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This article is about the series. For the title character, see SpongeBob SquarePants (character).

SpongeBob SquarePants
SpongeBob SquarePants
GenreComedy
Children's television[1]
Created byStephen Hillenburg
Developed byDerek Drymon
Tim Hill
Nicholas R. Jennings
Creative directorsDerek Drymon (1999–2004)
Vincent Waller (2005–present)
Voices ofTom Kenny
Bill Fagerbakke
Clancy Brown
Rodger Bumpass
Carolyn Lawrence
Mr. Lawrence
Ernest Borgnine
Theme music composerHank Smith Music
Opening theme"SpongeBob SquarePants" by Pat Pinney
ComposersNicolas Carr
Eban Schletter
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons9
No. of episodes204
187 (aired)
356 (segments) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersStephen Hillenburg
Paul Tibbitt (2007–present)
Running time22 minutes
Production companiesUnited Plankton Pictures
Nickelodeon Animation Studios
Original release
NetworkNickelodeon
CBS (episode 175)
ReleaseMay 1, 1999 (1999-05-01) –
present
Related
Rocko's Modern Life

SpongeBob SquarePants (often referred to simply as SpongeBob) is an American animated television series, created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg. The series chronicles the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the fictional underwater city of Bikini Bottom. The series' popularity has made it a media franchise, contributing to its position as Nickelodeon's highest rated show, the most distributed property of MTV Networks, and among Nicktoons' most watched shows. The media franchise generated an $8 billion merchandising revenue for Nickelodeon.

Hillenburg initially conceived the show in 1984 and began to work on it shortly after the cancellation of Rocko's Modern Life in 1996.[2][3] To voice the character of SpongeBob, Hillenburg approached Tom Kenny, who had worked with him on Rocko's Modern Life.[4] SpongeBob was originally to be named SpongeBoy, but the name was already in use for a mop product.[5] Upon finding it out, Hillenburg decided to use the name "SpongeBob". He chose "SquarePants" as a family name as it referred to the character's square shape and it had a "nice ring to it".[6]

The pilot episode first aired on Nickelodeon in the United States on May 1, 1999, following the television airing of the 1999 Kids' Choice Awards. The show reached enormous popularity by 2000 during its second season, and has remained popular since. A feature film of the series was released in theaters on November 19, 2004, with a sequel in development with a projected release date of February 13, 2015.[7] On July 21, 2012, the series was renewed and aired its ninth season; with the episode "Extreme Spots".[8][9]

Upon premiere in 1999, the series received worldwide critical acclaim, though has been involved in public controversies. SpongeBob SquarePants has been nominated for 16 Annie Awards and 15 Emmy Awards, and has won six Annies and an Emmy. In 2011, a newly described species of mushroom, Spongiforma squarepantsii, was named after the title character.

On July 15, 2013, IGN ranked SpongeBob SquarePants twelfth in its list of "The Top 25 Animated Series for Adults".[10] On September 24, 2013, TV Guide ranked SpongeBob SquarePants the eighth "Greatest TV Cartoon of All Time".[11]

Origins

Early inspirations

Stephen Hillenburg became an animator during his period of study at the California Institute of the Arts.

Creator Stephen Hillenburg initially conceived SpongeBob SquarePants in 1984, while he was teaching and studying marine biology at what is now the Orange County Ocean Institute.[12] During this period, Hillenburg became fascinated with animation, and wrote a comic book entitled The Intertidal Zone starring various anthropomorphic forms of sea life, many of which would evolve into SpongeBob SquarePants characters,[13] including "Bob the Sponge", who was the co-host of the comic and resembled an actual sea sponge, as opposed to SpongeBob who resembles a kitchen sponge.[2] In 1987, Hillenburg left the institute to pursue his dream of becoming an animator,[2][13] and began to envision the possible concept of a project involving anthropomorphic sea life, drawing several rough sketches.[2]

In 1992, Hillenburg began to attend the California Institute of the Arts to study animation, having been accepted into the institute by Jules Engel, who was impressed with Hillenburg's previous work.[13][14][15]

Conception

While attending animation school, Hillenburg received a job on the children's television series Mother Goose and Grimm, and worked on the series from 1991 to 1993. When attending the California Institute of the Arts, he made his thesis film entitled Wormholes,[2] which was funded by the Princess Grace Foundation and was later displayed at various animation festivals.[2] In 1993, Hillenburg graduated from the institute, earning a Master of Fine Arts in experimental animation.[13] In 1995, Joe Murray, creator of Rocko's Modern Life, met Hillenburg at an animation festival, and offered him a job as a director of the series.[2][16][17][18] Hillenburg then joined the Nickelodeon animated series as a writer, producer, and storyboard artist during the series' third season, continuing his position for much of the fourth season.[2][18][19] The third season episode "Fish-N-Chumps" (November 12, 1995) was directed by Hillenburg, and involved Rocko, Heffer, and Filburt going on a fishing trip, oblivious to the fact that a pair anthropomorphic fish are attempting to catch them from underwater.[3][16] While working on Rocko's Modern Life, Hillenburg became friends with Tom Kenny, who was later approached by Hillenburg to become the voice of SpongeBob SquarePants.[4] "Steve described SpongeBob to me as childlike and naïve," Kenny said in an interview.[20] "He's not quite an adult, he's not quite a kid. Think a Stan Laurel, Jerry Lewis kind of child-man. Kind of like a Munchkin but not quite, kind of like a kid, but not in a Charlie Brown child's voice on the TV shows."[20]

Rocko's Modern Life ended in 1996.[21] Shortly following this, Hillenburg began working on SpongeBob SquarePants, teaming up with several Nickelodeon veterans and Rocko crew members,[2] including creative director Derek Drymon, writers and directors Sherm Cohen, and Dan Povenmire,[22] writer Tim Hill, actor and writer Martin Olson, animation director Alan Smart, and story editor Merriwether Williams.[3] To voice the character of SpongeBob, Hillenburg approached Tom Kenny, who had worked with him on Rocko's Modern Life.[4] Originally the character was to be named SpongeBoy and the show would be called SpongeBoy Ahoy!.[5] However, after voice acting the original seven-minute pilot in 1997, the Nickelodeon legal department discovered that the name was already in use for a mop product.[23] Upon finding it out, Hillenburg decided that the character's given name still had to contain "Sponge" so viewers would not mistake the character for a "Cheese Man." Hillenburg decided to use the name "SpongeBob." He chose "SquarePants" as a family name as it referred to the character's square shape and "had a nice ring to it".[6]

