text:
SpongeBob SquarePants
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
For the titular character, see SpongeBob SquarePants (character).
SpongeBob SquarePants
Genre
Animated sitcom[1]
Created by
Stephen Hillenburg
Developed by
Derek Drymon
Tim Hill
Nick Jennings
Creative director(s)
Derek Drymon (1999–2004)
Vincent Waller (2005–15)
Voices of
Tom Kenny
Bill Fagerbakke
Rodger Bumpass
Clancy Brown
Mr. Lawrence
Carolyn Lawrence
Jill Talley
Mary Jo Catlett
(Complete list)
Theme music composer
Derek Drymon
Mark Harrison
Stephen Hillenburg
Blaise Smith
Opening theme
"SpongeBob SquarePants Theme", performed by Patrick Pinney
Ending theme
"SpongeBob Closing Theme", written by Steve Belfer and Nicolas Carr
Composer(s)
Steve Belfer
Nicolas Carr
Sage Guyton
Jeremy Wakefield
Brad Carow (1999–2002)
The Blue Hawaiians (1999–2002)
Eban Schletter (2000–present)
Barry Anthony (2006–15)
Country of origin
United States
Original language(s)
English
No. of seasons
11
No. of episodes
218 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)
Stephen Hillenburg
Paul Tibbitt (2008–17)
Co-Executive Producers:
Paul Tibbitt (2006–08)
Producer(s)
Donna Castricone (1999–2002)
Helen Kafatic (2002–04)
Anne Michaud (2001)
Dina Buteyn (2005–10)
Jennie Monica Hammond (2010–present)
Supervising Producers:
Derek Drymon (2002–04)
Paul Tibbitt (2005–15)
Marc Ceccarelli (2015–present)
Vincent Waller (2015–present)
Running time
11 minutes (regular episodes only)
22 minutes (special episodes only)
Production company(s)
United Plankton Pictures
Nickelodeon Animation Studios
Rough Draft Korea (animation service)
Distributor
Viacom International Media Networks (International)
Paramount Television
Release
Original network
Nickelodeon
Picture format
480i (4:3 SDTV) (1999–2012)
1080i (16:9 HDTV) (2009, 2012–present)
Audio format
Advantage Audio Services (NTSC) (1999–2012)
Dolby Surround 5.1 (NTSC) (2009, 2012–present)
Original release
May 1, 1999 (1999-05-01) – present (present)
Chronology
Related shows
Rocko's Modern Life
External links
Website
www.nick.com/spongebob-squarepants
SpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated television series created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. The series chronicles the adventures and endeavors 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, as well as the highest rated series to ever air on Nickelodeon, and the most distributed property of MTV Networks. As of 2015, the media franchise has generated $12 billion in merchandising revenue for Nickelodeon.[2]
Many of the ideas for the series originated in an unpublished educational comic book titled The Intertidal Zone, which Hillenburg created in 1989.[3] He began developing SpongeBob SquarePants into a television series in 1996 upon the cancellation of Rocko's Modern Life, and turned to Tom Kenny, who had worked with him on that series, to voice the title character. SpongeBob was originally going to be named SpongeBoy, and the series was to be called SpongeBoy Ahoy!, but both of these were changed, as the name was already trademarked.
Nickelodeon held a preview for the series in the United States on May 1, 1999, following the television airing of the 1999 Kids' Choice Awards. The series officially premiered on July 17, 1999. It has received worldwide critical acclaim since its premiere and gained enormous popularity by its second season. A feature film, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, was released in theaters on November 19, 2004, and a sequel was released on February 6, 2015. On October 15, 2016, the series began airing its current tenth season, beginning with the episode "Whirly Brains". In May 2017, the show was announced to be renewed for a 12th season.
The series has won a variety of awards, including six Annie Awards, eight Golden Reel Awards, two Emmy Awards, 12 Kids' Choice Awards, and two BAFTA Children's Awards. Despite its widespread popularity, the series has been involved in several public controversies, including one centered on speculation over SpongeBob's intended sexual orientation. In 2011, a newly described species of fungi, Spongiforma squarepantsii, was named after the cartoon's title character.
Contents
[hide]
1 Premise
1.1 Characters
1.2 Setting
2 Production
2.1 Development
2.1.1 Early inspirations
2.1.2 Conception
2.1.3 Assembling the crew
2.1.4 Pitching
2.2 Executive producers and showrunners
2.3 Writing
2.4 Voice actors
2.5 Animation
2.6 Music
3 Broadcast
3.1 Episodes
3.2 Tenth anniversary
4 Reception
4.1 Ratings and run-length achievements
4.2 Critical reception
4.3 Awards and accolades
4.4 Legacy
4.5 Criticism
4.5.1 Controversies
4.5.2 Declining quality
5 Other media
5.1 Home video
5.2 Comic books
5.3 Films
5.4 Music
5.5 Theme park rides
5.6 Video games
5.7 SpongeBob SquareShorts
6 Amazon Echo
7 Merchandise
8 Footnotes
9 References
9.1 Bibliography
10 External links
Premise
Characters
Main article: List of SpongeBob SquarePants characters
Major characters in the series (from left to right): Gary, Mrs. Puff, Squidward, Patrick, SpongeBob, Sandy, Pearl, Mr. Krabs, and Plankton.
The series 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 submerged pineapple and loves his job as a fry cook at the Krusty Krab. He has a 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. Despite his mental setbacks, Patrick still sees himself as intelligent.[4] Squidward Tentacles is SpongeBob's next-door neighbor and co-worker at the Krusty Krab.[5] 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 as a cashier.
Another close friend of SpongeBob is Sandy Cheeks, a squirrel from Texas.[6] She is a scientist and an expert in karate.[7][8] She lives in an oak tree entrapped in a clear glass dome locked by an airtight, hand-turned seal. When outside of her dwelling, she wears an astronaut-like suit because she cannot breathe underwater.[5] Mr. Krabs, a miserly crab obsessed with money, is the owner of the Krusty Krab restaurant and SpongeBob's boss.[5] Krabs has a teenage whale daughter named Pearl, whom he values equally with his riches.[9] His rival, Plankton, is a small green copepod who owns a low-rank fast-food restaurant called the Chum Bucket, located across the street from the Krusty Krab.[10] Plankton spends most of his time planning to steal the secret recipe for Mr. Krabs's popular Krabby Patty burgers, so as to gain the upper hand and put the Krusty Krab out of business.[11] The majority of Plankton's plans come from his intelligent yet sarcastic computer wife Karen, who is more competent and less conceited than him. When SpongeBob is not working at the Krusty Krab, he can often be found at Mrs. Puff's boating school (the underwater equivalent of a driver's education course). SpongeBob is perpetually unable to pass Mrs. Puff's exams, which is why he almost always walks around town.[12]
Other recurring characters appear throughout the series, such as the muscular lifeguard of Goo Lagoon, Larry the Lobster; a pirate specter known as the Flying Dutchman; and retired superheroes Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, who are idolized by SpongeBob and Patrick. Most double-length episodes of the show are hosted by a live action pirate named Patchy and his pet parrot Potty, whose segments are presented in a dual narrative with the animated stories.[13]
Setting
Bikini Atoll, a coral reef in the Pacific Ocean. Some have named this as the real-world location of Bikini Bottom.
The series predominantly takes place in the benthic underwater city of Bikini Bottom which, according to some third-party sources, is located in the Pacific Ocean beneath the real-life coral reef known as Bikini Atoll.[14][15] In 2015, Tom Kenny confirmed that the fictitious city was named after Bikini Atoll, but denied an Internet fan theory that connected the series' characters to actual nuclear testing that occurred in the atoll.[importance?][16]
The citizens live in mostly aquatic-themed buildings and use "boatmobiles", amalgamations of cars and boats, as a mode of transportation. Recurring establishments present in Bikini Bottom include two competing restaurants, the Krusty Krab and the Chum Bucket; Mrs. Puff's Boating School; and Shady Shoals Rest Home. Goo Lagoon, a popular beach hangout, is within the vicinity of the city, as is Jellyfish Fields.
When the crew began production on the pilot, they were tasked with designing the stock locations where "the show would return to again and again, and in which most of the action would take place, such as the Krusty Krab and SpongeBob's pineapple house".[17] The idea for the series was "to keep everything nautical", so the crew used a great amount of rope, wooden planks, ships' wheels, netting, anchors, boilerplates, and rivets in creating the show's setting. Bubbles filing up the screen is also a nautical technique used to transition from scene to scene.[17]
The series features "sky flowers" as a main setting material.[17] They first appeared in the pilot and have since become a common feature throughout the series.[17] When series background designer Kenny Pittenger was asked what they were, he answered, "They function as clouds in a way, but since the show takes place underwater, they aren't really clouds. Because of the tiki influence on the show, the background painters use a lot of pattern."[17] Pittenger said that the sky flowers were meant to "evoke the look of a flower-print Hawaiian shirt".[17]
Production
Development
Early inspirations
Before creating SpongeBob SquarePants, Stephen Hillenburg taught marine biology to visitors of the Ocean Institute (located in Dana Point, California).[18]
Series creator Stephen Hillenburg first became fascinated with the ocean as a child. He also began developing his artistic abilities at a young age. Although these two interests would not overlap with each other for a long time—the idea of drawing fish seemed boring to him—Hillenburg pursued both during college, receiving a major in marine biology and a minor in art. After graduating in 1984, he joined the Ocean Institute, an organization in Dana Point, California, dedicated to educating the public about marine science and maritime history.[18][19]
While Hillenburg was there, his love of the ocean began to influence his artistry. He created a precursor to SpongeBob SquarePants: a comic book titled The Intertidal Zone, which was used by the institute to teach visiting students about the animal life of tide pools.[19] The comic starred various anthropomorphic sea lifeforms, many of which would evolve into SpongeBob SquarePants characters.[20] Hillenburg tried to get the comic professionally published, but none of the companies that he sent it to were interested.[19]
Conception
While working as a staff artist at the Ocean Institute, Hillenburg entertained plans of eventually returning to college for a master's degree in art. Before this could materialize, he attended an animation festival, which inspired him to make a slight change in course. Instead of continuing his education with a traditional art program, Hillenburg chose to study experimental animation at the California Institute of the Arts.[19] His thesis film, Wormholes, is about the theory of relativity.[21] It was screened at festivals, and at one of these, Hillenburg met Joe Murray, creator of the popular Nickelodeon animated series, Rocko's Modern Life. Murray was impressed by the style of the film and offered Hillenburg a job.[21][22] Hillenburg joined the series as a director and later, during the fourth season, he took on the roles of producer and creative director.[20][21][22][23]
Martin Olson, one of the writers for Rocko's Modern Life, read The Intertidal Zone and encouraged Hillenburg to create a television series with a similar concept. At that point, Hillenburg had not even considered creating his own series. However, he realized that if he ever did, this would be the best approach.[19][21][24] He began to further develop some of the characters from The Intertidal Zone, including the comic's "announcer", Bob the Sponge.[19] He wanted his series to stand out from most popular cartoons of the time, which he felt were exemplified by buddy comedies such as The Ren & Stimpy Show. As a result, Hillenburg decided to focus on one main character: the weirdest sea creature that he could think of. This led him to the sponge.[19] The Intertidal Zone's Bob the Sponge resembles an actual sea sponge, and at first Hillenburg continued to utilize this design.[19][21][22][25] In determining the new character's personality, Hillenburg drew inspiration from innocent, childlike figures that he enjoyed, such as Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy, Jerry Lewis, and Pee-wee Herman.[19][22][26][27][28] He then considered modeling the character after a kitchen sponge and realized that this idea would perfectly match the character's square personality.[19][21][22]
To voice the central character of the series, Hillenburg turned to Tom Kenny, whose career in animation had started alongside Hillenburg's on Rocko's Modern Life. Elements of Kenny's own personality were employed in further developing the character.[29][30] Initially, Hillenburg wanted to use the name SpongeBoy — the character would have had no last name, and the series would have been called SpongeBoy Ahoy![25][30] However, the Nickelodeon legal department discovered — after voice acting had been completed for the original seven-minute pilot episode — that the name "SpongeBoy" was already in use for a mop product.[30] A character of the same name was also already trademarked by Flaming Carrot Comics creator Bob Burden.[31] In choosing a replacement name, Hillenburg felt that he still had to use the word "Sponge", so that viewers would not mistake the character for a "Cheese Man". He settled on the name "SpongeBob". "SquarePants" was then chosen as a family name after Kenny saw a picture of the character and remarked, "Boy, look at this sponge in square pants, thinking he can get a job in a fast food place."[26] Hillenburg loved the phrase upon hearing Kenny say it and felt that it would reinforce the character's nerdiness.[26][32]
Assembling the crew
Derek Drymon, who served as creative director for the first three seasons, has said that Hillenburg wanted to surround himself with a "team of young and hungry people".[27] Many of the major contributors to SpongeBob SquarePants had previously worked with Hillenburg on Rocko's Modern Life: this included Drymon, art director Nick Jennings, supervising director Alan Smart, writer / voice actor Doug Lawrence (often credited as Mr. Lawrence), and Tim Hill, who helped develop the series bible.[27][28]
Although Drymon had a significant influence on SpongeBob SquarePants, he was not initially offered a role on the series. As a late recruit to Rocko's Modern Life, he had not established much of a relationship with Hillenburg before SpongeBob's conception. Hillenburg first sought out Drymon's storyboard partner, Mark O'Hare - but O'Hare had just created the soon-to-be syndicated comic strip, Citizen Dog,[27] and while he would later join SpongeBob as a writer,[33] lacked the time to get involved with both projects at the outset.[27] Drymon has said, "I remember Hillenburg's bringing it up to Mark in our office and asking him if he'd be interested in working on it...I was all ready to say yes to the offer, but Steve didn't ask; he just left the room. I was pretty desperate...so I ran into the hall after him and basically begged him for the job. He didn't jump at the chance."[27] Once Hillenburg had given it some thought and decided to bring Drymon on as creative director, the two began meeting at Hillenburg's house multiple times a week to develop the series. Drymon has identified this period as having begun in 1996, shortly after the end of Rocko's Modern Life.[27]
Jennings was also instrumental in SpongeBob's genesis.[34] Kenny has called him "one of SpongeBob's early graphics mentors".[28] On weekends, Kenny joined Hillenburg, Jennings, and Drymon for creative sessions, in which they captured ideas on a tape recorder.[28] Kenny performed audio tests as SpongeBob during these sessions, while Hillenburg enacted voices for the other characters.[25][28]
Hill contributed scripts for several first-season episodes (including the pilot)[35][36][37][38] and was offered the role of story editor, but turned it down - he would go on to pursue a career as a family film director.[39][40] In his stead, Pete Burns was brought in for the job. Burns hailed from Chicago and had never met any of the principle players on SpongeBob before joining the team.[27]
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[27]
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 played Hawaiian music to set the theme. The setup was described by Nickelodeon executive Eric Coleman as "pretty amazing".[21] When they were given money and two weeks to write the pilot episode "Help Wanted",[21] Derek Drymon, Stephen Hillenburg, and Nick Jennings returned with what was described by Nickelodeon official Albie Hecht as, "a performance [he] wished [he] had on tape".[21] Although executive producer Derek Drymon described the pitch as stressful, he said it went "very well".[21] Kevin Kay and Hecht had to step outside because they were "exhausted from laughing", which worried the cartoonists.[21]
In an interview, Cyma Zarghami, the current president of Nickelodeon, said, "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".[41] Zarghami was one of four executives in the room when SpongeBob SquarePants was screened for the first time.[41]
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[42]
Series creator Stephen Hillenburg has served as the executive producer over the course of the series' entire history, and functioned as the showrunner from the series' debut in 1999 until 2004. The series went on hiatus in 2002, after Hillenburg halted production to work on a feature film of the series, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie.[31] Once the film was finalized and the third season finished, Hillenburg resigned as the series' showrunner. Although he no longer has a direct role in the production of the series, he still maintains an advisory role and reviews each episode.[41][43]
When the film was completed, Hillenburg intended it to be the series finale, "so [the show] wouldn't jump the shark." However, Nickelodeon wanted more episodes,[44] so Hillenburg appointed Paul Tibbitt, who previously served on the show as a writer, director, and storyboard artist, to take over his role as showrunner and produce further seasons.[45] Hillenburg considered Tibbitt one of his favorite members of the show's crew,[46] and "totally trusted him".[42] Tibbitt still holds the showrunner position, and has also functioned as a supervising producer since 2005 and an executive producer since 2008.[45][47]
On December 13, 2014, it was announced that Hillenburg would return to the series in an unspecified position.[48]
Writing
According to writer Luke Brookshier, "SpongeBob is written differently than many television shows".[49] Initial storylines are created by a team of five outline and premise writers. A two-page outline is then developed by storyboard artists into a full episode — jokes and dialogue are added during this stage.[31][49] Unlike most of its contemporaries, SpongeBob SquarePants does not use written scripts.[49][50] Brookshier has likened this storyboarding process to how cartoons were made "in the early days of animation."[49]
The decision to eschew scripts for storyboards is one that Hillenburg made early on in the series' development.[31] Rocko's Modern Life had also used storyboarding, and having worked on that series, Hillenburg felt strongly about adopting the process for SpongeBob SquarePants — even though Nickelodeon was beginning to show greater preference for script-driven cartoons.[27][51] Another writer for the series, 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.[52]
The writing staff often used their individual life experiences for inspirations to come up with the storylines of the series' episodes.[27][42] For example, the episode "Sailor Mouth", in which SpongeBob and Patrick learn profanity,[42] was inspired by creative director Derek Drymon's experience of getting in trouble as a child for using the f-word in front of his mother.[27] 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".[27] The end of the episode, in which Mr. Krabs uses even more profanity than SpongeBob and Patrick, was inspired "by the fact that my [Drymon's] mother has a sailor mouth herself".[27] The idea for the episode "The Secret Box" also came from one of Drymon's childhood experiences.[42][52] Hillenburg explained, "Drymon had a secret box [as a kid] and started telling us about it. We wanted to make fun of him and use it."[42]
