Everything about Spongebob Squarepants totally explained
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SpongeBob SquarePants is an
Emmy-nominated
American animated
television series and
media franchise. It is one of Nickelodeon's
Nicktoons and is currently the most watched show on
Nickelodeon. In
2007, it was named by
TIME as one of the greatest television shows of all time. Although its original network is
Nickelodeon,
SpongeBob is now broadcast across the world. It was created by
artist,
animator, and former
marine biologist,
Stephen Hillenburg, and is produced through his production company, United Plankton Pictures, Inc.
The series is set in the
Pacific Ocean, in the city of
Bikini Bottom and on the surrounding lagoon floor. The
pilot episode first aired in the United States on Nickelodeon after the
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards on
May 1 1999. The "official" series premiere followed on
July 17 1999 with the second episode, "
Bubblestand/
Ripped Pants."
Setting
SpongeBob SquarePants is a
sea sponge who lives in a
pineapple under the sea, while his squid neighbor, Squidward Tentacles, lives in a
moai. SpongeBob's other neighbor and best friend is a pink starfish named Patrick Star, who lives under a rock. SpongeBob and Patrick live on either side of Squidward Tentacles, much to Squidward's despair. Squidward is constantly annoyed by SpongeBob and Patrick's antics.
SpongeBob and his friends live in the underwater city of Bikini Bottom. Bikini Bottom is like a regular city with a downtown, suburbs, coastal areas, its own airport, bus system, and fair park. Stephen Hillenburg said once that Bikini Bottom was loosely based on
Seattle, Washington. A good example of this statement is in the episode "
Pre-Hibernation Week". Sandy and SpongeBob were fighting on a tall structure called the Sea Needle, referring to the
Space Needle, a tall structure in Seattle. Hillenberg has said that he wants to leave the location of Bikini Bottom to the imagination, claiming that the
Baywatch scene was just a reference to his favorite show of all time.
SpongeBob's house-pet is a
snail named
Gary, whose "meow" is similar to a cat. Although Gary only speaks in a few episodes, the characters have shown an ability to understand him. In addition to this, underwater worms bark exactly like dogs, and are kept on chains. Jellyfish are the equivalent of bees; buzzing, stinging with poison (although it appears as an electric shock), and producing delicious "jelly", mocking the name "jellyfish", while still referring to a bee's honey. Fish act as the citizens of the community but, as a rule, are not important characters.
SpongeBob, who is absorbent, yellow, and porous (according to the title song), works as a fry cook at the
Krusty Krab, a
fast-food restaurant, with Squidward as the cashier. The Krusty Krab is owned by Eugene H. Krabs (Mr. Krabs).
Sheldon J. Plankton (commonly referred to as "
Plankton") is Mr. Krabs's arch enemy who owns a low-rank fast-food restaurant called the
Chum Bucket across the street from the Krusty Krab. The Chum Bucket has almost never had a customer, and Plankton spends most of his time plotting to steal the recipe for Mr. Krabs's popular
Krabby Patty burgers. Only in the movie does he succeed; the formula is never actually revealed to the audience. Plankton's computer wife, Karen, alternately helps him in his schemes or bickers with him.
Sandy Cheeks is another friend of SpongeBob. She is a squirrel that lives in an underwater dome in Bikini Bottom. She was sent there by her bosses, chimpanzees, according to the episode, "
Chimps Ahoy". Sandy is from
Texas, and speaks with a Texan accent. Sometimes she gets a little home-sick and sings a little song. When not inside her tree-dome, she wears an astronaut-like suit because she can't breathe in water. Sandy, just like a normal squirrel, hibernates once a year, as seen in a few episodes such as "
Pre-Hibernation Week" and "
Survival of the Idiots". She likes SpongeBob as much as SpongeBob likes her.
Instead of
cars, the residents of Bikini Bottom drive
boats. SpongeBob is still in boating school after failing the driving test over seventy-two times. Once, during an episode set in a wilderness area, Patrick questions how a camp fire is possible on the lagoon bottom. As soon as the question is asked, the fire is immediately extinguished with a sizzle. A flurry of bubbles accompanies actions in many of the episodes to remind the viewer that the setting is underwater. Ironically, when there's a separate body of water underwater, such as a swimming pool or lagoon, a non-car boat must be used to cross it because both SpongeBob and Patrick can't swim, they must be taught by
Larry the Lobster. In the episode "Snowball Effect" (Episode 46
Season 3) it snows in Bikini Bottom. The show also frequently ignores its underwater setting when dealing with water in other uses; Bikini Bottom has functional baths, pools, and toilets.