Pitching

"The execs from Nickelodeon flew out to Burbank, and we pitched it to them from the storyboards. We had squeezy toys, wore Hawaiian shirts and used a boom box to play the Tiny 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."
— Derek Drymon[24]

Hillenburg's original idea for the pitch was that the writers would write a storyboard for a possible episode and pitch it to Nicklodeon.[24] One of the original ideas was to write an episode with SpongeBob and Squidward on a road trip, inspired by the 1989 film Powwow Highway.[24] Eventually, the idea developed while they were working on it but Hillenburg gave up on the storyboard idea for the initial pitch.[24] The crew resurrected the road trip idea during the first season and used a lot of the ideas for an episode called "Pizza Delivery".[24]

In 1997, while pitching the cartoon to Nickelodeon executives, Hillenburg donned a Hawaiian shirt, brought along an "underwater terrarium with models of the characters", and Hawaiian music to set the theme. The setup was described by Nick executive Eric Coleman as "pretty amazing".[25] When given money and two weeks to write the pilot episode ("Help Wanted"),[14] Derek Drymon, Stephen Hillenberg, and Nick Jennings returned with, described by Nickelodeon official Albie Hecht, "a performance he wished he had on tape".[26] Although described as stressful by executive producer Derek Drymon,[14] the pitch went "very well"; Kevin Kay and Hecht had to step outside because they were "exhausted from laughing", making the cartoonists worried.[26]

In an interview with Cyma Zarghami, the current president of Nickelodeon, she told "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."[27] Zarghami was one of four executives in the room when SpongeBob SquarePants was screened for the first time.[27]

Production

Executive producers and showrunners

"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."
—Stephen Hillenburg, The Washington Post[28]

Series creator Stephen Hillenburg served as the executive producer during the show's entire history, and functioned as its showrunner from the show's debut in 1999 until 2004. The show undergone a hiatus on television as Hillenburg halted the production in 2002 to work on the film adaptation of the series, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. Once the film was finalized and the third season had completed broadcast on television, Hillenburg wanted to end the show but Nickelodeon wanted more episodes.[29] Hillenburg resigned as the series' showrunner.[27] He no longer writes or runs the show on a day-to-day basis, but reviews each episode and delivers suggestions. He said "I figure when I'm pretty old I can still paint[...] I don't know about running shows."[27][30]

Following his departure, Hillenburg appointed Paul Tibbitt, who previously served as the show's supervising producer, writer, director, and storyboard artist, to overtake the role.[31] Hillenburg considered Tibbitt one of his favorite members of the show's crew,[32] and "totally trusted him [Paul Tibbitt]."[28] Tibbitt still holds the showrunner position and also functions as an executive producer.[31][33]

Writing

SpongeBob SquarePants is a storyboard-driven series, meaning that the writers for the episodes use storyboard templates (pictured) to draft out both the dialogue, as well as the action in a scene.

SpongeBob SquarePants have two types of writing positions; a team of five outline and premise writers that creates the initial story lines.[34] Writer Luke Brookshier said "SpongeBob is written differently than many television shows." Writing for an episodes of the show starts with a two-page outline that the storyboard director takes and fleshes out into a full episode with gags and dialogue.[34][35] Series writer Merriwether Williams described in an interview that she and Mr. Lawrence would write a draft for an episode in an afternoon and be done at 4 o'clock.[35]

Prior to start of production on the show, Hillenburg decided early that he wanted SpongeBob SquarePants to be a storyboard-driven show, rather than script-driven.[36] Storyboard-driven is an approach that required artists who could take a skeletal story outline and flesh it out with sight gags, dialogue and a structure that "would strike a balance between narrative and whimsy."[36] Hillenburg originally wanted "a team of young and hungry people" to write on the show.[24] The group, who worked with Hillenburg on Rocko's Modern Life before, consisted of Alan Smart, Nick Jennings, and Derek Drymon.[24] Head writer Steven Banks said that "The writers come up with an idea and write premises and outlines describing the story, and the storyboarders (who are also writers) write the dialogue while they draw the storyboard panels. Most other shows are script-driven, we don't write scripts and that has made all the difference!"[37]

The writing staff used their individual childhood experiences as inspirations to come up on much of the story lines of an episode.[28][24] For example, in the episode "Sailor Mouth", SpongeBob learns profanity.[28] The idea for the episode was inspired by creative director Derek Drymon's experience "on a time I got in trouble for saying the f-word in front of my mother."[24] Drymon said "The scene where Patrick is running to Mr. Krabs to tattle, with SpongeBob chasing him, is pretty much how it happened in real life."[24] The end of the episode, where Mr. Krabs blaspheme worse than SpongeBob and Patrick, was also inspired "by the fact that my [Drymon's] mother has a sailor mouth herself."[24] In "Secret Box", SpongeBob wants to see what is inside Patrick's secret box. The idea also came to Drymon when he "had a secret box [as a child]."[28][38] Creator Hillenburg said "[He] started telling us about it. We wanted to make fun of him and use it."[28]

Almost every episode is set into two eleven-minute segments. Hillenburg explains that "[I] never really wanted to deliberately try to write a half-hour show."[28] He added "I wrote the shows to where they felt right."[28] Each eleven-minute episode takes about nine months to produce.[39] Writers of the series falls under the jurisdiction of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees.[40]

Voice cast

See also: List of SpongeBob SquarePants guest stars

Tom Kenny provides the voice of the series' title character SpongeBob SquarePants, and his pet snail Gary. Tom Kenny also provides the voice of The French Narrator, Harold SquarePants, Patchy the Pirate, and the Dirty Bubble. Kenny previously worked with Hillenburg on Rocko's Modern Life, and when Hillenburg created SpongeBob SquarePants, he approached Kenny to voice the character.[41] Hillenburg utilized Kenny's and other people's personalities to help create the personality of SpongeBob.[23] The voice of SpongeBob was originally used by Kenny for a very minor female alligator character named Al in Rocko's Modern Life. Kenny forgot the voice initially as he created it only for that single use. Hillenburg, however, remembered it when he was coming up with SpongeBob and used a video clip of the episode to remind Kenny of the voice.[23] Kenny says that SpongeBob's high pitched laugh was specifically aimed at being unique, stating that they wanted an annoying laugh in the tradition of Popeye and Woody Woodpecker.[42]

