Ah, the Goo Lagoon... so peaceful, so serene...
Observe the fish children as they frolic and play,
and yet underneath its murky depths,
a mysterious ooze bubbles forth,
be it good or be it ill?
What is the secret hiding in the depths of the Goo Lagoon?
Only time (and this episode) will tell...
♫ Film Theory theme ♫
Hello internet!
Welcome to Film Theory!
where I'm ready, I'm ready,
I'm ready to get to the bottom of every unsolved mystery,
every unanswered question every age-old riddle from nostalgic Nickelodeon shows.
And today, we're covering these things.
Now, let me give you some backstory first,
'cause this isn't as random as it might first seem.
You see, recently I finished filming a series for Nickelodeon
that was basically Film Theory, but for classic Nicktoons.
It was like a dream come true,
getting to work with a channel that literally was my childhood.
We did episodes of "Rocket Power"s crazy skateboarding moves,
"Hey Arnold"s pigeon man,
"Avatar: The Last Airbender"s flying sky bison,
all really cool stuff.
We even did two episodes dedicated to
everyone's favorite absorbent, yellow, porous rectangle, Spongebob.
One topic we analyzed was "the Goo Lagoon,"
which, if you're not familiar,
is literally a pool of water, UNDER the water,
that all the characters treat as a local beach.
And shockingly, there is a real-life answer to that one.
Pools of water under water are totally a real-life thing.
I'm not gonna spoil how it works,
you're gonna just have to watch that episode when it finally comes out,
But, one thing that we didn't cover in that video,
that I thought would make a fascinating episode over here,
are the mysterious purple sludge blobs that come from under the surface of the lagoon.
You see, "SpongeBob SquarePants: Episode 185",
titled "It Came From Goo Lagoon",
revolved around the discovery of mysterious goo bubbles,
that floated into Bikini Bottom by way of this underwater beach area.
The bubbles provide hours of fun for SpongeBob and Patrick,
who discovered that they were bouncy and purple,
and according to Patrick:
"Ooooohhhhh- it tastes like licorice."
But for Sandy Cheeks, Bikini Bottom's resident scientific squirrel,
the bubbles were something to be wary of.
"Stop!"
"Those bubbles are dangerous!"
A potential danger that threatened the very existence of Bikini Bottom.
After a lot of floating around and exploring the many joys at the bubbles,
the episode ends with a giant goo bubble bursting over the town.
Unlike Sandy's prediction, it's not catastrophic,
but everyone does get themselves a little messy.
Mr. Krabs cashes in on the whole mess,
and all's well that ends well for our little underwater pals.
But it's weird, right?
What are these things?
The entire time you're waiting for an explanation,
and that explanation never comes.
I mean, why are they coming from the Goo Lagoon?
And why is Sandy so afraid of 'em?
It all could just be a bunch of throwaway plot threads to make the episode more exciting.
I don't think so...
It feels like there was more thought put into this thing than the episode lets on.
One thing we've talked about a lot in past SpongeBob theories,
is the fact that series creator Stephen Hillenburg was a Marine Biologist.
And so far as fantastical as a lot of this show seems,
there is a decent amount of it that's rooted in cold hard Marine Biologist fact.
Like I said, the Goo Lagoon itself has a scientific explanation.
So why not the goo bubbles that come from the Goo Lagoon?
So I decided to look a little bit closer as to what was really going on here,
and oh man, the conclusion of today's episode is gonna blow your mind.
I mean, we're not afraid to get dark here on Film Theory,
and Spongebob sometimes deals with some very serious topics,
like ocean pollution,
but this one is pretty awful.
Sandy had every right to worry.
So what's the dark secret lurking at the bottom of the lagoon?
Let's just dive into it.
Using the episode to guide us,
let's make a list of everything we know about these bubbles.
First and most obviously, these balls are made of some sort of purple goo or sludge.
You can see how thick and viscous they are just from watching the episode.
