Spongebob Squarepants

SpongeBob SquarePants (born July 14, 1986 [1]) is the main protagonist and the eponymous character of the Nickelodeon animated comedy of the same name. He was designed by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg, and is voiced by Tom Kenny. SpongeBob is a childish, eccentric sea sponge who lives in a pineapple in the underwater city of Bikini Bottom. He works as a fry cook at the Krusty Krab, a job which he is exceptionally skilled at. SpongeBob lacks a lot of knowledge and is a constant annoyance to those around him (especially Squidward Tentacles), but he is very good natured. He appears in all of the epsiodes in the series.

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Contents
[ hide ]*1 Description
 * 1.1 Personality
 * 1.1.1 Antagonistic Side
 * 1.2 Abilities and talents
 * 2 Near-Death Experiences
 * 3 Creation and development
 * 4 Biography
 * 5 Criminal Record
 * 6 Family
 * 7 Occupation
 * 8 Reception
 * 9 Multiverse
 * 10 Trivia/Goofs
 * 11 Relationships
 * 11.1 Episodes Where SpongeBob Has Been Mean to His Friends
 * 11.1.1 Patrick
 * 11.1.2 Sandy
 * 11.1.3 Pearl
 * 11.1.4 Squidward
 * 11.1.5 Mr. Krabs
 * 11.1.6 Gary
 * 12 Quotes
 * 13 Designs
 * 14 Gallery
 * 15 References
 * }

DescriptionEdit
SpongeBob is a sea sponge but he is drawn to resemble a kitchen sponge, being rectangular and bright yellow. In earlier episodes, he is wider near the top and gets skinnier going further down, but in more recent episodes, he is a more regular square. SpongeBob has large blue eyes, a long, slightly curves nose, a large mouth with prominent front buck teeth, and dimples with three freckles on each cheek. He typically wears a white shirt with a red tie, black leather shoes with shoelaces, and brown rectangular pants with a black belt[e] (the entire outfit is sometimes referred to as his "pants", hence his name). While working at the Krusty Krab, he wears a tall, white hat with a small blue anchor on it as a uniform. SpongeBob sleeps with his street clothes on, including his shoes. Though SpongeBob has always been voiced by Tom Kenny, his voice has changed over the course of the series; his voice is lower than normal in the pilot episode,[e] and after the movie, his voice gets slightly higher-pitched. And also, SpongeBob never passed Boating School.

PersonalityEdit
SpongeBob is a very clueless, immature, and hyperactive character with a happy-go-lucky personality. He is an extremely determined person, and will often stop at nothing to accomplish a task. He is also somewhat dramatic to the people who are kind to him, for example, to the mailfish.[e] He is also very over-confident and tends to make a big deal of small problems, such as losing his name tag.[e]

SpongeBob is very kind-hearted and innocent, and very rarely acts openly mean to anyone, even his enemies. He is a very selfless and loyal person, especially towards those close to him. His selfless nature is most notably shown in "Best Day Ever", where he sacrifices his "perfect day" to help his friends. Despite his well-meaning intentions, SpongeBob's actions often annoy and cause trouble for those around him, most notably his next-door neighbor, Squidward Tentacles. SpongeBob's innocence also makes him overly trusting and very gullible, and he is easily manipulated by people who intend to use and/or harm him, such as Squidward, Mr. Krabs and Plankton; most noticeably, he is always easily fooled by Plankton no matter how bizarre or obvious his disguises. Even though he's generally good-natured and easygoing, when frustrated and angered, SpongeBob can be sarcastic, rude and 'foul-mouthed' to his friends, even Mr. Krabs, whom he treats as a father figure/deity. Ironically, the funny fact is, Squidward is the only character that SpongeBob never insults when he's angry, with the exception of the episode, "Breath of Fresh Squidward".

