SpongeBob SquarePants (seasons 1-6A, 8-present)

'''This page and the other SpongeBob pages are dedicated to the late creator Stephen Hillenburg (1961-2018) who passed away due to ALS. He will always be our ocean man.'''

'' “ I guess you're right, Plankton. I am just a kid. And you know, I've been through a lot in the past six days, five minutes, twenty-seven-and-a-half seconds. And if I've learned anything during that time, It's that you are, who you are. And no amount of mermaid magic, or managerial promotion, or some other third thing... can make me anything more than what I really am inside: A kid. But that's okay! Because I did what everyone said a kid couldn't do! I made it to Shell City, and I beat the Cyclops, and I rode the Hasselhoff, and I brought the crown back! So yeah, I'm a kid. And I'm also a goofball. And a wing nut. And a Knucklehead McSpazatron! But most of all, I'm... I'm... I'm… I’M A GOOFY GOOBER! ”  ― SpongeBob SquarePants, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie'' Robert SquarePants (more famously known as SpongeBob SquarePants, born July 14, 1986) is the titular main protagonist of the beloved Nickelodeon animated series through his nickname and Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years one of the main characters in The Patrick Star Show, and the deuteragonist of the upcoming spin-off movie Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie. He was designed by the former marine biologist, Stephen Hillenburg. Stephen Hillenburg based SpongeBob on Bob the Sponge, a character he had created for his educational book "The Intertidal Zone" in the late 1980s. He is voiced by Tom Kenny.

SpongeBob is a childish and joyful sea sponge who lives in a pineapple with his pet snail Gary the underwater city of Bikini Bottom, working as a fry cook at the Krusty Krab, a job which he is exceptionally skilled at and enjoys thoroughly. He attends Mrs. Puff's Boating School, and his greatest dream in life is to receive his boating license.

Creation and Design
After Rocko's Modern Life ended in 1996, Hillenburg began working on SpongeBob SquarePants. He began drawing and took some of the show's characters from his comic The Intertidal Zone like starfish, crab, and sponge. At the time, Hillenburg knew that "everybody was doing buddy shows"—like The Ren & Stimpy Show along with Beavis and Butt-head. He stated, "I can't do a buddy show," so he decided to do a "one character" show instead. He conceived a sponge as the title character because he liked its "versatility ... as an animal."

Hillenburg derived the character's name from Bob the Sponge, the host of his comic strip The Intertidal Zone, after changing it from SpongeBoy because of trademark issues. had made several "horrible impersonations" before he finally conceived of his character. He compared the concept to Laurel and Hardy and Pee-wee Herman saying, "I think SpongeBob [was] born out of my love of Laurel and Hardy shorts. You've got that kind of idiot-buddy situation – that was a huge influence. SpongeBob was inspired by that kind of character: the Innocent – à la Stan Laurel."

The first concept sketch portrayed the character wearing a red hat with a green base and a white business shirt with a tie. SpongeBob's look gradually changed. He also wore brown pants used in the final design. SpongeBob was designed to be a childlike character who was goofy and optimistic in a style similar to that made famous by Jerry Lewis.

Originally, the character was to be named SpongeBoy (and the series named SpongeBoy Ahoy!), but this name was already in use for another product. This was discovered after voice acting for the original seven-minute pilot was recorded. Upon learning this, Hillenburg knew that the character's name still had to contain "Sponge" so viewers would not mistake him for a "Cheese Man". In 1997, he decided to use the name "SpongeBob" with "SquarePants" as a family name, with the latter referring to the character's square shape and having a "nice ring to it".

Before commissioning SpongeBob as a full series, Nickelodeon executives insisted that it would not be popular unless the main character was a child who went to school. Stephen Hillenburg recalled in 2012 that Nickelodeon told him, "Our winning formula is animation about kids in school... We want you to put SpongeBob in school." Hillenburg was ready to "walk out" on Nickelodeon and abandon the series since he wanted SpongeBob to be an adult character. He eventually compromised by adding a new character to the main cast, Mrs. Puff, who is SpongeBob's boat-driving teacher. Hillenburg was happy with the compromise and said, "A positive thing for me that came out of it was [how it brought] in a new character, Mrs. Puff, who I love"].

Episodes from 2000 and 2001 have given SpongeBob's birthdate as July 14, 1986, although his age is left unclear throughout the series.

SpongeBob has demonstrated an ability to shapeshift, for example into the shape of Texas or his friends.

Voice
SpongeBob is voiced by veteran voice actor Tom Kenny who had worked previously with Hillenburg on Rocko's Modern Life. When Hillenburg was createing SpongeBob SquarePants, he approached Kenny to voice the character. Hillenburg used Kenny's and other people's personalities while creating SpongeBob.