Bill Fagerbakke voices Patrick Star.[43] He also provides the voices of other miscellaneous characters in the series including the City Mayor. In an interview with Fagerbakke, he reflected himself to the character and said that "It's extremely gratifying." He described the voice over and added "Being part of something that's become iconic, it's great ... It's really exciting. And, also, to get to do it as a voice over actor and to do it in my business and in an arena that's not fraught with cosmetic hysteria is really awesome."[44]

Rodger Bumpass voices Squidward and other miscellaneous characters. Arthur Brown, author of Everything I Need to Know, I Learned from Cartoons!, has compared Squidward's voice to that of Jack Benny's.[45] While Hillenburg, Derek Drymon and Tim Hill were writing the pilot "Help Wanted", Hillenburg was also conducting auditions to find voices for the characters.[24] Hillenburg originally had Mr. Lawrence for the role of voicing Squidward.[24] Drymon said "We knew Doug from Rocko, where he was a storyboard director and where he also did the voice of Filburt. We were showing Doug the storyboard, and he started reading back to us in his Tony the Tiger/Gregory Peck voice. It was really funny, and we wound up having SpongeBob use a deep voice when he entered the Krusty Krab for the first time."[24] Hillenburg loved the voice and decided to give Lawrence the part of the series villain, Plankton.[24] Lawrence also provides the voice of Larry the Lobster.[46]

Carolyn Lawrence voices Sandy Cheeks.[47] Lawrence got the role of Sandy when she was in Los Angeles at Los Feliz. She met Donna Grillo, a casting director, on a sidewalk. Lawrence was with a friend who knew Grillo, and she said Lawrence had an interesting voice. Grillo brought Lawrence in to audition and she got the part.[48][49] Other voice cast of the main characters include Clancy Brown as the voice of Mr. Krabs.[50]

Recurring characters including Mrs. Puff, Pearl, and Karen are voiced by Mary Jo Catlett,[51] Lori Alan,[52] and Tom Kenny's wife, Jill Talley,[53] respectively. Mr. Krabs' mother, Mama Krabs, debuted in the episode "Sailor Mouth", was voiced by writer Paul Tibbitt.[54][55][56] However, voice actress Sirena Irwin overtook Tibbitt's role for unknown reasons as the character reappeared in the fourth season episode "Enemy In-Law" in 2005.[57] In the Christmas special "Christmas Who?", Tom Kenny portrayed Patchy the Pirate, the president of the fictional SpongeBob SquarePants fan club, while series creator Hillenburg voiced the character of Potty the Parrot.[58] After Hillenburg's departure from the show in 2004, Tibbitt was given the role in voicing Potty the Parrot.[59] Actor Brian Doyle-Murray provides the voice of The Flying Dutchman.[60]

In addition to the regular cast, episodes feature guest voices from various professions, including actors, bands, and musicians. Recurring guest voices include Ernest Borgnine who voices Mermaid Man from 1999 to his death in 2012;[61] Tim Conway as the voice of Barnacle Boy;[62] and Marion Ross as Grandma SquarePants.[63] Notable guests who have provided vocal cameo appearances includes David Bowie as Lord Royal Highness in the television film Atlantis SquarePantis,[64][65] Johnny Depp as the voice of the surf guru, Jack Kahuna Laguna, in the episode "SpongeBob vs. The Big One",[66] and Victoria Beckham as the voice of Queen Amphitrite in the episode "The Clash of Triton".[67][68]

Animation

Throughout the series' run, SpongeBob SquarePants is produced domestically at the Nickelodeon Animation Studios in Burbank, California and animated overseas at Rough Draft Studios in South Korea.[28][69] Approximately 50 people work together in animating and producing a SpongeBob episode.[34] Luke Brookshier, the series' storyboard director, told "SpongeBob is structured differently than most cartoons."[34] Basically, the crew at the studio in California storyboard the episode and the crew in Korea will use it.[28] The crew in Rough Draft Studios animate it by hand, color its cels in the computer, paint backgrounds and send it back to the crews in the Nickelodeon Animation Studio for them to edit, and apply the music soundtrack.[34]

During the first season, SpongeBob SquarePants was animated using cel animation.[31] The show shifted to digital ink and paint animation during its second season in 2000.[31] Executive producer Paul Tibbitt, in 2009, said "[...] The first season of SpongeBob was done the old-fashioned way on cells, and every cell had to be part-painted, left to dry, paint some other colours. 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."[31]

In 2008, the crew shifted and used Wacom Cintiqs for the drawings, instead of pencils.[29] The fifth season episode "Pest of the West" was the first episode in the series that the crew applied it.[29] Series background designer Kenny Pittenger said that "the only real difference between the way we draw now and the way we drew then is that we abandoned pencil and paper during the fifth season."[29] The crew began the shift while they were working on the episode. Pittenger said that "it was while we were working on 'Pest of the West', one of the half-hour specials, that we made the switch… did you notice?"[29] The shift to Wacom Cintiqs let the designers and animators draw on computer screen and make immediate changes or undo mistakes. Pittenger said "Many neo-Luddites—er… I mean, many of my cohorts—don't like working on them, but I find them useful. There's no substitute for the immediacy of drawing on a piece of paper, of course, but digital nautical nonsense is still pretty fun."[29]

In 2012, Nickelodeon produced and debuted the eighth season episode "It's a SpongeBob Christmas!". The episode was the first full-length episode in the series that was produced in stop motion animation.[70][71] Mark Caballero, Seamus Walsh, and Christopher Finnegan of Screen Novelties animated it, and Caballero and Walsh also served as its directors.[72] Production on the episode began in October 2011 at Los Angeles, California.[73] According to Finnegan, it took about five months to shoot, with a couple of months on either end for research and development and post.[74] In 2009, Screen Novelties also animated the series' 10th anniversary special stop motion opening titles.[72]

