Many of the series' ideas originated inThe Intertidal Zone, an unpublished educational comic book Hillenburg created in the 1980s to teach his students about undersea life.[5][6] Hillenburg joined Nickelodeon in 1992 as an artist onRocko's Modern Life.[7] AfterRocko was cancelled in 1996, he began developingSpongeBob SquarePants into a television series, and in 1997, a seven-minute pilot was pitched to Nickelodeon. The network's executives wanted SpongeBob to be a child in school, but Hillenburg preferred SpongeBob to be an adult character. He was prepared to abandon the series, but compromised by creating a boating school so SpongeBob could attend school as an adult.[8]
SpongeBob SquarePants received widespread critical acclaim in its early years, with praise given to its characters,surreal humor, writing, visuals, animation, andHawaiian-influenced soundtrack, with the show's first three seasons often referred to as its "golden era". However, the series has also received criticism for a perceived decline in quality, particularly after Hillenburg departed from the series starting with itsfourth season onward. Despite this, it is considered by many to be one ofthe greatest animated series of all time.[9][10] The series was an immediate hit for Nickelodeon, beatingPokémon as the highest-rated and most viewed animated Saturday morning program from its premiere onward in 1999.[11] From then onward,SpongeBob SquarePants continued to be Nickelodeon's highest-rated program, only being surpassed briefly in viewership several times throughout its run.SpongeBob SquarePants has won a variety of awards, including sixAnnie Awards, eightGolden Reel Awards, fourEmmy Awards, twoBAFTA Children's Awards, and a record-breaking twenty-twoKids' Choice Awards. The show has been noted as a cultural touchstone forMillennials andGeneration Z,[12][13] becoming ubiquitous withInternet culture and spawning numerousonline memes.[14]
The series followsSpongeBob SquarePants, an energetic and optimisticsea sponge who lives in a submerged pineapple, and his aquatic friends. SpongeBob has a childlike enthusiasm for life, which carries over to his job as afry cook at a fast food restaurant, theKrusty Krab. One of his goals is to obtain a boat-driving license fromMrs. Puff's Boating School, but he never succeeds. His favorite pastimes include "jellyfishing", which involves catching jellyfish with a net in a manner similar tobutterfly catching, and blowing soap bubbles into elaborate shapes. He has a petsea snail with a pink shell and a blue body namedGary, who meows like a cat.
Living two houses away from SpongeBob is his best friendPatrick Star, a dimwitted yet friendly pinkstarfish who resides under a rock. Patrick considers himself to be intelligent, with his ignorance of his stupidity being a key trait of his.[19]Squidward Tentacles, SpongeBob's next-door neighbor and co-worker at the Krusty Krab, is a grumpy and cynical octopus who lives in an Easter Islandmoai. He despises his job as a cashier and enjoys playing the clarinet and painting self-portraits. He is constantly annoyed by SpongeBob and Patrick's antics, who are unaware of Squidward's animosity towards them, though they get along well when the situation calls for it.Mr. Krabs, an extremely greedy red crab, is the owner of the Krusty Krab. Despite his greed, he often serves as a father figure to SpongeBob. He is a single parent with a teenage daughter, a greysperm whale namedPearl, who has no interest in taking over the family business.[20] Another of SpongeBob's friends isSandy Cheeks, a thrill-seeking and athletic squirrel from Texas, who speaks with aSouthern accent and wears an air-filled diving suit to breathe underwater.[21] She lives in a tree enclosed in a clear glass dome locked by an airtight, hand-turned seal and is an expert in karate.
Located across the street from theKrusty Krab is an unsuccessful rival restaurant called the Chum Bucket.[22] It rarely has any customers due to its sale ofchum-based food constituting ascannibalism by the majority of the fish population. It is run by a small, green, one-eyedcopepod[23] namedPlankton and his computer wife,Karen.[24] Plankton, being a childhood friend and eventual rival of Mr. Krabs, constantly tries to steal the secret recipe for Mr. Krabs's popular Krabby Patty burgers, hoping to gain the upper hand and put the Krusty Krab out of business.[25] Karen supplies him with schemes to obtain the formula, but their efforts always fail and their restaurant rarely has any customers.[26] When SpongeBob is not working at the Krusty Krab, he is often taking boating lessons fromMrs. Puff, a paranoid but patientpufferfish. SpongeBob is Mrs. Puff's most diligent student and knows every answer to the oral exams he takes, but he panics and crashes when he tries to drive a real boat, hence failing the course multiple times.[27] When Mrs. Puff endures one of SpongeBob's crashes or is otherwise frightened, she puffs up into a ball.[28]
The French Narrator, often nicknamed Frenchy, is an unseen figure who often introduces episodes and narrates theintertitles as if the series were a nature documentary about the ocean. His role and distinctive manner of speaking are references to the oceanographerJacques Cousteau.[29] Ever since season 10, the narrator began to appear infrequently in live-action appearances, being portrayed as a diver in aheavy deep sea diving suit.
Special (generally half-hour or hour-long) episodes of the show are hosted by alive-action pirate namedPatchy and his pet parrotPotty, whose segments are presented in adual narrative with the animated stories.[30] Patchy is portrayed as the president of a fictionalSpongeBob fan club, and his greatest aspiration is to meet SpongeBob himself. He gets himself into absurd escapades in a similar matter to the actual show, with Potty constantly making fun of Patchy's nonsensical aspirations and causing trouble for him while he tries to host the show.
Bikini Atoll, a coral reef in the Pacific Ocean.Tom Kenny confirmed the fictitious city of Bikini Bottom is named after Bikini Atoll.
The series takes place primarily in thebenthic underwater city ofBikini Bottom located in thePacific Ocean beneath the real-lifecoral reef known asBikini Atoll.[31][32][33][c] Its citizens are mostly multicolored fish who live in buildings made from ship funnels and use "boatmobiles", amalgamations of cars and boats, as a mode of transportation. Recurring locations within Bikini Bottom include the neighboring houses ofSpongeBob,Patrick, andSquidward; two competing restaurants, theKrusty Krab and theChum Bucket;Mrs. Puff's Boating School, which includes a driving course and a sunkenlighthouse; the Treedome, an oxygenated glass enclosure whereSandy lives; Shady Shoals Rest Home; aseagrass meadow called Jellyfish Fields; and Goo Lagoon, a subaqueousbrine pool that is a popular beach hangout.[36]
When theSpongeBob crew began production of the series'pilot episode, they were tasked with designing stock locations, to be used repeatedly, where most scenes would take place, like the Krusty Krab and SpongeBob's pineapple house.[37] The idea was "to keep everything nautical", so the crew used plenty of rope, wooden planks, ships' wheels, netting, anchors, boilerplates, and rivets to create the show's setting. Transitions between scenes are marked by bubbles filling the screen, accompanied by the sound of rushing water.[37]
The series features "sky flowers" as a main setting feature.[37] When series background designer Kenny Pittenger was asked what they were, he answered, "They function as clouds in a way, but since the show takes place underwater, they aren't really clouds. Because of theTiki influence on the show, the background painters use a lot of pattern."[37] Pittenger said the sky flowers were meant to "evoke the look of a flower-printHawaiian shirt".[37]
Series creatorStephen Hillenburg first became fascinated with the ocean as a child and began developing his artistic abilities at a young age. Although these interests would not overlap for some time—the idea of drawing fish seemed boring to him—Hillenburg pursued both during college, majoring inmarine biology and minoring in art atHumboldt State University. After graduating in 1984, he joined theOcean Institute, an organization inDana Point, California, dedicated to educating the public aboutmarine science andmaritime history.[38][39]
While Hillenburg was there, his love of the ocean began to influence his artistry. He created a precursor toSpongeBob SquarePants: a comic book titledThe Intertidal Zone used by the institute to teach visiting students about theanimal life of tide pools.[39] The comic starred variousanthropomorphic sea lifeforms, many of which would evolve intoSpongeBob SquarePants characters.[40] Hillenburg tried to get the comic professionally published, but none of the companies he sent it to were interested.[39]
A large inspiration to Hillenburg wasWeen's 1997 albumThe Mollusk, which had a nautical and underwater theme. Hillenburg contacted the band shortly after the album's release, explaining the baseline ideas forSpongeBob SquarePants, and also requested a song from the band, which they sent on Christmas Eve. This song was "Loop de Loop", which was used in the episode "Your Shoe's Untied".[41][42][43]
Conception
While working as a staff artist at the Ocean Institute, Hillenburg entertained plans to return eventually to college for a master's degree in art. Before this could materialize, he attended an animation festival, which inspired him to make a slight change in course. Instead of continuing his education with a traditional art program, Hillenburg chose to study experimental animation at theCalifornia Institute of the Arts.[39] His thesis film,Wormholes, is about thetheory of relativity.[5] It was screened at festivals, and at one of these, Hillenburg metJoe Murray, creator of the popularNickelodeon animated series,Rocko's Modern Life. Murray was impressed by the style of the film and offered Hillenburg a job.[5][44] Hillenburg joined the series as a director, and later, during thefourth season, he took on the roles of producer andcreative director.[40][5][44][45]
