The story comes from the SpongeBob SquarePants episode Something Smells, where Patrick tries to cheer up SpongeBob by telling a tale meant to be uplifting. Its blunt ending turned it into a lasting meme, copied in text posts, remixes and soundboards far beyond the show. Fans quote the Ugly Barnacle whenever a story goes nowhere or a joke dies instantly, and the Portuguese version, a história do mexilhão feio, circulates the same way among Brazilian viewers who grew up with the dubbed cartoon.