Characters
- SpongeBob SquarePants — A very friendly sponge that loves krabby patties, jellyfishing, karate, and blowing bubbles. He works at the Krusty Krab as the fry cook.
- Patrick Star — SpongeBob's best friend; a dimwitted, pink starfish.
- Sandy Cheeks — A clever squirrel scientist from Texas who has to wear an air helmet and space suit to work underwater.
- Eugene H. Krabs — A crab that's in charge of the Krusty Krab restaurant, where SpongeBob works. He loves money and is selfish and greedy, even to his daughter.
- Pearl Krabs — Mr. Krabs's teenage daughter. She is a whale who acts like a stereotypical American teenage girl. She acts like a spoiled girl and her father is seen to both pamper and deprive her throughout the series.
- Squidward Tentacles — SpongeBob's next door neighbor and co-worker at the Krusty Krab, where he's the cashier. He hates SpongeBob and Patrick, and openly displays his hatred towards them, not that they ever truly understand. He has always wanted hair since he went bald (seen in the episode, "The Original Fry Cook". He also believes he's an amazing artist and clarinet player, but is quite the opposite in reality.
- Gary the Snail — SpongeBob's pet, his only sound is a "meow", similar to a cat. In fact, he's considered to be a sea cat, like a worm is considered a sea dog.
- Sheldon J. Plankton - A small plankton who is Mr. Krabs arch rival. He intends on getting the secret Krabby Patty formula and putting the Krusty Krab out of business. Also, his wife Karen and his "cousins" consider his first name hilarious as shown in one episode.
- Mrs. Puff — A pufferfish that's SpongeBob's boating teacher. Mrs. Puff dislikes SpongeBob and is eager to get him out of her class. She usually gets in jail after one of SpongeBob's foolish acts. A widow, her husband was captured and turned into a pufferfish lamp.
- Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy — Old, retired and foolish superheroes who are adored by SpongeBob, Patrick, and people from the "Mermaid Man & Barnacle Boy" Fan Club.
- Larry the Lobster — Buff, good-looking and fit lobster, usually found at Goo Lagoon, Bikini Bottom's local beach. Larry is one of Sandy's main friends.
- Perch Perkins - The Bikini Bottom TV Reporter.
- Patchy the Pirate is a non-animated pirate played by Tom Kenny, the voice of SpongeBob. He hosts all of the 30-minute SpongeBob specials, such as House Party and The Lost Episode. Fan reception is polarized between love and hate of the character. Not to be confused with Painty the Pirate who sings the theme tune to each episode.
Popularity
SpongeBob SquarePants is the only cartoon to consistently make the Top 10 list in the
Nielsen ratings, and is the first "low budget"
Nickelodeon cartoon, according to the network, to become extremely popular. Low-budget cartoons hadn't garnered as much esteem as higher-rated (and higher-budgeted) shows, such as
Rugrats, although when
SpongeBob SquarePants aired in 1999, it had gained a significant enough number of viewers in the ratings to be considered popular, eventually becoming more popular than
Rugrats had ever been. SpongeBob follows other Nickelodeon shows that have attracted "older" followers:
The Ren & Stimpy Show,
Rocko's Modern Life, the
Kablam! skits,
Action League Now! and
The Angry Beavers. Other shows have followed in this trend as well:
Invader Zim and
The Fairly OddParents won a similar fan base when they aired in 2001, and the latter is now second only to SpongeBob in popularity, while the former was cancelled despite gaining a cult following. The show debuted in 1999, and during that time,
DragonBall Z and
Pokémon were still the biggest crazes. SpongeBob didn't gain its popularity until around 2000, and it has remained popular since then. It has achieved the "Great" rating on tv.com, with a 8.7 rating, the third best rating in Nickelodeon, the first being with a rating of 9.3 and the second being
The Fairly OddParents with a rating of 8.8.
Broad appeal
SpongeBob is one in a long line of cartoons that's designed to appeal to adults as well as children. This has a lot to do with the absurd way underwater life and situations are represented, and with the situations, references, and words used, which younger viewers might not understand. Certain innuendos also are intended to go over younger viewers' heads. For example, SpongeBob tried to show his grandma that he was a mature adult by wearing sideburns and a
derby, and listening to '
free form jazz' or when Squidward tricked SpongeBob and Patrick into thinking he was a ghost, a coral reef sculpted like
Toulouse-Lautrec's can-can girls stands in the background (leading to a pun by Squidward), are jokes most children wouldn't understand. Numerous
marine biology in-jokes are woven into the show. There are also often complex ironic scenarios that need close attention.
