That’s right: SpongeBob SquarePants directly referenced a decade-old meme about one of its main characters killing himself today, in a new episode that aired on Nickelodeon this afternoon.

A creepypasta (a play on "copypasta") is a horror-related image or story that gets copied and pasted around the internet. "Squidward's Suicide" is one of the best-known creepypastas.