Best Day Ever
"Best Day Ever" |
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"Best Day Ever" is the 20th episode of the fourth season and the 80th overall episode of the American animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants. It originally aired on Nickelodeon in the United States on November 10, 2006.
The series follows the adventures of the title character in the underwater city of Bikini Bottom. In the episode, SpongeBob is determined to have a perfect day starting with doing what he loves best. But to his disappointment, the day does not go at all as he planned. Each of his friends have a different problem, so he sets out to help them while spoiling his agendas. As SpongeBob realizes that he sacrificed his whole day to help others, his friends rally around him with their thanks. Eventually, SpongeBob realizes that he had his best day ever after all.
The episode was written by Nate Cash, Tuck Tucker and Steven Banks, with Larry Leichliter serving as animation director. "Best Day Ever" pulled an average of 6.7 million viewers upon release. A soundtrack album called SpongeBob SquarePants: The Best Day Ever was released on September 12, 2006.
Plot summary
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8c/Best_Day_Ever.jpg/200px-Best_Day_Ever.jpg)
SpongeBob's "Best Day Ever" did not turn out as he planned when he has to postpone his activities to help his friends with their problems. He wanted to work at the Krusty Krab, but that plan is ruined by a nematode infestation, so he lures the nematodes away by using his nose as a flute. Then, he planned to practice some karate with Sandy, but that plan is ruined since there is a leak in her treedome. SpongeBob fixes it accidentally by stopping the leak with an adhesive karate glove. Next, he wanted to go jellyfishing with Patrick, but Patrick breaks his net and SpongeBob is forced to give his net. Patrick makes a deal to take turns using SpongeBob's net, but instead decides to keep it for himself and does not let SpongeBob jellyfish with him.[2]
SpongeBob's final activity for the day is to go to Squidward's clarinet recital. However, once he meets up with Squidward, he says that he cannot play in the concert because his clarinet reed is broken. Determined not to miss out on this activity as he had done with the others, SpongeBob pulls out one of his teeth to replace the reed. SpongeBob attempts to enter the building, but the doorman will not let him in without a ticket. He tries various methods of sneaking, but at last he is let in because he is on the VIP list. He gets in right as the concert ends.[2]
SpongeBob is very mad that everything went wrong and gives an elaborate speech about how his "Best Day Ever" has been ruined. However, his friends tell him about how he helped them with their problems out of his kindness and teach him that his "Best Day Ever" is not about "perfect days", but about having friends. To make it up to him, they hold a production in which SpongeBob performs his song, "The Best Day Ever" to complete his day with his friends by his side. After a few hours SpongeBob is still singing, but his friends are tired and sleepy, and the audience has departed.[2]
Production
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/70/Tom_Kenny_%282008%29.jpg/200px-Tom_Kenny_%282008%29.jpg)
"Best Day Ever" was written by Nate Cash, Tuck Tucker and Steven Banks, with Larry Leichliter serving as animation director.[2] The episode originally aired on Nickelodeon in the United States on November 10, 2006.[1]
The featured song "The Best Day Ever" was composed by Tom Kenny, SpongeBob's voice actor, and Andy Paley.[3] The song was originally a part of The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie soundtrack that was released on November 9, 2004.[4][5][6] At the time, Kenny, with Paley, worked for an album, on what would become The Best Day Ever album, with songs "The Best Day Ever" and "Under My Rock".[7] The team of the 2004 feature film needed two extra filler tracks for the film soundtrack.[7] Eventually, Stephen Hillenburg, the series creator and director of the film, heard the songs and decided to put it on the soundtrack.[7] "The Best Day Ever" was played during the closing credits of the film which was never intended.[7]
The episode was part of the 24-hour SpongeBob marathon called "The Best Day Ever Marathon".[1][8][9] Starting at 8 pm EDT, the event counted down the best 100 episodes of the series as chosen by viewers on Nick.com and TurboNick.[1] Tom Ascheim, the executive vice president and general manager for Nickelodeon Television, said "We've received a tremendous response from almost 4 million fans who have voted online for their favorite SpongeBob episodes and we'll reward them with our biggest SpongeBob event ever."[9] The marathon led up to the premiere of this episode.[1] The marketing method was primarily organised by Frank Tanki.[10] Tom Ascheim, executive vice president and general manager of Nickelodeon Digital Television, explained that Nickelodeon is using modern technology to generate interest in television shows. By allowing viewers to choose the episodes shown, Ascheim believes that this contributed to the high ratings.[11]
