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Encyclopedia SpongeBobia
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Encyclopedia SpongeBobia
This is the page about the original city. For other uses, see Bikini Bottom (disambiguation).
Here we see Bikini Bottom, te'eming with life. Home to one of my favorite creatures, SpongeBob SquarePants.
 
— The French Narrator, as he describes the city in "Help Wanted."
Location

Bikini Bottom is the main setting in the SpongeBob SquarePants series. It is an undersea city-state where SpongeBob and his friends live. According to Nickelodeon's program summary, Bikini Bottom is located in the Pacific Ocean, beneath Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands.[1]

The city's population fluctuates throughout the series. In "Nautical Novice," Mrs. Puff states that Bikini Bottom is home to millions of people. In "The Good Krabby Name," Bikini Bottom is shown to have an estimated population of about 500. The city has historically gone by the names of Bikini Bottomshire, Bikini Gulch, and temporarily, "Dead Eye Gulch".

The city is run by the mayor, and governed by the royal family, as they rule over the entire ocean.

It consists of several various different businesses, including restaurants, stores, and manufacturers. The city has a stable economy, a balanced education system, questionable healthcare, labor laws, a structured government, and a firm law-enforcement system. There are stadiums, amusement parks, and other recreational places such as Glove World! a recurring location in the series.

Bikini Bottom is home to almost all of the entire central cast of SpongeBob SquarePants.

Location[]

SpongeBob-Bikini-Bottom-town-map

A map of places in Bikini Bottom.

Bikini Bottom is located in the Pacific Ocean at the bottom of the ocean, below its signature island, Bikini Atoll. There is evidence of this in the franchise:

Geography[]

Bikini Bottom's geography consists of mountains, dense forests, lakes, lagoons, caves, grasslands, reefs, and rivers. In The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, volcanoes, trenches, and deserts are shown in the surrounding region. The following list includes major landmarks and businesses of the Bikini Bottom area.

Man Ray Returns 001

Conch Street.

Conch Street is a single road that runs from downtown to the outskirts of Bikini Bottom. It goes through the homes of SpongeBob, Squidward, and Patrick, as well as the Krusty Krab, Chum Bucket, and Reef Cinema.

When the skyline of Bikini Bottom is shown, features such as buildings, houses, and a massive anchor (not to be confused with the Krabs residence) can be seen. In earlier episodes of the series there exists a red flower arch, though after the first season it has disappeared entirely. In some episodes, a lighthouse appears in the skyline, most likely Mrs. Puff's Boating School. Other episodes feature the Krusty Krab's marquee. A large clam-shaped structure is seen in some episodes as well.

In the center of Bikini Bottom, its citizens work and live in gray, cylindrical buildings made of metal of various sizes. There are some other forms of buildings, mostly aquatic-themed as seen above. Farther out in the suburbs, residents tend to live in dwellings of more spartan construction, such as Patrick's rock, SpongeBob's hollowed-out pineapple, and Squidward's Easter Island head. In certain parts of the suburbs, some of the houses from downtown Bikini Bottom can be seen.

Architecture[]

Bikini Bottom's architecture seems to be primarily made from flotsam and jetsam, with
Smell bikinibottombuildings

Common Bikini Bottom buildings

no clear explanation to date as to its origins. The structures of the buildings in the main part of town tend to be somewhat crooked, possibly due to undersea currents. The homes that are made of more varied debris from the surface seem to be more indicative of Bikini Bottom's suburbs, possibly close to Goo Lagoon and Jellyfish Fields.

Inhabitants[]

The stated population of Bikini Bottom varies wildly, often by several orders of magnitude between estimates. Stephen Hillenburg, the creator of the series, confirmed that
Ripped Pants 121

Many Bikini Bottomites gathered around the lifeguard holding SpongeBob

Bikini Bottom is a "large city."[citation needed] A population with 538 is once stated in "WhoBob WhatPants." In the same episode, Sandy described it as "crowded and smoggy," characteristics of many big real life cities--although the physical look, economy, and traffic patterns of Bikini Bottom suggest that it is a much smaller city. A one-time Pretty Patties joint created by SpongeBob attracted 46,853 customers. Almost everyone from the city is there, which may suggest a population of around 50,000 Bikini Bottomites (though the colorful foodstuff's renown might have stretched beyond the city). In "Squilliam Returns," Squidward mentions Bikini Bottom is a "hick town," suggesting it is a smaller town. In "Krusty Towers," Squidward mentions Bikini Bottom is "in the middle of scenic nowhere," also suggesting a smaller population. However, for both of the latter examples, one must take into account Squidward's negative personality, which could indicate that there is nothing in Bikini Bottom for him. In "Nautical Novice," Mrs. Puff says: "We're going to flatten millions of innocent lives!" which could suggest that there's around 2 million people or more in Bikini Bottom, possibly including its surrounding area.

Establishments[]

Residential[]

Hide and Then What Happens 155

Map of Bikini Bottom (shown in "Hide and Then What Happens?")

Bikini Bottom has a variety of houses. Most of the central cast have one, of varied shape and sizes.

