Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy

For the episode, see Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy (SpongeBob SquarePants episode)

Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy are a superhero duo, who star on the fictional television series and are watched by characters on the Nickelodeon animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants. They are especially watched upon by SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star.

Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy have many enemies, their top to arch rivals happen to be Man Ray and the Dirty Bubble. In addition, Mermaid Man was a part of an allied group of other superheros, called the I.J.L.S.A. (International Justice League of Super Acquaintances), a parody of the names Justice League and Superfriends. Not only do they star in a cartoon, but also really protect the citizens of Bikini Bottom. The name of each of their episodes, such as Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy V are parodies of the Superman films which also ended in roman numerals.

On the SpongeBob episode Have You Seen This Snail?, the package that SpongeBob receives has the words Nickelodeon, Inc., so Bikini Bottom may host a Nickelodeon channel.

The Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy theme song is "The Lineman" by Sam Spence for NFL Films.

Mermaid Man

Template:SpongeBobCharacter Mermaid Man is a semi-retired superhero. He is voiced by Academy Award-winning actor, Ernest Borgnine (in the series), Joe Whyte (in Employee of the Month and Battle for Bikini Bottom), and Joe Alaskey (in Lights, Camera, Pants! and Creature from the Krusty Krab). His name is a portmanteau of mermaid and the lesser-known merman, the latter being the actual name for the male version of a mermaid.

Mermaid Man is a semi-retired superhero who has aged well past his prime. His costume mostly resembles the costume of the comic book hero Aquaman, with the addition of a star-shaped mask, a scallop-shell bra, and a pair of fuzzy slippers. Mermaid Man's underwater lair and method of crime fighting is a parody of Batman, and his "invisible Boat-Mobile" is a parody of both the Batmobile and Wonder Woman's invisible jet. It is unknown how he can live in Bikini Bottom, as he is very clearly a humanoid (although he could be Atlantean or otherwise super-powered). He has an obsession with the word "EEEEVIIILLLLLL!"

Mermaid Man's sidekick is Barnacle Boy, who he treats like a child even though Barnacle Boy is sixty-eight years old. Mermaid Man appears to be in the advanced stages of senility, often forgetting what he was talking about, or what he was doing. This is not a problem for SpongeBob and Patrick, who unconditionally adore the two heroes and managed to coax them out of retirement and back into television. SpongeBob has appeared with them in six different shorts — often involving a supervillain, a supergadget, or some combination of the two and making a film about the heroes.

Mermaid Man enjoys watching television and playing checkers with Barnacle Boy. He eats almost anything. His favorite foods are Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli, Krabby Patties and Ice Cream.

According to Mermaid Man,his powers are all in his costume. He uses abilities similar to Aquaman's such as: summon and control sea creatures, high speed swimming (used to create an effect dubbed the Raging Whirlpool), water balls, and the ability to survive underwater. While Mermaid Man retains all of these abilities, they are not as powerful as they were in his prime. Also,Mermaid Man has Super Telescoping Vision according to a scene cut from the storyboards of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy V.

In addition to this,his belt houses a wide array of various weapons,most commonly seen as some kind of beam or ray. The only one named is the Small Ray which shrinks things,but various effects were created when Spongebob used the belt on Squidward trying to reverse the Small Ray's effects. His belt feaures other powers such as Building Obliteration Button, Chin Cam, and various radioactive beams that cause bizarre mutations and various effects to the subject, such as causing them to suddenly catch on fire, turn inside out, or to be cut in half by scissors. They are only briefly shown, all afflicting Squidward. This seems to be a reference to both Batman and Space Ghost.

Barnacle Boy

Barnacle Boy is Mermaid Man's side-kick. He is voiced by Emmy Award winning comedian and actor Tim Conway.

