10 Most Unhinged Adult Jokes in ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’ TV Series

It’s been more than two decades since Stephen Hillenburg’s SpongeBob SquarePants was launched on TV, and it might be fair to say that the show hasn’t quite aged since then.

Just like many other TV and movie franchises created for children, SpongeBob SquarePants, ironically, delivers some of the best adult jokes which some grown-ups will grasp with their jaws dropped.

Here’s our top of SpongeBob SquarePants’s most unhinged moments that might have confused you when you were a kid.

Season 2, Episode 22a — “Something Smells”

In the episode, SpongeBob faces a bad breath problem when he makes himself the most disgusting “sundae” one could only imagine.

By trying to console his friend who thinks everyone else avoids him because he’s ugly, Patrick reveals he also considers himself ugly and states “I’m and I’m proud!”. The line is a clear reference to a phrase commonly used among LGBTQ+ community members.

Season 2, Episode 12 — "Pressure / The Smoking Peanut"

The episode sees SpongeBob getting prepared for a haircut which he tells his squirrel friend Sandy about.

This initially confuses her as she is convinced that SpongeBob doesn’t have hair — and then realises that maybe, well, he does after all.

Season 3, Episode 52a — "Chocolate With Nuts"

Here, SpongeBob and Patrick are seen struggling with their chocolate business, so they decide to sit down and brainstorm some ideas for how they can improve the situation.

When Patrick comes up with a dubious decision to get naked and help attract the attention to their product, SpongeBob responds that they better save it for when they sell real estate, which refers to a trope frequently used in adult videos.

Season 2, Episode 10a — "No Free Rides"

SpongeBob’s drama with all the failures at the driving school’s classes and deranged relationships with Mrs. Puff might have taken an unexpected turn here with the former’s “See You Next Tuesday, Mrs. Puff!” repeated phrase, the spelling of which is just as unhinged as it could be.

Season 1, Episode 18a — "Texas"

In the episode, SpongeBob and Patrick embark on a mission to help Sandy feel better when she suddenly becomes homesick.

However, there’s an awkward and pretty quick moment with SpongeBob telling Patrick that his “genius is showing” before the latter proceeds to cover his pants with his hands.

Season 2 Episode 2 — “Your Shoe's Untied”

The episode captures an awkward moment between SpongeBob and his pet snail Gary when the latter walks out on the former watching something inappropriate on TV.

SpongeBob then quickly changes the channel, saying that he was just looking for a sports program.

Season 2, Episode 33b — “Gary Takes a Bath"

In the episode, SpongeBob is seen trying to encourage Gary to take a bath, dressing as a pirate to play with his pet snail.

At some point, SpongeBob advises Gary to not drop the soap, a joke which some adults quickly associate with prison slang and the infamous rule about what happens if one drops their soap.

Season 3, Episode 55b — “Mid-Life Crustacean"

Considered one of the most controversial episodes in the entire series, this one follows SpongeBob, Patrick and Mr. Krabs as they go on a panty raid, robbing Bikini Bottom’s citizens of, well, their bikinis.

Eventually, the episode was pulled out of streaming services for inappropriate content.

Season 4, Episode 11b — "Karate Island"

This episode’s hidden joke could have easily gone unnoticed by many adults just because of its very specific meaning.

In there, Sandy is seen butting her head with Tickler, a fish who is also French; the joke is a reference to "French Tickler”, a certain type of condom.

Season 3, Episode 3b — "The Bully"

The episode gets back to SpongeBob’s routine in the driving school and sees him being annoying again, this time with one of his classmates.

When SpongeBob asks her how exactly he should place pencils on the desk and where each of them goes, she replies “I think it goes stuck inside your…” Though she doesn’t finish her line, it’s pretty clear which direction she meant.