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— Scooter, "Walking Small"
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Scooter[1][2][3], also known as Incidental 38, the dude[4], and the happy dude fish, is an incidental character who first appears in the episode "Ripped Pants." He is classified as a secondary character-type incidental.
Quick Answers
What is the first episode in which Scooter, the surfer dude from Spongebob, appears?
What is the color of Scooter's swim trunks in his earlier appearances in Spongebob?
How does Scooter's appearance differ from the happy dude fish in Spongebob?
What is the meaning behind Scooter's alternate name, 'Incidental 38'?
Description
He is a lavender-purple fish with light purple fins and legs, and light green lips. He wears teal swim trunks with yellow flowers. In his earlier appearances, his swim trunks were colored dark pink. The happy dude fish has the same appearance as Scooter's old colors variant.
Personality
Despite him being an incidental, Scooter has been shown to usually have a consistent personality and voice in the first three seasons. He was shown to be a groovy fish who enjoys surfing, partying, and saying "Awesome." He was also commonly seen to almost always be in a good or positive mood. However ever since season 4, he has been given an inconsistent personality and voice like most incidentals have. Although his consistent voice and personality did return in the season 15 episode, "Student Driver Survivor."
Names
Scooter is the most consistently used name for Incidental 38. It was used for him in "Party Pooper Pants," SpongeBob SquarePants: The Essential Guide, SpongeBob Rocks!, and "Student Driver Survivor." In "Ice Cream Headache," he is also given this name, although he is colored the same as Incidental 37B. He has also been given two other names:
- In SpongeBob Comics Annual Super-Giant Swimtacular No. 2 and SpongeBob Comics: Book 2: Aquatic Adventurers, Unite!, he is a super hero named Double Dude.
- In "The Executive Treatment," his "BusinessFish" variant is named Marv.
Other
- In "Good Ol' Whatshisname," an unmarked group of two from the finite selection of Incidentals 38, 82, and 87 are named Halbert and Pilar.
Role in series
Scooter is a somewhat commonly used incidental character, but he was a lot more used in the first three seasons where he usually had a consistent voice and personality, much like a minor character, although he was still mainly identified as an incidental character. Ever since season 4 and onwards, he has made much less notable roles and his voice and personality are now inconsistent much like most of the other incidental characters, until it made a comeback in the season 15 episode "Student Driver Survivor." He was firstly designed to be a beach goer, as well as a running gag throughout the episode "Ripped Pants" where he laughs whenever SpongeBob rips his pants.
Major roles
SpongeBob SquarePants
"Ripped Pants"
He is seen as a big supporter of SpongeBob's ripped pants jokes by constantly laughing at him and complimenting him afterwards. However, after SpongeBob pretends to drown, Scooter says "Dude...!" sadly annoyed and walks away.
"MuscleBob BuffPants"
He tells Incidental 18 about how huge SpongeBob looks with Anchor Arms. Sandy then asks Scooter where she can find SpongeBob and Scooter tells her that he is in the Juice Bar.
"Texas"
He is one of the characters that surround the screen near the end of the episode.
"Walking Small"
A dark teal variant of him first approaches SpongeBob and asks him if he can borrow his metal detector because his broke. SpongeBob kindly allowed him to use it but Plankton tells SpongeBob to be more assertive towards him by telling him to take a hike. SpongeBob misunderstands Plankton and asks Scooter if he would like to take a hike with him. Plankton then tells SpongeBob to tell Scooter to go fall in a ditch. SpongeBob then points to an open ditch for Scooter to search in, Scooter finds buried treasure and thanks SpongeBob for helping him do so. Plankton then tells SpongeBob to tell Scooter he will use karate on him and tie him in a knot. SpongeBob mishears Plankton and tells Scooter that he will offer to tie his shoe, but Scooter points to his feet and claims that he is wearing sandals. He later appears receiving a hotdog from SpongeBob's tongue. He lastly appears crying due to have broken his surfboard in half. SpongeBob then morphs into a surfboard so Scooter can surf on him instead. After Scooter finishes surfing with SpongeBob, a crowd of fish come up and cheer for him while Scooter thanks SpongeBob for helping him.
"Hooky"
Mr. Krabs uses him as an example of what would happen if someone went near the hooks by grabbing the back of his swim trunks and giving him a wedgie.
"Something Smells"
SpongeBob's rancid breath kills him and Harold. He is also one of the many theater patrons that Patrick forces to look at SpongeBob's "ugly" face.
