SpongeBob SquarePants

SpongeBob SquarePants
File:SpongeBob SquarePants.png Clockwise from top left: Sandy Cheeks, SpongeBob SquarePants, Patrick Star, Mr. Krabs (Eugene H. Krabs), Squidward Tentacles, and Plankton (Sheldon J. Plankton)
Created by	Stephen Hillenburg
Starring	Tom Kenny Bill Fagerbakke Rodger Bumpass Carolyn Lawrence Clancy Brown Lori Alan Mary Jo Catlett Doug Lawrence Dee Bradley Baker Sirena Irwin Jill Talley
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	6
No. of episodes	104½ (list of episodes)
Production
Running time	Typically about 11 minutes per cartoon (occasionally longer or shorter)
Original release
Network	Nickelodeon
Release	May 1, 1999 – present

Template:Infobox TV ratings SpongeBob SquarePants is an animated series written, produced, animated, directed, and voiced by a group of giant penises. It is one of Nickelodeon's Nicktoons and is currently the most watched show on the channel. In 2007, it was named by TIME as one of the greatest television shows of all time. Although its original network is Nickelodeon, SpongeBob is now broadcast across the world. It was created by artist, animator, and former marine biologist, Stephen Hillenburg, and is produced through his production company, United Plankton Pictures, Inc.

The series is set in the Pacific Ocean, in the fictional city of Bikini Bottom and on the surrounding lagoon floor. The pilot episode first aired in the United States on Nickelodeon after the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards on May 1 1999. The "official" series premiere followed on July 17 1999 with the second episode, "Bubblestand/Ripped Pants."

Setting

SpongeBob SquarePants is a sea sponge who lives in a pineapple under the sea, while his squid neighbor, Squidward Tentacles, lives in a moai. SpongeBob's other neighbor and best friend is a pink starfish named Patrick Star, who lives under a rock. SpongeBob and Patrick live on either side of Squidward Tentacles, much to Squidward's despair. Squidward is constantly annoyed by SpongeBob and Patrick's antics.

SpongeBob and his friends live in the underwater city of Bikini Bottom. Bikini Bottom is like a regular city with a downtown, suburbs, coastal areas, its own airport, bus system, and fair park. Stephen Hillenburg said once that Bikini Bottom was loosely based on Seattle, Washington. A good example of this statement is in the episode "Pre-Hibernation Week". Sandy and SpongeBob were fighting on a tall structure called the Sea Needle, referring to the Space Needle, a tall structure in Seattle. Hillenburg has said that he wants to leave the location of Bikini Bottom to the imagination, claiming that the Baywatch scene was just a reference to his favorite show of all time.

SpongeBob's house-pet is a snail named Gary, whose "meow" is similar to a cat. Although Gary only speaks in a few episodes, the characters have shown an ability to understand him. In addition to this, underwater worms bark exactly like dogs, and are kept on chains. Jellyfish are the equivalent of bees; buzzing, stinging with poison (although it appears as an electric shock), and producing delicious "jelly", mocking the name "jellyfish", while still referring to a bee's honey. Fish act as the citizens of the community but, as a rule, are not important characters.

SpongeBob, who is absorbent, yellow, and porous (according to the title song), works as a fry cook at the Krusty Krab, a fast-food restaurant, with Squidward as the cashier. The Krusty Krab is owned by Eugene H. Krabs (Mr. Krabs). Sheldon J. Plankton (commonly referred to as "Plankton") is Mr. Krabs's arch enemy who owns a low-rank fast-food restaurant called the Chum Bucket across the street from the Krusty Krab. The Chum Bucket has almost never had a customer, and Plankton spends most of his time plotting to steal the recipe for Mr. Krabs's popular Krabby Patty burgers. Only in the movie does he succeed; the formula is never actually revealed to the audience. Plankton's computer wife, Karen, alternately helps him in his schemes or bickers with him.

Sandy Cheeks is another friend of SpongeBob. She is a squirrel that lives in an underwater dome in Bikini Bottom. She was sent there by her bosses, chimpanzees, according to the episode, "Chimps Ahoy". Sandy is from Texas, and speaks with a Texan accent. Sometimes she gets a little home-sick and sings a little song. When not inside her tree-dome, she wears an astronaut-like suit because she cannot breathe in water. Sandy, just like a normal squirrel, hibernates once a year, as seen in a few episodes such as "Pre-Hibernation Week" and "Survival of the Idiots". She likes SpongeBob as much as SpongeBob likes her.

Instead of cars, the residents of Bikini Bottom drive boats. SpongeBob is still in boating school after failing the driving test over seventy-two times. Once, during an episode set in a wilderness area, Patrick questions how a camp fire is possible on the lagoon bottom. As soon as the question is asked, the fire is immediately extinguished with a sizzle. A flurry of bubbles accompanies actions in many of the episodes to remind the viewer that the setting is underwater. Ironically, when there is a separate body of water underwater, such as a swimming pool or lagoon, a non-car boat must be used to cross it because both SpongeBob and Patrick cannot swim, they must be taught by Larry the Lobster. In the episode "Snowball Effect" (Episode 46 Season 3) it snows in Bikini Bottom. The show also frequently ignores its underwater setting when dealing with water in other uses; Bikini Bottom has functional baths, pools, and toilets.

Bikini Bottom

File:BikiniBottomTNL.JPG

Bikini Bottom

Bikini Bottom is a city that appears in the Nickelodeon animated television series, SpongeBob SquarePants. Located at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, it is where the series' main characters live, and where most of the episodes take place.

Bikini Bottom is similar to an average American city. The city consists of various businesses, including restaurants, stores, and manufacturers. The city has a stable economy, balanced education and health systems, a structured government, and a firm law enforcement system. There are even stadiums, amusement parks, and other recreational facilities.

Geography

Bikini Bottom's geography is shown as consisting of mountains, dense forests, lakes, lagoons, caves, grasslands, reefs, rivers, and barren desert wastelands.

Major geographic features have colorful names, including Goo Lagoon, Goo Lagoon Sea Caves, Sand Mountain, Flounder Hill, Guppy Mound, Kelp Forest, Kelp Swamp, Kelp Caves, Kelp Vines, Jellyfish Fields, Jellyfish Lake, Spork Mountain, The Brain Coral Fields, Make Out Reef, Mount Climb-Up-and-Fall-Off, Mount Kabloovious (volcano at the nearby town of Palm Bay), Rock Bottom (a separate city located at the bottom of a trench), Ancient Mariner Valley, Mermalair (a man-made underground cavern), and Atlantis

According to Nickelodeon:
(SpongeBob SquarePants)
"To get to Bikini Bottom...
Find the Pacific Ocean, and go UNDER it!
When you see Hawaii, make a hard left!
Keep goin'... you can't miss it!"

Rock Bottom

This is featured in only one episode of SpongeBob SquarePants ("Rock Bottom"). Rock Bottom resembles a part of the ocean depths, where the sun's light does not reach, and sea creatures are different from those on the surface. Here, it is dark and foreign to many of the people from Bikini Bottom. An example of this is how they talk, done by every other word, one sticks their tongue out and spits. In addition, the bathroom signs are different from ordinary ones, being a backwards question mark and one upside-down. The only way someone gets out of Rock Bottom is from a 90° cliff. It is also seen in the video games SpongeBob SquarePants: Employee of the Month, SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom and SpongeBob SquarePants: Revenge of the Flying Dutchman, as a primary stage.

