SpongeBob SquarePants (character)

This is an article about the character. For the animated cartoon, see SpongeBob SquarePants

SpongeBob SquarePants is the main character in the animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants, which first aired on May 1, 1999 on Nickelodeon. The character was designed by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg, and is voiced by Tom Kenny.

Development

SpongeBob's voice is described as a combination of the mayor of Munchkinland from The Wizard of Oz, and Elroy Jetson from The Jetsons. His character was influenced by Jerry Lewis, Pee Wee Herman, Charlie Chaplin, and Mike C. Doyle. To create SpongeBob's laugh, Tom Kenny jiggles his hand against his Adam's apple, making a high-pitched dolphin-like sound (somewhat sounding like "Ahh") as revealed on the Season One DVD set of SpongeBob SquarePants.

During one appearance on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on December 20, 2006, Tom Kenny described when he was auditioning for a Christmas commercial years before SpongeBob aired, he heard one of the midgets who was chosen for the roles of Santa's elves, who, in a foul-mouthed manner, was cursing loudly to his friend. When Kenny heard this voice, he kept it in mind because he thought it was good. When he auditioned for the role of SpongeBob's voice, he used this voice.

Appearance

SpongeBob is a porous yellow sponge with large blue eyes, a mouth with prominent front teeth, dimples and freckles. He resembles a kitchen sponge more than a sea sponge, as when the show was only a rough idea, Stephen Hillenburg decided that he looked funnier as an ordinary kitchen sponge. SpongeBob can morph into other shapes at will, and can grow back pieces that fall off of him. His limbs can become variable in length and shape at will and are retractable as well as detachable.

SpongeBob typically wears a white collared business shirt with a red tie and brown pants fixed with a black belt, although he has been seen running in the nude or in his underwear. All these clothes are cuboid in shape, as per his surname. As a part of the attire, his shoes are shiny black, with an almost green bathrobe, but mostly goes to sleep with his underwear, socks and shoes. In the episode Driven to Tears, he goes to bed with his underwear on, but this time without his shoes and socks. When he goes swimming at the Goo Lagoon, he wears a pair of blue swimming trunks (although he still wears his underpants, socks and shoes). In Squirrel Jokes and Party Pooper Pants, he wore a red bow tie in exchange for his necktie on special occasions.

General

SpongeBob is described as sweet, flamboyant, kind, funny, cheerful, hard-working (Squidward always seems to push him off with hurtful sarcasm, which apparently doesn't affect him), and trustworthy. Spongebob's antics are always annoying to Squidward, though Spongebob used to be blissfully unaware of it. However, in Season 4, Spongebob actions became much more childish and annoying, and many episodes in that season, such as "Good Neighbors" and "Funny Pants", had plots based on Spongebob's personality affecting Squidward. In fact, it almost seemed like he purposefully annoyed Squidward. He has a buck-toothed grin, an expressive face and square body that compliments his pure and good nature. SpongeBob will rarely knowingly do wrong or harm to anyone except on April Fool's Day and never without remorse. However, he has been known to shout and curse when angry or frustrated. Although he is an adult, he has a very child-like nature, shown to great effect in the episode "Grandma's Kisses", at which he is at his most childish, as well as in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie.

SpongeBob has a career as a fry cook at the Krusty Krab restaurant, Home of the Krabby Patty. He takes his job seriously and considers it passion (having been Employee of the Month 26 consecutive times), and is often shown to have exceptional skill, even brilliance, in grilling. As a baby he was able to create a perfect burger, and his first words were "May I take your order?" He earned the job with a life-saving demonstration of grilling technique in the first episode, and while at work wears an official Krusty Krab nametag and hat. He works alongside Squidward, much to Squidward's dismay. Squidward manages the cash register for his money-obsessed boss, Mr. Eugene H. Krabs. SpongeBob, in some episodes, seems to have attained a celebrity like status in Bikini Bottom for his "masterful" fry cooking. In the episode "Squid on Strike", he is referred to as a "legend" by a young fry cook who wants to take his job and is asked to sign the boy's spatula. Spongebob briefly owned the Krusty Krab in the episode, "Patty Hype". In another episode, he is offered a job as King Neptune's fry cook, but turns it down because Patrick was forbidden to go with him.

SpongeBob has yet to keep a boating license (analogous to a driver's license), because he fails every driver's test at Mrs. Puff's Boating School, mainly due to a tendency to become nervous once behind the wheel as he has been shown to know what he's doing everywhere but inside the boat. Despite this, he perpetually and continuously attends boating school in an attempt to get his license much to the woe and frustration of his boating instructor Mrs. Puff.

Leisure

He frequently gets days off at the Krusty Krab Restaurant, and as a result he spends his free time with his best friend Patrick Star, and especially enjoys practicing karate with his other friend Sandy Cheeks. It is also stated in the "SpongeBob Squarepants 2007 Annual" that SpongeBob has a crush on her, even though this has yet to be fully mentioned in the episodes. He also likes eating jelly, collected from the jellyfish at Jellyfish Fields. To date, he has caught, named, and let go all of the 4 million jellyfish in Jellyfish Fields at least once, except the blue jellyfish, until the end of the episode "Jellyfish Hunter". Once, he brought a jellyfish home and later found out the hardships of keeping a wild animal. Despite this, in the episode "The Thing" he brings home a horribly defigured Squidward, whom he believed to be a wild animal. He also likes to blow bubbles, surf, sun bathe, play the ukulele, and watch his favorite TV show, The New Adventures of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy. SpongeBob is such a fan of the show that, he and Patrick together brought them out of retirement. They also pretend to be Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy. He also has a spice garden, but is only mentioned in two episodes (No Weenies Allowed and Squilliam Returns, which are both in the same 30-minute block). SpongeBob portrays Man Sponge. For some strange reason, despite the fact that he lives underwater, Spongebob can't swim.

Controversy

The creators of Spongebob Squarepants have been attacked by some evangelical groups in the US because they see the character SpongeBob as homosexual.

James Dobson of Focus on the Family accused the makers of a video in which SpongeBob appears with other cartoon characters meant to promote diversity and tolerance, as promoting homosexuality. Creator of the character, Stephen Hillenburg, has denied that Spongebob is gay and have said that he is in fact asexual.

Dobson later clarified his comments by saying his original complaints were not with the video, but with the We Are Family Organization, who make available pro-homosexual material on their website. After the controversy, John H. Thomas, the United 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."