Almost every episode is divided into two 11-minute segments. Hillenburg explained that "[I] never really wanted to deliberately try to write a half-hour show".[42] He added, "I wrote the shows to where they felt right".[42] Each 11-minute segment takes about five months to produce.[53][54]
Voice actors
Further information: List of SpongeBob SquarePants cast members and List of SpongeBob SquarePants guest stars
"Steve described SpongeBob to me as childlike and naïve. 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".
— Tom Kenny[28]
SpongeBob SquarePants features the voices of Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke, Rodger Bumpass, Clancy Brown, Mr. Lawrence, Jill Talley, Carolyn Lawrence, Mary Jo Catlett, and Lori Alan. Most one-off and background characters are voiced by Dee Bradley Baker, Sirena Irwin, Bob Joles, Mark Fite and Thomas F. Wilson.
Kenny voices SpongeBob SquarePants and a variety of other characters, including SpongeBob's pet snail Gary and the French narrator. He also physically portrays Patchy the Pirate in live-action segments of most special episodes. Kenny previously worked with Stephen Hillenburg on Rocko's Modern Life and, when Hillenburg created SpongeBob SquarePants, he approached Kenny to voice the main character.[55] Kenny originally used the voice of SpongeBob for a minor character on Rocko.[30] He forgot how to perform the voice initially and did not intend to use it afterwards. Hillenburg, however, used a video clip of the episode to remind Kenny of the voice.[30] When Hillenburg heard Kenny perform the voice, he immediately knew he wanted it for his character. He said to Nickelodeon executives, "That's it—I don't want to hear anybody else do the voice. We've got SpongeBob."[28] The network insisted on auditioning more actors, but Hillenburg turned them down; in the words of Tom Kenny, "one of the advantages of having a strong creator is that the creator can say, 'No, I like that—I don't care about celebrities.'"[28] While Kenny was developing SpongeBob's voice, the show's casting crew wanted him to have a unique, high-pitched laugh in the tradition of Popeye and Woody Woodpecker.[56]
Fagerbakke voices Patrick Star[57] and other miscellaneous characters. At the same time when Hillenburg, Derek Drymon, and Tim Hill were writing the pilot "Help Wanted", Hillenburg was also conducting auditions to find voices for the characters.[27] Fagerbakke auditioned for the role of Patrick after Kenny had been cast.[58] Fagerbakke recalled that during his audition for the role of Patrick, "Hillenburg actually played for me a portion of Tom [Kenny]'s performance [as SpongeBob], and they were looking for a counterpoint."[58] In an interview, Fagerbakke compared himself to the character and said, "It's extremely gratifying".[59] Fagerbakke modeled his performance whenever Patrick is angry after that of American actress Shelley Winters.[60]
Squidward Tentacles is voiced by Rodger Bumpass, who describes Squidward as "a very nasally, monotone kind of guy." He said that the character "became a very interesting character to do" because of "his sarcasm, and then his frustration, and then his apoplexy, and so he became a wide spectrum of emotions".[61] Arthur Brown, author of Everything I Need to Know, I Learned from Cartoons!, has compared Squidward's voice to that of Jack Benny's,[5] a similarity Bumpass says is mostly unintentional.[61] Voice acting veteran Clancy Brown voices Mr. Krabs, SpongeBob's boss at the Krusty Krab. Hillenburg modeled Mr. Krabs after his former manager at a seafood restaurant, whose strong Maine accent reminded Hillenburg of a pirate.[62] For the character, Brown decided to use a "piratey" voice with "a little Scottish brogue" after hearing Hillenburg's description of his boss.[63] According to Brown, his Mr. Krabs voice was mostly improvised during his audition and it was not challenging for him to find the correct voice.[63]
Mr. Lawrence had met Hillenburg previously on Rocko's Modern Life. When working on the pilot episode of SpongeBob, Hillenburg invited him to audition for all of the characters.[64] Since other voices had been found for the main cast already, Lawrence started out by voicing a variety of minor characters. This included Plankton, who was initially only set to appear in one episode.[64][27] Mr. Lawrence recalls that Nickelodeon executives told Hillenburg, "'we could stunt-cast this. You know, we could have Bruce Willis do this voice.' And Steve was just like, 'it's Doug [Lawrence], don't you hear it? This is the character! This is the guy!'"[64] Jill Talley, Tom Kenny's wife, voices Karen Plankton.[65] Being a Chicago native, she uses a Midwestern accent for the character.[66] Electronic sound effects are underlaid by the series' audio engineers to create a robotic sound whenever she speaks.[67] Talley and Mr. Lawrence often improvise Plankton and Karen's dialogue. Lawrence called improvisation his "favorite part of the voice over" in 2009.[68] He elaborated in a 2012 interview, saying, "I always enjoy the back-and-forth. [Talley and I] start to actually overlap so much talking to each other that [the voice directors] have to tell us, 'hey, stop doing that, separate what you're saying!'"[64]
Carolyn Lawrence voices Sandy Cheeks. When Lawrence was on a sidewalk in Los Feliz, Los Angeles with a friend who knew SpongeBob SquarePants casting director Donna Grillo, her friend said to Grillo that Lawrence had "an interesting voice". Grillo invited Lawrence to audition and she got the role.[69][70] Mrs. Puff's voice is provided by American actress Mary Jo Catlett,[71] who is known for her live-action roles on television programs from the 1970s such as Diff'rent Strokes and M*A*S*H.[66] As of 2017, voicing Mrs. Puff has become her only remaining regular television role; Catlett described herself as "basically retired" in 2013, since she feels that voicing Mrs. Puff requires less preparation than her performances in person.[72] Lori Alan voices Pearl Krabs.[73] During her audition for the role, Alan was shown an early drawing of the characters and took note of how Pearl was much larger than the rest of the cast. She decided to reflect the character's size in her voice by making it deep and full in tone. She aimed to make Pearl's voice invoke the sound of whales’ low vocalizations while also sounding "spoiled and lovable."[74] In an interview with AfterBuzz TV, Alan said that she knew Pearl "had to sound somewhat like a child," but needed "an abnormally large voice."[75]
In addition to the regular cast, episodes feature guest voices from many ranges of professions, including actors, athletes, authors, musicians, and artists. Recurring guest voices include: Ernest Borgnine, who voiced Mermaid Man from 1999 until his death in 2012;[76] Tim Conway as the voice of Barnacle Boy;[77] Brian Doyle-Murray as the Flying Dutchman;[78] and Marion Ross as Grandma SquarePants.[79] Notable guests who have provided vocal cameo appearances includes David Bowie as Lord Royal Highness in the television film Atlantis SquarePantis,[80][81] John Goodman as the voice of Santa in the episode "It's a SpongeBob Christmas!", Johnny Depp as the voice of the surf guru, Jack Kahuna Laguna, in the episode "SpongeBob SquarePants vs. The Big One",[82] and Victoria Beckham as the voice of Queen Amphitrite in the episode "The Clash of Triton".[83][84]
Voice recording sessions always include a full cast of actors, which Kenny describes as "getting more unusual".[28] Kenny said, "That's another thing that's given SpongeBob its special feel. Everybody's in the same room, doing it old radio-show style. It's how the stuff we like was recorded".[28] Series writer Jay Lender said, "The recording sessions were always fun ..."[85] For the first three seasons, Hillenburg and Drymon sat in on the record studio, and they directed the actors.[86] Andrea Romano became the voice director in the fourth season,[86] and Tom Kenny took over the role during the ninth.[87] Wednesday is recording day, the same schedule followed by the crew since 1999.[86] Casting supervisor Jennie Monica Hammond said, "I loved Wednesdays".[86]
Animation
Approximately 50 people work together in animating and producing an episode of SpongeBob SquarePants.[49] Throughout its run, production of the series has been handled domestically at Nickelodeon Animation Studio in Burbank, California, while the finished animation has been created overseas at Rough Draft Studios in South Korea.[42][88] Storyboarding for each episode is done by the crew in California. The storyboards are then used as templates by the crew in Korea,[42] who animate by hand, color cels on computers, and paint backgrounds. Episodes are finished in California, where they are edited and have music added.[49] Every season, character designs are updated or modified to solve technical issues in the animation.[89]
During the first season, the series used cel animation.[45] A shift was made the following year to digital ink and paint animation.[45] In 2009, executive producer Paul Tibbitt 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".[45]
In 2008, the crew shifted to using Wacom Cintiqs for the drawings instead of pencils. The fifth season episode "Pest of the West" was the first episode in the series to which the crew applied this method. Series background designer Kenny Pittenger said, "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".[17] The crew began the shift while they were working on the episode. Pittenger said, "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?"[17] The shift to Wacom Cintiqs let the designers and animators draw on computer screens 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".[17]
Screen Novelties created character models based on the works of Rankin/Bass for the show's stop-motion episodes.
Since 2004, the SpongeBob crew has periodically collaborated with the LA-based animation studio Screen Novelties to create stop-motion sequences for special episodes. The studio produced a brief claymation scene for the climax of the first theatrical film[90] and was re-enlisted in 2009 to create an exclusive opening for the series' tenth anniversary special.[91][92] The abominable snow mollusk, an octopus-like creature made of clay who acts as the antagonist of the double-length episode "Frozen Face-Off," was also animated by the company.[93] Animation World Network reported that "within the SpongeBob creative team, there was always talk of doing a more involved project together" with Screen Novelties.[93] As a result, the group was asked to create an episode animated entirely in stop motion in 2011. This project became "It's a SpongeBob Christmas!”,[94] which reimagined the show's characters as if they were part of a Rankin/Bass holiday film.[95] Tom Kenny, who is not normally involved in the writing process, contributed to the episode's plot; he said in 2012 that he and Nickelodeon "wanted to do something just like those old school, stop-motion Rankin-Bass holiday specials...which I watched over and over again when I was a kid growing up in Syracuse."[90] Unconventional materials such as baking soda, glitter, wood chips and breakfast cereal were used in mass quantities to create the special's sets.[96] Members of the Screen Novelties crew received one win and two nominations at the 30th Annie Awards,[97] a nomination at the 2013 Golden Reel Awards,[98] and a nomination at the 2013 Annecy International Animated Film Festival for animating the episode.[99] The team built a dolphin puppet named Bubbles, voiced by Matt Berry, for The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water.[100] Sequences involving Bubbles included a blend of stop motion and traditional animation. A second special animated in stop motion, themed around Halloween and using the same Rankin/Bass-inspired character models, is currently being produced for season 11.[101][102]
Music
"[The music has gone] from mostly sea shanties and Hawaiian music à la Roy Smeck meets Pee-wee Herman—still the main style for the show—in the early episodes, but it now includes film noir, West Side Story to [Henry] Mancini, Jerry Goldsmith and [Steven] Spielberg. There's Broadway-type scores and plain old goofy, loopy, weird stuff. I try to push the envelope on this show without getting in the way of the story, and I try to push it up and way over the top when I can get away with it, all the time keeping it as funny and ridiculous as possible."
—Music editor Nicolas Carr[103]
The theme song was composed by Mark Harrison and Blaise Smith,[104] while the lyrics to the song were written by series creator Stephen Hillenburg and the series' original creative director Derek Drymon. The melody was inspired by the sea shanty "Blow the Man Down".[22] An old oil painting of a pirate is used in the opening sequence. It has been dubbed "Painty the Pirate", and according to Tom Kenny, Hillenburg found it in a thrift shop "years ago".[30] Patrick Pinney gives voice to Painty the Pirate, singing the theme song as the character.[22] Hillenburg's lips were imposed onto the painting and move along with the lyrics.[30] Kenny joked that this is "about as close of a glimpse as most SpongeBob fans are ever going to get of Steve Hillenburg", because of Hillenburg's private nature.[22]
A cover of the song by Avril Lavigne can be found on the SpongeBob SquarePants Movie soundtrack.[105][106] Another cover by the Violent Femmes aired on Nickelodeon as a promotion for the series moving to prime time.[107]
Steve Belfer, one of Hillenburg's friends from CalArts, wrote and performed the music that is played over the end credits.[27] This theme includes ukulele music, per Hillenburg's request.[27] Drymon said, "It's so long ago, it's hard to be sure, but I remember Hillenburg having the Belfer music early on, maybe before the pilot".[27]
The series' music editor and main composer is Nicolas Carr.[103] After working with Hillenburg on Rocko's Modern Life, Carr struggled to find a new job in his field. He had been considering a career change when Hillenburg offered him the job. The first season's score primarily featured selections from the Associated Production Music Library, which Carr has said includes "lots of great old corny Hawaiian music and big, full, dramatic orchestral scores."[103] Rocko's Modern Life also used music from this library. It was Hillenburg's decision to adopt the approach. The selections for SpongeBob SquarePants have been described by Carr as being "more over-the-top" than those for Rocko's Modern Life.[103]
Hillenburg also felt that it was important for the series to develop its own music library, consisting of scores that could be reused and re-edited throughout the years. He wanted these scores to be composed by unknowns, and a group of twelve was assembled. They formed "The Sponge Divers Orchestra", which includes Carr and Belfer. This group went on to provide the majority of the music for later seasons, although Carr still draws from the Associated Production Music Library, as well as another library that he founded himself — Animation Music Inc.[103]
Broadcast
Episodes
Main article: List of SpongeBob SquarePants episodes
Season
Segments
Episodes
Originally aired
First aired
Last aired
1 41 20 May 1, 1999 (1999-05-01) April 8, 2000 (2000-04-08)
2 39 20 October 26, 2000 (2000-10-26) July 26, 2003 (2003-07-26)
3 37 20 October 5, 2001 (2001-10-05) October 11, 2004 (2004-10-11)
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie November 19, 2004 (2004-11-19)
4 38 20 May 6, 2005 (2005-05-06) July 24, 2007 (2007-07-24)
5 41 20 February 19, 2007 (2007-02-19) July 19, 2009 (2009-07-19)
6 47 26 March 3, 2008 (2008-03-03) July 5, 2010 (2010-07-05)
7 50 26 July 19, 2009 (2009-07-19) June 11, 2011 (2011-06-11)
8 47 26 March 26, 2011 (2011-03-26) December 6, 2012 (2012-12-06)
9 49 26 July 21, 2012 (2012-07-21) February 20, 2017 (2017-02-20)
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water February 6, 2015 (2015-02-06)
10 22 11 October 15, 2016 (2016-10-15) TBA
11 TBA 26 June 24, 2017 (2017-06-24) TBA
Tenth anniversary
"Ten years. I never imagined working on the show to this date and this long...I really figured we might get a season and a cult following, and that might be it."
Stephen Hillenburg[108]
Nickelodeon began celebrating the 10th anniversary of the series on January 18, 2009 with a live cast reading of the episode "SpongeBob vs. The Big One". The reading — a first for the series — was held at that year's Sundance Film Festival.[109][110] The episode, which would not premiere on TV until April 17, featured Johnny Depp as a guest star.[111] Other celebratory actions taken by the network included the launching of a new website for the series (spongebob.com) and the introduction of new merchandising. A "SpongeBob and water conservation-themed element" was also added to Nickelodeon's pro-social campaign The Big Green Help.[109] In an interview, Tom Kenny said, "What I'm most proud of is that kids still really like [SpongeBob SquarePants] 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".[112]
Three nights before the official anniversary date, an hour-long documentary of the series, Square Roots: The Story of SpongeBob SquarePants, premiered on VH1.[108][109][110][112][113] Critically acclaimed duo Patrick Creadon and Christine O'Malley created the film as a followup to I.O.U.S.A. – a documentary on America's financial situation. Creadon remarked, "After spending two years examining the financial health of the United States, Christine and I were ready to tackle something a little more upbeat. Telling the SpongeBob story feels like the perfect fit."[109] On Friday July 17, Nickelodeon marked the official anniversary of the series, with a 50-hour television marathon titled "The Ultimate SpongeBob SpongeBash Weekend". The marathon began with a new episode, "To SquarePants or Not to SquarePants". Saturday saw a countdown of the top ten episodes as picked by fans, as well as an airing of The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. The marathon finished on Sunday, which saw a countdown of episodes as picked by celebrities, as well as the premiere of ten new episodes.[109][114][115]
Nickelodeon continued celebrating the anniversary through the rest of the year. An eight-episode DVD set featuring "To SquarePants or Not to SquarePants" shortly followed the marathon, with a July 21 release.[116][117] Next a 2,200 minute, 14-disc DVD set titled The First 100 Episodes was released on September 22.[117][118][119] Finally, on November 6, an hour-long television film, titled Truth or Square, debuted on Nickelodeon. The film is narrated by Ricky Gervais and features live action cameo appearances by Rosario Dawson, Craig Ferguson, Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, LeBron James, P!nk, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, and Robin Williams.[120][121][122] It was released as part of a five-episode DVD set on November 10.[123]
Reception
Ratings and run-length achievements
Within its first month on air, SpongeBob SquarePants overtook Pokémon as the highest rated Saturday-morning children's series on television. It held an average national Nielsen rating of 4.9 among children aged two through eleven, denoting 1.9 million viewers.[124][125] Two years later, the series had firmly established itself as Nickelodeon's second highest rated children's program, after Rugrats. That year, 2001, SpongeBob SquarePants was credited with helping Nickelodeon take the "Saturday-morning ratings crown" for the fourth straight season.[126] The series had gained a significant adult audience by that point – nearly 40 percent of its 2.2 million viewers were aged 18 to 34.[127] In response to this weekend-found success, Nickelodeon gave SpongeBob SquarePants time slots at 6 PM and 8 PM, Monday through Thursday, to increase exposure of the series.[127][128] By the end of that year SpongeBob SquarePants boasted the highest ratings for any children's series, on all of television.[129][130][131] Weekly viewership of the series had reached around fifteen million, at least five million of whom were adults.[129]
