SpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated television series created by marine biologist and animatorStephen Hillenburg. 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. The media franchise has generated $8 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Many of the ideas for the series originated in an unpublished, educational comic book titled The Intertidal Zone, which Hillenburg created in 1989.[3] He began developing SpongeBob SquarePants into a television series in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 titular character. SpongeBob was originally going to be named SpongeBoy, and the series was to be called SpongeBoy Ahoy!, but 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. SpongeBob SquarePants is the most longest running Nickelodeon show. In 2012, the episode "Squiditis" was episode 173a, making SpongeBob surpass the former holder, Rugrats, which consisted of 172 episodes. On July 21, 2012, the series was renewed and aired its ninth season, beginning with the episode "Extreme Spots".
The series has won a variety of different 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 mushroom, Spongiforma squarepantsii, was named after the cartoon's title character.
Main article: List of SpongeBob SquarePants characters
The series revolves around the title character and an ensemble cast of his aquatic friends. SpongeBob SquarePants is an energetic and optimistic sea sponge who lives in a submerged pineapple with his pet snail Gary, who meows like a cat. SpongeBob has a childlike enthusiasm for life, which carries over to his job as a fry cook at a fast food restaurant called the Krusty Krab. His greatest goal in life is to obtain a license to drive a boatmobile. His favorite pastimes include "jellyfishing", which involves catching jellyfish with a net in a manner similar to butterfly catching, and blowing soap bubbles into elaborate shapes.
Living two houses away from SpongeBob is his best friend Patrick Star, a dim-witted yet friendly pink starfish who resides under a rock. Despite his mental setbacks, Patrick sees himself as intelligent. Squidward Tentacles, SpongeBob's next-door neighbor and co-worker at the Krusty Krab, is an arrogant, ill-tempered octopus who lives in an Easter Island moai. He enjoys playing the clarinet and painting self-portraits but hates his job as a cashier. He dislikes living between SpongeBob and Patrick because of their childish nature. The owner of the Krusty Krab is a miserly red crab named Mr. Krabs who talks like a sailor and runs his restaurant as if it were a pirate ship. He is a single parent with one teenage daughter, a sperm whale named Pearl, to whom he wants to bequeath his riches. Pearl does not want to continue the family business and would rather spend her time listening to pop music or working at the local shopping mall. Another of SpongeBob's friends is Sandy Cheeks, a thrill-seeking and athletic squirrel from Texas, who wears an air-filled diving suit to breathe underwater. She lives in an oak tree entrapped in a clear glass dome locked by an airtight, hand-turned seal and is an expert in karate, as well as a scientist.
Located across the street from the Krusty Krab is an unsuccessful rival restaurant called the Chum Bucket. It is run by a small, green, one-eyed copepod named Plankton and his computer-wife, Karen. Plankton constantly tries to steal the secret recipe for Mr. Krabs's popular Krabby Patty burgers, hoping to gain the upper hand and put the Krusty Krab out of business. Karen supplies him with evil schemes to obtain the formula, but their efforts are unsuccessful and their restaurant rarely has any customers. When SpongeBob is not working at the Krusty Krab, he is often taking boat-driving lessons from Mrs. Puff, a paranoid but patient pufferfish. SpongeBob is Mrs. Puff's most diligent student and knows every answer to the oral exams he takes, but he panics and crashes when he tries to drive a real boat. When Mrs. Puff endures one of SpongeBob's crashes or is otherwise frightened, she puffs up into a ball.
The series predominantly takes place in the underwater city of Bikini Bottom which, according to some third-party sources, is located in the Pacific Ocean beneath the real life coral reef Bikini Atoll.[4][5] 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. There are also a few episodes with businesses such as the grocery store, joke store, and mattress store.
