[30] He wanted his series to stand out from most popular cartoons of the time, which he felt were exemplified by buddy comedies like The Ren & Stimpy Show. Is Spongebob really still that popular? "[373], Numerous video games based on the series have been produced. Along with developing a devoted fanbase, the show has also spawned no shortage of fan theories. The media franchise has generated more than $13 billion in merchandising revenue for Nickelodeon. [35] Drymon, Hillenburg, and Jennings returned with what was described by Nickelodeon official Albie Hecht as, "a performance [he] wished [he] had on tape". Despite the show's variety of settings, there are still plenty of situations which we can all relate to. Decades on, the little sponge who lives in a pineapple under the sea continues to endure and inspire a generation. [152] 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. In the first quarter of 2012, the network cut back on the number of episodes it aired by 16% compared to a year earlier. [35] Although executive producer Derek Drymon described the pitch as stressful, he said it went "very well". [100][101], Voice recording sessions always include a full cast of actors, which Kenny describes as "getting more unusual". For the title character, see. [144][145] On February 12, in conjunction with Nickelodeon's announcement of the "Best Year Ever", Cynthia Rowley presented a SpongeBob SquarePants-themed wetsuit during New York Fashion Week. report. 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. SpongeBob SquarePants isn't what it used to be, but it's still quite popular even if its quality has been in decline for years. He wrote, "Why isn't he [SpongeBob] at least holding a Molotov cocktail? "[91] In an interview with AfterBuzz TV, Alan said she knew Pearl "had to sound somewhat like a child," but needed "an abnormally large voice. Instead of continuing his education with a traditional art program, Hillenburg chose to study experimental animation at the California Institute of the Arts. [183] It became the network's series with the most episodes during its eighth season, surpassing the 172 episodes of Rugrats. ", "SpongeBob + Sir Mix-A-Lot + Burger King = Offensive Commercial? The first episode of "SpongeBob SquarePants," titled "Help Wanted," premiered on May 1st, 1999. Over 18 years later, the internet is still churning out new SpongeBob-inspired memes with reckless abandon. [73] It was reported that the franchise generated an estimated $8 billion in merchandising revenue for Nickelodeon. While the song's opening was ultimately included, it served as a transition into artist Travis Scott's set, which left many fans disappointed. [127][132][133], Nickelodeon continued celebrating the anniversary through the rest of the year. [115] Sequences involving Bubbles included a blend of stop motion and traditional animation. [17] Squidward Tentacles, SpongeBob's next-door neighbor and co-worker at the Krusty Krab, is an arrogant, ill-tempered octopus who lives in an Easter Island moai. best. [178] On June 4, 2013, Viacom announced a multi-year licensing agreement which would move its programs, such as SpongeBob and Dora the Explorer, to Amazon.com, Netflix's top competitor. One of the methods used to assemble storyboards was to use Post-it notes. Lawrence called improvisation his "favorite part of the voice over" in 2009. In 2013, Nickelodeon published and distributed SpongeBob Moves In!, a freemium city-building game app developed by Kung Fu Factory for iOS and Android. Paramount Pictures Canada is excited to announce that THE #SPONGEBOBMOVIE: SPONGE ON THE RUN will open exclusively in Canadian theatres on August 14th", "SpongeBob SquarePants: Original Theme Highlights", "Flaming Lips and Wilco Featured on New SpongeBob Soundtrack", "Flaming Lips, Wilco, 'Commercial Weirdo' Avril Lavigne Head Up 'SpongeBob' LP", "SpongeBob Soundtrack Boasts Shins, Wilco, And Flaming Lips Songs", "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: Music From the Movie and More", "Chicago | Plan a Visit | Now Playing in 4-D", "SpongeBob SquarePants 4-D: The Great Jelly Rescue", "SpongeBob SquarePants makes a splash at Nick Hotel with new 4D movie, Bikini Bottom Breakfast, and more entertainment", "Nick Hotel debuts new SpongeBob 4D movie and Bikini Bottom character breakfast", "New attraction spotlight: Nickelodeon Universe at Mall of America", "Moody Gardens Announces Launch of New One-of-a-Kind SpongeBob SubPants Interactive Experience", "Triple Play Baseball has some annoying errors", "Build Your Very Own Bikini Bottom Through Nickelodeon's Worldwide Release Of Brand-New Mobile