Cityscape

The city is divided into various districts, including Downtown Bikini Bottom, Goo Lagoon, Sand Mountain, Jellyfish Fields, Kelp Forest, the Flying Dutchman's Graveyard, Residents' Row (SpongeBob's/Patrick's/Squidward's homes), Make Out Reef, Ancient Mariner Valley (the location of Neptune's Paradise.) and Palm Bay.

The city is divided by its main road, Conch Street, which runs from downtown and past the homes of SpongeBob, Squidward, and Patrick, through the Krusty Krab restaurant, the Chum Bucket and the Reef Theatre cinema. The road intersects with Barnacle Road and Coral Avenue. Anchor Way is not far off from Conch Street. Conch Street runs north-south as revealed in the SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom video game. Downtown Bikini Bottom is located in the northernmost point of the city, while SpongeBob, Squidward, and Patrick's House are on the southern part of the road. Goo Lagoon is located west of the road, while Jellyfish Fields is to the east. Other establishments are located more southerly, including Sandy's house, Shady Shoals retirement home, the Krusty Krab, the Chum Bucket, and the Movie Theater. The Kelp Forest is located more southerly.

The County Line is the boundary of Bikini Bottom and in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie video game, it is very close to downtown Bikini Bottom. This is very fitting, given that it serves as the northernmost district of Bikini Bottom, according to the SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom video game.

In every episode in which the skyline of Bikini Bottom is shown, features such as buildings, houses, and anchors can be seen. This is most likely Mr. Krabs's house. In earlier episodes of the series, a red flower arch can be seen, which now no longer appears in the skyline. The Sea Needle, which is the tallest point in Bikini Bottom, is oddly never seen in the skyline. The Sea Needle only appears in two episodes of SpongeBob, "Pre-Hibernation Week" and "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy IV." The Sea Needle also appears in the video game, Battle for Bikini Bottom where it is shown just outside of downtown Bikini Bottom. In some episodes, a lighthouse appears in the skyline, most likely Mrs. Puff's Boating School. Other episodes feature the Krusty Krab's marquee. A large clam-shaped structure, most likely a propeller from a ship, is seen in some episodes.

In the center of Bikini Bottom, the citizens work and live in large, gray buildings made of metal. There are some other forms of buildings, mostly aquatic-themed as seen above. Further out from the town citizens need to use whatever is available and easy to live in, such as Patrick's rock, SpongeBob hollowed-out pineapple, and the moai Squidward lives in.

Inhabitants

Population

The population of Bikini Bottom is uncertain. The creator of the show, Stephen Hillenburg, confirmed that Bikini Bottom is a large city. Before almost leaving the city, Sandy Cheeks sang a song describing it as "crowded and smoggy,". The Pretty Patties burger stand created by SpongeBob attracted 46,853 customers. Almost everyone from the city showed up, which may suggest a population of around 50,000, but as seen in the episode "Nautical Novice," Mrs. Puff said "millions of innocent lives", perhaps suggesting a population of around 2,000,000.

Demographics

Bikini Bottom's populace, like that of the rest of the series, consists of various anthropomorphic fish, whales, crabs, sponges, squid, starfish, anchovies, lobsters, sharks, and most other forms of sea life, including sea monsters. Some forms of sea life, like jellyfish, seahorses, snails, and worms aren't anthropomorphic, and are treated like pets or wild animals. For example, snails resemble cats, and worms resemble dogs (an example of this is SpongeBob's pet snail Gary, who meows, and one-time pet worm Rex, who barks). The first known land creature to live in Bikini Bottom was the Dark Knight, an ancestor of Sandy Cheeks, before the 12th century (Bikini Bottom was then known as Bikini Bottomshire). Sandy, a squirrel from Texas, is (along with Wormy the caterpillar other pets, and a small cricket that was featured in a recent episode) the only land creature seen living in modern Bikini Bottom.

History

The history of Bikini Bottom can be traced back to the Permian period (which looked more like the Tertiary period in the prehistoric Bikini Bottom. During a time-travel incident, Squidward Tentacles accidentally made his way to this era, and inadvertently invented the sport of jellyfishing. Years later, in a more advanced prehistoric time (possibly the Cretaceous era, since a pterodactyl was seen flying at the opening scene; however, the prehistoric Bikini Bottom looked more like the late Quarternary era), SpongeGar, Patar, and Squog (possible ancestors of SpongeBob, Patrick, and Squidward, respectively) discovered fire.

File:BikiniBottomshire.JPG

A scene from "Dunces and Dragons" (2006) that depicts Bikini Bottom in the Middle Ages, as a village known as Bikini Bottomshire

In the Medieval Era, Bikini Bottomshire was under the rule of King Krabs (ancestor of Eugene H. Krabs) and was under attack by the evil wizard, Planktonomor (ancestor of Sheldon J. Plankton). SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star were transported to this time after a jousting accident. They were expected to arrive in this era because of a prophecy. According to Princess Pearl, the prophecy was that they (SpongeBob and Patrick) were the ones to save the kingdom. Princess Pearl (daughter of King Krabs) was kidnapped by Planktonomor's fire-breathing jellyfish, and taken hostage at Planktonomore's tower. Fulfilling the prophecy, SpongeBob and Patrick saved Princess Pearl and defeated Planktonomor. Later, during a parade celebrating SpongeBob and Patrick's heroic deeds, King Krabs invented the Krabby Patty, which would be passed down through the Krabs family, the formula being kept secret. This, however, contradicts the Friend or Foe SpongeBob special, where it is shown that Krabs invented the formula by accident after knocking over some spices and condiments into the patty batter, but it is possible that at some point the recipe was forgotten, however in another episode, Mr. Krabs inadvertently reveals to Plankton that the Krabby Patty formula is an old Krabs family recipe.

Hundreds of years later, probably during the Renaissance or Victorian Age, a dispute rose between citizens of Bikini Bottom that would eventually split the town in half; one half of the citizens preferred to be clean and while the other half preferred to be messy and dirty. The dispute would lead to the Battle of Bikini Bottom (as stated in the episode of the same name). The outcome of the battle is unknown and the winner of the war was never determined (but that was Patrick's explanation, then one of the war reanactors said "that's not how it went").

Even later, somewhere around the 19th century in Old West, one of Plankton's ancestor, Dead-Eye Plankton, takes over Bikini Gulch and renames it Dead-Eye Gulch. A big western-style show down happens between Dead-Eye Plankton, and SpongeBob's Ancestor, SpongeBuck SquarePants.

On November 30, 1942, Eugene H. Krabs was born. In his childhood, he immediately became a financial genius as he is known today. In 1947, his father gave him a dollar, which he loved dearly. However, he spent it on a soda, which was upsetting to him. Soon, he went to Poseidon Elementary and met a friend, Sheldon J. Plankton. The two opened up a restaurant and, after accidentally knocking Old Man Jenkins out with their tainted patty, they had an argument and became bitter rivals. Not long after, the Korean War occurred, in which the events are unknown. After the war, Mr. Krabs fell into a deep depression, which seemed endless; however, a bankrupt retirement home, the Rusty Krab, gave him hope. Mr. Krabs decided to buy the building and rename it, marking the establishment of the Krusty Krab. The financial success of the Krusty Krab took off and became a premier eating facility in Bikini Bottom.