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".[6] 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.[6]
The series features "sky flowers" as a main setting material. They first appeared in the pilot and have since become a common feature throughout the series.[6] 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".[6] Since the series was influenced by tiki, the background painters have to use a lot of pattern.[6] Pittenger said that the sky flowers were meant to "evoke the look of a flower-print Hawaiian shirt".[6]
In 1997, a clip was shown featuring a unique opening with the title card music of "Hall Monitor," this may have been to be the opening before the SpongeBob SquarePants opening theme was written.
Help Wanted · Reef Blower · Tea at the Treedome · Bubblestand · Ripped Pants · Jellyfishing · Plankton · Naughty Nautical Neighbors · Boating School · Pizza Delivery · Home Sweet Pineapple · Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy · Pickles · Hall Monitor · Jellyfish Jam · Sandy's Rocket · Squeaky Boots · Nature Pants · Opposite Day · Culture Shock · F.U.N. · MuscleBob BuffPants · Squidward the Unfriendly Ghost · The Chaperone · Employee of the Month · Scaredy Pants · I Was a Teenage Gary · SB-129 · Karate Choppers · Sleepy Time · Suds · Valentine's Day · The Paper · Arrgh! · Rock Bottom · Texas · Walking Small · Fools in April · Neptune's Spatula · Hooky · Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy II
Your Shoe's Untied · Squid's Day Off · Something Smells · Bossy Boots · Big Pink Loser · Bubble Buddy · Dying for Pie · Imitation Krabs · Wormy · Patty Hype · Grandma's Kisses · Squidville · Prehibernation Week · Life of Crime · Christmas Who? (The SpongeBob Christmas Special) · Survival of the Idiots · Dumped · No Free Rides · I'm Your Biggest Fanatic · Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy III · Squirrel Jokes · Pressure · The Smoking Peanut · Shanghaied · Gary Takes a Bath · Welcome to the Chum Bucket · Frankendoodle · The Secret Box · Band Geeks · Graveyard Shift · Krusty Love · Procrastination · I'm with Stupid · Sailor Mouth · Artist Unknown · Jellyfish Hunter · The Fry Cook Games · Squid on Strike · Sandy, SpongeBob, and the Worm
The Algae's Always Greener · SpongeGuard on Duty · Club SpongeBob · My Pretty Seahorse · The Bully · Just One Bite · Nasty Patty · Idiot Box · Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy IV · Doing Time · Snowball Effect · One Krab's Trash · As Seen on TV · Can You Spare a Dime? · No Weenies Allowed · Squilliam Returns · Krab Borg · Rock-a-Bye Bivalve · Wet Painters · Krusty Krab Training Video · Party Pooper Pants · Chocolate with Nuts · Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy V · New Student Starfish · Clams · Ugh · The Great Snail Race · Mid-Life Crustacean · Born Again Krabs · I Had an Accident · Krabby Land · The Camping Episode · Missing Identity · Plankton's Army · The Sponge Who Could Fly · SpongeBob Meets the Strangler · Pranks a Lot
Fear of a Krabby Patty · Shell of a Man · The Lost Mattress · Krabs vs. Plankton · Have You Seen This Snail? · Skill Crane · Good Neighbors · Selling Out · Funny Pants · Dunces and Dragons/Lost in Time · Enemy In-Law · Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy: VI The Motion Picture · Patrick SmartPants · SquidBob TentaclePants · Krusty Towers · Mrs. Puff, You're Fired · Ghost Host · Chimps Ahoy · Whale of a Birthday · Karate Island · All That Glitters · Wishing You Well · New Leaf · Once Bitten · Bummer Vacation · Wigstruck · Squidtastic Voyage · That's No Lady · The Thing · Hocus Pocus · Driven to Tears · Rule of Dumb · Born to Be Wild · Best Frenemies · The Pink Purloiner · Squid Wood · Best Day Ever · The Gift of Gum