In October 2002, another Nickelodeon series, The Fairly OddParents, ranked as the No. 2 program for children between 2 and 11 years old.[132] Its ratings at that time were almost equal to SpongeBob SquarePants' then-average of 2.2 million viewers per episode.[132] The Fairly OddParents even briefly surpassed SpongeBob SquarePants, causing the latter series to drop into second place — at this time, The Fairly OddParents had a 6.2 rating and nearly 2.5 million child viewers, while SpongeBob SquarePants had a 6.0 rating and 2.4 million kids 2–11.[133] Nickelodeon "recognized" The Fairly OddParents for its climbing ratings and installed it into a new 8 P.M. time slot, previously occupied by SpongeBob SquarePants.[132] In an interview, Cyma Zarghami, then-general manager and executive vice president of Nickelodeon, said, "Are we banking on the fact that Fairly OddParents will be the next SpongeBob? ... We are hoping. But SpongeBob is so unique, it's hard to say if it will ever be repeated".[132]
In 2012, however, it was reported that the series' ratings were declining.[134][135] 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. Wall Street Journal business writer John Jannarone suggested that the age of the series and oversaturation of the series might be contributing to the decline of the series' ratings, and might also be directly responsible for the decline in Nickelodeon's overall ratings.[136] Media analyst Todd Juenger directly attributes the decline in Nickelodeon's ratings to the availability of streaming video content on services like Netflix, a provider of on-demand Internet streaming media.[137]
Philippe Dauman, the president and CEO of Viacom, contradicted the notion, saying he did not think "the limited amount of Nick library content on Netflix ... has had a significant impact".[138][139] A Nickelodeon spokesman said SpongeBob is performing consistently well and remains the number one rated animated series in all of children's television.[136] He added, "There is nothing that we have seen that points to SpongeBob as a problem".[136] Dauman blamed the drop on "some ratings systemic issues" at Nielsen, citing extensive set-top-box data that "does in no way reflect" the Nielsen data.[140]
Juenger noted that SpongeBob could affect the ratings of other Nickelodeon programming because children often change channels to find their favorite programs, then stay tuned into that network.[136] 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.[136]
On April 22, 2013, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings announced their intentions not to renew their existing deal with Viacom.[141] Since then, Viacom's deal with Netflix expired, and shows such as SpongeBob and Dora the Explorer were removed.[142] On June 4, 2013, Viacom announced a multi-year licensing agreement which would move its programs, such as SpongeBob and Dora the Explorer, to Amazon.com, Netflix's top competitor.[143][144] Amazon agreed to pay more than $200 million to Viacom for the license, its largest subscription streaming transaction ever.[145][146]
SpongeBob SquarePants is one of the longest-running series on Nickelodeon.[147] It became the Nickelodeon series with the most episodes, during its eighth season, surpassing the 172 episodes of Rugrats with 178.[148] In its ninth season, a total of 26 episodes pushed the series over the 200th episode mark, reaching 204 produced episodes.[149][150][151] In a statement, Brown Johnson, animation president for Nickelodeon, said, "SpongeBob's success in reaching over 200 episodes is a testament to creator Stephen Hillenburg's vision, comedic sensibility and his dynamic, lovable characters. The series now joins the club of contemporary classic Nicktoons that have hit this benchmark, so we're incredibly proud".[152][153]
Ratings for the show now range from 1-2 million ratings.
Critical reception
SpongeBob SquarePants has received generally positive reviews from critics, and it has been noted for its appeal towards different age groups. James Poniewozik of Time magazine described the title character as "the anti-Bart Simpson, temperamentally and physically: his head is as squared-off and neat as Bart's is unruly, and he has a personality to match—conscientious, optimistic and blind to the faults in the world and those around him".[154] According to Laura Fries of Variety magazine, the series is "a thoughtful and inventive cartoon about a hopelessly optimistic and resilient sea sponge ... Devoid of the double entendres rife in today's animated TV shows, this is purely kid's stuff ... However, that's not to say that SpongeBob is simplistic or even juvenile. It's charming and whimsical, but clever enough to appeal to teens and college-aged kids, as well".[155] The New York Times critic Joyce Millman said SpongeBob "is clever without being impenetrable to young viewers and goofy without boring grown-ups to tears. It's the most charming toon on television, and one of the weirdest. And it's also good, clean fun, which makes sense because it is, after all, about a sponge". Millman wrote, "His relentless good cheer would be irritating if he weren't so darned lovable and his world so excellently strange ... Like Pee-wee's Playhouse, SpongeBob joyfully dances on the fine line between childhood and adulthood, guilelessness and camp, the warped and the sweet".[156]
Robert Thompson, a professor of communications and director of the Center for the Study of Popular Television at Syracuse University, told The New York Times, "There is something kind of unique about [SpongeBob]. It seems to be a refreshing breath from the pre-irony era. There's no sense of the elbow-in-rib, tongue-in-cheek aesthetic that so permeates the rest of American culture–including kids' shows like the Rugrats. I think what's subversive about it is it's so incredibly naive–deliberately. Because there's nothing in it that's trying to be hip or cool or anything else, hipness can be grafted onto it".[157] In another interview with LA Times, he commentated on the show's adult audience: "[On one hand] It's a kind of time machine that transports parents back to when they watched TV in their footie [pajamas]. On the other hand, it's very hip in the way it's presented. It is very edgy to adults who know how to read and listen between the frames."[158] In a 2007 interview, Barack Obama named SpongeBob his favorite TV character and admitted that SpongeBob SquarePants is "the show I watch with my daughters".[159][160][161] British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has also said he watches the series with his children.[41]
Awards and accolades
Main article: List of awards and nominations received by SpongeBob SquarePants
SpongeBob SquarePants has received many awards and nominations; among these are two Emmy Awards ("Outstanding Special Class Animated Program" in 2010[162] and "Outstanding Sound Editing – Animation" in 2014);[163] six Annie Awards;[164][165][166][167][168][169] and two BAFTA Children's Awards.[170][171] Television critics Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz included the series in their 2016 book TV as the 22nd greatest American television series of all time, stating that "SpongeBob SquarePants is an absurdist masterpiece that Salvador Dalí and Groucho Marx would have watched together in their smoking jackets".[172][173] In 2006, IGN ranked SpongeBob SquarePants 15th on its list, "Top 25 Animated Series of All Time",[174] and in 2013, it ranked the series 12th on its list, "The Top 25 Animated Series for Adults".[175] Additionally, the website's UK division ran a "Top 100 Animated Series" list, and like its US counterpart, ranked SpongeBob SquarePants 15th.[176]
The series is among the "All-TIME 100 TV Shows" as chosen by Time television critic James Poniewozik in 2007. 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".[177] Viewers of the UK television network Channel 4 voted SpongeBob SquarePants the 28th "Greatest Cartoon" in a 2004 poll.[178][179] TV Guide listed the character of SpongeBob SquarePants at No. 9 for its "50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All Time".[180] In 2013, the publication ranked SpongeBob SquarePants the eighth "Greatest TV Cartoon of All Time".[181] In June 2010, Entertainment Weekly named SpongeBob one of the "100 Greatest Characters of the Last 20 Years".[182]
Legacy
After the Egyptian Revolution of 2011, SpongeBob became a fashion trend at the Tahrir Square (pictured) and led to the creation of a Tumblr project called "SpongeBob on the Nile".
In July 2009, Madame Tussauds wax museum in New York launched a wax sculpture of SpongeBob in celebration of the series' 10th anniversary. This made SpongeBob the first animated character to ever receive a statue made entirely out of wax.[183][184][185][186] In May 2011, a new species of mushroom, Spongiforma squarepantsii, was described, named after the series' title character.[187]
The character has also become a trend in Egypt at Cairo's Tahrir Square.[188] After the Egyptian Revolution of 2011, SpongeBob became a fashion phenomenon, appearing on various items of merchandise from hijabs to boxer shorts.[189][190] 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.[191] Sherief Elkeshta cited the phenomenon in an essay about the incoherent state of politics in Egypt in an independent monthly paper titled Midan Masr. He wrote, "Why isn't he [SpongeBob] at least holding a Molotov cocktail? Or raising a fist?"[192] The phenomenon has even spread to Libya, where a Libyan rebel in SpongeBob dress was photographed celebrating the revolution.[193] Although The Guardian and Vice have asserted that the trend has little to no political significance,[188][189] "joke" presidential campaigns have been undertaken for SpongeBob in Egypt and Syria.[189][191]
A clip was posted to YouTube in February 2013 that features soldiers in the Russian army and navy singing the SpongeBob SquarePants theme song as they march.[194][195] According to the website that uploaded the video, this is one of the "most popular marching songs" in the Russian military.[194] The video garnered nearly 50,000 views within its first week.[195]
Criticism
Controversies
James Dobson, who accused a promotional video featuring SpongeBob SquarePants of promoting homosexuality due to a pro-tolerance group's sponsoring the video
In 2005, an online video which showed clips from SpongeBob SquarePants and other children's shows set to the Sister Sledge song "We Are Family" to promote diversity and tolerance was attacked by an evangelical group in the United States, because they saw SpongeBob being used to "advocate homosexuality".[196][197] James Dobson of Focus on the Family accused the video of promoting homosexuality, due to it being sponsored by a pro-tolerance group.[197] The incident accentuated questions as to whether or not SpongeBob is gay. Although the character has enjoyed popularity with gay viewers, series creator Stephen Hillenburg had already denied the issue three years earlier, clarifying at the time that he considers the character to be "somewhat asexual".[198] After Dobson's comments, Hillenburg reasserted his position, stating that sexual preference does not play a part in what they are "trying to do" with the series.[199][200] Tom Kenny and other production members were distraught that such an issue had arisen.[30]
Dobson later stated 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 rather with the organization that sponsored the video, the We Are Family Foundation. Dobson said that the We Are Family Foundation posted pro-gay material on their website, but later removed it.[201] 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".[202]
Jeffery P. Dennis, author of the journal article "Queertoons", 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".[203] Martin Goodman of Animation World Magazine described Dennis' comments regarding SpongeBob and Patrick as "interesting".[204][a] Ukrainian website Family Under the Protection of the Holy Virgin, which has been described as a "fringe Catholic" group by The Wall Street Journal, levied criticism against SpongeBob SquarePants for its alleged "promotion of homosexuality".[206] The group sought to have the series banned, along with several other popular children's properties. The National Expert Commission of Ukraine on the Protection of Public Morality took up the matter for review in August 2012.[206]
In April 2009, Burger King released a SpongeBob-themed advertisement featuring a parody of Sir Mix-a-Lot's song "Baby Got Back". The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood protested the ad for being sexist and inappropriately sexual, especially contemplating that SpongeBob's fan base includes young children.[207][208][209][210][211] In official statements released by Burger King and Nickelodeon, both companies claimed that the campaign was aimed at parents.[210][211]
"The children who watched the cartoon were operating at half the capacity compared to other children."
— Angeline S. Lillard, University of Virginia[212]
A 2011 study conducted at the University of Virginia and published in the journal Pediatrics suggested that allowing preschool-aged audiences to watch the series caused short-term disruptions in mental function and attention span due to frequent shot changes.[213][214] A Nickelodeon executive responded in an interview that the series 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".[215][216]
Several episodes of the series have been subject to controversy as well. In a report titled Wolves in Sheep's Clothing, which documents the increase in potentially violent, profane, and sexual content in children's programming, the Parents Television Council, a watchdog media group, claimed the season 2 SpongeBob SquarePants episode "Sailor Mouth" was an implicit attempt to promote and satirize use of profanity among children,[217] while "SpongeBob's Last Stand" and "Selling Out" have been accused of promoting environmentalism and left-wing politics due to their negative portrayal of big business.[218] "SpongeBob, You're Fired", a 2013 season 9 episode, gained heavy controversy and sparked a political debate over its portrayal of unemployment;[218] after Fox News and the New York Post commented on the episode, Media Matters for America accused the two organizations of using the episode to "attack the social safety net".[219] This statement was echoed by Al Sharpton, who claimed conservatives' "new hero" to be "a sponge who lives in a pineapple under the sea".[220]
Declining quality
Critics' reviews of early SpongeBob episodes praised the show for its wit and clever humor.[attribution needed][221] Paul Tibbitt, showrunner from season four to the season 9 episode, "SpongeBob, You're Fired!" has been the subject of criticism.[222] When Stephen Hillenburg resigned as showrunner, Tibbitt was appointed to replace him. Episodes produced since the film have been variously categorized as "kid-pandering attention-waster[s]",[223] "tedious",[224] "boring" and "dreck",[225] a "depressing plateau of mediocrity",[226] and "laugh-skimpy".[227]
Other media
Further information: List of SpongeBob SquarePants merchandise
Home video
SpongeBob SquarePants DVD releases
Season
DVD release date
Region 1
Region 2
Region 4
1
October 28, 2003[228] November 7, 2005[229] November 30, 2006[230]
2
October 19, 2004[231] October 23, 2006[232] November 30, 2006[233]
3
September 27, 2005[234] December 3, 2007[235] November 8, 2007[236]
4
September 12, 2006[237] November 3, 2008[238] November 7, 2008[239]
January 9, 2007[240]
5
September 4, 2007[241] November 16, 2009[242] December 3, 2009[243]
November 18, 2008[244]
6
December 8, 2009[245] November 29, 2010[246] December 2, 2010[247]
December 7, 2010[248][249]
7
December 6, 2011[250] September 17, 2012[251] September 12, 2012[252]
8
March 12, 2013[253] October 28, 2013[254] October 30, 2013[255]
9
October 10, 2017[256] TBA TBA
10[257]
TBA TBA TBA
Comic books
In February 2011, creator Hillenburg first announced the release of the 32-page bimonthly comic book series, SpongeBob Comics, based on the show.[258][259] The release marked the first time Hillenburg authored his own books. He said, "I'm hoping that fans will enjoy finally having a SpongeBob comic book from me".[258][259] The comic book series is published by Hillenburg's production company, United Plankton Pictures, and distributed by Bongo Comics Group.[258][259] Although the characters of the series had previously appeared in Nickelodeon Magazine and in Cine-Manga, the first issue of SpongeBob Comics marked the first time the characters have appeared in their own comic books in the United States.[258][259] Hillenburg described the stories from the comic books as "original and always true to the humor, characters, and universe of the SpongeBob SquarePants series".[258][259]
Chris Duffy, the former senior editor of Nickelodeon Magazine, serves as managing editor of SpongeBob Comics.[258][259] Hillenburg and Duffy met with various cartoonists—including James Kochalka, Hilary Barta, Graham Annable, Gregg Schigiel, and Jacob Chabot—to contribute to each issues.[258][259] Retired horror comics writer and artist Stephen R. Bissette returned to write a special Halloween issue in 2012, with Tony Millionaire and Al Jaffee.[260] In an interview with Tom Spurgeon, Bissette said, "I've even broken my retirement to do one work-for-hire gig [for SpongeBob Comics] so I could share everything about that kind of current job".[261]
In the United Kingdom, Titan Magazines publishes comics based on SpongeBob SquarePants every four weeks. These comics were first published on February 3, 2005.[262] Titan Magazines teamed-up with Lego to release a limited edition SpongeBob-themed comic.[263]
Films
Main article: SpongeBob SquarePants (film series)
Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies produced The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, an animated film adaptation of the series that was released on November 19, 2004.[264] The film was directed by 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.[265][266][267] The film is about Plankton's evil plan to steal King Neptune's crown and send it to Shell City. 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 features guest appearances by Jeffrey Tambor as King Neptune, Scarlett Johansson as the King's daughter Mindy, Alec Baldwin as Dennis, and David Hasselhoff as himself.[268] It received positive critical reception,[269][270] and grossed over $140 million worldwide.[271]
Two television films were released. The two television films are SpongeBob's Atlantis SquarePantis released in 2007 and SpongeBob's Truth or Square released in 2009.
A sequel to the 2004 film was released in theaters on February 6, 2015.[272] The series' main cast members are reprise their roles,[273] and the underwater parts are traditionally animated in the manner of the series and the live-action parts uses CGI animation with the SpongeBob characters.[274][275] The film has a budget similar to the previous film and did not cost more than $100 million to produce.[276][277][278]
On April 30, 2015, Viacom announced a third film was in development.[279] On August 3, 2015, via Twitter, Vincent Waller confirmed that the sequel is in pre-production and that Paul Tibbitt will once again direct.[280]
Music
Collections of original music featured in the series have been released on the albums SpongeBob SquarePants: Original Theme Highlights (2001), SpongeBob's Greatest Hits (2009), and The Yellow Album (2005). The first two charted on the US Billboard 200, reaching number 171 and 122, respectively.[281][282] Several songs have been recorded with the purpose of a single or album release, and have not been featured on the show. For example, the song "My Tidy Whities" written by Tom Kenny and Andy Paley was released only for the album The Best Day Ever (2006). Kenny's inspiration for the song was "underwear humor".[283] Kenny said, "Underwear humor is always a surefire laugh-getter with kids ... Just seeing a character that odd wearing really prosaic, normal, Kmart, three-to-a-pack underwear is a funny drawing ... We thought it was funny to make a really lush, beautiful love song to his underwear".[283] The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie – Music from the Movie and More..., a soundtrack album featuring the score of The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, was released along with the feature-length film in November 2004. Various artists including the Flaming Lips,[284] Wilco,[285] Ween,[286] Motörhead,[287] the Shins,[288] and Avril Lavigne[289] contributed to the soundtrack that reached number 76 on the US Billboard 200.[290]