"It's so gooey!"
So we already know that we're dealing with an unusual color of goo that exists under the ocean,
but we also know that they're able to float and bounce.
Not only do we see SpongeBob and Patrick
floating above the lagoon while sitting on the bubbles,
we also see them bouncing on the surface of them.
The bubbles are also sticky.
"It sticks like glue!"
Once a bubble latches onto you,
they're pretty tough to shake off,
like in this scene with Patrick.
Speaking of Patrick, he also tells us they're stenchy.
Patrick complains that the smell of the bubbles makes his nose tingle.
"The smell makes my nose tingle."
And you know it's got to smell bad,
because this is coming from a creature who doesn't even have a nose to smell it in the first place!!!
And if Sandy's to be believed, the goo bubbles may also be dangerous
"How many times do I have to tell you that stuff's dangerous?!"
Sandy, for whatever reason, is utterly convinced
that the bubbles pose a grave danger to everyone in Bikini Bottom.
We never see any evidence of this,
considering that when the big one bursts, it only leaves harmless goo behind,
but Sandy's concerns are definitely worth making note of.
So that's a pretty decent chunk of information all crammed into a 23 minute episode.
Now put a pin in it,
(or actually don't, 'cause you'll wind up popping our little goo bubble),
hold onto that list,
because it's time to start putting some potential explanations to the test.
Theory #1: Pollution
There are plenty of long-held theories
that "Spongebob" is actually a show all about the ways the ocean is being polluted,
and it's pretty clear that there's some truth in a lot of these theories.
There are countless examples of pollution showing up on the show.
Heck, if you kept watching that diving clip from a minute or so ago,
you'll see Spongebob blocked from reaching the water's surface,
because of a layer of human pollution.
That took a turn for the worse!
In one episode, Mr. Krabs looks forward to making money off the endless summer
that global warming will cause,
by opening himself a pool.
one popular fan theory even surmises that the entire show is an allegory for global warming,
with Spongebob representing human impact as a kitchen sponge,
Patrick representing Western civilization because he's lazy and lives under a rock
(their words, not mine)
and greedy Mr. Krabs represents big capitalist corporations.
Look, I'm not saying I believe that theory,
just that it exists, and that there are people out there who do believe it.
We are equal opportunity theorists here folks.
I've come up with some pretty outlandish ones myself.
Though come to think of it,
it might be fun to do a theory review at some point, similar to meme review.
Anyway, Stephen Hillenburg in interviews would mention that pollution was a personal concern of his.
One of my favorite quotes from Stephen actually comes from an interview on that exact topic.
"My biggest nightmare is that I'm going to be at the beach one day,"
"and one of these Spongebob dolls is gonna wash up on the shore like garbage."
So could the goo of Goo Lagoon be pollution of some form,
like oil from an oil spill or something?
Maybe...
If you look at this YouTube video featuring scenes from "It Came From Goo Lagoon",
you'll see that its description reads:
"Welcome to Goo Lagoon, a relaxing retreat for the residents of Bikini Bottom."
"Despite the strange ongoings, Spongebob and Patrick have fun on the polluted bubbles!"
Now, I wouldn't put too much stock into the information contained inside the description of a video,
unless of course we're talking about the links in the top line of the description of any of our videos,
because you know that those are always gonna be important,
be they sponsorship, subscription or merch link.
But in this case, the video here was posted by Nickelodeon's official UK channel.
This is an official outlet, people!
Plus, pollution spills tend to float,
because the oil that tends to leak out is less dense than the salty ocean water that it floats on
So you got the flotation, and you got Nickelodeon UK supporting this theory,
but that's really where the evidence for the pollution theory starts to run dry.
Pollution spills, whether it's liquid asphalt in the Ohio River,
slurry oil in the Gulf of Mexico,
or diesel fuel up in Alaska,
all tend to be brown or black.
Definitely not a bright purple.
Which in my mind,
is going to be one of the most important features of the goo bubbles that we have to account for in our theory.