Music

The theme music was composed by Hank Smith Music, consisting of Derek Drymon, Mark Harrison, Stephen Hillenburg and Blaise Smith.[75] The song is sung by Painty the Pirate, voiced by Patrick Pinney. A cover of the song by Avril Lavigne can be found on the SpongeBob SquarePants Movie soundtrack.[76][77] Another cover by the Violent Femmes, which aired as a commercial on Nickelodeon to promote the series' season two DVD release.[78]

The series' music editor and main composer is Nicolas Carr. Most of the background music used in the series comes from the Associated Production Music Library.[79] Shows such as The Simpsons, South Park, and Futurama, and films such as Argo, The Karate Kid, and Despicable Me also use music from the APM.[79]

Creator Hillenburg states that much of the music in the series was inspired by 1950s Hawaiian steel guitar tunes.[80][page needed] Alternative rock bands such as Wilco, The Shins, The Flaming Lips, and Ween, as well as metal bands Pantera, and Motörhead have made appearances on the show and its soundtracks.[76][81]

Tenth anniversary

On July 14, 2009, SpongeBob marked its tenth anniversary with the premiere of the prime time documentary titled Square Roots: The Story of SpongeBob SquarePants discussing the history of the show, and its impact on popular culture.[82] "Ten years. I never imagined working on the show to this date and this long[...]," says series creator Hillenburg, speaking by phone from Southern California. "I really figured we might get a season and a cult following, and that might be it."[83] In an interview with Tom Kenny, he told "What I'm most proud of is that kids still really like it 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 the loving cup for me."[84]

Starting July 17, 2009 at 8:00 PM EDT, Nickelodeon aired a 50½-hour SpongeBob marathon titled "The Ultimate SpongeBob SpongeBash Weekend". The marathon included the top-10 most memorable SpongeBob episodes as picked by its viewers on Nick.com. The night capped off with the television encore of The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie at 8 PM.[85] On July 19, 10 new episodes including the special episode "To SquarePants or Not to SquarePants" premiered.[86][87]

On September 22, 2009, Nickelodeon and Paramount Home Entertainment released a 14-disc DVD, titled The First 100 Episodes.[88] The DVD runs approximately 2200 minutes and includes the first 100 episodes of the series.[89][90]

On November 6, 2009, a second television film debuted on Nickelodeon, titled Truth or Square.[91][92] Several celebrities made live-action cameo appearances on Truth or Square, including Rosario Dawson, LeBron James, Tina Fey, Will Ferrell, Craig Ferguson, Robin Williams and P!nk, while Ricky Gervais provided opening and closing naration for the special.[93][94]

Episodes

Main article: List of SpongeBob SquarePants episodes
SeasonEpisodesSegmentsOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
12041May 1, 1999 (1999-05-01)March 3, 2001 (2001-03-03)
22039October 20, 2000 (2000-10-20)July 26, 2003 (2003-07-26)
32037October 5, 2001 (2001-10-05)October 11, 2004 (2004-10-11)
42038May 6, 2005 (2005-05-06)July 24, 2007 (2007-07-24)
52041February 19, 2007 (2007-02-19)July 19, 2009 (2009-07-19)
62647March 3, 2008 (2008-03-03)July 5, 2010 (2010-07-05)
72650July 19, 2009 (2009-07-19)June 11, 2011 (2011-06-11)
82647March 26, 2011 (2011-03-26)December 6, 2012 (2012-12-06)
92649July 21, 2012 (2012-07-21)February 20, 2017 (2017-02-20)
101122October 15, 2016 (2016-10-15)December 2, 2017 (2017-12-02)
112650June 24, 2017 (2017-06-24)November 25, 2018 (2018-11-25)
123153November 11, 2018 (2018-11-11)April 29, 2022 (2022-04-29)
132854October 22, 2020 (2020-10-22)November 1, 2023 (2023-11-01)
1426[95]TBANovember 2, 2023 (2023-11-02)TBA


Characters

Main article: List of SpongeBob SquarePants characters
File:SpongeBob main characters.jpg
The series' main characters. From left: Plankton, Mr. Krabs, Sandy, SpongeBob, Squidward, Patrick, and Gary.

The show revolves around its title character and his various friends. SpongeBob SquarePants is an energetic and optimistic sea sponge (although his appearance more closely resembles a kitchen sponge) who lives in a pineapple under the sea with his pet snail, Gary, who meows like a cat. Living two houses down from SpongeBob is his best friend Patrick Star, a dim-witted yet friendly pink starfish who lives under a rock. Even despite his "mental setbacks", Patrick still sees himself as intelligent.[96] Squidward Tentacles is SpongeBob's next-door neighbor and co-worker at the Krusty Krab.[45] Squidward is an arrogant and ill-tempered octopus who lives in an Easter Island moai and dislikes his neighbors (especially SpongeBob) for their childlike behavior. He enjoys playing the clarinet and painting self-portraits, but hates his job working at the Krusty Krab. Another close friend of SpongeBob is Sandy Cheeks, a squirrel from Texas.[97] Sandy is a scientist and expert at karate.[98][99] She lives in an underwater tree dome. When outside of her tree dome, she wears an astronaut-like suit because she cannot breathe underwater.[45] Mr. Krabs, a miserly crab obsessed with money, is the owner of the Krusty Krab restaurant and SpongeBob's boss.[45] His rival, Plankton, is a small green copepod who owns a low-rank fast-food restaurant called the Chum Bucket across the street from the Krusty Krab.[100] Plankton spends most of his time planning to steal the recipe for Mr. Krabs's popular Krabby Patty burgers to obtain success and put the Krusty Krab out of business.[101]

Other recurring characters appear alongside SpongeBob. These include SpongeBob's driving teacher Mrs. Puff, Mr. Krabs' daughter Pearl, Plankton's computer wife Karen, and SpongeBob and Patrick's favorite superheroes, Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy.

Setting

A blue colored image of island with one island boxed in the northeast.
Bikini Atoll, with Bikini Island boxed in the northeast

Much of the series' events take place in Bikini Bottom, an underwater city located in the Pacific Ocean beneath the real life tropical isle of Bikini Atoll.[102][103] Much of this is supported within the context of the episodes themselves; however, despite implications of the city's location as well as analogies to real life, Hillenburg has stated that he wishes to leave the city isolated from the real world, explaining the Baywatch parody scene from The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie as simply a reference to his favorite show of all time.[80][page needed]

The citizens of Bikini Bottom live in mostly aquatic-themed buildings, and use "boatmobiles", an amalgamation of cars and boats, as a mode of transportation.[104] Notable establishments present in Bikini Bottom includes the Krusty Krab and Mrs. Puff Boating School, which have become a common setting in the series since their first appearance in 1999.

