Fictional Characters dictionary
Alaskan Bull Worm
[uh-las-kin boo l wurm]
What is the Alaskan Bull Worm?
The Alaskan Bull Worm is a formidable worm-like monster in the cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants.
Where does Alaskan Bull Worm come from?
“It was big! It was all wiggly! And it ate everything!” So SpongeBob SquarePants memorably described a dreaded monster humorously named the Alaskan Bull Worm, which first appeared in the 2001 episode “Sandy, SpongeBob, and the Worm.” Not unlike the sandworms in Dune or creatures in Tremors, the Alaskan Bull Worm is an enormous, serpentine creature which devours anything and everything in its path. To deal with the giant menace in the episode, the denizens of Bikini Bottom decide to uproot the town and move it to a safer location. Meanwhile, characters Sandy and SpongeBob go on a quest to slay the worm, which turns into a high-speed chase that sends the creature hurtling over a cliff, right on top of the migrated town. The Alaskan Bull Worm never reappeared on the TV series, but it did feature in later SpongeBob books and video games.
In 2017, the Alaskan Bull Worm received renewed attention when a mysterious eel-like sea creature washed up on the shores of Texas City, Texas following Hurricane Harvey. Twitter user @Cl0utGod’s humorous comment that it resembled an Alaskan Bull Worm was quoted by several news sources. That same year, a bizarre, blubbery carcass washed up on the shores of Indonesia, again prompting Alaskan Bull Worm comparisons, though scientists explained that the corpse probably belonged to a decomposed whale.
Examples of Alaskan Bull Worm
Who uses Alaskan Bull Worm?
The Alaskan Bull Worm is mainly used in allusive reference to the creature on SpongeBob SquarePants. The creature may be referenced in comparison to scary-seeming organisms, large and small, in nature. It’s also a poplar item of nostalgia among the SpongeBob fanbase, used on everything from t-shirts to internet memes.
Because the Alaskan Bull Worm is depicted as an all-devouring creature, it is sometimes humorously used for hunger. For example, if someone hasn’t eaten all day and is desperate for food, they could say, “I need a cheeseburger quick, because I’m hungry as an Alaskan Bull Worm.” It can also be used as a joking comparison to tapeworms or digestion: “Every time I eat, the Alaskan Bull Worm in my stomach just gobbles it up.”
Note
This is not meant to be a formal definition of Alaskan Bull Worm like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of Alaskan Bull Worm that will help our users expand their word mastery.