The Greatest SpongeBob SquarePants Episodes

No show was as important to a channel as SpongeBob SquarePants is for Nickelodeon. While the children’s television channel enjoyed a good reputation thanks to shows like Rugrats, SpongeBob SquarePants elevated Nickelodeon to a whole new level. With iconic characters, unforgettable writing, and talented voice actors littering the cast, the series remains culturally relevant even during the lean years that have started to inundate the public’s consciousness of the show. To celebrate the brilliance of the affable sea sponge and his underwater friends, have a look at the 22 best SpongeBob SquarePants episodes of all time!

1. “Band Geeks” (Season 2, Episode 15) best SpongeBob SquarePants episodes

“Band Geeks” stands out amongst the crowd of SpongeBob episodes due to its sharp, culturally relevant commentary on pop culture and insights into the minds of its best characters. Squidward getting the opportunity to lead a downtrodden group of musical underdogs will only be surpassed in our memories by these four lines: “Is mayonnaise an instrument?” No, Patrick, it isn’t, but we certainly wish it were for your sake!

2. “Camping Episode” (Season 3, Episode 17)

The episodes featuring SpongeBob, Patrick, and Squidward together create something truly special. The three unique personalities coalesce in “Camping Episode” when we get a peak at how the characters would overcome a survivalist task. The fact they are in front of their homes makes it all the funnier when the dangerous sea bear comes out to play!

3. “Krusty Krab Training Video” (Season 3, Episode 10)

The show’s most ambitious episode spoofs the many different stressors of a day at an American fast food joint through the lens of the Krusty Krab. The acronym P.O.O.P. (People Order Our Patties) seems to be what caught on the most with audiences, but the entire episode envelopes fans with Bikini Bottom’s comedic genius at every corner with bit characters and inside jokes.

4. “Survival of the Idiots” (Season 2, Episode 8)

Why does seeing SpongeBob and Patrick struggle in the snow remain so funny after a dozen viewings? The episode’s operation as a buddy-comedy vehicle helps explain why. When the friends take advantage of Sandy hibernating for the winter, all of their best and worst qualities air out. Patrick taking Sandy’s fur against her will shows off some of the series’ best physical humor.

5. “Ripped Pants” (Season 1, Episode 2)

SpongeBob’s ability to be relatable helps us laugh and feel sorry for him simultaneously. When he rips his pants in front of everyone at Goo Lagoon, it makes us live vicariously through the ever-happy sea sponge, cringing at the thought of public embarrassment. The accompanying song “Ripped Pants” doesn’t hurt the humor of the episode, either.

6. “Tea at the Treedome” (Season 1, Episode 1)

One of the most beloved SpongeBob character combinations, Sandy and SpongeBob, sees its best screen time early in the show. A mammal living underwater creates as many laughs as the concept sounds like it should, and SpongeBob being introduced to the realities of oxygen has been meme-ed on social media for years now.

7. “Pizza Delivery” (Season 1, Episode 5)

SpongeBob and Squidward’s Odd Couple-esque banter hits its prime when the co-workers and neighbors have to deliver a Krusty Krab pizza to a hungry customer living way too far from the restaurant. When SpongeBob’s dedication to the fast food cause goes unappreciated by the customer, Squidward steps in to defend his frenemy, one of the feel-good moments of the show.

8. “Chocolate with Nuts” (Season 3, Episode 12)

The nameless citizens of Bikini Bottom are often just as funny as SpongeBob and his friends, and never has this sentiment been more true than “Chocolate with Nuts.” SpongeBob and Patrick want to live fancy after seeing Squidward’s monthly magazines in the mail, but their ambitious door-to-door chocolate business introduces them to some unsavory folks around the city.

9. “Squeaky Boots” (Season 1, Episode 8)

Mr. Krabs brings stingy to an entirely new level when he skimps on his daughter, Pearl, and purchases her leather boots for her birthday. SpongeBob finds gold from Pearl’s deemed trash, demonstrating the hilarious optimism of Bikini Bottom’s most positive person. The episode does a great job of incorporating characters like Pearl, someone who will feature prominently in future scenes.

