Patrick Star, the lovably dim-witted starfish of SpongeBob SquarePants fame, was originally going to be a much different character than the one fans meet in Stephen Hillenburg's Nickelodeon classic.
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| Photo: Courtesy of Nickelodeon |
Patrick Star has been known to become volatile on a number of occasions: When he couldn't see his forehead, when his Valentine's Day present was late, and that time someone ordering lunch referred to him as a "Krusty Krab." But, on the whole, SpongeBob SquarePants’ best friend is a lovable and loyal oaf whose dim-wittedness can be perfectly summed up by the fact that he literally lives under a rock.
Now, imagine a version of SpongeBob SquarePants where Patrick (voiced by Bill Fagerbakke) was mean and bitter all the time.
SpongeBob SquarePants' Patrick Star was originally developed as a bully
Believe it or not, the iconic character was "really mad about being pink" early on in the show's development, according to Tracey Miller-Zarneke's SpongeBob SquarePants: The Art of an Undersea World.
His displeasure over being associated with a traditionally feminine color meant the starfish came off as "a macho bully, because he had this chip on his figurative shoulder about his appearance."
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| Photo: Courtesy of IDW Publishing |
Thankfully, the creators did not go in that direction and Patrick became the delightful doofus known for his love of eating Krabby Patties at three in the morning, TV comedies where someone gets hit in the head with a coconut (or two), and the field devoted to the study of "Wumbo" (a.k.a. Wumbology).
"We often play him to be beyond dumb—psychedelically dumb," explained longtime SpongeBob writer Kaz (first name only). "We take a given situation and carry it to its illogical conclusion."
His naive stupidity interplays beautifully with SpongeBob's naive optimism and Squidward's jaded cynicism. Giving him an irascible persona would have felt redundant with Squidward Tentpoles living next door. Sorry, I meant Squidward Tortellini.
Of course, Patrick is no stranger to bullies, having befriended the butt-kicking flounder named Flats during their college years (a piece of information revealed in the aptly-named episode "The Bully"). What's more, Patrick showed a proficiency for kicking butts (specifically his own) in "No Weenies Allowed," when he and SpongeBob staged a fake fight so the latter could gain entry to the Salty Spittoon.
"I've been playing characters of 'questionable' intelligence, I guess, most of my life—and this was another one!" Fagerbakke remarked in a 2024 interview with BuzzFeed. "Being able to do it this long, I've been able to find so many different shades of the character, and obviously, that's been delightful. One doesn't want to just do the same beats over and over. That certainly has not been the case with Patrick."
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Art of an Undersea World is available today from IDW Publishing, including on Amazon.com.
Watch the SpongeBob SquarePants Universe, including Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years and The Patrick Star Show on Nickelodeon and Paramount+! Try it FREE at ParamountPlus.com.
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CALLING ALL GOOFY GOOBERS! (ROCK!) Are ya ready for a deep dive into the world of SpongeBob SquarePants? The SpongeBob YouTube channel is THE PLACE for all fan-favorite SpongeBob moments! Subscribe now at https://www.youtube.com/SpongeBobOfficial!
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