Game, SpongeBob Moves In", "Classic Spongebob Squarepants Game Getting Remake, Multiplayer Mode", "SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom getting remastered for PC and consoles", "Are You Ready, Kids? [119] Its lyrics were written by Stephen Hillenburg and the series' original creative director Derek Drymon. [228] Sherief Elkeshta cited the phenomenon in an essay about the incoherent state of politics in Egypt in an independent monthly paper titled Midan Masr. Check out the cartoon's new 'concept vehicle' – EXCLUSIVE", "Toyota to Unveil 2014 Highlander SpongeBob Edition [Video]", "SpongeBob-Themed Toyota Highlander by Nickelodeon", "A new line of Spongebob Squarepants Masterpiece Memes figurines bring all your favorite SpongeBob memes to life", "Nickelodeon Releases Official Spongebob Meme Figures", SpongeBob SquarePants featuring Nicktoons: Globs of Doom, Drawn to Life: SpongeBob SquarePants Edition. I always enjoyed the way he captured the SpongeBob character's sense of humor. ", "SpongeBob SquarePants Spinoffs in the Works From Nickelodeon", "SpongeBob gets artsy for 20th anniversary", "Nickelodeon and The Pantone Color Institute Launch SpongeBob Yellow and Patrick Star Pink in Commemoration of SpongeBob's 20th Anniversary", "Behind the Business of 'SpongeBob's Big Birthday Blowout, "Nickelodeon Celebrates 20 Years of 'SpongeBob SquarePants' with "Best Year Ever, "Cynthia Rowley Creates SpongeBob SquarePants Birthday Wetsuit", "How Kanye West changed sneaker culture: Nike, Adidas don't need athletes to sell sports shoes now they've got celebrities", "SpongeBob Got A Haute Couture Makeover At Amsterdam Fashion Week", "This Edgy Fashion Collection Is Inspired by SpongeBob SquarePants", "Kyrie Irving, Nike Go Under the Sea with SpongeBob", "HipDot launches 'SpongeBob Squarepants' cosmetics collection", "A SpongeBob SquarePants Makeup Collection Is Here - and It's Surprisingly Wearable", "Celebrate SpongeBob with Nick's 'Best 200 Episodes Ever' 30-Disc Set", "Nicklodeon. [44] 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, the We Are Family Foundation. [106][107] 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. Around the same time, it was announced that Hans Zimmer will compose the music. [266], In 2018, Vulture noted the most popular online memes of the series usually focused on episodes from the first three seasons. Brief SpongeBob SquarePants appearance at Super Bowl halftime show disappoints", "Spongebob Squarepants' 'Sweet Victory' finally gets a Super Bowl tribute", "WATCH: Dallas Stars give fans the 'Sweet Victory' SpongeBob halftime show we all deserve", "The Dallas Stars gave us the 'Sweet Victory' Spongebob halftime we missed at the Super Bowl", "SpongeBob, Muppets and the Sister Sledge writer suffer criticism", "SpongeBob isn't gay or straight, creator says", "Dobson clarifies Pro-Gay SpongeBob Video Controversy", "Ministry celebrates SpongeBob: Gay, happy, yellow, orange, whatever, he's welcome", "Ukraine's Morality Police Probe 'Gay' SpongeBob", "Nickelodeon's Pride Tweet Reignites Debate On SpongeBob's Sexual Orientation", "CCFC to Nickelodeon: Did You Approve the SpongeBob SquareButt Burger King Commercial? [388][389] On July 19, 2013, Nickelodeon announced the competition's finalists. Puff, who is a boat-driving teacher. Bang!. While the series’ current sense of humor (which leans more into gross-out moments and over exaggerated characters) doesn’t appeal to the audience that followed the series in its first seasons, it’s worth noting that the series continues to be aimed at children, and each generation has a different concept of comedy. SpongeBob SquarePants has won a variety of awards including: six Annie Awards, eight Golden Reel Awards, four Emmy Awards, 17 Kids' Choice Awards, and two BAFTA Children's Awards. [284] As part of CBS All Access's rebranding plan, the series joined along with other ViacomCBS shows on July 30, 2020. [367] It was also installed at the Nickelodeon Suites Resort Orlando in Orlando, Florida. The series officially premiered on July 17, 1999. Most of the dialogue and jokes are added during this stage. The fifth season episode "Pest of the West", one of the half-hour specials, was the first episode where the crew applied this method. [12] In a 2013 promotion, college-oriented website Music.com gave away 80,000 SpongeBob T-shirts, four times more than during a similar promotion for Comedy Central's South Park. And it's also good, clean fun, which makes sense because it is, after all, about a sponge." [159][160] Two years later, the series had firmly established itself as Nickelodeon's second highest-rated children's