Kenny said in an episode of WTF with Marc Maron that the voice was based on an angry dwarf actor he encountered while auditioning for a television commercial. Kenny had originally used SpongeBob's voice for a minor background character in Rocko's Modern Life. At first, Kenny forgot the voice because he had used it only on that occasion. Hillenburg remembered it when he was coming up with SpongeBob, however, and played a video clip of the Rocko episode to remind Kenny of the voice. When Hillenburg heard Kenny do the voice, he said, "That's it—I don't want to hear anybody else do the voice. We've got SpongeBob." Kenny recalled that Nickelodeon was unsure of his casting and said, "Well, let's just listen to 100 more people." The network hoped to find a celebrity for the part. Kenny noted: "But 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'." Kenny recalls Hillenburg "let them know that in no uncertain terms." SpongeBob's high-pitched laugh was specifically designed to be unique according to Kenny. They wanted an annoying laugh in the tradition of Popeye the Sailor and Woody Woodpecker.

Throughout the series, SpongeBob's voice evolved from "low-key" to high-pitched. Kenny said, "I hear the change... It's mostly a question of the pitch."He said that, "It's unconscious on my part" because "I don't wake up and think, 'Hmm, I'm going to change SpongeBob's voice today, just for the hell of it'." He described it as "like erosion: a very slow process. As time goes on, you need to bring him to different places and more places, the more stories and scripts you do." Contrasting first-season episodes to those of the seventh season, Kenny said that "there's a bit of a change [in the voice], but I don't think it's that extreme at all."

When SpongeBob SquarePants was prepared for broadcast in languages other than English, the voice actors dubbing SpongeBob's voice used Tom Kenny's rendition of the character as a starting point but added unique elements. For example, in the French version of the series, SpongeBob speaks with a slight Daffy Duck-style lisp.

Personality
SpongeBob is a fun-loving, hyperactive, clueless, and childish sea sponge with a happy-go-lucky personality. Despite being portrayed this way, he is relatively smart and knows right from wrong, an example being telling Patrick not to draw his picture of calling Mrs. Puff a "big, fat, meanie" because she's a teacher. He is extremely determined and will often stop at nothing to accomplish a task. He is also somewhat dramatic to the people who are kind to him: for example, to the mailfish. He is also over-confident. Sometimes, though, he shows his devious side when trying to get Mr. Krabs and Plankton to work together. He sometimes makes mountains out of molehills, such as losing his name tag. It is also suggested that he deceived the Tattletale Strangler in an elaborate plot to get him back to jail. When he first met Plankton, he was almost quick to befriend him, but quickly realized Plankton's true intention was to take advantage of him to steal the Krabby Patty secret formula. Plankton himself is surprised that SpongeBob was smart enough to see through his manipulation, telling him, "Gee, and I thought you were stupid."

SpongeBob is very kind-hearted and innocent, and very rarely acts openly mean to anyone, even those who find him an annoyance and act cruelly to him. He is a very selfless and loyal person, especially towards those close to him. His selfless nature is most notably shown in "Best Day Ever," where he sacrifices his "perfect day" to help his friends. Despite his well-meaning intentions, SpongeBob's actions often annoy and cause trouble for those around him, most notably his next-door neighbor, Squidward.

SpongeBob can become scared easily and usually panics when frightened. He is afraid of the dark and clowns. He also hates hot sauce. Occasionally, SpongeBob is too ignorant to notice impending danger and his unworldly thinking may put himself or others in peril. He also cannot detect lies or malice as easily as the other characters, mainly due to his naïvety. This is particularly evident in episodes featuring Squidward, such as "Giant Squidward," "Good Neighbors," "Squid's Visit," and "Tentacle-Vision." In these episodes, as well as many others, SpongeBob believes he is making Squidward happy, even though he's actually making him miserable. One non-Squidward example is in "A Pal for Gary," when Gary is being violently attacked and nearly eaten by Puffy Fluffy, SpongeBob takes no action and instead accuses Gary of harassing Puffy. Another example is "Home Sweet Rubble," when it takes SpongeBob a few moments to realize that his house is in serious need or repair.

Furthermore, SpongeBob also goes to great lengths to impress others and achieve his goals, even if they involve malice, as seen in "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy II," where SpongeBob wrongly attacks an innocent Atomic Flounder to impress Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy. SpongeBob attempts to steal Patrick's secret box in "The Secret Box." He also tries to steal Betsy Krabs' underwear along with Patrick and Mr. Krabs in "Mid-Life Crustacean" as part of the "panty raid." In "Doing Time," SpongeBob and Patrick force the receptionist of the local bank to give them all his money; this was done in an attempt to get arrested and free Mrs. Puff from jail. In "Hall Monitor," SpongeBob enters the window of a couple's house and disturbs them while on hall monitor duties; this was done to show them the consequences of leaving a window open. In "The Great Snail Race," SpongeBob overexerts Gary to prepare him for the following snail race. This causes extreme discomfort to Gary and eventually results in him collapsing on his way to the finish line; however, SpongeBob eventually noticed the error in his ways. SpongeBob traps Squidward in a bottle in the episode "Employee of the Month."