Health[]

Bikini Bottom has its own health department and several hospitals open for its residents:

Cuisine[]

Certain real-life foods are parodied and given an aquatic theme, but others are be based on the real-life aquatic foods. Like the real world, food ranges in many types such as potato chips, fast food, meat (beef jerky, burgers), and fancy foods. Kelpo, a cereal, is one of several popular brands in Bikini Bottom. It is shown that many products are advertised throughout the series. Krabby Patties, which are a popular food to ordinary people, rich people, and food critics alike, holds a positive reputation as edible food. Another fast-food restaurant, the Chum Bucket, sells comically distasteful food such as Chum Sticks, Chum Burgers, and other chum products. The cuisine in Bikini Bottom shown in the series is largely centered on fast food, but many others prefer fancy foods from Fancy! Other foods include the following:

Recreation and entertainment[]

Exercise[]

Restaurants[]

Say Awww! 001

The Krusty Krab

Karen for Spot 001

The Chum Bucket

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Weenie Hut Jr's

Stores[]

Education and Museums[]

Other Businesses/Services[]

Environment[]

Bikini Bottom is shown to be quite a clean city. Littering is strictly prohibited; Squidward has been shown to get several tickets for littering, some other characters have been charged with littering as a felony. The areas around Bikini Bottom are pristine. The only significant problem shown is that with the high population and the number of automobiles, Bikini Bottom can become very smoggy, as mentioned by Sandy in "Chimps Ahoy." Global warming has also affected Bikini Bottom, as seen in the educational short, "The Endless Summer." While the environment is usually tropical, occasionally icebergs lead to snowy conditions (as in "Snowball Effect"). In the Industrial Park, there are many toxic chemicals and pollution. Human fishermen also serve as a hazard for Bikini Bottomites.

Wildlife[]

Bikini Bottom has a certain range of wildlife such as grass, seaweed, and coral making up most of the flora, and some
Jellyfish Hunter 001

Jellyfish at Jellyfish Fields

fauna including jellyfish, worms, snails, clams, scallops, and urchins.

Animals[]

In Bikini Bottom, some animals are similar to those "animals" in the real world. Some are treated as pets, while others live in the wild, all lacking the sapience found in most of the central cast.

Jellyfish are similar to bees and butterflies (since they sting, while also being subject to a hobby whereby they are caught in nets). Many different types of jellyfish live in Bikini Bottom. Pink is the most common, but they also come in green, blue, orange, yellow, and purple. In the episode "The Secret Box," SpongeBob states that Patrick may have the world's only albino jellyfish. Jellyfish reside mainly in Jellyfish Fields, which has a population of four million Jellyfish. They make and live in hives, another similarity to real-world bees. In earlier episodes, jellyfish were plain pink, and later on more jellyfish began to appear with spots, but plain pink ones still exist. There is an annual Jellyfish migration that brings exotic species to Bikini Bottom, which are a variety of colors and shapes. Jellyfish are also somewhat similar to certain real-world beast of burden in that the extraction of jelly from them resembles milking, with the jelly being consumed on bread similarly to jelly produced from fruit. Jellyfishing is popular enough that in addition to merchandise such as jellyfish nets existing, entire conventions are held to celebrate the hobby.

Scallops and clams are similar to birds. They are usually found in groups at Goo Lagoon, seemingly acting as seagulls. Some types of clams also crow in the morning like roosters, while others come out at night and hoot like owls. They are usually orange or purple. There is also a colossal clam named Clamu, who lives in Oyster Stadium with at least one known child. Also, the medium-sized variants of clams are shown to be similar to wolves (like in the episodes "Texas," when they were seen howling, and "The Thing," when Squidward was attacked by a clam in the truck) and the larger variants are likely to be similar to non-sentient whales (like Clamu).

Sea slugs are seen in the video game SuperSponge. They are known to dislike everyone.

Seahorses, which are similar to horses, can be ridden and are very interested in food. SpongeBob kept a seahorse named Mystery in "My Pretty Seahorse." Further cementing the link between sea and land horses is Squidward telling SpongeBob to, "Stop seahorsing around" in "Bubble Buddy," the game Pin-the-tail-on-the-seahorse in "Opposite Day," and the appearance of seahorse-radish in "Nasty Patty."

The Alaskan Bull Worm is a large, omnivorous worm that attacked various parts of Bikini Bottom while its residents were sleeping in "Sandy, SpongeBob, and the Worm." It eventually went on to destroy the entire city. Only one known specimen has made an appearance to date.

Sea urchins are small bug-like creatures whose bites cause severe irritation (a possible similarity to fire ants or mosquitoes).

Nematodes are worm-like creatures that travel in groups and consume common objects, and even entire houses, by eating or drinking them (a possible similarity to termites). They once destroyed SpongeBob's house by sucking the pineapple juice out of it in "Home Sweet Pineapple," and another time they almost destroyed the Krusty Krab in "Best Day Ever."

There are ray, which act like eagles.

There are sea bears, as seen in "The Camping Episode."

Other animals are treated as pets. Two common pets are snails and worms. Snails are similar to cats, as they meow and hiss, and are also known to lurk in alleys and forests. There are also wild species of snails which are much larger than domestic snails, another parallel to cats. The most prominent snail character in the series is Gary, who is owned by SpongeBob. Worms are similar to dogs, as they are seen being walked by their owners and bark. Mr. Krabs has a worm named Mr. Doodles, recurring several times in the series. At one point SpongeBob has also owned a worm named Rex, an angry snail named Larry, and a jellyfish.