Reception

Ratings

Since SpongeBob SquarePants made its debut in 1999, the show had flourished into Nickelodeon's No. 2 children's program, after Rugrats, upon which nearly 40 percent of its audience of 2.2 million were aged 18 to 34.[105] As a result, Nickelodeon expanded the show's exposure on television from Saturday morning to almost-prime time, appearing at 6 PM, from Monday through Thursday.[105] In 2001, Nickelodeon took the "Saturday-morning ratings crown" for the fourth straight season, grabbing a 4.8 rating/21 share (1.9 million viewers) in kids 2-11, jumping 17% from compared to the previous year.[106] During its third season, SpongeBob SquarePants passed Rugrats and earned the title of being the highest rated children's show on cable, with a 6.7 rating and 2.2 million kids 2 to 11 in the second quarter of 2002, up 22% over 2001.[105][107][108] Forbes called the show "a $1 billion honeypot," and said the show is "almost single-handedly responsible for making Viacom's Nickelodeon the most-watched cable channel during the day and the second most popular during prime time."[105] It was also reported that of the 50 million viewers who watch it every month, 20 million are adults.[109]

By 2012, it was reported that the show is receiving a decline in ratings.[110][111] The average number of viewers aged 2 to 11 watching SpongeBob at any given time dropped 29% in the first quarter from a year earlier, according to Nielsen.[112] The Wall Street Journal noted the ratings decline as "a wet blanket."[113] The Journal points to a few possible problems: It could be too old, or it may be shown on TV too often.[113] Another issue could be its licensing to Netflix, an on-demand Internet streaming media, last year.[114] Ratings began dropping soon after Netflix added a "just for kids" section.[114] A Nickelodeon spokesman says SpongeBob is performing consistently well and remains as the number one rated animated series in all of children's television.[113][114] He added "there is nothing that we have seen that points to SpongeBob as a problem."[113] Philippe Dauman, the president and CEO of Viacom, 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.[115]

Todd Juenger, analyst at the Sanford C. Bernstein, notes that SpongeBob could affect the ratings of other Nickelodeon programming because children often change channels to find their favorites program, then stay tuned into that network.[113] Nickelodeon recently reduced its exposure in television. In the first quarter of 2012, the network cut back on the number of episodes it aired by 16% compared with a year earlier.[113] Juenger also noted that the availability of on-demand viewing from online streaming is a primary factor in a decline in the network's ratings.[116] Dauman contradicted the notion saying he did not think "the limited amount of Nick library content on Netflix[...] has had a significant impact".[117][118]

On April 22, 2013, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings announced not to renew their existing deal with Viacom.[119] Since then, Viacom's deal with Netflix expired and removed its shows such as SpongeBob, and Dora the Explorer.[120] On June 4, 2013, Viacom announced a multi-year licensing agreement moving its programmings, such as SpongeBob andDora the Explorer, to Amazon.com, Netflix's top competitor.[121][122] Amazon agreed to pay more than $200 million to Viacom for the license, its largest subscription streaming transaction ever.[123][124]