While many newer cartoons revolve around pre-adolescents with strange lives and feature many pop-culture references (for example
The Fairly OddParents), SpongeBob chooses to go for a formula that was used in highly successful older Nick cartoons such as
Ren and Stimpy and
Rocko's Modern Life, with non-human young adults in crazy, unrealistic situations, with minimal pop culture references.
Part of the show's appeal has to do with the childlike nature of SpongeBob and his best friend, Patrick Star, both of whom are adults but display an innocence typical of human children. However, the characters are not immune from more adult avocations, including rock musicianship in a stadium performance, reminiscent of a hard rock concert, or Patrick turning to SpongeBob after they'd nurtured a baby scallop, holding his arms out saying "Lets have another".
Unlike the Nickelodeon network, SpongeBob features well-known independent musicians who contribute to its soundtrack.
Alternative rock bands such as
Wilco,
The Shins,
The Flaming Lips and
Ween (who have contributed two original songs to the show and their 1997 song "Ocean Man" to the movie soundtrack), as well as metal bands
Pantera,
Motörhead and
Twisted Sister have made appearances on the show and movies soundtracks, and
heavy metal group
Metallica even released a T-shirt featuring cartoon versions of themselves playing live with the characters SpongeBob and Patrick.
British rock singer
David Bowie was a special guest on the SpongeBob SquarePants episode Atlantis SquarePantis, which aired on
November 12,
2007. The episode drew total 8.8 million viewers, the biggest audience in the show's eight-year history. In Australia, the advertisement for the McDonald's SpongeBob Happy Meal won the Pester Power Award for the fact that the ads are enticing young children to want its food because of the free toy.
In
Japan, they'd a kids meal tie-in with
KFC which featured different toys based on the TV series.
SpongeBob was also featured on
VH1's
: as part of a commentary by
Michael Ian Black and
"Weird Al" Yankovic among other celebrities.
A tie-in beverage for the
SpongeBob SquarePants Movie in 2004 at
7-Eleven convenience stores has been created, a pineapple-flavored
Slurpee, which has already been discontinued as of 2005.
Events in the past with the SpongeBob SquarePants theme include an exhibit at
Underwater Adventures Aquarium in the
Mall of America called SeaCrits of Bikini Bottom during the summer of 2003. In October 2004, a
NASCAR Busch Series race was named The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie 300, presented by
Lowe's and broadcast on
TNT featuring
Jimmie Johnson's #48 Lowe's stock car and
Kyle Busch's #5 stock car painted for the race with the SpongeBob Movie paint schemes. There were contests tied in with the movie where fans could win SpongeBob-related items or a trip to the
Cayman Islands.
The motion simulator/interactive movie ride "Escape from Dino-Island 3D" at
Six Flags Over Texas was turned into "
SpongeBob SquarePants 4-D", with water squirts, real bubbles, and other sensory enhancements. The SpongeBob SquarePants 4-D ride opened at the Noah's Ark Dive-In Theater located at
Noah's Ark Waterpark in
Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin in the summer of 2007.
LEGO received license to produce SpongeBob SquarePants building sets, which are available in stores now. SpongeBob appears at the Mall of America's new Nickelodeon theme park re-branded from the Mall of America's
Park at MOA (formerly Camp Snoopy) to
Nickelodeon Universe in the
Minneapolis-St. Paul suburb of
Bloomington, Minnesota. The new theme park features a SpongeBob-themed
Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter custom
roller coaster, the
SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge, which has replaced the Mystery Mine Ride and Olde Time Photo store on the west end of the theme park next to the
Dora the Explorer ferris wheel and across from the
Pepsi Orange Streak. The theme park opened
March 15,
2008. The SpongeBob Rock Bottom plunge features a statue of SpongeBob and Patrick riding a bus down a 90° angle holding a giant rubber glove.
In 2007, some new high-end SpongeBob-themed
electronics have been introduced by
Imation Electronics Products under the Npower brand, such as
MP3 players,
digital cameras, a
DVD player, and a
flatscreen television.
Other items featuring SpongeBob include a special edition
Monopoly board game,
Life and
Operation board game as well as a SpongeBob SquarePants edition of
Ants in the Pants and
Yahtzee.
SEGA Corporation introduced a ticket
redemption game based on the show that has become popular with most
video arcades.
The SpongeBob SquarePants market saturation has become something of a joke. In the comic strip "Sherman's Lagoon", Hawthorne the crab is showing off a small nuclear (Junior) reactor, and Herman the shark says "Boy, that SpongeBob will endorse anything!"
When the complete first season of SpongeBob SquarePants was released in the United Kingdom, it included some heavy editing (though not to the cartoons themselves). The audio commentaries were cut out, and only two extras were left in, possibly to avoid a 12 rating. A similar approach was taken with the second season; it included no audio commentaries and only one extra, Around the World with SpongeBob SquarePants.