program, after Rugrats. Shortly after the release of the line, most of the toys sold out on Amazon.com. The series chronicles the adventures and endeavors of the title character and his aquatic friends in the fictional underwater city of Bikini Bottom. [268] That same year, The A.V. [247] The group sought to have the series banned, along with several other popular children's properties. Posted by 2 years ago. Sort by. He is a single parent with one teenage daughter, a sperm whale named Pearl, to whom he wants to bequeath his riches. "[192], Robert Thompson, a professor of communications and director of the Center for the Study of Popular Television at Syracuse University, told The New York Times, There is something kind of unique about [SpongeBob]. [348] In April 2018, Tim Hill was named as director, and the film's original title, It's a Wonderful Sponge, was revealed. The shenanigans SpongeBob got himself into alongside his BFFs, Patrick Star, Sandy Cheeks, and Gary the snail (mostly while annoying Squidward) are still quote-worthy today. SpongeBob is Mrs. Paramount originally scheduled a release date of July 17, 2020, later moving it earlier to May 22, 2020. [103] Casting supervisor Jennie Monica Hammond said, "I loved Wednesdays". [185][186][187] In a statement, Brown Johnson, Nickelodeon's animation president said, "SpongeBob's success in reaching over 200 episodes is a testament to creator Stephen Hillenburg's vision, comedic sensibility and his dynamic, lovable characters. [405] Ratings and merchandise sales showed SpongeBob SquarePants has caught on with parents and with college audiences. It's charming and whimsical, but clever enough to appeal to teens and college-aged kids, as well. "[188][189], SpongeBob SquarePants has received universal critical acclaim, being praised for its appeal to different age groups, and the show has earned numerous awards and accolades throughout its run. His role and distinctive manner of speaking are references to the oceanographer Jacques Cousteau. Maroon 5 who were performing at the game, included a brief clip of SpongeBob in a preview video, leading fans to believe the song would be performed. SpongeBob SquarePants has become the most successful Nicktoon, but why is the show still so popular, despite its quality being in decline for years? Dubbed "Painty the Pirate", according to Tom Kenny, Hillenburg found it in a thrift shop "years ago". SpongeBob has a childlike enthusiasm for life, which carries over to his job as a fry cook at a fast food restaurant called the Krusty Krab. Kind of a weird one to start out with, but I still thought it was great. [425], In April 2019, Nickelodeon released a series of toys adapted from various SpongeBob Internet memes. [103] Andrea Romano became the voice director in the fourth season,[103] and Tom Kenny took over the role during the ninth. "[16] Pittenger said the sky flowers were meant to "evoke the look of a flower-print Hawaiian shirt".[16]. "[167], In 2012, however, the series' ratings were declining. The marathon finished on Sunday, with a countdown of episodes picked by celebrities and the premiere of ten new episodes. [325][326] Retired horror comics writer and artist Stephen R. Bissette returned to write a special Halloween issue in 2012, with Tony Millionaire and Al Jaffee. [55], 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. [44] Kenny joked this is "about as close of a glimpse as most SpongeBob fans are ever going to get of Steve Hillenburg", because of his private nature. The series takes place primarily in the fictional benthic underwater city of Bikini Bottom located in the Pacific Ocean beneath the real-life coral reef known as Bikini Atoll. So the episode I stumbled upon was Dunces and Dragons. The voice of SpongeBob, Tom Kenny, appears in the show as Patchy the Pirate. [90] 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. [403], In 2001, Nickelodeon signed a marketing deal with Target Corporation and Burger King, expanding its merchandising. I watched Jimmy Neutron and my favorite until I discovered the chipper yellow guy was The Fairly OddParents. [85] He elaborated in a 2012 interview, saying, "I always enjoy the back-and-forth. SpongeBob SquarePants is an energetic and optimistic sea sponge who lives in a submerged pineapple with his pet snail Gary, who meows like a cat. [35] It was screened at festivals, and at one of these, Hillenburg met Joe Murray, creator of the popular Nickelodeon animated series, Rocko's Modern Life. [138][139][140] It was released as part of a five-episode DVD set on November 10, 2009. Recurring locations within Bikini Bottom include the neighboring houses of SpongeBob, Patrick, and Squidward; two competing restaurants, the Krusty Krab and the Chum Bucket; Mrs. ", "TV Guide Magazine's 60 Greatest Cartoons of All Time", "Why 'Deadwood' Is a Top-10 TV Show of All Time", "The Greatest American Television Shows, Ranked", "Yellow fever: SpongeBob figure to debut at Madame Tussauds", "Madame Tussauds is Bonkers for SpongeBob", "SpongeBob SquarePants takes over the Middle East", "Where was 'Sweet Victory?' [164], In October 2002, another Nickelodeon series, The Fairly OddParents, ranked as the number two program for children between two and eleven years old. 