Awards and accolades

Year Association Category Nominee Result
2000 Golden Reel Awards Best Sound Editing in Television Animation — Music[125] "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy" and "Pickles" Won
Best Sound Editing in Television Animation — Sound[125] "Karate Choppers" Won
2001 Annie Awards Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting by a Female Performer in an Animated Television Production[126] Mary Jo Catlett as Mrs. Puff
in "No Free Rides" 		Nominated
Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting by a Male Performer in an Animated Television Production[126] Tom Kenny as SpongeBob SquarePants
in "Wormy" 		Nominated
Outstanding Individual Achievement for a Song in an Animated Production[126] Peter Straus and Paul Tibbitt
for "The Very First Christmas" in "Christmas Who?" 		Nominated
Golden Reel Awards Best Sound Editing in Television Animation — Sound[127] "Rock Bottom" and "Arrgh" Won
Best Sound Editing in Television Animation — Music[127] "Fools in April" and "Neptune's Spatula" Nominated
2002 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Children's Program[128] Nominated
Golden Reel Awards Best Sound Editing in Television – Animation[129] "Secret Box" and "Band Geeks" Won
Best Sound Editing in Television Animation — Music[129] "Jellyfish Hunter" and "The Fry Cook Games" Nominated
Television Critics Association Awards Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming[130] Won
2003 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour)[131] "New Student Starfish" and "Clams" Nominated
Golden Reel Awards Best Sound Editing in Television Animation — Music[132] "Wet Painters" and "Krusty Krab Training Video" Won
Best Sound Editing in Television Animation[132] "Nasty Patty" and "Idiot Box" Won
Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Cartoon[133] Won
2004 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour)[134] "SpongeBob B.C. (Before Comedy)" Nominated
Golden Reel Awards Best Sound Editing in Television Animation — Music[135] "The Great Snail Race" and "Mid-Life Crustacean" Won
Best Sound Editing in Television Animation — Music[135] "Mid-Life Crustacean" Nominated
Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Cartoon[136] Won
Golden Satellite Awards Best Animated or Mixed Media Feature[137] The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie Nominated
2005 Annie Awards Best Animated Television Production[138] Won
Best Animated Feature[138] The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie Nominated
Directing in a Feature Production[138] Stephen Hillenburg
for The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie 		Nominated
Music in a Feature Production[138] Gregor Narholz
for The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie 		Nominated
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour)[139] "Fear of a Krabby Patty" and "Shell of a Man" Nominated
Golden Reel Awards Best Sound Editing in Television: Animated[140] "Pranks A Lot" and "SpongeBob Meets the Strangler" Nominated
Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Cartoon[141] Won
Television Critics Association Awards Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming[142] Nominated
Golden Trailer Awards Best Animation/Family[143] The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie Nominated
Most Original[143] Nominated
Young Artist Award Best Family Feature Film – Animation[144] The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie Nominated
2006 MTV Russia Movie Awards Best Animated Film[145] The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie Nominated
Annie Awards Best Writing in an Animated Television Production[146] C.H. Greenblatt, Paul Tibbitt, Mike Bell, and Tim Hill
for "Fear of a Krabby Patty" 		Won
Golden Reel Awards Best Sound Editing in Television: Animated[147] "Have You Seen This Snail?" Nominated
Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Cartoon[148] Won
2007 British Academy Children's Awards International Category[149] Won
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour)[150] "Bummer Vacation" and "Wigstruck" Nominated
Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Cartoon[151] Won
Television Critics Association Awards Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming[152] Nominated
2008 Annie Awards Best Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production[153] Tom Kenny as SpongeBob SquarePants
in "Spy Buddies" 		Nominated
Golden Reel Awards Best Sound Editing in Television: Animated[154] "SpongeHenge" Won
Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Cartoon[155] Nominated
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour)[156] "The Inmates of Summer" and "The Two Faces of Squidward" Nominated
Philippines Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Cartoon[157] Won
2009 ASTRA Awards Favourite International Program[158] Nominated
British Academy Children's Awards International Category[159] Nominated
Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Cartoon[160] Won
Indonesia Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Cartoon[161] Won
Annie Awards Direction in an Animated Television Production or Short-form[162] Alan Smart
for "Penny Foolish" 		Nominated
Golden Reel Awards Best Sound Editing: Television Animation[163] "Suction Cup Symphony" Nominated
Teen Choice Awards Choice TV Animated Show[164] Won
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Special Class - Short-Format Animated Programs[165] "Dear Vikings" Nominated
2010 British Academy Children's Awards International Category[166] Nominated
Daytime Emmy Awards Outstanding Special Class Animated Program[167] Won
Outstanding Directing in an Animated Program[167]
Nominated
Golden Reel Awards Best Sound Editing: Television Animation[168] "SpongeBob vs. The Big One" Nominated
Annie Awards Best Home Entertainment Production[169][170] "SpongeBob vs. The Big One" DVD Nominated
Best Animated Television Production for Children[169][170] Nominated
Best Voice Acting in a Television Production[169][170] Tom Kenny as SpongeBob SquarePants
in Truth or Square 		Won
Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Cartoon[171] Won
Kids' Choice Awards Mexico Favorite Cartoon[172] Nominated
Indonesia Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Cartoon[173] Won
TP de Oro Best Children and Youth Program[174] Won
2011 Annie Awards Best Animated Television Production for Children[175] Won
Music in a Television Production[175] Jeremy Wakefield, Sage Guyton, Nick Carr, Tuck Tucker Won
ASCAP Film and Television Awards Top Television Series[176] Won
Casting Society of America Outstanding Achievement in Casting - Television Animation[177] Sarah Noonan Won
Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Cartoon[178] Won
Indonesia Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Cartoon[179] Won
Emmy Awards Outstanding Short-format Animated Program[180] "That Sinking Feeling" Nominated
Kids' Choice Awards Argentina Favorite Cartoon[181][182] Nominated
TP de Oro Best Children and Youth Program[183] Won
2012 Annie Awards Writing in a Television Production[184] Dani Michaeli, Sean Charmatz, Nate Cash, Luke Brookshier, Paul Tibbitt
for "Patrick's Staycation" 		Nominated
ASCAP Film and Television Awards Top Television Series[185] Won
British Academy Children's Awards International Category[186][187] Won
Daytime Emmy Awards Outstanding Children's Animated Program[188][189] Nominated
Outstanding Directing in an Animated Program[188][189] Nominated
Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program[188][189] Rodger Bumpass as Squidward Tentacles Nominated
Outstanding Sound Editing - Animation[188][189] Nominated
Producers Guild of America Children's Program[190] Nominated
Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Cartoon[191] Won
Kids' Choice Awards Mexico Favorite Cartoon[192][193] Nominated
Kids' Choice Awards Argentina Favorite Cartoon[194][195] Nominated
2013 Annie Awards Best Animated Television Production for Children[196][197] Nominated
Directing in an Animated Television or other Broadcast Venue Production[196][197] Mark Caballero
Seamus Walsh
for "It's a SpongeBob Christmas!" 		Nominated
Character Animation in an Animated Television or other Broadcast Venue Production[196][197] Dan Driscoll
for "It's a SpongeBob Christmas!" 		Won
Savelen Forrest
for "It's a SpongeBob Christmas!" 		Nominated
Daytime Emmy Awards Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing - Animation[198] Nominated
Golden Reel Awards Best Sound Editing - Sound Effects, Foley, Dialogue and ADR Animation in Television[199][200] "It's a SpongeBob Christmas!" Nominated
"Gary's New Toy" Nominated
Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Cartoon[201] Won

Criticism and controversy

James Dobson accused a promotional video featuring SpongeBob SquarePants of "promoting homosexuality due to a pro-tolerance group sponsoring the video." This incident led to questions whether the character is gay, which was denied by creator Hillenburg who considers him as "almost asexual."

In 2005, a promotional video which showed SpongeBob along with other characters from children's shows singing together to promote diversity and tolerance,[202] was attacked by an evangelical group in the United States because they saw SpongeBob being used as an "advocate for homosexuality".[203] James Dobson of Focus on the Family accused the makers of the video of "promoting homosexuality due to a pro-tolerance group sponsoring the video".[203] The incident led to questions to whether or not SpongeBob is homosexual. In 2002, series creator Stephen Hillenburg denied the issue, despite the fact that SpongeBob's popularity with gay men grew. He clarified that he considers the character to be "almost asexual".[204][205] After Dobson made the comments, Hillenburg repeated this assertion that sexual preference was never considered during the creation of the show.[206] Tom Kenny and other production members were shocked and surprised that such an issue had arisen.[23]

Dobson later asserted that his comments were taken out of context and that his original complaints were not with SpongeBob, the video, or any of the characters in the video but with the organization that sponsored the video, We Are Family Foundation. Dobson indicated that the We Are Family Foundation posted pro-homosexual material on their website, but later removed it.[207] 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".[208]

Jeffrey P. Dennis, author of the journal article "The Same Thing We Do Every Night: Signifying Same-Sex Desire in Television Cartoons," argued that SpongeBob and Sandy are not romantically in love, while adding that he believed that SpongeBob and Patrick "are paired with arguably erotic intensity."[209] Martin Goodman of Animation World Magazine described Dennis' comments regarding SpongeBob and Patrick as "interesting."[210] In August 2012, the Ukrainian National Expert Commission for Protecting Public Morality attempted to ban the show for "promoting homosexuality."[211][212][213] The Teletubbies, Family Guy,Pokémon, and The Simpsons are among the other programs accused of promoting the "destruction of the family".[214]

In April 2009, in a tie-in partnership with Burger King and Nickelodeon, Burger King released an advertisement featuring SpongeBob and Sir Mix-a-Lot singing "Baby Got Back".[215] The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood protested the ad for being a sexist and inappropriately sexual, especially considering that SpongeBob's fan base includes pre-schoolers.[216][217][218] In an official statement released by Burger King, they claimed that "this campaign is aimed at parents."[219]

The children who watched the cartoon were operating at half the capacity compared to other children.

