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Sad SpongeBob: A meme

September 13, 2024

The Sad SpongeBob meme depicts a wide-eyed, teary SpongeBob Squarepants frowning and staring ahead in defeat. The image is from an early episode of SpongeBob Squarepants and had a second life as a meme in the early 2020s.

What episode is the Sad SpongeBob meme from?

The Sad SpongeBob screenshot comes from an early episode of the series titled “Christmas Who?”

The season two episode first aired on Dec. 6, 2000. In the episode, SpongeBob is excited to celebrate his first Christmas. After learning about the holiday from Sandy, he tells everyone else in Bikini Bottom about it and gets them on board to celebrate. Squidward tells them Santa Claus isn’t real, but everyone has SpongeBob’s back until the next morning when Santa doesn’t appear.

Squidward wakes up and waits for SpongeBob, snapping a picture of the humiliated and defeated sponge as he realizes Santa never arrived.

sad spongebob meme — Image Source: Nickelodeon/YouTube

While SpongeBob is heartbroken, Squidward realizes he was a little too hard on him and does his best to bring Christmas to SpongeBob and the rest of Bikini Bottom. This earns him a thank-you from the real Santa, who does in fact exist. The episode, full of ups and downs, teaches the viewer (and Squidward) about the magic of believing.

sad spongebob gif — Sad SpongeBob: A meme

Sad Spongebob Pomni

The Sad Spongebob meme enjoyed some renewed discussion in October 2023. Fans of The Amazing Digital Circus, an indie animated web series produced by Glitch Productions, noticed similarities between a new plushie and the Nickelodeon character.

A plushie released of the character, Pomni, makes a very similar expression as that of sad Spongebob. When it was first released, fans quickly saw the resemblance, leading to a slew of sad Pomni memes in the vein of SpongeBob.