Martin Olson, one of the writers forRocko's Modern Life, readThe Intertidal Zone and encouraged Hillenburg to create a television series with a similar concept. At that point, Hillenburg had not even considered creating his own series. However, he realized that if he ever did, this would be the best approach.[39][5][46] He began to develop some of the characters fromThe Intertidal Zone, including the comic's "announcer", Bob the Sponge.[39] He wanted his series to stand out from most popular cartoons of the time, which he felt were exemplified bybuddy comedies likeThe Ren & Stimpy Show. As a result, Hillenburg decided to focus on a single main character: the "weirdest" sea creature he could think of. This led him to device on asea sponge.[39]The Intertidal Zone's Bob the Sponge resembles a real life sea sponge, and at first, Hillenburg continued to use this design.[39][5][44][47] In determining the new character's behavior, Hillenburg drew inspiration from innocent, childlike figures that he enjoyed, such asCharlie Chaplin,Laurel and Hardy,Jerry Lewis, andPee-wee Herman.[39][44][48][49][50] He then considered modeling the character after a kitchen sponge and realized this idea would match the character's square personality perfectly.[39][5][44] Patrick, Mr. Krabs, Pearl, and Squidward were the next characters Hillenburg created for the show.[51]
To voice the series' main character, Hillenburg approachedTom Kenny, whose career in animation had started alongside Hillenburg's onRocko's Modern Life. Elements of Kenny's own personality were employed to develop the character further.[52] Initially, Hillenburg wanted to use the name SpongeBoy—the character had no last name—and the series was to have been namedSpongeBoy Ahoy![47][52] However, the Nickelodeon legal department discovered—after voice acting had been completed for the original seven-minute pilot episode—that the name "SpongeBoy" was already in use[53][52] by a line of pencils.[54] In choosing a replacement name, Hillenburg felt he still had to use the word "Sponge", so that viewers would not mistake the character for a "Cheese Man". He settled on the name "SpongeBob". "SquarePants" was chosen as a family name after Kenny saw a picture of the character and remarked, "Boy, look at this sponge in square pants, thinking he can get a job in a fast food place."[48] When he heard Kenny say it, Hillenburg loved the phrase and felt it would reinforce the character's nerdiness.[48][55]
Assembling the crew
Derek Drymon, who served as creative director for the first three seasons, said that Hillenburg wanted to surround himself with a "team of young and hungry people."[49] Many of the major contributors toSpongeBob SquarePants had worked before with Hillenburg onRocko's Modern Life, including: Drymon, art directorNick Jennings, supervising directorAlan Smart, writer and voice actorDoug Lawrence (credited as Mr. Lawrence), andTim Hill, who helped develop theseries bible.[49][50]
Although Drymon would go on to have a significant influence onSpongeBob SquarePants, he was not offered a role on the series initially. As a late recruit toRocko's Modern Life, he had not established much of a relationship with Hillenburg beforeSpongeBob's conception. Hillenburg first sought out Drymon's storyboard partner,Mark O'Hare—but he had just created the soon-to-be syndicated comic strip,Citizen Dog.[49] While he would later joinSpongeBob as a writer,[56] he lacked the time to get involved with both projects from the outset.[49] Drymon has said, "I remember Hillenburg's bringing it up to Mark in our office and asking him if he'd be interested in working on it ... I was all ready to say yes to the offer, but Steve didn't ask; he just left the room. I was pretty desperate ... so I ran into the hall after him and basically begged him for the job. He didn't jump at the chance."[49] Once Hillenburg had given it some thought and decided to bring Drymon on as creative director, the two began meeting at Hillenburg's house several times a week to develop the series. Drymon has identified this period as having begun in 1996, shortly after the end ofRocko's Modern Life.[49]
Jennings was also instrumental inSpongeBob's genesis.[57] Kenny has called him "one of SpongeBob's early graphics mentors".[50] On weekends, Kenny joined Hillenburg, Jennings, and Drymon for creative sessions where they recorded ideas on a tape recorder.[50] Kenny performed audio tests as SpongeBob during these sessions, while Hillenburg voice acted the other characters.[47][50]
Hill contributed scripts for several first-season episodes (including the pilot)[58][59][60][61] and was offered the role ofstory editor, but turned it down—he would go on to pursue a career as a family film director.[62][63] In his stead, Pete Burns was brought in for the job. Burns hailed from Chicago and had never met any of the principal staff members before joining the team.[49]
Pitching
The execs from Nickelodeon flew out toBurbank, and wepitched it to them from thestoryboards. We had squeezy toys, wore Hawaiian shirts, and used a boom box to play theTiny Tim song ['Livin' in the Sunlight, Lovin' in the Moonlight'] that comes on in the third act. We really went all out in that pitch because we knew the pilot lived or died by if the execs laughed. When it was over, they walked out of the room to discuss it. We figured they would fly back to New York and we'd hear in a few weeks. We were surprised when they came back in what seemed like minutes and said they wanted to make it.
While pitching the series to Nickelodeon executives, Hillenburg donned a Hawaiian shirt, brought along an "underwaterterrarium with models of the characters", and played Hawaiian music to set the theme. The setup was described by Nickelodeon executiveEric Coleman as "pretty amazing".[5] They were given money and two weeks to write the pilot episode "Help Wanted".[5] Drymon, Hillenburg, and Jennings returned with what was described by Nickelodeon officialAlbie Hecht as, "a performance [he] wished [he] had on tape".[5] Although Drymon described the pitch as stressful, he said it went "very well".[5]Kevin Kay and Hecht had to step outside because they were "exhausted from laughing", which worried the cartoonists.[5]
In an interview,Cyma Zarghami, then-president of Nickelodeon, said, "their [Nickelodeon executives'] immediate reaction was to see it again, both because they liked it and it was unlike anything they'd ever seen before".[64] Zarghami was one of four executives in the room whenSpongeBob SquarePants was screened for the first time.[64]
Before commissioning the full series, Nickelodeon executives insisted that it would not be popular unless SpongeBob was a child who went to school, with his teacher as a main character.[65] Hillenburg recalled in 2012 that Nickelodeon told him, "Our winning formula is animation about kids in school... We want you to put SpongeBob in school."[39] Hillenburg was ready to "walk out" on Nickelodeon and abandon the series, since he wanted SpongeBob to be an adult character.[39] He eventually compromised by adding a new character to the main cast,Mrs. Puff, who was a boat-driving teacher and whose school SpongeBob would attend, thus fulfilling Nickelodeon's desires of an academic setting. Hillenburg was satisfied with the compromise and said, "A positive thing for me that came out of it was [how it brought] in a new character, Mrs. Puff, who I love."[39]
Executive producers and showrunners
Stephen Hillenburg, creator of SpongeBob SquarePants
Until his death in 2018, Hillenburg had served as the executive producer of the series over the course of its entire history and as itsshowrunner from its debut in 1999 until 2004. The series went onhiatus in 2002, after Hillenburg halted production on the show itself to work on the feature filmThe SpongeBob SquarePants Movie.[53] Once the film was finalized and the third season finished, Hillenburg resigned as the series' showrunner. Although he no longer had a direct role in the series' production, he maintained an advisory role and reviewed each episode.[64][66]
It reached a point where I felt I'd contributed a lot and said what I wanted to say. At that point, the show needed new blood, and so I selected Paul [Tibbitt] to produce. I totally trusted him. I always enjoyed the way he captured the SpongeBob character's sense of humor. And as a writer, you have to move on—I'm developing new projects.
When the film was completed, Hillenburg intended it to be theseries finale, "so [the show] wouldn'tjump the shark." However, the show's massive financial success led to its continuation.[68] Hillenburg appointedPaul Tibbitt, who had previously served on the show as a writer, director, and storyboard artist, to take over his role as showrunner to produce additional seasons.[69] Hillenburg considered Tibbitt one of his favorite members of the show's crew,[70] and "totally trusted him".[67]
On December 13, 2014, it was announced that Hillenburg would return to the series in an unspecified position.[71] On November 26, 2018, at the age of 57, Hillenburg died from complications ofamyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), with which he had been diagnosed in March 2017.[72][73] Nickelodeon confirmed viaTwitter the series would continue after his death.[74] In February 2019, incoming presidentBrian Robbins vowed Nickelodeon would keep the show in production for as long as the network exists.[75]
Starting with the ninth season, former writers and storyboard directorsVincent Waller andMarc Ceccarelli have served as showrunners. Hillenburg is still posthumously credited as executive producer in episodes as of 2024.