In "Employee of the Month," SpongeBob sets up many traps on Squidward in an attempt to sabotage his Employee of the Month Award. In "Just One Bite," SpongeBob handcuffs himself to Squidward, forcing him to eat a Krabby Patty. In "Shuffleboarding," he and Patrick, while dressed as Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy respectively, go around arresting citizens for actions that do not count as crimes, such as chewing gum too loudly and being too old. In "SpongeBob's Last Stand," SpongeBob and Patrick resist the government-sanctioned construction of the Shelly Superhighway and encourage the rest of the town to join their protest through a song. The police eventually notice the boys rebelling against the government's authority and imprison them in the middle of nowhere. However, on SpongeBob's part, his arrest was for playing the sitar without a license. SpongeBob also feels the need to impress Mr. Krabs and to protect the Krusty Krab and the Krabby Patty secret formula at all costs. In "Call the Cops," SpongeBob and Mr. Krabs impersonate police officers in hopes of retrieving the secret formula. He also likes to impress his boating teacher, Mrs. Puff, despite his reckless driving. Beginning with "Boating School," an ongoing plot point is SpongeBob failing his driver's test due to his inability to drive safely. His poor driving skills have caused him to run over pedestrians, rapidly switch lanes, drive on the sidewalk, crash into buildings and property, harm his passengers, and lastly damage his vehicle. Despite all the damage he causes, SpongeBob is never arrested or charged for his dangerous driving; instead, Mrs. Puff is, who the authorities believe is failing to educate him.

These actions can often lead to SpongeBob entering by trespassing. SpongeBob and Patrick have a frequent tendency to enter Squidward's house without his consent, which reaches its epitome in "Good Neighbors" and becomes a plot point of the said episode. Additionally, in "Survival of the Idiots," he and Patrick invade Sandy's treedome during the winter with little regard to the "Keep Out" sign on her door. In "The Thing," after getting caught by the SWAT Team, SpongeBob and Patrick hide from them by trespassing into the sewers. SpongeBob also invades the sewers with Squidward in "The Sewers of Bikini Bottom," although they did it to retrieve the safe, so this can be justified. In "Toy Store of Doom," SpongeBob and Patrick stay in Toy Barrel past its open hours and hide in a dollhouse so as not to be caught by the security guard.

SpongeBob's personality trait of wanting to impress others and achieve his goals has led to him having a criminal history. However, due to his naivety and gullibility, a lot of these crimes have been committed unintentionally or through the manipulation of others, mainly Squidward, Plankton, Karen, or Mr. Krabs. He has been arrested a total of seven times: for "stealing" a balloon in "Life of Crime," failing to invite the police to his party in "Party Pooper Pants," littering Patrick's driver's license in "Driven to Tears," playing sitar without a license in "SpongeBob's Last Stand," falsely accused public disturbance in "Cave Dwelling Sponge," impersonating a police officer in "Call the Cops," and unintentionally terrorizing a majority of Bubbletown in the episode of the same name.

SpongeBob's innocence also makes him overly trusting and very gullible, easily manipulated by people who intend to use and/or harm him, such as Squidward, Mr. Krabs, and Plankton, and he is clumsy. In "Walking Small," SpongeBob assists Plankton in driving the attendants at Goo Lagoon away to make an unauthorized development to its property. However, this was done out of manipulation, and SpongeBob regrets his actions after learning Plankton's motive, therefore returning the beach to its previous state. In "Sandy's Rocket," SpongeBob and Patrick go around capturing everyone in Bikini Bottom and trapping them in the spaceship, believing that the entire population is formed of aliens.

Even though he is generally good-natured and easygoing, SpongeBob can get angered easily. When frustrated and angered, SpongeBob can be sarcastic, rude, and condescending to his friends, even Mr. Krabs, whom he treats as a father figure. Squidward is the only character whom SpongeBob never insults when he is angry, except for the episodes "Can You Spare a Dime?" and "Breath of Fresh Squidward."

In "Hooky," SpongeBob is encouraged by Patrick to ditch work during his shift, which causes the unsupervised grill to produce mass amounts of smoke. He believed King Neptune's trident was his spatula and decided to help all of Bikini Bottom when he was destroying the town after going mad with power in "Trident Trouble." In "Hall Monitor," he lets his rank of hall monitor go to his head and becomes known as the maniac for his destruction of the city before receiving a scolding from his teacher who was arrested for it. During "Ditchin'," SpongeBob ditches boating school to attend the Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy meet and greet, which affects his driver's education and eventually gets Mrs. Puff arrested. Even stated in "Goons on the Moon" that he is a menace despite his good nature.

Despite his overall kindness, SpongeBob occasionally shows a lack of empathy for others and forces people into situations against their will. In the episode "Rodeo Daze," he kidnaps the Bikini Bottomites with bubbles in persuasion for them to save Sandy from a rodeo. Additionally, in the episode "A SquarePants Family Vacation," he sends his friends letters promising that everything they love will be at his house, only for it to be a hoax and a plea for them to view his slideshow.