History
Development (1993 – 1999)
SpongeBob's history can be traced back to 1993 when
Rocko's Modern Life first aired. One of the producers was Stephen Hillenburg, a cartoon worker/marine biologist who loved both his careers. When
Rocko's Modern Life was canceled in 1996, Hillenburg began working on
SpongeBob (although sketches trace back to 1987). He teamed up with creative director
Derek Drymon, who had worked on shows such as
Doug,
Action League Now!, and
Hey Arnold!. Drymon had worked with Hillenburg on
Rocko's Modern Life as well, as did many SpongeBob crew members, including writer-directors Sherm Cohen and
Dan Povenmire, writer
Tim Hill,
voice actors Tom Kenny and Doug Lawrence (aka "Mr. Lawrence"), actor-writer
Martin Olson and animation director Alan Smart. Another crew member with previous Nickelodeon cartoon experience was former
Angry Beavers story editor
Merriwether Williams, who worked on that show for its first few seasons and switched to
SpongeBob in July 1999.
During production of the show, Bobson provided a concept of short comics with the same style of the show, but the characters looked different.
SpongeBob used to be named
SpongeBoy, and used to wear a red hat with a green base and a white business shirt with a tie. The name "SpongeBoy" didn't make it into the show since the name was already officially trademarked by
Bob Burden, creator of
Flaming Carrot. Hillenburg later chose the alternative name "SpongeBob". The original name was once referenced in the show by Mr. Krabs' line, "SpongeBoy, me Bob!." The Krusty Krab was originally spelled with the letter C rather than K, but Stephen Hillenburg thought Ks were funnier and it would fit his
Ukrainian heritage.
Rise In Popularity (1999 - 2000)
SpongeBob aired its first episode, "Help Wanted/Reef Blower/Tea at the Treedome", after the 1999
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. At this time,
Rugrats was the most popular show on Nickelodeon and had already outlived dozens of other lower-budget cartoons. SpongeBob, with its generally lower-class animation and humor style more rooted in clever word-play and culture-references unlike the
potty humor that made
Rugrats so popular, was expected to be just another one of those shows. Following early struggles, its ratings soared, and a year after release, it surpassed
Rugrats as Nickelodeon's highest rated show.
SpongeBob's signature voice (provided by
Tom Kenny) and humorous style was enjoyable to both younger and older audiences.
Peak years (2000 – 2003)
The show began its second season in 2000 with more high-quality animation and even more popular episodes. By then it was clear to the world that SpongeBob had opened the door to many other cartoons to use more "adult" senses of humor and come from smaller companies. In 2001, The Fairly OddParents aired from the then-small Frederator company. It focused on a sense of humor similar to SpongeBob’s, only more realistic, slightly crazier (and more suggestive to "adult" topics), and with more pop culture references; this show managed to become a hit as well and currently ranks behind SpongeBob as Nick's second most popular show. That same year, Invader Zim aired, created by comic book writer Jhonen Vasquez; it had a dark but silly sense of humor (similar to Vasquez's other comic books) that managed to attract a very loyal cult following consisting more of teens and adults than young children (Though also containing a moderate amount of preteens). SpongeBob, however, was the leader of all these shows and had by this time started its now famous merchandise line.
The first part of 2002 saw SpongeBob at its peak. The beginning of the third season produced many of classic episodes and focused on the same style and animation concepts as the second season.
Unfortunately, things changed late in the year. Due to rumors of a movie, there was high speculation that the show would be canceled and that 2002 would feature the last season of new episodes. Fans were devastated and online petitions were widely distributed to convince Nickelodeon to produce more episodes by showing continuing fan support. "SpongeBob Meets The Strangler/Pranks A Lot" was the last episode of this season, and aired in October 2004. It was also released on DVD at the end of 2003. Following this, the movie was released in November 2004.
Hiatus and movie era (2003 – 2005)
A hiatus from 2003 to 2005 challenged viewer loyalty. This was before the program's lowest ratings with Survival of the Idiots on March 5, 2001 aired, causing speculation that the show might even be cancelled after the movie's release.
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie earned over $85,000,000 in revenue in the United States, considered to be under-expectations. It was announced late in 2004 that SpongeBob would be continuing with a new season due in 2005. Hillenburg, despite the rumors, didn't actually leave the show but has resigned from his position as the show's executive producer (this job now belongs to Derek Drymon, with
Paul Tibbitt taking over Drymon's job as creative director.
