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SpongeBob SquarePants

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This article concerns the show itself; for specific information regarding the shows title character and namesake, see SpongeBob SquarePants (character).
SpongeBob SquarePants
File:Spongebobcastpic.jpg
The SpongeBob SquarePants cast
Created byStephen Hillenburg
StarringTom Kenny
Rodger Bumpass
Bill Fagerbakke
Clancy Brown
Carolyn Lawrence
Doug Lawrence
Country of originUSA
No. of episodes(so far) 64
Production
Running timeapprox. 22 mins. (11 mins. per episode)
Original release
NetworkNickelodeon
ReleaseMay 1, 1999 (official airdate July 17, 1999) –
present

SpongeBob SquarePants is a popular animated television series created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg. The pilot episode first aired in the US on Nickelodeon after Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards on May 1, 1999. It officially aired on July 17 of the same year with the second episode "Bubblestand/Ripped Pants." The main characters are a naive but optimistic anthropomorphic sea sponge SpongeBob SquarePants; his stupid starfish pal Patrick Star; the pessimistic octopus Squidward Tentacles; the penny-pinching cheapskate crab Mr. Krabs; and the hyperactive daredevil land squirrel Sandy Cheeks, who wears an astronaut suit almost all of the time outside her air-filled tree dome. Most episodes take place in the town of Bikini Bottom or the surrounding lagoon floor, or at their own houses.

Popularity

SpongeBob has gained a loyal international following with children and adults alike. Merchandise based on the show, for instance, ranges from Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, Kellogg's cereal, and video games to boxer shorts, pajamas, and t-shirts. It has become a favorite cartoon for television viewers. The show also spawned a large and popular merchandise line at Hot Topic, Claire's, RadioShack, Target, Wal-Mart, and Toys "R" Us stores. There have been kids meal tie-ins at Wendy's and Burger King restaurants, so much so when a SpongeBob SquarePants movie promotion ran at most Burger King franchises in 2004, thieves stole nine-foot-high by nine-foot-wide SpongeBob inflatables, wanting Krabby Patties as ransom, and signed by someone who claims to be Sheldon J. Plankton, a character from the show. SpongeBob was also featured on VH1's I Love the 90s: Part Deux: 1999 as part of a commentary by Michael Ian Black. More recently, a tie-in beverage for 7-Eleven convenience stores has been created, a pineapple-flavored Slurpee. Events in the past with the SpongeBob SquarePants theme include an exhibit at Underwater Adventures aquarium in the Mall of America called SeaCrits of Bikini Bottom during the summer of 2003. In October 2004, a NASCAR Busch Series race was named The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie 300, presented by Lowe's and broadcast on TNT.

The cartoon is designed to appeal to older viewers as much as to children. This has a lot to do with the way underwater life and situations are represented, absurdly, as though they are almost equivalent to normal terrestrial lifestyles. Instead of cars, the residents of Bikini Bottom drive boats (with wheels). Once, while on a camping trip, Patrick questions how they could have a camp fire on the lagoon bottom—the fire is immediately extinguished with a sizzle. A flurry of bubbles accompany many actions, just to remind the viewer everything is underwater. SpongeBob lives in a pineapple, while his neighbor Squidward lives in an Easter Island head and Patrick lives under a rock. The suggestion is that both have fallen from a tropical island to become underwater habitats. Spongebob's house-pet is a snail named Gary, who meows like a cat (though characters have shown signs of being able to understand him). In relation to this, underwater worms bark like dogs. Jellyfish are the equivalent of bees (buzzing and stinging), but are collected or appreciated like butterflies and are used for their jelly.

SpongeBob is the first "low budget" Nickelodeon cartoon, according to the network, to become extremely popular. Low-budget cartoons had been living in the shadow of Rugrats, but SpongeBob aired in 1999 and almost immediately became more popular. SpongeBob follows some other Nickelodeon shows that have attracted "older" followers: The Ren & Stimpy Show, Rocko's Modern Life (whose executive producer was SpongeBob creator Stephen Hillenburg), the Kablam! skits Action League Now!, The Angry Beavers. Other shows have followed in this trend as well: The Fairly OddParents and Invader Zim took a similar role when they aired in 2001 and the former is now second only to SpongeBob in popularity).