Although SpongeBob has several friends, and many of the citizens of Bikini Bottom often treat him quite friendly, most, if not all, citizens of the city have been shown to have some degree of dislike for him. In the episode "Gone," it is shown that a holiday called "National No SpongeBob Day" has been started by the citizens of Bikini Bottom. As its name suggests, it is an entire day dedicated to getting away from SpongeBob, where the people leave Bikini Bottom for the day. Even Patrick goes, stating that everyone needs at least one day away from SpongeBob's laughter. In the ceremony, they build a giant wooden effigy of SpongeBob, burn it down, dance on the ashes, and depart Bikini Bottom. SpongeBob is more honored than insulted by this, as he was the "inspiration" for the holiday.

Dedication to his job
SpongeBob is not only extremely good at his job, being able to produce a Krabby Patty within seconds, but also has a strong passion and an abnormal love for it; something of a workaholic, he enjoys his job more than any other activity and is saddened whenever he cannot be at work. He even views closing time as the saddest part of the day[28] and gleefully embraces the 24-hour business of the restaurant in the episodes "Graveyard Shift" and "Fear of a Krabby Patty."

In "Welcome to the Chum Bucket," he is briefly employed at the Chum Bucket but fails to do any successful work, and struggles to adapt to the new changes of the kitchen, demanding that Plankton redesign the restaurant to be an exact replica of the Krusty Krab.

In "Squid on Strike," he struggles to throw his Krusty Krab hat on the ground due to his attachment to the job, with the hat sticking to his hand.

In "Bummer Vacation," he cannot preoccupy himself while on vacation from the Krusty Krab and attempts many failed plans to regain access to his job while Patrick is substituted for fry cook, only for Mr. Krabs to send SpongeBob back home each time. SpongeBob goes as far as to quarantine Patrick in his own rock forcing him to watch a static-y TV and wears Patrick's disguise to get his job back immediately, which finally happens as his vacation time expires.

In "Model Sponge," SpongeBob seemingly hears he was to be let go but has mistaken himself as the person to vacate his current life. Throughout his unemployed life during the episode, he tries to apply for many jobs, but is not qualified for them, as he is meant for the fry cook role at the Krusty Krab.

In "SpongeBob You're Fired," SpongeBob floods the Krusty Krab with his crying after being broken the news from Mr. Krabs that he has been fired. This makes him depressed and mourn his job with a five 'o clock shadow, until he gets motivation to apply for fry cook at a new restaurant. However, SpongeBob is fired from each restaurant because he keeps cooking Krabby Patty variations of the restaurants' main foods. This had previously occurred in "Le Big Switch," where SpongeBob becomes a temporary fry cook at the Fancy! restaurant but cannot cook any of the foods served there and turns everything he cooks into Krabby Patties, even when he simply cracks an egg. When he tries to make a milkshake at the Milkshake Academy in "License to Milkshake," he pours out a Krabby Patty instead.

He is very good at his job because he is the "Vice Assistant General Manager of Certain Things". He also has been shown making a perfect Krabby Patty on his first try when he was a baby. SpongeBob's skills as a fry cook could be described as superhuman; in episodes such as "Help Wanted" and "Employee of the Month," he is seen making them at rates of hundreds or even thousands per minute. He has won 374 consecutive Employee of the Month awards at the Krusty Krab. In "Neptune's Spatula," he can pull the golden spatula from the grease, making him the "chosen one" of King Neptune. In that same episode, it is shown that the burgers made by Neptune himself are horrible compared to SpongeBob's.

SpongeBob is also obsessed with Krabby Patties themselves; on numerous occasions, he has proclaimed them the best food in the world, and in "Just One Bite" and "Shuffleboarding," he is shocked and horrified to see one thrown away, also persuading Squidward to eat one continuously in the former episode. They are revealed to be his favorite food during the Simple-Ton magazine best-friend quiz he takes with Patrick in "You Don't Know Sponge."

Relationships
Patrick Star - SpongeBob has been best friends with Patrick for as long as he can remember. Even though Patrick is dim-witted, SpongeBob looks at him as a genius. Patrick lives under a rock two houses away from SpongeBob. The pair love jellyfishing, bubble-blowing, playing childish games. However, neither one notices the fact that they are incredibly naive, and both are optimists.

Sandy Cheeks - Sandy and SpongeBob became friends upon their first meeting. They like to practice karate together as well as hang out in Goo Lagoon. Sandy often looks at SpongeBob as immature, but laughs at his brand of humor. In "Truth or Square", SpongeBob revealed that they once starred in a play with each other, pretending to marry each other.

Pearl Krabs - Pearl is another one of SpongeBob's good friends. They have ended up in romantic situations (like going to prom and going on a love-themed ride together), but the two are just friends. Pearl thinks SpongeBob is stylish, fashionable and very helpful (even with dull tasks like helping her get rid of barnacles).

Squidward Tentacles - SpongeBob is always under the impression that Squidward and he are great friends, but Squidward thinks otherwise. He has even stated to SpongeBob (directly) that he hates him, but SpongeBob never takes him seriously. He and Patrick also love to play with him, but always end up making "every 11 minutes of his life" (which is how long an episode segment is) filled with misery.