Writing
According to writer and storyboard artistLuke Brookshier, "SpongeBob is written differently to many television shows."[76] Unlike most of its contemporaries,SpongeBob SquarePants does not usewritten scripts.[76][77] Instead, storylines are developed by a team of five outline and premise writers. A two-page outline is then assigned to a team ofstoryboard directors, who produce a complete rough draft of the storyboard. One of the methods used to assemble storyboards was to usePost-it notes. Most of the dialogue and jokes are added during this stage.[53][76] Brookshier has likened this process to how cartoons were made "in theearly days of animation".[76]
The decision to eschew scripts for storyboards is one that Hillenburg made early in the series' development.[53]Rocko's Modern Life had also used storyboarding derived from short outlines, and having worked on that series, Hillenburg felt strongly about adopting the process forSpongeBob SquarePants—even though Nickelodeon was beginning to show a greater preference for script-driven cartoons.[49][78] Another series' writer,Merriwether Williams, explained in an interview that she and Mr. Lawrence would write a draft for an episode in an afternoon and be done at 4:00 pm.[79]
The writing staff often used their personal experiences as inspiration for the storylines of the series' episodes.[49][67] For example, the episode "Sailor Mouth", where SpongeBob andPatrick learnprofanity and begin to swear profusely,[67] was inspired by creative director Derek Drymon's experience as a child of getting into trouble for using the expletive "fuck" in front of his mother.[49] Drymon said, "The scene where Patrick is running toMr. Krabs to tattle, with SpongeBob chasing him, is pretty much how it happened in real life".[49] The end of the episode when Mr. Krabs uses even more profanity than SpongeBob and Patrick was inspired "by the fact that my [Drymon's] mother has a sailor mouth herself".[49] The idea for the episode "The Secret Box" also came from one of Drymon's childhood experiences.[67][79] Hillenburg explained, "Drymon had a secret box [as a kid] and started telling us about it. We wanted to make fun of himand use it."[67]
Almost every episode is divided into two 11-minute segments. Hillenburg explained: "[I] never really wanted to deliberately try to write a half-hour show".[67] He added, "I wrote the shows to where they felt right".[67]
Steve described SpongeBob to me as childlike and naïve. He's not quite an adult, he's not quite a kid. Think aStan Laurel,Jerry Lewis kind of child-man. Kind of like aMunchkin but not quite, kind of like a kid, but not in aCharlie Brown child's voice on the TV shows.
Kenny voices SpongeBob and a number of other characters, including SpongeBob's pet snail Gary and the French narrator. He also physically portrays Patchy the Pirate in live-action segments of most special episodes. Kenny previously worked with Stephen Hillenburg onRocko's Modern Life. When Hillenburg createdSpongeBob SquarePants, he approached Kenny to voice the main character.[80] Kenny originally used the voice of SpongeBob for a minor character onRocko.[52] He forgot how to perform the voice initially and did not intend to use it afterward. Hillenburg, however, used a video clip of the episode to remind Kenny of the voice.[52] When Hillenburg heard Kenny perform the voice, he knew immediately he wanted it for his character.[50] The network insisted on auditioning more actors, but Hillenburg turned them down; in the words of Kenny, "one of the advantages of having a strong creator is that the creator can say, 'No, I like that—I don't care about celebrities.'"[50] While Kenny was developing SpongeBob's voice, the show's casting crew wanted him to have a unique, high-pitched laugh in the tradition of iconic cartoon charactersPopeye andWoody Woodpecker.[81]
Fagerbakke voices Patrick Star[82] and other miscellaneous characters. At the same time when Hillenburg, Derek Drymon and Tim Hill were writing the pilot "Help Wanted", Hillenburg was also conducting auditions to find voices for the characters.[49] Fagerbakke auditioned for the role of Patrick after Kenny had been cast.[83] Fagerbakke recalled that during this audition, "Hillenburg actually played for me a portion of Tom [Kenny]'s performance [as SpongeBob], and they were looking for acounterpoint."[83] In an interview, Fagerbakke compared himself to the character and said, "It's extremely gratifying".[84] Whenever Patrick is angry, Fagerbakke models his performance after American actressShelley Winters.[85]
Squidward Tentacles is voiced by Bumpass, who describes him as "a very nasally, monotone kind of guy." He said the character "became a very interesting character to do" because of "his sarcasm, and then his frustration, and then his apoplexy, and so he became a wide spectrum of emotions".[86] Arthur Brown, author ofEverything I Need to Know, I Learned from Cartoons!, has compared Squidward's voice to that ofJack Benny's,[87] a similarity Bumpass says is mostly unintentional.[86]
Voice acting veteran Clancy Brown voices Mr. Krabs, SpongeBob's boss at the Krusty Krab. Hillenburg modeled Mr. Krabs after his former manager at a seafood restaurant, whose strongMaine accent reminded Hillenburg of a pirate.[88] Brown decided to use a "piratey" voice for the character with "a little Scottish brogue" after hearing Hillenburg's description of his boss.[89] According to Brown, his Mr. Krabs voice was mostly improvised during his audition.[89]
Mr. Lawrence had met Hillenburg before onRocko's Modern Life. While working on the pilot episode ofSpongeBob, Hillenburg invited him to audition for all the characters.[90] Since other voices had been found for the main cast already, Lawrence began by voicing a variety of minor characters. This included Plankton, who was initially only set to appear in one episode.[90][49] Mr. Lawrence recalls that Nickelodeon executives wanted Hillenburg to stunt-cast a celebrity voice for Plankton but he turned it down, believing in Mr. Lawrence's voice.[90] Jill Talley, Tom Kenny's wife, voices Karen Plankton.[91] Being a Chicago native, she uses aMidwestern accent for the character.[92] Electronic sound effects are underlaid by the series' audio engineers to create a robotic sound when she speaks.[93] Talley and Mr. Lawrence often improvise Plankton and Karen's dialogue. Lawrence called improvisation his "favorite part of the voice over".[94] He elaborated in a 2012 interview, saying, "I always enjoy the back-and-forth. [Talley and I] start to actually overlap so much talking to each other that [the voice directors] have to tell us, 'hey, stop doing that, separate what you're saying!'"[90]
Carolyn Lawrence voices Sandy Cheeks. She was inLos Feliz, Los Angeles, with a friend who knewSpongeBob SquarePants casting director Donna Grillo. Her friend said to Grillo that Lawrence had "an interesting voice". Grillo invited her to audition and she got the role.[95][96] American actress Mary Jo Catlett,[97] who is known for her live-action roles on television programs from the 1970s such asDiff'rent Strokes andM*A*S*H, provides Mrs. Puff's voice.[92] As of 2017, voicing Mrs. Puff has become her only regular television role; Catlett described herself as "basically retired" in 2013, since she feels that voicing Mrs. Puff requires less preparation than her performances in person.[98] Lori Alan voices Pearl Krabs.[99] During her audition for the role, Alan was shown an early drawing of the characters and noted that Pearl was much larger than the rest of the cast. She decided to reflect the character's size in her voice by making it deep and full in tone. She aimed to make it invoke the sound of whales' low vocalizations while also sounding "spoiled and lovable."[100] In an interview withAfterBuzz TV, Alan said she knew Pearl "had to sound somewhat like a child," but needed "an abnormally large voice."[101]
Voice recording sessions always include a full cast of actors, which Kenny describes as "getting more unusual".[50] Kenny said, "That's another thing that's givenSpongeBob its special feel. Everybody's in the same room, doing it old radio-show style. It's how the stuff we like was recorded".[50] Series writerJay Lender said, "The recording sessions were always fun ..."[111] For the first three seasons, Hillenburg and Drymon sat in the recording studio and directed the actors.[112]Andrea Romano became the voice director in the fourth season,[112] and Kenny took over the role during the ninth.[112]
Animation
Approximately 50 people work together to animate and produce an episode ofSpongeBob SquarePants.[76] Throughout its run, the series' production has been handled domestically atNickelodeon Animation Studio inBurbank, California. Animation services are handled overseas atRough Draft Korea inSeoul.[67][113] The California crew storyboard each episode, which are then used as templates by the crew at Rough Draft,[67] who animate each scene by hand, color eachcel on computers, and paint backgrounds. Episodes are finished in California, where they are edited and have music added.[76]
During the first season, the series usedcel animation.[69] A shift was made the following year todigital ink and paint animation.[69] In 2009, executive producer Paul Tibbitt said: "The first season ofSpongeBob was done the old-fashioned way on cells[sic], and every cell[sic] had to be part-painted, left to dry, paint some other colors. It's still a time-consuming aspect of the process now, but the digital way of doing things means it doesn't take long to correct".[69]
In 2008, the crew began usingdrawing tablets, replacing the traditional ink and paper method. Thefifth season episode "Pest of the West", one of the half-hour specials, was the first episode where the crew applied this method.[37] The shift let the designers and animators draw on computer screens and make immediate changes or undo mistakes. Series background designer Kenny Pittenger noted that many of his colleagues "don't like working on them". Pittenger added, "There's no substitute for the immediacy of drawing on a piece of paper, of course, but digital nautical nonsense is still pretty fun".[37]
Screen Novelties created character models based on the works ofRankin/Bass for the show's stop-motion episodes.
Since 2004, theSpongeBob crew has periodically collaborated with the Los Angeles-based animation studioScreen Novelties to createstop-motion sequences for special episodes. The studio produced a briefclaymation scene for the climax of the first theatrical film,[114] followed by an exclusive opening for the series'tenth anniversary special in 2009.[115][116] The abominable snow mollusk, an octopus-like creature made of clay who acts as the antagonist of the double-length episode "Frozen Face-Off", was also animated by the company.[117]Animation World Network reported that "within theSpongeBob creative team, there was always talk of doing a more involved project together" with Screen Novelties.[117] As a result, the group was asked to create an episode animated entirely in stop motion in 2011. This project became "It's a SpongeBob Christmas!",[118] which reimagined the show's characters as if they were part of aRankin/Bass holiday film.[119] Tom Kenny, who is normally uninvolved in the writing process, contributed to the episode's plot; he said in 2012 that he and Nickelodeon "wanted to do something just like those old school, stop-motion Rankin-Bass holiday specials ... which I watched over and over again when I was a kid growing up in Syracuse".[114]
Unconventional materials such as baking soda, glitter, wood chips and breakfast cereal were used in mass quantities to create the special's sets.[120] Members of the Screen Novelties crew received one win and two nominations at the30th Annie Awards,[121] a nomination at the 2013Golden Reel Awards,[122] and a nomination at the 2013Annecy International Animated Film Festival for animating the episode.[123] The team built a dolphin puppet named Bubbles, voiced byMatt Berry, forThe SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water.[124] Sequences involving Bubbles included a blend of stop motion and traditional animation. A second special animated in stop motion, themed around Halloween and using the same Rankin/Bass-inspired character models, was produced forseason 11.[125][126]
Music
[The music has gone] from mostlysea shanties and Hawaiian music à laRoy Smeck meetsPee-wee Herman—still the main style for the show—in the early episodes, but it now includesfilm noir,West Side Story to[Henry] Mancini,Jerry Goldsmith and[Steven] Spielberg. There's Broadway-type scores and plain old goofy, loopy, weird stuff. I try to push the envelope on this show without getting in the way of the story, and I try to push it up and way over the top when I can get away with it, all the time keeping it as funny and ridiculous as possible.