Season 5
Friend or Foe · The Original Fry Cook · Night Light · Rise and Shine · Waiting · Fungus Among Us · Spy Buddies · Boat Smarts · Good Ol' Whatshisname · New Digs · Krabs à La Mode · Roller Cowards · Bucket Sweet Bucket · To Love a Patty · Breath of Fresh Squidward · Money Talks · SpongeBob vs. the Patty Gadget · Slimy Dancing · The Krusty Sponge · Sing a Song of Patrick · A Flea in Her Dome · The Donut of Shame · The Krusty Plate · Goo Goo Gas · Le Big Switch · Atlantis SquarePantis · Picture Day · Pat No Pay · BlackJack · Blackened Sponge · Mermaid Man vs. SpongeBob · The Inmates of Summer · To Save a Squirrel · Pest of the West · 20,000 Patties Under the Sea · The Battle of Bikini Bottom · What Ever Happened to SpongeBob · The Two Faces of Squidward · Sponge Henge · Banned in Bikini Bottom · Stanley S. SquarePants
House Fancy · Krabby Road · Penny Foolish · Nautical Novice · Spongicus · Suction Cup Symphony · Not Normal · Gone · The Splinter · Slide Whistle Stooges · A Life in a Day · Sun Bleached · Giant Squidward · No Nose Knows · Patty Caper · Plankton's Regular · Boating Buddies · The Krabby Kronicle · The Slumber Party · Grooming Gary · SpongeBob SquarePants vs. The Big One · Porous Pockets · Choir Boys · Krusty Krushers · The Card · Dear Vikings · Ditchin' · Grandpappy the Pirate · Cephalopod Lodge · Squid's Visit · To SquarePants or Not to SquarePants · Shuffleboarding · Professor Squidward · Pet or Pests · Komputer Overload · Gullible Pants · Overbooked · No Hat for Pat · Toy Store of Doom · Sand Castles in the Sand · Shell Shocked · Chum Bucket Supreme · Single Cell Anniversary · Truth or Square · Pineapple Fever · Chum Caverns · The Clash of Triton
Season 7
Tentacle-Vision · I ♥ Dancing · Growth Spout · Stuck in the Wringer · Someone's in the Kitchen with Sandy · The Inside Job · Greasy Buffoons · Model Sponge · Keep Bikini Bottom Beautiful · A Pal for Gary · Yours, Mine and Mine · Kracked Krabs · The Curse of Bikini Bottom · Squidward in Clarinetland · SpongeBob's Last Stand · Back to the Past · The Bad Guy Club for Villains · A Day Without Tears · Summer Job · One Coarse Meal · Gary in Love · The Play's the Thing · Rodeo Daze · Gramma's Secret Recipe · The Cent of Money · The Monster Who Came to Bikini Bottom · Welcome to the Bikini Bottom Triangle · The Curse of the Hex · The Main Drain · Trenchbillies · Sponge-Cano! · The Great Patty Caper · That Sinking Feeling · Karate Star · Buried in Time · Enchanted Tiki Dreams · The Abrasive Side · Earworm · Hide and Then What Happens? · Shellback Shenanigans · The Masterpiece · Whelk Attack · You Don't Know Sponge · Tunnel of Glove · Krusty Dogs · The Wreck of the Mauna Loa · New Fish in Town · Love That Squid · Big Sister Sam · Perfect Chemistry
Season 8
Accidents Will Happen · The Other Patty · Drive Thru · The Hot Shot · A Friendly Game · Sentimental Sponge · Frozen Face-Off · Squidward's School for Grown-Ups · Oral Report · Sweet and Sour Squid · The Googly Artiste · A SquarePants Family Vacation · Patrick's Staycation · Walking the Plankton · Mooncation · Mr. Krabs Takes a Vacation · Ghoul Fools · Mermaid Man Begins · Plankton's Good Eye · Barnacle Face · Pet Sitter Pat · House Sittin' for Sandy · Smoothe Jazz at Bikini Bottom · Bubble Troubles · The Way of the Sponge · The Krabby Patty That Ate Bikini Bottom · Bubble Buddy Returns · Restraining SpongeBob · Fiasco! · Are You Happy Now? · Planet of the Jellyfish · Free Samples · Home Sweet Rubble · Karen 2.0 · InSPONGEiac · Face Freeze! · Glove World R.I.P. · Squiditis · Demolition Doofus · Treats! · For Here or to Go · It's a SpongeBob Christmas! · Super Evil Aquatic Villain Team Up is Go! · Chum Fricassee · The Good Krabby Name · Move It or Lose It · Hello Bikini Bottom!