In the present time, Bikini Bottom has had various occurrences of destruction. In "Dying for Pie", a bomb pie fell on Squidward's face, causing a nuclear explosion (with Squidward dead center). In "Sandy, SpongeBob, and the Worm", an Alaskan Bull Worm struck Bikini Bottom, which made Sandy hunt it down. Bikini Bottom was moved away, but the worm crushed it. In "Wormy", while Sandy was out of town, SpongeBob and Patrick were given the duty of taking care of her pets, one of which was a caterpillar named Wormy. Wormy grew into a butterfly overnight, which caused SpongeBob and Patrick to freak out, thinking Wormy is dead. They then proceeded to cause a mass hysteria that lead to the city's destruction. Global warming also took effect in the short, "The Endless Summer." Then another atomic explosion happened when SpongeBob set his nuclear cleaning gun to maximum power in "The Krusty Plate".

Years later, Mr. Krabs opened a second restaurant, named the "Krusty Krab 2." Plankton initiated his evil Plan Z, and stole King Neptune's crown, thereby framing Mr. Krabs. He was frozen because of this; however, SpongeBob and Patrick set out toward Shell City to retrieve Neptune's crown, and then saved the day. These events are depicted in the Spongebob Squarepants film.

In the future, the jellyfish will migrate every year to a spot known as SpongeHenge in Jellyfish Fields where SpongeBob built five stone decoys that make the same sound he does when it is windy, but apparently the people of Bikini Bottom would soon forget who made them, and claim that they "do not know who built these or for what reason". This is potentially a rather intriguing reference, as these statues have a similar background to the infamous Easter Island statues (which appear in the show themselves, in the form of Squidward's house). Even further in the future, around the year 4017, everything will be made of chrome, and whatever isn't gets sprayed with chrome paint. Also, time travel will have been invented, and SpongeTron, distant relative of SpongeBob, will have 486 clones. Three of the clones have names SpongeTrons X, Y, and Z. There are two that also separate from the crowd. They go by Sunny and Cher, likely a reference to the musical stars.

Government

The underwater nation that Bikini Bottom resides in has three forms of government: monarchy, republic and totalitarianism (temporary). If each share their power equally, or have influence on one another, is unknown.

The mayor of Bikini Bottom is a flounder with a suit and a tall cylinder hat. He has thin mustache. He appears opening a new bridge and introducing the Great Snail Race.

The president of Bikini Bottom is unknown. Squidward once thought he was elected president of Bikini Bottom, until Spongebob told him he was the president of "The Good Neighbor Lodge".

The current king of the nation of Bikini Bottom is King Neptune XIV. The following is a list of kings and queens of the nation:

House of Krabs (c. 1150 – c. 1250)

• King Krabs – king before 13th century. He is the ancestor of Mr. Krabs.
• Princess Pearl – queen after King Krab's death.

House of Neptune (c. 1250 – c. 1800)

• King Neptune I
• King Neptune II
• King Neptune III
• King Neptune IV
• King Neptune V
• King Neptune VI
• King Neptune VII
• King Neptune VIII
• King Neptune IX
• King Neptune X
• King Neptune XI

House of King Ameoba (c. 1800 – c.1900)

• King Ameoba
• Queen Mildew

House of Neptune (c. 1900 – 2007)

(came back to power due to Princess Tulsa not becoming a queen)

• King Neptune XII
• King Neptune XIII
• King Neptune XIV
• Princess Neptunea

House of King Ameoba (2007 – c. 2020)

• King Patrick (Star)
• King Gary (the Snail)

House of Neptune (c. 2020 – current)

• King Neptune XV
• Princess Mindy (yet to come) (King Neptune XV's current daughter)

Entertainment and media

In Bikini Bottom contributes to the social interaction within the city. The Krusty Krab houses entertainment with shows such as The Annual Squidward Tentacles Talent Show (featuring the unpopular Squidward Live segment), The Komedy Krab,Who Dougie And SpongeBob Guested and Live Nude Pranksters, which featured an unclothed SpongeBob and Patrick. In addition, a popular band called Ned and the Needlefish started in Bikini Bottom.

Bikini Bottom has many forms of media. News, magazines, radio, and television contribute to Bikini Bottom's wide spread of news and entertainment.

• The city paper is called the Bikini Times. It features the regular news, as well as daily comics. One of the comics is called The Wisenheimers. There is another newspaper that is called the Bikini Bottom Inquirer, which is a parody of The National Inquirer.

• There are at least five radio stations in Bikini Bottom, which are called WH₂O hosted by Alba Corey, The Tuneful Tuna, KRUM (top 40 music), a non-existent station-KRUD invented by SpongeBob in one episode, KOLD (K-Old, your all-oldies station) as seen in "Mid-Life Crustacean" and K-BLUB.

There also appear to be boy bands and rock bands; the first being Boys Who Cry (a parody of The Cure's single "Boys Don't Cry") that Pearl enjoys, Stingray 5000 (possibly a parody of Powerman 5000) who had released a record entitled "You Rock My Clams" which Patrick happily found in the dumpster as seen in the episode "Missing Identity" and Ned and the Needlefish, who appear in "Wigstruck".

Venues and entertainment locations

• Glove World – A glove theme park located between Bikini Bottom and Rock Bottom
• Bubble Bowl – A stage with a domed glass ceiling, which rises into a human football stadium, a spoof of the Super Bowl.
• Goofy Goober's Ice Cream Party Boat – A party boat which includes a stage and serves ice cream.
• Weenie Hut Jr. – A restaurant staffed by a robot and primarily aimed at kids.
• Super Weenie Hut Jr. – An extreme version (more childish) of Weenie Hut Jr.
• Salty Spitoon – A tavern for "tough" people only.
• Tough Tavern – A bar similar to the Salty Spitoon.
• "Reef" Theater – A standard cinema with a snack bar.
• Goo Lagoon – A large mud puddle used by the inhabitants of Bikini Bottom as a swimming area. It has lifeguards on regular duty, as well as a pier, ice cream stand, and other attractions.
• Frycook Museum – A fast-food oriented museum which includes a menu section.
• Sea Needle – Bikini Bottom's equivalent of Seattle's Space Needle.
• Sand Mountain – A large sand mountain with a skiing resort.
• Bikini Bottom Mall – A four-story shopping mall shaped like a sunken ship.
• Bikini Bottom Library – A public library.
• Hook Museum – A museum specializing in fish hooks
• Bikini Bottom Historical Museum – A historical museum.
• Bikini Bottom Recreation Center – An ordinary recreation center about half a mile from the dump.
• Bikini Bottom Zoo – A zoo which includes the Oyster Stadium and a gift shop.
• Fast Food Colosseum – A stadium where the Fry Cook Games are held.
• Thug Tug – A tavern similar to the Salty Spitoon, but with a rule that states "All bubble-blowin' babies will be beaten senseless by every able-bodied patron in the bar."
• Bikini Bottom Conventional Hall – A hall where a Navy sailors' reunion was held.
• Medieval Moments – A jousting arena/restaurant surrounded by a moat, most likely a spoof of Midieval Times.
• The Krusty Krab – A fictional fast food restaurant where SpongeBob, Squidward, and Mr. Krabs work and serve Krabby Patty burgers.
• The Chum Bucket – The building where Plankton and his computer "W.I.F.E.", Karen, live.
• Jellyfish Fields – The fields where SpongeBob and Patrick play and catch jellyfish.
• Shady Shoals Retirement Home – A retirement home where the elderly fish in Bikini Bottom live.
• Mrs. Puff's Boating School – A driving school run by Mrs. Puff where fish (and other sea creatures) get their drivers' licenses.
• Neptune's Castle – The residence of King Neptune and his daughter Princess Mindy.
• The Dump – A landfill where the sea creatures' trash goes.
• Weenie Hut General – A hospital for weaklings.
• Adult Learning Centre – An institution in which adult fish attend classes such as cooking and art.
• Tentacle Acres – A real estate location especially for Squids, on which Squidward transfers temporarily.
• Fancy! – A fancy restaurant representing an old ship in a bottle.
• Barg'N-Mart – A supermarket.
• A Leech Farm
• Poseidome – The palace where the fight of King Neptune with SpongeBob was held.

