‘SpongeBob SquarePants’ Fans Just Realized a Memorable Character Hasn’t Appeared on the Show in 14 Years

SpongeBob SquarePants fans had a revelation this weekend: the iconic character Squilliam Fancyson has not been featured on the show in the last 14 years. Squilliam – voiced by actor Dee Bradley Baker – looms large in fans’ memories thanks to the iconic 2001 episode “Band Geeks.” However, as one X user pointed out this weekend, Squilliam’s screen time does not match his stature in the fandom at all.

SpongeBob fans of all ages are likely familiar with “Band Geeks” – a Season 2 episode where Squidward (Rodger Bumpass) receives a call from his former high school classmate Squilliam, who gloats that he has the chance to perform at the “Bubble Bowl” the following week but he won’t be able to attend. Squidward hastily whips his friends and neighbors into a marching band to take his place. The two characters compete again in the Season 3 episode “Squilliam Returns,” which is about fine dining, but after that Squilliam did not make an appearance on the show for years.

This observation cropped up on X last week in response to a prompt about characters’ screen time. While discussing characters whose screen time did not match their popularity, a user named Roy brought up Squilliam. Many commenters agreed that it was baffling that Squilliam didn’t become more prominent in the show, although in truth, he has technically made cameos within the last 14 years, and has been featured prominently in more episodes.

Squilliam Fancyson has appeared in a total of 10 episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants, including the two early appearances mentioned above. He next appeared in the 2008 episode “House Fancy,” where his luxurious home was featured on a reality TV show, making Squidward jealous. The following year in the episode “Professor Squidward,” Squilliam appears at the beginning, and then Squidward poses as him for part of the episode.

Next, Squilliam appeared in the 2009 episode “I ♥ Dancing,” then featured prominently in the 2010 episode “Keep Bikini Bottom Beautiful.” After that, he made cameos in the 2010 episode “Back to the Past,” the 2017 episode “Code Yellow and the 2017 episode “The Check-Up.” That means the last time Squilliam was featured in the plot of an episode was 14 years ago, and his last three appearances have all been cameos.

Fans lamented this as a missed opportunity, especially for the character of Squidward. Some joked about this oversight and others sincerely hoped it would be remedied in future seasons. Right now, SpongeBob SquarePants Season 14 is airing on Nickelodeon, so there’s always a chance Squilliam will come off of his hiatus. His previous episodes are streaming now on Paramount+.