‘SpongeBob SquarePants’ ‘Rev up Those Fryers’ Fish Still Has Twitter Rolling All These Years Later

A throw-away joke from SpongeBob SquarePants has gone viral all over again thanks to some detail-oriented fans on Twitter. The classic “rev up those fryers” scene is circulating once again, and many viewers have a fresh appreciation for the committed silliness of the bit. Some are re-analyzing the joke in retrospect or applying it to modern situations.

The scene in question comes from SpongeBob SquarePants Season 1, Episode 17, “Arrgh!,” which originally aired in 2000. In the episode, SpongeBob and Patrick get Mr. Krabs to play a board game with them, and he takes it overboard — going so far as to throw a customer out of the Krusty Krab so he can keep playing. That customer happened to be a boisterous fish, who came bursting through the front doors shouting “Rev up those fryers!”

The joke lands perfectly in the context of the episode, and on its own, it takes on an even more silly quality. It has become a recognizable meme on various platforms, though, like other memetic SpongeBob SquarePants moments, its meaning and application are fluid, changing slightly and taking on more nuance than a cartoon frame on its own has any right to be.

Fans noted all this and more as they dissected the “rev up those fryers” meme on Twitter this week, and they had a good time doing it. Here is a look at the latest analyses of this classic SpongeBob SquarePants moment.

Real Life

Reconsidering this scene now, many users laughed all over again at the idea of a customer doing this in real life at a real fast food restaurant. Some predicted that it would not go well.

Relatable

Many people said that they related to the fish in this scene, and the experience of having their enthusiasm abruptly extinguished by someone like Mr. Krabs.

Robinhood

Some related the fish’s enthusiasm to that of the day-traders who made the news last week by inflating thep rice of GameStop stock. They thought that his ejection by Mr. Krabs was a solid metaphor for the Robinhood app’s response to the stunt.

Underrated

Seeing this meme take over their timelines all over again for no discernable reason, many users felt vindicated in their love for it. They appreciated seeing “rev up those fryers” get its due, feeling that it had been under-appreciated all this time.

Analysis

Armed with critical thinking skills they did not have as children, many fans re-examined the “rev up those fryers” joke and tried to discern why it works. The conclusion were mostly that it was universal, elemental and timeless.

Stuck in Your Head

Some users noticed that the phrase “rev up those fryers” has a catchiness to it, so much so that it could get stuck in your head like song lyrics. Many wondered if it would just become part of their lexicon going forward.

Bossy

Finally, some users were less sympathetic to the fish in this clip, feeling that he crossed a line with his enthusiastic entry. They appreciated his energy but were not surprised by his fate. SpongeBob SquarePants is streaming now on Amazon Prime Video.