Events

• Every year Bikini Bottom has the Fry Cook Games (a parody of the Olympic Games but with fast food). The Fry Cook Games are held at Bikini Bottom's Fast Food Coliseum. The first annual competition was held in 1981. Eugene H. Krabs and Sheldon J. Plankton went head to head against each other until the 21st Fry Cook Games in 2001. During the 1981 Fry Cook Games, Krabs won the gold medal in the Pickle Barrel-Dumbbell Lift while Plankton won in Onion Ring Gymnastics. But in 2001, the Krusty Krab was represented by SpongeBob SquarePants, and the Chum Bucket was represented by Patrick Star. In the 21st Fry Cook Games, there were 9 events (The deep fryer polevault, the chocolate high dive, bun toss, butter skating, giant ketchup bottle toss, hurdles, carrying platters, riding giant spatulas and samba dancing). The tie breaker was bun wrestling. The winner was never determined.

• The Great Snail Race is an annual race between snails at Oyster Stadium, which is located in the Bikini Bottom Zoo. At the pre-game ceremony, of the 102nd Running of the Snail, Lightning Larry Luciano (The winner of the first race) lights the Torch of Good Sportsmanship (although very slowly). After the torch is lit, the games begin. The first snail to make it across the finish line, wins. The result of the 102nd race ended with Rocky (won by default, owned by Patrick Star, actually a Pet Rock) in first place, Snellie (owned by Squidward Tentacles) in second place, and Gary (disqualified, owned by SpongeBob SquarePants) in last place, disqualified due to the coach running on to the race track. Patrick had the trophy engraved to Squidward Tortellini (mistaken for Squidward Tentacles, whose last name had also been mispelt as "Tennisballs" and "Tentpoles") because he had wanted to win very badly.

• The Anchor Toss Competition is a contest of strong ocean dwellers tossing a large anchor on a 510+ yard field. A referee goes and measures the distance between the tosser and the anchor, but is constantly hit by the anchor. SpongeBob SquarePants was once part of the contest (however no longer participates), along with Sandy Cheeks, Don the Whale, and Larry the Lobster.

• Bikini Bottom has a bi-annual Jellyfish Convention. It features state-of-the-art jellyfish nets, the harpoon from Jellyfish the Movie, Dr. Manowar, and the Jellyspotters. One is not allowed to touch anything on display, however Patrick promptly touches everything leading up to "Jeffrey the Jellyfish", a man in a jellyfish costume.

• National No SpongeBob Day seems to be held every year: for one day, the city's entire citizenry (save for SpongeBob) leaves Bikini Bottom for the sole purpose of escaping SpongeBob's relentlessly annoying antics. The day consists of building a giant SpongeBob monument, burning it to the ground and wildly dancing on the ashes with exaggerated glee.

Krusty Krab

File:Krusty Krab.jpg

The Krusty Krab.

The Krusty Krab, owned by Mr. Eugene H. Krabs, is the most popular restaurant in Bikini Bottom. It usually has two employees: SpongeBob SquarePants, the restaurant's fry cook, and Squidward Tentacles, the restaurant's cashier. Both employees have difficulties with working together: Squidward hates SpongeBob, and SpongeBob in turn exacerbates the situation by remaining completely naive toward Squidward's spiteful attitude. Originally there was a frycook called Jim who left on account of Mr. Krab's small salary. In one episode when Squidward and SpongeBob go on strike, they are temporarily replaced by three teenagers (though seemingly they looked more like children). The restaurant's menu consists of the usual fast-food products, with its specialty being Krabby Patties, similar to hamburgers in appearance. Plankton, the owner of the Krusty Krab's rival restaurant, The Chum Bucket, is always trying to find out the mystery ingredients for the Krabby patty formula.

Like many buildings in the show, the Krusty Krab does not have a specific floor plan. In most episodes, however, the restaurant includes the main dining room with doors leading to Mr. Krabs' office, a kitchen, and a restroom. The building's design is based on a New England lobster trap. In the front, the Krusty Krab has a parking area, even though cars are usually not seen in it. In the back of the Krusty Krab, a dumpster is seen in most episodes. The Krusty Krab is open most days from 8:00 am until 8:00 pm, and is closed on Sunday.

The food served at the Krusty Krab consists of its specialty, the world-famous Krabby Patty burgers, as well as a host of other meals off the Galley Grub, with food ranging from Kelp Fries to Coral Bits to Dr Kelp (derived from the Dr Pepper soft drink) and more, including Silly Meals. This is enough evidence that the menu is similar to that of Checkers Drive-In, McDonald's, Burger King or its Australian counterpart, Hungry Jack's. They have also sold Krusty Krab pizzas in "Pizza Delivery."

Characters

Main article: List of SpongeBob SquarePants characters

• SpongeBob SquarePants — A very friendly and optomistic Sea Sponge that loves krabby patties, jellyfishing, karate, and blowing bubbles. He works at the Krusty Krab as the fry cook.
• Patrick Star — SpongeBob's best friend; a dimwitted, pink starfish.
• Squidward Tentacles — SpongeBob and Patrick's cranky next door neighbor and co-worker at the Krusty Krab, where he is the cashier. He seems to hate SpongeBob and Patrick, and openly displays it towards them. He has always wanted hair since he went bald (seen in the episode, "The Original Fry Cook". He also believes he is an amazing artist and clarinet player, but is quite the opposite in reality. Just like Prowl (Transformers) in Transformers: Animated, his jokes are usually make at other people's expense, especially Spongebob and Patrick. Another best friend of SpongeBob.
• Sandy Cheeks — A clever squirrel scientist from Texas who has to wear an air helmet and space suit to work underwater. Another best friend of SpongeBob.
• Eugene H. Krabs — A crab that is in charge of the Krusty Krab restaurant, where SpongeBob works. He loves money and is selfish and greedy, even to his daughter.
• Pearl Krabs — Mr. Krabs's teenage daughter. She is a whale who acts like a stereotypical American teenage girl. She acts like a spoiled girl and her father is seen to both pamper and deprive her throughout the series.
• Gary the Snail — SpongeBob's pet, his only sound is a "meow", similar to a cat. In fact, he is considered to be a sea cat, like a worm is considered a sea dog.
• Sheldon J. Plankton - A small plankton who is Mr. Krabs arch rival. He intends on getting the secret Krabby Patty formula and putting the Krusty Krab out of business. Also, his wife Karen and his "cousins" consider his first name hilarious as shown in one episode.
• Mrs. Puff — A pufferfish that is SpongeBob's boating teacher. Mrs. Puff dislikes SpongeBob and is eager to get him out of her class. She usually gets in jail after one of SpongeBob's foolish acts. A widow, her husband was captured and turned into a pufferfish lamp.
• Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy — Old, retired and foolish superheroes who are adored by SpongeBob, Patrick, and people from the "Mermaid Man & Barnacle Boy" Fan Club.
• Larry the Lobster — Buff, good-looking and fit lobster, usually found at Goo Lagoon, Bikini Bottom's local beach. Larry is one of Sandy's main friends, and is usually friendly with Spongebob and Patrick. He is cocky, but generally good-natured.
• Perch Perkins - The Bikini Bottom TV Reporter.
• Karen - Plankton's computer wife
• Patchy the Pirate is a non-animated pirate played by Tom Kenny, the voice of SpongeBob. He hosts all of the 30-minute SpongeBob specials, such as House Party and The Lost Episode. Fan reception is polarized between love and hate of the character. Not to be confused with Painty the Pirate who sings the theme tune to each episode.
• Recurring characters - Spongebob's parents, Old man Jenkins, Mr. Krab's mom, and squidward's enemy.

