Role in SpongeBob SquarePants , like those of Easter Island. Squidward is depicted as a grumpy and bitter turquoise octopus. He lives in the underwater city of Bikini Bottom in a moai situated between SpongeBob SquarePants' pineapple house and Patrick Star's rock. Squidward is annoyed by his neighbors for their perpetual laughter and boisterous behavior, though SpongeBob and Patrick are oblivious to being a nuisance to Squidward. Squidward lives in a constant state of self-pity and misery; he is unhappy with his
humdrum lifestyle and yearns for celebrity status, wealth, hair, and a glamorous and distinguished career as a musician or painter with a passion for art and playing the
clarinet, although he has no actual talent for either. However, he is left to endure the lowly status as a fast-food
cashier at the
Krusty Krab restaurant. Squidward resents his job and is irritated by his greedy employer
Mr. Krabs and by having his own resented neighbor SpongeBob as a colleague but basically refuses to take his chances with more valuable lines of work.
Other media Alongside the television series, Squidward appears in the February 2011 issues of
SpongeBob Comics. He also appears in various
SpongeBob SquarePants video games, and in various theme parks and theme park parades including
Sea World and
Universal's Superstar Parade. He also appears in
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 (2023). In 2004, Squidward appeared in the first feature-length film adaptation of the show,
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, which was released on November 19, 2004, and was financially successful, grossing over worldwide. He also appears in the film's sequels,
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water which was released in theaters on February 6, 2015, and
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run which was released in the United States on
Paramount+ streaming service on March 4, 2021, and in other territories on
Netflix earlier on November 5, 2020. In 2019, he made a cameo appearance in the
Super Bowl LIII halftime show during an animation that introduced rapper
Travis Scott. Squidward has also been included in various
SpongeBob SquarePants-related merchandise, including board games, phone case, sneakers and vans, books, plush toys, and trading cards. The episode "
The Sponge Who Could Fly" was adapted in 2009 as a stage musical at the
Liverpool Empire Theatre, and later in South Africa. Actor Charles Brunton originated the role of Squidward, later recalling that he loved the character, and the "fun [of] trying to re-create a well established cartoon character into a live performance on stage." Brunton prepared for the role by buying nine DVDs of the series, acting out Squidward's part in each episode, in his bedroom. He said, "it took ages to perfect the voice and the way he used his arms". Brunton's performance and the musical were well received by most critics. A critic from
The Public Reviews wrote, "Charles Brunton as Squidward really stole the show for us, his character was nailed to perfection, from his comic acting, voice and mannerisms this was a faultless performance". In his review for
The Northern Echo, Viv Hardwick said, "Charles Brunton makes a convincing Squidward". The role was played by Chris van Rensburg in South Africa.
2016 stage musical originated the role of Squidward in the musical.
A stage musical based on the show premiered in June 2016 at the
Oriental Theatre in Chicago. In the musical, Bikini Bottom is threatened by a volcano that will erupt in two days, so the townspeople decide to hold a concert to raise money so they can evacuate. While he wants to perform on the concert himself, Squidward is instead assigned to manage the event while rock band the Electric Skates is asked to play. When the band arrives, Squidward wants to be their opening act, but he is rejected because he fails to get one of the items that the Electric Skates requests. The band calls Squidward a loser, causing him to snap, and he drives the band away. Squidward then insists that he is not a loser and performs a tap-dance number backed by a chorus line until he realizes it is just his imagination ("I'm Not a Loser"). Because the concert and the evacuation plan fail, the town falls into chaos until SpongeBob, Patrick, and Sandy arrive and tell them that they have used a device that should stop the eruption. After the volcano does not erupt at the supposed time, Squidward is allowed to perform in a concert to celebrate the town's survival.
Original portrayal Actor
Gavin Lee originated the role of Squidward in the Chicago run and reprised the role in the musical's Broadway run and its
2019 television adaptation. As Lee was not familiar with the show prior to his audition, Lee binge-watched eight
SpongeBob episodes and listened to Rodger Bumpass' voice. Lee liked how Squidward is the one grumpy character in an upbeat musical. Three times in the musical, Squidward is stopped from singing, so that when his number "I'm Not a Loser" is finally sung in Act 2, "the audience is just gagging for Squidward to finally express himself", as Gavin Lee described. "I'm Not a Loser" features Squidward tap-dancing backed by a
chorus line of sea anemones. Lee said that he wanted the fake legs to be secure and asymmetrical to his real legs, which made the legs uncomfortable to wear, but he likes them as a gimmick and how the audience reacted positively to them. Since Squidward tap-danced with four legs in "I'm Not a Loser", Lee and choreographer Chris Gattelli worked together to figure out how Lee would tap-dance with two extra tap shoes, as neither had tap-danced like that before. Lee said that in order to make four tap noises, he tap-danced in a more "sloppy" way: "Having loose ankles, but also having the tension there to make the noises with the extra [taps]." Reviewing the Broadway run, Alexis Soloski of
The Guardian called Lee's tap number "rapturous", while Peter Marks on
The Washington Post considers it "a particular joy".
Vice's Jo Rosenthal considered Lee's performance of "I'm Not a Loser" as "heart-rending" and "earned his standing ovation". In addition to calling "I'm Not a Loser" the musical's highlight, David Rooney of
The Hollywood Reporter praised Squidward's four-legs costume as well. In 2018, for his performance in the Broadway run, Gavin Lee won a
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical and was nominated for a
Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical.
Subsequent portrayals In the 2019–20 North American tour of the musical, Squidward was played by Cody Cooley. Although he was skeptical about the idea of a
SpongeBob musical at first, Cooley is impressed when he watched the Broadway run. When Cooley watched the Broadway run with his friends, they commented that Cooley would be fit for Squidward because Cooley was considered grouchy. Cooley said that Squidward's tap number is his favorite part of the show. Prior to getting the role, Cooley already had tap-dancing experience. He also learned how to play clarinet for the part where Squidward plays it at the end of the show. In the 2023 United Kingdom tour, Squidward is played by
Gareth Gates and Tom Read Wilson depending on the venue. Gates described Squidward as a very different person compared to him due to Squidward's grumpiness, which is his stated reason for liking the role. == Reception ==