What Ever Happened to SpongeBob?

"**What Ever Happened to SpongeBob?**" is the final *SpongeBob SquarePants* episode from Season 5. In this episode, SpongeBob runs away to New Kelp City, unaware that the city's home to feared crime boss Dappermane Puff.

## Synopsis

SpongeBob wakes up on a normal day, as usual. He looks out his window and sees the mailman riding by on his bike. He says "Hi" to the mailman. After that, SpongeBob wants to spend time with his friends; however, he ends up upsetting most of them: he accidentally breaks Gary's shell, crushes Patrick's cake for his mother's birthday (or so he thought), disturbs Flats the Flounder on his picnic, destroys Sandy's new robot, only for him to fix it, and deep fries Mr. Krabs' money. After everyone tells him to go away and called him "idiot boy," a devastated SpongeBob, who believes that all his friends hate him, decides to leave Bikini Bottom. At night, SpongeBob is scared by mysterious figures in the shadows. While he runs from the creatures, SpongeBob falls off a cliff into an empty field.

Back in Bikini Bottom, Patrick is knocking on SpongeBob's door, wanting to apologize to him because he got the wrong cake. He is approached by Sandy, who is wondering where SpongeBob is, having presumably come to apologize. Hearing that Patrick has no clue where SpongeBob is and had no time to wait for him to answer the door, Sandy decided to karate their way into the Pineapple home. After entering the house, the two find Gary huge and overweight. Being asked what happened to him, Gary sadly shows Sandy and Patrick his food bowl with a note from SpongeBob inside, explaining that he has run away since he has caused everyone trouble and that he wouldn't bother anyone ever again, which makes both of them feel saddened. Meanwhile, SpongeBob regains consciousness, then notices a fish couple, who thought he was taking a "dirt nap," as they try to steal his possessions but pretend to say that they were organizing them. Hearing one of the fish call him by name, SpongeBob tells them he's run away from his home. After being asked why, SpongeBob explains to the fish couple that he tried to spend some time with his friends, but everything went wrong because of his doing. Hearing this, the fish couple tell SpongeBob that he can sleep in a hotel in New Kelp City and give back his possessions. After the couple leaves, SpongeBob journeys to the city, oblivious to the sign that reads "Beware the pufferfish."

At Bikini Bottom, everything is in chaos, especially the Krusty Krab, because SpongeBob is not there to give Krabby Patties. Mr. Krabs asks Flats where SpongeBob is as he is freaking out that there are no Krabby Patties being made, then they both get into an argument after Flats insults SpongeBob. However, after hearing Sandy and Patrick arriving, Mr. Krabs and Flats are asked by them if they have seen SpongeBob. Hearing that none of them have seen him, Sandy shows the note SpongeBob left while informing the two that he has left town due to causing trouble, and that he is not coming back. Mr. Krabs takes the note SpongeBob left from Sandy and reads it.

After reading the note, Mr. Krabs sees that SpongeBob *did* write it. He then not only panics because the latter is gone, but also because he feels guilty for pushing him away, and he wonders how he'll survive without his best fry cook. Feeling guilt-ridden for pushing SpongeBob away as well, Patrick and Sandy break down crying, with the obvious exception of Flats, who is delighted and remorselessly laughs in joy before snapping back to reality and realizing the errors of SpongeBob's absence. Deciding to do a group meeting with just himself, Patrick, Sandy, and Flats, Mr. Krabs kicks everyone out of the Krusty Krab, then tells everyone that the restaurant is closed until the group can find SpongeBob and bring him back to Bikini Bottom.

Meanwhile, SpongeBob wanders into New Kelp City, name of the city that he saw nearby before, where he attempts to get a job. Each time he gets a job, SpongeBob screws up everything, therefore resulting in him being fired, though unlike in Bikini Bottom, everyone tells him to die for some reason. Back in Bikini Bottom, Sandy shows her friends her new invention that can track SpongeBob--the Sponge-Tracker. But Squidward, not wanting SpongeBob to come back, purposefully destroys the device with a hammer. Furious, Mr. Krabs scolds Squidward for his action, but Squidward kicks him, Patrick, Sandy, and Flats out and tells them to run away like a sponge.

In New Kelp City, SpongeBob opens up his bubblestand from when he first moved, seeing success. He earns about $30 and is about to have an extra 25 cents to buy food, only for crime boss Dappermane Puff and his pet owl, Metal Beak, to come by. Dappermane tells SpongeBob that he is responsible for the fish couple stealing his belongings, only for SpongeBob to mess it up, everyone firing him and telling him to die, and causing terrorism in the town. He then introduces the sponge to his bodyguards: Reg and the Tattletale Strangler. Dappermane decides to show SpongeBob what happens if anyone dares run away from there homes, but then the latter runs away, with the deflated pufferfish, owl, and 2 thugs chasing him.

While searching for SpongeBob, Patrick, Sandy, Mr. Krabs, and Flats stop at a gas station. The quartet is shocked to see a newspaper stand showing some frightening news: SpongeBob's being hunted down by Dappermane Puff and his thugs. Patrick and Sandy, seeing how much danger SpongeBob is in, then venture out to the city to stop the criminals from hurting SpongeBob.

Back in New Kelp City, the sponge is being held hostage in Dappermane's lair, being locked up in a huge bird cage over an electric eel pit. The crime boss tells SpongeBob that he reins supreme in the city, and that SpongeBob made a mistake for running away. Reg then turns a crank, lowering SpongeBob into the pit, as Dappermane tells him that *this* is what happens when anyone dares run away from there homes. Suddenly, Patrick and Sandy knock down the door, let SpongeBob free and defeat the two thugs. Dappermane and his owl, though, being chasing the three down the streets, with a car hijacking ensuing and plenty of buildings being destroyed.

SpongeBob then remembers what his bubbles can do, even saying "Bubbles are how I got into this; bubbles are how we can get out!"; he begins blowing a huge bubble, trapping the pufferfish and owl inside and floating them to jail. The town then cheers for the three after defeating the crime boss and the mayor rewarding the three for their heroism. Sandy then says that the three should head back to Bikini Bottom, since Mr. Krabs and Flats are waiting at the Krusty Krab. When they arrive, there is an apology party held, with SpongeBob getting back at his job with the bubbles helping. Before the episode ends, a dismayed Squidward scolds Flats for bringing SpongeBob back and throws his entire paycheck in a paper shredder.

## Cast

* Paul Winchell as SpongeBob and Dappermane
* Bob Weighton as Patrick
* Mel Brooks as Squidward
* Sean Connery as Mr. Krabs
* June Foray as Sandy/Nazz-Mimi/Sadie
* Jill Talley as Fish Wife/additional voices
* Tom Kenny and Frank Welker as Gary/Jellyfish/additional voices
	+ Welker also voices the Mayor and provides the vocal effects for Metal Beak, the rats and the eels.
* Dee Bradley Baker as Perch Perkins
* Carlos Alazraqui as Fish Husband
* Doug Lawrence as Gas Station Clerk
* Thomas F. Wilson as Flats/Reg/Tattletale Strangler
* Rob Paulsen and Maurice LaMarche as additional voices