Mr. Krabs - Eugene Krabs is SpongeBob's boss and fatherly figure, carrying with him tales of the sea and warnings. Occasionally, SpongeBob has gotten in trouble with him, but Mr. Krabs is proud of him nevertheless.

Mrs. Puff - SpongeBob idolizes Mrs. Puff as a teacher and she frequently acts as a motherly figure to him. SpongeBob longs to be Mrs. Puff's best student, trying his hardest to gain "Good Noodle" stars and ace every oral exam. Unfortunately, his helplessness behind the wheel can leave Mrs. Puff exasperated.

Plankton - Sheldon Plankton and SpongeBob were arch-rivals in the older seasons and SpongeBob would usually defeats his plans for stealing the Krabby Patty secret formula. In the newer episodes, after SpongeBob helped him into finding Spot and saving Karen, they became good friends and at the same time business rivals.

Karen Plankton - Initially Karen saw SpongeBob as an enemy, and she advised Plankton to use him to get the secret formula. However, SpongeBob has teamed up with her on occasion, most notably in "Frozen Face-Off" and the second film and they gave currently a more positive relationship after he saved her life from a virus.

Gary the Snail - Gary is SpongeBob's cherished pet. SpongeBob has owned Gary ever since he was a young boy living with his parents.

Why He's Employee of the Month

 * 1) His optimistic outlook on life can be very inspiring, always trying his best to enjoy everything in life and spread that joy to others no matter what, contrasting the cranky and depressing nature of Squidward. But although he may act like a child, he's not some one-note happy-go-lucky character, as he's still a competent and reasonable person who's capable of being perceptive and skeptical. He's conscientious and is extremely committed to his responsibilities. He may drive Squidward and Mrs. Puff crazy, but he himself has his limits and can get mad at others (easily, the most famous example of this, would be in "Can You Spare a Dime?").
 * 2) While some people can sympathize with Squidward and find SpongeBob irritating, he's not some braindead moron who can't take a hint. He's completely aware that Squidward is cranky, grouchy, doesn't think highly of him or his friends, but SpongeBob constantly tries to cheer him up anyways because he genuinely cares about him, and believes that he deserves to be happy. Some of the best episodes of the series are centered around their dynamic, such as "Pizza Delivery", "Fools in April", "Dying for Pie", and "Christmas Who?".
 * 3) He has a clever, iconic, and adorable character design. Normally, squares are associated with being dull and boring, but SpongeBob subverts this by being nautically nonsensical, which is reflected by his buck teeth, long nose, rosy cheeks, and them big 'ol eyes. He is also very expressive, spawning countless memes, although that could also be attributed to the show's humor in general.
 * 4) They absolutely could not have found a better and more fitting voice for the character, than Tom Kenny's. His performance perfectly encapsulates the personality and energy of the character, becoming extremely iconic, and many SpongeBob's most beloved moments in the would not have been as hilarious if it weren't for Kenny's delivery.
 * 5) SpongeBob has also sung many great and memorable songs across the show's history, such as "Ripped Pants", the "F.U.N. Song", "This Grill is Not a Home", and "The C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E S-O-N-G Song". He even starred in his own stage musical, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical, which is also great and a really well-made love letter to the series, with Ethan Slater doing a great job with his own take on the character.
 * 6) The "secret formula" to what makes SpongeBob's character tick is in Stephen Hillenburg's pitch bible for the character (or "Sponge Boy", as he was at the time), as that was the original vision for the character:
 * 7) *Who is Sponge Boy?: Sponge Boy is our hero! He's a single male sponge who resides in a fully furnished, two bedroom... pineapple. He has an abnormal love for his job at "The Crusty Crab," a fast food restaurant. In fact, he's so proud of his Crusty Crab uniform that he never takes it off - not even when he showers. His big dream is to capture the not-so-coveted "Employee of the month" award, but, because of his overzealous nature and havoc it creates, this goal constantly eludes him. But Sponge Boy's life is much richer than just Pineapple to "Crusty Crab" and home again. He has a wide circle of friends and people who he thinks are his friends, but who would never admit it. He has a variety of interests which keep him occupied― rust, friction, bubble art, odors, and why hamburgers and French fries taste different. Sponge Boy is incurably optimistic, innocent, earnest, and well-meaning. He is a free spirit, fascinated by the obvious, and creative enough to see almost anything in a new light. His good humor and good intentions often irritate others, but his refreshing attitude makes him a likable underdog. By day he embraces each moment with enthusiasm. By night he often lays awake so as to not miss anything then either. The star of Sponge Boy is also comic obsessive, especially when it comes to details. If he buys a toothbrush, he might test several of them before he makes his purchase. If he sharpens a pencil he might get down to the stub before he's satisfied with the point. Despite all of Sponge Boy's positive character traits, he can't seem to avoid creating problems for himself. Sponge Boy zeal usually means Sponge Boy disaster. While trying too hard, he tends to do things wrong, really wrong. In almost any situation, from jump starting his outboard boat-mobile to just picking flowers for someone in the hospital (who's probably there thanks to him), the potential for disaster looms large. Oh yeah. Sponge Boy plays the Ukulele.
