# How Old Is SpongeBob? **URL:** \ **Category:** TV Shows\ **Created:** [June 14, 2020, 7:40am UTC](https://howtodiscuss.com/t/how-old-is-spongebob/6238 "2020-06-14T07:40:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 2
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# How Old is Spongeboob Ten years ago today, SpongeBob SquarePants and his Bikini Bottom cohorts became movie stars. \*The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie\* made $140 million worldwide and is the fifth-highest grossing animated TV adaptation ever. How did an anthropomorphic sponge who lives in a pineapple become a children's icon? Some of these tidbits may explain its success and longevity. ## 1. THE IDEA FOR THE SERIES WAS FROM AN ACTUAL MARINE BIOLOGIST Stephen Hillenburg has a degree in natural resource planning with a marine resources emphasis, and he used to teach Marine Biology at the Orange County Marine Institute. Hillenburg also liked to draw, and created a comic book called \*Intertidial Zone\* [for the Institute, which starred an early version of SpongeBob. When he worked as creative director for the Nickelodeon animated series \*Rocko's Modern Life\* , fellow animators saw the potential appeal of SpongeBob. ## 2. SPONGEBOB'S ORIGINAL NAME WAS SPONGEBOY And the show’s title was initially _SpongeBoy Ahoy!_ . SpongeBoy was a copyrighted name for a mop, however, but Hillenburg made sure to keep the “sponge” in the name of his protagonist as he was worried that children might mistake him ## SPONGEBOB'S PERSONALITY WAS INFLUENCED BY JERRY LEWIS, ■■■-WEE HERMAN, AND STAN LAUREL _SpongeBob_ creative director Derek Drymon [remembered Hillenburg] wanting to create a character with a “young, boyish” attitude, with Lewis, Herman, and Laurel specifically in mind. Tom Kenny, the voice of SpongeBob, said that Hillenburg initially described the talking sponge as a “half child half adult, kind of like a munchkin,” before also mentioning the same three comedy legends. The creator also told Kenny to try to do a similar voice that the _Mr. Show_ alum once did for a background character in a long-forgotten scene in _Rocko’s Modern Life._ Kenny [described the nameless character he did not even recall as a “squeaky, helium-voiced elf guy. Just a total throwaway voice.” ## 4. PATRICK WAS INITIALLY CONCEIVED AS AN ANGRY BAR OWNER A starfish character first entered the picture while Hillenburg and Drymon were storyboarding the pilot. But before there was the lovable dummy Patrick Star, the starfish in the first story had a “huge chip on his shoulder because he was pink.” He owned a roadside bar and was a “bully.” Bill ■■■■■■■■■■■ known mostly as Dauber from _Coach_ and/or Marshall’s dad on _How I Met Your Mother_ , voices Patrick by [slowing his speech and pretending that his mouth is in his chest. # 14 Things You May Not Have Known About _SpongeBob SquarePants_ ![Viacom International Media Networks](https://howtodiscuss.com/uploads/default/original/2X/8/8f0f3a578795ba91d462390bba195d3c360a5eec.jpeg) VIACOM INTERNATIONAL MEDIA NETWORKS Ten years ago today, SpongeBob SquarePants and his Bikini Bottom cohorts became movie stars. _The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie_ made $140 million worldwide and is the fifth-highest grossing animated TV adaptation ever. How did an anthropomorphic sponge who lives in a pineapple become a children’s icon? Some of these tidbits may explain its success and longevity. ### THE IDEA FOR THE SERIES WAS FROM AN ACTUAL MARINE BIOLOGIST Stephen Hillenburg has a [degree in natural resource planning with a marine resources emphasis, and he used to teach Marine Biology at the Orange County Marine Institute. Hillenburg also liked to draw, and created a comic book called _Intertidial Zone_[for the Institute](http://cartoonician.com/the-oral-history-of-spongebob-squarepants/), which starred an early version of SpongeBob. When he worked as creative director for the Nickelodeon animated series _Rocko’s Modern Life_ , fellow animators saw the potential appeal of SpongeBob. ### SPONGEBOB'S ORIGINAL NAME WAS SPONGEBOY And the show’s title was initially _SpongeBoy Ahoy!