SpongeBob SquarePants 

The misadventures of a talking sea sponge who works at a fast food restaurant, attends a boating school, and lives in an underwater pineapple.

Creators:

Stephen Hillenburg, Tim Hill, Nick Jennings

Stars:

Tom Kenny, Rodger Bumpass, Bill Fagerbakke

Nominated for 10 Primetime Emmys. Another 51 wins & 44 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Tom Kenny	...	SpongeBob SquarePants / ... 256 episodes, 1999-2019
Rodger Bumpass	...	Squidward / ... 241 episodes, 1999-2019
Bill Fagerbakke	...	Patrick Star / ... 237 episodes, 1999-2019
Clancy Brown	...	Mr. Krabs / ... 232 episodes, 1999-2019
Mr. Lawrence	...	Plankton / ... 179 episodes, 1999-2019
Dee Bradley Baker	...	Fish #1 / ... 172 episodes, 1999-2019
Jill Talley	...	Karen / ... 142 episodes, 1999-2019
Carolyn Lawrence	...	Sandy Cheeks / ... 133 episodes, 1999-2019
Sirena Irwin	...	Lady Fish / ... 123 episodes, 1999-2019
Lori Alan	...	Pearl Krabs / ... 105 episodes, 1999-2019
Mary Jo Catlett	...	Mrs. Puff / ... 103 episodes, 1999-2019

Storyline

The character-driven cartoon chronicles the nautical and often nonsensical adventures of SpongeBob, an incurably optimistic and earnest sea sponge, and his underwater friends. Dwelling a few fathoms beneath the tropical isle of Bikini Atoll in the sub-surface city of Bikini Bottom, SpongeBob lives in a two-story pineapple. Instead of taking the logical approach to everyday challenges, SpongeBob approaches life in a wayward and unconventional way. Whether searching for the ultimate spatula to perfect his burger flipping technique at the Krusty Krab or just hanging out with his best friend Patrick (an amiable starfish), SpongeBob's good intentions and overzealous approach to life usually create chaos in his underwater world.

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Plot Keywords:

dark comedy | sponge | fast food | underwater | nicktoon | 

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Taglines:

Bigger. Better. More absorbent.

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Genres:

Animation | Comedy | Family | Fantasy

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Certificate:

TV-Y

Details

Official Sites:

Nick.com [United States] Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English Irish

Release Date:

30 April 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

SpongeBob

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

United Plankton Pictures, Nickelodeon Animation Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

23 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo (Seasons 1-8) Dolby Digital (Season 9-)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD

Did You Know?

Trivia

The signal flags hanging on the front of The Krusty Krab do not spell a word. The third signal flag (from left to right, facing the front door) doesn't exist in international nautical code. The first, second, fourth, and fifth are R, I, U, and K, although the U is only "right-side-up" if the flags are read from right-to-left. Inside Mr. Krabs' office is _, I, R, and M. The _ has no letter associated with the flag.

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Goofs

At numerous points in the series, the phrase "Galley Grub" on the Krusty Krab menu is misspelled as "Gally Grub."

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Quotes

Squidward: A good neighbor doesn't bother me on Sunday!
SpongeBob SquarePants: Sunday? No wonder Squidward's grumpy.

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Alternate Versions

The French version digitally changes the opening title cards for each episode to the title in French. The opening sequence has also been slightly altered: the bubble words "SpongeBob SquarePants" has been replaced with a bubble version of SpongeBob. On the board that changes colors, SpongeBob's face replaces the name SpongeBob SquarePants; the part where SpongeBob's pants bounce around the show's title has been replaced with scenery in Bikini Bottom, and the show's title is digitally altered to read "Bob l'eponge".

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Connections

Referenced in Meet the Hasselhoffs: Episode #1.2 (2009)

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Soundtracks

SpongeBob SquarePants Theme Song
Lyrics by Stephen Hillenburg and Derek Drymon
Composed by Hank Smith Music
Performed by Patrick Pinney

User Reviews

Masterful, perhaps mis-targeted, surreal stream-of-consciousnessparody

"SpongeBob SquarePants" is an hilarious and often unpredictable cartoon series aired at this writing on Nickelodeon. Its regular times are Saturday & Sunday mornings, with occasional marathons and a semi-regular feature on Nick's Friday evening U-Vote feature. The massive amount of hype surrounding its release in mid-1999 suggests that the Nickelodeon staff really likes the show.

The series is clearly for adults, in the same sense as "The Simpsons" and "Beavis and Butthead" are. The marketing, however, is quite child-oriented, and somehow, the series has become associated with other Nickelodeon features which actually offer redeeming social value for children, viz "Wild Thornberrys" and "Blue's Clues". I don't mind, personally--I enjoy watching SpongeBob with my toddler-age children, although I do find myself answering lots of interesting questions ("Why is Squidward dancing like that? It's scary.", "You can't put fake arms on like that, can you, Daddy?", "Why is Patrick so dumb?")

The show features the voice talents of Tom Kenny (a perennial supporting voice in cartoons) as SpongeBob, Rodger Bumpass (another voice talent veteran) as Squidward the, well, squid, Bill Fagerbakke ("Coach"s Dauber) as Patrick the Starfish, Carolyn Lawrence as Sandy Cheeks (SpongeBob's love interest, a squirrel with an air helmet), and Clancy Brown ("Buckaroo Banzai"s Rawhide) as SpongeBob's employer, the tight-clawed Mister Krabs. I have noticed in many features that "Mr. Lawrence" is credited as a writer; I suspect a husband-wife team, given that Sandy Cheeks gets some great dialogue--but that's pure conjecture, and I heartily welcome correction or corroboration alike. There have been several celebrity appearances, most notably Ernest Borgnine and Tim Conway as the voices of fictional superheroes Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy.

I like the damn show. I was hooked on it for at least a year, from the Clutch-Cargo-flavored introduction to the United Plankton logo at the end of each episode. The plot lines' continuity is above average, with a well-developed cast of supporting characters who populate Bikini Bottom, SpongeBob's home. There are the obvious suspension-of-disbelief requirements, such as the watery environment's inexplicable tolerance for electricity and exhaled air, but this is easily counterbalanced by the whimsical misusage of jargon (SpongeBob, in a desperate moment says, "I'll use the Shell Phone!").

Classic episodes include "Bubbles", "Moon Rocket", and "Home Sweet Pineapple".