Barnacle Boy (actual name Kyle) is a 68-year old semi-retired superhero sidekick. His costume is a cross between the Silver Age Aqualad and Gilligan of Gilligan's Island. Barnacle Boy also exclaims "Mumblin' Morays!" when he's excited. Although he turned evil and won against Mermaid Man,forcing him to give in to his demand of being called Barnacle Man,he soon reverted to being called Barnacle Boy. Possibly because Mermaid Man could not remember to call him Barnacle Man.

Mermaid Man, his mentor, treats him as if he were a young boy, in spite him being an adult. He often calls Mermaid Man an "old coot". In true sidekick fashion he takes the brunt of the physical comedy upon himself.

Barnacle Boy once became a villain briefly in Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy V, teaming up with Man Ray and the Dirty Bubble following a dispute about a pipsqueak patty (a very small version of a Krabby Patty intended for children) at the Krusty Krab. After a protracted fight--and a painful parody of the International Justice League of Super Acquatances with the regular cast--he and Mermaid Man patched things up. Barnacle Man, as he likes to be called, gets a little more respect now (even though he cannot finish an adult-sized Krabby Patty). In the same episode Barnacle Boy mentioned he was so old he had hairs growing out of the wrinkles on his liver spots. He also has a nose similar to Squidward's, although larger.

This is referenced in Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy IV when Barnacle Boy and Squidward are locked in a battle of wits involving them calling each other "Big-nose." Barnacle Boy also runs security at the Rock Bottom Museum.

In the video game, Battle for Bikini Bottom, it was revealed that Barnacle Boy has a son, a daughter-in-law, and four "screaming" grandchildren.

Barnacle Boy possesses powers similar to Mermaid Man, though he seems to lack the belt powers. However,he does have "Sulfur Vision" (a form of heat vision) that Mermaid Man does not. Like Mermaid Man,his powers are not what they used to be.

Mermalair

The Mermalair is the secret hideout of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy. The only episodes that the Mermalair appeared in were Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy II, Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy III and Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy V. However, in the video game, SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom, the Mermalair can be seen in much more detail.

Secret Entrance

To enter the Mermalair, a secret switch must be pressed inside Shady Shoals rest home, and it will activate a secret door under the couch (much like the entrance to the secret lair of Darkwing Duck which you get to by activating a secret door under two recliners). A hole leads down to the lobby of the Mermalair. In SpongeBob SquarePants comics, it's accessible by charging full speed at a wall in the home. There is another entrance, which is a cave like the batcave from the Batman tv series (most likely for the boatmobile to get outside). Shady Shoals is located nearby a large cliff which marks the possible location of the cave.

The Mermalair is broken up into the following sections:

• Mermalair Lobby - Entrance Area
• Mermalair Main Chamber - Security Computer, Funnel Machines, Tower of Power, and a leisure area for Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy.
• Mermalair Security Tunnel - Tunnel leading to the Rolling Ball Room
• Rolling Ball Room
• Villain Containment Area - Where villains are locked up.

Cave Entrance

The cave entrance of the Mermalair contains the Wall of Superhero Super Gadgetry. This wall contains such gadgets as the Cosmic Ray, the AquaGlove, and the Death grenade.

An additional tool is the Orb of Confusion. Warning: Prolonged exposure to the Orb of Confusion will give its victim confusion. Another tool is the Tickle Belt (as seen in Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy episode 17).

Another room in this area of the Mermalair is where Man Ray was frozen in a tube of frozen tartar sauce.

Additional features include:

• Tubes where the I.J.L.S.A members are contained in.
• A conference room with the I.J.L.S.A. Table
• Prawn's cell

Mermalair Lobby

At the end of the hole at the entrance, the lobby of the Mermalair is the first room. It contains various obstacles to get to the main chamber.

Mermalair Main Chamber

The Mermalair Main Chamber is found after the lobby, in which doorway leads to it. Inside, the Security Computer is present, in which it controls the security system. In addition, funnel machines and the tower of power control the power within the Mermalair. Finally, a leisure area, including a Television set, is where Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy rest.