_ . SpongeBoy was a copyrighted name for a mop, however, but Hillenburg made sure to keep the “sponge” in the name of his protagonist as he was worried that children might mistake him [for a block of cheese] ### SPONGEBOB'S PERSONALITY WAS INFLUENCED BY JERRY LEWIS, ■■■-WEE HERMAN, AND STAN LAUREL. _SpongeBob_ creative director Derek Drymon wanting to create a character with a “young, boyish” attitude, with Lewis, Herman, and Laurel specifically in mind. Tom Kenny, the voice of SpongeBob, [said that](http://smashinginterviews.com/interviews/actors/tom-kenny-and-spongebob-squarepants-interview-dont-be-a-jerk-its-christmas%20) Hillenburg initially described the talking sponge as a “half child half adult, kind of like a munchkin,” before also mentioning the same three comedy legends. The creator also told Kenny to try to do a similar voice that the _Mr. Show_ alum once did for a background character in a long-forgotten scene in _Rocko’s Modern Life._ Kenny he did not even recall as a “squeaky, helium-voiced elf guy. Just a total throwaway voice.” ### PATRICK WAS INITIALLY CONCEIVED AS AN ANGRY BAR OWNER A starfish character while Hillenburg and Drymon were storyboarding the pilot. But before there was the lovable dummy Patrick Star, the starfish in the first story had a “huge chip on his shoulder because he was pink.” He owned a roadside bar and was a “bully.” Bill ■■■■■■■■■■■ known mostly as Dauber from _Coach_ and/or Marshall’s dad on _How I Met Your Mother_ , voices Patrick by and pretending that his mouth is in his chest. ### SQUIDWARD IS TECHNICALLY NOT A SQUID Squidward Q. Tentacles has been referred to as both a squid and an octopus throughout the series run, but he only has six tentacles. The animators decided to not give the pessimistic cephalopod the proper number Fred’s name was revealed in the episode “Patty Hype.” He is known in various episodes, spanning seasons and years, for crying “My leg!” while under duress. ### THERE IS A VERY POPULAR POT PARODY OF THE SHOW Animation studio Camp Chaos produced a two-season series on VH1 and MTV2 called _ILL-ustrated_ in 2003 and 2004. One of the animated shorts created for the show, _SpongeBong HempPants_ , was a not-too-subtle re-imagining of _SpongeBob SquarePants_ if the characters were shaped like ■■■■■■■■■ or the paraphernalia necessary to enjoy the drug. The shorts were never run on television Two exceptions to the rule during the first three seasons of the show were Tim Conway and Ernest Borgnine, who played SpongeBob’s favorite superheroes, Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy. After Hillenburg resigned as showrunner, Bikini Bottom welcomed the likes of Ferrell, Fey, Williams, Amy Poehler, Johnny Depp, Victoria Beckham, LeBron James, Pink, Patton Oswalt, and other established stars to get adults to watch. #### **9. JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE WAS NOT WELCOME TO SING ABOUT SPONGEBOB.** For the movie’s soundtrack, Avril Lavigne sang a Canadian punk-pop version of the theme song, while Jeff Tweedy wrote the original Wilco song “Just a Kid.” The Flaming Lips came up with the song “SpongeBob and Patrick Confront the Psychic Wall of Energy,” which frontman Wayne Coyne initially envisioned as a duet with Justin Timberlake, but Stephen Hillenburg was against the idea. Ween provided their song “Ocean Man” for the soundtrack, initially from their 1997 album _The Mollusk._ Musical cameos by Brian Wilson, Tommy Ramone, and Elvis Presley guitarist James Burton highlight the 2006 compilation album _SpongeBob SquarePants: The Best Day Ever_ , and the vocal talents of The Monkees’ Davy Jones and David Bowie have appeared on the TV series. When the researchers also noted that the spore-producing area of the ■■■■■■ found in the forests of Borneo resembled a seafloor “carpeted in tube sponges,” it sealed the deal. It has a “fruity or musty” odor. A particular writing exercise that generated many plots for the _SpongeBob_ staff was called “The Noun Game.” Williams had everyone write three to six nouns on small pieces of paper and place them in a hat. They’d draw one, then spend a minute writing an unfiltered story based on that noun. #### \*\*13. DAVID HASSELHOFF KEPT THE 12-FOOT Eating $100,000 of the film’s budget, the 750 pound version of The Hoff was given to its inspiration by the crew. Surpassing _Rugrats_ ’ previous record of 172 episodes, _SpongeBob SquarePants_ will broadcast its 200th episode during the current season (the show’s ninth). The show hasn’t aired an original episode since March though—it is on hiatus in order to complete production on their second movie, _The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water_ , set for release next February. The 3-D sequel was initially supposed to come out one week later on February 13th, but Paramount Pictures moved the release date forward to avoid competition with _Fifty Shades of Grey_ . --- _[View the full topic](https://howtodiscuss.com/t/how-old-is-spongebob/6238)._