SpongeBob is one cartoon in a long line of shows to put in more "adult" references, and has become so popular with the adult crowd that it has been shown on MTV and Spike TV. A certain quote by Patrick ("It's gonna rock!") has been used as a promo for rock stations. Ren and Stimpy, among others, had followed a similar path. The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, released on November 19, 2004, features a cameo appearance by actor David Hasselhoff.

Theme song

The theme song, based on the sea shanty "Blow the Man Down," is the principal song used in the series. It is sung by Pat Pinney and can be found on the soundtrack, SpongeBob SquarePants: Original Theme Highlights. A cover of the song by Avril Lavigne can be found on the soundtrack for The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. There was also a choral version done for the Christmas special (where the last words "SquarePants" were replaced by "Christmas special").

Note: Song lyrics are protected by copyright, so the theme song cannot be quoted here.


History

Origin (1993–1999)

SpongeBob's history can be traced back to 1993 when Rocko's Modern Life first aired. One of the producers was Stephen Hillenburg, a cartoon worker/marine biologist who loved both his careers. When the show was cancelled in 1997, Hillenburg began working on SpongeBob (although some sketches trace back to 1996). He teamed up with creative director Derek Drymon, who had worked on shows such as Doug, Action League Now!, and Hey Arnold!. Drymon had worked with Hillenburg on Rocko's Modern Life as well, as were many crew members including writer Tim Hill and voice actors Tom Kenny and Doug Lawrence. Also in the original crew was former Angry Beavers story editor Merriwether Williams, who worked on that show for its first few seasons and switched to SpongeBob in July 1999. His name is written in the CamelCase word style declaring "Spongebob Squarepants" a common typo in comparison to "SpongeBob SquarePants".

Not everyone who worked on SpongeBob were veterans of other shows, however. Paul Tibbitt was a newcomer to cartoons, but he became a key member of the show's crew, writing and storyboard directing most of the series.

During production of the show, Hillenburg provided a concept of short comics with the same style of the show, but the characters looked different. SpongeBob used to be named SpongeBoy, and used to wear a red hat with a green base and a white business shirt with a tie. The name "SpongeBoy" did not make it into the show since the name was already officially trademarked by Bob Burden, creator of Flaming Carrot. Hillenburg later chose the alternative name "SpongeBob." The original name was once referenced in the show by Mr. Krabs' line, "SpongeBoy, me Bob!." The Krusty Krab was originally spelled with the letter C rather than K, but Stephen Hillenburg thought K's were funnier.

Rise to popularity (1999–2000)

In 1999, SpongeBob aired its first episode, "Help Wanted/Reef Blower/Tea at the Treedome", after the 1999 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. At this time, Rugrats was at the height of its popularity and had already outlived dozens of other lower-budget cartoons. SpongeBob, with its generally lower-class animation and humor style more rooted in clever word-play and culture-references unlike the potty humor that made Rugrats so popular, was expected to be just another one of those shows. Although it struggled in its early days, its ratings flew up. After about a year, it surpassed Rugrats as Nick's most highly rated show. SpongeBob's signature voice (provided by Kenny) and humorous style was enjoyable to both younger and older audiences. Many people attribute the "Fall Of Rugrats/Klasky-Csupo/Rise Of Low-Budget Cartoons" to SpongeBob.

Peak years (2000–2003)

The show began its second season in 2000 with more high-quality animation and even more popular episodes. By then it was clear to the world that SpongeBob had opened the door to many other cartoons to use more "adult" senses of humor and come from smaller companies. In 2001, The Fairly OddParents aired from the then-small Frederator company. It focused on a sense of humor similar to SpongeBob’s, only more realistic, slightly crazier (and more suggestive to "adult" topics), and with more pop culture references; this show managed to become a hit as well and currently ranks behind SpongeBob as Nick's second most popular show. That same year, Invader Zim aired, created by comic book writer Jhonen Vasquez; it had a dark but silly sense of humor (similar to Vasquez's other comic books) that managed to attract a very loyal cult following consisting more of teens and adults than little kids. SpongeBob, however, was the leader of all these shows and had by this time started its now famous merchandise line.