Theme park 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 film and ride opened in various locations, including Six Flags Over Texas, Flamingo Land Resort, and the Shedd Aquarium.[291] 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.[292] The attraction opened in early 2013 at the Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration.[293] The attraction was also released at the Nickelodeon Suites Resort Orlando in Orlando, Florida.[294][295][296] The seven-minute film follows SpongeBob, Patrick and Sandy to their old hijinks while rescuing the jellyfish of Jellyfish Fields from Plankton's evil clutches.[293]
SpongeBob SquarePants 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, which opened March 15, 2008.[297][298]
On May 23, 2015, an interactive 3D show titled "SpongeBob SubPants Adventure" opened in Texas at Moody Gardens. According to Moody Gardens President and CEO John Zendt, "Visitors will be able to interact with the Nickelodeon characters on a digital stage as they have never been able to do before."[299][300][301]
Video games
Numerous video games based on the series have been produced. Some of the early games include Legend of the Lost Spatula (2001)[302] and SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom (2003).[303] The 2003 video game was added to the Greatest Hits by Sony.[304][305] It also served as the engine basis for a video game based on The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. Heavy Iron Studios, the game's developers, tweaked the graphics to give the game a sharper and more imaginative look than that of Battle for Bikini Bottom. They also increased the polygon count, added several racing levels, and incorporated many of the creatures seen in the film.[306] In 2013, Nickelodeon published and distributed SpongeBob Moves In!, a freemium city-building game app developed by Kung Fu Factory for iOS.[307][308][309][310]
SpongeBob SquareShorts
Nickelodeon launched the first global SpongeBob SquarePants-themed short film competition, SpongeBob SquareShorts: Original Fan Tributes, in 2013.[311][312] The contest encourages 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.[313][314] On July 19, 2013, Nickelodeon announced the finalists for the competition,[315][316][317] and, on August 13, 2013, the "under 18 years of age" category was won by David of the United States for his "The Krabby Commercial", while the "Finally Home" short by Nicole of South Africa won the "18 and over" category.[318]
Amazon Echo
The SpongeBob Challenge can be played on Amazon Echo.[319]
Merchandise
Further information: List of SpongeBob SquarePants merchandise
The popularity of SpongeBob SquarePants inspired merchandise from T-shirts to posters.[57] It was reported that the franchise generated an estimated $8 billion merchandising revenue for Nickelodeon.[320] It is also the most distributed property of MTV Networks.[286] SpongeBob is viewed in 170 countries speaking 24 languages, and has also become "a killer merchandising app".[321] The title character and his friends have been used as a theme for special editions of well-known family board games, including Monopoly,[322] Life,[323] and Operation,[324] as well as a SpongeBob SquarePants edition of Ants in the Pants,[325] and Yahtzee.[326]
In 2001, SpongeBob SquarePants signed a marketing deal with Target Corporation and Burger King, expanding its merchandising.[127] The popularity of SpongeBob has 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.[327] SpongeBob has gained popularity in Japan, specifically with Japanese women. Nickelodeon's parent company Viacom purposefully targeted marketing at women in the country. Skeptics initially doubted that SpongeBob could be popular in Japan, as the character's design is very different from already popular designs for Hello Kitty and Pikachu.[328] Ratings and merchandise sales showed SpongeBob SquarePants has caught on with parents and with college audiences.[329] In a recent promotion, college-oriented website Music.com gave away 80,000 SpongeBob T-shirts, four times more than during a similar promotion for Comedy Central's South Park.[329]
Kids' meal tie-ins have been released in snacks and fast food restaurants in many 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.[330] In Australia, the advertisement for the McDonald's SpongeBob Happy Meal won the Pester Power Award because the ads are entice young children to want its food because of the free toy.[331] 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.[332] Pirate's Booty released limited edition SpongeBob SquarePants Pirate's Booty snacks in 2013.[333][334]
In 2007, high-end SpongeBob-themed electronics have been introduced by Imation Electronics Products under the Npower brand, including MP3 players, digital cameras, a DVD player, and a flatscreen television.[335] Pictures of SpongeBob SquarePants also began 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 encourage kids to eat their vegetables.[336] The Simmons Jewelry Co. released a $75,000 diamond pendant as part of a SpongeBob collection.[185][337] 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.[338] NZ Drinks launched the SpongeBob SquarePants bottled water.[339]
Build-A-Bear Workshop introduced the new SpongeBob SqaurePants collection in stores and online in North America on May 17, 2013.[340][341][342] 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.[343] Build-A-Bear Workshop stores nationwide celebrated the arrival of SpongeBob with a series of special events from May 17 through May 19.[344]
On July 13, 2013, Toyota, with Nickelodeon, unveiled a SpongeBob-inspired Toyota Highlander.[345] The 2014 Toyota Highlander was launched on SpongeBob Day at the San Diego's Giants v. Padres game.[346][347][348] The SpongeBob Toyota Highlander visited seven U.S. locations during its release, including the Nickelodeon Suites Resort Orlando in Florida.[349]
Footnotes
Jump up ^ Jeffery's comments were also published by the Journal of Popular Film & Television in an article called "The Same Thing We Do Every Night: Signifying Same-Sex Desire in Television Cartoons".[205] This is the article that is referred to by Goodman.
References
Jump up ^ Erickson, Hal. "SpongeBob SquarePants [Animated TV Series]". Rovi Corporation. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
Jump up ^ Gillette, Felix (January 29, 2015). "SpongeBob Muscles Up". Bloomberg L.P.
Jump up ^ "Casetext". Retrieved October 11, 2016.
Jump up ^ Writers: Luke Brookshier, Tom King, Dani Michaeli (October 6, 2006). "Squidtastic Voyage". SpongeBob SquarePants. Season 4. Episode 75a. Nickelodeon.
^ Jump up to: a b c d Brown, Arthur (2008). Everything I Need to Know, I Learned from Cartoons!. USA: Arthur Brown. p. 85. ISBN 1-4357-3248-0.
Jump up ^ Writers: Sherm Cohen, Vincent Waller, David Fain (March 22, 2000). "Texas". SpongeBob SquarePants. Season 1. Episode 18a. Nickelodeon.
Jump up ^ Writers: Luke Brookshier, Tom King, Steven Banks (May 5, 2006). "Chimps Ahoy". SpongeBob SquarePants. Season 4. Episode 70b. Nickelodeon.
Jump up ^ Writers: Aaron Springer, Erik Wiese, Merriwether Williams (December 31, 1999). "Karate Choppers". SpongeBob SquarePants. Season 1. Episode 14b. Nickelodeon.
Jump up ^ Beck 2013, p. 84.
Jump up ^ Writers: Aaron Springer, Richard Pursel (March 19, 2009). "Komputer Overload". SpongeBob SquarePants. Season 6. Episode 118b. Nickelodeon.
Jump up ^ Writers: Aaron Springer, C. H. Greenblatt, Kent Osborne (May 10, 2002). "Krusty Krab Training Video". SpongeBob SquarePants. Season 3. Episode 50b. Nickelodeon.
Jump up ^ Sichtermann, Barbara (December 4, 2008). "SpongeBob: Das Kind im Schwamme". Der Tagesspiegel. Dieter von Holtzbrinck.
Jump up ^ Bianco, Robert (March 21, 2003). "Critic's corner". USA Today. p. 12E.
Jump up ^ "THE HYPE SOAKING IT UP' SPONGEBOB' ACTOR LOVES THE ATTENTION". Daily News. Los Angeles, CA. March 8, 2001. Retrieved October 30, 2013. – via HighBeam (subscription required)
Jump up ^ QSR Staff (June 7, 2001). "Burger King SpongeBob SquarePants". QSR Magazone. Archived from the original on October 21, 2007. Retrieved August 19, 2010.
Jump up ^ Bradley, Bill (February 10, 2015). "SpongeBob SquarePants Answers 7 Big Questions And Debunks 1 Popular Theory". The Huffington Post. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i Pittenger, Kenny (2010). "The Oral History of SpongeBob SquarePants". Hogan's Alley #17. Bull Moose Publishing Corporation. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
^ Jump up to: a b "Welcome to the Ocean Institute". ocean-institute.org. Retrieved December 24, 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j Wilson, Thomas F.(Interviewer); Hillenburg, Stephen (Interviewee) (May 29, 2012). "Big Pop Fun #28: Stephen Hillenburg, Artist and Animator–Interview" (mp3) (Podcast). Nerdist Industries. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b Banks 2004, p. 9.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k Hillenburg, Stephen; Murray, Joe; Drymon, Derek; Coleman, Eric; Hecht, Albie (2003). The Origin of SpongeBob SquarePants. SpongeBob SquarePants: The Complete First Season (DVD). Paramount Home Entertainment.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h (Neuwirth 2003, p. 50–51)
Jump up ^ Joe Murray. "Lisa (Kiczuk) Trainor interviews Joe Murray, creator of Rocko's Modern Life". The Rocko's Modern Life FAQ (Interview). Interview with Lisa Kiczuk Trainor.
Jump up ^ Banks 2004, p. 10.
^ Jump up to: a b c Banks 2004, p. 31.
^ Jump up to: a b c Banks 2004, p. 30.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Drymon, Derek (2010). "The Oral History of SpongeBob SquarePants". Hogan's Alley #17. Bull Moose Publishing Corporation. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j Kenny, Tom (2010). "The Oral History of SpongeBob SquarePants". Hogan's Alley #17. Bull Moose Publishing Corporation. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
Jump up ^ Orlando, Dana (March 17, 2003). "SpongeBob: the excitable, absorbent star of Bikini Bottom". St Petersburg Times. Retrieved November 8, 2008.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Farhat, Basima (Interviewer) (December 5, 2006). Tom Kenny: Voice of SpongeBob SquarePants – Interview (Radio production). The People Speak Radio. Archived from the original (mp3) on July 24, 2011. Retrieved November 8, 2008.
^ Jump up to: a b c d Heintjes, Tom (September 21, 2012). "The Oral History of SpongeBob SquarePants". Hogan's Alley. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
Jump up ^ Neuwirth 2003, p. 51.
Jump up ^ O'Hare, Mark (2010). "The Oral History of SpongeBob SquarePants". Hogan's Alley #17. Bull Moose Publishing Corporation. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
Jump up ^ Coleman, Eric (2010). "The Oral History of SpongeBob SquarePants". Hogan's Alley #17. Bull Moose Publishing Corporation. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
Jump up ^ Writers: Stephen Hillenburg, Derek Drymon, Tim Hill (May 1, 1999). "Help Wanted". SpongeBob SquarePants. Season 1. Episode 1a. Nickelodeon.
Jump up ^ Writers: Stephen Hillenburg, Derek Drymon, Tim Hill (May 1, 1999). "Reef Blower". SpongeBob SquarePants. Season 1. Episode 1b. Nickelodeon.
Jump up ^ Writers: Ennio Torresan, Erik Wiese, Stephen Hillenburg, Derek Drymon, and Tim Hill (July 17, 1999). "Bubble Stand". SpongeBob SquarePants. Season 1. Episode 2a. Nickelodeon.
Jump up ^ Writers: Steve Fonti, Chris Mitchell, Peter Burns, and Tim Hill (July 31, 1999). "Jellyfishing". SpongeBob SquarePants. Season 1. Episode 3a. Nickelodeon.
Jump up ^ "Tim Hill biography". tribute.ca. Tribute. Retrieved July 2, 2017.
Jump up ^ "About - Our Artists - Tim Hill". Skylight Theatre Company. Retrieved July 2, 2017.
^ Jump up to: a b c d Bauder, David (July 13, 2009). "SpongeBob Turns 10 Valued At $8 Billion". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on February 8, 2016. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j Cavna, Michael (July 14, 2009). "The Interview: 'SpongeBob' Creator Stephen Hillenburg". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Nickelodeon's 'SpongeBob SquarePants' Reaches A Milestone: 10 Years". Access Hollywood. July 13, 2009. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
Jump up ^ Henderson, Sam (2010). "The Oral History of SpongeBob SquarePants". Hogan's Alley #17. Bull Moose Publishing Corporation. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e Fletcher, Alex (April 3, 2011). "Paul Tibbitt ('SpongeBob SquarePants')". Digital Spy. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
Jump up ^ Hillenburg, Stephen (2009). The First 100 Episodes — Square Roots: The Story of SpongeBob SquarePants (DVD). Paramount Home Entertainment.
Jump up ^ Rae, Fiona (September 26, 2009). "Paul Tibbitt interview". New Zealand Listener. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
Jump up ^ Amid Amidi (December 13, 2014). "'SpongeBob' Creator Stephen Hillenburg Returning to His Show". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f "Interview with Luke Brookshier, SpongeBob SquarePants Storyboard Director". 4Mations. September 23, 2009. Archived from the original on March 23, 2012. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
Jump up ^ Zahed, Ramin (July 24, 2009). "Bikini Bottom Confessions". Animation. Retrieved May 28, 2013.
Jump up ^ Wiese, Erik (2010). "The Oral History of SpongeBob SquarePants". Hogan's Alley #17. Bull Moose Publishing Corporation. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
^ Jump up to: a b Williams, Merriwether (2010). "The Oral History of SpongeBob SquarePants". Hogan's Alley#17. Bull Moose Publishing Corporation. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
Jump up ^ "Vincent Waller on Twitter". Retrieved October 11, 2016.
Jump up ^ "Vincent Waller on Twitter". Retrieved October 11, 2016.
Jump up ^ Orlando, Dana (March 17, 2003). "SpongeBob: the excitable, absorbent star of Bikini Bottom". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved November 8, 2008.
Jump up ^ "SpongeBob's Alter Ego". CBS News. December 30, 2002. Retrieved November 8, 2008.
^ Jump up to: a b Crump, Steve (March 19, 2009). "COLUMN: Do you remember Bill Fagerbakke? He's a star". Magic Valley. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b Liu, Ed (November 11, 2013). "Being Patrick Star: Toonzone Interviews Bill Fagerbakke on SpongeBob SquarePants". Toon Zone. Archived from the original on December 19, 2013. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
Jump up ^ Douglas, Patrick (January 14, 2008). ""Transformers:Animated"/"Spongebob Squarepants"/"Coach" – Bill Fagerbakke (2008)". The Culture Shock. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
Jump up ^ Banks 2004, p. 33.
^ Jump up to: a b Reardon, Samantha (September 8, 2013). "Rodger Bumpass is Squidward Tentacles". The Signal. Archived from the original on March 28, 2014. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
Jump up ^ "What a Sponge!" (PDF). The Mini Page. Andrews McMeel Universal. July 12, 2015.
^ Jump up to: a b Beck 2013, pp. 86–88.
^ Jump up to: a b c d Lawrence, Doug (April 2012). "Big Pop Fun #22: Mr. Lawrence" (Podcast). Interview with Thomas F. Wilson. Nerdist Industries. Archived from the original (mp3) on March 29, 2014.
Jump up ^ "Jill Talley: Credits". TV Guide. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b Basile, Nancy (January 30, 2016). "'SpongeBob SquarePants' Cast: Who Does What Voice?". About.com.
Jump up ^ Lawrence, Doug (2002). F.U.N. backstage featurette, Nautical Nonsense (DVD). Paramount Home Entertainment.
Jump up ^ Lawrence, Doug (2009). "Andy interviews Mr Lawrence aka "the Slasher"". Nick NZ (Interview). Interview with Andy Goodman. Archived from the original on June 11, 2010.
Jump up ^ "Carolyn Lawrence Exclusive Interview". The Star Scoop. September 17, 2009. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
Jump up ^ "REFANB Interview: Carolyn Lawrence, A.K.A. Ashley Graham". Resident Evil Fan. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Mary Jo Catlett: Credits". TV Guide. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
Jump up ^ Pressley, Nelson (March 8, 2013). "Remember the time when Washington saved 'Hello, Dolly!'?". The Washington Post. Jeff Bezos.
Jump up ^ "Lori Alan: Credits". TV Guide. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
Jump up ^ Alan, Lori; Bumpass, Rodger (September 3, 2016), SpongeBob panel discussion at Dragon Con 2016, part 2: Rodger Bumpass and Lori Alan
Jump up ^ Alan, Lori (November 2015). "Lori Alan Interview". AfterBuzz TV (Interview). Interview with Kaori Takee.
Jump up ^ Lloyd, Robert (July 9, 2012). "Ernest Borgnine: From Marty to McHale to Mermaid Man". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 2, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Tim Conway: Credits". TV Guide. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Brian Doyle-Murray: Credits". TV Guide. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Marion Ross: Credits". TV Guide. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
Jump up ^ "David Bowie goes out to sea for 'SpongeBob'". USA Today. October 11, 2006. Retrieved May 27, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Bowie voices SpongeBob character". BBC. October 11, 2006. Retrieved May 27, 2013.
Jump up ^ Moody, Annemarie (April 1, 2009). "Johnny Depp Teaches SpongeBob to Hang Ten in New TV Special". Animation World Network. Retrieved May 28, 2013.
Jump up ^ Thomas, Devon (June 17, 2010). "Victoria Beckham Lends Her Voice to "SpongeBob"". CBS News. Archived from the original on November 12, 2013. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Victoria Beckham to star in a new episode of SpongeBob SquarePants". Daily Mirror. July 15, 2010. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
Jump up ^ Lender, Jay (2010). "The Oral History of SpongeBob SquarePants". Hogan's Alley #17. Bull Moose Publishing Corporation. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
^ Jump up to: a b c d Hammond, Jennie Monica (2010). "The Oral History of SpongeBob SquarePants". Hogan's Alley #17. Bull Moose Publishing Corporation. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
Jump up ^ Vincent Waller (July 14, 2015). "Vincent Waller on Twitter".
Jump up ^ Richmond, Ray (January 15, 2004). "Special Report: Animation". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 10, 2008. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
Jump up ^ Tibbitt, Paul (December 9, 2013). "paultibbitt: @gozarfan chars r updated every ...". Twitter. Archived from the original on December 15, 2013. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b Hill, Jim (November 23, 2012). "New SpongeBob SquarePants Song Urges Shoppers Not to Be Jerks This Holiday Season". The Huffington Post. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
Jump up ^ Zahed, Ramin (November 21, 2012). "Stop Motion Casts a Spell on SpongeBob". Animation. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
Jump up ^ Priebe 2011, pp. 61–66.
^ Jump up to: a b Sarto, Dan (December 5, 2012). "A Stop-Motion SpongeBob Special Means Christmas Comes Early This Year". Animation World Network. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
Jump up ^ Etkin, Jaimie (June 14, 2012). "'SpongeBob SquarePants' Christmas Special: Stop-Motion 'It's A SpongeBob Christmas' With John Goodman". The Huffington Post. Retrieved December 14, 2012.
Jump up ^ "Nickelodeon Debuts First Full-Length Stop-Motion Special, It's A SpongeBob Christmas!, Dec. 9, At 7:30 p.m. (ET/PT)". PR Newswire. October 31, 2012. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
Jump up ^ Beck, Jerry (November 6, 2012). "It's A SpongeBob Stop-Mo Christmas". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
Jump up ^ Staff (2013). "40th Annual Annie Awards Winners". Annie Award. ASIFA-Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 3, 2014. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
Jump up ^ Giardina, Carolyn (January 17, 2013). "Sound Editors Announce Golden Reel Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