Popularity

SpongeBob SquarePants is the only cartoon to consistently make the Top 10 list in the Nielsen ratings, and is the first "low budget" Nickelodeon cartoon, according to the network, to become extremely popular. Low-budget cartoons had not garnered as much esteem as higher-rated (and higher-budgeted) shows, such as Rugrats, although when SpongeBob SquarePants aired in 1999, it had gained a significant enough number of viewers in the ratings to be considered popular, eventually becoming more popular than Rugrats had ever been. SpongeBob follows other Nickelodeon shows that have attracted "older" followers: The Ren & Stimpy Show, Rocko's Modern Life, the Kablam! skits, Action League Now! and The Angry Beavers. Other shows have followed in this trend as well: Invader Zim and The Fairly OddParents won a similar fan base when they aired in 2001, and the latter is now second only to SpongeBob in popularity, while the former was cancelled despite gaining a cult following. The show debuted in 1999, and during that time, DragonBall Z and Pokémon were still the biggest crazes. SpongeBob did not gain its popularity until around 2000, and it has remained popular since then. It has achieved the "Great" rating on tv.com, with a 8.7 rating, the third best rating in Nickelodeon, the first being Avatar: The Last Airbender with a rating of 9.3 and the second being The Fairly OddParents with a rating of 8.8.

Broad appeal

SpongeBob is one in a long line of cartoons that is designed to appeal to adults as well as children. This has a lot to do with the absurd way underwater life and situations are represented, and with the situations, references, and words used, which younger viewers might not understand. Certain innuendos also are intended to go over younger viewers' heads. For example, SpongeBob tried to show his grandma that he was a mature adult by wearing sideburns and a derby, and listening to 'free form jazz' or when Squidward tricked SpongeBob and Patrick into thinking he was a ghost, a coral reef sculpted like Toulouse-Lautrec's can-can girls stands in the background (leading to a pun by Squidward), are jokes most children would not understand. Numerous marine biology in-jokes are woven into the show. There are also often complex ironic scenarios that need close attention.

While many newer cartoons revolve around pre-adolescents with strange lives and feature many pop-culture references (e.g. The Fairly OddParents), SpongeBob chooses to go for a formula that was used in highly successful older Nick cartoons such as Ren and Stimpy and Rocko's Modern Life, with non-human young adults in crazy, unrealistic situations, with minimal pop culture references.

Part of the show's appeal has to do with the childlike nature of SpongeBob and his best friend, Patrick Star, both of whom are adults but display an innocence typical of human children. However, the characters are not immune from more adult avocations, including rock musicianship in a stadium performance, reminiscent of a hard rock concert, or Patrick turning to SpongeBob after they had nurtured a baby scallop, holding his arms out saying "Lets have another".

Unlike the Nickelodeon network, SpongeBob features well-known independent musicians who contribute to its soundtrack. Alternative rock bands such as Wilco, The Shins, The Flaming Lips and Ween (who have contributed two original songs to the show and their 1997 song "Ocean Man" to the movie soundtrack), as well as metal bands Pantera, Motörhead and Twisted Sister have made appearances on the show and movies soundtracks, and heavy metal group Metallica even released a T-shirt featuring cartoon versions of themselves playing live with the characters SpongeBob and Patrick. British rock singer David Bowie was a special guest on the SpongeBob SquarePants episode Atlantis SquarePantis, which aired on November 12, 2007. The episode drew total 8.8 million viewers, the biggest audience in the show's eight-year history.

The TV movie Atlantis SquarePantis referenced numerous other movies or stories. David Bowie's character Lord Royal Highness (with his upper class accent) and the locals looked remarkably like the Blue Meanies (Yellow Submarine) - quite fitting for an underwater adventure. When the characters arrived at his habitat, he fell down as he proceeded down the red carpet (as Willy Wonka did in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, before leading them on a tour. A case can also be made for the yellow road used in the tour and a reference to The Wizard of Oz - along with the movie being a musical.

The show became so popular with adolescents and adults that the series was broadcast on MTV and featured on Spike TV. A quote by Patrick ("It's gonna rock!" from the episode Mid-Life Crustacean) has been used as a promotional tag-line 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, in a parody of his role from the Baywatch TV series.

Merchandising and marketing

Main article: List of SpongeBob SquarePants merchandise

Merchandise based on the show ranges from Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, Go-Gurt, Kellogg's cereal, and video games to boxer shorts, flip-flops, pajamas, t-shirts, slippers and radios.

The show also spawned a large and popular merchandise line at Hot Topic, Claire's, Waldenbooks, Borders Books, Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, RadioShack, Target, KB Toys, Big Lots, Wal-Mart, Shopko, Meijer, Kmart, Sears, JCPenney, Kohl's, Lowe's, T.J. Maxx, Toys "R" Us and Ames stores in the United States as well as the Zellers, Wal-Mart Canada and Toys "R" Us stores in Canada, and a limited selection of merchandise in Australia at Kmart Australia and Target Australia.

There have been kids meal tie-ins at Wendy's for SpongeBob's House Party Special in 2002 and at Burger King restaurants in 2001, 2003, and for the movie in 2004. In 2006, another kids meal tie-in for Burger King was introduced for the Lost in Time special, and in 2007 for the "Friend or Foe" special featuring containers for BK Chicken Fries designed to look like SpongeBob. In November 2007, a Burger King Kids Meal was released to tie-in with the new episode Atlantis SquarePantis. The most recent tie-in kids meal for Burger King features Pest of the West toys.

A McDonald's Happy Meal tie-in with SpongeBob-themed Happy Meal boxes and toys has not been released in North America yet, but will be in 2008 and has already been released in Europe in the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and also in Australia in early 2007 at about the same time a Catscratch Happy Meal was released in the United States and Canada. 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.

In Japan, they had a kids meal tie-in with KFC which featured different toys based on the TV series.

SpongeBob was also featured on VH1's I Love the 90s: Part Deux: I Love 1999: Part Deux as part of a commentary by Michael Ian Black and "Weird Al" Yankovic among other celebrities.

A tie-in beverage for the SpongeBob SquarePants Movie in 2004 at 7-Eleven convenience stores has been created, a pineapple-flavored Slurpee, which has already been discontinued as of 2005.

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 featuring Jimmie Johnson's #48 Lowe's stock car and Kyle Busch's #5 stock car painted for the race with the SpongeBob Movie paint schemes. There were contests tied in with the movie where fans could win SpongeBob-related items or a trip to the Cayman Islands.

File:Db 2008 SpongeBob61.jpg

The SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge roller coaster inside Nickelodeon Universe Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, United States.

