Characters[]

• SpongeBob SquarePants
• Sheldon J. Plankton
• Karen Plankton
• Spot
• Gary the Snail
• French Narrator
• Taxi driver plankton ^{(single appearance)}
• Convention attendees ^{(single appearance)}
• Orb ^{(single appearance)}
• The Moth ^(cameo)
• Man Ray ^(cameo)
• Dirty Bubble ^(cameo)
• Dr. Kelpington ^(cameo)
• Dr. Kelpington's snail ^(cameo)
• Hoodoo Guru ^(cameo)
• Barnacle Boy ^(cameo)
  • Barnacle Man ^(cameo)
• Robot SpongeBob ^(cameo)
• Chubby cop ^{(single appearance)}
• Incidentals
  • Incidental 2
  • John
  • Incidental 9
  • Incidental 10
  • Incidental 14
  • Incidental 21
  • Incidental 28
  • Incidental 31
  • Mary
  • Incidental 89
  • Incidental 93
  • Incidental 103
  • Incidental 106
  • Incidental 107
  • Incidental 111
  • Incidental 163
  • Incidental 169
  • Mr. What Zit Tooya
  • Incidental 182
  • Incidental 186

Synopsis[]

Karen packs underwear for Plankton's trip to the Doomsday Device Expo in Shell City. Plankton is playing with Spot, and has left instructions for Karen on how to care for him. Plankton's taxi arrives, and he says goodbye to Karen and Spot. Karen finds that Spot has gotten off his leash, and ripped up all the sticky notes Plankton left. Confident that she can still take care of Spot, Karen analyzes him with a laser beam, but Spot chases after it. Karen runs after Spot, but mistakenly squishes him, reducing him to a green puddle on the ground. She takes a pump out of her finger and inflates him. While this works at first, he bursts afterwards, sending Karen into despair.

SpongeBob arrives at the Chum Bucket, bringing Gary for his playdate with Spot. Karen tries to cover up Spot exploding, but lets it slip and begins crying. SpongeBob laughs it off, going into the Chum Bucket anyways. He calls Spot back together, explaining that it happens all the time when he plays with Gary. Spot runs rampant around the restaurant, eating various items, and SpongeBob suggests that he go on a walk to burn off some energy.

SpongeBob walks Gary, as Karen follows behind with Spot. Gary slimes a fire hydrant, but Spot dissolves it, causing water to spurt out. The water spills onto the street and makes multiple drivers crash. Karen berates Spot, only for him to dissolve the leash and run off. Meanwhile, Gary rescues some injured passengers. SpongeBob rides on Karen and they chase after Spot, but he is too fast for them to catch. Just then, Plankton calls, saying that he is coming home early because the convention is over and he bought an explosive device. He asks Karen to put Spot on the phone, so SpongeBob throws it, crushing Spot. Spot barks into the receiver, reassuring Plankton.

Karen finally catches Spot, and brings him home. Spot growls and barks loudly, having not been fed. Karen tries to find him some food, but he eats the entire contents of the restaurant, and is still unsatisfied. She synthesizes a "perpetual nutrient pill" to keep him full, but it causes Spot to expand repeatedly, since it never disintegrates. Plankton arrives home to see the Chum Bucket entirely enveloped by Spot, destroying the building and continuing to grow. Plankton and Karen get into an argument, but SpongeBob gets an idea. He pulls out a dog treat, causing Spot to come back home and divide into a smaller version of himself. However, the giant version of Spot continues floating, swallowing the Sun whole as the episode ends.

Production[]

This episode was confirmed by Vincent Waller on July 19, 2022,^[3] and was completed sometime during the aforementioned year.^[4]

Promotional images[]

• Created by the official SpongeBob Instagram account.^[5][6]

A panorama promoting the then upcoming premieres of episodes 280 and 281. Poses from various characters in "Karen for Spot" can be seen throughout the poster

Created by the official SpongeBob Instagram account, promotional art featuring a pose from this episode.^[7]

Transfomers x SpongeBob 1

Transfomers x SpongeBob 2

Transfomers x SpongeBob 3

Transfomers x SpongeBob 4

Storyboards[]

• Rough boarded by Dan Becker,^[1] plussed by Simon Edwards,^[8] Ibrahim J. Corona,^[9] and Dylan 'Houston' King, with slight revisions by Brad Vandergrift and Dave Cunningham.^[2]

Production notes[]

Dylan 'Houston' King:

• King "absolutely loved drawing Spot (and making that pill animation)."^[2]

Simon Edwards:

• Edwards "had a lot of fun" drawing the scene where Spot leaped around Bikini Bottom.^[10]

Music[]

