"Sandy's Country Christmas" is a SpongeBob SquarePants episode from season 14. In this episode, when one of Sandy's experiments goes awry, the Cheeks family team up to save Christmas in Bikini Bottom.
Characters[]
- Sandy Cheeks
- SpongeBob SquarePants
- Santa Claus
- Cheeks family
- Pearl Krabs
- Eugene H. Krabs
- Patrick Star
- Squidward Tentacles
- Mrs. Puff
- Slappy
- Larry the Lobster
- French Narrator
- Incidentals
- Incidental 83A (credited as Old Man Walker)
This list is incomplete, but you can help Encyclopedia SpongeBobia by expanding it.
Synopsis[]
Act 1[]
The French Narrator finishes playing a banjo while introducing the episode at Bikini Atoll. With it being Christmas Eve, the Bikini Bottomites are getting ready for Christmas, while Sandy works on one of her experiments. SpongeBob gets the tinsel to help finish Sandy's experiment, which she reveals is for spreading Christmas to all of Bikini Bottom. She uses her experiment on a tree, but it doesn't work. SpongeBob and Sandy hear a whistle from outside the treedome and go outside to first see Slappy, but the Cheeks family soon arrive on a boat. The Cheeks family mention that they made the travel from Texas to spend the holidays with Sandy in a surprise visit.
The Cheeks family perform the Country Carol at the Krusty Krab.
SpongeBob's foghorn alarm goes off to signal him for a Christmas Eve shift at the Krusty Krab. Sandy and her family follow him, as Mr. Krabs is collecting tips through Squidward's caroling. The customers, and Squidward himself, are both dissatisfied, as Ma Cheeks decides that her family wants to perform as well. They perform a Country Carol, and the customers applaud their performance and send tips to Mr. Krabs afterwards. Sandy then tells everyone that there will be a surprise at her treedome later that night.
Rosie and Rowdy use the ornament to make the Christmas tree bigger.
Sandy finishes her experiment using an ornament she took from the Krusty Krab earlier, and it ends up as a success. Her family also mentions that they want to perform a stunt to show off to everyone. Later in the evening, everyone arrives at the treedome as Sandy prepares to show off her experiment. A Christmas tree blooms after she tests it, as she sets the spotlight on her family. The Cheeks family perform their circus show in the treedome while Santa approaches Bikini Bottom. Rowdy and Rosie want to bring a special surprise for Santa, so they steal Sandy's experiment and pour more of it into the Christmas tree. The tree grows a considerable amount, and Santa flies right into it and ends up falling to the ground.
Act 2[]
Santa in a state of delirium.
Sandy checks on Santa after his fall, with Santa now in a state of delirium. The Bikini Bottomites leave frustrated and dejected as Sandy laments that she is at fault for Christmas being ruined. The Bikini Bottomites remove their Christmas decorations as Sandy performs a sad song with her family and SpongeBob in the treedome. Rowdy and Rosie appear from above them, as they found Santa's sleigh with everyone's gifts.
Despite Ma and Pa Cheeks stating that Santa's state removes the purpose of Christmas, Granny Cheeks brings up a story of how they experienced the holiday without Santa. She mentions that the family have done their own gift exchange, encouraging SpongeBob to rally Sandy's family to deliver everyone's gifts. After a series of several unsuccessful attempts, SpongeBob, Sandy, and her family reassemble Santa's sleigh and set to deliver the presents, with Santa still delirious.
Rosie and Rowdy deliver sand to Patrick's house.
The Cheeks family and SpongeBob perform the Country Carol again as they deliver everyone's presents, bringing the Christmas spirit back to the town. They stop by the Krusty Krab and Squidward and Patrick's houses in the process, as Sandy soon finds out that they don't have enough time to finish delivering the presents. Rowdy and Rosie reveal that they still have some of Sandy's experiment left, which the family powers up as they continue singing, giving them more fuel to deliver the presents.
The sun rises as SpongeBob and the Cheeks family land at Sandy's treedome, and Santa soon returns to his normal state. Santa thanks all of them for fixing his sleigh, as the townspeople soon show up to show their gratitude. The Cheeks family acknowledge their joy of spending the holiday together as they leave with the giant Christmas tree that Sandy gifted to them as a new home. SpongeBob, Sandy, and Santa wave goodbye to them as the French Narrator concludes the story.
Production[]
This episode was confirmed on December 24, 2023.[1]
On the United States Copyright Office catalog, this episode is listed as having a publication date of July 24, 2024, which may be its completion date.[2]
Promotion[]
On November 18, 2024, the episode's promotional poster was released[3] and the first promo for this episode aired.[4]
Behind the scenes[]
On November 26, 2024, a CBS Newspath article was published on WKRC-TV's (Cincinnati's CBS and The CW affiliate) website, featuring behind-the-scenes images and a video behind the stop-motion animation for the episode.[5]
Between December 2, 2024 and January 7, 2025, director of photography Aaron Wise published several individual posts to his Instagram containing behind-the-scenes images and videos, primarily focused on the lighting and cinematography.[6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]
On December 25, 2024, Screen Novelties posted several behind-the-scenes materials to their official Instagram, showcasing the puppets and sets from the special.[15]
Storyboards[]
Music[]
| ( ‣ ) Production music |
| ( • ) Original music |
| ( ◦ ) SpongeBob music |
• ? - Nicolas Carr [Title card.]
