Long before the internet ruined the mystique of our favorite urban legends, kids used to whisper in the back of classrooms about the dirty things they saw in Disney movies, whether it be a bishop’s boner in The Little Mermaid or some debris that spells out “sex” in The Lion King. These myths have more or less been disproven in the age of YouTube, but that doesn’t mean children’s animators don’t slip in a dirty joke or two in their art. You gotta give something to those beleaguered, bleary-eyed parents.
Unsurprisingly, the oft-brilliant and ever-weird SpongeBob SquarePants is positively brimming with such easter eggs. A new compilation brings many of them together, allowing you to bask in the filth that soared over your head as a child.
In just under four minutes, we get stealthy references to everything from suicide, prison rape, boners, and ejaculation to menstruation, phone sex, pubic hair, and infidelity. Oh, and then there’s an extended “panty raid” sequence that’s not hidden at all. Spongebob and his pals just sneak into a woman’s house and steal her underwear.
Perhaps this explains the show’s enduring appeal on the internet—it contains multitudes, as well as multitudes of dirty jokes.