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Sailor Mouth

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"Sailor Mouth"

"Sailor Mouth" is the 18th episode of the second season and the 38th overall episode of the American animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants. It originally aired on Nickelodeon in the United States on September 21, 2001. The series follows the adventures of the title character in the underwater city of Bikini Bottom. In the episode, SpongeBob and Patrick learn to use "bad words".

The episode received positive reviews, while various members of the SpongeBob SquarePants crew consider the episode to be one of their favorites, mainly due to the satirical nature of the episode. However, the episode was not immune to negative reception, and was criticized by watchdog media group the Parents Television Council and fans, who interpreted the episode as an example of promoting and implicitly satirizing use of profanity towards children.

Plot summary

When SpongeBob goes around to the back of the Krusty Krab, he reads some words written on a dumpster. He then comes a across a word (heard as a dolphin chirp) that he doesn't understand. SpongeBob then asks Patrick what is it and Patrick says that the word is a "sentence enhancer" which is used "when you want to talk fancy." The next day, SpongeBob walks into the Krusty Krab and says the swear word to Patrick and then over the intercom. The Krusty Krab customers are appalled by the swear words said by SpongeBob and leave. Mr. Krabs decides to tell them that swear words are profanity. SpongeBob and Patrick vow Mr. Krabs that they will never use swear words again. Later, they play their favorite game, the Eels and Escalators. Patrick always gets escalators but SpongeBob gets eels. Eventually, he loses the game and utters the swear word. Patrick then races to the Krusty Krab to tell Mr. Krabs with SpongeBob trying to stop him. SpongeBob bursts through the front door and tells Mr. Krabs that Patrick said the swear word, Patrick then joins along. Eventually, Mr. Krabs stops their gibberish explanations, and takes SpongeBob and Patrick outside and makes them paint as punishment.

Mr. Krabs is about to give SpongeBob and Patrick the job, but he hits his foot on a rock, throws the paint away and says all swear words while complaining about his foot being injured. When SpongeBob and Patrick hear all the swear words, they run to Mama Krabs' house to tell her that Mr. Krabs swears. When they all reach her house, they repeat the same swear words that Mr. Krabs used. This makes her faint, but shortly after Mr. Krabs scolds SpongeBob and Patrick for saying all those bad words in front of her she regains consciousness. Mama Krabs states that all three of them should be ashamed for saying all those words. She then gives all three of them the task of painting her house with a fresh coat of paint as punishment for saying those words at her.

Production

"Sailor Mouth" was directed by Andrew Overtoom, and was written by Walt Dohrn, Paul Tibbitt, and Merriwether Williams. Series creator Stephen Hillenburg has described the episode as "a classic thing all kids go through." Much of the storyline for the episode was inspired by the writers' own experiences from childhood.[1] The episode originally aired on Nickelodeon in the United States on September 21, 2001.

The episode marks the introduction of Mr. Krabs' mother, Mama Krabs, who was voiced by former SpongeBob SquarePants creative producer and current executive producer Paul Tibbitt.[2][3][4]

The scene where SpongeBob and Patrick playing a game of Eels and Esclators, which is a parody of Snakes and Ladders, was difficult for the crew to animate, since many shots featured certain board pieces changing location.[2] According to the series' season 2 DVD commentary, it was planned to have a scene that had SpongeBob saying "Go 'dolphin noise' yourself" followed by Patrick saying "'Dolphin noise' you too!" during the Eels and Escalators game. It was removed in the final episode check because it would have been inappropriate for the younger audience.[2][3][4]

Reception

Erik Wiese, a member of the SpongeBob SquarePants crew, considers "Sailor Mouth" to be his favorite episode, mainly due to its random and satirical nature, saying "Sometimes SpongeBob just catches me off-guard."[2] Nancy Basile of About.com ranked the episode at number two for her list of the Top 10 SpongeBob SquarePants Episodes. She said "'Sailor Mouth' just barely missed being in the number one slot."[5] Basile praised the episode's plot and called it "genius[...] because children can relate to the forbidden thrill of using curse words, and adults can laugh at the parody of TV censorship."[5] In an interview with Paul Tibbitt, one of the episode's writers, he told that "Sailor Mouth" is his second favorite SpongeBob episode.[6]

