Sandy Cheeks

Sandy Cheeks
SpongeBob SquarePants character
First appearance	"Tea at the Treedome"
Created by	Stephen Hillenburg
Voiced by	Carolyn Lawrence (Speaking) Angelina Wahler (Singing)
Information
Species	Squirrel
Gender	Female
Occupation	Scientist, martial artist

Sandra "Sandy" Cheeks is a fictional character in the Nickelodeon animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants. She is voiced by Carolyn Lawrence and first appeared in the episode "Tea at the Treedome" on May 1, 1999. Sandy was created and designed by Stephen Hillenburg, the show creator.

Role in SpongeBob SquarePants

Sandy is an intelligent, scientific, anthropomorphic squirrel who resides in Bikini Bottom and features as a close friend of SpongeBob SquarePants. She is from Texas and it is for this reason that she is heard speaking in a Southern accent, and is proud of her home state which is frequently brought up throughout the course of the series.^[1] Sandy has been shown to possess a number of tough, tomboyish character traits and interests; she is skilled at karate and frequently enjoys practicing it with SpongeBob; she is also shown to be an excellent bodybuilder,^[2] is a rodeo champion,^[3] and possesses extraordinary scientific skills and can construct complex inventions.^[4] She must wear a deep sea dive suit when underwater with a helmet in order to breathe, and vice versa when SpongeBob, Patrick, or any other sea creatures visit her tree-dome.^[5] While Sandy is normally portrayed as kind, helpful, and understanding, she has been shown to possess a vindictive side too.^[1] In "Texas", she violently attacked SpongeBob and Patrick when they insulted her native land several times, while in "Band Geeks" she stuck Patrick up a trombone and later tried to do the same thing with a trumpet when he kicked her twice.

A professional scientist, Sandy resides in Bikini Bottom as part of a research project funded by three land-based chimpanzees, who make occasional appearances in the series.

Development

Voice

The voice of Sandy Cheeks is provided by Carolyn Lawrence,^[6][7] who voices other miscellaneous characters in the series. Lawrence got the role of Sandy when she was in Los Angeles at Los Feliz. She met Donna Grillo, a casting director, on a sidewalk. Lawrence was with a friend who knew Grillo, and she said Lawrence had an interesting voice. Grillo brought Lawrence in to audition and she got the part.^[8][9]

Before a recording, Lawrence prepares when the crew sends a storyboard. She explains, "I absolutely love that! Not only do I get to read the script, I can actually see what the artists have in mind. It is an amazing process and I feel so fortunate to be able to work that way![...] I would prefer to let the script come alive in me before a taping."^[10]

References

External links

• Sandy Cheeks at the Internet Movie Database