Comeback (2005 – Present)
TV advertisements for
SpongeBob's fourth season first aired publicly during the 2005
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. The new episodes began airing on
May 6,
2005. The first new episode of Season 4 was "
Fear of a Krabby Patty"/"
Shell of a Man". After airing three new episodes on Fridays from
May 6 –
May 20, Nickelodeon showed no new episodes until September 2005.
For the first time in the series' run, Nickelodeon began airing 11-minute segments of new episodes separately, spread over two weeks. This practice began with the airing of the episode "
Selling Out" on
September 23; its companion episode, "
Funny Pants," premiered the following week.
The Star Online eCentral reported in December 2005 that Nickelodeon had ordered 20 more episodes, bringing the show’s total to 100.
In December 2006,
SpongeBob SquarePants was approved for a sixth season, which consisted of thirteen episodes, unlike the usual twenty.
Nickelodeon aired the special "
Have You Seen This Snail?" in November 2005. However, it wasn't until February 2006 that new episodes resumed, starting with "
Dunces and Dragons" and continuing until
June 2 2006. Further new episodes appeared during September 2006 ("
New Leaf" and "
Once Bitten"), October ("
Wigstruck"), and November ("
The Best Day Ever" — drawing 6.7 million viewers — the Best Day Ever was a 25-hour 100-episode SpongeBob TV event ending with the SpongeBob SquarePants Movie although the Nickelodeon narrator made a goof about the marathon being 24 hours instead of the actual 25 hours. Fans voted for Karate Island as the most popular SpongeBob episode.
The new episodes in 2007 started airing on
January 15, showing three new episodes back to back on
February 19,
2007, officially beginning the airing of the fifth season which featured more potty humor than previously shown. On July 23, 2007 Nickelodeon aired a special event, called the "SpongeBob New-New-New-New-New Week" in which from Monday to Friday, a new episode of season five (except for Squid Wood, from season four) would air. This continued until the end of the second week.
On
November 12,
2007 SpongeBob's first TV movie, "
Atlantis SquarePantis" premiered, after a SpongeBob marathon. A behind the scenes feature aired after the movie. Also, on
November 23,
2007, there was another SpongeBob marathon including a rerun of Atlantis SquarePantis and four new episodes as part of a Nickelodeon Thanksgiving event. The event also named the "Sweet Victory" scene in "Band Geeks" as the greatest moment in Nicktoons history. Season Six officially premiered with five new 11-minute episodes airing in a marathon from
March 3 to
March 7,
2008. There is still an episode from the fifth production season which has yet to air.
On
March 13,
2008, it was announced that
SpongeBob SquarePants will have an additional thirty-nine episodes, which includes the remaining episodes of season six, and a season seven.
In April 2008, another SpongeBob special, "Pest of the West," aired after a marathon of SpongeBob episodes, chosen by voters in the previous weeks. The series' popularity among fans is currently in a downward spiral and in 2008 it has lost it's first
Kids' Choice Awards.
Cast
Tom Kenny: SpongeBob SquarePants, Gary the Snail, Narrator, Patchy the Pirate, Mr. SquarePants, miscellaneous characters
Bill Fagerbakke: Patrick Star
Rodger Bumpass: Squidward Tentacles, Dr. Gill Gilliam
Carolyn Lawrence: Sandy Cheeks
Clancy Brown: Eugene Krabs
Dee Bradley Baker: Squilliam Fancyson, miscellaneous characters
Mr. Lawrence: Sheldon J. Plankton, Larry Lobster, miscellaneous characters
Lori Alan: Pearl Krabs
Mary Jo Catlett: Mrs. Poppy Puff
Sirena Irwin: miscellaneous characters
Lauren Tom: miscellaneous characters
Stephen Hillenburg: Potty the Parrot
Brian Doyle-Murray: The Flying Dutchman
Jill Talley: Karen (Plankton's computer wife)
Paul Tibbitt: Mama Krabs ("Sailor Mouth", "Mid-Life Crustacean") Potty the Parrot
Thomas F. Wilson: miscellaneous characters
Carlos Alazraqui: miscellaneous characters
Clea Lewis: miscellaneous characters
Sara Paxton: miscellaneous characters
Ollie Young: miscellaneous characters
Frank Welker: animal vocal effects, talking Gorilla ("I Had an Accident")
Guest appearances
Ernest Borgnine: Mermaid Man
Tim Conway: Barnacle Boy
Charles Nelson Reilly: Dirty Bubble ("Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy II")
John Rhys-Davies: Man Ray
Jim Jarmusch: self ("Hooky")
John Lurie: self ("Hooky")
John Di Maggio: Black Jack ("BlackJack")
John O'Hurley: King Neptune ("Neptune's Spatula")
Kevin Michael Richardson: King Neptune (voice in "Party Pooper Pants")
Billy West: King Neptune (voice in "Sponge Bob VS The Patty Gadget")
Amy Poehler: Grandma
Pat Morita: Master Udon ("Karate Island")
Martin Olson: live-action sequence as Chief of the Superheroes ("Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy V")
Junior Brown: Sandy Cheeks ("Texas"; sang the last line: "I want to go home.") NOTE: Brown also sang the entire "SpongeBob SquarePants Theme Song" over the closing credits; however, because Nickelodeon usually runs advertising or promotional spot announcements during the closing credit sequences, the soundtrack is obliterated on both Nickelodeon and Nickelodeon 2 telecasts of this episode. Junior Brown's vocals may, however, be heard in their entirety on broadcasts of "Texas" that are telecast on the NickToons network, which runs the credits without the promotional vocals that it adds on its two flagship stations.
