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I’ve watched SpongeBob ever since I can remember, but I never thought much about the flowers. However, a good SpongeBob flowers guide would have made me take them more seriously.
From clouds to the sea floor, flowers have a surprising role in SpongeBob SquarePants. I love how they’re simple and unobtrusive when necessary, but they can also shine in certain episodes.
Plus, there’s a fun new fan theory about the flower clouds that made me chuckle. Read on to learn more about the flowers you’ll see in Bikini Bottom.
Bottom Line Up Front: The flower clouds come in various colors and show up in every episode. However, there are also flowers in gardens on the ground, and they sometimes change the course of the episode.
What Are the SpongeBob Flowers?
The flowers most SpongeBob fans think of are probably the ones in the underwater “sky.” They’re clouds in Bikini Bottom and other cities in the show.
You can see them in almost every outdoor scene, but there are some exceptions. While they’re simple, I think they’re pretty, and they emphasize that the undersea environment is similar to our above-ground world.
However, not all of the flowers are alike. Consider the following ways some of the flower clouds differ.
Colors
Probably the easiest difference to spot is the colors of the flower clouds. You can find clouds in a variety of colors, including yellow, green, orange, pink, and purple.
There are even some dark blue flower clouds, but they have to be significantly darker than the regular sky. However, I’ve seen a few that are a light blue, and those mostly show up in nighttime scenes.
Also at night, the flower clouds can appear white or a light yellow color. Orange is also a common color for overnight clouds.
I like that the colors look good with the background, so they can blend in a bit. That way, they aren’t too distracting for the viewer.
Sizes
Like our real-life clouds, the flowers in SpongeBob SquarePants can vary in size. We don’t know the exact dimensions, but some clouds are about twice as large as other clouds.
In some scenes, there are tons of clouds on the screen, while others only feature a few cloud flowers. Either way, the outline of each flower is fairly thin, but some larger clouds have thicker outlines.
I like how the animators vary the sizes of the flowers. If they were all the same, it would look boring, but there aren’t a ton of size differences to be distracting from the main part of the scene.
Shapes
Another difference is the shape of the flower clouds, and that’s also similar to the clouds we see. The most common shape of the clouds in SpongeBob SquarePants is a five-pointed flower.
They don’t really have points, but you get the idea. You can also find some clouds with four flower petals, but that’s not super common.
Flowers can also differ in shape based on the thickness of individual “petals.” Some are thin and long, while others are shorter and more rounded.
Facts About the Flowers in SpongeBob SquarePants
As you watch SpongeBob SquarePants, you may notice the flowers are more than just background clouds. Some episodes have the characters mentioning the flowers in the sky.
I didn’t think much of them, but as I was researching them for this article, I learned a lot. Consider some facts about the flower clouds in Bikini Bottom.
Sometimes Sentient
There are a couple of occasions where the clouds appear to be living beings. One example is during the song “Idiot Friends” in the “Pest of the West” episode.
The clouds also perk up in “Truth or Square” during the song “Rubber Hose Rag.” In both episodes, the clouds develop faces, and they act like they’re alive.
A couple of flowers transform their shapes into hands in “Plane to Sea.” That way, they can grab the plane and twist it after it bumps into the clouds.
And while this isn’t quite sentient, you can see the flower clouds move with the water in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie.
Cloud-Watching
SpongeBob and his friend Sandy go cloud-watching in the episode “Pressure.” The squirrel comments on how all of the clouds look like flowers, which is a fun nod to the designs. She also sings about how there are flowers above the city in the “Chimps Ahoy” episode.
I haven’t done much cloud-watching in years, but it can be fun to pick out the different shapes. Of course, the fish don’t get to do that since the clouds are all similar.
But at least there are the color and size differences for characters to enjoy. That way, they can still enjoy a calm day in the park.
Falling Down
If you watch The SpongeBob Movie, Sponge Out of Water, you can see flowers fall out of the sky. I guess this is a sign that it can rain, but the rain is different when you’re underwater.
You can also see a flower cloud fall when Karen throws a boatmobile at it. This happens in “Karen’s Virus” when the computer gets sick.
Hitting Clouds
I briefly mentioned “Plane to Sea,” but the episode also shows things hitting the clouds. A plane hits a few clouds before the two turn into hands.
In another episode, Squidward uses his clarinet to blast Patrick and SpongeBob into the sky, and they hit a flower cloud. As a flute player, I’d love to use my flute to blast off people I find annoying.
But I don’t think they’d fly high enough to hit the clouds. Of course, not everything in SpongeBob SquarePants is realistic, and it’s a fun scene with Squidward and his clarinet.
Walking on the Clouds
It seems like the flower clouds have more structure than real-life clouds. You can see SpongeBob walk on a cloud in the episode “SpongeBob in RandomLand.”
He then makes the cloud spin before jumping off of it. Of course, even if you could get high enough, you’d fall through a cloud since it’s just water.
More Structure
Another example of the clouds having structure is when Squidward opens one as if it’s a door. This happens in a scene of “No Pictures Please.”
The octopus is able to pick up a cloud and open it, neither of which we can do in our world.
Every Episode
Unlike some other buildings or “props,” the flower clouds are in every episode of SpongeBob SquarePants. Of course, they appear for longer in some episodes than others.
For example, “Krusty Krushers” only shows the clouds in one scene. I think it’s amazing how the animators include clouds as much as they do, even more than SpongeBob’s famous pineapple house.
