by Ha Ho

A show centered around an animate sponge and his friends, the SpongeBob episode “Texas” focuses on Sandy, the local squirrel that lives under the sea, and her homesickness. The native Texan is reminded of her home when she mentions where she comes from to SpongeBob and Patrick. To cheer her up, they “surprise” her by taking her to her residence under the sea. Upset by their confusion in which home she refers to missing, Sandy runs into her house crying. Upon their departure, Sandy sits atop the dome of her house and starts to sing about her beloved Texas. In this scene, she has an acoustic guitar and a large western hat with several pictures behind her, depicting Texas. With a slight accent, she sings about her desires to return home to the “prettiest place in the world”.

In her song, she refers to many things that people correlate to the South, or more specifically, Texas. All aspects of her song points to several features of Southern culture. The first thing people notice is her attire, the big “cowboy” hat that relates to Texan culture. Another aspect that emphasizes the Southern influence is the song itself. Written as a Blues song, a genre associated with the South, is a parody of Hank Williams’ “Long Gone Lonesome Blues.” Along with her singing, Sandy features some yodeling into the song. In the song itself, Sandy mentions some aspects commonly associated with the South. For example, she talks about missing the bright blues skies and her 20 acres of land. She also misses the barbeques and pecan pies. When asked about what they know about the South, people generally answer with the rural areas and types of foods, something Sandy highlighted. In the back, several pictures rotate, showing things from Texas, such as bull riding. Sandy’s song depicts several aspects of Texas that people generalize about Southern culture.

As the episode continues, Sandy packs her bags to head back home. However, SpongeBob and Patrick have set up a surprise to cure her homesickness. When she finally arrives to the Krusty Krab after they make fun of Texas, Sandy is met with the Bikini Bottom’s version of Texas that she misses so much. She realizes that although she misses Texas, this is her home.