 * 8) *What Does Sponge Boy Want?: Sponge Boy would like to fit in. His ideal is to be like everyone else. He wants to buy into that dream of "service with a smile," and be that team player, that company man with the positive mental attitude. But he never quite attains this goal, and, more importantly, he will never recognize this fact. Here we discover the tragic side of Sponge Boy. Don't get nervous! He is tragic to some extent. It's extremely important for this character to have pathos, especially if he is to be a comic character. (Chaplain and Keaton understood this idea and exploited it to great effect.) We see Sponge Boy as built from within, observing that this creates sympathies and qualities which resonate. His desire to fit in, combined with his innocence about his inability to do so, create conflict. This conflict informs the character and his actions: What does he want? He wants to fit in, but like a square peg in a round hole, he can't.
 * 9) **EXAMPLE: Sponge Boy goes to muscle beach, a popular Bikini Bottom recreation spot. He attempts all of the things that everyone else is doing--surfing, sunbathing, weight lifting, sand castle building--but does them in his own inimitable style: When Sponge Boy can't pull his surf board out of the sand, he invents a better kind of surfing: He repeatedly launches himself at the board which bends backwards and slings him far away. Sponge Boy's weight lifting set is a stick with two stuffed animals stuck on either side, instead of weights. His sand castle looks like a treasure chest. When he opens it up there's enough doubloons inside to buy everyone sodas at the Krusty Krab.
 * 10) *What is Sponge Boy's Attitude?: Much of what we've observed has shown that Sponge Boy is optimistic. This trait is not to be taken lightly. There is a plethora of wise-cracking, cynical, glib cartoon characters out there hitting each other on the head and pushing each other into wheat shredders. Sponge Boy is not one of them. He is truly an optimist, a guy who can't help but look on the bright side, who's positive energy transforms the way we look at things, helping us find the irony in even the dullest of life's details.
 * 11) **EXAMPLE: Mr. Crabs dupes Sponge Boy into accepting a pair of rubber boots instead of his weekly pay check. Sponge Boy and the boots become inseparable. Crabs can't believe his good fortune in having such a stooge for an employee. But then Sponge Boy starts to use them creatively: They make a squeaky sound which he can manipulate like a musical instrument when he shuffles his feet. In fact he amazes people with his musical boots. The squeaking sound drives Mr. Crabs crazy (to the point where everything he hears sounds like a series of squeaks), like the telltale heart, and he is forced to buy to boots back from Sponge Boy at an absorbent price.
 * 12) *How do these traits play out?: An obstacle stands in our path. Most of us take a certain, logical approach to getting around the object. Sponge Boy takes a wayward, unconventional, and ultimately funny approach, though still getting around the obstacle. This is essential Sponge Boy logic. It is internal logic, and underscores his original thinking. This also means that he is not a loser. He always wins, even if it's only a personal win. He will get to where he's going, but the getting there is what makes him likable, interesting and significant. Sponge Boy tries to fit in, fiercely embracing the normal and the mundane, but in doing so he turns upside down the very ideal he was striving for.
 * 13) **EXAMPLE: Sponge Boy, a proud pineapple home owner, decides to clean up his yard with a reef blower one Sunday morning. But in his hands the reef blower becomes a destructive force which he can't control. Patrick comes out of his rock with his own reef blower, and, thinking that this is how it's done, imitates Sponge Boy being thrashed about. Together, the two reef-blowing neighbors erode the foundation of Squidward's Easter Island head. The house totters and falls over with Squidward in it.
 * 14) *What makes Sponge Boy different?: Sponge Boy is an ultra-creative character living among others that do not share his gift, especially the Squidwards and Mr. Crabs of the undersea world. Creative, original thought is rare indeed--it is the stuff of genius. (And what genius was every fully appreciated in his own time?) The creative thinker always lives in contrast to his fellow sea creatures--he is an underdog. Sometimes he is scorned, or ostracized, or misunderstood. But no matter what the reaction, the spirit of the creative thinker remains undaunted; it is always mutating and reinventing itself. And this is how we see Sponge Boy. Unaware of his talents, he cheerily strives to assimilate in a world where unbridled creative thought is a catalyst for conflict. Luckily, his failure to fit in is mitigated by his optimism and his ability to turn a loss into a win for himself.
 * 15) With all of the above, he has certainty earned his role as one of the most popular and iconic cartoon characters of all time, alongside Mickey Mouse, Homer Simpson, and Bugs Bunny. One could even argue he and his cartoon has become even more beloved than all of them combined.