Jump up ^ "TV series Official Selection". Annecy International Animated Film Festival. Archived from the original on April 1, 2013. Retrieved December 31, 2013.
Jump up ^ Taylor, Drew (February 5, 2015). "Review: Off-The-Wall And Trippy Sequel 'The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out Of Water'". IndieWire. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
Jump up ^ "Nickelodeon Poland Sitemap". Nickelodeon Poland. Viacom International, Inc. Archived from the original on April 13, 2017.
Jump up ^ Prapuolenis, Kaz (April 6, 2017). "Kaz Prapuolenis on Instagram". Retrieved April 13, 2017.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e Carr, Nicolas (2010). "The Oral History of SpongeBob SquarePants". Hogan's Alley #17. Bull Moose Publishing Corporation. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
Jump up ^ "SpongeBob SquarePants Theme". AllMusic. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
Jump up ^ Mar, Alex (October 1, 2004). "Avril Sings "SpongeBob"". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Avril Lavigne on SpongeBob SquarePants". Ultimate-Guitar. October 1, 2004. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
Jump up ^ Barker, Rayanna (June 22, 2001). "A Conversation With Brian Ritchie". Rock Zone. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b Cavna, Michael (July 14, 2009). "Absorbent And Yellow And Beloved At 10 Is He". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e "Nickelodeon Taps Patrick Creadon and Christine O'Malley to Produce First-Ever SpongeBob...". Reuters. January 19, 2009. Archived from the original on August 25, 2014. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b Goldman, Eric (January 9, 2009). "SpongeBob SquarePants Meets Johnny Depp – TV News at IGN". Tv.ign.com. Retrieved September 14, 2010.
Jump up ^ Annemarie Moody (April 1, 2009). "Johnny Depp Teaches SpongeBob to Hang Ten in New TV Special". Animation World Network. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
^ Jump up to: a b Bubbeo, Daniel (July 13, 2009). "'SpongeBob SquarePants' celebrates 10 years of nautical nonsense". Pop Matters. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
Jump up ^ "'SpongeBob' documentary on its way". United Press International. January 19, 2009. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Nickelodeon Celebrates 10 Years of Pop Culture Icon SpongeBob SquarePants". PR Newswire. June 24, 2009. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Ultimate SpongeBob SpongeBash Weekend – Raving Toy Maniac – The Latest News and Pictures from the World of Toys". Toymania.com. June 24, 2009. Retrieved September 14, 2010.
Jump up ^ David Lambert (April 21, 2009). "SpongeBob SquarePants — To SquarePants or Not to SquarePants Debuts in July's 100-ep Marathon, Then on DVD". tvshowsondvd.com. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
^ Jump up to: a b Lambert, David (April 28, 2009). "SpongeBob SquarePants – 'First 100 Episodes' 5-Season DVD Set Arrives with New Extras this Autumn". TV Shows on DVD. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
Jump up ^ "SpongeBob SquarePants — The First 100 Episodes (Seasons 1–5)". TV Shows on DVD. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
Jump up ^ Shaffer, R.L. (September 21, 2009). "SpongeBob SquarePants: The First 100 Episodes DVD Review". IGN. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
Jump up ^ Zahed, Ramid (July 24, 2009). "Soaking in Festivities". Animation. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Ricky Gervais, Will Ferrell and Robin Williams pay tribute to SpongeBob SquarePants". Mirror. July 1, 2009. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
Jump up ^ Maclntyre, April (October 14, 2009). "SpongeBob SquarePants Truth or Square, Friday Nov. 6". Monsters and Critics. Archived from the original on November 12, 2013. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
Jump up ^ David Lambert (August 11, 2009). "SpongeBob SquarePants — Truth or Square Officially Announced: Package Art, Extras & More!". tvshowsondvd.com. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
Jump up ^ "Nicklodeon.(rating of Nickelodeon's cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)". Multichannel News. August 23, 1999. Retrieved April 2, 2015. – via HighBeam (subscription required)
Jump up ^ "Number 101". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
Jump up ^ "NICK RETAINS SATURDAY CROWN". Broadcasting &Cable. June 18, 2001. Retrieved October 30, 2013. – via HighBeam (subscription required)
^ Jump up to: a b c "THE STRETCH". Rocky Mountain News. Denver, CO. September 15, 2001. Retrieved October 30, 2013. – via HighBeam (subscription required)
Jump up ^ Frazier Moore (July 9, 2001). "SPONGE SOAKS UP LAUGHS ON TV.(LIVING)". The Cincinnati Post. Retrieved April 4, 2015. – via HighBeam (subscription required)
^ Jump up to: a b Wilson, Amy (February 12, 2002). "Stephen Hillenburg created the undersea world of SpongeBob.(The Orange County Register)". Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service. Retrieved June 30, 2015. – via HighBeam (subscription required)
Jump up ^ Stauffer, Cindy (May 17, 2002). "Grown-ups embrace a wacky, square sponge; There's just something about this sweet kids' cartoon that's attracting an adult audience. Local fans can't get enough of SpongeBob". Lancaster New Era. Retrieved October 31, 2013. – via HighBeam (subscription required)
Jump up ^ Moore, Frazier (October 21, 2002). "'SpongeBob' rises from sea to peak of ratings: Nickelodeon show top-rated among kids aged 2 to 11". Charleston Daily Mail. Retrieved December 7, 2013. – via HighBeam (subscription required)
^ Jump up to: a b c d Ryan, Suzanne C. (August 14, 2003). "'ODDPARENTS' IS SOAKING UP POPULARITY OF 'SPONGEBOB'". The Boston Globe. Retrieved December 7, 2013. – via HighBeam (subscription required)
Jump up ^ Oei, Lily (October 28, 2002). "'Fairly Odd' number puts 'SpongeBob' in second". Daily Variety. Retrieved December 7, 2013. – via HighBeam (subscription required)
Jump up ^ "Sorry, SpongeBob: Disney Channel Knocks Nick From Top Ratings Perch". The Wrap. March 28, 2012. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
Jump up ^ Lieberman, David (November 29, 2011). "Nickelodeon's Ratings Decline Is No "Blip"; Is Viacom Or Nielsen To Blame?". Deadline.com. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e Jannarone, John (May 2, 2012). "Viacom's SpongeBob Crisis". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
Jump up ^ Gardner, Eriq (June 12, 2012). "Analyst: Nickelodeon Might Be in Danger of Being Dropped by Some TV Distributors". HollywoodReporter.com. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
Jump up ^ Szalai, Georg (May 3, 2013). "Viacom CEO Defends Nickelodeon's Netflix Deal Again". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
Jump up ^ Szalai, Georg (February 2, 2013). "Viacom CEO: Netflix Content Is Not Hurting Nickelodeon Ratings". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
Jump up ^ Szalai, Georg (February 2, 2012). "Viacom CEO: Netflix Content Is Not Hurting Nickelodeon Ratings". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
Jump up ^ Wallenstein, Andrew (April 22, 2013). "Viacom and Netflix to Scale Down SVOD Deal". Variety. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
Jump up ^ Roettgers, Janko (May 23, 2013). "Adios, Dora: Netflix is starting to take Viacom shows offline". paidContent. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Dora, SpongeBob Swap Sides in Fickle Web-Video World". The Wall Street Journal. June 4, 2013. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
Jump up ^ Moscariloto, Angela (June 4, 2013). "Amazon Inks Streaming Deal for Viacom Shows Like Dora, SpongeBob". PCMag.com. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
Jump up ^ Barr, Alistair (June 4, 2013). "Amazon writes biggest streaming video check for Dora, SpongeBob". Denver Post. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Amazon swipes SpongeBob from Netflix in most expensive deal yet". Mercury News. June 4, 2013. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
Jump up ^ Huff, Richard (December 14, 2009). "'SpongeBob SquarePants' one of Nickelodeon's longest-running shows after nearly a decade". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on January 21, 2013. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
Jump up ^ "5 of the best". Sunday Tribune. January 15, 2011. Retrieved November 8, 2013. – via HighBeam (subscription required)
Jump up ^ Labrecque, Jeff (January 3, 2011). "'SpongeBob SquarePants' buckles up for ninth season". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 8, 2013.
Jump up ^ Kit, Zorianna (January 3, 2011). ""SpongeBob SquarePants" renewed for ninth season". Reuters. Retrieved November 8, 2013.
Jump up ^ Levine, Stuart (January 4, 2011). "'SpongeBob' receives ninth season pickup". Variety. Retrieved November 8, 2013.
Jump up ^ Bryant, Adam (January 3, 2011). "SpongeBob SquarePants Renewed for Ninth Season". TV Guide. Retrieved November 8, 2013.
Jump up ^ Ng, Philiana (January 3, 2011). "Nickelodeon's 'SpongeBob SquarePants' Renewed for Ninth Season". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 8, 2013. (subscription required)
Jump up ^ Poniewozik, James (December 9, 2011). "Soaking Up Attention". Time. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
Jump up ^ Fries, Laura (July 14, 1999). "Review: 'SpongeBob SquarePants'". Variety. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
Jump up ^ Millman, Joyce (July 8, 2001). "TELEVISION/RADIO; The Gentle World Of a Joyful Sponge". The New York Times. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
Jump up ^ Zeller, Tom Jr. (July 21, 2002). "How to Succeed Without Attitude". The New York Times. Retrieved December 27, 2013. CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
Jump up ^ Levine, Bettijane (April 7, 2002). "Adults Find Their Inner Sponge". LA Times. Archived from the original on March 2, 2003. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
Jump up ^ Eng, Joyce (August 8, 2009). "What's on Obama's Must-See TV List?". TV Guide. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
Jump up ^ "From Bikini Bottom to pop icon; SpongeBob turns 10". Reuters. July 14, 2009. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Barack Obama Is A SpongeBob Fan". Media Bistro. November 26, 2007. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
Jump up ^ "The 37th ANNUAL DAYTIME ENTERTAINMENT EMMY® AWARD NOMINATIONS" (PDF). Emmy Award. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 12, 2013. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Winners of the 41st Annual Daytime Entertainment Creative Arts Emmy® Awards" (PDF). Emmy Award. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 5, 2014. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
Jump up ^ "32nd Annual Annie Award Nominees and Winners (2004)". Annie Award. Archived from the original on May 9, 2008. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
Jump up ^ "37th Annual Annie Nominations". Annie Award. Archived from the original on January 24, 2010. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
Jump up ^ Spring, Mike. "Annie Awards Winners Announced". Voice Coaches. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
Jump up ^ "38th Annual Annie Nominations". Annie Award. Archived from the original on September 6, 2011. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Annie Award Nominations — A Real Race For Once". TheFilmExperience.net. December 4, 2012. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
Jump up ^ "40th Annie Award nominees and winners list". Los Angeles Times. February 2, 2013. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Children's in 2007". British Academy Children's Awards. British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
Jump up ^ "Children's in 2012". British Academy Children's Awards. British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
Jump up ^ Alan Sepinwall; Matt Zoller Seitz (September 1, 2016). "Why 'Deadwood' Is a Top-10 TV Show of All Time". The Ringer. PERFECT PRIVACY, LLC. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
Jump up ^ Ashbrook, Tom (September 9, 2016). "The Greatest American Television Shows, Ranked". WBUR. WBUR. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
Jump up ^ "15. SpongeBob SquarePants". IGN. September 28, 2006. Archived from the original on September 23, 2012. Retrieved December 31, 2013.
Jump up ^ "The Top 25 Animated Shows for Adults". IGN. July 15, 2013. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Nickelodeon: SpongeBob SquarePants". IGN. Archived from the original on June 20, 2012. Retrieved December 29, 2012.
Jump up ^ Poniewozik, James (August 14, 2007). "All-TIME 100 TV shows: SpongeBob SquarePants". Time. Retrieved May 11, 2013.
Jump up ^ "The 100 Greatest Cartoons – Results". Channel 4.com. Archived from the original on May 20, 2009. Retrieved December 31, 2007.
Jump up ^ "The 100 Greatest Cartoons – The Show". Channel 4.com. Archived from the original on April 22, 2009.
Jump up ^ "TV Guide's 50 greatest cartoon characters of all time". TV Guide. July 30, 2002. Archived from the original on April 4, 2005.
Jump up ^ "TV Guide Magazine's 60 Greatest Cartoons of All Time". TV Guide. September 24, 2013. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
Jump up ^ Adam B. Vary (June 1, 2010). "The 100 Greatest Characters of the Last 20 Years: Here's our full list!". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
Jump up ^ Snook, Raven (July 6, 2009). "Yellow fever: SpongeBob figure to debut at Madame Tussauds". Timeout. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
Jump up ^ Singer, Bret (July 15, 2009). "SpongeBob Debuts at Madame Tussauds". Parent Dish. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b Huff, Richard (December 14, 2009). "'SpongeBob SquarePants' one of Nickelodeon's longest-running shows after nearly a decade". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on January 21, 2013. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
Jump up ^ "MADAME TUSSAUDS IS BONKERS FOR SPONGEBOB". Mom Trends. July 11, 2009. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
Jump up ^ Desjardin DE, Peay KB, Bruns TD (May 10, 2011). "Spongiforma squarepantsii, a new species of gasteroid bolete from Borneo". Mycologia. 103 (5): 1119–23. PMID 21558499. doi:10.3852/10-433.
^ Jump up to: a b Kingsley, Patrick (May 27, 2013). "How SpongeBob SquarePants became massive in Egypt". The Guardian. London. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b c Malsin, Jared. "Is SpongeBob SquarePants the New Che Guevara?". Vice. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Meet Egypt's unusual Tahrir icon: SpongeBob SquarePants". Al Aribya. May 28, 2013. Archived from the original on May 28, 2013. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b Cormack, Raphael (March 26, 2013). "SpongeBob SquarePants takes over the Middle East". Prospect. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Brooklyn, Egypt, And SpongeBob". Midan Masr. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
Jump up ^ "The New Mascot of Egypt: SpongeBob SquarePants". Tavern Keepers. May 28, 2013. Archived from the original on June 15, 2013. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b "Russian soldiers march to SpongeBob SquarePants theme song". Metro. February 19, 2013. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b "Russian soldiers sing SpongeBob SquarePants theme tune as they march". The Telegraph. London. February 18, 2013. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
Jump up ^ BBC Staff (January 20, 2005). "US right attacks SpongeBob video". BBC News. Retrieved June 11, 2007.
^ Jump up to: a b "SpongeBob, Muppets and the Sister Sledge writer suffer criticism". USA Today. Associated Press. January 22, 2005. Retrieved June 11, 2007.
Jump up ^ BBC Staff (October 9, 2002). "Camp cartoon star 'is not gay'". BBC News. Retrieved June 11, 2007.
Jump up ^ Silverman, Stephen M. (January 28, 2005). "SpongeBob Asexual, Not Gay: Creator". People. Retrieved August 26, 2009.
Jump up ^ "SpongeBob isn't gay or straight, creator says". Reuters. January 29, 2005. Retrieved November 9, 2008.
Jump up ^ Chang, Pauline J. (January 28, 2005). "Dobson clarifies Pro-Gay SpongeBob Video Controversy". The Christian Post. Retrieved June 11, 2007.
Jump up ^ Till, Francis (February 4, 2005). "Ministry celebrates SpongeBob: Gay, happy, yellow, orange, whatever, he's welcome". National Business Review. Archived from the original on June 27, 2007. Retrieved June 11, 2007.
Jump up ^ Dennis, Jeffery P. (June 2003). "Queertoons". Soundscapes. 6. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
Jump up ^ Goodman, Martin (March 10, 2004). "Deconstruction Zone – Part 2". Animation World Network. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
Jump up ^ Dennis, Jeffery P. (Fall 2003). "The Same Thing We Do Every Night: Signifying Same-Sex Desire in Television Cartoons". Journal of Popular Film and Television. 31 (3): 132–140. doi:10.1080/01956050309603674. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
^ Jump up to: a b Marson, James (August 15, 2012). "Ukraine's Morality Police Probe 'Gay' SpongeBob". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
Jump up ^ "CCFC to Nickelodeon: Did You Approve the SpongeBob SquareButt Burger King Commercial?". Common Dreams. April 9, 2009. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
Jump up ^ Kelleher, Katy (April 8, 2009). "SpongeBob Meets Sir Mix-A-Lot In New Burger King Ads". Jezebel. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
Jump up ^ Newman, Craig (April 13, 2009). "Burger King pushes flat butts and SpongeBob to kids, hires buttheads to do it". Suntimes. Archived from the original on November 11, 2014. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b Douglas, Joanna (April 8, 2009). "Is the Sir Mix-a-Lot Burger King commercial too much for kids?". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on April 16, 2014. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b Ekberg, Aida (April 15, 2009). "SpongeBob + Sir Mix-A-Lot + Burger King = Offensive Commercial?". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on December 9, 2013. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
Jump up ^ Rabin, Roni Caryn (September 12, 2011). "Is SpongeBob SquarePants Bad for Children?". The New York Times. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
Jump up ^ Lillard, Angeline; Peterson, Jennifer (2011). "The Immediate Impact of Different Types of Television on Young Children's Executive Function". Pediatrics. 128 (4): 644–649. PMID 21911349. doi:10.1542/peds.2010-1919.
Jump up ^ Rochman, Bonnie (September 12, 2011). "Study: Fast-Moving Cartoons Like SpongeBob May Impair Kids' Focus". Time. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Study: Some cartoons are bad for children's brains". CNN. September 12, 2011. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
Jump up ^ Brown, Eryn (September 12, 2011). "SpongeBob impairs little kids' thinking, study finds". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
Jump up ^ Kristen Fyfe (March 2, 2006). "Wolves in Sheep's Clothing: A Content Analysis of Children's Television" (PDF). Parents Television Council. Retrieved August 5, 2007.
^ Jump up to: a b Bond, Paul. "SpongeBob's Firing Sparks Political Debate (Exclusive Video)". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 1, 2017. It's not the first time SpongeBob has waded into social commentary, though usually when it does, it bugs the right and supports the left. In episodes dubbed "SpongeBob's Last Stand" and "Selling Out," for example, environmentalism is glorified and large businesses are demonized.
Jump up ^ Weisman, Aly. "SpongeBob Gets Fired From His Job Amid 'Harsh Underwater Economy' And Sparks A Real-Life Political Debate". Chron. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
Jump up ^ "PoliticsNation: SpongeBob and the poor?". MSNBC. October 31, 2013. Retrieved November 6, 2013.
Jump up ^ Zeus, Maxie (January 28, 2005). "The Uncanny Brilliance of "SpongeBob SquarePants"". Toon Zone. Retrieved September 1, 2010.
Jump up ^ Cite error: The named reference shscourier was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
