Gary SpongeBob SquarePants #1 Sidekick

Gary the Snail is SpongeBob’s pet snail in the SpongeBob SquarePants animated series and one of the ten main characters of the show. He is a fan favorite and a very unusual pet.

Garold Wilson Junior, aka Gary SpongeBob, made his first appearance in the SpongeBob SquarePants pilot, “Help Wanted,” which premiered on Nickelodeon on May 1, 1999. 

Gary’s Highlights

Background

Gary met SpongeBob at Camp Coral, and then SpongeBob adopted him when he got a little older. In the season 8 episode “Treats!” viewers see a picture of the moment that SpongeBob adopted Gary. From then on, SpongeBob and Gary were best friends. 

Gary from SpongeBob is shown at the pound with three other snails, reunited with his childhood buddy, SpongeBob.

Even though Gary is SpongeBob’s pet, he does have a job! He has worked at the Krusty Krab multiple times, doing various jobs, such as a waiter or fry cook.

In season 10, when SpongeBob created his restaurant, SpongeBob’s Place, the lovable Sponge hired his snail as the food establishment’s cashier. Gary was also a D.J. for the group The Sharks.

The character that Gary is closest to is, of course, his owner, SpongeBob. Gary does find himself getting frustrated with SpongeBob’s naivety on occasion, but the duo can always work out their issues.

The season 4 episode entitled “Rule of Dumb” reveals that Gary from Sponge Bob and Patrick Star are cousins. These two creatures also have a reasonably close relationship and get along well.

On the opposite side, Gary does not get along with SpongeBob’s neighbor, Squidward Tentacles, and Gary’s enemy is Plankton.

Gary has been known to attack Plankton, and Plankton does not like Gary because Gary always gets in the way of Plankton’s attempts to steal the Krabby Patty Secret Formula.

In the new movie The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run, Gary plays a much more significant role than he does in the previous SpongeBob films (The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie and The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water).

The plot centers around Gary being “snailnapped.” SpongeBob and Patrick must work together to bring Gary home.

Gary the Snail Personality and Characteristics

Gary’s personality first appears as though he is quiet and reserved. However, he has been shown to have outbursts and some unusual characteristics. 

Gary from SpongeBob hates baths just like cats do. Three episodes are dedicated to his hate for baths, “Gary Takes a Bath,” “Shellback Shenanigans,” and “Pet Sitter Pat.”

Gary has also shown fits of anger when provoked. One time Gary bites several Bikini Bottom locals due to a splinter causing him great pain. Gary also riots defends himself against SpongeBob, kicks him out of the house, and attacks Squidward a few times. 

When Gary is not being pushed to anger, SpongeBob likes to use his nickname, “Gare Bare,” or just “Gare.”

Although Gary has a cute nickname, he has also shown incredible intelligence and self-awareness. Is intelligence is often portrayed when he is daydreaming. 

Gary the Snail Physical Appearance

While Gary is a snail, he has many traits similar to a house cat, like his meow. Gary has a pink shell with a red spiral and blue spots. His eyes are on his antennas, and his pupils are a bright orange color.

His body is light blue, while his belly is light green. When Gary moves, he is known for leaving behind a trail of lime slime.

Even though we rarely see his legs, it was revealed in season 2’s episode “Your Shoe’s Untied” that Gary does wear shoes. Also, Gary has been seen without his shell many times during the series.

Gary the Snail Strengths and Abilities

Gary has some neat talents. As seen in the episode “Gary Takes a Bath,” he can levitate and teleport, which is the episode that reveals that Gary hates taking baths.

Gary is also a good driver. He can drive Bikini Bottom’s most dangerous road in a boat mobile without any problems. Gary can also read and has been seen reading books or newspapers throughout the series and writing poetry. 

Although Gary is seen as a cat most of the time, he also acts like a dog at times when he fetches and performs tricks. 

Gary has many roles in the series that showcase his abilities. He has worked as a waiter, fry cook, cashier, de-icker, bouncer, D.G., and King of Bikini Bottom. 