Eras[]

Basic Prehistoric Era[]

SB-129 133

The Basic Prehistoric Era is the earliest era known in the SpongeBob series. It appeared in the episode "SB-129," when Squidward used the time machine to go back home from the 41st century, under the impression that simply going to the "past" would transport him back to present day.

The only known inhabitants were primitive ancestors of SpongeBob and Patrick, jellyfish, an ammonite, some trilobites, and a tapeworm. The sponge and starfish had no language of any kind, did not know how to start a fire, and did not know anything of tool-making until taught how to make jellyfish nets by Squidward.

Advanced Prehistoric Era[]

Prehist1 Stitch

The Advanced Prehistoric Era was the second earliest era known after the Basic Prehistoric Era in the series. In this period, featured in "Ugh," advancements surpassed those of the Basic Prehistoric Era. In what would later become Bikini Bottom, resided SpongeGar, Patar, Squog, Prehistoric Gary, the non-sapient Prehistoric Krabs, and other animals, such as jellyfish. At the beginning of the episode, SpongeGar, Patar, and Squog spoke a primitive language, resided in basic houses, owned and used weapons, and discovered fire during the course of the episode. SpongeGar already owned Prehistoric Gary, indicating that animal domestication had already taken place.

This era can also be seen in the PC version of Lights, Camera, Pants! and "Atlantis SquarePantis."

Spongebob cave men

Advanced Prehistoric Era Squog SpongeGar, and Patar



Medieval times[]

BBS
Bikini Bottom, then called Bikini Bottomshire, was presented in the middle ages in the episode, "Dunces and Dragons." The dialogue suggests that most of the episode takes place sometime before the twelfth century AD (assuming the town had adopted the Julian calendar). The totalitarian sorcerer Planktonamor reigned briefly, until SpongeBob and Patrick were sent by King Krabs to rescue his daughter Princess Pearl Krabs, slay the Dragon Jellyfish, and restore the Krabs monarchy.
  • Places
    • King Krabs' Castle: A massive castle that King Krabs and Princess Pearl lived in. There were stained glass windows depicting a prophecy, a guillotine (anachronistically), and a dungeon in which Squidly Tentacles was held for a short time. Its basic shape resembles the Krusty Krab.
    • Planktonamor's tower: Planktonamor's tower was gargantuan, and the only inhabitants were Planktonamor, Glass Ball Karen, and the fearsome dragon Jellyfish. It contained a huge spiral staircase.
    • The Village: The main area of Bikini Bottom in medieval times. There was a hospital, a hotel, Ye Old Bowling Alley, an old-folks home, and a massive area of farmland.
    • Armor Shop: A store that crafted and sold armor and weaponry. There was only one known employee, that being the owner.

Western times[]

In an era similar to America's Western times, Bikini Bottom was called Bikini Gulch, a town featured in "Pest of the West." It was temporarily known as Dead Eye Gulch when Dead Eye Plankton ruled and practically owned the
Pest of the West 046

Old West Bikini Bottom

entire town. The Krusty Kantina was the only known business run by someone other than Dead-Eye Plankton during his reign of terror. The stores and houses in Dead Eye Gulch were made up of wood, and cacti and the skulls of dead animals could be seen in most parts. Seahorses and coffins were used for transportation. Unlike today's Bikini Bottom, the area was very rural.

Places

  • The Krusty Kantina: Owned by Pappy Krabs. The Krusty Kantina was almost bankrupt due to Dead Eye Plankton keeping all the money the business earned. It had a stage that Western Pufferfish danced on, and a piano that could be operated by placing a coin into the coin slot, or manually. The only person known to operate the piano in either capacity was Hopalong Squidward Tentacles.
  • Dead Eye Funeral Parlor and Ice Cream Parlor: An establishment that bizarrely specialized in handmade coffins and ice cream at the same time.
  • Old Dead Tree Hill: A cemetery for all of the past sheriffs who had been killed by Dead Eye Plankton. This cemetery had already been filled when SpongeBuck SquarePants came to the town.
  • Boot Hill: The second cemetery built for other past sheriffs that had been killed by Dead Eye Plankton.

1830s[]

Dopey Dick 003

In a black and white era similar to the Western era, Fishmael Tentacles was searching for a job in the 1830s Bikini Bottom. He enters the Jelly Squirt Inn and meets Pat-Buck Star who gets him a job by going onto the Ye Olde Pineapple with Captain SpongeHab to catch Dopey Dick, who was later captured by Capn' A. Krabs and Planky.

Early modern Bikini Bottom[]

Sometime in the twentieth century, the city was small with only 38 citizens. The town was somewhat primitive in its infrastructure, with windmills generating energy and wells being the primary water source. Over time, the city would grow to be more urban, becoming the city it is today.

41st Century[]

Chrome2

Bikini Bottom in the 41st century

In the 41st century, everything is painted chrome. The only residents shown are SpongeTron, his 486 clones, PatTron, and the Chrome Spray Painter. The only place shown is the Krusty Krab and its surroundings, which have no other noteworthy changes. In "SB-129," Squidward traveled here by running into a freezer to hide in modern times, getting stuck, and freezing himself solid until SpongeTron found him.

