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Credit: NickelodeonParamount+ might have some answering to do after the platform saw the return of a highly controversial SpongeBob SquarePants episode makes its way to the streaming app for a brief period. Users accessing the Paramount+ add-on via Amazon Prime Video could briefly access the episode, which has been out of rotation since 2018.
Related: Mickey Mouse Was Banned in Ohio, Censored After “Gross” Content
It’s not shocking that specific cartoon episodes are being banned, considering some of the humor within said properties is deemed not “kid-friendly.” Our more self-aware society generally finds outliers and promptly reports those troublesome episodes or subject matter to be dealt with immediately. That was the case for this episode of the beloved cartoon, which has not been in rotation for many years.
Unfortunately for Paramount+, fans were able to quickly identify the long-banned SpongeBob SquarePants episode, posting their findings on Twitter and other social media channels. This likely led to Paramount taking proper steps to ensure the episode was not made available for too long.
Still, for those lucky enough to watch the episode, you might understand why Nickelodeon decided to do away with it.
‘SpongeBob SquarePants’ “Mid-Life Crustacean” Episode Returns
Woah, didn’t see this coming!
It looks like Nickelodeon has officially lifted the ban on the #SpongeBobSquarePants episode “Mid-Life Crustacean”, at least in terms of streaming. It’s back on Paramount+,…IF you’re accessing it through Prime Video and not its own separate app. pic.twitter.com/gA3DoE2i2V
— Jason the Cartoon Fan (@JasonSt77097165) July 16, 2023
Nickelodeon initially removed the SpongeBob SquarePants episode when the subject matter was deemed not to be “kid-friendly.” What subject matter is that? Well, it starts with Mr. Krabs having his own mid-life crisis.
Krabs feels down in the dumps after being referred to as old. His daughter comments on his age, and he is helped across the street by a group of boy scouts. This leads Krabs to overhear SpongeBob and Patrick discussing their “big night out.” Krabs asks if he can join them to feel young again, but in typical fashion, the events the pair get into are “lame.”
They go from bizarre events like washing their faces spin in the reflection of a washer machine to playing a game of Dungeons & Dragons in Old England. However, none of these events are the nightlife Krabs seeks. Finally, when he is set to give up, SpongeBob and Patrick reveal the “panty raid” they will go on.
They sneak into a random house where they steal an unsuspecting woman’s panties; lo and behold, it’s the home of Mr. Krabs. The woman whose underwear they are “raiding” is his own mother, which is mortifying. The episode ends with Krabs being treated like a child by his mother, proving he might not be as old as he initially felt.
The apparent issues of this SpongeBob SquarePants episode have everything to do with the characters sneaking into a woman’s house and stealing her underwear. It does not matter that the woman in question is Mr. Krabs’ mother (which is even weirder). It’s the activity of breaking into a random woman’s house to steal her undergarments that called attention to Nickelodeon brass. The episode was pulled back in 2018 after plenty of concerns were revealed.
That was until recently when the episode accidentally returned to Paramount+ via a technical glitch. Anyone accessing their Paramount+ account via Amazon Prime Video could watch the episode for the first time in five years. Paramount has since taken down the episode, but there is no telling how many people could view the long-lost episode.
Do you think this SpongeBob SquarePants episode should be banned? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!