Season 9
Miscellaneous
Merchandise · SpongeBob Comics 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 · The SpongeBob Musical
Out of Control (1984–1985) · Double Dare (1986–1993; 2000) · Don't Just Sit There (1988–1990) · Hey Dude (1989–1991) · Eureeka's Castle (1989–1995)
1990s
Wild and Crazy Kids (1990–1992) · Fifteen (1991–1993) · Clarissa Explains It All (1991–1994) · Welcome Freshmen (1991–1996) · Salute Your Shorts (1991–1992) · Doug (1991–1999) · Rugrats (1991–2004) · The Ren and Stimpy Show (1991–1996) · What Would You Do? (1991–1993) · Are You Afraid of the Dark? (1991–2000) · Nick News with Linda Ellerbee (1992–2015) · Roundhouse (1992–1996) · Weinerville (1993–1995) · Legends of the Hidden Temple (1993–1995) · Rocko's Modern Life (1993–1996) · The Adventures of Pete and Pete (1993–1996) · All That (1994–2005) · Gullah Gullah Island (1994–1998) · The Secret World of Alex Mack (1994–1998) · My Brother and Me (1994–1995) · Aaahh!!! Real Monsters (1994–1997) · Allegra's Window (1994–1996) · Little Bear (1995-2000) · Space Cases (1996–1997) · The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo (1996–1998) · The Off-Beats (1996-1999) · Kenan and Kel (1996–2000) · Blue's Clues (1996–2006) · Hey Arnold! (1996–2004) · KaBlam! (1996–2000) · The Angry Beavers (1997–2001) · Figure It Out (1997–1999; 2012–2013) · Franklin (1997–2004) · The Journey of Allen Strange (1997–2000) · CatDog (1998–2005) · Oh Yeah! Cartoons (1998–2001) · Cousin Skeeter (1998–2001) · The Wild Thornberrys (1998–2004) · Animorphs (1998–2000) · Maggie and the Ferocious Beast (1998–2002) · Maisy (1999–2001) · Phred on Your Head Show (1999–2002) · Rocket Power (1999–2004) · 100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd (1999–2002) · The Amanda Show (1999–2002) · Little Bill (1999–2004)
2000s
Caitlin's Way (2000–2002) · The Brothers García (2000–2004) · Dora the Explorer (2000–2015) · Oobi (2000–2005) · Pelswick (2000–2002) · Noah Knows Best (2000–2001) · As Told by Ginger (2000–2004) · Taina (2001–2002) · Invader Zim (2001–2006; 2011) · Oswald (2001–2004) · The URL with Phred Show (2001–2002) · Action League Now! (2001–2002) · The Nick Cannon Show (2002–2003) · ChalkZone (2002–2008) · Play with Me Sesame (2002–2007) · The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (2002–2006) · Max and Ruby (2002–2013) · Miffy and Friends (2003–2007) · Moose A. Moose and Zee (2003–2012) · All Grown Up! (2003–2008) · My Life as a Teenage Robot (2003–2005) · Romeo! (2003–2006) · Drake and Josh (2004–2007) · Whoopi's Littleburg (2004) · Danny Phantom (2004–2007) · Blue's Room (2004–2007) · LazyTown (2004–2008) · Curious Buddies (2004–2005) · Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends (2004–2009) · Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide (2004–2007) · Unfabulous (2004–2007) · The Backyardigans (2004–2010) · Nicktoons Film Festival (2004–2009) · Cooking for Kids with Luis (2004–2005) · Jack's Big Music Show (2004–2008) · Zoey 101 (2005–2008) · Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005–2008) · Pinky Dinky Doo (2005–2009) · Catscratch (2005–2007) · Go, Diego, Go! (2005–2011) · The X's (2005–2006) · Kappa