51st Century[]

The 51st century was seen in the episode "SpongeHenge." At that point in time, the chrome will have been entirely removed, and there will be aliens in glass containers instead of fish. The three aliens also discovered the SpongeBob stones.
SpongeHenge location-8

The Sponge monuments seen in the 51st century


Trade[]

Restaurants[]

Krusty Krab[]

The Krusty Krab is Bikini Bottom's premier eatery. Its most well-known and served product is the Krabby Patty. In most episodes, it is the most popular restaurant in the city.

Chum Bucket[]

This is an unpopular restaurant run by Plankton, often devoid of any business altogether. In "Plankton's Regular," Plankton's only known regular customer was revealed to be paid by Karen to even come. However, in some episodes, it becomes a short-lived success, such as "Chum Fricassee" and "Chum Bucket Supreme." On a few occasions, such as The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, the Chum Bucket becomes largely successful, although this was due to Plankton's control of the citizens of Bikini Bottom and the lack of any management at the Krusty Krab.

Shell Shack[]

The Shell Shack is a popular restaurant at an unknown location. It is mentioned only in the episode "Patty Hype," when Incidental 6 and Fred meet in the street and say that "there's a talking dog over at the Shell Shack!"

Diner[]

The Diner is shaped like a big boat with a lit-up sign. It has been featured in episodes such as "Chocolate with Nuts" and "Missing Identity." It also appears in the PC game, Employee of the Month.

Kelpshake[]

The Kelpshake was once a popular place to buy delicious shakes until it was discovered that the drink could cause the abnormal growth of fuzzy kelp on one's body.

Weenie Hut Jr's[]

This is an ice cream bar that appeared in the episode "No Weenies Allowed." Nerds are the standard customers and a robot is the only known employee.

Super Weenie Hut Jr's[]

A "super" version of Weenie Hut Jr's seen in "No Weenies Allowed" and "Stuck in the Wringer."

Sea Chicken Shack[]

A restaurant that sells burgers and has an enormous chicken statue outside of it. It appeared in "The Masterpiece" and has not been seen since.

Fancy![]

This expensive restaurant in Bikini Bottom has been seen in "Krusty Love," "Chocolate with Nuts," "Le Big Switch," "SpongeBob LongPants," "Married To Money," "My Two Krabses," and "Kooky Cooks." It is in the shape of a ship in a bottle. It appears that only wealthy Bikini Bottomites eat here.
Kooky Cooks 001

Fancy!

Goofy Goober's Ice Cream Party Boat[]

An ice cream parlor most prominently featured in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie and in smaller appearances in recent times. Children, their parents, as well as SpongeBob and Patrick, are the main customers. It may be the home of Goofy Goober, the parlor's mascot.

Stores[]

Education and Museums[]

Boating School 053

Boating School crash

Other Businesses/Services[]

Politics[]

Government[]

BRGIME~1

First Mayor of Bikini Bottom seen on the show

Bikini Bottom under what is implied to be an absolute monarchy. There have been various monarchs present, such as the previously mentioned King Krabs and Princess Pearl, and King Neptune's family as seen in the present day.

The Flag of Bikini Bottom, as seen in front of the courthouse, is a clamshell with an anchor on a white field.

In the episode "Good Neighbors," Bikini Bottom is mentioned to have a president, and a mayor is seen several times throughout the series,
Mayor

Second Mayor of Bikini Bottom seen on the show

so its own government is likely similar to that of a republic. It is possible that this President functions as the head of government with King Neptune being Head of State.
Femalemayor

Third Mayor of Bikini Bottom seen in the show

Law[]

Bikini Bottom enforces many strict laws. The city's laws prohibit theft, murder, parking in a No Parking zone, parking next to a fire hydrant, littering (though punished far more severely than almost any real-world nation), driving blindfolded, public nudity, and running through red lights whether driving or on foot. SpongeBob gets arrested for throwing a party without inviting police officers in "Party Pooper Pants." As seen in "Little Yellow Book," there is even a law for reading another person's diary without permission, punished by being held in stocks while pelted by tomatoes.
The Court House
Bikini Bottom has a courthouse, in which trials take place like any Western court, except without a prosecutor. The only known two trials shown are in the episodes "Krabs vs. Plankton" and "The Krusty Sponge." In the former, Plankton attempts to sue Mr. Krabs for everything he owns because the failed restaurateur slipped on the Krusty Krab floor when there was no wet floor sign. Strangely, despite the trial being of a civil nature, Krabs' guilt is weighed by the jury, rather than damages. This implies a separation between criminal and civil law in Bikini Bottom is almost nonexistent. In "The Krusty Sponge," Mr. Krabs gets arrested for poisoning his customers with the Spongy Patties. The jury, who were made up of victims of the poisoning, reach a 'guilty' verdict (even though it, like the previous trial, was of a civil nature). After seeing the judge with a SpongeBob gavel, Mr. Krabs bribes him to avoid punishment.