The motion simulator/interactive movie ride "Escape from Dino-Island 3D" at Six Flags Over Texas was turned into "SpongeBob SquarePants 4-D", with water squirts, real bubbles, and other sensory enhancements. The SpongeBob SquarePants 4-D ride opened at the Noah's Ark Dive-In Theater located at Noah's Ark Waterpark in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin in the summer of 2007. LEGO received license to produce SpongeBob SquarePants building sets, which are available in stores now. SpongeBob appears at the Mall of America's new 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 next to the Dora the Explorer ferris wheel and across from the Pepsi Orange Streak. The theme park opened March 15, 2008. The SpongeBob Rock Bottom plunge features a statue of SpongeBob and Patrick riding a bus down a 90° angle holding a giant rubber glove.

In 2007, some new 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.

Other items featuring SpongeBob include a special edition Monopoly board game, Life and Operation board game as well as a SpongeBob SquarePants edition of Ants in the Pants and Yahtzee. SEGA Corporation introduced a ticket redemption game based on the show that has become popular with most video arcades.

The SpongeBob SquarePants market saturation has become something of a joke. In the comic strip "Sherman's Lagoon", Hawthorne the crab is showing off a small nuclear (Junior) reactor, and Herman the shark says "Boy, that SpongeBob will endorse anything!"

When the complete first season of SpongeBob SquarePants was released in the United Kingdom, it included some heavy editing (though not to the cartoons themselves). The audio commentaries were cut out, and only two extras were left in, possibly to avoid a 12 rating. A similar approach was taken with the second season; it included no audio commentaries and only one extra, Around the World with SpongeBob SquarePants.

History

Development (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 Rocko's Modern Life was canceled in 1996, Hillenburg began working on SpongeBob (although sketches trace back to 1987). 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 did many SpongeBob crew members, including writer-directors Sherm Cohen and Dan Povenmire, writer Tim Hill, voice actors Tom Kenny and Doug Lawrence (aka "Mr. Lawrence"), actor-writer Martin Olson and animation director Alan Smart. Another crew member with previous Nickelodeon cartoon experience 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.

During production of the show, Bobson 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 Ks were funnier and it would fit his Ukrainian heritage.

Rise In Popularity (1999 - 2000)

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 the most popular show on Nickelodeon 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. Following early struggles, its ratings soared, and a year after release, it surpassed Rugrats as Nickelodeon's highest rated show. SpongeBob's signature voice (provided by Tom Kenny) and humorous style was enjoyable to both younger and older audiences.

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 young children (Though also containing a moderate amount of preteens). SpongeBob, however, was the leader of all these shows and had by this time started its now famous merchandise line.

The first part of 2002 saw SpongeBob at its peak. The beginning of the third season produced many of classic episodes and focused on the same style and animation concepts as the second season.

Unfortunately, things changed late in the year. Due to rumors of a movie, there was high speculation that the show would be canceled and that 2002 would feature the last season of new episodes. Fans were devastated and online petitions were widely distributed to convince Nickelodeon to produce more episodes by showing continuing fan support. "SpongeBob Meets The Strangler/Pranks A Lot" was the last episode of this season, and aired in October 2004. It was also released on DVD at the end of 2003. Following this, the movie was released in November 2004.

Hiatus and movie era (2003 – 2005)

A hiatus from 2003 to 2005 challenged viewer loyalty. This was before the program's lowest ratings with Survival of the Idiots on March 5, 2001 aired, causing speculation that the show might even be cancelled after the movie's release.

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie earned over $85,000,000 in revenue in the United States, considered to be under-expectations. It was announced late in 2004 that SpongeBob would be continuing with a new season due in 2005. Hillenburg, despite the rumors, did not actually leave the show but has resigned from his position as the show's executive producer (this job now belongs to Derek Drymon, with Paul Tibbitt taking over Drymon's job as creative director.

Comeback (2005 – Present)

TV advertisements for SpongeBob's fourth season first aired publicly during the 2005 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. The new episodes began airing on May 6, 2005. The first new episode of Season 4 was "Fear of a Krabby Patty"/"Shell of a Man". After airing three new episodes on Fridays from May 6 – May 20, Nickelodeon showed no new episodes until September 2005.

For the first time in the series' run, Nickelodeon began airing 11-minute segments of new episodes separately, spread over two weeks. This practice began with the airing of the episode "Selling Out" on September 23; its companion episode, "Funny Pants," premiered the following week.

The Star Online eCentral reported in December 2005 that Nickelodeon had ordered 20 more episodes, bringing the show’s total to 100.

In December 2006, SpongeBob SquarePants was approved for a sixth season, which consisted of thirteen episodes, unlike the usual twenty.

Nickelodeon aired the special "Have You Seen This Snail?" in November 2005. However, it was not until February 2006 that new episodes resumed, starting with "Dunces and Dragons" and continuing until June 2 2006. Further new episodes appeared during September 2006 ("New Leaf" and "Once Bitten"), October ("Wigstruck"), and November ("The Best Day Ever" — drawing 6.7 million viewers — the Best Day Ever was a 25-hour 100-episode SpongeBob TV event ending with the SpongeBob SquarePants Movie although the Nickelodeon narrator made a goof about the marathon being 24 hours instead of the actual 25 hours. Fans voted for Karate Island as the most popular SpongeBob episode.

The new episodes in 2007 started airing on January 15, showing three new episodes back to back on February 19, 2007, officially beginning the airing of the fifth season which featured more potty humor than previously shown. On July 23, 2007 Nickelodeon aired a special event, called the "SpongeBob New-New-New-New-New Week" in which from Monday to Friday, a new episode of season five (except for Squid Wood, from season four) would air. This continued until the end of the second week.

On November 12, 2007 SpongeBob's first TV movie, "Atlantis SquarePantis" premiered, after a SpongeBob marathon. A behind the scenes feature aired after the movie. Also, on November 23, 2007, there was another SpongeBob marathon including a rerun of Atlantis SquarePantis and four new episodes as part of a Nickelodeon Thanksgiving event. The event also named the "Sweet Victory" scene in "Band Geeks" as the greatest moment in Nicktoons history. Season Six officially premiered with five new 11-minute episodes airing in a marathon from March 3 to March 7, 2008. There is still an episode from the fifth production season which has yet to air.

On March 13, 2008, it was announced that SpongeBob SquarePants will have an additional thirty-nine episodes, which includes the remaining episodes of season six, and a season seven.

In April 2008, another SpongeBob special, "Pest of the West," aired after a marathon of SpongeBob episodes, chosen by voters in the previous weeks. Burger King had a special line of Kids Meal toys for the event, and it was released to DVD shortly thereafter.

From June 2 to June 6, 2008, Nickelodeon aired a SpongeBob SquarePants marathon entitled SpongeBob Premiere Factor 5 (SPF5), in which a new 11 minute segment would be shown each day.