David Glen Eisley: SpongeBob SquarePants when he was singing the song ("Band Geeks")
Pantera: "Pre-Hibernation" plays in "Pre-Hibernation Week"
Ween: "Loop de Loop" is on a record Gary the Snail plays for SpongeBob to teach him how to tie his shoes in "Your Shoe's Untied."
Patton Oswalt: Jim the Original Frycook in The Original Fry Cook
Marion Ross: Grandma in Grandma's Kisses
Gene Shalit: Food Critic Gene Scallop in The Krusty Sponge
Mark Hamill: The Moth in Night Light
Nigel Planer and Rik Mayall, UK comic actors (best known for anarchic 1980s sitcom The Young Ones) guest-starred as "Dr. Marmalade" and "Lord Reginald" in the episode "Chimps Ahoy"
David Bowie: Lord Royal Highness in the "Atlantis SquarePantis" episode
Christopher Guest: guest-starred as SpongeBob's klutzy cousin, Stanley SquarePants in the episode "Stanley S. SquarePants"
R. Lee Ermey: Played prison guard in The "Inmates of Summer / To Save a Squirrel"
Gene Simmons: Played a fish insulted by Plankton in "20,000 Patties Under The Sea". His (unmarried) partner Shannon Tweed played his mother.
Crew
| Name |
Position |
Years |
| Steven Banks |
Head Writer |
2004 – present |
| Steven Belfer |
Music |
|
| Mike Bell |
Writer/Storyboard Director |
2005 – present |
| Peter Burns |
Writer |
1999 – present |
| Nicholas Carr |
Music |
|
| Bradley Carow |
Music |
|
| Sherm Cohen |
Storyboard Supervisor/Artist, Writer, Director |
|
| Sean Dempsey |
Animation Director |
|
| Derek Drymon |
Writer |
1999 – present |
| Storyboard Artist |
1999 – present |
| Creative Director |
1999 - 2005 |
| Story Editor |
|
| Executive Producer |
2005 - present |
| Steven Fonti |
Writer/Storyboard Director |
1999 |
| C.H. Greenblatt |
Writer, Storyboard Artist, Director |
2000-present |
| Sage Guyton |
Music |
|
| Sam Henderson |
Writer, Storyboard Director |
|
| Tim Hill |
Writer |
|
| Stephen Hillenburg |
Creator |
1999 – present |
| Executive Producer |
1999 – 2005 |
| Writer |
1999 – present |
| Storyboard Director |
1999 – present |
| Kaz |
Writer, Storyboard Artist |
|
| Chuck Klein |
Writer, Storyboard Artist & Director |
|
| Doug Lawrence (a.k.a. "Mr. Lawrence") |
Writer, Story Editor |
|
| Jay Lender |
Writer, Storyboard Artist, Director |
|
| John Magness |
Storyboard Artist |
|
| Heather Martinez |
Storyboard Artist |
|
| Chris Mitchell |
Writer, Storyboard Artist |
1999 |
| Caleb Muerer |
Storyboard Artist |
|
| Mark O'Hare |
Writer, Storyboard Artist, Director |
|
| Andrew Overtoom |
Animation Director |
|
| Andy Rheingold |
Executive in Charge of Production |
|
| Ted Seko |
Storyboard Artist |
|
| Alan Smart |
Animation Director |
1999 – present |
| Aaron Springer |
Writer/Storyboard Artist & Director |
|
| Jimmy Stone |
Animation Director |
|
| Paul Tibbitt |
Writer/Storyboard Director/Supervising Producer/Creative Director
Co-Executive Producer |
2004 – present
2006 – present |
| Brad Vandergrift |
Storyboard Artist |
|
| Jeremy Wakefield |
Music |
|
| Vincent Waller |
Writer/Storyboard Artist & Director/Technical Director (2005 – present) |
|
| Frank Weiss |
Animation Director |
|
| Erik Wiese |
Writer/Storyboard Artist |
|
| David Wigforss |
Special Effects (CG visual effects animator) |
|
| Merriwether Williams |
Story Editor/Writer |
|
| Tom Yasumi |
Animation Director |
|
| Oliver Truby |
Storyboard Artist Superviser |
|
DVD Releases
Awards
| Year |
Association |
Award Category |
Notes |
Result |
| 2000 |
Golden Reel Award |
Best Sound Editing in Television Animation — Music |
Episodes: "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy" and "Pickles" |
Won |
| 2000 |
Golden Reel Award |
Best Sound Editing in Television Animation — Sound |
Episode: "Karate Choppers" |
Won |
| 2001 |
Annie Awards |
Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting by a Female Performer in an Animated Television Production |
Mary Jo Catlett as Mrs. Puff in "No Free Rides" |
Nominated |
| 2001 |
Annie Awards |
Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting by a Male Performer in an Animated Television Production |
