Of all the characters in SpongeBob SquarePants, Squidward Tentacles might be the one with which SpongeBob has the most complicated relationship. They're neighbors, co-workers, and at one point, adopted brothers. Squidward generally hates SpongeBob with a passion. But SpongeBob thinks of him as a friend, even if he has a day dedicated to annoying him marked on his calendar. Squidward has sometimes saved SpongeBob's life, yet also tried to kill him on more than one occasion.
Like many of SpongeBob's friends and acquaintances, he's appeared in merchandise, movies, and a stage musical. Out of the cartoon, Squidward has made a name for himself as the star of various fanfictions, internet memes, and even a few urban legends, making him one of the series' most iconic characters.
10 Despite The Name, Squidward's An Octopus
Much like Ursula the Sea Witch in Disney's The Little Mermaid, there is some debate over whether Squidward is a squid or an octopus. In "Feral Friends," when the residents of Bikini Bottom are transformed into a more primal state, Squidward becomes a giant octopus. He is even called one by name by Frenchy.
In "Case Of The Sponge 'Bob,'" a promotional video for The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, series creator Stephen Hillenburg acknowledged that Squidward, despite his name, is actually an octopus. He also explained that Squidward was originally going to have eight tentacles, but this was cut down to six to make things easier for the animators.
9 Squidward Was The Subject Of A Lost Media Urban Legend
In the latter half of "I Was A Teenage Gary," an accidental injection transforms SpongeBob into a snail. He starts tormenting a guilty Squidward, who is to blame for the whole mess, in part, since he was the one to inject SpongeBob in the first place. In the end, Squidward gets injected, too, and the scene cuts to him as a snail.
For years, fans claimed the original airing contained a scene showing Squidward's on-screen transformation that was presumably cut in subsequent airings. Eventually, this was debunked when it was revealed such a scene wasn't even in the episode's storyboard.
8 Squidward's Also Well-Known For A Famous Creepypasta, Which The Show Has Alluded To
In the show's internet fandom, Squidward is famously associated with the "Squidward's Suicide" fanfic. In the story, an alleged Nickelodeon intern claims to have seen a banned episode of the series. An image heavily associated with the tale depicts Squidward staring at the screen with blood-red eyes.
The show appears to have alluded to the infamous story over the years. In "SpongeBob in RandomLand," Squidward encounters alternate versions of himself, including a red-eyed one staring at the screen, although it was censored In some airings. The episode "Are You Happy Now?" revolves around a depressed Squidward, suspected to have been inspired by the fanfic.
7 Not Everyone Hates Squidward's Art
In "Opposite Day," Squidward tries to sell his house and tricks SpongeBob, and Patrick by association, into thinking it's the titular holiday, so they'll behave themselves. This backfires when pretending to be Squidward ends up driving off the relator.
Interestingly, when SpongeBob shows off Squidward's gallery, the relator mentions she actually likes one of his paintings. However, later episodes would emphasize that Squidward is a terrible artist, to the point where trying to live off selling them resulted in him having to eat them.
6 Squidward Has Had A Lot Of Makeovers
In "The Two Faces of Squidward," an accident accidentally gives Squidward a more handsome, chiseled face. Almost supernaturally beautiful, Squidward can even heal people with his new appearance, but he soon resents attention. SpongeBob tries to rectify the situation by beating Squidward in the face, but this initially makes Squidward even more gorgeous, even giving him a muscular look.
Although Squidward changes to normal by the end of the story, this isn't the only time Squidward's appearance has changed. In "Squidward's Sick Daze," he temporarily regains his handsome build, complete with a full head of hair. He also became muscular in "Krabby Road" for a rock band. Squidward also appears in a "normal" form, complete with pants, in "Not Normal."
5 Squidward Is Implied To Have Been Closer To His Father Than His Mother
Squidward's relationship with his parents occasionally pops up in the series and paints an interesting picture. Squidward's father is brought up when SpongeBob hypothetically claims he never hugged him, only for Squidward to retort that his father loved him very much. The book "Hooray for Dads!" shows that Squidward's father is alive and has a similar personality to him.
While Squidward's mother is usually a sweet-natured woman, she's been shown to dislike her son. She first appears in Squidward's imagination in "Fools in April," where she screams "You stink!" at him. Then, in "Scavenger Pants," she comments Squidward is an only child because she felt one Squidward was enough.
4 Squidward Hosted His Own Astrology Series
Nickelodeon once aired a series of shorts, "Astrology with Squidward," where Squidward was the host of his own horoscope-based series. Only six were made, with different characters representing different signs. SpongeBob was a Sagittarius, Patrick was a Taurus, Mr. Krabs was a Cancer, Plankton was a Leo, and background fish were used for Gemini and Pisces.
The shorts were the subject of another lost media urban legend, claiming that shorts made for other signs existed, but this was proven untrue. Nickelodeon India later released a similar series, "Undersea Horoscopes," which featured all twelve signs, often with characters doubling as more than one sign. Sandy, for example, was both Pisces and Gemini.
3 Squidward Is Something Of A Foodie
Although Squidward doesn't like to do any actual work at the Krusty Krab, and he once served a fried boot, he's shown to be a decent cook when he wants to be. In "Naughty Nautical Neighbors," he appears to have made a decadent soufflé, complete with a miniaturized version of himself on top. In "Bunny Hunt," it's shown Squidward plants his own produce.
Using a recipe from his grandmother, Squidward is even able to make a popular dish out of chum in "Chum Fricassee," though he later causes trouble by rushing the recipe. Squidward is generally a bit of a foodie, buying things like imported cheese and canned bread.
2 Squidward Has A Few Female Admirers
Squidward has had a few love interests over the years. Most notably, in "Love That Squid." he encounters Squilvia, virtually his female counterpart. The story ends on a happy note between the two, with her even impressed with how Squidward tells off SpongeBob.
In "Bubble Bass's Tab," Bubble Bass's mother is happy to tango with Squidward. In "Grandmum's the Word," Plankton's grandmother not only develops a crush on Squidward at first sight, she has a briefly imagined moment in which she's married to him.
1 Squidward Has Been Nice To SpongeBob, Even Without Provocation
Although Squidward generally dislikes SpongeBob, there are quite a few times when Squidward has been uncharacteristically nice to his square neighbor. Usually, like in "Christmas Who?" his affection for SpongeBob is because he feels guilty about something he did – although he can sometimes be nice unprovoked.
In "Best Day Ever," Squidward put SpongeBob's name on the VIP list for his concert. In "The Two Faces Of Squidward," he didn't mind SpongeBob tagging along amidst his admirers, even sharing his limo ride with him. He was willing to be part of a rock band with SpongeBob in "Krabby Road," even to the end of the episode. In "F.U.N.," he is even seen cheering for SpongeBob when he prevents Plankton from stealing the Krabby Patty formula.