Security system

The Mermalair has a large security system in which Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy use to keep the villains in the villain chamber locked up. In order to shut the whole system down, four buttons must be pressed, along with the main shut-down button, at the main computer.

Invisible Boatmobile

The Invisible Boatmobile is Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy's vehicle, located in the Mermalair. The boat is a regular-sized boatmobile with many superhero features to it, such as the origami button. Whether the boatmobile itself folds up into an origami shape or just the people in it is unknown. SpongeBob claims to know lots about the boat, like knowing where the windshield wipers are, but pressing the aforementioned button.It is said for the boatmobile to have a more powerful engine than others to enable the heroes to get to the situation where their help is needed faster. In addition to the engine, the boatmobile has manual transmission and a "torpedo mode" ejection system.

• The boatmobile was once almost completely painted black by SpongeBob and Patrick, thus defeating the purpose of it being invisible.
• Barnacle Boy commonly gets burned by the tailpipe of the boatmobile when Mermaid Man starts it up.
• To drive it you need an invisible licence.
• Barnacle Boy thinks that making it invisible was a stupid idea.
• In SpongeBob's Mermaid Man movie, the invisible boatmobile was played by the visible Pearl Krabs and a mountain climber.
• When using the Invisible Boat alarm, the Boatmobile is temporarily visible, and it appears to be a somewhat old-fashioned convertible. However, when SpongeBob and Patrick paint half of the Boatmobile, or when they run it into a street light, it appears to be shaped like a boat. Also, the game, "Lights, Camera, Pants!" it was seen for a brief moment to be pink.In the GBA version of battle for Bikini Bottom in a mini game you drive the boat mobile,if you crash it flashes briefly and looks like a red jelopy. It is similar to the car driven by Mickey Mouse

Allies

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The I.J.L.S.A. Logo

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The I.J.L.S.A. as portrayed by SpongeBob, Patrick, Squidward, and Sandy

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The original I.J.L.S.A. members.

Allies of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy include the I.J.L.S.A. (International Justice League of Super Acquaintances) is a team of superheroes, which are allies of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy. It is only mentioned in the episode Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy V. Members of the I.J.L.S.A. (a subsidiary of Viacom) includes:

The Quickster - (originally The Whizzer) who has the ability to run really quick. He is parody of the Flash or QuickSilver. SpongeBob SquarePants once portrayed him.

Captain Magma - who has a volcano on the top of his head from which he can shoot lava. A parody of the Human Torch or Firestorm from the JLA. He was once portrayed by Squidward Tentacles.

The Elastic Waistband - who has the ability to bend his body into fantastic shapes and forms. This hero is a parody of Plastic Man from the JLA or Mr. Fantastic from the Fantastic Four. He was once portrayed by Patrick Star.

Miss Appear - who has the ability to become invisible. A parody of Invisible Woman, part of the Fantastic Four. She was once portrayed by Sandy Cheeks.

There is another ally for Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy who's not exactly a member of the IJLSA.

Starfish Man - a super hero who teamed up with Mermaid Man in Creature from the Krusty Krab to defeat the Giant Plankton and save Bikini Bottom. He is none other than Patrick Star.

The DVD "Fear of a Crabby Patty" shows the storyboards for Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy V which includes information on what happened to the original I.J.L.S.A. They retired some time after debris from a plane explosion landed on them. They are now semi-active retirees who seem to like spending time at a nudist colony.

Enemies

Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy have many enemies.

• Atomic Flounder - A retired villain who can blast hot radioactive beams from his mouth. Capable of third degree burns from his beams, he wears a radioactive suit and speaks with a Kennedy-esque New England accent.