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. [150][151] That summer, Nike, in collaboration with Kyrie Irving, released a SpongeBob SquarePants series of shoes, accessories, and apparel. According to SpongeBob's driver's license, he was born July 14, 1986. The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood protested the ad for being sexist and inappropriately sexual, especially considering SpongeBob's fan base includes young children. Adrienne is very into films and she enjoys a bit of everything: from superhero films, to heartbreaking dramas, to low-budget horror films. [264] This statement was echoed by Al Sharpton, who claimed conservatives' "new hero" to be "a sponge who lives in a pineapple under the sea". An eight-episode DVD set featuring To SquarePants or Not to SquarePants was released shortly after the marathon on July 21. Carr has described the selections for SpongeBob SquarePants as being "more over-the-top" than those for Rocko's Modern Life. "SpongeBob SquarePants" celebrates its 20th anniversary. Kamp Koral will be produced using computer animation rather than the digital ink and paint animation used for SpongeBob SquarePants. [41] 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". [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! [239] 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. [397] It is also the most distributed property of ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks. [77] Voice acting veteran Clancy Brown voices Mr. Krabs, SpongeBob's boss at the Krusty Krab. [171] Media analyst Todd Juenger attributed the decline in Nickelodeon's ratings directly to the availability of streaming video content on services like Netflix, a provider of on-demand Internet streaming media. The Big One". Check out the official poster for #SpongeBobMovie: Sponge on the Run and don't miss the trailer tomorrow! Recurring guest voices include: Ernest Borgnine, who voiced Mermaid Man from 1999 until his death in 2012;[93] Tim Conway as the voice of Barnacle Boy from 1999 until his death in 2019;[94] Brian Doyle-Murray as the Flying Dutchman;[95] and Marion Ross as Grandma SquarePants. [80], Mr. Lawrence had met Hillenburg before on Rocko's Modern Life. [16] 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. [86][87] American actress Mary Jo Catlett,[88] who is known for her live-action roles on television programs from the 1970s such as Diff'rent Strokes and M*A*S*H provides Mrs. [75] Whenever Patrick is angry Fagerbakke models his performance after American actress Shelley Winters. [70], The writing staff often used their personal experiences as inspiration for the storylines of the series' episodes. ", Untitled Netflix spin-off series and films. hide. [278] In early March 2020, ViacomCBS announced that it will be producing two spin-off films based on the series for the streaming service. This is the character! [375][376][377][378] On June 5, 2019, THQ Nordic announced SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated, a full remake of the console versions of the original 2003 game. Stephen Hillenburg originally designed him as a natural sea sponge with a round shape, but later felt that drawing him as a rectangle would emphasize his "square" and nerdy personality. Kenny's inspiration for the song was "underwear humor",[357] 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". Is Spongebob really still that popular? The contest opened on May 6 and ran through June 28, 2013. Many continue watching SpongeBob SquarePants even if it has changed a lot, simply because it was one of the shows that accompanied them in their childhood. Created by Stephen Hillenburg, Tim Hill, Nick Jennings. The setup was described by Nickelodeon executive Eric Coleman as "pretty amazing". [360] SpongeBob is viewed in 170 countries speaking 24 languages, and has become "a killer merchandising app". [416][417][418] Shoppers can dress their SpongeBob and Patrick plush in a variety of clothing and accessories. His greatest goal in life is