"Shell Games" is a SpongeBob SquarePants episode from season 12. In this episode, Patrick discovers that the rock he lives under is actually the shell of a sea turtle who overslept.
Characters
- Patrick Star
- Squidward Tentacles
- SpongeBob SquarePants (cameo)
- Larry the Lobster (cameo)
- Screwhead guy (single appearance)
- Tattoo Terry
- Shark nerd (cameo on poster)
- Mohawk guy (single appearance)
- Spikes guy (single appearance)
- Reg (cameo)
- Mel (debut)
- Tony (single appearance)
- Incidentals
- Incidental 24 (cameo on poster)
- Old Man Walker (cameo)
- Scooter (cameo)
- Judy (cameo)
- Incidental 23 (cameo)
- Incidental 160 (cameo)
- Incidental 41 (cameo)
- Incidental 103 (cameo)
- Incidental 151 (cameo)
- Incidental 152 (cameo)
- Incidental 153 (cameo)
- Lady turtle 1 (single appearance)
- Lady turtle 2 (debut)
Synopsis
A sea turtle named Tony is getting ready to see the lady turtles at the Goo Lagoon. He begins his daily routine by playing music from his record player, trying to lift his weights, eating his breakfast in a can, and brushing his teeth until his mirror cracks to think that the lady turtles will see him like this. He decides to make himself look clean and gets himself out of his shell and leaves. Meanwhile, Squidward begins to celebrate because he thinks that Patrick is leaving.
While Tony is getting himself ready, Patrick wakes up and climbs on top of Tony's shell to break his morning almond with a wooden hammer. When Tony hears the whack, he starts wobbling to try to get Patrick off of his shell, and Patrick thinks that his rock is moving. Patrick grabs Tony and uses a jackhammer and a bomb to break his morning almond. Tony explains to Patrick that his rock is his shell, but Patrick does not want to leave, so he glues himself on top of Tony's shell. They go to the barber shop to remove Patrick from his shell, and a spa so that Patrick will get dehydrated from the steam, but both of these do not make Patrick leave.
They make it to the Goo Lagoon to meet the lady turtles, but they are more interested in Patrick, which makes Tony jealous. Frustrated and tired of Patrick, Tony pops out of his shell, which leads Patrick to go inside his shell. When Patrick makes it into his shell, he uses his record collection as a frying pan, while using a frying pan as a record, and tearing his wall-art. The two cause havoc inside Tony's shell, which causes chaos to erupt at the Goo Lagoon, tipping over buildings, being tied to a swing set, and destroying the Krusty Krab, from which Patrick made a to go order. Eventually, a giant rock destroys their home, causing them to start crying, and the lady turtles decide to leave. Patrick gets an idea for a home that they can share. They decide to use Squidward's house as a rock and a shell. Tony walks away with Squidward's house as his shell and meets the lady turtles and they tell him he is looking sharp. The episode ends with Squidward arriving home from his shopping, seeing his house being taken by the turtles, and he begins to chase after them.
Production
The episode was confirmed by Vincent Waller on June 9, 2019.[3]
Promotional images
![Posted on March 4, 2020.[4]](/wiki/File:SpongeBob_IG_Shell_Games.jpg "SpongeBob IG Shell Games.jpg (131 KB)")
Art
Character design
- Preliminary design by Dave Cunningham.[5]
Storyboards
- Storyboarded by Fred Osmond; directed by Dave Cunningham; plussed by Kristen Morrison, Clint Bond and Arielle Phillips.[6]
Music
| ( ‣ ) Production music |
| ( • ) Original music |
| ( ◦ ) SpongeBob music |
• A Pinapple Luau W-bongos - Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Title card]
‣ Comedy Punctuations And Bridges 3 - Fredric Bayco ["I think I overslept."]
• Feed My Frankenstein Short Version with Solo Gtr - Nicolas Carr [Tony the turtle puts on the record player while he eats his breakfast and brushes his teeth]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 35 - Jeremy Wakefield [Tony tries to open the door of his shell]
• Vibe Q Sting - Nicolas Carr ["Oh, boy! How long was I out?"]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 7A - Jeremy Wakefield ["Oh, nasty!"]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 34A - Jeremy Wakefield [Squidward thinks Patrick moves somewhere else]
‣ Danse Comique - Kenny Graham [Patrick wakes up under Tony's stomach while he walks]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 37A - Jeremy Wakefield ["Oh, you gotta be kidding me! How'd I get back here?!"]
• Tension Bits - Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Patrick trying to open his walnut on top of Tony's shell]
• Light Conversation 1 Full Mix - Nicolas Carr, Barry Anthony ["I'm trying to enjoy a snack."]