"Bubble Buddy"
He drowns offscreen in the high tide after SpongeBob and Bubble Buddy bury him. Later in the episode, he is shown to have turned into an angel from the high tide.
"Patty Hype"
He is shown to be one of the fish that cheer right before Mr. Krabs buries himself.
"Prehibernation Week" / Tales from Bikini Bottom
Sandy has him, Incidental 41, and Old Man Walker look inside a cave for SpongeBob, but they run out when they find out the cave is really an elephant fish.
"Club SpongeBob"
He and Incidental 119 are seen flying a "Picnic Supplies Inc." plane that was nearly about to fall out of the sky so they drop all of their picnic supplies from the plane.
"Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy IV"
He says "Hey, SpongeDude!" as he runs up to SpongeBob with Incidental 92 and Sandals. SpongeBob panics and shrinks them with Mermaid Man's utility belt.
"Party Pooper Pants"
He reads his card to Squidward which says 'What came first?: the oyster or the pearl?'. He asks Squidward to take the side of the pearl, but Squidward walks saying that reading cards are lame. He later tells Patrick that SpongeBob is sitting in the punch bowl, which was really an ice sculpture of him.
"Little Floater's Wild Weekend"
Either he or Incidental 38A is implied by his voice to be the Blow Off staff member fish who repeatedly mistakes SpongeBob for a door and whom SpongeBob claims to not recognize.
"Good Neighbors"
When Squidward notices the angry mob outside of his house, Scooter points at Squidward and yells out "There he is!"
"Wigstruck"
He appears as an employee at the Reef Cinema where he allows SpongeBob and Sandy to enter the theater and then laughs at SpongeBob's wig when they go inside. He later appears as a movie theater attendant where he suggests everyone to start a riot towards SpongeBob and Sandy.
"Born to Be Wild"
He mocks SpongeBob and Patrick while they were pretending to be a biker gang.
"Sand Castles in the Sand"
He is seen playing volleyball with Larry the Lobster and other fish and asks SpongeBob and Patrick to return their ball after they accidentally hit it towards them. He later appears at Goo Lagoon with Incidental 47 where he get frightened by SpongeBob and Patrick's sand war. He then grabs Incidental 47 and flees away.
"Shell Shocked"
He appears in a commercial to promote Angry Jack's Shell Emporium with Snail 1.
"The Clash of Triton"
When Triton appears above downtown Bikini Bottom, Scooter asks for his autograph and Triton zaps his name onto the town.
"Stuck in the Wringer"
He is seen glaring at SpongeBob along with the other fish who glare at him as well after Patrick is chastised.
"Someone's in the Kitchen with Sandy"
He is seen holding a long surfboard that Sandy runs behind to hide her naked body, he also laughs at her.
"Sponge-Cano!"
He makes a joke to Squidward about walking too fast and Mr. Krabs forces him to find the joke funny. He then informs everyone at the Krusty Krab about the lava burning out the roof. He later reminds Squidward about calling the pipe under his house stupid while the Bikini Bottomites carry him to the volcano.
"The Wreck of the Mauna Loa"
He, Incidental 48, and Dale fall off of The Wreck of the Mauna Loa amusement park ride and happily run off.
"Fiasco!"
He appears as a disguise for Incidental 118.
"Face Freeze!"
He runs away from SpongeBob and Patrick at Goo Lagoon when they rise from under the lagoon.
"Lost in Bikini Bottom"
He is seen with Harold and Charlie when SpongeBob comes across looking for the formerly abandoned couch that they were currently sitting on. He and Charlie then congratulate Harold after he has agreed to give him a ride to the Krusty Krab.
"The Executive Treatment"
His "BusinessFish" variant appears as an executive at the Krusty Krab with another unnamed executive. He mistakes Patrick as an executive and has him go to the Business Industries with all of the other executives. He is also one of the executives who are with Patrick in conference room 4B where Patrick eventually gets him fired by putting several stamps on him during the montage.
"Goodbye, Krabby Patty?"
He is getting an autograph from Patrick Star and later after the Frozen Krabby Patties is discovered to contain sand he vomits into his snail's litter box.
"Bulletin Board"
He is seen posting notes on the Krusty Krab sign post with Stretch.
"Trident Trouble"
He appears as one of the many hungry customers at the Krusty Krab and then appears getting attacked by the vicious Krabby Patties.