 • Another Best Day Ever - Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Title card.]
 ‣ Boy Scout - Harold Smart [Opening.]
 ‣ Tiptoe Footsteps - [ProjectSAM Symphobia Colours: Animator] [Karen notices Spot is missing.]
 ‣ Uh Oh Flutter-Eyed - [ProjectSAM Symphobia Colours: Animator] [Karen sees Spot tearing up Plankton's notes.]
 ‣ Oh My Trill! - [ProjectSAM Symphobia Colours: Animator] [Karen facepalms.]
 ‣ Laughter Muted Trumpet - [ProjectSAM Symphobia Colours: Animator] ["Oh, Plankton's instructions!"]
 ‣ Zoo Doings - Jack Shaindlin [Karen tries analyzing Spot.]
 ‣ Dance of the Macabre - Sean Elder [Karen re-inflates Spot.]
 ‣ The Shower 60 - Gregor F. Narholz [Karen thinks she killed Spot.]
 ‣ The Mind of a Murderer - Gregor F. Narholz [Karen hears knocking at the door.]
 ‣ Bridge 3 - Wilfred Burns [SpongeBob brings Gary to the Chum Bucket for a playdate.]
 ‣ Behind The Door - Norman Dane [Karen tells SpongeBob that she exploded Spot.]
 ‣ Terror by Night - Hubert Clifford [Karen starts crying.]
 • Slide Whistle Stooges 2 No Whistle - Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [SpongeBob, Gary, and Karen walk into the Chum Bucket.]
 • Rip Tide - Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Spot reforms when SpongeBob calls for him.]
 ‣ The Whistler - Jack Parnell, Derek Scott [Karen tries taking Spot for a walk.]
 • A Pinapple Luau Faster - Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [SpongeBob and Karen chasing after Spot.]
 ‣ Capering Clowns - Max Saunders [Plankton calls Karen.]
 ‣ Dramatic Cue (C) - Ronald Hanmer [The convention center explodes.]
 • Grass Skirt Chase - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Karen and SpongeBob keep chasing Gary.]
 ‣ The Whistler - Jack Parnell, Derek Scott ["Let's get back before Plankton comes home."]
 • Lap Steel - Nicolas Carr [Transition to next scene.]
 ‣ Clown in Town - Philippe Pares [Spot is hungry for chum.]
 • Hot Steel and Slide Licks 19E - Jeremy Wakefield ["One humongous meal later..."]
 ‣ Lonely Heart's Club - David Bell [Spot has eaten everything in the Chum Bucket.]
 ‣ Nervous Tension 3 - Dick De Benedictis [Spot grows after Karen gives him the pill.]
 ‣ Alert A - Dick De Benedictis [Spot grows after Karen gives him the pill.]
 • Clowning Around 2 - Barry Anthony [Plankton returns home.]
 ‣ Dramatic Encounter - Gregor F. Narholz [Plankton sees Spot growing and destroying the Chum Bucket.]
 • Hot Steel and Slide Licks 7A - Jeremy Wakefield [Plankton squeezing out from under Spot.]
 • Jellyfishing Waltz - Daniel Stimac, Nicolas Carr [Karen and Plankton argue.]
 • Tension Bits - Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Spot keeps growing while Karen and Plankton argue.]
 • Hgliss & Bell - Nicolas Carr [SpongeBob gets an idea.]
 • Hawaiian Misadventures B - Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton Jeremy Wakefield [Spot shrinks back after getting called down.]
 • Slide Whistle Stooges Theme - Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Ending.]

Release[]

• This episode is available on the SpongeBob SquarePants Vol. 22 digital collection and The Complete Thirteenth Season DVD.

Trivia[]

General[]

• This episode's title is a pun on the phrase "caring for spots."
• In Canada, this episode was originally going to air on January 28, 2023 at 10:15 AM, but was later postponed, and got replaced with a rerun of The Patrick Star Show episode "Pat-a-thon."
• This is the last episode of the main series to air under the 2017 Nick logo as well as the last episode to use the 2017-2023 Nickelodeon Productions at the end, following the network's re-brand that occurred in March that year.

Dub facts[]

• In Indonesia, this episode's title card is undubbed on Vision+. However, it is dubbed in Nickelodeon Asia airings.

Episode references[]

• Robot SpongeBob from "Welcome to the Chum Bucket" can be seen next to the wall inside the Chum Bucket.
• Barnacle Boy, as Barnacle Man from "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy V," is seen in the crowd in front of the Doomsday Device Expo.
• This is the second episode in which Gary plays with Spot, with the first being "Gary & Spot."
  • However, unlike this episode, they play with each other at night in that episode in secret.

Errors[]

• Spot is missing his three spots for a few seconds after Karen grabs him, and also when Karen drops him.
• As SpongeBob, Gary, Plankton, and Karen starting laughing, they are on the Chum Bucket, but as the camera zooms out, they aren't on the Chum Bucket anymore.

• As Plankton and Karen argue, Plankton's mouth is missing.

• When SpongeBob tells Karen that Gary has a playdate with Spot, the outline around his right iris is missing for a few frames.

• When SpongeBob talks to Karen and says, "Is he supposed to be getting bigger?," SpongeBob blinks, but his eyelashes are still seen for a split second.

Videos[]

Catch Up Now on Your DVR or Nick OnDemand Promo (January 28, 2023)

SpongeBob SquarePants - "Karen for Spot" + New Transformers EarthSpark Official Promo 1

SpongeBob SquarePants - "Karen for Spot" Official Promo 2

SpongeBob SquarePants - "Karen for Spot" Official Promo 3

Meet Karen & Plankton's New Pet Amoeba! 🦠 - "Karen For Spot" Full Scene - SpongeBob

Karen Explodes Their New Pet Spot! 🦠 - SpongeBob - Nickelodeon UK

References[]