• Deck the Halls (ukulele & steel) - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Sandy finishes her experiment.]
• ? - Nicolas Carr [The tree blossoms.]
• ? - Nicolas Carr [The tree dies.]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 8A - Jeremy Wakefield [Sandy is upset.]
• Lucky Loofah - Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Slappy's new friend.]
◦ Jingle Krabs - Danny Giovannini, Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Squidward sings this.]
• Jellyfishing Waltz - Nicolas Carr, Daniel Stimac [Squidward complains.]
• ? - Nicolas Carr [Squidward's clarinet burns in the fireplace.]
• ? - Nicolas Carr [Squidward badly plays his clarinet.]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 35 - Jeremy Wakefield [Squidward's clarinet malfunctions.]
◦ Country Carol Part 1 - Eban Schletter, Danny Giovannini [Cheeks family performs at the Krusty Krab.]
• Sandy's Texas Swing - Nicolas Carr [Sandy tells everyone that there will be a surprise at her treedome.]
• Parting of the Clouds Sting - Nicolas Carr [Sandy's experiment is finally finished.]
• It's a Hula Holiday - Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Cheeks family members want to help Sandy.]
• We Wish You A Merry Christmas (ukulele & steel) - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Everyone gathers at Sandy's treedome.]
• Classic Opera Finish Interrupted - Nicolas Carr [The tree grows.]
• Lap Steel-spce_01 - Nicolas Carr ["Meanwhile"]
‣ Unto Us a Boy Is Born - Cyril Watters [Cavendish Music] [Santa flies over the ocean.]
‣ March Of The Jingle Bells - Lior Rosner [X-Ray Dog] [Santa descends into the ocean.]
‣ Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy [#2.5] - Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Thomas Hewitt Jones [Cavendish Music] [Rowdy and Rosie grow the tree.]
‣ The Shock [#55.2] - Dick de Benedictis [SpongeBob faints; Santa is unconscious.]
• Solo Steel 3 - Jeremy Wakefield [Santa is delirious.]
• Sad Jingle Bells (ukulele & steel) - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Everyone is sad.]
◦ Christmas Blues - Eban Schletter, Danny Giovannini [Sandy sings this.]
• Hawaiian Solo Steel 11 - Jeremy Wakefield ["If only some unexpected fortune would just appear from above."]
• ? - Nicolas Carr ["Huh?"]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 11E - Jeremy Wakefield ["Meaning Christmas is still ruined."]
◦ Country Carol Part 2 - Eban Schletter, Danny Giovannini [Cheeks family delivering presents.]
• Jingle Bells (ukulele & steel) - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [SpongeBob and the Cheeks family return to Sandy's treedome.]
‣ Oh Christmas Tree - Troy Engle [615 Platinum Series] [Santa returns to normal.]
This list is incomplete, but you can help Encyclopedia SpongeBobia by expanding it.
Release[]
| Format | Title | Region |
|---|---|---|
| DVD | The Complete Fourteenth Season | United States |
| Box set | Another 100 Episodes | United States |
| The Best 300 Episodes Ever | United States | |
| Digital release | SpongeBob and Sandy's Country Christmas | United States |
Trivia[]
General[]
Logo for the episode, which has the episode's original name.
Amazon Prime Video listing for the episode as "SpongeBob and Sandy's Country Christmas."
- This episode was originally titled "Sandy's Nutty Christmas," and later, "SpongeBob & Sandy's Country Christmas."[16]
- The episode's logo on the promotional poster, promos, dubs, and Amazon Prime Video listing use the episode's original name.[4]
- In the United States, this episode was originally going to premiere at 7:00pm, but it was moved up to 5:00pm.
- This episode, along with "Snow Yellow," was released on the Another 100 Episodes and The Best 300 Episodes Ever DVDs, both of which were released on October 15, 2024, before airing on American television or anywhere in the world. It was also available on The Complete Fourteenth Season DVD released on November 19, 2024.
The opening credits.
- This is the only season 14 episode to have an animated title card, and the first since "A Skin Wrinkle in Time."
- This episode features a unique opening credits sequence, being the first since "SpongeBob's Big Birthday Blowout," and the sixth in the main series overall.
- The opening credits are a reference to the 1930s Popeye the Sailor (film series) "ship door" title sequences.
- This episode properly introduces the Cheeks family into the main series. They previously made their debut in the direct-to-video Netflix spin-off film Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie.