to obtain a license to drive a boatmobile. Not just kids, but teens and adults as well. Even in the memes that don’t take anything specifically from Spongebob, the Spongebob sense of humor is still present. [74] 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 a counterpoint. [147][153][154] The "Best Year Ever" also introduced an official SpongeBob SquarePants YouTube channel and a new mobile game based on the series, along with new toy lines. [45][67] Brookshier has likened this process to how cartoons were made "in the early days of animation. Skeptics initially doubted that SpongeBob could be popular in Japan, as the character's design is very different from already popular designs for Hello Kitty and Pikachu. [39][42], Hill contributed scripts for several first-season episodes (including the pilot)[49][50][51][52] and was offered the role of story editor, but turned it down—he would go on to pursue a career as a family film director. [30][35][38] He began to develop some of the characters from The Intertidal Zone, including the comic's "announcer", Bob the Sponge. [16] 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. [44] A character of the same name was already trademarked by Flaming Carrot Comics creator Bob Burden. [213] Viewers of UK television network Channel 4 voted SpongeBob SquarePants the 28th Greatest Cartoon in a 2004 poll. "[171] 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. The title character and his friends have been used as a theme for special editions of well-known family board games, including [23] Karen supplies him with evil schemes to obtain the formula, but their efforts are always unsuccessful and their restaurant rarely has any customers. The National Expert Commission of Ukraine on the Protection of Public Morality took up the matter for review in August 2012. All the latest gaming news, game reviews and trailers. "[41] 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. [45] 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". Most of SpongeBob's relatives are still drawn like natural sponges. [143] On June 4, it was announced the spinoff will be titled Kamp Koral. [184] In the ninth season, its 26 episodes brought the number of episodes produced to 204. One of the most popular Twitter accounts among this generation is … [55][57], —Stephen Hillenburg, The Washington Post[58], When the film was completed, Hillenburg intended it to be the series finale, "so [the show] wouldn't jump the shark." Hillenburg was happy with the compromise and said, "A positive thing for me that came out of it was [how it brought] in a new character, Mrs. [18] Another of SpongeBob's friends is Sandy Cheeks, a thrill-seeking and athletic squirrel from Texas, who wears an air-filled diving suit to breathe underwater. [81][41] Mr. Lawrence recalls that Nickelodeon executives told Hillenburg, "'we could stunt-cast this. [41][69] 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. [16] The shift to Wacom Cintiqs let the designers and animators draw on computer screens and make immediate changes or undo mistakes. Click the button below to start this article in quick view. [44] He forgot how to perform the voice initially and did not intend to use it afterward. [357], A soundtrack album The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie – Music from the Movie and More..., featuring the movie's score was released along with the feature-length film in November 2004. [41] While he would later join SpongeBob as a writer,[47] he lacked the time to get involved with both projects from the outset. As of the ninth season, former writers and storyboard directors Vincent Waller and Marc Ceccarelli act as showrunners. SpongeBob SquarePants was credited with helping Nickelodeon take the "Saturday-morning ratings crown" for the fourth straight season in 2001. The success of the series has been such that it has expanded to other media, such as film, video games, comic books, and even theme park rides. The melody was inspired by the sea shanty "Blow the Man Down". [245][d] Ukrainian website Family Under the Protection of the Holy Virgin, which has been described as a "fringe Catholic" group by The Wall Street Journal, criticized SpongeBob SquarePants for its alleged "promotion of homosexuality". Created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg, SpongeBob SquarePants made its debut on Nickelodeon in 1999, with its popularity booming by its second season. [44] Initially, Hillenburg wanted to use the name SpongeBoy—the character had no last name—and the series was to have been called SpongeBoy Ahoy!
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