Crime[]

The Executive Treatment 174
Bikini Bottom has two prisons: The Institution for the Criminally Tiny and Bikini Bottom Jail for everyone else. The Bikini Bottom Police Department is a reasonably fair organization, despite sometimes arresting citizens for no real reason. SpongeBob and Patrick were imprisoned in "Life of Crime" for stealing
Life of Crime 190

Bikini Bottom police

a balloon, then released only to be told that it was National Free Balloon Day. In the game Creature from the Krusty Krab, the army makes an appearance. The army's equipment includes helicopters with giant nets (used to capture Plankton), tanks, special laser machines, and electric fields.

Education[]

  • Mrs. Puff's Boating School: The Boating School, with classes taught by Mrs. Puff. The superintendent is Mr. Fitz, and at one point the place was run by Sergeant Roderick.
  • Poseidon Elementary School: The place where Plankton and Mr. Krabs went to school, as seen in "Friend or Foe."
  • Bikini Bottom Community College: The place where Flats the Flounder and Patrick went for a college education.
  • The Rec Center/Adult Learning Center: Hosts cooking and art Lessons. Squidward has taught there.
  • Bikini Bottom High School: The place where Pearl Krabs and her friends go to school. There is a gym where dances are held, as seen in "The Chaperone."
Patrick-Man! 079
  • Bikini Bottom Elementary: Another primary school.
  • Bikini Bottom Prestigious Music College: Music classes are instructed here. Squidward also taught art here.
  • Bikini Bottom University: Sandy and Karen reeducated the people of Bikini Bottom here after they were all rained on by the Salsa Imbecilicus.

Transportation[]

Bikini Bottom has a wide array of different transportation systems. As in the real world, roads and highways serve Bikini Bottom's buses, taxis, and boats, the latter of which function like cars. An airport is seen in Bikini Bottom, as well as a lighthouse near the edge of Goo Lagoon. Driving is on the left side of the road, with the steering wheel on the right-hand side of the car.
Dumped 129

A common Bikini Bottom Bus and Bus Stop

Bikini Bottom's main road is Conch Street. Conch Street runs from SpongeBob's, Patrick's, and Squidward's houses, past the Krusty Krab and the Chum Bucket, and stretches as far as downtown Bikini Bottom. It intersects with Coral Avenue, which is located in downtown Bikini Bottom. A series of highways run just on the outskirts of the city, and in the middle of downtown; a thruway is present. The highways were rarely seen in the series since most of the series does not take place by the highways. A road leads from King Neptune's castle to Bikini Bottom, as seen in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. Another road leads from Bikini Bottom to Rock Bottom, which also goes past Glove World. An interesting feature of this road is that for a distance it runs straight down a cliff. The only ways up from the bottom are by bus or with a balloon.

The name of the city bus service is Snailways. This bus service stops almost everywhere in Bikini Bottom and beyond. Like any city, Bikini Bottom has a huge traffic issue, with roads and highways clogged up, even in the afternoon. It is very common for somebody coming back from work to be stuck in traffic.

As shown in "The Great Patty Caper," Bikini Bottom also has locomotives.

In the episode, "SpongeBob's Last Stand," a highway named Shelly Superhighway was built by Sheldon J. Plankton. It pullulated Bikini Bottom, as more traffic was created, congested on many parts of the highway, and destroyed Jellyfish Fields before everything was restored when the citizens destroyed the highway.

The episode, "Bumper to Bumper," showed that there is a ten-lane Intertidal Seaway somewhere near Bikini Bottom that seems to have heavy traffic, particularly during rush hour.

Health[]

The well-being of an average Bikini Bottomite is unknown, but Bikini Bottom has a few hospitals and health centers, in which doctors make house calls.

Culture[]

The Arts give Bikini Bottom a better outlook on knowledge and creativity. Bikini Bottom houses three museums: The Fry Cook Museum, the Hook Museum, and the boating museum, seen in "Nautical Novice." Bikini Bottom also has a music hall, a convention center, and an art society. Squidward Tentacles contributes to many of the arts and music Bikini Bottom has to offer. However, Bottomites universally hate Squidward's artistic contributions to the community, to the point of his art getting destroyed in some episodes out of how horrible people find it to be, such as when Fiasco melts one of Squidward's statues.
Artist Unknown 001

Bikini Bottom recreational center

Climate[]

Bikini Bottom's climate is typically sunny and mild. The city does at times receive rain, thunderstorms, and measurable snowfall in the winter. On a few occasions, the day is very hot or very cold. In the episode "Snowball Effect," snowfall takes place when an iceberg is located above the city.
Snowball Effect 008

Bikini Bottom covered in snow

In "Mutiny on the Krusty," it is also shown Bikini Bottom can also receive rip currents. The city has also been affected by global warming in "The Endless Summer."

Disasters[]

Bikini Bottom has been destroyed at least eleven times. SpongeBob has destroyed Bikini Bottom twice: once in "Dying for Pie" with an exploding pie gifted to him by Squidward, and once in "The Krusty Plate" when he blew up the entire town with his Spot-Master 6000.

