The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: Search For SquarePants just arrived as one of the last 2025 movie releases. It’s a real treat for longtime fans of the show, because it’s the first time The Flying Dutchman is the villain on the big screen. CinemaBlend chatted with the voices of SpongeBob and Patrick, Tom Kenny and Bill Fagerbakke about the long-running character, and I learned so much about the ghostly pirate.
Tom Kenny Talks The Origins Of The Flying Dutchman
Have you ever wondered why The Flying Dutchman is in SpongeBob to begin with? Here’s what Tom Kenny (aka the voice of SpongeBob) had to say:
Stephen Hillenburg, the creator of SpongeBob, was always very into nautical stuff. Pirate stuff, pirate lore, So things like this cursed ghost pirate was an idea that Steve had very early on. And, Brian Doyle-Murray was such a great, and is such a great joy and just kills it. Unless you have that voice naturally, you can’t do it… I just directed Brian Doyle-Murray yesterday for the TV show. So, we have our Dutchman Cinematic Universe.
Of course, The Flying Dutchman didn’t start on SpongeBob, though it might tend to be introduced to kids that way these days. It’s a piece of Dutch maritime folklore from the 17th century. In the folktale, the captain of the ship apparently defied God or the Devil, and he and his crew received the fate of eternal damnation in return. Apparently Hillenburg was fascinated with pirate lore and decided it would be fun to add a comedic version of The Flying Dutchman to the TV show. Kenny also said this:
I just think that Dutchman is so funny. Like, it’s always funny to me when characters who act like they’re all powerful and then they can be irritated by these two little goobers… Patrick and SpongeBob are too naive to be scared which drives him crazy. I love the Dutchman and he really gets a nice character showcase in this film.
Mark Hamill takes on the role of The Flying Dutchman in Search For Squarepants, and that turns into another great SpongeBob live-action cameo. As far as the history of The Flying Dutchman in SpongeBob, the character first appeared on TV screens in Season 1, Episode 11 “Squidward the Unfriendly Ghost” briefly in a comic book. His physical debut is two episodes later in “Scaredy Pants,” when he tells patrons of the Krusty Krab to stop dressing like him for Halloween.
Kenny And Bill Fagerbakke Share Early Memories Of The Character
When I asked the voices of SpongeBob and Patrick, who’ve been working together for over 25 years now, they shared their first memories with The Flying Dutchman. As Kenny added:
The one I remember is the perfume counter one.
Oh, that’s an popular one. He’s talking about “Shanghaied” from Season 2, where SpongeBob and Patrick have to escape being captured by The Flying Dutchman. It’s definitely one of those episodes that has become a meme, so I’m not surprised his mind went there. Here’s what Fagerbakke had to say:
It was a great surprise the first time I saw what he looked like in that special color green. That spectral green.
The Flying Dutchman is such a hilarious and fun character, so it’s no wonder he’s been a staple of the show for so long. You can see what adventure he leads SpongeBob and Patrick on in The SpongeBob Movie: The Search For SquarePants, in theaters now.