The Nickelodeon series started on May 1, 1999.
In the eyes of fans, “SpongeBob” not only stands for absurd humor, but also for tolerance, honesty and even environmental protection – the National History Museum in Los Angeles even dedicates its own section to the series, “Science of SpongeBob.” The original idea at the end of the 1980s already had a serious background.
Marine biologist invented the spongebob
Format inventor Stephen Hillenburg actually studied marine biology and was a teacher at the Orange County Marine Institute in Dana Point, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. There he published the comic book “Intertidal Zone” about creatures in the sea, in which he made the first appearance of a sponge named Bob.
Hillenburg, who died in November 2018 as a result of the nervous disease ALS, became an animation artist, stuck to his good-natured and optimistic character and called the associated series “Spongeboy Ahoy!” in the first concepts. Eventually he learned that a mop company had a copyright on the term for one of their products.
Photo Gallery: Happy Birthday, SpongeBob! A sponge turns 25
SpongeBob SquarePants turns 25 (Photo: ORF) Bild 1/15
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He came up with a new name and presented his idea to the children’s channel Nickelodeon, dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and holding an aquarium with small versions of the characters. Those responsible for the station liked the concept – and on May 1, 1999, directly after the important “Kids’ Choice Awards”, the first episode of “SpongeBob Squarepants” was shown on US television.
Around 300 episodes in 14 seasons
There are now around 300 episodes in 14 seasons and new ones are still being added. Three films opened in cinemas worldwide and two more have been announced. A musical, of which there is also a German adaptation, is now traveling through the USA after an unsuccessfully short season on New York’s Broadway. Five years ago, those responsible for the series announced that retail products related to the series had generated a gigantic $13 billion in sales by then.
Over the years, according to the broadcaster, the series has been shown in more than 200 TV markets worldwide, and countless hardcore fans discuss every little detail online. There is even a dark theory circulating in online forums that the seven main supporting characters, including the grumpy octopus Squidward and SpongeBob’s greedy crab boss Eugene Krabs, each represent one of the biblical deadly sins.
Sincere and warm-hearted
According to the creators, the vast majority of young and older fans quickly liked the show because SpongeBob came across as sincere and warm-hearted and thus offered a counterpoint to many sarcastic protagonists in other series. Many gay and lesbian people celebrate the series because it opens up the possibility that SpongeBob and his best friend Patrick are actually a queer couple. Users in countless web forums and social networks also repeatedly praise another quality of the series: They think that the absurd and over-the-top series is perfect for watching drugs.