Tom Kenny as SpongeBob in "Wormy" |
Nominated |
| 2001 |
Annie Awards |
Outstanding Individual Achievement for a Song in an Animated Production |
Peter Straus and Paul Tibbitt for the song "The Very First Christmas" |
Nominated |
| 2001 |
Golden Reel Award |
Best Sound Editing in Television Animation — Sound |
Episodes: "Rock Bottom" and "Arrgh" |
Won |
| 2001 |
Golden Reel Award |
Best Sound Editing in Television Animation — Music |
Episodes: "Fools In April" and "Neptune's Spatula" |
Nominated |
| 2002 |
Emmy Awards |
Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming Less Than One Hour) |
|
Nominated |
| 2002 |
Golden Reel Award |
Best Sound Editing in Television - Animation |
Episodes: "Secret Box" and "Band Geeks" |
Won |
| 2002 |
Golden Reel Award |
Best Sound Editing in Television Animation — Music |
Episodes: "Jellyfish Hunter" and "The Fry Cook Games" |
Nominated |
| 2002 |
Television Critics Association Awards |
Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming |
|
Won |
| 2003 |
Emmy Awards |
Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming Less Than One Hour) |
|
Nominated |
| 2003 |
Golden Reel Award |
Best Sound Editing in Television Animation — Music |
Episodes: "Wet Painters" and "Krusty Krab Training Video" |
Won |
| 2003 |
Golden Reel Award |
Best Sound Editing in Television Animation |
Episodes: "Nasty Patty" and "Idiot Box" |
Won |
| 2003 |
Kids' Choice Awards |
Favorite Cartoon |
|
Won |
| 2004 |
Emmy Awards |
Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming Less Than One Hour) |
|
Nominated |
| 2004 |
Golden Reel Award |
Best Sound Editing in Television Animation — Music |
Episodes: "The Great Snail Race" and "Mid-Life Crustacean". |
Won |
| 2004 |
Golden Reel Award |
Best Sound Editing in Television Animation — Music |
Episode: "Mid-Life Crustacean". |
Nominated |
| 2004 |
Kids' Choice Awards |
Favorite Cartoon |
|
Won |
| 2005 |
Annie Awards |
Best Animated Television Production |
|
Won |
| 2005 |
Emmy Awards |
Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming Less Than One Hour) |
|
Nominated |
| 2005 |
Golden Reel Award |
Best Sound Editing in Television: Animated |
Episodes: "Pranks A Lot" and "SpongeBob Meets the Strangler" |
Nominated |
| 2005 |
Kids' Choice Awards |
Favorite Cartoon |
|
Won |
| 2005 |
Satellite Awards |
Best Youth DVD |
Complete Second Season DVD |
Nominated |
| 2005 |
Television Critics Association Awards |
Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming |
|
Nominated |
| 2006 |
Annie Awards |
Best Writing in an Animated Television Production |
C.H. Greenblatt, Paul Tibbitt, Mike Bell, and Tim Hill in "Fear of a Krabby Patty" |
Won |
| 2006 |
Golden Reel Award |
Best Sound Editing in Television: Animated |
Episode: "Have You Seen This Snail?" |
Nominated |
| 2006 |
Kids' Choice Awards |
Favorite Cartoon |
|
Won |
| 2007 |
Emmy Awards |
Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming Less Than One Hour) |
|
Nominated |
| 2007 |
Kids' Choice Awards |
Favorite Cartoon |
|
Won |
| 2007 |
Television Critics Association Awards |
Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming |
|
Nominated |
| 2008 |
Annie Awards |
Best Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production |
Tom Kenny in "Spy Buddies" |
Nominated |
| 2008 |
Golden Reel Award |
Best Sound Editing in Television: Animated |
Episode: "SpongeHenge" |
Nominated |
| 2008 |
Kids' Choice Awards |
Favorite Cartoon |
|
Nominated
|
Episodes and media releases
Episodes:
| Season |
Episodes |
First Airdate |
Last Airdate |
| Season 1 |
20 |
May 1, 1999 |
April 8, 2000 |
| Season 2 |
20 |
October 26, 2000 |
September 6, 2001 |
| Season 3 |
20 |
October 5, 2001 |
October 11, 2002 |
| Season 4 |
20 |
May 6, 2005 |
July 24, 2007 |
| Season 5 |
20 |
February 19, 2007 |
TBA |
| Season 6 |
20 |
March 3, 2008 |
TBA |
| Season 7 |
19 |
TBA |
TBA |
Films:
Shorts:
Astrology With Squidward
Patrick the Snowman
Plankton's Holiday Hits
How The You-Know-Who Stole You-Know-What!
