MISSING IDENTITY

Episode Title: "Missing Identity"

Episode Airing Number: 57

Episode Production Number: 58

Original Airdate: January 19, 2004

Season: 3

On DVD: "SpongeBob SquarePants: The Complete Third Season," "Sponge For Hire"

On VHS: "Sponge For Hire"

Aired With Episode: "Plankton's Army"

Running Time: 11:29

Storyboard Directors: Paul Tibbitt and Kent Osborne

Storyboard Artist: Zeus Cervas, Carson Kugler, Caleb Meurer and William Reiss

Writers: Paul Tibbitt, Kent Osborne and Merriwether Williams

Animation Director: Tom Yasumi

Creative Director: Derek Drymon

In Brief: SpongeBob must find his missing Krusty Krab name tag before Mr. Krabs does a uniform inspection.

Story: At a diner one rainy night, a man mentions to the waitress that he has lost his pen. SpongeBob, who is also there, tells the two that he once lost something he could live without: his identity.

SpongeBob recalls last week Monday morning when he woke up. He gets tangled in his bed blanket and his foghorn alarm clock falls on him. Not being able to see, he falls down the stairs and his foghorn alarm shoots him into a window. Then, he feeds Gary some snail food and tastes some himself, which he hates. When he realizes he's late for work, he puts on his pants in a hurry and walks to work, saying "hi" to Patrick on the way.

The people listening get confused about elements of SpongeBob's story, so SpongeBob skips ahead to when he is at work. He delivers a Krabby Patty to a woman, who tells him he isn't wearing a name tag. Very horrified, he faints. Later, he wakes up and becomes worried when Squidward reminds him that he lost his name tag. To make it worse, Mr. Krabs announces there will be a uniform inspection in an hour. SpongeBob goes out to retrace his steps to find his name tag.

SpongeBob repeats all he did that morning to find his name tag, from waking up and getting tangled in the blanket to feeding Gary. Patrick keeps messing up and forgetting to say "hi" to SpongeBob, however, causing SpongeBob to have to repeat his morning a lot. He gives up and tells Patrick about what happened before work, including that two guys threw him in a dumpster. Patrick and SpongeBob go to the dumpster to search.

In the dumpster, SpongeBob and Patrick can't find the name tag. Patrick finds it on SpongeBob's back because his shirt is on backwards. At the uniform inspection, Mr. Krabs can't stand the smell of SpongeBob from the dumpster and takes him out of the Krusty Krab. That concludes SpongeBob's story.

Song: "Most Important Meal"

The most important meal of the day

Serving it up Gary's way

Bop!

Quotes:

SpongeBob: My nametag is out there somewhere: lost, hungry.

Mr. Krabs: Attention all employees! Just a quick heads-up, boys. There's going to be a surprise uniform inspection in one hour. Anyone who doesn't pass...get's the boot! *pulls out black boot* This boot, to be exact. It's very stinky, and you have to wear it all day.

Patrick: Hi SpongeBoob! SpongeBoob?! *laughs* Who's SpongeBoob? *laughs more* I said SpongeBoob!

Patrick: That's it! Your name tag is in the apple on Mr. Krabs's desk.

SpongeBob: *to Patrick, at the dumpster* Come on in buddy, the garbage is fine!

Observations:

Time at Diner In the beginning of the episode, the clock on Diner's wall appears to read 3:00.

Order On Paper Spinning on Order Wheel:

Roast Kelp

Rye

Hold MAYo

+

MASH

Words on Man's Crossword Puzzle:

-Squid

-Chum

-Seaweed

-Wet

-Conch

-Coral

Glasses The pair of glasses the waitress wears does not have the parts on the sides that go over the ears (probably because she has no ears).

Pet Scallop SpongeBob has a scallop in a bird cage in his bedroom. It appears in some other episodes too, such as "Help Wanted."

French Word SpongeBob shouts the word "pourquoi" in this episode. The word means "why" in French.

From "Chocolate With Nuts" Squidward reads a yellow "Fancy Living Digest" magazine at the cashier's boat. The magazine was previously seen in "Chocolate With Nuts." The diner SpongeBob tells his story at also was seen in that same episode.

Missing House When SpongeBob asks Patrick from his window if he knows the plan before he starts retracing his steps, Squidward's house isn't seen between the pineapple and rock.

Unseen When shots of SpongeBob's back are shown throughout this episode, his collar and name tag aren't seen.

Slight Difference When the screen's divided into four and different parts of SpongeBob's morning are being redone, the shot of SpongeBob slamming into the window comes after he feeds Gary (it normally comes before, when he falls down the stairs) and includes his "blech!" from when he tastes the SnailPo.