Criticism and controversy

"Simply, the group goofed by citing an episode of the cartoon series called "Sailor Mouth" as a touch-point for bad language. [...] Here's the funny thing: The episode is all about the perils of using bad language[...] Those words are never heard, ever, and are replaced with more dolphin sounds than you'll get in a day at Sea World[...] The PTC, of course, saw fit to use this positive episode as a negative. The group's media release claimed the dolphin sounds represent the F-bomb and a word for buttocks. Those words do not exist in the episode - and are only created in the minds of adults or young folks exposed to such language in the schoolyard or, dare I say, at home."

—Richard Huff, New York Daily News.[7]

According to a report titled Wolves in Sheep's Clothing,[8] which documents the increase in potentially violent, profane, and sexual content in children's programming, the Parents Television Council, a watchdog media group, and fans believed the SpongeBob SquarePants episode "Sailor Mouth" was an implicit attempt to promote and satirize use of profanity among children. The episode originally aired during the 2001–2002 television season, ironically the season in which the PTC named SpongeBob SquarePants among the best programs on cable television,[9] but the report cited a repeat broadcast of the episode from 2005 to prove its point that it promoted use of profanity among children.[8] In a later report, several members of the PTC listed "Sailor Mouth" as an example of how levels of profane, sexual, and violent activity has increased in children's television programming.[10] Richard Huff of the New York Daily News criticized the report for misinterpreting an episode of SpongeBob SquarePants, "Sailor Mouth", over its intent to satirize profanity implicitly.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ Cavna, Michael (14 July 2009). "The Interview: 'SpongeBob' Creator Stephen Hillenburg". The Washington Post. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d Wiese, Erik (2004). SpongeBob SquarePants season 2 DVD commentary for the episode "Sailor Mouth" (DVD). Paramount Home Entertainment.
  3. ^ a b Dohrn, Walt (2004). SpongeBob SquarePants season 2 DVD commentary for the episode "Sailor Mouth" (DVD). Paramount Home Entertainment.
  4. ^ a b Overtoom, Andrew (2004). SpongeBob SquarePants season 2 DVD commentary for the episode "Sailor Mouth" (DVD). Paramount Home Entertainment.
  5. ^ a b Basile, Nancy. "Best 'SpongeBob SquarePants' Episodes". About.com. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  6. ^ "First News readers interview SpongeBob SquarePants exec producer Paul Tibbitt!". First News. 22 June 2012. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
  7. ^ a b Huff, Richard (7 March 2006). "A four-letter word for decency police: Lame". New York Daily News. Retrieved 5 August 2007.
  8. ^ a b Kristen Fyfe (2 March 2006). "Wolves in Sheep's Clothing: A Content Analysis of Children's Television" (PDF). Parents Television Council. Retrieved 5 August 2007. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  9. ^ "PTC's First Annual Top Ten Best & Worst Cable Shows of the 2001/2002 TV Season" (Press release). Parents Television Council. 2002-08-01. Retrieved 5 August 2007.
  10. ^ PTC Staff (1 August 2005). "New PTC Study Finds More Violence on Children's TV than on Adult-Oriented TV". Media Research Center. Retrieved 4 October 2007. "During the study period Nickelodeon aired an episode of SpongeBob SquarePants entitled "Sailor Mouth," the subject of which is foul language: Innocent SpongeBob does not understand the dirty word graffiti he sees on a dumpster but Patrick tells him it's a "sentence enhancer" for when you want to talk fancy. The rest of the episode features SpongeBob and Patrick using bleeped foul language. The bleeps are made to sound like a dolphin which makes the whole thing seem humorous. At the end SpongeBob and Patrick realize the words are bad and promise to never use them again but the episode ends with them telling Momma Krabs the 13 bad words Mr. Krabs has just said. All are punished by Momma Krabs for "talking like sailors."
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