Jump up ^ Zeus, Maxie (October 12, 2008). ""Whatever Happened to SpongeBob?": Good Question!". Toon Zone. Archived from the original on December 9, 2008. Retrieved October 14, 2008.
Jump up ^ Hrab, Roy (November 13, 2008). "SpongeBob SquarePants: Who Bob What Pants?". DVD Verdict. Archived from the original on October 17, 2013. Retrieved May 30, 2013.
Jump up ^ Hrab, Roy (March 13, 2011). "SpongeBob SquarePants: The Great Patty Caper". DVD Verdict. Retrieved August 20, 2013.
Jump up ^ Rhodes, Mina (February 6, 2008). "SpongeBob SquarePants: To Love A Patty". DVD Verdict. Retrieved August 20, 2013.
Jump up ^ Mavis, Paul (October 13, 2008). "SpongeBob SquarePants — WhoBob WhatPants?". DVD Talk. Retrieved May 30, 2013.
Jump up ^ "SpongeBob SquarePants – Season 1". TV Shows on DVD. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
Jump up ^ "SpongeBob – Season 1 (Animated) (Box Set) (DVD)". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
Jump up ^ "SpongeBob SquarePants: Season 1". JB Hi-Fi. Archived from the original on March 8, 2010. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
Jump up ^ "SpongeBob SquarePants – Season 2". TV Shows on DVD. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
Jump up ^ "SpongeBob SquarePants: the Complete Season 2 [DVD]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
Jump up ^ "SpongeBob SquarePants: Season 2". JB Hi-Fi. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
Jump up ^ Lambert, David (August 5, 2005). "SpongeBob SquarePants – 3rd Season Set Package: SpongeBob Is Cookin'!". TV Shows on DVD. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
Jump up ^ "SpongeBob SquarePants: the Complete Season 3 [DVD]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
Jump up ^ "SpongeBob SquarePants: Season 3". JB Hi-Fi. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
Jump up ^ "SpongeBob SquarePants – Season 4, Volume 1". TV Shows on DVD. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
Jump up ^ "SpongeBob Complete Season 4 Boxset [DVD]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
Jump up ^ "SpongeBob SquarePants; S4". Sanity. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
Jump up ^ "SpongeBob SquarePants – Season 4, Volume 2". TV Shows on DVD. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
Jump up ^ "SpongeBob SquarePants – Season 5, Volume 1". TV Shows on DVD. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
Jump up ^ "SpongeBob SquarePants – Season 5 [DVD]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
Jump up ^ "SpongeBob SquarePants – Season 5 (Complete) (DVD)". JB Hi-Fi. Archived from the original on July 11, 2012. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
Jump up ^ Lambert, David (July 28, 2008). "SpongeBob SquarePants – Are Ya' Ready to Complete the 5th Season? Nick/Par Announces 'S5,V2' at Last!". TV Shows on DVD. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
Jump up ^ "SpongeBob SquarePants Season 6 and Other Announced Releases". TV Guide. September 9, 2009. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
Jump up ^ "SpongeBob SquarePants: Complete Season 6 [DVD]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
Jump up ^ "SpongeBob SquarePants – Season 6: The Complete Collection (3 Disc Set)". EzyDVD. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
Jump up ^ "SpongeBob SquarePants – Season 6". JB Hi-Fi. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
Jump up ^ "SpongeBob SquarePants: Season 7". JB Hi-Fi. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
Jump up ^ Lambert, David (September 12, 2011). "SpongeBob SquarePants – Nickelodeon/Paramount Announces a 'Complete 7th Season' 4-DVD Set". TV Shows on DVD. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
Jump up ^ "SpongeBob SquarePants: The Complete 7th Season DVD". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved December 29, 2012.
Jump up ^ "SpongeBob SquarePants: Season 7". EzyDVD. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
Jump up ^ "SpongeBob SquarePants DVD news: Announcement for SpongeBob SquarePants – Season 8". TVShowsOnDVD.com. May 25, 2007. Retrieved December 29, 2012.
Jump up ^ "SpongeBob SquarePants – Season 8 [DVD]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved September 12, 2013.
Jump up ^ "SpongeBob SquarePants – Season 8". JB Hi-Fi. Retrieved November 8, 2013.
Jump up ^ "SpongeBob SquarePants DVD news: Announcement for Season 9". TVShowsOnDVD.com. July 24, 2017. Retrieved July 25, 2017.
Jump up ^ Maxwell, Erin (October 10, 2013). "Shiver me timbers! A bearded Antonio Banderas gets his sea legs with a pirate makeover for SpongeBob SquarePants 2". Daily Mail. Retrieved November 8, 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g ""SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS" COMIC DEBUTS IN FEBRUARY". Comic Book Resources. January 25, 2011. Retrieved December 6, 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Boom, Richard (January 25, 2011). "SpongeBob Comics #1 debuts from United Plankton Pictures". Broken Frontier. Archived from the original on January 28, 2011. Retrieved December 6, 2013.
Jump up ^ Johnston, Rich (July 18, 2012). "Steve Bissette Returns To Comics With SpongeBob SquarePants". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved December 6, 2013.
Jump up ^ Spurgeon, Tom (January 3, 2012). "CR Holiday Interview #14 – Steve Bissette". The Comics Reporter. Retrieved December 6, 2013.
Jump up ^ "SpongeBob SquarePants Magazine 100th Issue". Titan Magazines. August 19, 2011. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
Jump up ^ Hutchins, Rob (March 22, 2013). "SpongeBob LEGO limited edition magazine launches". Licensing. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
Jump up ^ "'The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie' Opens Nationwide on Friday, November 19". PR Newswire. November 10, 2004. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
Jump up ^ "APM Film and Television Composer Gregor Narholz Signs on to Score Activision's X-Men(TM) Legends Sequel". PR Newswire. March 9, 2005. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
Jump up ^ "APM Film and Television Composer Gregor Narholz Signs on to Score Activision's X-Men(TM) Legends Sequel". Activision. March 9, 2005. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Gregor Narholz Scores X-Men". IGN. March 10, 2005. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
Jump up ^ Johansson, Scarlett (2005). The Absorbing Tale Behind The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (DVD). Paramount Home Entertainment.
Jump up ^ "The Spongebob Squarepants Movie (2004)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
Jump up ^ "SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, The". Metacritic. CBS. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
Jump up ^ "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 20, 2009.
Jump up ^ Sneider, Jeff (June 5, 2014). "Paramount Avoids Fifty Shades by Moving Up SpongeBob SquarePants Sequel". The Wrap. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
Jump up ^ "'SpongeBob SquarePants' Film Planned for 2014". WN.com. March 4, 2013. Retrieved March 8, 2013.
Jump up ^ Webb, Charles (August 20, 2012). "Is Paramount Prepping an Animated 'Legend of Korra' Movie?". MTV. Retrieved March 8, 2013.
Jump up ^ Desowitz, Bill (February 29, 2012). "SpongeBob kicks off new Paramount Ani division". Bill Desowitz. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
Jump up ^ Chozik, Amy (March 4, 2012). "Return to Big Screen for SpongeBob". The New York Times. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
Jump up ^ Goodwin, Liam (February 28, 2012). "New SpongeBob SquarePants movie will be released in 2014". Filmonic.com. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
Jump up ^ Wolfe, Jennifer (February 29, 2012). "Paramount to Release 'SpongeBob' Movie in 2014". Animation World Network. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Viacom on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
Jump up ^ "Vincent Waller". Twitter. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
Jump up ^ "SpongeBob SquarePants: Original Theme Highlights". AllMusic. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
Jump up ^ "SpongeBob's Greatest Hits". AllMusic. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b Bubbeo, Daniel (November 5, 2006). "FAST CHAT TOM KENNY". Newsday. Archived from the original on February 17, 2008. Retrieved August 2, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Lips, Shins Kick Back With 'SpongeBob'". Billboard. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Flaming Lips and Wilco Featured on New SpongeBob Soundtrack". Paste. October 13, 2004. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b Stock, Rosina (June 24, 2009). "Nickelodeon Celebrates Pop Culture Icon SpongeBob SquarePants decade". Media News International. Archived from the original on June 26, 2009. Retrieved July 14, 2009.
Jump up ^ D'Angelo, Joe. "Flaming Lips, Wilco, 'Commercial Weirdo' Avril Lavigne Head Up 'SpongeBob' LP". MTV. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
Jump up ^ Dufour, Matt. "SpongeBob Soundtrack Boasts Shins, Wilco, And Flaming Lips Songs". The Fader. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
Jump up ^ Mar, Alex (October 1, 2004). "Avril Sings "SpongeBob"". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
Jump up ^ "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: Music From the Movie and More". AllMusic. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Chicago | Plan a Visit | Now Playing in 4-D". Shedd Aquarium. Archived from the original on December 9, 2010. Retrieved September 14, 2010.
Jump up ^ Arrant, Chris (September 25, 2012). ""SpongeBob SquarePants" 4-D Attraction Coming Soon". Retrieved May 21, 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b "SpongeBob goes 4-D at the aquarium". Mystic River Press. May 17, 2013. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
Jump up ^ "SpongeBob SquarePants 4-D: The Great Jelly Rescue". Eye on Orlando. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
Jump up ^ Brigante, Ricky (April 23, 2013). "SpongeBob SquarePants makes a splash at Nick Hotel with new 4D movie, Bikini Bottom Breakfast, and more entertainment". Inside the Magic. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
Jump up ^ Roseboom, Matt. "Nick Hotel debuts new SpongeBob 4D movie and Bikini Bottom character breakfast". Orlando Attractions Magazine. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
Jump up ^ Niles, Robert (March 11, 2008). "New attraction spotlight: Nickelodeon Universe at Mall of America". Theme Park Insider. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
Jump up ^ Clark, Jayne (March 13, 2008). "Nick characters drop in mall Universe". USA Today. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
Jump up ^ Moody Gardens. "Moody Gardens Announces Launch of New One-of-a-Kind SpongeBob SubPants Interactive Experience". PRNewswire.com. PR Newswire. Retrieved March 9, 2015. Visitors will be able to interact with the Nickelodeon characters on a digital stage as they have never been able to do before.
Jump up ^ SpongeBob SquarePants. "SpongeBob SquarePants on Facebook – "There's a new type of SpongeBob experience coming to Moody Gardens on Memorial Day!"". Facebook.com/SpongeBob. SpongeBob SquarePants. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
Jump up ^ "SpongeBob SquarePants on Facebook - "If you're heading to Texas be sure to check out the SpongeBob SubPants Adventure!"". Facebook.com/SpongeBob. SpongeBob. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
Jump up ^ Antonucci, Mike (March 20, 2001). "Triple Play Baseball has some annoying errors". Knight Ridder. Retrieved December 6, 2013. – via HighBeam (subscription required)
Jump up ^ Ray, Roblin (December 7, 2003). "Learning a lesson; Console games finally tap into educational content". The Boston Herald. Retrieved December 6, 2013. – via HighBeam (subscription required)
Jump up ^ "Sony Adds 'SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom' to Greatest Hits Collection". Wireless News. September 30, 2004. Retrieved December 6, 2013. – via HighBam (subscription required)
Jump up ^ "The season's best bets for video-game enthusiasts". San Jose Mercury News. San Jose, CA. November 20, 2003. Retrieved December 6, 2013. – via HighBeam (subscription required)
Jump up ^ IGN Staff (August 25, 2004). "SpongeBob SquarePants: The Movie Update". IGN. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
Jump up ^ Stecker, Erin (June 5, 2013). "'SpongeBob SquarePants' debuts new app – EXCLUSIVE VIDEO". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 13, 2013.
Jump up ^ Milligan, Mercedes (June 6, 2013). "Nick Launches Building 'SpongeBob' App". Animation. Retrieved July 13, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Nickelodeon Announces SpongeBob SquarePants 'City Building' App". Broadway World. June 6, 2013. Retrieved July 13, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Build Your Very Own Bikini Bottom Through Nickelodeon's Worldwide Release Of Brand-New Mobile Game, SpongeBob Moves In". PR Newswire. June 6, 2013. Retrieved July 13, 2013.
Jump up ^ Wolfe, Jennifer (January 23, 2013). "Nick Launches 2013 Short Film Contest". Animation World Magazine. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
Jump up ^ Milligan, Mercedes (May 7, 2013). "Nick Launches SpongeBob SquareShorts Contest". Animation. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
Jump up ^ "SpongeBob Square Shorts Competition – $2,500 + Trip". FilmTheNext.com. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
Jump up ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (May 7, 2013). "Nickelodeon Announces First-Ever SpongeBob SquarePants Global Film Competition, 'SpongeBob SquareShorts: Original Fan Tributes'". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
Jump up ^ Hutchins, Rob (July 22, 2013). "Nickelodeon reveals finalists in SpongeBob Squareshorts film comp". Licensing.biz. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Nickelodeon Announces Finalists For First-Ever SpongeBob SquareShorts Global Short Film Competition". The Futon Critic. July 19, 2013. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
Jump up ^ Liu, Ed (July 19, 2013). "PR: Nickelodeon Announces Finalists for First-Ever "SpongeBob SquareShorts: Original Fan Tributes"". Toonzone. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
Jump up ^ Liu, Ed (August 13, 2013). "PR: Nickelodeon Announces Winners for First-Ever SpongeBob SquareShorts: Original Fan Tributes". Toon Zone. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
Jump up ^ https://www.theverge.com/2017/9/3/16240564/amazon-alexa-skills-kids-games-spongebob-sesame-street
Jump up ^ Hampp, Andrew (July 13, 2009). "How SpongeBob Became an $8 Billion Franchise". AdvertisingAge. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
Jump up ^ Hinckley, David (July 13, 2009). "'SpongeBob SquarePants' gets closer look on VH1 with 10th anniversary documentary on Nickelodeon hit". New York Daily News. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
Jump up ^ "MTV Networks' Nickelodeon Kids and Family Group Puts a Digital Spin on Classic Hasbro Games Featuring Dora The Explorer and SpongeBob SquarePants". PR Newswire. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
Jump up ^ Onyett, Charles (September 10, 2008). "The Game of Life -SpongeBob SquarePants Edition Review". IGN. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
Jump up ^ Ward, Kate (November 28, 2009). "Hasbro lets us operate on SpongeBob. Which TV character would you like to get inside?". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
Jump up ^ "ANTS IN THE SquarePants". Hasbro. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
Jump up ^ "AHTZEE Jr. SpongeBob SquarePants Edition Card Game". Hasbro. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
Jump up ^ Strauss, Gary (May 17, 2002). "Life's good for SpongeBob". USA Today. Archived from the original on May 21, 2013. Retrieved November 8, 2008.
Jump up ^ Kageyama, Yuri (January 24, 2007). "SpongeBob Goes Trendy to Win Japan Fans". The San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on April 5, 2009. Retrieved November 8, 2008.
^ Jump up to: a b "THE HYPE SOAKING IT UP' SPONGEBOB' ACTOR LOVES THE ATTENTION". Daily News. Los Angeles, CA. March 8, 2001. Retrieved October 30, 2013. – via HighBeam (subscription required)
Jump up ^ "SponbgeBob SquarePants Happy Meal". Megamodo.
Jump up ^ Stark, Jill (October 5, 2007). "Maccas takes out 'pester power' prize". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
Jump up ^ Meitner, Sarah Hale (March 2, 2005). "Slurpee Galaxy Expands With Nod To 'Star Wars'". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on May 24, 2013. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
Jump up ^ "SpongeBob SquarePants Pirates Booty $1 at Target". Totally Target. April 30, 2013. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
Jump up ^ "SpongeBob SplashPants Sweepstakes 5/31/13 1PPD4-14". Sweetis Sweeps. March 22, 2013. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
Jump up ^ Veneziani, Vince (September 27, 2007). "Nickelodeon's NPower Lineup Of Electronics". TechCrunch. Retrieved June 28, 2014.
Jump up ^ "Nickelodeon Expands Healthy Food Initiative with Green Giant". Promomagazine.com. May 31, 2007. Retrieved September 14, 2010.
Jump up ^ "High Fashion Hits Bikini Bottom". Viacom. January 14, 2009. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
Jump up ^ Weston, Shaun (May 22, 2013). "SpongeBob SquarePants Vanilla Ice Cream". Food Bev. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
Jump up ^ Weston, Shaun (June 3, 2013). "SpongeBob SquarePants Spring Water". Food Bev. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
Jump up ^ Dedman, Christie (April 4, 2013). "Build A Bear SpongeBob SquarePants coming May 17". AL.com. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Build-A-Bear Workshop Makes a Splash with New SpongeBob SquarePants Collection". BusinessWire. May 15, 2013. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Build-A-Bear welcomes the SpongeBob gang". Retailing Today. May 15, 2013. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
Jump up ^ Edel, Ray (May 15, 2013). "Make a splash with new SpongeBob SquarePants Collection at Build-A-Bear". NorthJersey.com. Archived from the original on October 1, 2013. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
Jump up ^ Mierzejewski, Ali (May 15, 2013). "Build-A-Bear Workshop Meets Bikini Bottom with New SpongeBob SquarePants Collection". Toy Book. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
Jump up ^ Burden, Melissa. "Toyota creates one-of-a-kind SpongeBob Highlander". Detroit News. Archived from the original on July 13, 2013. Retrieved July 13, 2013.
Jump up ^ Stewart, Megan (July 15, 2013). "Introducing the 2014 SpongeBob SquarePants Toyota Highlander". Automotive.com. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
Jump up ^ Busis, Hillary (July 12, 2013). "SpongeBob Square...Car? Check out the cartoon's new 'concept vehicle' – EXCLUSIVE". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 13, 2013.
Jump up ^ Brindusescu, Gabriel (July 12, 2013). "Toyota to Unveil 2014 Highlander SpongeBob Edition [Video]". Auto Evolution. Retrieved July 13, 2013.
Jump up ^ Barari, Arman (July 13, 2013). "SpongeBob-Themed Toyota Highlander by Nickelodeon". Motor Ward. Retrieved July 13, 2013.
Bibliography
Banks, Steven (September 24, 2004). SpongeBob Exposed! The Insider's Guide to SpongeBob SquarePants. Schigiel, Gregg (Illustrator). Simon Spotlight/Nickelodeon. ISBN 978-0-689-86870-2.
Beck, Jerry (2013). The SpongeBob SquarePants Experience: A Deep Dive Into the World of Bikini Bottom. USA: Insight Editions. ISBN 1-4357-3248-0.
Neuwirth, Allan (2003). Makin' Toons: Inside the Most Popular Animated TV Shows and Movies. Allworth Communications, Inc. ISBN 1-58115-269-8.
Priebe, Kenneth A. (2011). The Advanced Art of Stop-Motion Animation. Cengage Learning. ISBN 1-4354-5704-8.
Lenburg, Jeff (2006). Who's Who in Animated Cartoons: An International Guide to Film & Television's Award Winning and Legendary Animators. Hal Leonard. ISBN 1-55783-671-X.
External links
Book: SpongeBob SquarePants
Book: Nicktoons
Listen to this article (info/dl)