"The Incredible Shrinking Sponge"
Incidentals 160, 161, and 162 run into his table and knock it down while they chase a mini SpongeBob.
"Larry the Floor Manager"
He appears as one of the starving customers outside of the Krusty Krab.
"Cuddle E. Hugs"
He shows interest in the Aged Patties and witnesses Cuddle E. Hugs at the Krusty Krab.
"Don't Feed the Clowns"
He, Incidental 6, and Judy decide to buy hotdogs from the little clown after he has taken over the abandoned hot dog cart. The little clown then shoots mustard into their mouths and hotdogs into their eyes by mistake, causing the three fish to freak out and run away.
"Ink Lemonade"
Squidward squirts black lemonade onto his face along with several other customers.
"ChefBob"
He laughs at ChefBob's insult towards Squidward.
"Squirrel Jelly"
He appears at Goo Lagoon during the opening scene.
"Squid's on a Bus"
He is seen walking in downtown Bikini Bottom when Squidward's bus zooms down the road at high speed. He later appears as one of the rioting customers at the Krusty Krab with the bus driver.
"Shell Games"
He is seen playing volleyball at Goo Lagoon with Incidental 45 until their game gets disturbed by Patrick and Tony's fighting.
"Senior Discount"
He suffers from the heat when Mr. Krabs sets the thermostat to nuclear.
"Krusty Koncessionaires"
He asks SpongeBob to toss a Krabby Patty up to him. SpongeBob does so but Scooter then tells him there is no mustard on his patty. SpongeBob then shoots mustard onto the patty and Scooter thanks him.
"SpongeBob's Road to Christmas"
He is seen in the sky sitting on a lawn chair being floated by balloons.
"Blood is Thicker Than Grease"
He takes back his money from Squidward to spend it at the Spud Bucket.
"PL-1413"
He is the first to donate to the time capsule, putting in a gold trophy.
"Student Driver Survivor"
After Scooter passes at the Greenlight Driving School, Acceleration T. Greenlight gives him his driver's license. After Scooter gives money to him, he drives away. Unfortunately, he suddenly crashes his boatmobile off-screen.
The Patrick Star Show
"The Yard Sale"
He is seen during Ancient Rome times holding a banner that says "Weus Lovus Moronicus!" with Incidental 6, Incidental 47, Harris, and Stretch.
"Terror at 20,000 Leagues"
In Granny Tentacles' Pantry of Doom, he is hypnotized by Granny Tentacles to do chores. When he snaps out of it, he gets angry at Granny Tentacles and turns on her.
"The Patrick Show Cashes In"
When Patrick and Perch Perkins fight, Scooter watches through a window.
"Chopping Spree"
He is seen in Patgar, fainting due to Pat the Hapless's bad smell.
Major roles in books
SpongeBob Rocks!
He and Incidental 42 are devoted fans of SpongeBob, Patrick, and Sandy's rock band "Tidal Wave." He wears a wave-themed shirt and visits the band backstage at the Poseidome Colosseum. There, he asks them where their drums and guitars are, and they tell Scooter that they will use seashells instead.
Surf's Up, SpongeBob!
He appears as a surfer with a broken surfboard.
Major roles in shorts
"What Else Can a Krabby Patty Do?"
He appears as a clinic worker pulling out a Frankenfish with another clinic worker but they both run away when the Frankenfish rises.
Major roles in games
Battle for Bikini Bottom (home console)/Battle for Bikini Bottom: Rehydrated
He appears as an NPC throughout the game. He also appears as the camper guy.
Trivia
- He has an alternate model: Incidental 38A, who has also been shown to have Scooter's original consistent personality.
- In some episodes of the Russian dub 3, Scooter is female.
- In the Read to Me version of Surf's Up, SpongeBob!, Scooter's role is replaced by Incidental 38A.
- He, Fred, Lou, Harold (Inc 40), Judy, Old Man Jenkins (Inc 80), Old Man Walker, Old Man Jenkins (Inc 86), Mary, Steve, Mr. Mailman (Inc 154), Sandals, and Helen the Felon are the only regular incidentals who have consistently used names throughout the main franchise.
References
- ^ "Party Pooper Pants." SpongeBob SquarePants. Nickelodeon. May 17, 2002. Television.
- ^ SpongeBob SquarePants: Plankton Rising
- ^ "Student Driver Survivor." SpongeBob SquarePants. Nickelodeon. December 17, 2024. Television.
- ^ Incidental model sheet 2