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SpongeBob Squarepants episodes pulled from Paramount+ due to ‘inappropriate’ storylines

One episode, released before the coronavirus pandemic, follows an outbreak of ‘clam flu’

Isobel Lewis
Monday 29 March 2021 15:32 BST
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Two episodes of SpongeBob Squarepants have been removed from Paramount+ due to their “inappropriate” storylines.

While US viewers are able to watch the Nickelodeon children’s series on Paramount’s newly launched streaming service, a representative for Nickelodeon confirmed that two episodes were not available to stream.

The first, titled “Mid-Life Crustacean”, has been out of viewing rotation since 2018. In the episode, characters including Mr Krabs break into a woman’s house and search through her underwear draw in a “panty raid”.

It was removed, the Nickelodeon representative told IGN, for being “not kid-appropriate”.

The second episode, which was released in 2019, is called “Kwarantined Krab” and sees an outbreak of “clam flu” at the Krusty Krab force the residents of Bikini Bottom to quarantine in the restaurant.

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“‘The Kwarantined Krab’ centres on a virus storyline, so we have decided to not air it due to sensitivities surrounding the global, real-world pandemic,” the representative said.

It is not clear whether the episode will be re-released post-pandemic.

Last year, Nickelodeon delighted fans by appearing to confirm that SpongeBob was a member of the LGBTQ community.

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