Gary the Snail Pictures

Films, Shows, and Video Game Appearances

SpongeBob SquarePants – Season 1

• Help Wanted 
• Plankton! 
• Help Wanted
• Boating School 
• Home Sweet Pineapple 
• Pickles 
• Jellyfish Jam 
• Sandy’s Rocket 
• Squeaky Boots 
• Nature Pants 
• Opposite Day 
• Culture Shock 
• MuscleBob BuffPants 
• The Chaperone 
• Employee of the Month 
• Scaredy Pants 
• I Was a Teenage Gary 
• Sleepy Time 
• Suds 
• The Paper 
• Rock Bottom 
• Fools in April 
• Hooky 
• Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy II 

SpongeBob SquarePants – Season 2

• Your Shoe’s Untied 
• Something Smells 
• Bossy Boots 
• Big Pink Loser 
• Dying for Pie 
• Grandma’s Kisses 
• Prehibernation Week 
• Life of Crime 
• Christmas Who? 
• Dumped 
• The Smoking Peanut 
• Gary Takes a Bath 
• Frankendoodle 
• The Secret Box 
• Procrastination 
• I’m with Stupid 
• Sandy, SpongeBob, and the Worm 

SpongeBob SquarePants – Season 3

• The Bully 
• Idiot Box 
• Doing Time 
• Snowball Effect 
• As Seen on T.V. 
• Can You Spare a Dime? 
• Krab Borg 
• Rock-a-Bye Bivalve 
• Party Pooper Pants 
• New Student Starfish 
• Clams 
• The Great Snail Race 
• I Had an Accident 
• Krabby Land 
• Missing Identity 
• The Sponge Who Could Fly 
• SpongeBob Meets the Strangler 

SpongeBob SquarePants – Season 4

• Fear of a Krabby Patty 
• Have You Seen This Snail? 
• Ghost Host 
• Karate Island 
• All That Glitters 
• Once Bitten 
• Bummer Vacation 
• Squidtastic Voyage 
• The Thing 
• Hocus Pocus 
• Driven to Tears 
• Rule of Dumb 
• The Pink Purloiner 
• Best Day Ever 
• The Gift of Gum 

SpongeBob SquarePants – Season 5

• Night Light 
• Rise and Shine 
• Waiting 
• Fungus Among Us 
• New Digs 
• Krabs à la Mode 
• To Love a Patty 
• Sing a Song of Patrick 
• Atlantis SquarePantis 
• Picture Day 
• BlackJack 
• Blackened Sponge 
• What Ever Happened to SpongeBob? 
• Banned in Bikini Bottom 

SpongeBob SquarePants – Season 6

• Penny Foolish 
• Nautical Novice 
• Giant Squidward 
• Patty Caper 
• Boating Buddies 
• The Slumber Party 
• Grooming Gary 
• SpongeBob SquarePants vs. The Big One 
• Porous Pockets 
• Squid’s Visit 
• To SquarePants or Not to SquarePants 
• Pet or Pests 
• Overbooked 
• Shell Shocked 
• Truth or Square 
• Pineapple Fever 

SpongeBob SquarePants – Season 7

• Tentacle-Vision 
• Model Sponge 
• A Pal for Gary 
• Yours, Mine and Mine 
• A Day Without Tears 
• Gary in Love 
• Rodeo Daze 
• The Cent of Money 
• The Monster Who Came to Bikini Bottom 
• Welcome to the Bikini Bottom Triangle 
• Trenchbillies 
• That Sinking Feeling 
• Karate Star 
• Enchanted Tiki Dreams 
• The Abrasive Side 
• Earworm 
• Shellback Shenanigans 
• Whelk Attack 
• You Don’t Know Sponge 
• Big Sister Sam 

SpongeBob SquarePants – Season 8

• A Friendly Game 
• Sentimental Sponge 
• Frozen Face-Off 
• Ghoul Fools 
• Mermaid Man Begins 
• Pet Sitter Pat 
• House Sittin’ for Sandy 
• The Way of the Sponge 
• The Krabby Patty That Ate Bikini Bottom 
• Bubble Buddy Returns 
• Fiasco! 
• Are You Happy Now? 
• Planet of the Jellyfish 
• Home Sweet Rubble 
• InSPONGEiac 
• Glove World R.I.P. 
• Treats! 
• It’s a SpongeBob Christmas! 
• Chum Fricassee 
• Move It or Lose It 
• Hello Bikini Bottom! 