This audio file was created from a revision of the article "SpongeBob SquarePants" dated 2010-05-11, and does not reflect subsequent edits to the article. (Audio help)
More spoken articles
Quotations related to SpongeBob SquarePants at Wikiquote
Media related to SpongeBob SquarePants at Wikimedia Commons
Official website
SpongeBob SquarePants on IMDb
SpongeBob SquarePants at TV.com
SpongeBob SquarePants at DMOZ
SpongeBob SquarePants at the Big Cartoon DataBase
SpongeBob SquarePants at Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on August 8, 2017.
[show]
Links to related articles
[hide]
v
t
e
SpongeBob SquarePants
Characters
SpongeBob SquarePants
Patrick Star
Squidward Tentacles
Sandy Cheeks
Mr. Krabs
Plankton and Karen
Mrs. Puff
Pearl Krabs
Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy
Production
Cast members
Guest stars
Awards and nominations
Seasons
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Episodes
"Help Wanted"
"Pizza Delivery"
"Rock Bottom"
"Christmas Who?"
"Band Geeks"
"Graveyard Shift"
"Sailor Mouth"
"Chocolate with Nuts"
"The Sponge Who Could Fly"
"Have You Seen This Snail?"
"Dunces and Dragons"
"Best Day Ever"
"Friend or Foe"
"Atlantis SquarePantis"
"Pest of the West"
"What Ever Happened to SpongeBob?"
"SpongeBob SquarePants vs. The Big One"
"To SquarePants or Not to SquarePants"
"Truth or Square"
"The Clash of Triton"
"SpongeBob's Last Stand"
"The Great Patty Caper"
"It's a SpongeBob Christmas!"
"Extreme Spots"
"SpongeBob, You're Fired"
Films
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water
Miniseries
Legends of Bikini Bottom
SpongeBob's Runaway Roadtrip
Locations
Krusty Krab
Attractions
Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast
SpongeBob SquarePants 4-D
SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge
SpongeBob SquarePants 4D: The Great Jelly Rescue
Universal's Superstar Parade
Miscellaneous
Merchandise
SpongeBob Comics
SpongeBob SquarePants (musical)
Related articles
2015 SpongeBob SquarePants 400
Square Roots: The Story of SpongeBob SquarePants
Spongiforma squarepantsii
United Plankton Pictures
Book
Category
Portal
[show]
v
t
e
Stephen Hillenburg
Television series
SpongeBob SquarePants (since 1999)
Films
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004)
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (2015)
Comic books
SpongeBob Comics (since 2011)
See also
United Plankton Pictures
Square Roots: The Story of SpongeBob SquarePants (2009)
[show]
v
t
e
Nickelodeon original programming
Former
1970s debuts
Pinwheel (1977–90)
America Goes Bananaz (1979–80)
Nickel Flicks (1979–80)
Hocus Focus (1979–80)
1980s debuts
First Row Features (1980–82)
Special Delivery (1980–93)
Standby...Lights! Camera! Action! (1982–87)
You Can't Do That on Television (1982–90)
The Third Eye (1983)
Mr. Wizard's World (1983-90)
Nick Rocks (1984-89)
Out of Control (1984–85)
Double Dare (1986–93; 2000)
Finders Keepers (1987–88)
Don't Just Sit There (1988–91)
Think Fast (1989–91)
Make the Grade (1989–91)
Hey Dude (1989–91)
1990s debuts
Wild & Crazy Kids (1990–92; 2002)
Outta Here (1990–91)
Fifteen (1991–93)
Clarissa Explains It All (1991–94)
Welcome Freshmen (1991–96)
Salute Your Shorts (1991–92)
Doug (1991–94)
Nickelodeon Launch Box (1991–94)
Rugrats (1991–2004)
The Ren & Stimpy Show (1991–96)
What Would You Do? (1991–93)
Are You Afraid of the Dark? (1991–2000)
Nick News with Linda Ellerbee (1992–2015)
Roundhouse (1992–96)
Nickelodeon Guts (1992–96)
Weinerville (1993–97)
Legends of the Hidden Temple (1993–95)
Rocko's Modern Life (1993–96)
The Adventures of Pete & Pete (1993–96)
All That (1994–2005)
The Secret World of Alex Mack (1994–98)
My Brother and Me (1994–95)
Aaahh!!! Real Monsters (1994–97)
Space Cases (1996–97)
The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo (1996–98)
The Off-Beats (1996–99)
Kenan & Kel (1996–2000)
Hey Arnold! (1996–2004)
KaBlam! (1996–2000)
The Angry Beavers (1997–2001)
Figure It Out (1997–2000; 2012–13)
The Journey of Allen Strange (1997–2000)
CatDog (1998–2005)
Oh Yeah! Cartoons (1998–2001)
Cousin Skeeter (1998–2001)
The Wild Thornberrys (1998–2004)
Rocket Power (1999–2004)
100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd (1999–2002)
The Amanda Show (1999–2002)
2000s debuts
Caitlin's Way (2000–02)
The Brothers García (2000–04)
Pelswick (2000–02)
Noah Knows Best (2000–01)
As Told by Ginger (2000–06)
Taina (2001–02)
The Fairly OddParents (2001–17)
Invader Zim (2001–02)
Action League Now! (2001–02)
The Nick Cannon Show (2002–03)
Yakkity Yak (2002–03)
ChalkZone (2002–08)
The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (2002–06)
All Grown Up! (2003–08)
My Life as a Teenage Robot (2003–05)
Romeo! (2003–06)
Drake & Josh (2004–07)
Danny Phantom (2004–07)
Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide (2004–07)
Unfabulous (2004–07)
Nicktoons Film Festival (2004–09)
Zoey 101 (2005–08)
Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005–08)
Catscratch (2005–07)
The X's (2005–06)
Mr. Meaty (2005–07)
Kappa Mikey (2006–07)
Just for Kicks (2006)
Just Jordan (2007–08)
El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera (2007–08)
The Naked Brothers Band (2007–09)
Wayside (2007–08)
Tak and the Power of Juju (2007–09)
iCarly (2007–12)
Back at the Barnyard (2007–11)
Dance on Sunset (2008)
The Mighty B! (2008–11)
My Family's Got Guts (2008–09)
Making Fiends (2008)
Domo TV (2008–09)
True Jackson, VP (2008–11)
The Penguins of Madagascar (2008–15)
Rugrats Pre-School Daze (2008)
The Troop (2009–11)
Fanboy & Chum Chum (2009–14)
BrainSurge (2009–14)
Big Time Rush (2009–13)
2010s debuts
Victorious (2010–13)
Planet Sheen (2010–11)
T.U.F.F. Puppy (2010–15)
House of Anubis (2011–13)
Power Rangers Samurai & Super Samurai (2011–12)
Supah Ninjas (2011–13)
Winx Club (2011–15)
Bucket & Skinner's Epic Adventures (2011–13)
Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness (2011–16)
Fred: The Show (2012)
How to Rock (2012)
The Legend of Korra (2012–14)
You Gotta See This (2012–14)
Marvin Marvin (2012–13)
Robot and Monster (2012–15)
Monsters vs. Aliens (2013–14)
Power Rangers Megaforce & Super Megaforce (2013–14)
Sam & Cat (2013–14)
Sanjay and Craig (2013–16)
AwesomenessTV (2013–15)
The Haunted Hathaways (2013–15)
Rabbids Invasion (2013–17)
Every Witch Way (2014–15)
Breadwinners (2014–16)
100 Things to Do Before High School (2014–16)
Bella and the Bulldogs (2015–16)
Power Rangers Dino Charge & Dino Super Charge (2015–16)
Make It Pop (2015–16)
Talia in the Kitchen (2015)
WITS Academy (2015)
The Other Kingdom (2016)
Legendary Dudas (2016)
Current
SpongeBob SquarePants (since 1999)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (since 2012)
The Thundermans (since 2013)
Henry Danger (since 2014)
Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn (since 2014)
Harvey Beaks (since 2015)
Pig Goat Banana Cricket (since 2015)
Game Shakers (since 2015)
Paradise Run (since 2016)
All In with Cam Newton (since 2016)
School of Rock (since 2016)
The Loud House (since 2016)
Crashletes (since 2016)
Jagger Eaton's Mega Life (since 2016)
Bunsen Is a Beast (since 2017)
Power Rangers Ninja Steel (since 2017)
Hunter Street (since 2017)
Welcome to the Wayne (since 2017)
The Dude Perfect Show (since 2017)
Mysticons (since 2017)
I Am Frankie (since 2017)
International
Renford Rejects
Genie in the House
Summer in Transylvania
Camp Orange (UK & Ireland)
Upcoming
Pinky Malinky (2018)
Glitch Techs (2018)
Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2018)
The Adventures of Kid Danger and Captain Man (2018)
Amusement Park (2019)
Related
SNICK
TEENick
Nicktoons
Nick at Nite
Gotta See Saturdays
[show]
v
t
e
Annie Award for Best Animated Television Production
The Simpsons (1992)
The Simpsons (1993)
The Simpsons (1994)
The Simpsons (1995)
The Simpsons (1996)
The Simpsons (1997)
The Simpsons / The New Batman/Superman Adventures (1998)
The Simpsons (1999)
The Simpsons / Mickey Mouse Works (2000)
The Simpsons / Batman Beyond (2001)
The Simpsons (2002)
The Simpsons (2003)
SpongeBob SquarePants (2004)
Star Wars: Clone Wars (2005)
Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends (2006)
Creature Comforts / El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera (2007)
Robot Chicken / Avatar: The Last Airbender (2008)
Prep & Landing / The Penguins of Madagascar (2009)
Futurama / SpongeBob SquarePants (2010)
The Simpsons / The Amazing World of Gumball (2011)
Robot Chicken / DreamWorks Dragons / Bubble Guppies (2012)
Futurama / Adventure Time / Sofia the First (2013)
The Simpsons / Gravity Falls / Tumble Leaf (2014)
The Simpsons / Wander Over Yonder / Tumble Leaf (2015)
Bob's Burgers / Adventure Time / Tumble Leaf (2016)
[show]
v
t
e
TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Youth Programming
Faerie Tale Theatre (1985)
WonderWorks (1986)
Pee-wee’s Playhouse (1987)
Degrassi Junior High (1988)
The Jim Henson Hour (1989)
Jim Henson (1990)
War in the Gulf: Questions & Answers with Peter Jennings (1991)
Peggy Charren – Action for Children’s Television (1992)
Nick News (1993)
Nick News (1994)
Nick News (1995)
Wishbone (1996)
Bill Nye the Science Guy / Wishbone (1997)
Blue’s Clues (1998)
Blue’s Clues (1999)
Between the Lions (2000)
Between the Lions / Sesame Street (2001)
SpongeBob SquarePants (2002)
Reading Rainbow (2003)
Nick News (2004)
Degrassi: The Next Generation (2005)
High School Musical (2006)
Kyle XY (2007)
WordGirl (2008)
Yo Gabba Gabba! (2009)
Yo Gabba Gabba! (2010)
Sesame Street (2011)
Switched at Birth (2012)
Bunheads (2013)
The Fosters (2014)
The Fosters (2015)
Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood (2016)
Speechless (2017)
[show]
v
t
e
Teen Choice Award for Choice Animated Series
Family Guy (2006)
The Simpsons (2007)
Family Guy (2008)
SpongeBob SquarePants (2009)
Family Guy (2010)
The Simpsons (2011–14)
Family Guy (2015–17)
SpongeBob SquarePants portal
Nickelodeon portal
Animation portal
Television in the United States portal
Comedy portal
Authority control
WorldCat Identities
VIAF: 174315683
GND: 7623343-1
BNF: cb40224537x (data)
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=SpongeBob_SquarePants&oldid=802149182"
Categories:
1990s American animated television series
1990s American comedy television series
1999 American television series debuts
2000s American animated television series
2000s American comedy television series
1990s Nickelodeon shows
2000s Nickelodeon shows
2010s American animated television series
2010s American comedy television series
2010s Nickelodeon shows
Animated sitcoms
American children's animated television series
American children's comedy television series
Animated children's television sitcoms
English-language television programs
Media franchises
Nicktoons
SpongeBob SquarePants
Television programs adapted into films
Television programs featuring anthropomorphic characters
Television series with live action and animation
Underwater civilizations in fiction
Television series about friendship
Underwater fiction
Hidden categories:
Pages with reference errors
Subscription required using via
Pages containing links to subscription-only content
CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list
Pages with broken reference names
Use mdy dates from September 2017
Good articles
Wikipedia indefinitely semi-protected pages
Wikipedia indefinitely move-protected pages
Pages with incorrectly substituted templates
Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from November 2016
Spoken articles
Articles with hAudio microformats
Official website different in Wikidata and Wikipedia
Articles with DMOZ links
Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers
Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers
Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers
Navigation menu
Personal tools
Not logged in
Talk
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Namespaces
Article
Talk
Variants
Views
Read
View source
View history
More
Search
Navigation
Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikipedia store
Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page
Tools
What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Wikidata item
Cite this page
Print/export
Create a book
Download as PDF
Printable version
In other projects
Wikimedia Commons
Wikiquote
Languages
Alemannisch
አማርኛ
العربية
Aragonés
Azərbaycanca
Bân-lâm-gú
Български
Boarisch
Brezhoneg
Català
Cebuano
Čeština
Corsu
Cymraeg
Dansk
Deutsch
ދިވެހިބަސް
Eesti
Ελληνικά
Emiliàn e rumagnòl
Español
Esperanto
Estremeñu
Euskara
فارسی
Føroyskt
Français
Frysk
Gaelg
Galego
한국어
Հայերեն
हिन्दी
Hrvatski
Ilokano
Bahasa Indonesia
Interlingua
Íslenska
Italiano
עברית
Basa Jawa
Kalaallisut
ქართული
Қазақша
Latina
Latviešu
Lëtzebuergesch
Lietuvių
Magyar
Македонски
مصرى
Bahasa Melayu
Na Vosa Vakaviti
Nederlands
日本語
Нохчийн
Norsk
Occitan
ភាសាខ្មែរ
Picard
Plattdüütsch
Polski
Português
Română
Русский
Scots
Shqip
Sicilianu
Simple English
Slovenščina
Српски / srpski
Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски
Basa Sunda
Suomi
Svenska
Tagalog
తెలుగు
ไทย
Türkçe
Українська
Tiếng Việt
Winaray
ייִדיש
粵語
Zeêuws
中文
Edit links
This page was last edited on 24 September 2017, at 08:48.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Cookie statement
Mobile view