Mark Harrison and Blaise Smith composedtheSpongeBob SquarePants theme song, while its lyrics were written by Hillenburg and Drymon. The melody was inspired by the sea shanty "Blow the Man Down".[44] An oldoil painting of a pirate is used in the opening sequence. Dubbed "Painty the Pirate", according to Kenny, Hillenburg found it in a thrift shop "years ago".[52]Patrick Pinney voices Painty the Pirate, singing the theme song as the character.[44] Hillenburg's lips were imposed onto the painting and move along with the lyrics.[52] Kenny joked this is "about as close of a glimpse as mostSpongeBob fans are ever going to get of Steve Hillenburg", because of his private nature.[44]
Steve Belfer, one of Hillenburg's friends from CalArts, wrote and performed the music heard during the end credits.[49] This theme includes theukulele, whose use was at Hillenburg's request.[49] Drymon said, "It's so long ago, it's hard to be sure, but I remember Hillenburg having the Belfer music early on, maybe before the pilot".[49]
The series'music editor and main composer is Nicolas Carr.[127] After working with Hillenburg onRocko's Modern Life, he struggled to find a new job in his field. He had considered a career change before Hillenburg offered him the role of composer. The first season's score primarily featured selections from theAssociated Production Music Library, which Carr has said includes "lots of great old corny Hawaiian music and big, full, dramatic orchestral scores."[127]Rocko's Modern Life also used music from this library, and it was Hillenburg's decision to adopt this approach. Carr has described the selections forSpongeBob SquarePants as being "more over-the-top" than those forRocko's Modern Life.[127]
Hillenburg felt it was important for the series to develop its own music library, consisting of scores that could be reused and re-edited throughout the years. He wanted these scores to be composed by unknowns, and a group of twelve was assembled. They formed "The Sponge Divers Orchestra", which includes Carr and Belfer. The group went on to provide most of the music for later seasons, although Carr still draws from the Associated Production Music Library, as well as another library that he founded himself—Animation Music Inc.[127]
SpongeBob SquarePants was viewable onNetflix until its deal with Viacom ended in 2013. The series continues to be available for streaming on Netflix in various regions outside of the United States.[131][132] The series was also available onHulu from 2012 until 2016.[133] The series was available onAmazon Prime Video in 2013 after the Netflix deal ended.[131] As part of therebranding plan ofParamount+, the series joined along with otherViacomCBS shows on July 30, 2020.[134][135]
As of June 2025, the first six seasons are available to be streamed on Amazon Prime Video, and the first 14 seasons are available to stream on Paramount+.[136]
Ten years. I never imagined working on the show to this date and this long...I really figured we might get a season and a cult following, and that might be it.
Nickelodeon began celebrating the series' 10th anniversary on January 18, 2009, with a live cast reading of the episode "SpongeBob vs. The Big One". The reading—a first for the series—was held atthat year's Sundance Film Festival.[178][179] The episode, which premiered on TV on April 17, 2009, features Johnny Depp as a guest star.[180] Other celebratory actions taken by the network included the launching of a new website for the series (spongebob.com) and the introduction of new merchandise. A "SpongeBob and water conservation-themed element" was also added to Nickelodeon'spro-social campaignThe Big Green Help.[178] In an interview, Tom Kenny said, "What I'm most proud of is that kids still really like [SpongeBob SquarePants] and care about it ... They eagerly await new episodes. People who were young children when it started 10 years ago are still watching it and digging it and think it's funny. That's theloving cup for me."[181]
Three nights before the official anniversary date, an hour-long documentary on the series,Square Roots: The Story of SpongeBob SquarePants, premiered onVH1.[177][178][179][181][182] Critically acclaimed filmmaking duoPatrick Creadon and Christine O'Malley created the film as a followup toI.O.U.S.A.—a documentary on America's contemporary financial situation. Creadon remarked, "After spending two years examining the financial health of the United States, Christine and I were ready to tackle something a little more upbeat. Telling the SpongeBob story feels like the perfect fit."[178] On July 17, Nickelodeon marked the official anniversary of the series with a 50-hourtelevision marathon titled "The Ultimate SpongeBob SpongeBash Weekend". It began with a new episode, "To SquarePants or Not to SquarePants". Saturday saw a countdown of the top ten episodes as picked by fans, as well as an airing ofThe SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. The marathon finished on Sunday, with a countdown of episodes picked by celebrities and the premiere of ten new episodes.[178][183][184]
Nickelodeon continued celebrating the anniversary through the rest of the year. An eight-episode DVD set featuringTo SquarePants or Not to SquarePants was released shortly after the marathon on July 21.[185][186] Next a 2,200 minute, 14-disc DVD set titledThe First 100 Episodes was released on September 22.[186][187][188] Finally, on November 6, an hour-long television film, titledTruth or Square, debuted on Nickelodeon. The film is narrated byRicky Gervais and features live action cameo appearances by:Rosario Dawson,Craig Ferguson,Will Ferrell,Tina Fey,LeBron James,P!nk,Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, andRobin Williams.[189][190][191] It was released as part of a five-episode DVD set on November 10, 2009.[192]
Twentieth anniversary
On February 11, 2019, Nickelodeon announced it would recognize the twentieth anniversary ofSpongeBob SquarePants with a series of celebrations known as the "Best Year Ever".[193][194] In honor of the anniversary,Pantone created color shades known as "SpongeBob SquarePants Yellow" and "Patrick Star Pink" to be used by Nickelodeon's licensing partners.[195][196][197]Romero Britto,Jon Burgerman, and the Filipinoart collective Secret Fresh were commissioned by Nickelodeon to createSpongeBob SquarePants-themed art pieces. Some of these pieces were to be adapted into commercial products.[195][196] On February 12, in conjunction with Nickelodeon's announcement of the "Best Year Ever",Cynthia Rowley presented aSpongeBob SquarePants-themedwetsuit duringNew York Fashion Week.[198][199][200] A month later, Marlou Breuls presented theSpongeBob SquarePants-themed "Icon Collection" duringAmsterdam Fashion Week.[201][202] That summer,Nike, in collaboration withKyrie Irving, released aSpongeBob SquarePants series of shoes, accessories, and apparel.[203] In July, for the first time ever,SpongeBob SquarePants became the theme of a cosmetics line, which was released as a limited time offering by HipDot Studios.[198][204][205] The "Best Year Ever" also included the launch of an officialSpongeBob SquarePants YouTube channel and a newmobile game based on the series, along with new toy lines.[197][198]
The "Best Year Ever" formally began on July 12, 2019, with the premiere of the one-hour,live-action/animated TV specialSpongeBob's Big Birthday Blowout.[193][194][206] It continued that month atSan Diego Comic-Con, with two panels, a booth, and various activities devoted to the series.[197][207] The "Best Year Ever" was recognized onAmazon Prime Day with an exclusive early release ofSpongeBob SquarePants: The Best 200 Episodes Ever!, a 30-disc DVD compilation of two box sets,SpongeBob SquarePants: The First 100 Episodes andSpongeBob SquarePants: The Next 100 Episodes. The collections received a standard nationwide release on August 27.[208] The "Best Year Ever" continued into 2020 and culminated with the August 14 release ofThe SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run.[193][194][209]
Twenty-fifth anniversary
On May 22, 2024, Nickelodeon announced it would celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary ofSpongeBob SquarePants with a worldwide event known as "SpongeBob 25".[210]
"SpongeBob 25" formally began on July 13, 2024, with the2024 Kids' Choice Awards hosted by SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star. The following week, Nickelodeon released a series ofSpongeBob SquarePants episodes with Easter eggs and nods to previous episodes of the series.[210]
A collaboration withWendy's called theKrabby Patty Kollab began on October 8, 2024, in which and several local restaurants collaborated to create their own interpretations of real-life Krabby Patties.[211]
A one-hour television special,Kreepaway Kamp, premiered on October 10, 2024 on Nickelodeon and Paramount+.[211]
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Best 300 Episodes Ever, a 44-disc DVD compilation of three box sets,SpongeBob SquarePants: The First 100 Episodes,SpongeBob SquarePants: The Next 100 Episodes andSpongeBob SquarePants: Another 100 Episodes, we're released on October 15, 2024.[212]
Reception
Ratings and run-length achievements
