We all know he lives in a pineapple down under the sea, but this popular cartoon character was also found living inside a toddler’s throat. Doctors at the King Abdulaziz University Hospital in Jeddah were shocked when an X-ray spotted a SpongeBob SquarePants pendant lodged inside a 16-month-old's esophagus. The small toy is believed to belong to the necklace of the toddler’s older sister before he swallowed it.

The first X-ray, which showed the child’s body from the side, was taken by Dr. Ghofran Ageely, a radiology resident at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Ageely admits all she could tell from the image was that there was a thin object in the child’s esophagus, believing it could be a pin or hair accessory. "Then I opened the frontal view and was shocked. 'SpongeBob,' I screamed!!! I was amazed by the visible details. You can see his freckles, shoes and fingers…AMAZING," Ageely told LiveScience.

SpongeBob SquarePants found lodged inside toddler's throat
Doctors in Saudi Arabia find a SpongeBob SquarePants pendant living inside a toddler’s throat. Dr. Ghofran Ageely

The X-ray revealed the cartoon’s freckles, shoes, and fingers. Ageely quickly took to Radiopaedia.org, a Wikipedia-type forum where radiologists and medical students discuss medical cases, to document her surprising discovery. The X-rays left other radiologists in awe, including Dr. Andrew Dixon, the managing editor of Radiopaedia and a radiologist at The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, Australia. "As a father, I know kids put things in their mouth all the time. But as radiologist, we see this not infrequently,” Dixon said.

SpongeBob SquarePants found inside toddler's throat
SpongeBob SquarePants found inside toddler's throat. Dr. Ghofran Ageely
SpongeBob SquarePants found inside toddler's throat
SpongeBob SquarePants found inside toddler's throat. Dr. Ghofran Ageely

The majority of foreign body ingestion cases in children are not witnessed, and asymptomatic, meaning the child never develops symptoms. The American Family Physician says objects that pass the esophagus generally do not cause symptoms unless complications, such as bowel perforation or obstruction occur. If children do display symptoms, unlike the toddler, they tend to range vomiting or refractory wheezing to generalized irritability and behavioral disturbances.

Luckily, Ageely and her team of doctors were able to remove SpongeBob from the toddler’s esophagus without any complications.