Sporting Or Studying Bikini Bottom: A Sandy Cheeks Headcanon
It’s time to rationalize the show with the talking kitchen sponge and underwater squirrel
On Friday, August 2, the newest movie from the SpongeBob SquarePants franchise, Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie, released on Netflix. Personally the plot felt a little thin and the visuals were a bit weird but I might need subsequent viewings. In it, Sandy’s revealed to be working for the Bureau Of Official Texas Science, run by the film’s villain, Sue Nahmee. Sue reveals that Sandy was essentially her Trojan horse, using her to study Bikini Bottom without her knowledge. But even spinoffs aside, longtime fans know that Sandy wasn’t always the science girl. And I think this can be easily explained, even if “canon” spent most of if not the series’s entire run being the least of their concerns.
Sandy Cheeks was introduced in the rare C segment of the first episode, “Tea at the Treedome” essentially fighting off a giant clam. She got homesick in “Texas” but recovered, and by all accounts could seemingly visit as much as she wants if later episodes are to be believed. However, she also had quite the athletic streak, exemplified by her and SpongeBob’s karate that began with “Karate Choppers”, anchor throwing in “MuscleBob BuffPants”, surfing in “Ripped Pants”, and the grab bag of extreme sports in “Pre-Hibernation Week”. Scientist Sandy began showing up in season 4, thanks to episodes “SquidBob TentaclePants” and “Chimps Ahoy”, the latter having her faced with being defunded by her chimp benefactors. It’s a season that does see the karate return thanks to “Karate Island” and “Best Day Ever”, but does sort of fall away with distant singular pop ups later, like in “Sportz?” when SpongeBob and Patrick find Sandy’s box of equipment for regular-intensity sports like football, baseball and basketball, that they don’t know how to play. It’s an episode I missed premiere so I don’t know offhand whether it’s a Christmas-esque non-existence starting point or if it is just they don’t know how to play, but they’re left vulnerable to Squidward’s intentional misdirections because of this before Sandy sets him straight.
Sandy never becomes homesick again during the series, and never seems disallowed from going home at any point. Randy invited her up in “Rodeo Daze” but it was never framed as necessary for her to surface. This ain’t a house arrest sentence after all. Her chimp benefactors never appear again, and because B.O.OT.S. was introduced in Saving Bikini Bottom, they’re not there on behalf of the company. So what has to be is that of course B.O.OT.S. was never her original partner, but someone she partnered with afterward, under still unknown circumstances, heading back to Texas to stay “local” to her surface home, of course not knowing the full extent of what she agreed to. We don’t know how long Sandy’s lived in Bikini Bottom before or after the second partnership but in order to get better data, B.O.OT.S. got her sports stuff and met their needs sufficiently, and forced more focus on her science. And now with B.O.OT.S. defeated she’s not only free to do whatever, but apparently the rest of her family will be added to the show’s growing ensemble, possibly in “Sandy's Country Christmas”.
Life’s as extreme as you want to make it. Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie is now streaming on Netflix, and SpongeBob SquarePants is currently in its 14th season on Nickelodeon, currently on break as it seems its part in the Big Summer Vacation daily premiere block has ended.