Another interesting fact about this is that the flowers are normal shapes in Bikini Bottom. But the animators stretch out the clouds in episodes that feature other underwater towns.
Stars in a Spin-Off
The clouds haven’t received their own spin-off and probably never will. However, they do make a slightly different appearance in The Patrick Star Show.
Instead of being flowers, they’re in the shape of a star. This kind of makes sense considering the show is about a starfish, so you can tie everything in the show to that theme.
Real Decor Inspiration
SpongeBob SquarePants can inspire a lot of things for you to create or do in real life. I love how the flower clouds are a nice subtle decoration idea.
You could make fake windows that show off the flower clouds, for example. Or you could buy stickers that are easy enough to place on the walls of your room or on your phone or laptop.
I love that there are tons of color options as well. Since my room features green, blue, and pink, I’d probably make or buy flower clouds in those colors to decorate my space.
What About Flowers on the Sea Floor?
The flower clouds are the only flowers SpongeBob SquarePants features. While they’re probably the easiest to spot and the most common, other flowers exist.
In some episodes, the flowers on the ground have a major role in the storyline. So consider a few other types of flowers you’ll see when watching the series.
A Different Species
One of the most common flowers you’ll find on the ground is what looks like an anemone. You can see the flowers in front of Mr. Krabs’ house and in the window boxes of Grandma SquarePants’ home.
However, the most significant appearance of these is in “My Pretty Seahorse.” SpongeBob is planting a flower in his yard, but it doesn’t seem to last.
The sponge quickly discovers a wild seahorse is eating every flower he plants. Of course, being SpongeBob, he tries to adopt the seahorse, but that causes a lot of problems for the Krusty Krab, so SpongeBob sets the animal free to eat more flowers.
These flowers blend in with the underwater setting, even if they aren’t like the flowers we’d grow. I think they’re cute, and the episode with the seahorse is a good way to feature these plants.
Like the Flower Clouds
Whenever you see the exterior of SpongeBob’s pineapple, you may notice flowers that look like the clouds. These flowers are much smaller than the ones in the “sky.”
However, they also come in a variety of colors, from purple to blue to orange. They’re also much closer together than the flower clouds, probably because of the nature of a garden versus that of clouds.
We don’t know a ton of details on this species of flower. Unfortunately, the flowers used to be part of Squidward’s flower garden before the pineapple fell into the garden and became SpongeBob’s home.
Inside Sandy’s Treedome
The sea creatures get to learn about life on land when they visit Sandy‘s treedome. Part of that is showcasing the flowers that we have.
When SpongeBob first visits, he brings a small bouquet of pink flowers to Sandy. I’m not sure where he would have gotten the flowers because they don’t look like the others in Bikini Bottom.
However, the flowers look very good in her treedome when she puts them in a vase with some water. Of course, there’s also the tree inside the dome, but it’s not technically a flower.
Non-Flower Plants
Along with flowers, you can find a few other plants in SpongeBob SquarePants. Of course, you’ll see plenty of coral, which is all around the city of Bikini Bottom.
Seaweed is also pretty prevalent, and you can eat it as many characters do. The tube-like plant can be blue, yellow, or red, and we learn in “Pizza Delivery” that pioneers had to eat it to live.
Another common plant in the series is kelp. SpongeBob and Squidward each keep some in their gardens, but you can find more kelp in a forest just outside of the city.
Because we always need a good tree, there are some sea palms that look like palm trees. You’ll also find the aforementioned oak tree in Sandy’s treedome.
Algae can grow on rocks and other formations, similar to how it grows in real life. Then, there are barnacles, which are small plants that grow on the sides of things, but you hear them more than see them since the show uses them like a cuss word.
The Flower Cloud Theory
As I was looking into the flowers in SpongeBob, I came across an interesting theory. Some fans think the clouds are oil that has fallen into the sea.
Allegedly, military testing above the sea has led to some oil pollution underwater. I think that theory is interesting, and it would make sense since Bikini Bottom is below Bikini Atoll, a nuclear testing site.
However, some of the clouds can’t be just oil. After all, they have some structure so that they can support SpongeBob as he walks, and the clouds can bounce back when something hits them.
Maybe some of the flower clouds are oil, and others have more structure to them. Be sure to let me know your thoughts on the theory.
FAQs About the SpongeBob Flowers Guide
Answer: The flowers you see on the ground in SpongeBob are sea anemones. Some flowers are simpler and look like the flower clouds, such as those in the garden around the pineapple house.
However, the more common species is a domesticated version of anemone. The flowers are simple, and they blend in but are also easy to spot when the scene calls for it.
Answer: One theory claims the clouds are flowers since they’re actually oil pollution. However, it could be simply a creative choice by the animators.
The flowers are pretty simple to create, which is essential since they’re in every episode. At the same time, they’re more interesting than a generic cloud shape.
Answer: Some of the other common plants are popular underwater species, such as algae and seaweed. However, you’ll also find trees, like the one Sandy lives in.
Kelp and coral are also prevalent in the series since they’re easy to find in the sea.
Final Note on the SpongeBob Flowers Guide
SpongeBob SquarePants may be about sea life, but there are quite a few flowers in the show. Having a SpongeBob flowers guide can help you learn more about the ones on the ground and those in the sky.
Be sure to consider the different types of flowers in Bikini Bottom as you watch the show. And keep an eye out for when they have a big effect on the plot so that you can better understand each episode.
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