12 Days of Nickmas
The Endless Summer
A Random Act of SpongeBob- promotion for The Best Day Ever. These shorts were broadcasted during promos. They can now be seen on the SpongeBob Season Four Volume 2 DVD Box Set.
The Foe-Gotten Years- promotional shorts for "Friend or Foe?"
Journey to Atlantis by Vantis- promotional shorts for "Atlantis SquarePantis".
Pest of the West Shorts- Promotion for Pest of the West. Shorts feature: "Saloon Door Sarrows" Parodie of an old short film from the 1910s. It shows SpongeBob’s great, great, great, etc. Grandfather, SpongeBuck trying to get into a saloon, but the doors won't open. "How to be a Tough Guy" SpongeBob wants to learn how to be a tough cowboy. And "Spur Skates" a parody on most commercials and a parody of roller skates.
Music
The SpongeBob SquarePants theme song is primarily based on the sea shanty, "Blow the Man Down". It is sung by Painty the Pirate, voiced by Patrick Pinney, and can be found on the soundtrack . This song is popularly misattributed to "Weird Al" Yankovic. A cover of the song by Avril Lavigne can be found on The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (soundtrack). Another cover by the Violent Femmes, which aired as a commercial on Nickelodeon to promote Season 2, can be viewed in the special features of the Nautical Nonsense/Sponge Buddies DVD. A choral version was recorded for the SpongeBob Christmas special where the last repetition of "SpongeBob SquarePants" was replaced by, "It's the SpongeBob Christmas special." The theme song is occasionally utilized as marching cadence.
Traditional sea shanties are used for the musical themes in the show. Most commonly used is that of "Drunken Sailor". In the episode "Krusty Krab Training Video," a young Eugene Krabs is shown walking to a soda vending machine, la-laing the shanty "Blow the Man Down." Various songs used in SpongeBob SquarePants come from the Associated Production Music library, some of which have also been used in shows such as The Simpsons,Ren & Stimpy, Rocko's Modern Life, The X Factor, Camp Lazlo, and My Gym Partner's a Monkey. For competition-based episodes, some of Sam Spence's NFL Films music is used (such as "A Golden Boy Again" used in episodes such as The Fry Cook Games and "Ramblin' Man from Gramblin" is used in Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy V.) Ironically, one of Spence's more famous songs for the NFL Films library of music is an orchestral version of "Drunken Sailor" called "Up She Rises", first suggested by Steven Sabol to his father Ed because he liked the song at summer camp.
Also used to great comedic and dramatic effect in the show, is Hawaiian steel guitar music. Various compositions featuring the Hawaiian steel convey happy, sad, or goofy emotions and situations. Many are traditional Hawaiian melodies such as "Aloha 'Oe" and are performed by classic steel guitar artists.
In the episode "Prehibernation Week," the music is played by the heavy metal band Pantera. When ever SpongeBob does something dangerous, the music starts playing. The opening credits have a shot that reads "Special musical guests Pantera".
The guitarist Newton Faulkner sometimes plays SpongeBob SquarePants in his set and has even invented a Jungle version: JungleBob.
The episode "SpongeBob B.C." features background music including a track best known to British viewers as the theme to 1970s TV sitcom Terry and June. The music was written by John Shakespeare, a former member of 1960s pop group The Ivy League.
Magazine
In the United Kingdom, a SpongeBob SquarePants magazine is currently being published by Titan Magazines every four weeks. It was first published on February 3 2005. The next issue was published on February 1 2007 and was the second anniversary of the magazine. The magazine contains comic strips, fan letters, competitions and several features including games.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Spongebob Squarepants'.
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