key: html

type: local

value: div

attrs: id class

values: mw-page-base noprint

values: mw-head-base noprint

attrs: id class style

value: a

value: img

attrs: alt src width height srcset data-file-width data-file-height

values: This is a good article. Click here for more information.

attrs: href title

values: mw-indicator-good-star mw-indicator

values: mw-indicator-pp-default mw-indicator

values: mw-indicator-spoken-icon mw-indicator

value: i

attrs: id class lang

values: firstHeading firstHeading en

values: siteSub noprint

values: jump-to-nav mw-jump

values:
note
hatnote navigation-not-searchable

values: text-align:center;font-size:125%;font-weight:bold;font-style: italic; background: #CCCCFF; padding: 0.25em 1em; line-height: 1.5em;

values: List of SpongeBob SquarePants cast members

values: text-align:center;background: #CCCCFF; padding: 0.25em 1em; line-height: 1.5em;

values:
/wiki/Nickelodeon_Animation_Studios
mw-redirect
Nickelodeon Animation Studios

values:
/wiki/Dolby_Surround
mw-redirect
Dolby Surround

values: The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water

values: List of SpongeBob SquarePants characters

attrs: alt src width height class srcset data-file-width data-file-height

values:
/wiki/Plankton_(character)
mw-redirect
Plankton (character)

values: List of ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' characters (page does not exist)

values:
/wiki/Plankton_(character)#Karen
mw-redirect
Plankton (character)

values: The material preceding this tag may lack sufficient importance.

values:
/wiki/Buddy_comedy
mw-redirect
Buddy comedy

values:
/wiki/Supervising_director
mw-redirect
Supervising director

values:
/wiki/Series_bible
mw-redirect
Series bible

values:
/wiki/Citizen_Dog_(comic)
mw-redirect
Citizen Dog (comic)

values: Livin' in the Sunlight, Lovin' in the Moonlight

values: float: right; clear: right; margin: 0.5em 0 0.8em 1.4em; width:34em; padding: 10px; border: 1px solid #aaa; font-size: 88%; background-color: #c6dbf7; max-width:40%

values: float: left; clear: left; margin: 0.5em 1.4em 0.8em 0; width:24em; padding: 10px; border: 1px solid #aaa; font-size: 88%; background-color: #c6dbf7; max-width:40%

values:
/wiki/Jump_the_shark
mw-redirect
Jump the shark

values: List of SpongeBob SquarePants guest stars

values: float: right; clear: right; margin: 0.5em 0 0.8em 1.4em; width:30em; padding: 10px; border: 1px solid #aaa; font-size: 88%; background-color: #c6dbf7; max-width:40%

values:
/wiki/Cel_animation
mw-redirect
Cel animation

values:
/wiki/Digital_ink_and_paint
mw-redirect
Digital ink and paint

values: Annecy International Animated Film Festival

values: float: left; clear: left; margin: 0.5em 1.4em 0.8em 0; width:27em; padding: 10px; border: 1px solid #aaa; font-size: 88%; background-color: #c6dbf7; max-width:40%

values: background: #ececec; color: #2C2C2C; vertical-align: middle; font-size: smaller; text-align: center; ;padding:0 8px

values: float: right; clear: right; margin: 0.5em 0 0.8em 1.4em; width:27em; padding: 10px; border: 1px solid #aaa; font-size: 88%; background-color: #c6dbf7; max-width:40%

values: Square Roots: The Story of SpongeBob SquarePants

values:
/wiki/Marathon_(television)
mw-redirect
Marathon (television)

values:
/wiki/Nielsen_rating
mw-redirect
Nielsen rating

values:
/wiki/Executive_vice_president
mw-redirect
Executive vice president

values: List of programs broadcast by Nickelodeon

values:
/wiki/Egyptian_Revolution_of_2011
mw-redirect
Egyptian Revolution of 2011

values: Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood

values: float: left; clear: left; margin: 0.5em 1.4em 0.8em 0; width:30em; padding: 10px; border: 1px solid #aaa; font-size: 88%; background-color: #F9F9F9; max-width:40%

values: Selling Out (SpongeBob SquarePants episode)

values: This sentence may contain perspectives and opinions without stating whose they are. (November 2016)

values:
/wiki/SpongeBob,_You%27re_Fired!
mw-redirect
SpongeBob, You're Fired!

values: List of SpongeBob SquarePants merchandise

values: List of ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' episodes (page does not exist)

values:
wikitable plainrowheaders
40%
text-align:center;

values:
/wiki/Television_films
mw-redirect
Television films

values: SpongeBob SquarePants: Original Theme Highlights

values: SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge

values:
/wiki/Flamingo_Land_Resort
mw-redirect
Flamingo Land Resort

values: Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration

values:
/wiki/Nickelodeon_Suites_Resort_Orlando
mw-redirect
Nickelodeon Suites Resort Orlando

values:
/wiki/Park_at_MOA
mw-redirect
Park at MOA

values: SpongeBob SquarePants: Legend of the Lost Spatula

values: SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom

values:
/wiki/Greatest_Hits_(PlayStation_range)
mw-redirect
Greatest Hits (PlayStation range)

values: The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (video game)

values:
reflist mw-references-wrap
list-style-type: lower-alpha;

values:
/wiki/Rovi_Corporation
mw-redirect
Rovi Corporation

values: font-size:0.95em; font-size: 90%; color: #555

values:
nofollow
http://www.ocean-institute.org/
external text

values:
/wiki/The_Huffington_Post
mw-redirect
The Huffington Post

values:
/wiki/Animation_(magazine)
mw-redirect
Animation (magazine)

values:
nofollow
http://annieawards.org/40thannieawards/
external text

values:
nofollow
external text
http://www.nick.com.pl/sitemap.xml.gz

values:
/wiki/Kaz_Prapuolenis
mw-redirect
Kaz Prapuolenis

values:
/wiki/Tribune_News_Service
mw-redirect
Tribune News Service

values:
/wiki/Tom_Zeller,_Jr.
mw-redirect
Tom Zeller, Jr.

values: Category:CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list

values:
nofollow
external text
http://annieawards.org/32ndwinners.html

values: British Academy of Film and Television Arts

values:
/wiki/PubMed_Identifier
mw-redirect
PubMed Identifier

values:
nofollow
external text
//www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21558499

values:
nofollow
external text
//doi.org/10.3852%2F10-433

values:
nofollow
external text
//www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21911349

values:
nofollow
external text
//doi.org/10.1542%2Fpeds.2010-1919

values: Help:Cite errors/Cite error references no text

values:
nofollow
external text
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000HWYG42

values:
/wiki/The_San_Francisco_Chronicle
mw-redirect
The San Francisco Chronicle

values: -moz-column-width: 30em; -webkit-column-width: 30em; column-width: 30em; list-style-type: decimal;

values: position: absolute; top: 0px; left: 100px; right: 0px; bottom: 0px; height: 0px; width: 0px;

values: left: 50%; top: 50%; margin-left: -35px; margin-top: -27.5px;

values:
mwPlayerContainer k-player videoHolder
width: 200px; position: relative;

attrs: alt src title width height srcset data-file-width data-file-height

values:
float: left; margin-left: 5px;
floatnone

values: font-size: xx-small; line-height: 1.6em; margin-left: 60px;

values:
nofollow
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0206512/
external text

values:
/wiki/Big_Cartoon_DataBase
mw-redirect
Big Cartoon DataBase

values:
nofollow
external text
http://toonopedia.com/spongbob.htm

values:
/wiki/SpongeBob_SquarePants_(season_12)
mw-redirect
SpongeBob SquarePants (season 12)

values: SpongeBob SquarePants 4D: The Great Jelly Rescue

values: nowraplinks hlist collapsible expanded navbox-inner

values: nowraplinks collapsible autocollapse navbox-inner

values: Template:Nickelodeon original series and Nicktoons

values: Template talk:Nickelodeon original series and Nicktoons

values: The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius

values: Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide

values: El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera

values: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012 TV series)

values:
/wiki/Gotta_See_Saturdays
mw-redirect
Gotta See Saturdays

values: nowraplinks hlist collapsible collapsed navbox-inner

values: Template:Annie Award for Best Animated Television Production

values: Template talk:Annie Award for Best Animated Television Production

values: Annie Award for Best Animated Television Production

values: Template:TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Youth Programming

values: Template talk:TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Youth Programming

values: TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Youth Programming

values: Template:Teen Choice Award for Choice Animated Series

values: Template talk:Teen Choice Award for Choice Animated Series (page does not exist)

values: Teen Choice Award for Choice Animated Series

values: nowraplinks collapsible collapsed navbox-inner

values:
noprint metadata navbox
navigation
Portals
font-weight:bold;padding:0.4em 2em

values:
nofollow
external text
https://viaf.org/viaf/174315683

values:
nofollow
external text
http://d-nb.info/gnd/7623343-1

values: Category:1990s American animated television series

values: Category:1990s American comedy television series

values: Category:1999 American television series debuts

values: Category:2000s American animated television series

values: Category:2000s American comedy television series

values: Category:2010s American animated television series

values: Category:2010s American comedy television series

values: Category:American children's animated television series

values: Category:American children's comedy television series

values: Category:Animated children's television sitcoms

values: Category:Television programs adapted into films

values: Category:Television programs featuring anthropomorphic characters

values: Category:Television series with live action and animation

values: Category:Underwater civilizations in fiction

values: Category:Television series about friendship

values: Category:Subscription required using via

values: Category:Pages containing links to subscription-only content

values: Category:Pages with broken reference names

values: Category:Use mdy dates from September 2017

values: Category:Wikipedia indefinitely semi-protected pages

values: Category:Wikipedia indefinitely move-protected pages

values: Category:Pages with incorrectly substituted templates

values: Category:Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from November 2016

values: Category:Articles with hAudio microformats

values: Category:Official website different in Wikidata and Wikipedia

values: Category:Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers

values: Category:Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers

values: Category:Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers

values: Discussion about edits from this IP address [ctrl-alt-n]

values: A list of edits made from this IP address [ctrl-alt-y]

values: You are encouraged to create an account and log in; however, it is not mandatory

values: You're encouraged to log in; however, it's not mandatory. [ctrl-alt-o]

values:
/wiki/SpongeBob_SquarePants
View the content page [ctrl-alt-c]
c

values: Discussion about the content page [ctrl-alt-t]

values: p-namespaces navigation vectorTabs p-namespaces-label

values:
p-variants
navigation
vectorMenu emptyPortlet
p-variants-label

values:
This page is protected.
You can view its source [ctrl-alt-e]

values: Past revisions of this page [ctrl-alt-h]

values: p-views navigation vectorTabs p-views-label

values:
p-cactions
navigation
vectorMenu emptyPortlet
p-cactions-label

values:
mw-wiki-logo
/wiki/Main_Page
Visit the main page

values:
/wiki/Main_Page
Visit the main page [ctrl-alt-z]
z

values: Featured content – the best of Wikipedia

values: Find background information on current events

values:
/wiki/Special:Random
Load a random article [ctrl-alt-x]
x

values: portal navigation p-navigation p-navigation-label

values: Guidance on how to use and edit Wikipedia

values: About the project, what you can do, where to find things

values: A list of recent changes in the wiki [ctrl-alt-r]

values: portal navigation p-interaction p-interaction-label

values: List of all English Wikipedia pages containing links to this page [ctrl-alt-j]

values: Recent changes in pages linked from this page [ctrl-alt-k]

values:
/wiki/Wikipedia:File_Upload_Wizard
Upload files [ctrl-alt-u]
u

values: A list of all special pages [ctrl-alt-q]

values: Permanent link to this revision of the page

values: Link to connected data repository item [ctrl-alt-g]

values: Printable version of this page [ctrl-alt-p]

values: portal navigation p-wikibase-otherprojects p-wikibase-otherprojects-label

values:
uls-settings-trigger
Language settings
0
button
true

values: ስፐንጅቦብ ስኰይርፓንትስ – Amharic

values: سبونج بوب سكوير بانتس – Arabic

values: SpongeBob SquarePants – Chinese (Min Nan)

values: Спондж Боб Квадратни гащи – Bulgarian

values: ސްޕޮންޖް ބޮބް ސްކޮޔަރ ޕޭންޓްސް – Divehi

values: Μπομπ Σφουγγαράκης (σειρά) – Greek

values: SpongeBob SquarePants – Emiliano-Romagnolo

values: باب‌اسفنجی شلوارمکعبی – Persian

values: 스폰지밥 네모바지 – Korean

values: Սպունգ Բոբ Քառակուսի Տաբատ (մուլտսերիալ) – Armenian

values: स्पंज बॉब स्क्वायर पैंट – Hindi

values:
https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpongeBob
SpongeBob – Italian
it
it
interlanguage-link-target

values: בובספוג מכנסמרובע – Hebrew

values: ღრუბელი ბობი კვადრატული შარვალი (ანიმაციური სერიალი) – Georgian

values: Спанч Боб Шаршы Шалбар (мультсериал) – Kazakh

values: Сунѓерот Боб Панталоновски – Macedonian

values: سبونج بوب سكوير بانتز – Egyptian Arabic

values: スポンジ・ボブ – Japanese

values: Худург Боб Квадратни Хеча – Chechen

values: Buretele Bob Pantaloni Pătrați – Romanian

values: Губка Боб Квадратные Штаны (мультсериал) – Russian

values: BobSfungjeri Pantallona-katrori – Albanian

values: Сунђер Боб Коцкалоне – Serbian

values:
https://su.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spongebob
Spongebob – Sundanese
su
su
interlanguage-link-target

values: స్పాంజ్‌బాబ్ స్క్వేర్ పాంట్స్ – Telugu

values: สพันจ์บ็อบ สแควร์แพนส์ – Thai

values: Губка Боб Квадратні Штани – Ukrainian

values: ספאנדזשבאב סקווערפענץ – Yiddish

values: mediawiki ltr sitedir-ltr mw-hide-empty-elt ns-0 ns-subject page-SpongeBob_SquarePants rootpage-SpongeBob_SquarePants skin-vector action-view