"Tartar Sauce!" Qualities

 * 1) He was hit excessively hard with flanderization in seasons 6b and 7 as he became a very annoying & idiotic pest. However, he redeemed himself in the newer seasons as he goes back to his original personality since Season 8.
 * 2) While still likable for the most part, he was slightly flanderized in seasons 5, 6a and 8 as there were more episodes where he did something stupid or by pure idioticy such as: "To Love a Patty", "Breathe of Fresh Squidward", "Waiting", "Plankton's Regular", "Giant Squidward", "Demolition Doofus", "Sentimental Sponge", "Face Freeze", and "Squiditis".
 * 3) He was also slightly flanderized in SpongeBob: Patty Pursuit, although he's still likable and is still fun to play as.
 * 4) He still does have some mean-spirited moments before Season 6B & 7 such as:
 * 5) In terms of pre-moive era, he was at his absolute worst in "The Great Snail Race", as he pushes Gary into training, even if Gary doesn’t want to, and overworks his snail to his limit.
 * 6) In "To Love a Patty", he gruesomely murdered a bunch of scallops only because the scallops were trying to eat the Krabby Patty he loved despite the fact that he himself raised Junior in "Rock-A-Bye Bivalve" and the fact he has a pet scallop named Shelley in a few episodes, making this hypocritical (however that is not really sure as most of the characters of the show are sometimes unkillable thanks to the show's extreme comedic standards).
 * 7) In "House Fancy", he brutally tore off Squidward's toenail when he and Squidward try to move a sofa and although it was an accident, it is still way too much for such show.
 * 8) In "Married to Money", despite not being bad as Mr. Krabs and Plankton, he comes across as bland and he, along with Patrick and Squidward, decorates the Krusty Krab for an unnecessary wedding.
 * 9) *Likewise, it varies whether he was in character or not in seasons 5 & 6A. Though he isn't as bad as he is in seasons 6B-7, an to a lesser extent, 8 (but at least in season 8 he was decent).
 * 10) His voice and overly optimistic attitude may come off as irritating to some.
 * 11) Like Tommy Pickles and Usagi Tsukino, he has a BAD habit of crying so much (although not as much in seasons 6B & 7, and to a lesser extent, Seasons 5, 6A & 8), this is an example.
 * 12) He has his clumsy/accident-prone moments in the series.

Critical Reception
Throughout the show 's run, SpongeBob SquarePants became very popular with viewers of all ages. His popularity spread from Nickelodeon's original demographic of two- to eleven-year-olds, to teenagers and adults, was popular on college campuses and with celebrities such as Sigourney Weaver and Bruce Willis Salon.com's Stephanie Zacharek feels that the unadulterated innocence of SpongeBob is what makes him so appealing. SpongeBob also became popular with gay men, despite Stephen Hillenburg asserting that none of the series' characters are homosexual, attracting fans with his flamboyant lifestyle and tolerant attitude.

James Poniewozik of Time magazine considered the character "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." The New York Times critic Joyce Millman said, "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." 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, a 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.

In a 2007 interview with TV Guide, Barack Obama named SpongeBob his favorite TV character, saying SpongeBob SquarePants was "the show I watch with my daughters".

Legacy
In July 2009, the Madame Tussauds wax museum in New York unveiled a wax sculpture of SpongeBob, the first fictional character to be featured there. In May 2011, a new species of mushroom, Spongiforma squarepantsii, named after SpongeBob, was described in the journal Mycologia. The authors note that the hymenium, when viewed using scanning electron microscopy, somewhat resembles a "seafloor covered with tube sponges, reminiscent of the fictitious home of SpongeBob." Although the epithet was originally rejected by Mycologia's editors as "too frivolous", the authors insisted that "we could name it whatever we liked." Since 2004 (with the only exception being 2007), SpongeBob has appeared as a balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

The character also became a fashion trend. In 2008, American fashion designer Marc Jacobs donned a SpongeBob tattoo on his right arm. He explained that, "I just worked with Richard Prince on the collaboration for Louis Vuitton and Richard has done a series of paintings of SpongeBob. He had brought up in our conversation how he saw the artistic value of SpongeBob as the cartoon and I kind of liked it, so I did it." He added that "It's funny." In the same year, A Bathing Ape released SpongeBob-themed shoes. Singer Pharrell Williams backed a line of SpongeBob T-shirts and shoes targeted at hip adults. In 2014, the character was among the popular culture icons referenced by American fashion designer Jeremy Scott in his Moschino debut collection at the Milan Fashion Week

In Egypt's Tahrir Square, after the Egyptian Revolution of 2011, SpongeBob became a fashion phenomenon, appearing on various merchandise items from hijabs to boxer shorts. The phenomenon led to the creation of the Tumblr project called "SpongeBob on the Nile", founded by American students Andrew Leber and Elisabeth Jaquette, that attempts to document every appearance of SpongeBob in Egypt. 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?" The phenomenon has even spread to Libya, where a Libyan rebel in SpongeBob dress was photographed celebrating the revolution.

Merchandise
SpongeBob's translated well into related merchandise sales. 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. SpongeBob was popular in Japan, specifically with Japanese women. Nickelodeon's parent company Viacom purposefully targeted its marketing at women there as a way to build the SpongeBob SquarePants brand. Skeptics initially doubted that SpongeBob could be popular in Japan as the character's design is very different from the already popular designs for Hello Kitty and Pikachu. The character inspired a soap-filled sponge product manufactured by SpongeTech.

