SpongeBob SquarePants (character)

This article is about the main character of the SpongeBob SquarePants series. For the series itself, see SpongeBob SquarePants.

SpongeBob SquarePants is the principal character in the animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants, which first aired on May 1, 1999 on Nickelodeon. The character was designed by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg, and is voiced by Tom Kenny.

Appearance

SpongeBob is a porous yellow sea sponge with eyes, a mouth with prominent front teeth and dimples, arms, legs, hands and feet. He resembles a kitchen sponge more than a sea sponge, in order to emphasise the image of a "squeaky-clean" nerd. SpongeBob has the ability to morph into other shapes at will, and can grow back pieces that fall off him. His arms can become variable in length and shape at will and are retractable as well as detachable.

SpongeBob typically wears a white shirt with brown trousers, although he has been known to run naked (or in his underwear). As a part of the attire, his shoes are shiny black, with an almost spheric bulge at the front (although still a part of the shoe proper, unlike the balls of clown shoes). He usually wears a pair of white briefs underneath his pants, although he has been seen wearing blue, green, and red briefs (all at the same time, nonetheless) and even pink to honour his best friend, Patrick. At night, he sometimes has a green bathrobe on but mostly goes to sleep with his underwear, socks and shoes. When he goes "swimming", he wears a pair of blue swimming trunks (although he still wears his underpants and shoes). He also wears a red bow tie in exchange for his necktie on special occasions.

General

SpongeBob is described as extremely sweet, kind, funny, generous, cheerful, friendly, happy, loving, hard-working, annoying (according to Squidward) and most of all, trusting. He has a buck-toothed grin, tremendously expressive face and square body that complements his pure and good nature. SpongeBob will rarely knowingly do wrong or harm to anyone except on April Fools Day and never without remorse. However, he has been known to shout and curse (even "obscenities" such as "Tartar Sauce","Fish Paste", or "Barnacles") when angry or frustrated. Although he is an adult, he has a very childish nature, shown to great effect in the episode "Grandma's Kisses", at which he is at his most childish, as well as in the Spongebob Squarepants movie.

Although a good-natured and loving sponge, many characters seem to avoid him. SpongeBob is very easily overexcited about almost anything, like simple daily tasks and things of which he doesn't know of (such as when Squidward invited him to strike at the Krusty Krab, SpongeBob celebrated for it although he never heard the word before). This, along with his repetitive talking and loud dolphin-like laughter makes him a huge annoyance to others, especially Mrs. Puff, Squidward and Plankton.

Spongebob's age is a mystery. He acts like a young child, yet has a job. He lives by himself and can afford his own house without supervision of his parents. He doesn't go to a normal school (possibly graduated?) but to a boating school with students of all age. He has also taken a driving test countless times.

He has been known to have enormous difficulty lifting even the lightest of objects. Normally though, he can function at a reasonable level. SpongeBob's insides and skeleton have been shown various times (eg. when he appears 'dead' in some future 'flashbacks'), but every time they appear different. His skeleton varies from a simple spine, although he is an invertebrate, to a perfect square. He cannot be harmed in fights due to the fact that he is a sponge; this is depicted in the episode "The Bully" when SpongeBob is being bullied. Due to the sponge-like nature of his body, he has been known to absorb things which is similar to a household sponge. Therefore, when the bully actually fights him, SpongeBob does not feel a thing, and, rather than fighting back, continues to go through his day normally, until the bully is too worn out to keep fighting. However, in "I Had an Accident", he broke his backside in a skiing accident.

SpongeBob has one pet, a snail named Gary. Gary's meows are generally understood by most of the residents of Bikini Bottom. Despite a few unusual/unexpected quarrels, SpongeBob loves Gary dearly and enormously and can't do without him, as shown in "Have You Seen This Snail?". Gary usually has solutions to help SpongeBob out of his dilemmas. Gary and SpongeBob live together in a pineapple under the sea at 124 Conch Street, Bikini Bottom (this address was seen on SpongeBob's driver's license in the episodes "Sleepy Time" and "No Free Rides").

Whilst characterized as a stupid person, SpongeBob's mathematics are brilliant. The most noticeable instance of this is in Squid's Day Off, where he offers the change for a dollar bill in all sorts of forms, including: Four quarters, Ten dimes, Twenty nickels, One hundred pennies, and One quarter, three dimes, seven nickels and ten pennies

Also some people believe that the tiny island seen in every episode is the remains of Bikini Atoll which was destroyed during the Bikini Atomic Bomb tests. And since the A-bombs irradiated the entire surronding sea area so the residents of Bikini Bottom and the other cities are regular fish and marine life mutated by the A-bomb test.