Within its first month on air,SpongeBob SquarePants overtookPokémon as the highest rated Saturday-morning children's series on television. It held an average nationalNielsen rating of 4.9 among children aged two through eleven, denoting 1.9 million viewers.[213][214] Two years later, the series had firmly established itself as Nickelodeon's second highest-rated children's program, afterRugrats.SpongeBob SquarePants was credited with helping Nickelodeon take the "Saturday-morning ratings crown" for the third straight season in 2001.[215] The series had gained a significant adult audience by that point—nearly 40 percent of its 2.2 million viewers were aged 18 to 34.[216] In response to its weekend success, Nickelodeon gaveSpongeBob SquarePants time slots at 6:00 pm and 8:00 pm, Monday through Thursday, to increase the series' exposure.[216][217] By the end of 2001,SpongeBob SquarePants had the highest ratings for any children's series, on all of television.[23][218][219] Weekly viewership of the series had reached around fifteen million, at least five million of whom were adults.[23]
In October 2002, another Nickelodeon series,The Fairly OddParents, ranked as the number two program for children between two and eleven years old.[220] Its ratings at that time were almost equal toSpongeBob SquarePants' then-average of 2.2 million viewers per episode.[220]The Fairly OddParents even briefly surpassedSpongeBob SquarePants, causing it to drop into second place. At this time,The Fairly OddParents had a 6.2 rating and nearly 2.5 million child viewers, whileSpongeBob SquarePants had a 6.0 rating and 2.4 million child viewers aged two to eleven.[221] Nickelodeon "recognized"The Fairly OddParents for its climbing ratings and installed it in a new 8:00 PM time slot, previously occupied bySpongeBob SquarePants.[220] In an interview, Cyma Zarghami, then-general manager andexecutive vice president of Nickelodeon, said, "Are we banking on the fact thatFairly OddParents will be the nextSpongeBob? ... We are hoping. ButSpongeBob is so unique, it's hard to say if it will ever be repeated."[220]
In 2012, the series' ratings began to decline;[222][223]Nielsen reported that the average number of viewers aged two to eleven watchingSpongeBob at any given time dropped 29% in the first quarter from the previous year.Wall Street Journal business writerJohn Jannarone suggested that the decline may be in part due to the series' age and oversaturation affecting the channel's ratings entirely,[224] while media analyst Todd Juenger attributed the decline directly to the availability of Nickelodeon's content on streaming video services likeNetflix.[225] Viacom's then-president and CEOPhilippe Dauman disputes the latter notion, claiming that the media company was getting "nice revenues" from their video on-demand deals and that the service only had select content from the channel's library.[226][227] A Nickelodeon spokesman similarly denied that the show was in any way a problem with the channel's ratings.[224] Dauman blamed the drop on "some ratings systemic issues" at Nielsen, citing extensive set-top-box data that "does in no way reflect" the Nielsen data.[227] Juenger notedSpongeBob could affect the ratings of other Nickelodeon programming because children often change channels to find their favorite programs, then stay tuned to that network.[224]
On April 22, 2013, Netflix CEOReed Hastings announced their intentions not to renew their existing deal with Viacom.[228] Viacom's deal with Netflix expired, and shows such asSpongeBob andDora the Explorer were removed in the United States.[229][230] On June 4, 2013, Viacom announced a $200 million multi-year licensing agreement which would move its programs, such asSpongeBob andDora the Explorer, toAmazon.[231][232][233][234]
SpongeBob SquarePants is one of the longest-running series on Nickelodeon, and one of the longest-running American animated series on television.[235] It became the network's series with the most episodes during its eighth season, surpassing the 172 episodes ofRugrats,[236] and in 2025 became the longest-running American children's animated series.[16] Many children of the 2000s grew up with the series, leading to the series possessing an extensive cultural influence on Generation Z and millennials and greater Internet culture in general.[237]
Critical reception
SpongeBob SquarePants has been widely praised, particularly for its appeal to various age groups, and the show has earned numerous awards and accolades throughout its run.James Poniewozik ofTime magazine described the title character as "the anti-Bart Simpson, temperamentally and physically: his head is as squared-off and neat as Bart's is unruly, and he has a personality to match—conscientious, optimistic and blind to the faults in the world and those around him."[238] According to Laura Fries ofVariety magazine, the series is "a thoughtful and inventive cartoon about a hopelessly optimistic and resilient sea sponge ... Devoid of the double entendres rife in today's animated TV shows, this is purely kid's stuff. ... However, that's not to say thatSpongeBob is simplistic or even juvenile. It's charming and whimsical, but clever enough to appeal to teens and college-aged kids as well."[239]The New York Times' criticJoyce Millman saidSpongeBob "is clever without being impenetrable to young viewers and goofy without boring grown-ups to tears. It's the most charming toon on television, and one of the weirdest. And it's also good, clean fun, which makes sense because it is, after all, about a sponge." Millman wrote, "His relentless good cheer would be irritating if he weren't so darned lovable and his world so excellently strange. ... LikePee-wee's Playhouse, SpongeBob joyfully dances on the fine line between childhood and adulthood, guilelessness and camp, the warped and the sweet."[240]
Robert Thompson, a professor of communications and director of the Center for the Study of Popular Television atSyracuse University, toldThe New York Times:
There is something kind of unique about [SpongeBob]. It seems to be a refreshing breath from the pre-irony era. There's no sense of the elbow-in-rib, tongue-in-cheek aesthetic that so permeates the rest of American culture—including kids' shows like theRugrats. I think what's subversive about it is it's so incredibly naive—deliberately. Because there's nothing in it that's trying to be hip or cool or anything else, hipness can be grafted onto it.[241]
In another interview withLos Angeles Times, he commentated on the show's adult audience: "[On one hand] It's a kind of time machine that transports parents back to when they watched TV in their footie [pajamas]. On the other hand, it's very hip in the way it's presented. It is very edgy to adults who know how to read and listen between the frames."[242] Television criticsAlan Sepinwall andMatt Zoller Seitz rankedSpongeBob SquarePants as the 22nd greatest American TV series of all time in their 2016 bookTV (The Book).[243] In a 2007 interview,Barack Obama said SpongeBob was his favorite TV character and admitted thatSpongeBob SquarePants is "the show I watch with my daughters."[244][245][246]
SpongeBob SquarePants has received many awards and nominations; among these are fourEmmy Awards (Outstanding Special Class Animated Program in 2010;[247] Outstanding Sound Editing—Animation" in 2014;[248] Outstanding Children's Animated Series in 2018; and Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program in 2018 for Kenny);[249] sixAnnie Awards;[250][251][252][253][254] and twoBAFTA Children's Awards.[255][256] In 2006,IGN rankedSpongeBob SquarePants 15th on its list of the Top 25 Animated Series of All Time,[257] and in 2013, it ranked the series 12th on its list of the Top 25 Animated Series for Adults.[258] In addition, the website'sUK division ran a Top 100 Animated Series list and like its US counterpart, rankedSpongeBob SquarePants 15th.[259]
TV Guide listed SpongeBob SquarePants himself at number nine on its list of the 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All Time in 2002.[260] In June 2010,Entertainment Weekly named SpongeBob one of the 100 Greatest Characters of the Last 20 Years.[261] Viewers of UK television networkChannel 4 votedSpongeBob SquarePants the 28th Greatest Cartoon in a 2004 poll.[262][263] The series is among the All-TIME 100 TV Shows, as chosen byTime television critic James Poniewozik in 2007. He said, "It's the most funny, surreal, inventive example of the explosion in creative kids' (and adult) entertainment that Nick,Cartoon Network and their ilk made possible."[264] In 2013, the publication rankedSpongeBob SquarePants eighth on its list of the Greatest TV Cartoons of All Time.[265] Television criticMatt Zoller Seitz included the series in his 2016 book written withAlan Sepinwall titledTV (The Book) as the 22nd greatest American television series of all time, saying that "SpongeBob SquarePants is anabsurdist masterpiece thatSalvador Dalí andGroucho Marx would have watched together in their smoking jackets".[266][267]
Legacy
In his 2005 commentary ofThe Ren & Stimpy Show episode "Stimpy's Cartoon Show", creatorJohn Kricfalusi acknowledgedSpongeBob SquarePants to have been a worthy spiritual successor to the series, despite his dislike of Nickelodeon Animation Studio and his firing leading to its founding.[268]
In July 2009, theMadame Tussauds wax museum in New York debuted a wax sculpture of SpongeBob in celebration of the series' 10th anniversary. SpongeBob became the first animated character to be sculpted entirely out of wax.[269][270][271][272]
