Sunday, May 31, 2020

SpongeBob SquarePants: Why Patchy the Pirate Was Replaced in the Movie

SpongeBob SquarePants' biggest fan, Patchy the Pirate, has been left out of the movies, but there's a good reason behind that decision.


SpongeBob SquarePants is not all about characters living underwater, as there’s one very special character that happens to be human: Patchy the Pirate. The self-proclaimed biggest SpongeBob SquarePants fan often serves as host in special episodes and has taken part in some of SpongeBob’s biggest moments... except his movies. SpongeBob SquarePants made its debut on Nickelodeon in 1999 and has since become the most successful Nicktoon, with over 11 seasons and counting.

The series follows the title character – a sea sponge that looks like a kitchen sponge – and his adventures alongside his best friends Patrick Star and Sandy Cheeks, his neighbor Squidward Tentacles, his greedy boss Mr. Krabs, and more. SpongeBob SquarePants has had some special characters visiting from time to time, the most common and popular one being Patchy the Pirate (Tom Kenny, SpongeBob’s voice actor), the only recurring human character.

Patchy has hosted various special episodes and commercials from the comfort of his home and with the help of his sarcastic parrot, Potty, but strangely enough, he has been left out of SpongeBob’s movies.


Patchy is the self-appointed president of the (fictional) SpongeBob SquarePants fan club founded by himself, and his house is filled with SpongeBob-themed memorabilia. He was introduced in season 2’s episode “Christmas Who?” and has since appeared in many specials, always displaying his devotion to the series (and SpongeBob himself). Being the biggest fan of the series, it seems weird he hasn’t been included in the SpongeBob SquarePants movies, but there’s a good reason for his absence.

According to showrunner Vincent Waller, Patchy hasn’t appeared in the movies because the audience “doesn’t really understand his appeal”, as “intentionally low production values scare them”. Patchy and his surroundings are intentionally designed to look as if they ran out of budget. In fact, Patchy is pretty much a cartoon in human form, having survived all types of accidents, and was created as a homage to hosts of children’s shows on local-access TV channels, which are known for their low-production values. This is why Patchy’s patch switches eyes all the time, his hook changes hands, and Potty is a crudely designed marionette with strings that are always visible.

Instead, Patchy was replaced by a bunch of other pirates, made to look like actual pirates thanks to a bigger budget. This doesn’t mean Patchy has been forgotten, as according to Waller, the production crew tries to include him at least once a season. Even though Patchy is very popular among fans of SpongeBob SquarePants, it’s very understandable that he has been left out of the movies, and in a way, that makes his appearances in the series more special.

More Nick: Nickelodeon Announces Voice Cast for 'Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years', First-Ever 'SpongeBob SquarePants' Spinoff!

Original source: Screen Rant.
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