Best Buy stores across the United States introduced a "Best Day Ever"-themed Best Buy giftcard that doubles as a DVD-ROM packed with music videos, video game previews and more.[9] In addition, "Best Day Ever"-themed activities was held at the Nickelodeon Family Suites by Holiday Inn including a themed party called the Bikini Bottom Bash.[9] Throughout the month of November, Nick Hotel released a "Best Day Ever" package to its guests starting at $369.[9]
On January 9, 2007, the episode became available on the series' fourth season DVD compilation.[12][2] The "Best Day Ever" shorts called "A Random Act of SpongeBob" was released as a bonus feature on the DVD.[13] The shorts are "Crossing the Street", "Anything for Baby", "Flowers for Sandy", "Me Money", and "Pie".[13] "Best Day Ever" was also included on SpongeBob SquarePants: The First 100 Episodes DVD, alongside season one through five episodes.[14][15] The DVD was released on September 22, 2009.[16]
Reception
On Friday, November 10, 2006, an average of 4.4 million viewers tuned in between 6:30 am and 10 pm EDT to watch "The Best Day Ever Marathon".[17][18][19][20] The marathon earned the network it's most-watched and highest-rated total programming day in its history, averaging 1.9/4.4 million total viewers.[17][18][19] The premiere of the "Best Day Ever" special attracted 6.7 million total viewers, with an average of 12.0/4.0 million kids 2-11, 12.8/2.6 million kids 6-11, according to Neilsen data.[17][18][19]
The "SpongeBob Best Day Ever" game went live on November 9 and in three days, generated 1.3 million game play sessions and more than 867,000 unique visitors.[18] SpongeBob's "Best Day Ever" full length music video was the number-two video of last week on TurboNick, from November 6 to November 12, generating more than 1.4 million streams, with 471,000 unique visitors.[18] The "Best Day Ever" promotion video on TurboNick ranked within the top 10 videos on the broadband player during the same time period with 370,000 streams, adds the release.[18]
The album to "Best Day Ever" received positive reviews. AllMusic gave the album a score of 4 out of 5.[21] In his review for the IGN, Spence D. gave the album a 7/10 score rating it as "good".[22] He said "[...]parents who grew up in the late '50s and '60s will get a kick out of the musical tributes to the music of those eras and perhaps listen along with their kids during a family fun time extravaganza."[22] Geoffrey Himes of the Baltimore City Paper said "How do little kids respond to this record? I wouldn't know; there aren't any little kids in my house. You don't have to be a parent to enjoy the killer hooks and lush harmonies on this disc. All you need is the courage to ignore the raised eyebrows of your friends."[23] Kerwin So of Common Sense Media gave the album a score of 4/5. However, So claimed that the album is full of consumerism and said "Parents need to know that although the physical packaging of this CD contains a lot of advertisements for other SpongeBob products, the songs themselves contain very positive content and steer clear of commercialism."[24]
Album
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
IGN | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Baltimore City Paper | positive[23] |
Common Sense Media | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Best Day Ever is an album by Tom Kenny and other cast members as a rock group called SpongeBob & The Hi-Seas. Kenny co-wrote the tracks with producer Andy Paley.[3][25][26] The album features special musical performances by Brian Wilson, Tommy Ramone and Flaco Jiménez.[3] The album was released on September 12, 2006.[21]
Kenny's inspiration for the song "My Tidy Whities" was "underwear humor".[3] Kenny said "Underwear humor is always a surefire laugh-getter with kids[...] Just seeing a character that odd wearing really prosaic, normal, Kmart, three-to-a-pack underwear is a funny drawing[...] We thought it was funny to make a really lush, beautiful love song to his underwear."[3]
American musician Brian Wilson made a guest musical performance to this album.[25][3] Originally, Kenny and Paley are working on a "Brian Wilson-esque" song with "Brian Wilson-esque" background vocals on it.[3] Kenny said "[...]and at the last minute, we had this opportunity to reach out to him and ask if he'd do it[...] But Brian's people said he was going on to Hawaii the next day with his wife and kids, and then going on the road." Eventually, Kenny got a call from Wilson saying that "I loved the idea."[3]
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "WH20 Radio Show Open" | Tom Kenny and Andy Paley | 0:34 |
2. | "The Best Day Ever" | Tom Kenny and Andy Paley | 3:00 |
3. | "SpongeBob & The Hi-Seas in Concert" | Tom Kenny and Andy Paley | 0:43 |
4. | "Employee of the Month" | Tom Kenny and Andy Paley | 3:31 |
5. | "Patrick! Turn Your Radio Down!" | Tom Kenny and Andy Paley | 0:48 |
6. | "Under My Rock" | Tom Kenny and Andy Paley | 3:15 |
7. | "Mrs. Puff's Boating School Ad" | Tom Kenny and Andy Paley | 0:50 |
8. | "Where's Gary?" | Tom Kenny and Andy Paley | 3:05 |