The character has also become a trend in Egypt at Cairo'sTahrir Square.[273] After theEgyptian Revolution of 2011, SpongeBob became a fashion phenomenon, appearing on various merchandise items fromhijabs toboxer shorts.[274][275] The phenomenon led to the creation of theTumblr project called "SpongeBob on the Nile". The project was founded by American students Andrew Leber and Elisabeth Jaquette and attempts to document every appearance of SpongeBob in Egypt.[276] Sherief Elkeshta cited the phenomenon in an essay about the incoherent state of politics in Egypt in an independent monthly paper titledMidan Masr. He wrote, "Why isn't he [SpongeBob] at least holding aMolotov cocktail? Or raising a fist?"[277] The phenomenon has even spread toLibya, where a Libyan rebel in SpongeBob dress was photographed celebrating the revolution.[278] AlthoughThe Guardian andVice have asserted that the trend has little to no political significance,[273][274] "joke" presidential campaigns have been undertaken for SpongeBob in Egypt and Syria.[274][276]
A clip was posted toYouTube in February 2013 that features soldiers in the Russian army and navy singing theSpongeBob SquarePants theme song as they marched.[279][280] According to the website that uploaded the video, it was one of the "most popular marching songs" in the Russian military.[279] The video garnered nearly 50,000 views within its first week.[280]
Following Hillenburg's death in November 2018, more than 1.2 million fans signed a petition for theNational Football League to have the song "Sweet Victory" from the season 2 episode "Band Geeks" performed in his honor at theSuper Bowl LIIIhalftime show. Speculation about the song's inclusion intensified in the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl when Atlanta'sMercedes-Benz Stadium's Twitter account, the venue of the show, tweeted a GIF of a scene from the aforementioned episode, andMaroon 5, the headliner, including a brief clip of SpongeBob in a preview video. While the song's opening was ultimately included, it served as a transition into rapperTravis Scott's set, which was negatively received by fans.[284][285] In response to fans' disappointment at not hearing the complete "Sweet Victory" song during the halftime show at Super Bowl LIII, theDallas Stars of theNational Hockey League showed a clip of the full "Sweet Victory" song during a game at theAmerican Airlines Center. In the clip, the characters' band uniforms are recolored green, modeled after the Stars.[286][287] An animated remake of Sweet Victory opened Nickelodeon's broadcast ofSuper Bowl LVIII, implementing clips of the2023 San Francisco 49ers and2023 Kansas City Chiefs during the performance.[288][289]
Several species of organism have been named in reference toSpongeBob. In May 2011, a new species of mushroom,Spongiforma squarepantsii, was described and named after the series' title character.[290] In 2019, a species ofsea sponge,Clathria hillenburgi, was named in honor of Hillenburg, referencing his creation ofSpongeBob SquarePants.[291] In 2020, a species of abyssalsea star,Astrolirus patricki, was described and named afterPatrick Star; individuals of this species were found to be closely associated withhexactinellid sponges, and it was thus named after Patrick as a reference to the character's friendship with SpongeBob.[292]
In honor of Hillenburg, a nonprofit fan project titledThe SpongeBob SquarePants Movie Rehydrated was released online on May 1, 2022. It consists of a re-creation ofthe SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, reanimated by 300 people with re-recorded music and dialogue. Amid the YouTube premiere, the video was taken down byParamount Global due to copyright laws. As a result, thehashtag #JusticeForSpongeBob trended on Twitter against Paramount's action. The video was restored the following day.[293][294]
SpongeBob in internet culture
Online memes originating from or relating toSpongeBob SquarePants have achieved widespread popularity on the Internet, so much so thatVox's Aja Romano declared in 2019 that "Spongebob memes came to rule internet culture".[295] Asubreddit devoted to memes based on the animated series has, as of May 2019, accumulated over 1.7 million subscribers, a figure exponentially higher than subreddits devoted to the series itself.[295]
Matt Schimkowitz, a senior editor forKnow Your Meme, toldTime that a combination of factors makeSpongeBob memes so popular. He speculated thatnostalgia for the past, alongside thecartoon's young audience, contributed toSpongeBob SquarePants' outsized presence in Internet meme culture. Schimkowitz further added that memes derived from the series are exceptionally good at expressingemotions.[296] Michael Gold ofThe New York Times opined that because of the show's "high episode count" and that it was "so ubiquitous at the beginning of the 21st century",SpongeBob SquarePants became "easy meme fodder".[297]
Nickelodeon and members of theSpongeBob cast have expressed approval for the trend. Tom Kenny toldTime that he foundSpongeBob memes relatable and good-natured. Kenny said that while the show's characters can be considered complex, they are also simple, creating a wealth of content for meme creators to work with.[296] Nickelodeon has manufactured a line of toys based on some of the show's most recognizable meme formats,[295] and has even included references to well-known memes inSpongeBob video games.[298]
A Spongebob meme that surfaced in 2023 is the 'Freakbob' meme. Associated withGen Z humor, Freakbob (sometimes called Freaky Bob) is typically shown on the dialing end of a phone call. The vast rise in popularity has sparked many variations of the meme onsocial media.[302]
In 2024, an Internet meme surfaced consisting of Richard Myhill's "Woe Is Me!", taken from the episode "Squilliam Returns", paired with a hamster staring up in despair.[303] Dubbed the "sad hamster meme", the trend experienced rapid popularity on social media platforms as a way for users to express reflection to sadness and unfortunate situations.[304]
Fans of the show have created various pages replicating Bikini Bottom News, a news show within theSpongeBob universe, with versions of the anchors Realistic Fish Head and Perch Perkins generated withartificial intelligence.[305] Some of these pages are criticized for how they handle topics and potentially facilitatefear mongering as a result.[citation needed]
SpongeBob's sexual orientation was the subject of debate since the early years of the show, whenThe Wall Street Journal noted that the character has enjoyed popularity with gay viewers. Series creator Stephen Hillenburg denied SpongeBob was gay in 2002, clarifying at the time that he considered the character to be "somewhatasexual".[306] Three years later, an online video that showed clips fromSpongeBob SquarePants and other children's shows set to theSister Sledge song "We Are Family" to promotediversity andtolerance was attacked by anevangelical group in the United States.[307][308]James Dobson ofFocus on the Family accused the video of promoting homosexuality because it was sponsored by a pro-tolerance group.[308] After Dobson's comments, Hillenburg reasserted his position, stating that sexual preference does not play a part in what they are "trying to do" with the series.[309][310] Tom Kenny and other production members were distraught that the issue had arisen.[52] Dobson later said his comments were taken out of context, and his original complaints were not with SpongeBob, the video, or any of the characters in the video, but rather with the organization that sponsored the video, theWe Are Family Foundation. Dobson said they posted pro-gay material on their website, but later removed it.[311] After the controversy, John H. Thomas, theUnited Church of Christ's general minister and president, said they would welcome SpongeBob into their ministry. He said: "Jesus didn't turn people away. Neither do we."[312]
Queer theorist Jeffery P. Dennis, author of the journal article "Queertoons", argued that SpongeBob and Sandy are not romantically in love, but added that he believed SpongeBob and Patrick "are paired with arguably erotic intensity".[313] Martin Goodman ofAnimation World Magazine called Dennis' comments regarding SpongeBob and Patrick "interesting".[314][e] The Ukrainian website Family Under the Protection of the Holy Virgin, which has been described as a "fringe Catholic" group byThe Wall Street Journal, criticizedSpongeBob SquarePants for its alleged "promotion of homosexuality".[316] The group sought to have the series banned, along with several other popular children's properties. TheNational Expert Commission of Ukraine on the Protection of Public Morality took up the matter for review in August 2012.[316] Questions about SpongeBob's sexuality resurfaced in 2020 after Nickelodeon's official Twitter account posted an image of the character, in rainbow colors with text celebrating theLGBTQ+ community and its allies duringPride Month. Although the post did not make any assertions about SpongeBob's sexual orientation, numerous users responded on social media, claiming they already had their suspicions that he might be gay or reasserting Hillenburg's description of asexuality.[317]
Other
"The children who watched the cartoon were operating at half the capacity compared to other children."
