Unsettling reason SpongeBob episode was banned 15 years after being released

There's a controversial reason as to why an episode of SpongeBob Squarepants was banned 15 years after it originally aired.

A few years ago, a 2003 episode from the show was unavailable on TV and all streaming platforms after the subject matter was found to be unsuitable for children.

That does pose an issue when you're making a kids' television programme - I think.

Here's a clip from the episode in question:

The episode is titled 'Mid Life Crustacean' and in this instalment, we follow the main characters as Mr. Krabs enters his mid-life crisis.

SpongeBob and Patrick come up with a wholesome solution though, deciding to help the Krusty Krab owner recapture his youth by going out in Bikini Bottom.

All sounds alright so far, right?

Well, while Mr. Krabs slowly to enjoy spending time with the iconic pair, taking part in fun activities, one of them stood out as the one that he enjoyed the most.

Why of course, it was the 'panty raid' that the trio took part in, as they break into a woman's home to steal her underwear.

Put them down, Mr. Krabs (Nickelodeon)

But after stealing the undergarments, they realise that they've accidentally broken into Mr. Krabs' mum's house, making it that bit more disturbing.

As punishment, she sends him to bed in his childhood bedroom. A fair punishment, I'd say.

The episode was available everywhere until 2018, when Nickelodeon made the move to remove it completely, as a representative from the TV channel explained the decision to IGN in 2021.

"Mid-Life Crustacean has been out of rotation since 2018, following a standards review in which we determined some story elements were not kid-appropriate,” they said.

Nickelodeon spokesperson David Bittler later told the New York Times that the decision was made 'following a standards review'.

In 2023 though, the episode returned to Paramount+ via Amazon Prime briefly due to a technical error on Prime's part and it was taken off straight away.

A Paramount spokesperson told IGN: "Due to a technical error, the episode was inadvertently posted for a brief period on the Paramount+ Channel on Amazon Prime Video. It has since been removed."

Some things from your childhood don't age well (Nickelodeon)

But it turns out that a different episode, called 'Kwarantined Krab', was also banned by Nickelodeon due to its content.

However, as it was due to air in 2020, due to the COVID pandemic, the decision was made to push it back to April 2023.

In the episode, something called the Clam Flu forces a health inspector putting the Krusty Krab into lockdown with all the main characters trapped inside together.

It may be funny now, but it would've been borderline traumatic to release it five years ago.

Nickelodeon explained to IGN that they chose to hold back as it ‘centres on a virus storyline, so we have decided to not air it due to sensitivities surrounding the global, real-world pandemic’.