Plus Patrick putting the goo bubble in his mouth and being unaffected by it
doesn't exactly line up with pollution or any form of toxic waste.
Though it may have been the obvious first choice,
I have a feeling we can come up with a better theory than this one.
Theory #2 : Algae
Now when I say algae, you're probably thinking of that weird green moss that grows on top of the water,
that you've always wanted to touch as a kid,
but you never did because you were always a bit worried that it would poison you?
Was I the only one with that?
Yes, no, leave a comment down below.
Let me know if I was just the weird kid who was worried about this
either poisoning me or drowning me.
Well, I mean obviously I was the weird kid,
But I mean in this one select instance.
Anyone else relate to this?
Just me?
Let me know if I was alone!
Anyway, we're not talking about that kind of algae.
Algae comes in all kinds of shapes and colors and species.
And one of them, the Valonia Ventricosa looks a lot like the goo bubbles in "Spongebob"
Also known as bubble algae or sailor's eyeballs,
this single-celled organism is found throughout the world in tropical and subtropical ocean regions.
You heard that right, this thing is a single cell.
But not only does it have bubble in its name,
it behaves a whole heck of a lot like the goo bubbles that we see in the show,
able to float and bounce along different surfaces on the floor of the ocean,
as well as appearing to float through the water.
Bubble algae is also known for rapidly spreading.
If one bubble pops up, others are sure to follow quickly thereafter.
It's something of a notorious scourge amongst aquarium enthusiasts,
who know that if they find one in their tanks, there's gonna be a lot more to come.
The goo bubbles behave similarly.
Early in the episode, we see just one,
but mere hours later the bubbles have become an epidemic,
prompting news reports and general town panic.
So, what about that vibrant purple color?
Though Valonia Ventricosa is usually some shade of green,
the color can actually vary as widely as silver, teal, or blackish,
ultimately determined by the quantity of chloroplasts inside that one cell.
Can it be purple?
Uuugnnhh... kind of?
Maybe...?
No, not really.
And while that's already a stretch, the point of evidence that really kills this theory is the goopyness.
This algae is hard.
It looks like a smooth pearl, or ball.
It's not oozy and gloopy like the sludge balls that are coming out of the Goo Lagoon.
So again, we're back at square one.
Or should I say .... "Squarepants" one.
*crickets*
"Ooooooh, I get it!"
*cursed laughing*
But hold on all you sad Squidwards out there,
I've got an answer that matches pretty much everything that we see going on in this episode.
The secret goo underneath Goo Lagoon is none other than dead, rotting jellyfish .
Theory #3 : Dead Jellys
My final theory for the goo bubbles is that they're not bubbles at all,
but instead creatures that naturally look a lot like bubbles instead, jellyfish.
Now, jellyfish are a huge part of "Spongebob Squarepants" the show,
with Bob and the gang constantly going out jellyfishing, and looking to nab jellyfish as pets.
Heck, they've even thrown parties in Spongebob's house,
and while most in the show are a translucent pink,
throughout the series, they've also been shown to be purple, like the king jellyfish,
and even blue.
We also know that they produce jelly,
leaving behind a goo that looks very similar to what we see coming out of the Goo Lagoon,
but I'm not here telling you that these bubbles are live jellyfish,
or the jelly that they spit out,
I am here today telling you that Spongebob and Patrick in this episode are swimming around with,
and covered in,
dead rotting corpses of jellyfish.
Get this - mysterious purple goop has been washing up on beach shores of Norway,
and it looks almost identical to the gloppy, drippy goo bubbles that we see in this episode of Spongebob.
In death, jellyfish corpses darken in color as decomposition takes place,
explaining why the real-life goop on Norway's beaches is such a deep rich shade of purple,
and why the goo bubbles in the Goo Lagoon would be darker
than the live jellyfish that we've seen previously on the show.
The bouncing and the floating of the goo bubbles?
