Twenty-five years ago, a yellow sponge beat the odds to get a job at the Krusty Krab, the most beloved fast-food eatery in the underwater city of Bikini Bottom. That was just the beginning for “SpongeBob SquarePants,” whose 14 seasons made it one of the longest-running American animated series. The SpongeBob universe expanded to include two spinoff series, three feature films, a musical and a galaxy of Internet memes.
Sponges
Why, exactly, is SpongeBob a kitchen sponge? A decade before SpongeBob made his big splash on the small screen, the series creator Stephen Hillenburg wrote and illustrated an educational children’s book called “The Intertidal Zone,” featuring a talking sea sponge. Hillenburg changed the character into a square sponge because he thought it would be funnier.
Literature
“SpongeBob SquarePants” is widely known for its absurd plots, but it also contains its share of literary parodies. Case in point: the pair of squeaky boots hidden under the floorboards, à la the infamous still-beating heart in Edgar Allan Poe’s macabre short story “The Tell-Tale Heart.”
Fish
“SpongeBob SquarePants” sports as diverse a range of animation styles as it does comedy styles, so a realistic live-action fish and humanoid fish cartoon somehow both fit seamlessly into the same series. The show’s art style draws from earlier series like “The Ren & Stimpy Show” and “Rocko’s Modern Life,” on which Hillenburg also worked prior to “SpongeBob.” Later shows depicted here, like “Chowder,” “Gravity Falls” and “Fish Hooks,” then closely followed the visual aesthetic of “SpongeBob SquarePants.”
Cameos
David Bowie was such a Sponge-fan that he said he had “hit the holy grail of animation gigs” with his appearance as the Lord Royal Highness in the episode “Atlantis SquarePantis,” where his character even shared the iconic singer’s heterochromia.
Fashion
Many fashion brands have paid tribute to the show, including Moschino, Patrick Mohr, Nike and GCDS, so even this yellow sponge has strutted down the runway.
One liners
“I’m ready!”
Tom Kenny
Tom Kenny may be best known for voicing SpongeBob and dozens of other inhabitants of Bikini Bottom, but his lengthy C.V. also includes roles from “The Powerpuff Girls,” “Dexter’s Laboratory,” “CatDog,” “Rocko’s Modern Life,” “Adventure Time,” “Johnny Bravo” and “Rick and Morty.”
Drag
“Am I a pretty girl?”
Take it from Bugs Bunny — there’s a history of wacky drag schemes in cartoons. “SpongeBob” is no exception. But many fans also read SpongeBob’s love of drag as more evidence for the queer coding of the character, who was presumed gay, then confirmed asexual, and eventually adopted as a L.G.B.T.Q.+ icon.
Cuisine
Bob Belcher may have his own grilled-and-bun-topped legacy, but even his daily specials can’t compare to the complex culinary delicacy that is a Krabby Patty, whether it’s a nasty patty, a pretty patty, a retired Halloween gummy burger from the early aughts, or a king-size Ultra Krabby Supreme with the works, double batter fried on a stick.
Plankton FUN
“F is for fire that burns down the whole town.
U is for uranium bombs.
N is for _____ _____ …”
“Plankton! Those things aren’t what fun is all about!”
Squidward Fails
“Why must every 11 minutes of my life be filled with misery?”
Patrick savant
The quintessential idiot savant, Patrick claims to know a lot, despite his very brief and rare moments of brilliance; but when it comes to interplanetary doorknob law, SpongeBob is the self-proclaimed expert.
Bikini Bottom real estate
“Home is where you’re surrounded by other critters that care about you.” — Sandy Cheeks
Best Friends
The dynamic of these two best friends is based on that of other famous comedy duos like Laurel and Hardy and Abbott and Costello.
#FOOTER
VICTORY SCREECH!!!
[alarming shrieks and howls]
Photos via Nickelodeon; Getty Images; Cartoon Network; Adult Swim; Fox; Disney Channel; Amir Hamja/The New York Times; Nina Westervelt for The New York Times
Produced by Leo Dominguez, Sean Catangui, Tala Safie, Jolie Ruben and Alicia Desantis.
Correction: July 19, 2024
An earlier version of this quiz featured a picture that was identified as SpongeBob but was, in fact, the character Girly Teengirl.
Source: Television - nytimes.com