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The Dirty Bubble

• Dirty Bubble - A giant dirt bubble who is Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy's number one arch nemesis and SpongeBob's favorite villain. He enjoys making his enemies eat dirt. When he first appeared, he tried to capture the heroes, who attempt to ditch SpongeBob. He successfully captured the two, before SpongeBob accidentally pops him with a pencil while attempting to get his autograph. Later, in Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy V, Dirty Bubble somehow returns. In the episode, Man Ray has teamed up with him to form an organization called E.V.I.L. (Every Villain Is Lemons). When Barnacle Boy tires of Mermaid Man treating him like a little kid, he joins the two, and commits crimes. In the end, Barnacle Boy returns to the good side, leaving Man Ray and Dirty Bubble disappointed. He is a champion at paddleball, as seen in Have You Seen This Snail?. Dirty Bubble is voiced by Charles Nelson Reilly and Tom Kenny.
• Jumbo Shrimp - Seen in "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy II". He is once referred to (perhaps mistakenly, or in reference to a different villain) as "The Killer Shrimp" by the Dirty Bubble.
• Kelp Thing - Seen in "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy VI - The Motion Picture". "I must do what I do." He parks his villain car in no parking zones, but Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy tow it away. His name and appearance may be based on Man-Thing.
• Sneaky Hermit - A super hermit crab who plans to rule the world by means of sneakiness. He steals buildings in a sneaky fashion. His weakness is pepper. Seen in Lights, Camera, PANTS!. In the New Adventures of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy episode in that game, he called Man Ray, Moron Ray and the Dirty Bubble, the Dopey Bubble.
• Snorelonn - Only mentioned in Nickelodeon Magazine, in the special SpongeBob issue. His evil plan is to wake everyone up with loud snoring noises. SpongeBob and Patrick were playing Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy and said that Squidward was Snorelonn. Snorelonn also plans to eat them and suck out their brains with a turkey baster.
• Man Ray - Man Ray was first mentioned in Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy by SpongeBob when he's trying to get Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy to come out of retirement. He later appears in person in Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy III, where SpongeBob and Patrick released him from frozen tartar sauce. When he discovers that he has a tickle belt, Man Ray tricks the duo to teach him kindness. After the class, Man Ray grabs the Aqua Glove and the Cosmic Ray from Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy's arsenal to take over Bikini Bottom. When he discovers that he has become good, he quits villainy. His head is made up of his mask/shoulder pads combo and is headless underneath that. Later, in Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy V, he becomes evil again (and somehow recovers his head), and brings back the Dirty Bubble and they team up with Barnacle Boy (who became evil) to form E.V.I.L. At the end, Barnacle Boy becomes good again, leaving Man Ray with Dirty Bubble in the middle of a long winded story. Additionally,even though he took off the Tickle Belt in Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy III, he's shown wearing it in later episodes. Though it may be an Anti-Tickle Belt which allows him to continue to be evil. He may be a parody of the Aquaman villain Black Manta. His name seems to be derived from the DC comics super-villain Man-bat and the American artist Man Ray, or the manta ray. John Rhys-Davies and Bob Joles voice Man Ray.
• Prawn - He threw Mermaid Man's red clothes in the laundry with his white clothes. Like Man Ray, he was unfrozen by Spongebob in the frozen tarter sauce in SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom. He is voiced by Mr. Lawrence.
• Reflecto - Squidward was mistaken for Reflecto when SpongeBob and Patrick were playing Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy. Reflecto uses mirrors in his evil schemes, and if he is ever cut off from sunlight, he loses his power.
• Sinster Slug - Seen as a cardboard cut out in "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy II."
• Dr. Octofish - Barnacle Boy used his paddleball of fury to break this villain's concentration. Mentioned in Lights, Camera, Pants! Possibly the villain at the beginning of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy. "Doctor Octofish" is a possible parody of Doctor Octopus from Spider-Man.