— Angeline S. Lillard, University of Virginia[220]

In a 2011 study conducted at the University of Virginia that was published in the journal Pediatrics, it suggested that allowing preschool audiences to watch the series caused short term disruptions in mental function and attention span due to frequent shot changes.[221][222] A Nickelodeon executive responded in an interview that the show 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."[223][224]

Criticism of declining quality

While 2004 film adaptation of the series, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, was generally well received by fans of the show, it is also considered a turning point in the show's history, as many of said fans believe the television series has declined in quality since the film's release.[112] While episodes aired before the film were praised for their "uncanny brilliance",[225] ones aired after the film have been variously categorized as "kid-pandering attention-waster[s]",[226] "tedious",[227] "boring" and "dreck",[228] a "depressing plateau of mediocrity",[229] and "laugh-skimpy."[230] Following the film's release, fans also "began to turn away from the show," causing online fansites to "bec[ome] deserted."[112] Some believe the show's ratings decline as of 2012 correlates with the alleged decline in quality, and "whatever fan support [the show] enjoys is not enough" to save it from its ratings slide.[112]

In 2008, the episode "WhoBob WhatPants?" received mixed to negative reviews and it was cited by most critics as an example of the series decline. Maxie Zeus of Toon Zone said "it's a disappointment to watch as the show becomes something it once wasn't: Just another kid-pandering attention-waster.".[231] Roy Hrab of DVD Verdict said "it makes me sad to think about how something so pleasurable has declined into something so tedious."[232] Paul Mavis of DVD Talk said "With a laugh-skimpy script, 'What Ever Happened to SpongeBob?' may be confirming a trend I noticed back with the last original SpongeBob toon to get its own disc release, Pest of the West: SpongeBob shorts are starting to get tired. And 'What Ever Happened to SpongeBob?' is even less funny than 'Pest of the West'."[230] He added "Not a good sign."[230]

Legacy

Since 2004, IGN made SpongeBob SquarePants 15th in its top 100 animated series of all time list.[233] The show is among the "All-TIME 100 TV Shows" as chosen by television critic James Poniewozik. 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."[234] In a 2013 list, 2013, IGN ranked SpongeBob SquarePants twelfth in its list of "The Top 25 Animated Series for Adults".[235] On September 24, 2013, TV Guide ranked SpongeBob SquarePants the eighth "Greatest TV Cartoon of All Time".[236]

The title character SpongeBob SquarePants has become popular with both children and adults. At the Egyptian Revolution of 2011 at the Tahrir Square (pictured), the character became a fashion trend, and led to the creation of the Tumblr project called "SpongeBob on the Nile".

Throughout the run of SpongeBob SquarePants, its title character has become popular with both children and adults. In June 2010, Entertainment Weekly named him one of the "100 Greatest Characters of the Last 20 Years".[237] TV Guide listed SpongeBob SquarePants at No. 9 for its "50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All Time".[238] However, not all critical reception for the character has been positive. AskMen's "Top 10: Irritating '90s Cartoon Characters" ranked SpongeBob at 4 saying that his well-meaning attitude is extremely annoying.[239] In July 2009, the Madame Tussauds wax museum in New York launched a wax sculpture of SpongeBob in celebration of the series' tenth anniversary.[240][241] SpongeBob is the first fictional character to be featured in Tussauds.[242][243] In May 2011, a new species of mushroom, Spongiforma squarepantsii, was described. The mushroom was named after the series' title character.[244] The character has also became a trend in Egypt at Cairo's Tahrir Square.[245] After the Egyptian Revolution of 2011, SpongeBob became a fashion phenomenon, appearing on various merchandises from hijabs to boxer shorts.[246][247] The phenomenon led to the creation of the Tumblr 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.[248] Sherief Elkeshta cited the phenomenon in an essay about the incoherent state of politics in Egypt in an independent monthly paper called Midan Masr. He wrote, "Why isn't he [SpongeBob] at least holding a Molotov cocktail? Or raising a fist?"[249] The phenomenon has even spread to Libya, where a Libyan rebel in SpongeBob dress was photographed celebrating the revolution.[250]

In an interview with Barack Obama in 2007, he named SpongeBob as his favorite character. He added SpongeBob SquarePants was "the show I watch with my daughters."[251][252][253] British Prime Minister Gordon Brown have also said he watch the show with his children.[27] In 2008, A Bathing Ape released a SpongeBob-themed shoes.[254][255] Pharrell Williams backed a line of SpongeBob t-shirts and shoes targeted at hip adults.[242][256]

In 2013, a clip, featuring soldiers in Russia marched as they sing the SpongeBob theme, was posted on YouTube.[257] According to English Russia, "One of the most popular marching songs in Russian army is SpongeBob SquarePants theme."[257][258] The video of the soldiers singing the theme was posted online on February 14, 2013.[257] The video garnered 50,000 hits in the first week.[259]

Other media

Amusement rides

Main articles: SpongeBob SquarePants 4-D and SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge
SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge ride at the Mall of America.

SpongeBob SquarePants 4-D opened in various locations. These include Six Flags Over Texas, Flamingo Land, and the Shedd Aquarium.[260] The ride features water squirts, real bubbles, and other sensory enhancements.