  • "Wormy": The city is under mass hysteria when SpongeBob and Patrick warn them of a "monster," leading to the wreckage of the city.
    Wormy 193
  • "Hall Monitor": SpongeBob causes chaos in the city when he abuses his power as the hall monitor at Mrs. Puff's Boating School.
    Hall Monitor 081a
  • "Prehibernation Week": Sandy aggressively checks every Bottomite house to see if SpongeBob was there, leading to the town being destroyed.
  • "Something Smells": When SpongeBob runs out of ingredients, he decides to make his own concoction, the peanut onion sundae. After eating it, he goes downtown and causes some disarraying results that affect the Bikini Bottomites. Later, at Reef Cinema, Patrick tries some of SpongeBob's creation, and together they manage to melt the entire cinema.
    Something Smells 034
  • "Once Bitten": A false outbreak of the fabricated illness "Mad Snail Disease," turns the residents of the city into "zombies," crippling the economy and leading to a riot that destroys the city.
    Once Bitten 101
  • "Good Neighbors": Squidward's house turns into a giant robot when the security system malfunctions due to SpongeBob and Patrick's apology cake. The robot subsequently destroys Bikini Bottom.
    Good Neighbors 174
  • "Sandy, SpongeBob, and the Worm": Alaskan Bull Worm Incident - An Alaskan bull worm enters the city and consumes almost everything in sight, so the citizens dig up Bikini Bottom and move it into a city-sized trench in hopes of escaping the worm's appetite. However, the worm falls into the trench when it tries to eat SpongeBob and Sandy and crushes the city.
    Good Neighbors 40
  • "Dying for Pie": Squidward purchases a pie to make up for employee brotherhood day, despite some of the pirates who sold it telling him it was a bomb. When Mr. Krabs tries it, he drops it, and it almost kills the two. SpongeBob then finds it and Squidward and Mr. Krabs find SpongeBob acting as he ate it, and Krabs told Squidward that SpongeBob will be dead by sunset. Squidward makes sure that SpongeBob's last hours are his best, and he spends quality time with him. At sunset, an explosion occurs, but Squidward finds out it was really a bubble bomb created by SpongeBob, and SpongeBob tells him he was saving the pie so they could share it, but he trips on a rock and the pie drops on Squidward's face, and an explosion the size of a nuclear bomb occurs.
  • The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: Plankton controls everyone in Bikini Bottom, reconstructs the whole town in his own honor, and calls it Planktopolis.
  • "Sing a Song of Patrick": Patrick writes a song called "Twinkle, Twinkle, Patrick Star, which he and SpongeBob decide to get on the radio. The people that work at the radio station reject the song, so SpongeBob and Patrick decide to put the record on top of the tower so that it plays throughout Bikini Bottom. The citizens panic and wreak havoc around the city.
  • "The Krusty Plate": When SpongeBob gets forced to work overtime at the Krusty Krab cleaning dishes, he accidentally causes some form of molecular distortion around the town, while trying vigorously to clean a plate.
  • "Gift of Gum": Patrick eats Gummy and blows a giant bubble that engulfs the entire town.
    The Gift of Gum 124
  • "Doing Time" and "Mrs. Puff, You're Fired": SpongeBob takes the driving test, and causes urban destruction in the meantime.
  • "SpongeBob's Last Stand": Jellyfish displaced by a new highway system attack Bikini Bottom.
  • "The Clash of Triton": SpongeBob gets tricked into letting Neptune's son, Triton, out of his cage, and the prince starts wrecking Bikini Bottom with his god powers, and whenever he touches the buildings, they blow up. Triton also writes his name in the middle of town with his powers which causes at least ten buildings to blow up.
  • "The Krabby Patty That Ate Bikini Bottom": At the Krusty Krab, there is a massive flow of a patty everywhere, eating Bikini Bottom.
    The Krabby Patty That Ate Bikini Bottom 141
  • The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water: After the formula is taken by Burger Beard, The Great Krabby Patty Famine starts, causing Bikini Bottom to fall to its knees and become an apocalyptic cesspool.
  • "Snooze You Lose": Lab Squidward, in which are one of the plans made by SpongeBob and Patrick being foiled in order for Squidward's audition to be heard at Philarmonic Concert Hall, causes havoc in Bikini Bottom.
  • "Krabby Patty Creature Feature": After hearing several customers asking what is new to the menu, Mr. Krabs cooperates with Sandy to create a new and improved Krabby Patty. However, the new patty
    Krabby Patty Creature Feature 144
    comes with a terrible side-effect: whoever ate the secret patty gets turned into a Krabby Patty zombie. Soon, almost everyone in Bikini Bottom who ate the new patty (except SpongeBob) cause chaos and nearly destroy part of the city.
  • "The String": Bikini Bottom presumably gets destroyed when SpongeBob unravels all of Bikini Bottom and the Milky Way with the string.
    The String 094
  • "Stormy Weather": After Drizzle escaped the big reef blower attached to a construction machine, he angrily then took Gale’s body in control, and made him do what he want him to do. He gave much pain using wind, snow, and thunder to him, but these weather conditions as a result in destroying Bikini Bottom.
    Potato Puff 154
  • "Potato Puff": At the Dynamite Factory, Incidental 73KID and the bikers accidentally crash into the factory while chasing SpongeBob, resulting in a huge explosion, causing Bikini Bottom to burn in flames.
  • "The Drooling Fool": Patrick's non-stop drooling has ended up flooding the whole Bikini Bottom. One week later, the Bikini Bottom is ruined with burning pipe houses.
    Super Stars 102
  • "Super Stars": Despite the Patrick family become SuperStars, their deeds around their city have made Bikini Bottom into flames. The city was later seen in the end that it became dust.
  • Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie: When a giant claw comes into the ocean, it grabs Bikini Bottom and was scooped out of the ocean, excluding SpongeBob, Sandy, and Sparky where Bikini Bottom was taken to B.O.O.T.S. Marine Technology Lab at Galveston, Texas when Sue Nahmee planned to turn Bikini Bottomites into Sea Pals. SpongeBob and Sandy saved Bikini Bottom from Sue Nahmee with the help of the Cheeks family.
    Saving Bikini Bottom The Sandy Cheeks Movie 061

Media[]

Bikini Bottom has many forms of media. Newspapers, magazines, radio, and television contribute to Bikini Bottom's widespread news and entertainment.

