Gary the Snail

Garold "Gary" Wilson, Jr. is a major character in the SpongeBob SquarePants. He's SpongeBobs's pet snail who first appeared in the pilot episode, "Help Wanted." He is a domesticated house pet with similar mannerisms to the real-world cat, most notably his "meow" sound, as snails are the underwater equivalent to cats in the show, he also has the abilities of dogs from fetching to doing tricks. It has been suggested that SpongeBob has had Gary ever since he was a young boy

Why He Has "A Way With Words"

 * 1) He has an adorable design.
 * 2) Despite not doing much in the show overall, there are some episodes where he can be helpful, like in Your Shoe's Untied.
 * 3) He has a great chemistry with his owner SpongeBob.
 * 4) He has funny moments, for example in Fungus Among Us.
 * 5) He isn't afraid to act bravely in order to save his friends whenever it's needed.
 * 6) He's really intelligent for a snail who usually acts like a pet dog and/or cat.
 * 7) "Eh, no."
 * 8) It's implied that he has "a way with words" (as Sandy puts it) in
 * 9) His chatterbox voice is accurately described as "smooth like jazz".
 * 10) He was the only main character to not get flanderized, even during the show's decline.
 * 11) He has a passion for animal rights and not being subject to things he doesn't want to do.
 * 12) He is shown to be a good driver in "Tutor Sauce", where he drives a boatmobile through the most dangerous road in Bikini Bottom without any issues.

The Only "Eh, No" Qualities

 * 1) He can be unlikable in some episodes, such as Once Bitten, where he bit everyone in Bikini Bottom just because of a splinter (despite it being massive).
 * 2) He is a massive glutton, but this is mostly forgivable.

Trivia

 * The episodes "Your Shoe's Untied" and "Earworm" show Gary having a record player under his shell.
 * His favorite food is Snail-Po, and later Snail Bites.
 * On the Adventures in Bikini Bottom LEGO set, Gary's shell is orange.
 * In the first teaser trailer for The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, Gary is shown enjoying taking a bath with SpongeBob as the latter plays with his water toys, even though Gary is shown to hate taking baths.
 * It is revealed in The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water that Gary hates mayonnaise.
 * Gary has arms, as seen in "Have You Seen This Snail?," "The Gift of Gum," and "Grooming Gary."
 * In addition to this, "Your Shoe's Untied" and "SpongeBob's Last Stand" reveal that he has feet.
 * The scene from "Help Wanted" in which SpongeBob wakes up and greets Gary originally ended with Gary taking a bite from a cactus, about garden snails' tendency to feed on succulent plants. The book Not Just Cartoons: Nicktoons! features the original storyboard of this scene.
 * He is the only major character In the series who has not appeared In Sandy's treedome.
 * He didn't become a main character until early 2000.
 * In "The Way of the Sponge," when SpongeBob leaves, Gary's meow sounds like he is saying "farewell."
 * Gary appears as a cameo in both Snail Bob 2 game installments.
 * His birthday is November 27, 1989 making him a Sagittarius.
 * In a theory based on SpongeBob and his friends representing "The 7 Deadly Sins", Gary is considered to be the "Glutton" as several examples were shown in many episodes or pieces of media that revolved him eating a lot of snail food.
 * The episode "Treats!" reveals that Gary was adopted by SpongeBob. In "Plankton's Pet", however, SpongeBob reveals to have bought Gary at the animal shelter. It has also been suggested that SpongeBob has had Gary ever since he was a young boy.
 * Despite having similar mannerisms to the real-world cat (most notably his "meow" sound), he also has the abilities of dogs, from fetching to doing tricks.