In 2012, Nickelodeon teamed up again with SimEx-Iwerks Entertainment and Super 78 to produce SpongeBob SquarePants 4-D: The Great Jelly Rescue.[261] The attraction opened in early 2013 at the Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration.[262] The attraction was also released at the Nickelodeon Suites Resort Orlando in Orlando, Florida.[263][264][265] It is a 7-minute film that follows SpongeBob, Patrick and Sandy to their old hijinks while rescuing the jellyfish of Jellyfish Fields from Plankton's evil clutches.[262]

SpongeBob appears at the Mall of America's Nickelodeon theme park re-branded from the Mall of America's Park at MOA, formerly Camp Snoopy, to Nickelodeon Universe in the Minneapolis-St. Paul suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota. The new theme park features a SpongeBob-themed Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter custom roller coaster, the SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge, which has replaced the Mystery Mine Ride and Olde Time Photo store on the west end of the theme park. The theme park opened March 15, 2008.

Films

Main articles: The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie and SpongeBob SquarePants 2

Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies produced The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, an animated film adaptation of the series that was released on November 14, 2004. The film was directed by series creator Stephen Hillenburg, and was written by long-time series writers comprising Hillenburg, Derek Drymon, Tim Hill, Kent Osborne, Aaron Springer, and Paul Tibbitt. Hillenburg and Julia Pistor produced the film, while the film score was composed by Gregor Narholz. The film is about Plankton's evil plan to steal King Neptune's crown and send it to Shell City, where SpongeBob and Patrick must retrieve it and save Mr. Krabs' life from Neptune's raft and their home, Bikini Bottom, from Plankton's plan. The film also features the guest appearances of Jeffrey Tambor as King Neptune, Scarlett Johansson as the King's daughter Mindy, Alec Baldwin as Dennis, and David Hasselhoff as himself.[266] It received a largely positive critical reception and grossed over $140 million worldwide.[267]

A sequel to the 2004 film is currently in development and is expected to be released in theaters on February 13, 2015.[7][268] The series' main cast members are set to reprise their roles,[269] and will be traditionally animated as the series and its predecessor was.[270][271] It would have a budget similar to the previous film and wouldn't cost more than $100 million to produce.[272][273][274]

SpongeBob SquareShorts

In 2013, Nickelodeon launched the first global SpongeBob SquarePants-themed short film competition, SpongeBob SquareShorts: Original Fan Tributes.[275][276] The contest encourages its 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 in Hollywood. The contest opened on May 6 and ran through June 28, 2013.[277][278]

On July 19, 2013, Nickelodeon announced the finalists for the competition.[279][280][281]

Merchandise

Further information: List of SpongeBob SquarePants merchandise

The popularity of SpongeBob SquarePants made it to appear from different t-shirts to posters.[43] It was reported that the franchise generated an estimated $8 billion merchandising revenue for Nickelodeon.[108] It is also the most distributed property of MTV Networks.[282] SpongeBob is viewed in 170 countries speaking 24 languages, and has also become "a killer merchandising app."[283] The title character and his friends has been used as a theme for special editions of well-known family board games, including Monopoly,[284] Life,[285] and Operation[286] board game as well as a SpongeBob SquarePants edition of Ants in the Pants,[287] and Yahtzee.[288]

In 2001, SpongeBob SquarePants signed a marketing deal with Target Corporation and Burger King, expanding its merchandising.[289] Furthermore, the popularity of SpongeBob translated well into sales figures. In 2002, SpongeBob SquarePants dolls sold at a rate of 75,000 per week, which was faster than Tickle Me Elmo dolls were selling at the time.[290] SpongeBob has gained popularity in Japan, specifically with Japanese women. Nickelodeon's parent company Viacom purposefully targeted marketing at women in the country as a method of the SpongeBob SquarePants brand. Skeptics initially doubted that SpongeBob could be popular in Japan as the character's design is very different to already popular designs for Hello Kitty and Pikachu.[291] Ratings and merchandise sales showed SpongeBob SquarePants had caught on with parents and with the college audience.[292] In a recent promotion with college-oriented website Music.com, it gave away 80,000 SpongeBob T-shirts, four times more than during a similar promotion for Comedy Central's South Park.[292]

Kids' meal tie-ins have been released in snacks and fast food restaurants in many different parts of the world, including Burger King in Europe and North America, as well as Wendy's in North America, and Hungry Jack's in Australia. A McDonald's Happy Meal tie-in with SpongeBob-themed Happy Meal boxes and toys was released in Europe and other international markets in the summer of 2007.[293] In Australia, the advertisement for the McDonald's SpongeBob Happy Meal won the Pester Power Award for the fact that the ads are enticing young children to want its food because of the free toy.[294] As a tie-in beverage for the DVD release of The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, 7-Eleven released the limited edition "Under-the-Sea Pineapple Slurpee" in March 2004.[295] Pirate's Booty released a limited edition SpongeBob SquarePants Pirate's Booty snacks in 2013.[296][297]

In 2007, high-end SpongeBob-themed electronics have been introduced by Imation Electronics Products under the Npower brand, such as MP3 players, digital cameras, a DVD player, and a flatscreen television.[298] Pictures of SpongeBob SquarePants also started to appear on the labels of 8 oz. cans of Green Giant cut green beans and frozen packages of Green Giant green beans and butter sauce which featured free stickers in 2007 as part of an initiative to get kids to eat their vegetables.[299] The Simmons Jewelry Co. released a $75,000 diamond pendant as part of a SpongeBob collection.[242][300]

In the United Kingdom, Titan Magazines publishes comics based on SpongeBob SquarePants every four weeks. It was first published on February 3, 2005.[301] Titan Magazines teamed-up with Lego to release a limited edition SpongeBob themed comics.[302] In New Zealand, the UK-based Beechdean Group unveiled the SpongeBob SquarePants Vanilla Ice Cream character product as part of a licence deal with Nickelodeon.[303] NZ Drinks also launched the SpongeBob SquarePants bottled water.[304]

Build-A-Bear Workshop introduced the new SpongeBob SqaurePants collection in stores and online in North America on May 17, 2013.[305][306][307] 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.[308] Build-A-Bear Workshop stores nationwide celebrated the arrival of SpongeBob with a series of special events from May 17 through May 19.[309]

On July 13, 2013, Toyota, with Nickelodeon, unveiled a SpongeBob-inspired Toyota Highlander.[310] The 2014 Toyota Highlander as launched at the SpongeBob Day at San Diego's Giants v. Padres game.[311][312][313] The SpongeBob Toyota Highlander visited seven U.S. locations during its release, including the Nickelodeon Suites Resort Orlando in Florida.[314]

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