2002 also saw a bright side, as the first part of that year saw SpongeBob at its high. The beginning of the third season produced many classic episodes (some of the most quoted too) and focused on the same style and animation concepts. The year also saw another more low-budget show with popularity (Jimmy Neutron), but things changed late in the year. Hillenburg began to think of leaving the show around this time, and even canceling it. Fans were devastated and online petitions were widely distributed. Rumors of a movie closing the show in 2004 were all over talk, but fans just wanted more show. The highly extended third season lasted through 2003, with fans on their knees, and 2004, the year that would decide everything. What was thought to be the last episode, "SpongeBob Meets The Strangler/Pranks A Lot" would air in October of 2004 and the movie was to be released in November of that year.

Reruns (2003–2005)

Season 4 (2005- )

File:Fear of a Krabby Patty.jpg
Fear of a Krabby Patty.

The ads for its fourth season first aired publicly during the 2005 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. The new episodes began on May 6. So far, three new episodes and six segments of new episodes have aired, with more upcoming including an episode about Gary running away and a sixth Mermaidman & Barnacle Boy.

The first new episode of Season 4, "Fear Of A Krabby Patty/Shell Of A Man", was a huge hit with many fans who had long been bored with the show and many more faithful ones who have been waiting for new episodes for years.

Controversy

Despite the show's popularity, SpongeBob has endured controversy, though this is not new for Nickelodeon; many of its cartoons, including Ren & Stimpy, Rocko's Modern Life, The Angry Beavers, Invader Zim and The Fairly OddParents, have sparked controversy in one way or another. SpongeBob's popularity has made its controversy more noticeable and larger scale.

One of the show's first controversies was about terrorism. After the September 11, 2001 attacks, the show had been receiving higher ratings than usual. A few people thought that the show may have some link to terrorism, but many fans and other people believe that the paraphrased line, "it's just a show that heals your depressions from terrible things in life" explains the rise in viewers.

SpongeBob had a primarily clean start for its first two seasons and the beginning of the third season. SpongeBob and Patrick's close friendship in many episodes (including an episode where they hold hands) led some viewers to the conclusion that SpongeBob and Patrick were homosexual. The 2002 episode, "Rock-A-Bye-Bivalve", had SpongeBob and Patrick adopt a baby scallop, furthering the rumor. This viewpoint sparked controversy around the news; however this rumor has been proven false for numerous reasons. Independent of assumptions, the cartoon's acceptance and optimism have made it popular within parts of the real-life gay community.

More recently, SpongeBob was featured in the pro-tolerance "We Are Family" commercial. The video has sparked controversy because some conservative Christian groups believe that the We Are Family Foundation was using it to promote the normalization of homosexuality in American schools. A spokesman for the foundation suggests that anyone who thought the video promoted homosexuality "needs to visit their doctor and get their medication increased."[1]. It has been incorrectly reported that James Dobson, a leading figure among many conservative Christians, believes SpongeBob is homosexual or promotes a 'homosexual lifestyle'.[2], [3] (See the section on SpongeBob in the article on James Dobson).