• SpongeBob Flashback Vibes - Nicolas Carr [Patrick wondering what a "Van Moose" is]
• Light Conversation 1 Full Mix - Nicolas Carr, Barry Anthony [Tony tells Patrick to leave his shell and he refuses]
• SBOTA CUE 9 Z-Z-Zombie Boogie full mix - Nicolas Carr [Tony and Patrick enter at Mel's Man Salon]
‣ Bridge 3 - Remastered - Wilfred Burns [Tony learns he overslept inside of his shell for 30 years]
‣ Buying Spree - William Loose [Mel shaving Tony's beard]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 25E - Jeremy Wakefield [Tony and Patrick leave Mel's Man Salon]
‣ Happy-Go-Lucky - Ernest Tomlinson [Tony and Patrick enter at the Bikini Bottom Bath House]
• Monster Surf Party - Nicolas Carr [Tony and Patrick arrive at Goo Lagoon to meet the turtle girls]
‣ Clown in Town - Philippe Pares [Girls start pampering Patrick and Tony gets mad at him for destroying the stuff inside his shell]
• Spongemonger - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Tony and Patrick fighting inside Tony's shell]
• Earls Revenge - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Tony's shell spinning around Bikini Bottom while it destroys stuff]
‣ Comedy Punctuations and Bridges 4 - Fredric Bayco [Kids swing in Tony's shell]
• Earls Revenge - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Tony's shell hits a piece of coral and ends up destroyed]
• Saltwaterworks - Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Tony and Patrick crying while apologizing to each other for fighting]
• Hgliss & Bell - Nicolas Carr [Patrick gets an idea]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 26 - Jeremy Wakefield ["Hey, wait a minute. I know another rock we can share!"]
‣ Danse Comique - Kenny Graham [Ending]
Release
Broadcast
- This episode was paired up with "Jolly Lodgers" during its original American airing, but has since re-aired with "Senior Discount."
Distribution
| Format | Title | Region |
|---|---|---|
| DVD | The Complete Twelfth Season | United States |
| Box set | Another 100 Episodes | United States |
| The Best 300 Episodes Ever | United States | |
| Digital release | SpongeBob SquarePants Vol. 20 | Global |
Trivia
General
- An image of Squidward's house from the end of this episode can be seen in a promo for "King Plankton" and "Stormy Weather," even though this episode did not premiere on June 22, 2019.[7]
- SpongeBob only appears for about 10 seconds in front of the Krusty Krab in this episode. This episode marks SpongeBob's third smallest cameo, after "Mall Girl Pearl," and later "Lockdown for Love," but smaller than in "Whale Watching."
- SpongeBob's cameo in this episode is subtly acknowledged when Patrick refers to him as "the little yellow guy."
- Tony is the very first sea turtle to appear in the SpongeBob SquarePants series. Sea turtles were previously mentioned in "Chum Caverns."
- In the UK and Ireland, the scene when Tony bangs Breakfast in a Can on his head is cut.[8]
Dub facts
- In Russia, this episode was initially set to premiere on October 26, 2019, but was replaced with the premiere of "SpongeBob in RandomLand."
Episode references
- Squidward says, "So long, you big pink loser!," which is a reference to the Season 2 episode of the same name.
Cultural references
- The episode's title alludes to the gambling game.
- One of the posters in Tony's shell features a band named Fissh, referencing the American rock band Kiss as well as the band Phish.
- Another poster features a band named Lynyrd Squidyrd, which references another American rock band, Lynyrd Skynyrd.
- A record and a poster both feature a band named Mötley Cärp, which is a reference to the American heavy metal band Mötley Crüe.
- A Rubik's Cube can be seen on Tony's nightstand.
- A poster in Mel's Man Salon says, "Shave and a Haircut, only 2 Bits," referencing the tune.
Errors
The Chum Bucket's path is gone.
- When Patrick takes the to-go order from SpongeBob, the path leading to the Chum Bucket is not seen.
- Patrick isn't under Tony when he walks off, but after the scene where Squidward celebrates, Patrick's under Tony sleeping.
Videos
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
 French |
Une carapace pour deux | A Shell for Two |
 German |
Panzer-Possen | Armored Antics |
 Italian |
Una casa per due | A Home for Two |
 Russian |
Игра панцирей Igra pantsirey |
Game of Shells |
 Spanish (Latin America) |
Caparazón en juego | Shell Game |
 Spanish (Spain) |
Jugando con conchas | Playing with Shells |
References
- ^ Nicktoons UK - February 29, 2020
- ^ Nicktoons UK - September 1, 2020
- ^ Vincent Waller on Twitter: "Yup"
- ^ a b SpongeBob on Instagram - "Patrick lives under a..."
- ^ Dave Cunningham on Bluesky - "Prelim design for Tony..."
- ^ Dave Cunningham on Bluesky - "Some of the wonderfully cartoony artwork..."
- ^ ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’ + ‘LEGO City Adventures’ (HD) Saturday Mornings Premieres ☀️ Official Promo
- ^ SpongeBob SquarePants UK edits - Shell Games