Squidward Tentacles

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Squidward Quincy Tentacles is a deuteragonist on the Nicktoon SpongeBob SquarePants. He is the middle neighbor betweeb SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star. Squidward is a cephalopod. His species is an octopus according the series' creators, despite his name containing "squid". Squidward lives in a house shaped like an Easter Island Head. He works as a Cashier at the Krusty Krab, a job he dislikes. SpongeBob and Patrick consider Squidward their best friend, though the feeling is not mutual. He is a selfish individual and displays an unjustified air of superiority. He also has a large collection of self-portraits and is delusional about his talents (such as playing the clarinet) though nobody around him considers him to be very good. The series' animators illustrated Squidward with six tentacles, believing that giving him the eight tentacles of an octopus has made him look too burdened.

Development

Even though his name is "Squid"ward Tentacles, he is an octopus. This was stated in a twenty minute "behind the scenes" feature of The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie DVD with creator Stephen Hillenburg and a few voice actors. The following was quoted by Squidward's voice actor, Rodger Bumpass:

"I am Rodger Bumpass, and I play Squidward'. He's more of an adult, tries to be at least. He's a squid which explains his name."

Also, in another feature on the DVD, entitled "The Case of the SpongeBob," Stephen Hillenburg quotes the following:

"This is Squidward the octopus." Later in the feature, he quotes, "It was easier for animation to draw him with six legs instead of eight."

Squidward's name is a portmanteau of the word "squid" and the name "Edward."

Biography

Squidward was born on October 9, 1977. In his childhood he had to sit near the garbage cans at lunch. When he was an adult, he was part of the Krusty Krab along with Jim and later, after Jim quit, with a fry cook whose name is yet to be revealed. One day, he was planting a garden and a pineapple fell on him and destroyed his garden. A sponge named SpongeBob SquarePants moved into that pineapple and Squidward has been annoyed ever since. The rest of his biography is really long, so you may want to look at his agonistic side, leisure, and near-death experiences sections for more of his biography. 

Personality

Squidward Tentacles personality is presented as that of a smart,rude,cynical, and snobbish individual whose style is generally not appreciated by others. He has a sarcastic attitude and sees others as uncivilized morons, while failing to accept his own personal shortcomings. Squidward sees himself as misunderstood and unappreciated, blaming society for his failures. He is annoyingly pretentious in his pursuit of fame and is either unwilling or unable to spot talent and creativity, even belittling it. He lauds "cultivated taste" and accepted standards. In the episode "Artist Unknown", he insists that his pupil SpongeBob "show his method", even when it's painfully clear that SpongeBob is creating works of artistic genius. In the episode Bubblestand, he belittles SpongeBob's brilliant bubble-blowing. Squidward is also jealous of those who are more artistic than him, for example: Nat Peterson, SpongeBob, Patrick, Mr. Krabs, Squilliam Fancyson and even the puppet Big Nose.
Squidward is generally portrayed as an overall failure. His musical skills with the clarinet are generally portrayed as subpar, from mediocre to excruciatingly horrible. However, In Best Day Ever, he has a concert where he plays beautifully and receives thunderous applause from the audience. SpongeBob was on the VIP list for it. His overall artistic style is shown to be abstract and overly sophisticated, and his works are commonly panned by his audiences. His critical failure is shown to be more due to his bad taste rather than a genuine lack of talent. It is worth noting that the majority of his art narcissistically centers around himself, apparently holding his very being to be an artistic wonder. In "One Krab's Trash", Squidward is shown bringing flowers to a gravestone reading "Here Lies Squidward's Hopes and Dreams." Despite his lack of success, Squidward is tireless in his pursuit of artistic achievement. In "Dunces and Dragons", Squidly, Squidward's medieval ancestor, vowed that if he couldn't learn to play the clarinet right, his seventh great-grandson would be cursed tenfold. In "Squilliam Returns", Squilliam Fancyson mentions that Squidward was voted "Most Likely to Suck Eggs" in high school.
Given how Squidward is depicted as a loser in most regards, it's likely that his 'narcissism' is actually a defense mechanism to make him feel as if he has some form of self-worth.
Outwardly, he in fact shows signs of modest success: he lives in a nice, well-tended house, with no signs of slothfulness, and finds plenty of time to lead an active, involved life.
Squidward is well-educated and knows his history. When at the Krusty Krab, he is a lazy, sloppy employee (as shown in the Krusty Krab Training Video) who has an intense dislike of the Krusty Krab and its management. He is considered "inattentive, impatient, a glazed look in the eye." However, given the management's treatment of the employees his attitude towards the company is more realistic than SpongeBob's. In the episode "Squid on Strike", he organizes a worker's strike at the Krusty Krab. He even causes the destruction of the Krusty Krab, although indirectly and accidentally.
In the episode "Squidville", he moves to a town filled with his own peers, other octopi who share his tastes and outlook on life. Here, he is forced to face how boring and oppressive his desired lifestyle really is, and he is able to ultimately break free of its bonds with a bit of inspired silliness.
Even though Squidward has tentacles, he is shown or implied to have fingers, toes and even nails in episodes such as "Once Bitten", "House Fancy", and "Giant Squidward".
In "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy V", it is implied that Squidward at one point had a girlfriend when he remembered the good times he had at make-out reef.
In "SpongeBob's Last Stand" he didn't know care about the environment, even when Jellyfish Fields became a wasteland.