Organizations

• E.V.I.L. - An organization of supervillains. It stands for "Every Villain Is Lemons". It was only temporary, in which Man Ray, the Dirty Bubble, and Barnacle Man (Barnacle Boy betrayed Mermaid Man because he did not like to be treated as a little kid) were the members. They committed such crimes as ringing doorbells and running, as well as spying on teenagers at Make-Out Reef. Barnacle "Man" rejoined the side of justice after the I.J.L.S.A. defeated itself and Mermaid Man was forced to give in to Barnacle Man's demands.

In Bikini Bottom Media

TV Series

In Bikini Bottom, there is a cartoon called The Adventures of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy. These are some of the episodes:

• Episode #17: Mermaid Man uses the Tickle Belt on Manray.
• Episode #27: The Mermalair is built.
• Episode #72: Kelp Thing's car is towed.
• Episode #912: As described by Mermaid Man: "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy were surrounded. The Kelp-Thing was to their right and there was broccoli on the side. But if there's one thing Mermaid Man remembers, it's how to forget. The rain in Spain stays mainly on the--space!... The final countdown. Stick to the, stick to the, Lou my darling! Louuuuuu!"

There is also a cartoon called The New Adventures of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, which is the new series, that SpongeBob convinced Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy to create. These are some of the episodes:

• Episode #1: Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy "defeat" SpongeBob and Patrick and come out of retirement.
• Episode #2: Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy are playing checkers and the phone rings. Mermaid Man announces that they need to get the phone fixed.
• Episode #3: Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy go on vacation, and leave SpongeBob and Patrick to watch the Mermalair.
• Episode #4: Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy are at the Krusty Krab, and Mermaid Man is taking a long time to order.

Movies

There are only two known movies involving Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy.

• A new movie was being created by Dribply Bros. Studios, but with ...ACTORS..., and not Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy.

• Another movie (called "The Real Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy Movie" by SpongeBob) was made at the same time that SpongeBob made to compete against the real movie:

• Producers: SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star
• Writers: SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star
• Cameraman: Patrick Star
• Boom (Explosion) Operator: Sandy Cheeks
• Microphone Holder (Actual Name for Boom Operator): Sheldon J. Plankton
• Make-up Artist: Squidward Tentacles
• Cast:
  • SpongeBob SquarePants as the Narrator, Kelp Thing (Voice Only), and a car "driver".
  • Mermaid Man as himself
  • Barnacle Boy as himself
  • Pearl Krabs as the "in-visible boatmobile"
  • Sandy Cheeks as Mermaid Man's stunt double (role assigned in the hasty remake of the movie)
  • A piece of green cardboard with googly eyes on two pipe cleaners suspended from completely visible strings as Kelp Thing
  • SpongeBob SquarePants as the narrator and Kelp Thing (voice only, though he appears "driving" a car in the beginning)
  • Donald pulls Pearl Krabs (the visible boatmobile) up a mountain

Production

• The movie was first produced differently. Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy were driving the Invisible Boatmobile (Pearl Krabs) and were pulled by a guy up a rocky hill. Later, Mermaid Man recited the plot of episode #912 before the movie ended. However, it was ruined because Patrick Star had the lens cap on.
• Takes of one scene of the film

• Take One: Mermaid Man tells Barnacle Boy "We have to get back those swollen Krabby Patties". SpongeBob says "Cut! No! It's '...stolen Krabby Patties'!".
• Take Two: Mermaid Man tells Barnacle Boy "We have to get back to those stolen Maggy Daddies". SpongeBob says "Cut! No, Mermaid Man! It's '...stolen Krabby Patties'!".
• Take 5003: Mermaid Man tells Barnacle Boy "We have to get back those stolen Krabby Patties". (The scene was ruined because Plankton could not hold up the mic and it kept appearing in the frame, eventually falling into Mermaid Man's mouth.)

Plot

A warehouse filled with thousands of Krabby Patties is present. Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy just discover that the Krabby Patties have been stolen by one of their enemies: Kelp Thing! Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy proceed to the underground city. They drink cheese coffee. They encounter Kelp Thing. They defeat the enemy and get back the swollen Krabby Patties.