Career

SpongeBob has a career as a fry cook at the Krusty Krab restaurant, home of the Krabby Patty. He takes his job seriously and is very good at it. He was employee of the month 374 times, which would mean he has worked there for at least thirty-one years and two months. According to U.S. labor laws, this would put his minimum age at around fifty two years, two months, but in the episode "Sleepy Time", his 'driver's license' says he was born on July 14, 1986. He works alongside Squidward (much to Squidward's dismay), who manages the cash register for his money-obsessed boss, Mr. Eugene Krabs. SpongeBob, in some episodes, seems to have attained a celebrity like status in Bikini Bottom for his masterful fry cooking. In an episode where SpongeBob and Squidward go on strike, he is referred to as a "legend" by a young fry cook who wants to take his job and is asked to sign the young boy’s spatula. In another episode, he is offered a job as Neptune's fry cook, but turns it down because Patrick was forbidden to go with him. SpongeBob has never been a minute late for his job, except in "Hooky" - he was two minutes late because he got hooked - and in "Have You Seen This Snail?" - he was fifteen minutes late because he was so tired after searching for Gary. SpongeBob also failed to attend on time in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, where he was several minutes late after eating ice cream all night with Patrick at Goofy Goobers, and being passed over for a promotion. He often prizes his punctuality as in "SpongeBob Meets the Strangler", where he has a party for his 100% on time percentage, and another party 20 seconds later for his birthday.

Love

SpongeBob has always been friends to those such as Sandy. However, some consider that SpongeBob could be in love with Sandy. In the episode, Valentine's Day, Sandy said "I'm nuts for you" which she could be saying she's in love with SpongeBob. But actually that's more like a joke, because alltough Sandy likes SpongeBob, they are just friends. And in many episodes, Sandy considers SpongeBob to be childish. However, in Ripped Pants, after SpongeBob ripped his pants too much, and Sandy was upset, he had thought he lost his best friend. A few lines in the song used in the episode could indicate love: 'and no girl ever wants to dance with a fool who went and ripped his pants' and 'Cause windin up with no one is a lot less fun.' A controversial issue caused many people, say SpongeBob has a gay relationship with Patrick Star. But the creator, Stephen Hillenburg, says that all the characters are more like asexual, and the show was not to be considered as a gay icon. And cartoons don't really have a sexuality.

Leisure

He spends his free time with his best friend Patrick Star, and especially enjoys practicing karate with his other friend Sandy Cheeks (a squirrel from Texas who wears a space suit to breathe underwater), as well as catching jellyfish at Jellyfish Fields. To date, he has caught, named, and let go every jellyfish in Jellyfish Fields at least once, except the blue jellyfish, No name (A.K.A. Friend) until later in the episode: "Jellyfish Hunter".

SpongeBob has yet to keep a boating license (analogous to a driver's license) because he fails every driver's test at Mrs. Puff's Boating School, mainly due to a tendency to become nervous once behind the wheel (he has been shown to know what he's doing everywhere but inside the boat). Despite this, he perpetually and continuously attends boating school in an attempt to get his license (and because he enjoys it), much to the woe and frustration of his boating instructor Mrs. Puff. At one point, Mrs. Puff becomes so frustrated she gives SpongeBob his boating license by allowing him to do "extra credit". She then takes it back realizing how much chaos he could cause with his license. When Mrs. Puff is fired in "Mrs. Puff, You're Fired", SpongeBob's new teacher actually trains him so much, that SpongeBob can drive very well, but only if he is blindfolded.

In many episodes, such as "As Seen On TV", "The Camping Episode", and "Ripped Pants" and most SpongeBob video games, and The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, it is suggested he has brilliant guitar and singing skills. He also likes to blow bubbles, surf, sun bathe, play the ukulele, watch his favorite TV show, The New Adventures of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, and work at the Krusty Krab. SpongeBob also enjoys jellyfishing with his friends.

Controversy

Main article: SpongeBob SquarePants § Controversy

SpongeBob SquarePants, like many other Nickelodeon shows, has had to endure controversy at one point or another. However, due to the show's almost "extreme" popularity, the controversy surrounding it has been proportionally less than with other programs.