A 2011 study conducted at theUniversity of Virginia, published in the journalPediatrics, suggested that allowing preschool-aged audiences to watch the series caused short-term disruptions in mental function and attention span because of frequent shot changes, compared tocontrol groups watchingCaillou and drawing pictures.[319][320] A Nickelodeon executive responded in an interview the series was not intended for an audience of that age and that the study used "questionable methodology and could not possibly provide the basis for any valid findings that parents could trust."[321][322]
In 2019,University of Washington professor Holly M. Barker stated that the show promotes "violent and racist"colonialism, as Bikini Bottom is named afterBikini Atoll, a place where indigenous people were displaced by the US government fornuclear testing. Barker also pointed out the allegedcultural appropriation ofPacific Islander culture in the show. Because of such content, she claimed that children have "becomeacculturated to an ideology that includes the U.S. character SpongeBob residing on another people's homeland", according to Barker.[330] Barker's claims sparked controversy online among a number of American journalism outlets, includingSpiked andCBSAustin.[331][332]
ViacomCBS pulled the episode "Mid-Life Crustacean" (season 3), first aired in 2003, out of circulation in March 2021. Popular speculation is that the removal is due to its ending in which SpongeBob, Patrick, and Mr. Krabs partake in apanty raid. The release of a later episode, "Kwarantined Krab" (season 12), would be delayed by two years over its similarities to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[333][334]
Perceived decline in quality
Critics' reviews of earlySpongeBob episodes praised the show for its surreal humor and wit.[335] However, in the mid-to-late 2000s, the tone and emphasis of the show began to change.[336] Some media outlets includingMSN,The A.V. Club, andVulture commented on the show's perceived decline in quality, following the release ofThe SpongeBob SquarePants Movie in 2004 and Hillenburg's departure as showrunner.[337][336][338] In 2012, MSN cited a post onEncyclopedia SpongeBobia, aFandom-hosted wiki, which said that many fans felt the series had "jumped the shark" following the release of the film and that onlinefansites were becoming "deserted".[337]
Episodes produced since the first film were described byDVD Talk andDVD Verdict as "tedious",[339] "boring" "dreck",[340] a "depressing plateau of mediocrity",[341] and "laugh-skimpy".[342] In 2018,Vulture noted the most popularonline memes of the series typically originated in episodes from the first three seasons.[338] That same year,The A.V. Club wrote that as the series went on, "[it] leaned hard into kid-friendly physical humor andgross-out moments that appealed to no one in particular."[336] According to Adrienne Tyler ofScreen Rant, viewers began to notice what they perceived to be a "dumber" version of the titular character in newer episodes, in addition to the drastic changes in humor and tone.[343]
Nickelodeon's decision to continue producing the show after the first film was retroactively assessed by some journalists as a poor decision, who believe the show could have enjoyed a stronger legacy had the network ended the show as Hillenburg wanted it to. Rachel Ulatowski ofComic Book Resources assessed: "Not only has the show declined in quality, but Nickelodeon's excessive milking of the franchise hasn't sat well with fans. [...] If Nickelodeon had listened to Hillenburg, it would have preserved SpongeBob's iconic legacy, ending the show at its best rather than tarnishing it with excessive milking."[344]
Spinoffs after Hillenburg's death
Nickelodeon faced criticism from fans and former staff likePaul Tibbitt when the network greenlit spinoffs (seebelow) after the death of Hillenburg, who had previously expressed hesitation in deriving from the parent series. "The show is about SpongeBob, he's the core element, and it's about how he relates to the other characters," Hillenburg toldTelevision Business International. "Patrick by himself might be a bit too much. So I don't see any spin-offs."[345] Hillenburg was also reportedly quoted saying: "You know, one of these days, they're going to want to makeSpongeBob Babies. That's when I'm out of here."[346]
Responding to a fan query, Vincent Waller said Hillenburg "was aware [Kamp Koral] was being developed" and that, while Hillenburg "did not get to see it completed," Waller believed "it would have made him smile."[347] However he later amended the statement, saying "I was feeling it was right, but full disclosure... [Stephen and another friend's passing turned] my chronological memories of events into a bit of a slippery jumble for that entire block of time."[348][349]
On February 14, 2019, it was announced that aSpongeBob SquarePants spin-off was in development,[194] and on June 4 the titleKamp Koral was revealed.[350] The plot focuses on a 10-year-old SpongeBob and his friends at a camp in the Kelp Forest, where they spend the summer catchingjellyfish, building campfires, and swimming in Lake Yuckymuck.[350][351] It serves as a tie-in to the animated filmThe SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run.[351] Production of the series began in June 2019.[194][350]
Nickelodeon animation headRamsey Naito said of the series, "SpongeBob has an incredible universe to expand upon and the greenlight forKamp Koral is a testament to the strength and longevity of these characters known and loved by generations of fans around the world." LikeSpongeBob SquarePants, the series is co-executive produced byMarc Ceccarelli, Jennie Monica, and Vincent Waller.Kamp Koral is produced usingcomputer-generated animation (CGI) rather than thedigital ink and paint animation used forSpongeBob SquarePants.[351]
On February 19, 2020, it was announced that the series would be premiering in July 2020, with the official titleKamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years.[352] The series was also scheduled for a release onCBS All Access (nowParamount+), theViacomCBS streaming service, in early 2021.[134][135] The series officially premiered on March 4, 2021.[353] A second season was released on July 10, 2024.[354]
On August 10, 2020, it was reported that aPatrick Star talk show titledThe Patrick Star Show was in development with a 13-episode order. Additionally, it was reported that the show would be similar to other talk shows such asThe Larry Sanders Show andComedy Bang! Bang![355][356] The series premiered on Nickelodeon on July 9, 2021,[357] with the series set to be available onParamount+ later on.[358]
Super Bowl
SpongeBob SquarePants first appeared in the Super Bowl during theSuper Bowl LIII halftime show, making a cameo appearance in the form of a short animation featuring Squidward, Mr. Krabs, Mrs. Puff, SpongeBob, and Patrick Star, which included footage of the Bikini Bottom band from the episodeBand Geeks, before segueing intoTravis Scott's section of the performance.[359][360][361][362] This led to fan outrage, as fans requested "Sweet Victory", the song featured in the episode, be played during the show, which ultimately did not occur.[363] According to animator Nico Colaleo, the animation was completed in a few days.[364]
On August1, 2023,CBS Sports announced that it would carry ayouth-oriented alternate broadcast ofSuper Bowl LVIII on Nickelodeon, the first such broadcast for a Super Bowl.[365] Billed asSuper BowlLVIII: Live from Bikini Bottom, the broadcast incorporatedSpongeBob-themed augmented reality effects and features (in addition to those seen on previous games aired by the network), and appearances by characters from the series (SpongeBob and Patrick acted as "analysts" alongside announcersNoah Eagle andNate Burleson, with Sandy Cheeks taking on "sideline reporter" duties).[366]
The 32-page bimonthly comic book series,SpongeBob Comics, was announced in November 2010[367] and debuted the following February.[368] Before this,SpongeBob SquarePants comics had been published inNickelodeon Magazine,[367][369][370] and episodes of the television series had been adapted byCine-Manga,[367][371] butSpongeBob Comics was the first American comic book series devoted solely toSpongeBob SquarePants.[367][369][370] It also served asSpongeBob SquarePants creator Stephen Hillenburg's debut as a comic book author.[368][369][370] The series was published by Hillenburg's production company,United Plankton Pictures, and distributed byBongo Comics Group.[367][369][370] Hillenburg described the stories from the comic books as "original and always true to the humor, characters, and universe of the SpongeBob SquarePants series." Leading up to the release of the series, Hillenburg said, "I'm hoping that fans will enjoy finally having aSpongeBob comic book from me."[369][370]
Chris Duffy, the former senior editor ofNickelodeon Magazine, serves as managing editor ofSpongeBob Comics.[369][370] Hillenburg and Duffy met with various cartoonists—includingJames Kochalka,Hilary Barta,Graham Annable, Gregg Schigiel, and Jacob Chabot—to contribute to each issues.[369][370] Retiredhorror comics writer and artistStephen R. Bissette returned to write a special Halloween issue in 2012, withTony Millionaire andAl Jaffee.[372] In an interview withTom Spurgeon, Bissette said, "I've even broken my retirement to do one work-for-hire gig [forSpongeBob Comics] so I could share everything about that kind of current job."[373]
In the United Kingdom,Titan Magazines published comics based onSpongeBob SquarePants every four weeks from February 3, 2005,[374] through November 28, 2013.[375] Titan Magazines also teamed up withLego to release a limited editionSpongeBob-themed comic.[376]
The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants is scheduled to be theatrically released in 2025, while another unnamed character spin-off project remains to be released on Netflix in the foreseeable future, according to ViacomCBS' revision in February 2022.[377]
Main series
The firstSpongeBob film,The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, an animated filmadaptation of the series, was released on November 19, 2004.[378] The film was directed by Hillenburg and written by long-time series writers Derek Drymon, Tim Hill,Kent Osborne,Aaron Springer, Paul Tibbitt, and Hillenburg. He and Julia Pistor produced the film, while Gregor Narholz composed thefilm's score.[379][380][381] Its plot concerns Plankton's evil plan to steal King Neptune's crown and send it to Shell City. SpongeBob and Patrick must retrieve it and save Mr. Krabs' life from Neptune's raft and their home, Bikini Bottom, from Plankton's plan. It features guest appearances byJeffrey Tambor as King Neptune,Scarlett Johansson as the King's daughter Mindy,Alec Baldwin as Dennis, andDavid Hasselhoff as himself.[382] The film received a positive critical reception[383][384] and was a box office success, grossing over $140 million worldwide.[385]
A sequel to the 2004 film,The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, was released in theaters on February 6, 2015.[386] The series' main cast members reprised their roles.[387] The underwater parts areanimated traditionally in the manner of the series—the live-action parts useCGI animation for the SpongeBob characters.[388][389] The film had a budget similar to the previous film, costing less than $100 million to produce.[390][391][392] It was met with positive reviews,[393] and was also a financial success, grossing over $325.2 million worldwide.[394]