In early 2009, the Simmons Jewelry Co. released a $75,000 diamond pendant as part of a SpongeBob collection.

On May 17, 2013, Build-A-Bear Workshop introduced a new SpongeBob SquarePants collection in stores and online in North America.

SpongeBob also inspired an automobile design. On July 13, 2013, Toyota, with Nickelodeon, unveiled plans for a SpongeBob-inspired Toyota Highlander. The 2014 Toyota Highlander concept vehicle was launched as part of a SpongeBob Day promotion at that day's game between the Giants and Padres in San Diego, and subsequently visited seven U.S. locations including the Nickelodeon Suites Resort Orlando in Florida.

Trivia

 * This is currently the second largest page on this wiki following behind the page for King Dedede, as well as the second largest page for any character overall.
 * On top of that, SpongeBob is the only protagonist to have a long page as the other top 5 are either antagonists or anti-heroes.
 * As stated above, he was born on July 14, 1986 making him a Cancer.
 * A lot like his best friend Patrick Star, he was responsible for creating such memetic material with some expressions he's made from the series to the 2004 movie and such memeable scenes his existence has made with many worldwide. And also had tons of timeless, hilarious scenes.
 * In a theory based on SpongeBob and his friends representing "The 7 Deadly Sins", SpongeBob is considered to be the "Lust" as several examples were shown in many episodes that he loves his Krabby Patties.
 * According to Stephen Hillenburg, SpongeBob is "almost asexual," meaning he has no sexual desire, though he is capable of falling in love.
 * On the topic of sexuality, Nickelodeon included SpongeBob as a member of the LGBT+ community as seen in this Twitter post they made on Pride Month.
 * In early episodes, such as "Help Wanted," "F.U.N.," and "Christmas Who?," he did a dance where his arms and legs were curly. He doesn't seem to do the dance anymore.
 * On occasion, to express shock, SpongeBob's pupil would shrink, and his eyes would turn into circles, with his irises briefly disappearing. Sometimes, this is reversed, as his pupils would disappear and his irises become shrunken.
 * He made a cameo when Gil dresses him as a costume in the Bubble Guppies episode "Trick or Treat Mr. Grumpfish." In fact, Molly even says "Or somebody from TV."
 * In the episode "Mrs. Puff, You're Fired," it is revealed that SpongeBob has failed the driving test 1,258,056 times.
 * SpongeBob's teeth were based on Stephen Hillenburg when he was a kid.
 * SpongeBob has appeared on a few pictures on iCarly.com.
 * In "I Was a Teenage Gary," SpongeBob is left-handed, but in later episodes, he is ambidextrous, revealed in "The Splinter" and "You Don't Know Sponge."
 * SpongeBob is said to be right-handed, but in "Neptune's Spatula," he approves that he has two left hands.
 * Even though Mr. Krabs is the creator of the Krabby Patty, in "Are You Happy Now?," the narrator says that SpongeBob is the creator.
 * SpongeBob's prototype name, "SpongeBoy," is referenced by Mr. Krabs in the episode "Squeaky Boots," with the quote "SpongeBoy, me Bob!"
 * SpongeBob's head has gotten bigger in each season and his waist has gotten wider. In some early season 2 episodes, such as "Big Pink Loser," he has a narrow waist.
 * Beginning in "My Pretty Seahorse" and heavily used in post-season 5 episodes, SpongeBob's nose usually droops down when he is sad, much like Squidward's nose is normally.
 * SpongeBob has about 40 holes.
 * Twelve front holes (five normally covered by his clothing)
 * Nine back holes
 * Five holes on his left
 * Five holes on his right
 * Five holes on top
 * His birthmark and 3 moles.
 * Four holes on the bottom
 * In "Help Wanted," he is shown with fewer holes.
 * In "Truth or Square," SpongeBob is revealed to have three moles and a birthmark on his back.
 * A cut origin story was originally planned for SpongeBob. It was meant to explain his square shape as SpongeBob began life as a natural yellow Sponge that cyclops harvested and cut into squares in a factory on land.
 * During the talk screens in the DS version of Creature from the Krusty Krab, SpongeBob has green eyes instead of blue.
 * In 2002, SpongeBob was ranked #9 in TV Guide's Top 50 Greatest Cartoon characters list (which also included Angelica Pickles at #7 and Ren and Stimpy at #31). He was notably the most recently-created character to be featured on the list at the time of its publication.
 * SpongeBob is one of the only two characters who is playable in every installment of the Nicktoons Unite! video games (the other being Danny Fenton).
 * In The Patrick Star Show, despite being mainly focused on his best friend, he is absent in a lot of episodes and segments to the point where he barely appears.
 * In The SpongeBob Musical, SpongeBob's exact species of sea sponge is identified: Aplysina fistularis, a yellow sea sponge who's commonly found in open waters.
 * SpongeBob or some other form of him appears or is mentioned in every episode of the series, beginning with the series' pilot episode "Help Wanted."
 * His voice actor Tom Kenny is married to Karen's voice actress, Jill Talley.

Videos
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