  • The largest newspaper in the city is a quality daily, The Bikini Times. It is a broadsheet that features the regular news, sports, lifestyle features, arts, entertainment, travel, business, classifieds, as well as daily comics. The newspaper's largest edition, Bikini Sunday Times, comes out on Sunday, a thick edition packed with multiple sections, advertising inserts, a Sunday Times Magazine, and an expanded comics section. At times, the Sunday edition exceeds 300 pages, with an average of about 250 pages on Sunday, and an average of about 30-80 pages daily. One of the comics is called The Wisenheimers. It is the most respected and read newspaper in the city. The newspaper is the most expensive in Bikini Bottom, $2.00 for a daily edition, and $5.00 for a Sunday edition.
  • The second-largest newspaper in the city is a daily tabloid, The Examiner. Like its counterpart, The Times, it features news, sports, and lifestyle features and its largest edition is issued on Sunday. Despite its tabloid format, it is still a well-respected newspaper in the city. Its prices are considerably cheaper than The Times, costing 75 cents for a daily edition and $1.75 for a Sunday edition.
  • The city has one main weekly newspaper, Bikini Weekly. This newspaper is free and widely distributed throughout Bikini Bottom. It is printed each Thursday, and usually contains 70-100 pages per edition, in its tabloid format.
  • There are two science magazines called the "Bikini Bottom Inquirer" (a parody of The National Inquirer) and "Fake Science Monthly" seen in the episode: "The Camping Episode." There is a men's fashion-centered magazine that is called, "Long, Tan and Handsome." There are two dance magazines: "Dance Now," and "Interpretive Dance Quarterly." Other magazines include "Squid Ink," "Boring Science Digest," and "Fancy Living Digest."
  • There are many singers and there also appears to be boy bands and rock bands; the first being "Boys Who Cry" (R&B) that Pearl enjoys and "Stingray 5000" (Album Rock), one of whose albums Patrick happily found in the dumpster, and "Ned and the Needlefish" (AAA), who appear in the episode: "Wigstruck." Also, SpongeBob and Squidward form a band in "Hello Bikini Bottom."
  • There is Bikini Bottom News (television newscast anchored by Perch Perkins, who at times is also a field reporter, and the Realistic Fish Head along with Bob Preflumster, Barbara, and food critic Gene Scallop) and many different TV channels such as Sport, Lifestyle, and a "Secret Channel."
  • Some of the radio stations in Bikini Bottom are WH20-FM (as of 2006, Hot Adult Contemporary/Adult Top 40), which aired the Best Day Ever album and has a jingle with female liners as "WH20," KRUM (Rhythmic-leaning Top 40/Dance), who aired the hit "Electric Zoo," and KOLD (as of 2001, it was Oldies/MOR in the Morning). Another Radio station heard in "A Day Without Tears" is known to play Classic hits, such as songs from Eely Dan (A parody of Steely Dan) (which could actually be KOLD). Also, there is KRUD with "You Won’t Get Away with Stealing My Car" hits most likely with a variety of songs about not getting away with stealing cars.
    • Since KOLD was first mentioned in 2001, it could be that, much like other oldies stations that existed back then, KOLD evolved or shifted from softer Oldies to more rock-based Classic Hits by 2010, and could have restricted or outright rotated out the MOR songs to the point where it could have been the classic hits station in "A Day Without Tears."
  • House Fancy is a show that Squidward was always hoping to appear on, and eventually did. The host is a fish with groomed blonde hair named Nicholas Withers. Squidward also appeared on the Bikini Bottom Public Access television program with his show, Squidward Chat, after his favorite show was replaced by Guitar Lord.

Sports[]

Bikini Bottom has its own unique array of sports and competitions, as well as ones resembling those in the real world.