Cast

• Tom Kenny: SpongeBob SquarePants, Gary the Snail, Narrator, Patchy the Pirate, Mr. SquarePants, miscellaneous characters
• Bill Fagerbakke: Patrick Star
• Rodger Bumpass: Squidward Tentacles, Dr. Gill Gilliam
• Carolyn Lawrence: Sandy Cheeks
• Clancy Brown: Eugene Krabs
• Dee Bradley Baker: Squilliam Fancyson, miscellaneous characters
• Mr. Lawrence: Sheldon J. Plankton, Larry Lobster, miscellaneous characters
• Lori Alan: Pearl Krabs
• Mary Jo Catlett: Mrs. Poppy Puff
• Sirena Irwin: miscellaneous characters
• Lauren Tom: miscellaneous characters
• Stephen Hillenburg: Potty the Parrot
• Brian Doyle-Murray: The Flying Dutchman
• Jill Talley: Karen (Plankton's computer wife)
• Paul Tibbitt: Mama Krabs ("Sailor Mouth", "Mid-Life Crustacean") Potty the Parrot
• Thomas F. Wilson: miscellaneous characters
• Carlos Alazraqui: miscellaneous characters
• Clea Lewis: miscellaneous characters
• Sara Paxton: miscellaneous characters
• Ollie Young: miscellaneous characters
• Frank Welker: animal vocal effects, talking Gorilla ("I Had an Accident")

Guest appearances

• Ernest Borgnine: Mermaid Man
• Tim Conway: Barnacle Boy
• Charles Nelson Reilly: Dirty Bubble ("Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy II")
• John Rhys-Davies: Man Ray
• Jim Jarmusch: self ("Hooky")
• John Lurie: self ("Hooky")
• John Di Maggio: Black Jack ("BlackJack")
• John O'Hurley: King Neptune ("Neptune's Spatula")
• Kevin Michael Richardson: King Neptune (voice in "Party Pooper Pants")
• Billy West: King Neptune (voice in "Sponge Bob VS The Patty Gadget")
• Amy Poehler: Grandma
• Pat Morita: Master Udon ("Karate Island")
• Martin Olson: live-action sequence as Chief of the Superheroes ("Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy V")
• Junior Brown: Sandy Cheeks ("Texas"; sang the last line: "I want to go home.") NOTE: Brown also sang the entire "SpongeBob SquarePants Theme Song" over the closing credits; however, because Nickelodeon usually runs advertising or promotional spot announcements during the closing credit sequences, the soundtrack is obliterated on both Nickelodeon and Nickelodeon 2 telecasts of this episode. Junior Brown's vocals may, however, be heard in their entirety on broadcasts of "Texas" that are telecast on the NickToons network, which runs the credits without the promotional vocals that it adds on its two flagship stations.
• David Glen Eisley: SpongeBob SquarePants when he was singing the song ("Band Geeks")
• Pantera: "Pre-Hibernation" plays in "Pre-Hibernation Week"
• Ween: "Loop de Loop" is on a record Gary the Snail plays for SpongeBob to teach him how to tie his shoes in "Your Shoe's Untied."
• Patton Oswalt: Jim the Original Frycook in The Original Fry Cook
• Marion Ross: Grandma in Grandma's Kisses
• Gene Shalit: Food Critic Gene Scallop in The Krusty Sponge
• Mark Hamill: The Moth in Night Light
• Nigel Planer and Rik Mayall, UK comic actors (best known for anarchic 1980s sitcom The Young Ones) guest-starred as "Dr. Marmalade" and "Lord Reginald" in the episode "Chimps Ahoy"
• David Bowie: Lord Royal Highness in the "Atlantis SquarePantis" episode
• Christopher Guest: guest-starred as SpongeBob's klutzy cousin, Stanley SquarePants in the episode "Stanley S. SquarePants"
• R. Lee Ermey: Played prison guard in The "Inmates of Summer / To Save a Squirrel"
• Gene Simmons: Played a fish insulted by Plankton in "20,000 Patties Under The Sea". His (unmarried) partner Shannon Tweed played his mother.

Crew

Name	Position	Years
Steven Banks	Head Writer	2004 – present
Steven Belfer	Music
Mike Bell	Writer/Storyboard Director	2005 – present
Peter Burns	Writer	1999 – present
Nicholas Carr	Music
Bradley Carow	Music
Sherm Cohen	Storyboard Supervisor/Artist, Writer, Director
Sean Dempsey	Animation Director
Derek Drymon	Writer	1999 – present
	Storyboard Artist	1999 – present
	Creative Director	1999 - 2005
	Story Editor
	Executive Producer	2005 - present
Steven Fonti	Writer/Storyboard Director	1999
C.H. Greenblatt	Writer, Storyboard Artist, Director	2000-present
Sage Guyton	Music
Sam Henderson	Writer, Storyboard Director
Tim Hill	Writer
Stephen Hillenburg	Creator	1999 – present
	Executive Producer	1999 – 2005
	Writer	1999 – present
	Storyboard Director	1999 – present
Kaz	Writer, Storyboard Artist
Chuck Klein	Writer, Storyboard Artist & Director
Doug Lawrence (a.k.a. "Mr. Lawrence")	Writer, Story Editor
Jay Lender	Writer, Storyboard Artist, Director
John Magness	Storyboard Artist
Heather Martinez	Storyboard Artist
Chris Mitchell	Writer, Storyboard Artist	1999
Caleb Muerer	Storyboard Artist
Mark O'Hare	Writer, Storyboard Artist, Director
Andrew Overtoom	Animation Director
Andy Rheingold	Executive in Charge of Production
Ted Seko	Storyboard Artist
Alan Smart	Animation Director	1999 – present
Aaron Springer	Writer/Storyboard Artist & Director
Jimmy Stone	Animation Director
Paul Tibbitt	Writer/Storyboard Director/Supervising Producer/Creative Director Co-Executive Producer	2004 – present 2006 – present
Brad Vandergrift	Storyboard Artist
Jeremy Wakefield	Music
Vincent Waller	Writer/Storyboard Artist & Director/Technical Director (2005 – present)
Frank Weiss	Animation Director
Erik Wiese	Writer/Storyboard Artist
David Wigforss	Special Effects (CG visual effects animator)
Merriwether Williams	Story Editor/Writer
Tom Yasumi	Animation Director
Oliver Truby	Storyboard Artist Superviser

DVD Releases

DVD Name	Ep #	Release dates			Additional Features
		Region 1	Region 2	Region 4
Season 1	41	October 28 2003	November 7 2005	November 30 2006	This three disc boxset includes the 41 episodes from Season 1.
Season 2	39	October 19 2004	October 23 2006	November 30 2006	This three disc boxset includes the 39 episodes from Season 2.
Season 3	37	September 27 2005	TBA	November 8 2007	This three disc boxset includes the 37 episodes from Season 3 as well as the pilot episode for the series.
Season 4 Volume 1	20	September 12 2006	TBA	TBA	This two disc boxset includes the first 18 episodes from Season 4.
Season 4 Volume 2	20	January 9 2007	TBA	TBA	This two disc boxset includes the last 20 episodes from Season 4.
Season 5 Volume 1	20	September 4 2007	TBA	TBA	This two disc boxset includes the first 20 episodes from Season 5.
Season 5 Volume 2	??	TBA	TBA	TBA