Well that too is easily explained away by the nature of the lagoon.
Shoot!
I wanted you to have to go over to that show I did with Nickelodeon,
and watch their video to prove to Nickelodeon that I'm popular and worth working with again!
Urrgh, darn it!
But it's taking them so damn long.
True story, we filmed this thing back in July,
and the level of editing that that series requires has got to be less than what we do every week here on Film Theory.
Anyway, urggh, fine, I'll reveal the solution from that episode,
but you got to promise me at some point down the line,
when I point you in another episode of Film Theory to go over and watch that show,
and comment there how much you love MatPat,
and how eager you are to see him on Nickelodeon,
I was really planning on them having uploaded the series by this point, so I'm just gonna go for it, okay fine.
In that episode I revealed that the Goo Lagoon itself is most likely an underwater brine lake,
an area of super salty water inside the ocean.
The saltier water means it's more dense than the water around it,
which is how you get a separate pool of water underneath the water.
It's a density gradient, with the super salty water being denser than the slightly less salty water all around it.
Therefore, all dead jellyfish goo would need to be
in order to prove that it could bounce along the surface of the Goo Lagoon
is be less dense than those super salty pools,
and we already know that jellyfish are indeed less dense than the Goo Lagoon
because it's been scientifically proven that jellyfish are 95% water,
making them hardly more dense than the water that they float around in.
That, in turn, explains how the goo bubbles are able to float through the ocean water,
as well as bounce on top of the denser brine lake water.
How about the way the goo bubbles cluster?
Well, that one's easily explained as well.
Jellyfish cluster naturally.
They tend to travel in groups called blooms,
and sometimes rough winds, swells and currents send them to shore all at once.
So when they die, they tend to die together,
exactly the way they lived, explaining why the goo bubbles would show up together.
Why there would be such a massive pool of goo in this one concentrated area?
Another point in favor of dead rotting jellyfish being the cause of this whole thing: the smell.
Remember what Spongebob and Patrick said earlier?
"The smell makes my nose tingle!"
When dead jellyfish wash up on shores, they emit a terrible overpowering smell,
which explains why the characters would call them stenchy.
I mean they are dead bodies after all.
Dead bodies are not particularly known for their pleasing smell.
"But why here?"
you might be asking,
"Why are there so many dead jellyfish in this one concentrated pool?"
Well, a lot of it goes back to what Goo Lagoon is,
because it is this super salty brine lake,
it would be almost immediately deadly to any jellyfish that touched it,
which explains the dead bodies.
But there is another explanation here.
You see, large blooms of jellyfish are on the rise,
which many think is tied to increasing water temperatures because of global warming.
As a result, jellyfish are starting to pose problems for nuclear power plants,
clogging pipes that run ocean water in to cool the reactors,
and some places, like South Korea, have created jellyfish murder robots to solve this very problem.
Basically, these things are robotic search-and-destroy sea blenders
for slaughtering hundreds of jellyfish at a time.
With fishermen comparing the texture of the dead jellyfish goo to margarine.
Which, thereby makes this entire thing rooted in the type of science the creator of the show wanted in the first place.
This episode isn't a warning about pollution in our oceans.
It's instead an episode warning us about the dangers of global warming.
We're gonna have too many jellyfish, and not enough peanut butter fish!
Probably the most dad joke I've ever made.
So there you have it, friends.
We have ourselves the color,
flotation,
smell,
the fact that it's not toxic so Patrick can taste it reasonably without any negative effects,
a reason for it being there,
the stickiness,
all of it is hashed out through this one explanation.
I don't know about you,
but it looks to me like Spongebob and his pals are in fact playing with the corpses of their ocean peers.
And when those bubbles pop at the end of the episode,
everyone is covered with dead gooey bodies.
Is it gross?
Yeah!
Morbid?
Absolutely.
Great television?
You betcha!
But hey!
That's just a theory!
A Film Theory!
Aaaaand cut.