  • The Fry Cook Games is a spoof of the Olympic Summer and Winter Games, but with fast food based tasks. The Fry Cook Games are held at Bikini Bottom's Fast Food Coliseum. Mr. Krabs and Plankton go head-to-head against each other until the 21st Fry Cook Games
    The Fry Cook Games 001
    . There, SpongeBob represented the Krusty Krab and Patrick represented The Chum Bucket. In the 21st Fry Cook Games, there were at least eight events. The tiebreaker was bun wrestling, which had no clear winner.
  • The Great Snail Race is an annual race between snails at Oyster Stadium, which is located in the Bikini Bottom Zoo. At the pre-game ceremony, of the 102nd Running of the Snail, Lightning Larry Luciano (The winner of the first race) lights the Torch of Good Sportsmanship (although very slowly). After the torch is lit, the games begin. The first snail to make it across the finish line wins. The result of the 102nd race ends with Rocky, an actual rock (won by default, owned by Patrick) in the first place, Snellie (disqualified, owned by Squidward) in second place, and Gary in the last place, disqualified due to SpongeBob's coach running onto the race track.
  • The Anchor Toss Competition and Weightlifting is a contest of strong ocean dwellers tossing a large anchor on a 510+ yard field. A referee goes and measures the distance between the person tossing and the anchor, but is
    MuscleBob BuffPants 131
    constantly hit by it. SpongeBob was part of the contest, along with Sandy Cheeks, Don the Whale, and Larry the Lobster.
  • Weight lifting is very popular at Goo Lagoon, which even hosts championships.
  • Jellyfishing is a fictional sport that is similar to butterfly-catching. It involves hunting jellyfish using a usually wooden net and a jar. The sport was first seen in "Tea at the Treedome."
  • Bubble blowing is another hobby in Bikini Bottom. However, the only known bubble blowers are SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star, although Squidward has blown bubbles before. SpongeBob once set up The Bubblestand in the episode "Bubblestand" and charged 25 cents for bubble blowing or for lessons. There is a special technique to bubble-blowing which SpongeBob invented. Some awkward shapes of bubbles include an elephant, butterflies, worms, among others. Two bubble-themed episodes are "Bubblestand" and "Bubble Buddy."
  • The Demolition Derby is an event that was held in the episode "Demolition Doofus." The event is run by Captain Lutefisk and it is where competitors do battle against each other driving in boats.
    Demolition Doofus 070
    Other than SpongeBob and Mrs. Puff, the other known competitors of the Demolition Derby are The Kruncher, Blowtorch, The Cackling Cruiser, and Divin' Bell Dale. Though SpongeBob and Mrs. Puff left the derby itself, SpongeBob (who was going by the name "Le Squish") was the winner of the derby. Mrs. Puff went under the name "The Huff."

Other sports include those that are played by people in the real world, such as volleyball, karate, and hot-dog-eating contests. Swimming is a very popular sport at Goo Lagoon. There are small circular pools elsewhere in the city. Volleyball is just like the real sport, and usually played at Goo Lagoon. Karate is a popular sport for SpongeBob and Sandy. Some Karate moves include the Double Overhand Squirrel Knot, the Squirrel, and the Tin Cans. Two karate-themed episodes are "Karate Choppers" and "Karate Island." A hot dog eating contest is briefly shown during the episode "SpongeGuard on Duty."

Holidays[]

Bikini Bottom has its share of holidays. It has five main holidays, as in the real world like:

Christmas Bikini Bottom

Bikini Bottom in "It's a SpongeBob Christmas!"

  • Christmas (seen in "Christmas Who? and "It's a SpongeBob Christmas!") (December 25),
  • Easter (seen in "Breath of Fresh Squidward") (varies by year and tradition),
  • Independence Day (seen in "Breath of Fresh Squidward") (July 4).

Five minor holidays are celebrated in Bikini Bottom, also occasionally celebrated in the real world:

Other holidays are not known in the real world, but are known in Bikini Bottom include:

Events[]

There are popular events that take place in Bikini Bottom. Most of these events take place at Goo Lagoon. Such events include the following:

  • The Anchor Toss Competition
    Larry The Lobster (Ripped Pants)2
  • Hotdog Chug Contest
  • Sand Castle Competition
  • Surfing Competition and Weight Lifting Competition

National Anthem[]

Bikini Bottom has its own national anthem, which goes as follows:

Oh, Bikini Bottom,
We pledge our hearts to you!
As faithful, as deep, as true, as blue,
Bikini Bottom, we love you!

It is first heard when Plankton, inside his Mr. Krabs Robot, sings the anthem along with SpongeBob in "Imitation Krabs." The anthem also makes an appearance in the stage version of "Bikini Bottom Day," sung by the city's citizens.

Panoramic images[]

Crashed Bikini Bottom[]

Neighboring and other cities[]

There are places and features outside Bikini Bottom. Many of them appear in video games.

Other towns, cities, and suburbs in SpongeBob SquarePants include Rock Bottom, Bass Vegas, Ukulele Bottom, Apple World, Atlantis, Leisure Village, Tentacle Acres, Palm Bay, and Bottoms Up/Waverly Hills, New Kelp City, plus Bikini Atoll on the surface. SpongeBob and Patrick made it to Shell City in five days from Bikini Bottom, on foot and by car.

Alternate Universes[]

Binary Bottom[]

Binary Bottom is one of the alternate counterparts of Bikini Bottom. Instead of being civilized by fish citizens, they are replaced and inhabited by robots and holograms of people, including the mailman. It appears in the episode "Welcome to Binary Bottom."
Binary Bottom

Trivia[]

  • Unlike real-life cities, to serve milkshakes to others, one must have a license.[5]
  • The player could build their very own Bikini Bottom in the now unavailable game SpongeBob Moves In!
  • Bikini Bottom was first discovered by two dolphins and a blowfish.[6]
  • In the movies (excluding Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie), Bikini Bottom's sign is on the left of the city instead on the right as seen in the series.
  • Bikini Bottom is shown to have suburbs such as Ukulele Bottom, which is the main setting in The Patrick Star Show.

References[]


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