Background: The first episode of SpongeBob Squarepants was finalized in 1997. Following the green lighting of the series and the completion of the remainder of Season One, the episode made its debut following the 1999 Kids’ Choice Awards, presented in the format identical to the '97 nickelodeon pitch. Here is a VHS recording of the original airing (password: AHOY):

In all subsequent airings and home releases, the pilot was re dubbed ‘Help Wanted’, and paired with two additional episodes ‘Reef Blower’ and ‘Tea at the Treedome’. As such, the original end credits sequence was replaced with one that credits all three episodes. The original opening sequence was replaced with the typical intro placed at the beginning we’re familiar with today, and where the title once was is edited out by use of a generic bubble transition. Additionally, a sound cue of a harpsichord playing along with seagulls squawking over a black screen just before the episode fades in, was also removed. The pilot has never re aired or re released in its original format.

Considering it is of some historical value, I’ll be doing a small reconstruction using the 1080p iTunes release of ‘Help Wanted’, and whatever sources of the original pilot are available. I plan to have two audio tracks, one reconstruction using multiple sources, and one of the VHS audio as seen above synced to the final product.