Mikey (2006–2008) · Wonder Pets! (2006–2015) · Just for Kicks (2006) · Mr. Meaty (2006–2007) · Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! (2006–2010) · The Upside Down Show (2006–2008) · Just Jordan (2007–2008) · El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera (2007–2008) · The Naked Brothers Band (2007–2009) · Wayside (2007–2008) · Tak and the Power of Juju (2007–2009) · iCarly (2007–2012) · Back at the Barnyard (2007–2011) · Ni Hao, Kai-Lan (2007–2011) · Dance on Sunset (2008) · Making Fiends (2008) · The Mighty B! (2008–2011) · My Family's Got Guts (2008–2009) · True Jackson, VP (2008–2011) · Toot and Puddle (2008–2009) · The Penguins of Madagascar (2008–2015) · Rugrats Pre-School Daze (2008) · Olivia (2009–2011) · The Fresh Beat Band (2009–2013) · The Troop (2009–2013) · Fanboy and Chum Chum (2009–2014) · BrainSurge (2009–2014) · Big Time Rush (2009–2013)
2010s
Team Umizoomi (2010–2015) · Victorious (2010–2013) · Planet Sheen (2010–2013) · T.U.F.F. Puppy (2010–2015) · House of Anubis (2011–2013) · Power Rangers Samurai (2011–2012) · Franklin and Friends (2011–2013) · Supah Ninjas (2011–2013) · Bucket and Skinner's Epic Adventures (2011–2013) · Mike the Knight (2011–2013) · Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness (2011–2014) · Fred: The Show (2012) · How to Rock (2012) · The Legend of Korra (2012–2014) · You Gotta See This (2012–2014) · Robot and Monster (2012–2015) · Marvin Marvin (2012–2013) · Power Rangers Megaforce & Super Megaforce (2013–2014) · Monsters vs. Aliens (2013–2014) · Sam and Cat (2013–2014) · Sanjay and Craig (2013–2016) · AwesomenessTV (2013–2015) · The Haunted Hathaways (2013–2015) · Julius Jr. (2013–2015) · Every Witch Way (2014–2015) · Bella and the Bulldogs (2015-2016) · Talia in the Kitchen (2015) · Fresh Beat Band of Spies (2015–2016) · WITS Academy (2015)
Current
SpongeBob SquarePants (since 1999) · The Fairly OddParents (since 2001) · Yo Gabba Gabba! (since 2007) · Dino Dan (since 2009) · Bubble Guppies (since 2011) · Winx Club (since 2011) · Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (since 2012) · Peter Rabbit (since 2012) · Lalaloopsy (since 2013) · Rabbids Invasion (since 2013)* · PAW Patrol (since 2013) · Wallykazam! (since 2014) · Breadwinners (since 2014) · Henry Danger (since 2014) · Dora and Friends: Into the City! (since 2014) · Nicky, Ricky, Dicky and Dawn (since 2014) · Blaze and the Monster Machines (since 2014) · 100 Things to Do Before High School (since 2014) · Little Charmers (since 2015) · Power Rangers Dino Charge & Dino Super Charge (since 2015) · Nick Jr. Puppies (since 2015) · Harvey Beaks (since 2015) · Make It Pop (since 2015) · Mutt and Stuff (since 2015) · Pig Goat Banana Cricket (since 2015) · Shimmer and Shine (since 2015) · Game Shakers (since 2015) · Paradise Run (since 2016) · School of Rock (since 2016) · The Other Kingdom (since 2016) · The Loud House (since 2016) · Teletubbies (since 2016) · All In with Cam Newton (since 2016) · Crashletes (since 2016) · Legendary Dudas (since 2016)
Upcoming
Rusty Rivets · Welcome to the Wayne (2016) · The Dunes Club (2016) · Bunsen is a Beast! (2017) · Pinky Malinky (2017)