Voice actors and their characters

Additional voices in the movie

Main crew

Characters

  • SpongeBob SquarePants - A square sponge who lives in a pineapple under the sea. He works at the Krusty Krab with his boring neighbor Squidward.
  • Squidward Tentacles - A hostile squid that lives in an Easter Island moai between the domiciles of SpongeBob and Patrick. Although loved by the other characters, Squidward appears pessimistic and antisocial.
  • Patrick Star - A cheerful, naive and unintelligent starfish; SpongeBob's best friend. He lives under a rock to the left of Squidward's house.
  • Sandy Cheeks - Another friend of SpongeBob's, Sandy is an athletic squirrel from Texas. She wears an old spacesuit and lives in the "Treedome" so that she can survive Bikini Bottom's ocean environment. She gets mean at SpongeBob and Patrick when they (SpongeBob & Patrick) kidnapped/captured her and other residents of Bikini Bottom in "Sandy's Rocket". The reason why SpongeBob and Patrick kidnapped the residents was that they're believing they're (Sandy and other Bikini Bottom residents) aliens.
  • Eugene H. Krabs - The money-addicted, miserly owner of the Krusty Krab. Commonly known as Mr. Krabs, he is SpongeBob and Squidward's boss. He lives in an anchor with his daughter Pearl, who is literally as big as a whale.
  • Gary - SpongeBob's pet Snail. Very intelligent, as revealed in the episode "Sleepy Time." Gary actually wears shoes, and taught SpongeBob how to tie his shoes. Gary also has a record player in his shell.
  • Sheldon J. Plankton - The owner of the restaurant The Chum Bucket and Mr. Krabs' main rival. Usually referred to by his surname, Plankton, he has one eye with a red iris. He is determined to steal the secret Krabby Patty formula from The Krusty Krab and run Mr. Krabs out of business. The Chum Bucket looks like a big bucket, with a hand grasping the handle. The Words "The Chum Bucket" are written in red on the front of it.

Episodes

All episodes are shown in correct production order.

Season One (1999-2000)

Season Two (2000-2001)

Season Three (2002-2004)

Season Four (2005-2006)

Future seasons

Season 5 was claimed to happen, 6 may be possible too.

Feature films

DVD, VHS, and video games

DVD & VHS

Themed DVDs

Themed VHS

  • Nautical Nonsense
  • Sponge Buddies
  • Halloween
  • Sea Stories
  • Bikini Bottom Bash
  • Deep Sea Sillies
  • The Sponge Who Could Fly
  • Anchors Away
  • Laugh Your Pants Off
  • Sponge-a-Rama
  • Christmas
  • The Seascape Capers
  • SpongeBob Goes Prehistoric
  • SpongeGuard on Duty
  • Sponge for Hire
  • Home Sweet Pineapple
  • Fear of a Krabby Patty
  • Absorbing Favorites (coming September 20, 2005)
  • Where's Gary (coming November 15)

Blockbuster Video Exclusives (VHS)

  • Undersea Antics Vol. 1 (Kidmongous)
  • Undersea Antics Vol. 2 (Kidmongous)

Season Box Sets (only on DVD)

Movie (VHS and DVD)

Spin off series

Astrology With Squidward is a spin-off short from, SpongeBob SquarePants. It features the character Squidward explaining astrological stereotypes, through characters on the show.

Featured characters have included:

  • Patrick: Taurus (stereotype: thick-headed)
  • SpongeBob: Sagittarius (stereotype: overly enthusiastic, optimistic, and foolish)
  • Plankton: Scorpio (stereotype: diabolical and plotting), among others

Video Games

  • GBA Video: SpongeBob SquarePants Volume 1 (Gameboy Advance)
  • GBA Video: SpongeBob SquarePants Volume 2 (Gameboy Advance)
  • GBA Video: SpongeBob SquarePants Volume 3 (Not Yet Released) (GBA)
  • Spongebob Squarepants Dual Pack (GBA)
  • Lights, Camera, PANTS! (Not Yet Released) (GCN, GBA, PS2, Xbox, DS)
  • The Yellow Avenger (Not Yet Released) (DS)
  • Revenge Of The Flying Dutchman (PS2, Gamecube, Xbox, GBA)
  • The Legend Of The Lost Spatula (GBC)
  • SuperSponge (PS, GBA)
  • Battle For Bikini Bottom (PS2, Gamecube, Xbox, GBA, PC)
  • The Spongebob Squarepants Movie (PS2, Gamecube, Xbox, GBA, PC)
  • Spongebob Squarepants Saves the Day (Leapster)

Crossover Games

  • Nicktoons Racing (PS1, PC, GBC, GBA)
  • Nickelodeon Party Blast (GCN, PS2, Xbox, PC)
  • Nicktoons: Freeze Frame Frenzy (GBA)
  • Nicktoons Movin' (PS2)
  • Nicktoons Unite! (Not yet released) (GCN, PS2, GBA, DS)
  • The JAM Team Movie (Not yet released) (GBA, PS2, Xbox, GameCube, PC)

See also

Wikiquote has quotations related to SpongeBob SquarePants.
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