- In the UK and Ireland, two scenes were edited: firstly, Sandy strangling Randy until his face turns blue was cut due to violence, and secondly, Santa sticking two candy canes up his nostrils was also edited to remove the footage of him actually putting them up his nostrils and replace it with footage of Randy and Pa by the log fire.[17]
- This marks the first time Larry the Lobster and Slappy appear in stop-motion.
- This marks the first Christmas special in which Plankton and Karen don't appear.
- This is the first stop-motion special in 7 years since "The Legend of Boo-Kini Bottom."
- Overall, this is the third stop-motion special of the series.
- Unlike the last two stop-motion specials, SpongeBob is seen wearing his water helmet in the treedome this time.
- This is the second stop-motion special to not feature Patchy the Pirate and Potty the Parrot after "The Legend of Boo-Kini Bottom."
- This is the only stop-motion special where the theme song is not modified in any way.
- This is the fourth Christmas special in the main series, and the second to be animated in stop-motion.
- This is the only season 14 episode to feature the special guests in the opening credits, and the first since "Ain't That the Tooth" from the previous season.
- This episode, alongside "Squidiot Box," "Blood is Thicker Than Grease," "PL-1413," "In the Mood to Feud," "Mooned!," "Hysterical History," "Kreepaway Kamp," and "Snow Yellow" serve as this season's 25th anniversary specials.
The 2024 Nickelodeon Productions logo, seen at the end of the credits. Notice the lack of copyright info.
Copyright info is placed in the actual credits rather than the Nickelodeon Productions logo.
- In packaging order, this is the first episode to use the 2024 Nickelodeon Productions logo at the end of the credits to represent the splat rebrand. In airing order, however, "Sammy Suckerfish" and "Big League Bob" are the first.
- Because of the Paramount byline in the Nickelodeon Productions logo, the copyright info is baked onto the credits, after the Executive in Charge of Nickelodeon credit.
Episode references[]
The designs of the Cheeks family in stop-motion as seen in this episode.
The designs of the Cheeks family in CGI as seen in Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie.
- The designs for the Cheeks family are reused from Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie.
- This time, they are animated in stop-motion instead of CGI.
- The whistle that Sandy and SpongeBob hear at Sandy's treedome is the same as the Cheeks family whistle from Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie.
The police submarine that Randy sees.
- When Randy sees the police submarine when seeing Sandy as he hides behind Sandy, it is a reference to the scene where the police cars chase the Cheeks family van in Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie.
Cultural references[]
- When Mr. Krabs was collecting money from the tip jar and says, "I'm dreamin' of a Green Christmas", it's a reference to the 1942 song, "White Christmas."
- The Krusty Krab Christmas song is a reference to the 1850 Christmas Carol, "Jingle Bells."
- The narrator says “Y’all come back now ya hear?” Referencing the show The Beverly Hillbillies and 2003 film Holes.
Videos[]
Names in other languages[]
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Russian | Рождество Губки Боба и Сэнди в стиле кантри Rozhdestvo Gubki Boba i Sendy v stile kantri |
SpongeBob and Sandy's Country-Style Christmas |
| Slovenian | Sančijin podeželski božič | Sandy's Country Christmas |
| Spanish (American) | La Navidad Campestre de Arenita | Sandy's Country Christmas |
| Spanish (European) | Las navidades campestres de Bob Esponja y Arenita | SpongeBob and Sandy's Country Christmas |
References[]
- ^ File:20231224_111911.png
- ^ From the United States Copyright Office catalog: Public Catalog - Copyright Catalog (1978 to present) - Basic Search [search: "SpongeBob SquarePants : 306A"]. United States Copyright Office.
- ^ ASIFA-Hollywood on X - "Nickelodeon Invites ASIFA-Hollywood Members to a Special..."
- ^ a b SpongeBob & Sandy’s Country Christmas Promo - December 2, 2024 (Nickelodeon U.S.) - YouTube
- ^ SpongeBob SquarePants holiday special to debut on Nickelodeon, Paramount+ - Local 12
- ^ Aaron Wise on Instagram - "I have so much good BTS..."
- ^ Aaron Wise on Instagram - "SpongeBob BTS the sunrise look..."
- ^ Aaron Wise on Instagram - "Test shot of Sunrise look..."
- ^ Aaron Wise on Instagram - "In #stopmotion there will be times..."
- ^ Aaron Wise on Instagram - "@spongebob #sandyscountrychristmas mini dome..."
- ^ Aaron Wise on Instagram - "@spongebob #sandyscountrychristmas is a musical..."
- ^ Aaron Wise on Instagram - "#sandyscountrychristmas BTS @screennovelties..."
- ^ Aaron Wise on Instagram - "#sandyscountrychristmas @spongebob was not all..."
- ^ Aaron Wise on Instagram - "A much used #stopmotionanimation technique..."
- ^ Screen Novelties on Instagram - "MEANWHILE- Don't look at us if Santa..."
- ^ Nickelodeon Global Asia Programming Guide
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7XZZ2E09Ug
