Posted: 7th February, 2023

When Spongebob and Patrick pry through Squidward’s “Fancy Digest” magazine, they become inspired to start a career as entrepreneurs, but what will they sell? After some hard thinking, they pick chocolate bars! However, each door-to-door sale is one conflict after another for the lads.

This cartoon takes the very basic storyline of Patrick and Spongebob becoming door salesman, and fleshes it out into a series of banger comedic sketches. No attempted sale goes to waste, because the writers consistently find SOMETHING funny to happen. From a customer rejecting chocolate for the sake of their health to Patrick getting uncomfortably intimate with one man, every interaction is laced with the hilarious humour that we all associate with classic Spongebob.

At the same time, it’s not just back-to-back different gags, because there’s also two sort-of antagonists on our heroes’ tails! A deranged fish who is chasing after them while screaming “Chocolate!!!”, along with a con artist who keeps outwitting the gullible Spongebob and Patrick. It’s these two characters who add some running tension to the very simple episode setup; giving it some conflict beyond Spongebob and Patrick trying to get rich.

There’s also a sense of character development for Patrick and Spongebob. At first, these two approach their business with a huge naivety, with both clearly having no selling skills at all, but their constant failure drives them to resort to exaggerating the chocolate bars’ worth to customers. It’s a rare occasion where these wholesome characters surrender to doing misdeeds.

I’ve rarely seen these characters ever experience a rags to riches arc before, but I guess it just took the appeal of the fancy wealthy lifestyle to push them to become corrupt businessmen. While it’s charming that Spongebob and Patrick are simple-minded lads who don’t need much in life, I do kind of like the thrill of seeing them lose themselves to natural temptations. Don’t worry though! The boys do get their comeuppances later on.

Chocolate With Nuts frequently ends up on best Spongebob episodes lists, which does NOT surprise me in the slightest, because it’s full of golden comedy moments that have become iconic memes. Heck, I’d go as far to say that 90% of the gags in this episode are still quoted or referenced in internet culture to this day.