10. “Rock Bottom” (Season 1, Episode 17)

SpongeBob SquarePants started to lose its luster partly because it decided to no longer adhere to the realistic biological and oceanic research that went into the first several seasons. “Rock Bottom” represents the show at its most scientifically relevant. SpongeBob visits the abyssal zone of the ocean, and the cultural differences between his home and the bottom of the sea become crystal clear right away.

11. “Mermaidman and Barnacleboy V” (Season 3, Episode 12)

Anytime a show turns all of its characters into superheroes, it makes for some awesome TV. SpongeBob and his friends have to aid Mermaidman in his quest to battle Barnacleboy when the former underwater crusader decides to join Man Ray and Dirty Bubble, his former opponents. All turns out right in the end, but Barnacleboy definitely should have stuck to his kid-sized krabby patty!

12. “Squidville” (Season 2, Episode 6)

Squidward’s lifestyle and personality help create the best commentary in the show because he operates within the most realistic framework of typical American life. This season two classic shows Squidward that the monotony of life in Bikini Bottom may not be as bad as he thought when he moves to a superficial village of boring squids. He may even miss bantering with SpongeBob and Patrick!

13. “Texas” (Season 1, Episode 18)

SpongeBob and Patrick find out how much Texas means to Sandy when they make fun of her with a variety of jokes about the Southern state. The kind-hearted sassy squirrel realizes in the end that SpongeBob and Patrick just want her to stay underwater rather than return to the surface, but not before a hilarious chase to the Krusty Krab!

14. “Graveyard Shift” (Season 2, Episode 16)

Mr. Krabs breaks all sorts of ethics rules while running his restaurant. He decides to take overworking his employees to a whole new level when he forces SpongeBob and Squidward to work 24 hours a day, leading to some of the best antics between the two characters in the series!

15. “Dying for Pie” (Season 2, Episode 4)

Squidward loves SpongeBob and Patrick deep down, he just doesn’t want to admit it to himself. When he thinks SpongeBob will die at the end of the day from eating a pie supposedly embued with a detonation device, his true colors come out, and the pair have a day of fun and excitement to last a lifetime!

16. “Christmas Who?” (Season 2, Episode 8)

SpongeBob and Patrick absorb themselves in the joys of the most wonderful time of the year after learning about Christmas traditions like gift-giving and Santa! The episode revels in the childlike sense of wonder SpongeBob possesses, and a cameo by Saint Nick at the end highlights a festive delight for TV fans every December since its first airing.

17. “Idiot Box” (Season 3, Episode 4)

Besides the rainbow meme that originated from this episode, “Idiot Box” puts SpongeBob’s innocence on full display. As he and Patrick have more fun with a cardboard box than a giant TV, the show encourages its fans to think outside of their comfort zones and appreciate the beauty of their own imaginations.

18. “F.U.N.” (Season 1, Episode 10)

SpongeBob attempts to bring out the best in Plankton, replete with one of the best songs in the show’s history. A simple “F is for friends who do stuff together” will immediately get any fan of the show to recite the acronym in question! This episode stands above others revolving around Plankton by a good margin.

19. “Squid on Strike” (Season 2, Episode 20)

Only SpongeBob could make topics like labor disputes and unions funny for children and adults alike. When Squidward decides Mr. Krabs has gone too far in his disrespect of business ethics, the ensuing strike with SpongeBob on the picket line brings about some of the show’s best jokes.

20. “Squirrel Jokes” (Season 2, Episode 11)

SpongeBob finds out that making jokes at Sandy’s expense will have personal repercussions in regard to his friendship with Bikini Bottom’s resident squirrel. Contemporary topics like “cancel culture” and “woke” humor make the writers of this episode come off as quite prescient in their portrayal of stand-up comedy.

21. “I’m With Stupid” (Season 2, Episode 17)

Episodes focusing too much on Patrick can feel a little much sometimes; there’s only so much stupid we can take. Meeting Patrick’s supposed family remains the one outlier to this trend, with tons of meta-humor and inside jokes about sea stars’ intelligence levels.

22. “Just One Bite” (Season 3, Episode 3)

Despite taking orders for Krabby Patties, Squidward doesn’t eat the fast food sandwiches. When he gets a single taste of the best burger in town, his eating habit turns into a deadly addiction. As usual, the show dabbles in some adult humor by discussing serious topics with a lighthearted tone and plotting.