‘SpongeBob’ episodes removed from Paramount+ for “inappropriate” storylines

'The ‘Kwarantined Crab' episode has been removed "due to sensitivities surrounding the global, real-world pandemic"

Two episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants have been removed from streaming service Paramount+ due to “inappropriate” storylines.

Both episodes, one detailing a “panty raid” at a woman’s house, and the other an eerily prophetic story of a flu outbreak and resultant period of quarantine, no longer appear on the new streaming service, a representative for Nickelodeon confirmed.

In the first episode, titled Mid-Life Crustacean, main characters including Mr. Krabs plan a “panty raid,” breaking into a woman’s house and searching through her underwear drawer. “Mid-Life Crustacean has been out of rotation since 2018, following a standards review in which we determined some story elements were not kid-appropriate,” the Nickelodeon representative told IGN.

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As the IGN article confirms, the episode in question was still available to stream on Amazon Prime Video when their article went live, but has since been removed. Asked whether they considered giving a content warning at the start of the episode instead of removing it entirely, Amazon declined to comment.

Spongebob
SpongeBob SquarePants. Credit: Alamy Stock Photo.

The second episode in question is titled Kwarantined Krab, a prophetic 2019 edition of the show that sees an outbreak of ‘Clam Flu’ at the Krusty Krab, with all those inside forced to quarantine in the restaurant.

“The Kwarantined Crab centres on a virus storyline, so we have decided to not air it due to sensitivities surrounding the global, real-world pandemic,” the Nickelodeon rep told IGN. It’s unclear if it will be released again once the pandemic is in the rearview, but IGN reported that some Reddit users are claiming it’s not available on the recently-released Season 12 DVD.

Elsewhere, Nickelodeon confirmed last year that SpongeBob SquarePants is part of the LGBTQ+ community in a new tweet celebrating Pride Month.

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The network tweeted a photo of SpongeBob alongside other queer characters, Henry Danger’s Schwoz Schwartz and Korra from Avatar: The Last Airbender spin-off Legends of Korra, writing: “Celebrating #Pride with the LGBTQ+ community and their allies this month and every month.”

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