SpongeBob SquarePants – Season 9

• Squirrel Record 
• Patrick-Man! 
• Gary’s New Toy 
• Squid Baby 
• Little Yellow Book 
• Bumper to Bumper 
• Squid Defense 
• Evil Spatula 
• Don’t Look Now 
• SpongeBob, You’re Fired 
• Tutor Sauce 
• Sanctuary! 
• Larry’s Gym 
• The Fish Bowl 
• Two Thumbs Down 
• Sold! 
• Lame and Fortune 
• Snail Mail 
• Pineapple Invasion 

SpongeBob SquarePants – Season 10

• Whirly Brains 
• Unreal Estate 
• Mimic Madness 
• House Worming 
• Snooze You Lose 
• SpongeBob’s Place 
• Plankton Gets the Boot 
• Life Insurance 
• Burst Your Bubble 
• Sportz? 
• The Getaway 

SpongeBob SquarePants – Season 11

• Cave Dwelling Sponge 
• The Clam Whisperer 
• Spin the Bottle 
• The Legend of Boo-Kini Bottom 
• No Pictures Please 
• Bunny Hunt 
• Scavenger Pants 
• Cuddle E. Hugs 
• Pat the Horse 
• Chatterbox Gary 
• Drive Happy 
• Doodle Dimension 
• High Sea Diving 
• Library Cards 
• Appointment T.V. 

SpongeBob SquarePants – Season 12

• Gary & Spot 
• Pineapple RV 
• Gary’s Got Legs 
• King Plankton 
• Plankton’s Old Chum 
• Stormy Weather 
• Swamp Mates 
• One Trick Sponge 
• Insecurity Guards 
• Broken Alarm 
• SpongeBob’s Big Birthday Blowout 
• SpongeBob’s Bad Habit 
• Dream Hoppers 

SpongeBob SquarePants – Season 13

• A Place for Pets 
• Pat the Dog 
• Something Narwhal This Way Comes 
• SpongeBob’s Road to Christmas 
• There Will Be Grease 
• The Big Bad Bubble Bass 

Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years – Season 1

• Camper Gary 
• Camp SpongeBob 

The Patrick Star Show – Season 1

• Pat-a-thon 

Shorts

• Pie 
• What if SpongeBob Was Gone?
• Balloons 
• The Outfit 
• Bike Safety Tips 

Movies

• The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie 
• The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water 
• The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run 

Video Games

• Legend of the Lost Spatula 
• Operation Krabby Patty 
• SuperSponge 
• Employee of the Month
• Revenge of the Flying Dutchman 
• Battle for Bikini Bottom 
• SpongeBob SquarePants Typing 
• The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie
• Lights, Camera, Pants! 
• The Yellow Avenger 
• Nighty Nightmare 
• Creature from the Krusty Krab 
• SpongeBob’s Atlantis SquarePantis 
• Drawn to Life: SpongeBob SquarePants Edition 
• SpongeBob’s Truth or Square 
• SpongeBob SquigglePants 
• SpongeBob SquarePants Tooncast Studio 
• Plankton’s Robotic Revenge 
• Battle for Bikini Bottom: Rehydrated 
• SpongeBob Moves In! 
• SpongeBob’s Game Frenzy 
• SpongeBob Game Station 

Gary the Snail Trivia and Fun Facts 

• Gary’s cousin is Patrick Star.
• Gary’s dad is Sluggo Star, and his mom is currently unknown.
• Gary has royal ancestors, King Amoeba and Queen Mildew.
• Tom Kenny is the voice of Gary the Snail. 
• Gary has shown that he has many things under his shell, like junk, a record player, a house, a diamond, and a Kraby Patty shirt. 
• Gary’s favorite food is Snail-Po and Snail Bites. He is also shown eating Patrick’s cookies.
• Gary’s most hated food is mayonnaise. 

Gary the Snail Quotes

Brandon Crombar

Editor In Chief / Founder

Brandon is an animation enthusiast and animated film critic. He has been writing about animation since 2013 to celebrate animated movies, characters, and songs. His favorite animated movies include Finding Nemo, Aladdin, and The Lion King.

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