Awards

Year	Association	Award Category	Notes	Result
2000	Golden Reel Award	Best Sound Editing in Television Animation — Music	Episodes: "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy" and "Pickles"	Won
2000	Golden Reel Award	Best Sound Editing in Television Animation — Sound	Episode: "Karate Choppers"	Won
2001	Annie Awards	Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting by a Female Performer in an Animated Television Production	Mary Jo Catlett as Mrs. Puff in "No Free Rides"	Nominated
2001	Annie Awards	Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting by a Male Performer in an Animated Television Production	Tom Kenny as SpongeBob in "Wormy"	Nominated
2001	Annie Awards	Outstanding Individual Achievement for a Song in an Animated Production	Peter Straus and Paul Tibbitt for the song "The Very First Christmas"	Nominated
2001	Golden Reel Award	Best Sound Editing in Television Animation — Sound	Episodes: "Rock Bottom" and "Arrgh"	Won
2001	Golden Reel Award	Best Sound Editing in Television Animation — Music	Episodes: "Fools In April" and "Neptune's Spatula"	Nominated
2002	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming Less Than One Hour)		Nominated
2002	Golden Reel Award	Best Sound Editing in Television - Animation	Episodes: "Secret Box" and "Band Geeks"	Won
2002	Golden Reel Award	Best Sound Editing in Television Animation — Music	Episodes: "Jellyfish Hunter" and "The Fry Cook Games"	Nominated
2002	Television Critics Association Awards	Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming		Won
2003	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming Less Than One Hour)		Nominated
2003	Golden Reel Award	Best Sound Editing in Television Animation — Music	Episodes: "Wet Painters" and "Krusty Krab Training Video"	Won
2003	Golden Reel Award	Best Sound Editing in Television Animation	Episodes: "Nasty Patty" and "Idiot Box"	Won
2003	Kids' Choice Awards	Favorite Cartoon		Won
2004	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming Less Than One Hour)		Nominated
2004	Golden Reel Award	Best Sound Editing in Television Animation — Music	Episodes: "The Great Snail Race" and "Mid-Life Crustacean".	Won
2004	Golden Reel Award	Best Sound Editing in Television Animation — Music	Episode: "Mid-Life Crustacean".	Nominated
2004	Kids' Choice Awards	Favorite Cartoon		Won
2005	Annie Awards	Best Animated Television Production		Won
2005	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming Less Than One Hour)		Nominated
2005	Golden Reel Award	Best Sound Editing in Television: Animated	Episodes: "Pranks A Lot" and "SpongeBob Meets the Strangler"	Nominated
2005	Kids' Choice Awards	Favorite Cartoon		Won
2005	Satellite Awards	Best Youth DVD	Complete Second Season DVD	Nominated
2005	Television Critics Association Awards	Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming		Nominated
2006	Annie Awards	Best Writing in an Animated Television Production	C.H. Greenblatt, Paul Tibbitt, Mike Bell, and Tim Hill in "Fear of a Krabby Patty"	Won
2006	Golden Reel Award	Best Sound Editing in Television: Animated	Episode: "Have You Seen This Snail?"	Nominated
2006	Kids' Choice Awards	Favorite Cartoon		Won
2007	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming Less Than One Hour)		Nominated
2007	Kids' Choice Awards	Favorite Cartoon		Won
2007	Television Critics Association Awards	Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming		Nominated
2008	Annie Awards	Best Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production	Tom Kenny in "Spy Buddies"	Nominated
2008	Golden Reel Award	Best Sound Editing in Television: Animated	Episode: "SpongeHenge"	Nominated
2008	Kids' Choice Awards	Favorite Cartoon		Nominated

Episodes and media releases

Main article: List of SpongeBob SquarePants episodes

Episodes:

Season	Episodes	First Airdate	Last Airdate
Season 1	20	May 1, 1999	April 8, 2000
Season 2	20	October 26, 2000	September 6, 2002
Season 3	20	October 5, 2001	October 11, 2004
Season 4	20	May 6, 2005	July 24, 2007
Season 5	20	February 19, 2007	TBA
Season 6	20	March 3, 2008	TBA
Season 7	19	TBA	TBA

Films:

Title	Release Date	Note
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie	November 19, 2004	Theatrical Movie
Atlantis SquarePantis	November 12, 2007	TV Movie

Shorts:

• Astrology With Squidward
• Patrick the Snowman
• Plankton's Holiday Hits
• How The You-Know-Who Stole You-Know-What!
• 12 Days of Nickmas
• The Endless Summer
• A Random Act of SpongeBob- promotion for The Best Day Ever. These shorts were broadcasted during promos. They can now be seen on the SpongeBob Season Four Volume 2 DVD Box Set.
• The Foe-Gotten Years- promotional shorts for "Friend or Foe?"
• Journey to Atlantis by Vantis- promotional shorts for "Atlantis SquarePantis".
• Pest of the West Shorts- Promotion for Pest of the West. Shorts feature: "Saloon Door Sarrows" Parodie of an old short film from the 1910s. It shows SpongeBob’s great, great, great, etc. Grandfather, SpongeBuck trying to get into a saloon, but the doors will not open. "How to be a Tough Guy" SpongeBob wants to learn how to be a tough cowboy. And "Spur Skates" a parody on most commercials and a parody of roller skates.

Music

• The SpongeBob SquarePants theme song is primarily based on the sea shanty, "Blow the Man Down". It is sung by Painty the Pirate, voiced by Patrick Pinney, and can be found on the soundtrack SpongeBob SquarePants: Original Theme Highlights. This song is popularly misattributed to "Weird Al" Yankovic. A cover of the song by Avril Lavigne can be found on The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (soundtrack). Another cover by the Violent Femmes, which aired as a commercial on Nickelodeon to promote Season 2, can be viewed in the special features of the Nautical Nonsense/Sponge Buddies DVD. A choral version was recorded for the SpongeBob Christmas special where the last repetition of "SpongeBob SquarePants" was replaced by, "It's the SpongeBob Christmas special." The theme song is occasionally utilized as marching cadence.
• Traditional sea shanties are used for the musical themes in the show. Most commonly used is that of "Drunken Sailor". In the episode "Krusty Krab Training Video," a young Eugene Krabs is shown walking to a soda vending machine, la-laing the shanty "Blow the Man Down." Various songs used in SpongeBob SquarePants come from the Associated Production Music library, some of which have also been used in shows such as The Simpsons,Ren & Stimpy, Rocko's Modern Life, The X Factor, Camp Lazlo, and My Gym Partner's a Monkey. For competition-based episodes, some of Sam Spence's NFL Films music is used (such as "A Golden Boy Again" used in episodes such as The Fry Cook Games and "Ramblin' Man from Gramblin" is used in Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy V.) Ironically, one of Spence's more famous songs for the NFL Films library of music is an orchestral version of "Drunken Sailor" called "Up She Rises", first suggested by Steven Sabol to his father Ed because he liked the song at summer camp.

• Also used to great comedic and dramatic effect in the show, is Hawaiian steel guitar music. Various compositions featuring the Hawaiian steel convey happy, sad, or goofy emotions and situations. Many are traditional Hawaiian melodies such as "Aloha 'Oe" and are performed by classic steel guitar artists.

• In the episode "Prehibernation Week," the music is played by the heavy metal band Pantera. When ever SpongeBob does something dangerous, the music starts playing. The opening credits have a shot that reads "Special musical guests Pantera".
• The guitarist Newton Faulkner sometimes plays SpongeBob SquarePants in his set and has even invented a Jungle version: JungleBob.
• The episode "SpongeBob B.C." features background music including a track best known to British viewers as the theme to 1970s TV sitcom Terry and June. The music was written by John Shakespeare, a former member of 1960s pop group The Ivy League.

Magazine

In the United Kingdom, a SpongeBob SquarePants magazine is currently being published by Titan Magazines every four weeks. It was first published on February 3 2005. The issue published on February 1 2007 was the second anniversary of the magazine. The magazine contains comic strips, fan letters, competitions and several features including games.

External links

• Official site
• Official site (Australia)
• Official site (UK)
• SpongeBob SquarePants at IMDb
• Template:Tv.com show
• SpongeBob SquarePants at the Big Cartoon DataBase
• SpongeBob SquarePants at YTV.com
• SpongeBob at epguides.com

Wikis

• SpongePedia
• SpongeBob SquarePants Wikia
• SpongyWiki