Background: On May 13, 2021, SpongeBob writer Richard Pursel did a Q&A with The Art of SpongeBob Discord server (link here). The questions as well as Pursel's answers have been replicated here for posterity.
Torts asks: Was House Worming always intended to be short on length? What led to the creation of the Clam Up segment at the end?
RP: Hi! I finally got an answer from Kaz about that. I guess my script was long and they cut out a sequence and then the episode came in short, so they added that segment.
SpongeBob And Patrick asks: What’s your favorite episode out of all of the shows you’ve written for?
RP: Hm, well maybe Spongehenge. That one stands out for me as being something that could only be a SpongeBob episode.
Miguel asks: Who were some people you got to work with directly during your time on Tiny Toon Adventures? Did you ever get in contact with Spielberg during your tenure?
RP: I did! I learned so much on that show, it was my first job in animation. Director Eddie Fitzgerald hired me. Maurice Noble was his background painter at one point. I also met Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng who were consultants. Bruce Timm was a storyboard artist then. I met a ton of super talented people then.
PickleMan: Cool! Must have been neat to rub elbows with so many industry greats
RP: Spielberg’s Amblin company helped co produce so the budget would be higher and bump the quality up. Warner Bros had essentially been shuttered for years so to reopen that animation studio was a big deal
mavnol333 asks: What series did you have the most fun working on? (Not limited to SpongeBob)
RP: Hm, well SpongeBob is up there. I also loved being story editor for Tom and Jerry Tales. Producer Tom Minton pulled me in on that. He was an original writer on Tiny Toons and I met him back then
Deleted User asks: How was your time working on Tom and Jerry Tales at Warner Bros. Animation?
RP: I love those characters so it was great to return to basics. Tom Minton was a bit of a mentor for me so it was fantastic working with him again
At one point I did double duty, staff writing for SpongeBob by day and story editing Tom and Jerry at night
Going back to Warner’s was interesting. Joe Barbera was still alive and I would visit him. Also famed animator/character designer Iwao Takamoto
Mayo❄ asks: Which location that doesn't show up that often do you think has potential to be expanded upon?
RP: Well I wrote an episode where a guest chef came from Bikini Top. I’m still shocked that was never expanded upon
Zac Vega asks: honestly... what was it like working on Ren and Stimpy: Adult Party Cartoon??? I'm curious as hell
RP: It was miserable. Probably the worst work experience of my life. I had nightmares from that time for years seriously
PickleMan: Any particular thing you didn't like? Or just generally it wasn't a fun job to have
RP: John was at his most nuts then. And he wouldn’t talk directly with me so I had to submit stories to him through co workers. Most of my stories were holdovers from season 2 at Spumco only John would add things like the suicidal frog in Ren Seeks Help which makes me cringe.
I prefer working at studios that have an HR department lol
Deleted User asks: Hi Rich! Thanks for doing this! In an ancient interview with Aaron Springer he mentioned working on a pilot with you. Could you elaborate on what that was, and what its like to work with Aaron? Thanks!
RP: Wow, that also goes back to around the same time as APC Ren & Stimpy. It was a pitch called Periwinkle Around the World. I wrote the pitch deck and pilot script. Periwinkle Platypus was a pantomime character like Mr Bean. Aaron ended up doing short interstitials for the Cartoon Network but those shorts were solely done by him and didn’t require any writing. But it was never picked up to series. He moved on to do Korgoth of Barbaria after that. While working on Samurai Jack with our pal Chris Reccardi
We pitched Periwinkle to Nickelodeon and the Cartoon Network but it never went anywhere
Luke Vaughn asks: What are some examples of episode ideas you came up with that never ended up making it into the show?
RP: I think I mentioned them last time. I did an origin story of SpongeBob and another of Pearl, but Steve Hillenburg rejected both because he didn’t want to explain that stuff
PickleMan: Was the origin of SpongeBob just like him as a kid? What was it telling the origin of?
RP: I had SpongeBob begin life as a natural yellow sponge that Cyclops harvested and had cut into his square in a factory on land. Steve didn’t want to explain SpongeBob’s square shape
PickleMan: neat
RP: Oh I found a ruff I drew for the SB comic
Deleted User asks: What was the inspiration of the character Angry Jack from Shell Shocked?
