"Toy Store of Doom" was listed as number three on Tom Kenny's top-20 episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants on iTunes. His description reads: "I love when hilarity and disturbing creepiness mingle. This one is like an episode of Night Gallerystarring SpongeBob and Patrick, directed by Rob Zombie!"==Cultural references== This episode may be a reference to the Nicktoons game Nicktoons: Attack of the Toybots, while the title may be a reference to the 1992 Rugrats episode "Toy Palace." The robot walking with a huge shadow is a reference to the 2005 film Zathura.