Trivia

• SpongeBob's welcome mat in front of his house says "Ahoy!".
• SpongeBob has been called many different names, in a similar style to his own, mainly by Patrick. These include: CowBob RanchPants, DadMom AngryPants, MuscleBob BuffPants, SpongeBob BacksassPants, SquareBob, SpringBoob SquirePin and RobotBob Sponge-Chef-Pants, BobPants SpongeSquare (assumed name), among others.
• SpongeBob SquarePants has gained an international following. Some of the translated names used for the show are as follows:
  • In the Serbian version of the show (on B92), SpongeBob's name is Sunđer Bob Kockalone which literally means SpongeBob SquarePants.
  • In the German version of the show, SpongeBob's name is SpongeBob Schwammkopf which means "SpongeBob SpongeHead".
  • In the Hebrew version of the show, Spongebob's name is בובספוג מכנסמרובע which means the same, however in order to keep with the opening tune's melody it is called (only in the song) בובספוג המרובע which means "spongebob the square"
  • In the French version of the show, SpongeBob's name is Bob L'éponge, which means "Bob the Sponge".
  • In the Norwegian, Danish and Swedish version of the show, SpongeBob's name is SvampeBob Firkant or SvampBob Fyrkant, which means "SpongeBob Square".
  • In the Korean version of the show, SpongeBob's name is 네모네모 스폰지밥 (Nemonemo SpongeBob), which means "SquareSquare SpongeBob".
  • In the Lithuanian version, SpongeBob's name is Kempiniukas Plačiakelnis which means "SpongeBob WidePants".
  • In the Latin American version of the show, SpongeBob's name is "Bob Esponja" (pronounced Bob Espon-haa), which is a literal translation of the English name. It should be noted, however, that in this case "Esponja" is the character's last name, while the "SquarePants" portion of the original English name is dropped altogether (except in Brazil, where his surname is "Calça-quadrada", also a literal translation of the English surname).
  • In the Greek version, he is called Μπομπ Σφουγγαρακης Τετραγωνοπαντελονης (Bob Sfougarakis Tetragonopantelonis). Tetragonopantelonis is a literal rendering of SquarePants, while 'Bob Sfougarakis' means 'Bob the little sponge'. Due to this, he is mostly referred to simply as Bob in the Greek version, rather than his full name.
• SpongeBob's voice is described as a combination of the mayor of Munchkinland from The Wizard of Oz, Elroy Jetson from The Jetsons, and Larry the Cucumber from VeggieTales.
• SpongeBob's character was influenced by Jerry Lewis, Pee Wee Herman, and Charlie Chaplin.
• SpongeBob was originally going to be called SpongeBoy, but the name was already trademarked.
• The creator of SpongeBob SquarePants, Stephen Hillenburg, says he didn't want SpongeBob to be named just "Bob", because people would presumably confuse him with a piece of cheese.
• SpongeBob was not always depicted as a kitchen sponge-type shape; in the early years of planning, he was depicted as a luffa.
• The Spanish theme song on the British versions of the SpongeBob DVD releases is not the same as the version that appears on the American versions of the DVDs.
• SpongeBob's first words were, "May I take your order?"
• In some language versions, SpongeGar and SpongeTron's names appear as BobGar and BobTron.
• The LEGO SpongeBob SquarePants building sets made by LEGO includes a minifigure version of SpongeBob as well as other characters from the show. One of the sets includes a sculpture of SpongeBob.
• It is rumored that SpongeBob's birthday could be July 14, 1986. His 'driver's license' (either fake or temporary) is seen in the season 1 episode, "Sleepy Time", from Mrs. Puff; as well as in the season 2 episode, "No Free Rides", both with the same date. However, the show's creator, Stephen Hillenburg has mentioned that he wishes for SpongeBob to remain ageless, like other classic cartoon characters.
• SpongeBob cannot lift two stuffed animals or even two marshmallows; however he can lift a spatula, shovel, garbage and other larger objects.
• Although SpongeBob's real name may be Robert, in one scene in "Patrick SmartPants," Patrick Star called him Robert.
• Although SpongeBob has claimed several times he's an invertebrate, when his skeleton has been shown on certain occasions it appears to have a backbone.
• In the episode "Procrastination", when SpongeBob is shown staring at his paper, the title reads "What not to do at a Spotlight" rather than the correct "What not to do at a Stoplight".
• In particular SpongeBob Season 4 episodes, SpongeBob appears more green than yellow if observed closely. SpongeBob also appears more square than in earlier seasons.
• To create SpongeBob's laugh, Tom Kenny hits his throat with his hand repeatedly while making a high-pitched dolphin-like sound (somewhat sounding like "Ahh").
• Tom Kenny said he came up with the voice of SpongeBob when he heard an angry dwarf yelling.
• The episode "Just One Bite" is a parody of Dr. Seuss's children's book "Green Eggs and Ham".
• SpongeBob had a pet scallop which he kept in a bird cage in the episode Help Wanted.
• Most fast food resturants in the United States has a minimum age requirement of sixteen years old. If you assume that Spongebob began working at the Krusty Krab from the day he turned 16 and received the Employee of the Month award every month from the beginning of his career, Spongebob would have been born on July 14, 1959.
• The name Bob, is short for Robert, which Patrick called him in one episode.
• Shawndell Dias. AKA SAMMY. apparently loves spongebob to death. If you make smart remarks about spongebob in any form, he will kill you.