A third film,The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run, was initially scheduled for a May 2020 release date. However, due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, the film faced multiple delays.[395][209] Eventually in June 2020, it's worldwide theatrical release was canceled, opting Paramount to eventually release the film as a launch-day exclusive for itspremium video on demand serviceParamount+ in the US on March 4, 2021.[353][396][397] Internationally, Canada received a theatrical release on August 14, 2020, while Netflix received the streaming rights in foreign regions excluding the US, China, and Canada on November 5, 2020.[398][399][400] Unlike the other twoSpongeBob films, the film mainly uses stylized-CGI animation. The film received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics, with audiences being less favorable.[401] Due to the pandemic, the film was not financially successful, grossing $4.8 million from its limited theatrical run.[402]
Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie is an animated adventure comedy film released on Netflix on August 2, 2024.[406] It is the first character-focused spin-off film, as well as the franchise's fourth film overall. It centers around Sandy and SpongeBob going on a mission to save Bikini Bottom, while a subplot centers on the latter's family's exploits in the Circus. Prior to its release, the entire film was leaked on January 21, 2024, as a video upload on X (the website formerly known asTwitter).[407] The film received mixed reviews from critics.[408]
Plankton: The Movie is an animated musical comedy film which was released on Netflix on March 7, 2025.[409] It is the second character-focused spin-off film, and the fifth film in the franchise overall. As with theSandy Cheeks Movie, the entire film was leaked onto X (Twitter) in August 2024.[410]
Several songs have been recorded for the purpose of a single or album release and have not been featured on the show. The song "My Tighty Whiteys" written by Tom Kenny andAndy Paley was released only on the albumThe Best Day Ever (2006). Kenny's inspiration for the song was "underwear humor,"[413] saying: "Underwear humor is always a surefire laugh-getter with kids ... Just seeing a character that odd wearing really prosaic, normal,Kmart, three-to-a-pack underwear is a funny drawing ... We thought it was funny to make a really lush, beautiful love song to his underwear."[413]
Nickelodeon launched the first globalSpongeBob SquarePants-themedshort film competition,SpongeBob SquareShorts: Original Fan Tributes, in 2013.[445][446] The contest encouraged fans and filmmakers around the world to create original short films inspired by SpongeBob for a chance to win a prize and a trip for four people to a screening event inHollywood. The contest opened on May 6 and ran through June 28, 2013.[447][448] On July 19, 2013, Nickelodeon announced the competition's finalists.[449][450][451] On August 13, 2013, the under-18 category was won by David of the United States for hisThe Krabby Commercial, while theFinally Home short by Nicole ofSouth Africa won the 18 and over category.[452]
A set ofSpongeBob SquarePants figures modeled after the main characters
The popularity ofSpongeBob SquarePants inspired merchandise from T-shirts to posters.[82] In 2009, it was reported that the franchise had generated an estimated $8 billion in merchandising revenue for Nickelodeon.[456] The series is also the most distributed property ofParamount Media Networks.[416]SpongeBob is viewed in 170 countries, is available in 24 languages, and has become "a killer merchandising app.".[457] The title character and his friends have been used as a theme for special editions of well-known family board games, includingMonopoly,[458]Life,[459] andOperation,[460] lAnts in the Pants,[461] andYahtzee.[462]
In 2001, Nickelodeon signed a marketing deal withTarget Corporation and Burger King, expanding its merchandising.[216] The popularity ofSpongeBob has translated well into sales. In 2002,SpongeBob SquarePants dolls sold at a rate of 75,000 per week—faster thanTickle Me Elmo dolls were selling at the time.[463]SpongeBob gained popularity in Japan, specifically with Japanese women. Nickelodeon's parent company, Viacom, purposefully targeted marketing at women there. Skeptics initially doubted thatSpongeBob could be popular in Japan, as the character's design is very different from those of characters such as Japanese cultural iconsHello Kitty andPikachu.[464] Ratings and merchandise sales showedSpongeBob SquarePants had caught on with parents and with college audiences.[32] In a 2013 promotion, college-oriented website Music.com gave away 80,000SpongeBob T-shirts, four times more than during a similar promotion forComedy Central'sSouth Park.[32]
Kids' meal tie-ins have been released in fast food restaurants in many parts of the world, including Burger King in Europe and North America, as well asWendy's in North America, andHungry Jack's in Australia. AMcDonald'sHappy Meal tie-in with SpongeBob-themed Happy Meal boxes and toys was released in Europe and other international markets in the summer of 2007.[465] In Australia, the advertisement for the McDonald'sSpongeBob Happy Meal won thePester Power Award because the ads enticed young children to desire its food because of the free toy.[466] As a tie-in beverage for the DVD release ofThe SpongeBob SquarePants Movie,7-Eleven released the limited edition Under-the-Sea PineappleSlurpee in March 2004.[467]Pirate's Booty released limited editionSpongeBob SquarePants Pirate's Booty snacks in 2013.[468][469]
In 2007, high-endSpongeBob-themed electronics were introduced byImation Electronics Products under the Npower brand, includingMP3 players, digital cameras, a DVD player, and aflatscreen television.[470] Pictures ofSpongeBob SquarePants began to appear on the labels of 8-ounce cans ofGreen Giant cut green beans and packages of frozen Green Giant green beans and butter sauce in 2007, which featured free stickers. This was part of an initiative to encourage children to eat vegetables.[471] Simmons Jewelry Co. released a $75,000 diamond pendant as part of aSpongeBob collection.[271][472] In New Zealand, the UK-based Beechdean Group unveiled theSpongeBob SquarePants Vanilla Ice Cream character product as part of a license deal with Nickelodeon.[473] NZ Drinks launchedSpongeBob SquarePants bottled water.[474]
Build-A-Bear Workshop introduced the newSpongeBob SquarePants collection in stores and online in North America on May 17, 2013.[475][476][477] Shoppers can dress their SpongeBob and Patrick plush in a variety of clothing and accessories. Sandy Cheeks and Gary the Snail are also available as pre-stuffed minis.[478] Build-A-Bear Workshop stores nationwide celebrated the arrival of SpongeBob with a series of special events from May 17 through May 19.[479]
On July 13, 2013,Toyota, with Nickelodeon, unveiled aSpongeBob-inspiredToyota Highlander.[480] The 2014 Toyota Highlander was launched on SpongeBob Day at theSan Diego Padres v. Giants game.[481][482][483] TheSpongeBob Toyota Highlander visited seven US locations during its release, including the Nickelodeon Suites Resort Orlando in Florida.[484]
In April 2019, Nickelodeon released a series of toys adapted from variousSpongeBob Internet memes. These included "Handsome Squidward", "Imaginaaation SpongeBob", "Mocking SpongeBob", "SpongeGar", and "Surprised Patrick". Shortly after the release of the line, most of the toys sold out on Amazon.[485][486]
SpongeBob has also appeared as a guest character in multiple video games, mainly Nickelodeon based ones such as theNicktoons Unite! andNick All-Star Brawl franchises, and a crossover game with theMLB entitledNicktoons MLB.[487] Additionally, there areSpongeBob skins in mobile games such asStumble Guys[488] andBrawl Stars.[489]
In 2024, Nickelodeon collaborated with various local restaurants and fast food chainWendy's to create Krabby Patty Kollab meals,[490] including a recreation of the Krabby Patty (which was just the Dave's burgers from Wendy's with special sauce) and variousSpongeBob themed food items, including a Pineapple Under The Sea Frosty from Wendy's, along with specialized items at select local restaurants nationwide. While the promotion was popular, it was also criticized for allegedly going against Stephen Hillenburg's wishes of not selling themed fast food based on the property.[491]
On October 25, 2024, as part of multiple reveals at that year's MagicCon Las Vegas event,Wizards of the Coast announced aSpongeBob-themed Secret Lair would be released forMagic: The Gathering (Secret Lair is the label for speciallimited edition cards for the game). Not much is currently known aside from it releasing in 2025.[492]
On December 5, 2024, clothing brandUniqlo announced a collaboration featuringSpongeBob-inspired designs by streetwear brandCactus Plant Flea Market. It is set to be released on December 12, 2025.[493][494]
^The second half of the season was split into a fifteenth season bringing the number of episodes to 13.
^Jeffery's comments were also published by theJournal of Popular Film & Television in an article called "The Same Thing We Do Every Night: Signifying Same-Sex Desire in Television Cartoons".[315] This is the article that is referred to by Goodman.
^Seitz, Matt Zoller (November 27, 2018)."SpongeBob SquarePants and the Indestructible Faith of Imagination".Vulture.Archived from the original on November 27, 2018. RetrievedMay 26, 2019.Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? Why, one of the stars of the most brilliantly imagined and sustained display of surreal humor in pop culture, that's who.
^Fuller, Benjamin (2019). "The SpongeBob Franchise: Pop Culture Fixture, Reboot Culture Artifact".Studies in Popular Culture.42 (1):77–102.ISSN0888-5753.JSTOR26926333.
^"SpongeBob SquarePants Character Guide Refresh".Nickelodeon Consumer Products.Viacom International. July 22, 2016. p. 3.Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. RetrievedFebruary 19, 2019.Nowhere else could you expect to find a cast that includes a scuba-diving squirrel, Sandy Cheeks, and a waterproof supercomputer, Karen.
^Writers: Stephen Hillenburg, Derek Drymon, Tim Hill (May 1, 1999). "Help Wanted".SpongeBob SquarePants. Season 1. Episode 1a. Nickelodeon.
^Writers: Stephen Hillenburg, Derek Drymon, Tim Hill (May 1, 1999). "Reef Blower".SpongeBob SquarePants. Season 1. Episode 1b. Nickelodeon.
^Writers: Ennio Torresan, Erik Wiese, Stephen Hillenburg, Derek Drymon, and Tim Hill (July 17, 1999). "Bubble Stand".SpongeBob SquarePants. Season 1. Episode 2a. Nickelodeon.
^Writers: Steve Fonti, Chris Mitchell, Peter Burns, and Tim Hill (July 31, 1999). "Jellyfishing".SpongeBob SquarePants. Season 1. Episode 3a. Nickelodeon.
^abBond, Paul (November 4, 2013)."SpongeBob's Firing Sparks Political Debate (Exclusive Video)".The Hollywood Reporter.Archived from the original on April 23, 2019. RetrievedMay 1, 2017.It's not the first time SpongeBob has waded into social commentary, though usually when it does, it bugs the right and supports the left. In episodes dubbed "SpongeBob's Last Stand" and "Selling Out," for example, environmentalism is glorified and large businesses are demonized.
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