RP: Honestly I can’t remember. I’ll have to rewatch that one. He’s a bully character right?
PickleMan: he's an angry shell salesman
he's the owner of a snail shell store
he was also played by Dee Snider
RP: Sounds like just a bit of stunt casting fun.
PickleMan: I'd say, he was a really funny character
RP: I’ll hafta watch it again.
Season 12's biggest fan asks: Is your current work on the show freelance or something more permanent?
RP: Freelance, but hopefully it turns into more. I sent a proposal for a SpongeBob podcast that got approved, so excited about that
PickleMan: Ooh wow, a podcast! That's a really great idea, i'll have to keep an eye out for that
Mayo❄ asks: Have you ever seen a show you didn't work on, but you wish you did work on it?
RP: Oh there are tons of stories I love by others. I’m not a jealous type. I’m a fan also 🙂
SpongeBobFOPFan asks: What is your favorite television show to watch?
RP: I LOVED the Good Place 🙂
PickleMan: What was your favorite show as a kid?
RP: The first cartoon I remember ever seeing when I was little was Beanie and Cecil and that made a HUGE impression on me. Also Underdog (I had sheets and pillowcases and curtains from that show!) and Bugs Bunny of course
PickleMan: I think everyone was a Bugs Bunny fan as a kid, its the one thing most people can relate to collectively
Luke Vaughn asks: How did you guys come up with the idea for the stop motion monster in Frozen Face-Off?
RP: I wrote that story not knowing that it would eventually be stop motion. I actually held that puppet on a visit to Screen Novelties, the stop motion studio that does all of that stuff for SB. I started in animation by doing stop motion myself and that was mainly what I had on my reel when I interviewed for the Tiny Toon production assistant job so I’m a tremendous stop motion fan
PickleMan: Oh cool, didn't know you had a history with stop motion
RP: Yes, I actually got a lead to animate on Nightmare Before Christmas up in San Francisco but I had just landed the gig at Ren & Stimpy
PickleMan: Where one door closes, another opens
RP: I have a mixed media pitch that’s mainly stop motion.
I’m also a big Flapjack fan and Screen Novelties also did stop motion for that
PickleMan: Flapjack was great
Chowder also had a lot of mixed media stuff like that
RP: When I was a PA on Tiny Toons I also did toy sculptures for Disney Merchandise. I still sculpt sometimes
I love Chowder! My bestie Lynne Naylor worked on that doing character design
PickleMan: Chowder had a ton of talent behind it
dmandaman asks: Any memorable experiences you had with the SB crew and not the show itself?
RP: I loved the SB crew when I was working there. There are a few of us that go way back to Ren & Stimpy and even Tiny Toons. I met Vincent Waller, Tuck Tucker, and Teal Wang back on R&S. Charlie Bean and Chris Reccardi I met on tiny Toons
Tuck invited me and some other SB peeps on a ski trip where we stayed at his family cabin. Tuck led us up to the top of a black double diamond run and all the others made it down but I tumbled and broke my leg!
PickleMan: ouch!
Did you have experience with skiing or was it a spur of the moment thing?
RP: I did work at a ski resort in Michigan back in high school and did try out for the ski team, but I hadn’t gone since I was 16! I’ve gone a few times since.
Squidward asks: What's the story behind this drawing by Vincent Waller and you?
RP: HA! Wow, Vincent and I were just talking and doodling together and I did the SB and Gary and Vincent did the Ren & Stimpy.
I kinda like my SB hands!
PickleMan: It looks nice! I like the way you drew Gary lol
RP: Gary’s fun to draw
Once upon a time Vincent asked if I would try and draw storyboards on the show. It’s one of my true regrets I didn’t say yes. This was back probably during season 4, but I was mainly writing at the time and thought my drawing chops were too rusty. Should’ve done it.
I’d better stop and continue my freelance story. I’m on deadline. Plankton joins the league of E.V.I.L.
PickleMan: Alright, see you sometime later! I'll message you on instagram if you'd like to continue sometime later this month
RP: Sounds good! Take care!