9. | "The Tuneful Tuna's Advice" | Tom Kenny and Andy Paley | 0:24 |
10. | "Barnacles!" | Tom Kenny and Andy Paley | 3:39 |
11. | "Pearl Krabs aka Caller #5!" | Tom Kenny and Andy Paley | 1:07 |
12. | "My Tighty Whiteys" | Tom Kenny and Andy Paley | 2:53 |
13. | "Dover Sole with Bikini Bottom Weather" | Tom Kenny and Andy Paley | 0:36 |
14. | "Ridin' the Hook" | Tom Kenny and Andy Paley | 2:58 |
15. | "Squidward's Request" | Tom Kenny and Andy Paley | 0:35 |
16. | "Superior" | Tom Kenny and Andy Paley | 2:55 |
17. | "Krusty Krab Radio Spot" | Tom Kenny and Andy Paley | 0:22 |
18. | "Doin' the Krabby Patty" | Tom Kenny and Andy Paley | 3:07 |
19. | "Plankton Jams the Signal" | Tom Kenny and Andy Paley | 0:58 |
20. | "You Will Obey!" | Tom Kenny and Andy Paley | 3:04 |
21. | "That Was Weird" | Tom Kenny and Andy Paley | 0:14 |
22. | "Who Wants to Race Me?" | Tom Kenny and Andy Paley | 1:21 |
23. | "The Spotlight Continues..." | Tom Kenny and Andy Paley | 0:17 |
24. | "Fishin' for Money" | Tom Kenny and Andy Paley | 3:53 |
25. | "SpongeBob & The Hi-Seas Drop by WH20" | Tom Kenny and Andy Paley | 1:25 |
26. | "Bikini Bottom/Rock Bottom" | 7:12 | |
27. | "The Best Day Ever/Bonus Material" | 5:15 | |
Total length: | 58:01 |
Source:[21]
References
- ^ a b c d e Ball, Ryan (25 October 2006). "SpongeBob Has "Best Day Ever"". Animation. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f SpongeBob SquarePants: Season Four, Volume 2. DVD. Paramount Home Entertainment, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Bubbeo, Daniel (5 November 2006). "FAST CHAT TOM KENNY". Newsday. Archived from the original on 17 February 2008. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
- ^ D'Angelo, Joe (30 September 2004). "Flaming Lips, Wilco, 'Commercial Weirdo' Avril Lavigne Head Up 'SpongeBob' LP". MTV. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
- ^ D., Spence (18 November 2004). "The Spongebob Squarepants Movie: Music From The Movie And More". IGN. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
- ^ Burr, Ty (20 December 2004). "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie -- Music From the Movie and More (2004)". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
- ^ a b c d Plume, Ken. "Interview: Tom Kenny". Fred Entertainment. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
- ^ "Nickelodeon To Air 'SpongeBob SquarePants' Marathon Next Week". Starpulse. 31 October 2006. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
- ^ a b c d e "Nickelodeon Gives Kids Their Best SpongeBob Day Ever With a 24-Hour Marathon Counting Down Viewer Favorites, Followed by the 'Best Day Ever' Special and the Network Premiere of The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie". PR Newswire. 31 October 2006. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
- ^ "Nickelodeon Marketing Ups Tanki and Tracy". PR Newswire. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
- ^ Kridel, Tim (27 January 2007). "Nick's Ascheim: Viewers Love to Be Programmers". Multichannel News. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
- ^ Lacey, Gord. "SpongeBob SquarePants - Season 4, Volume 2 news". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
- ^ a b Mavis, Paul (26 December 2006). "SpongeBob SquarePants - Season 4, Vol. 2". DVD Talk. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
- ^ Lacey, Gord (29 September 2009). "SpongeBob SquarePants - The First 100 Episodes (Seasons 1-5) Review". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
- ^ SpongeBob SquarePants: The First 100 Episodes. DVD. Paramount Home Entertainment, 2009.
- ^ "SpongeBob SquarePants - The First 100 Episodes (Seasons 1-5)". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
- ^ a b c Ball, Ryan (2006-11-15). "SpongeBob Ratings Give Nick "Best Day Ever"". Animation. Retrieved 2008-11-13.
- ^ a b c d e f "Nickelodeon US hits record with SpongeBob 'Best Day Ever' marathon". Indian Television. 14 November 2006. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
- ^ a b c "'SpongeBob' Gives Nick Best Ratings Day Ever". Zap2it. 14 November 2006. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
- ^ "SpongeBob 'Best Day Ever' Gives Nickelodeon Its Most Watched, Highest Rated Day Ever in Network History". PR Newswire. 13 November 2006. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
- ^ a b c d "Spongebob Squarepants: The Best Day Ever". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
- ^ a b c D., Spence (13 December 2006). "Spongebob Squarepants - The Best Day Ever". IGN. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
- ^ a b Himes, Geoffrey (20 December 2006). "SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS: THE BEST DAY EVER". Baltimore City Paper. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
- ^ a b So, Kerwin. "SpongeBob SquarePants: The Best Day Ever". Common Sense Media. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
- ^ a b Ryan, Kyle (21 June 2007). "Tom Kenny". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
- ^ Plume, Ken (6 November 2006). "Interview: Tom Kenny". Fred Entertainment. Retrieved 3 August 2013.