular Atlantis looks completely different, with no sign of Neptune.
* This is the last episode to have Fred Miller as an animation director.
* This is the last episode to use the 1999-2000 Nickelodeon Productions Logo at the end of the episode.
* Prior to the beginning of 2020, Nickelodeon USA originally broadcast this episode and "Fools in April" on April 1 only, making both episodes extremely rare to find on TV. The network has started to broadcast both episodes outside the month of April, though less often than most other episodes.
	+ The same was also true for "Valentine's Day" and "The Paper." Nickelodeon originally ran both episodes on Valentine's Day only, since the former is a Valentine's Day special. The network also started to broadcast both episodes on occasion outside February.
	+ Nickelodeon USA continues to only broadcast "Scaredy Pants," "I Was a Teenage Gary," and "The Legend of Boo-Kini Bottom" in October, as they are all Halloween specials.
	+ Nickelodeon USA continues to only broadcast "Christmas Who?" and "It's a SpongeBob Christmas!" in December, as they are all Christmas specials.
* Miss Shell's eyes are seen in this episode, whereas in other episodes they are hidden by her sunglasses.
* In this episode, Larry has white stripes on his back, though in other episodes he does not.
* On the old Nickelodeon website, this episode is alternatively known as "The Spatula and the Stove," which was most likely the episode's original title.
	+ This title references the Disney film *The Sword and the Stone*, which is about the Arthurian legend that this episode is based on.
	+ This title also appears in some early production art for the episode.
* This episode was paired with different episodes in different airings:
	+ During the Bikini Bottom's Most Wantedevent, this episode was paired with "Plankton's Army."
	+ On the November 10, 2006 airing, this episode was paired with "I Was a Teenage Gary."
* Neptune's Krabby Patty pyramid is 23 Krabby Patties tall. Based on this, it should have 4,324 burgers.

### Cultural references

* The spatula in the grease is a parody of the Arthurian legend of Excalibur or the sword in the stone, in which whoever pulls the sword from the stone would become the King of England.
* The Poseidome is named after Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea, Neptune being a Roman god who came to be identified with Poseidon through syncretism.

### Errors

* When Patrick takes the picture of SpongeBob holding the spatula, he has his mouth wide open and there are clouds above him. However, when Patrick shows Neptune the picture, SpongeBob is smiling with his mouth shut and there are no clouds, just light.
* Several fish members of the audience at the challenge change colors between shots.
* When SpongeBob shows Neptune his blue and red underwear, he lets go of the golden spatula. It should have fallen on the ground, but it stays suspended in mid-air instead.
* When SpongeBob speaks to Neptune in the kitchen at the end, the walls are light blue instead of teal in the long shots.
* When SpongeBob is standing on the grease, the spatula is as tall as him, but when he is cooking in the challenge, it is as long as SpongeBob's normal spatula.
* When Incidental 7 catches one of Neptune's patties, the collar on her shirt disappears. After she takes a bite on the patty, her collar reappears again.

* During some scenes, King Neptune's arm is slightly brighter than his body.
	+ There is also a scene where his right hand is brighter.

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1. ^ http://youtv.vn/lich-chieu/2-10-2016.imc
2. ^https://twitter.com/JayLender1/status/1389971059277848584
3. ^ https://youtu.be/6KR1BzDD1xQ
4. ^https://nickstory.fandom.com/wiki/October\_11,\_2004
5. ^https://nickstory.fandom.com/wiki/November\_10,\_2006

**Awards and nominations for *SpongeBob SquarePants*** V • E