AN episode from Spongebob Squarepants is banned from screens – 15 years after its debut.
The popular kids TV show first launched on Nickelodeon in 1999 and follows the yellow sponge’s life under the sea.
15 series have been ordered to date, with over 300 episodes of the hit broadcast.
However, one episode has been banned from television and all streaming platforms for an unsettling reason.
The show, which originally aired in 2003, was titled ‘Mid Life Crustacean’ and focused on Mr Krabs as he entered a mid-life crisis.
SpongeBob and Patrick try to lift up their pal and take him out in Bikini Bottom to help recapture his youth.
While they take part in a number of activities, Mr Krabs revealed he enjoyed the ‘panty raid’ the most.
The scene saw the trio break into a woman’s home and steal her underwear.
In a disturbing twist, the friends realise they’ve actually broken into Mr Krabs’ mum’s house and taken her panties.
The episode was pulled for good by Nickelodeon bosses, who later revealed a review had determined it wasn’t suitable for children.
Speaking in 2021, a spokesperson said: “Mid-Life Crustacean has been out of rotation since 2018, following a standards review in which we determined some story elements were not kid-appropriate.”
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”Spongebob Squarepants iconic opening song” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6352185306112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]The divisive episode briefly returned to streaming giant Paramount+ in 2023 due to a technical blunder, before being pulled again.
A spokesperson said: “Due to a technical error, the episode was inadvertently posted for a brief period on the Paramount+ Channel on Amazon Prime Video. It has since been removed.”