Antagonistic SideEdit
SpongeBob is intelligent and his antagonism does not excuse him at all, including annoyance.
 * In "Nasty Patty" he helped Mr. Krabs created a tainted patty to "kill" the health inspector. They both thought the health inspector was a fake one.
 * In "Can You Spare A Dime?" he picked up Mr Krabs tightly by the neck.
 * In "Pranks a Lot" he and Patrick trespassed and scared everyone, and attempted to burn Mr. Krabs' money.
 * In "Party Pooper Pants" Squidward went to his party when his cables were cut, obviously by SpongeBob.
 * In "Squidward, the Unfriendly Ghost" He sent Squidward up in the sky even though Squidward said no more favors. But this was because he thought that Squidward was still dead.
 * In "Rodeo Daze" He kidnapped people to help him save Sandy from a rodeo. That is technically illegal because it counts as kidnapping.
 * In "Toy Store of Doom" He annoyed an employee by singing.
 * In "Just One Bite" He forced Squidward to eat a Krabby Patty by handcuffing himself to Squidward.
 * In "Ripped Pants" He tricked the life guard into thinking he was dying but it was a prank just to say he ripped his pants.
 * In "Sailor Mouth", He used foul language, along with Patrick.
 * In "The Thing", He and Patrick antagonized Squidward by asking so many questions.
 * In "Walking Small" He ruthlessly took what he wanted and accidentally drove everyone from the beach but he was tricked by Plankton.
 * In "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie" he ruthlessly scolded Mr. Krabs because Mr. Krabs didn't make him the manager of The Krusty Krab 2.
 * In "Best Day Ever" he scolded everybody who made him fail in having the best day ever.
 * In "Driven to Tears" he tore up Patrick's license.
 * In "Squidward in Clarinetland" Squidward must go through torture SpongeBob created to find his clarinet.
 * In "A Pal for Gary" he scolded Gary for "being mean" to Puffy Fluffy, when it is actually Puffy Fluffy who is being mean to Gary.
 * In "Stuck in the Wringer" SpongeBob scolded Patrick for geting him stuck in the the Wringer, and for not helping him at all (and also blinded my the point that Patrick tried to help, but SpongeBob was blined my his general stupidity), Patrick runs off crying and all the Binki Bottomites turn on SpongeBob telling him that he desevred what he gotten, sending SpongeBob in deep depression.

Abilities and talentsEdit
Like many other cartoon characters, SpongeBob has been shown to have numerous extraordinary abilities and attributes over the course of the series. Despite all of these abilities, SpongeBob is shown to be very weak physically;
 * Soft Pliable Body: Due to his soft, pliable frame, he is capable of shape shifting, has some degree of invulnerability, being able to absorb any type of physical impact, shown most notably in the episode.
 * Regeneration: It is shown that he can quickly regenerate parts of his body that are injured or removed.
 * Boneless: SpongeBob is usually shown to be boneless (sea sponges being invertebrates) however in some episode like I Had an Accident are shown on its X-rays.
 * Absorbent: Being a sponge, he is also absorbent, and can expand his body by absorbing liquids.When he cries, he often re-absorbs his tears.
 * Singing and Nose Playing: SpongeBob is shown to possess a fantastic singing voice. He uses his nose as a flute, which he is very good at.
 * Lack of Strength: He uses stuffed animals as "weights" in his personal exercise room, he struggles to lift a small wooden branch with marshmallows on the ends. He is unable to lift a drinking straw or a cup filled with juice. However, like many aspects of the show, his strength (or lack, thereof) is highly inconsistent between episodes, and he has been shown to have considerable strength on various occasions. He is revealed to have an incredibly muscled body when he fights Patrick.
 * Karate Expert: SpongeBob also has some mastery of karate, but is always different in each episode. In some episodes, he is shown to be a highly skilled fighter, being able to equal or even outmatch Sandy on occasion. However, in most of the series, he is shown to only be playful with karate, as he is usually beaten by Sandy.
 * Intelligence: Though typically seen (at least by Squidward) as exceedingly infantile and stupid, SpongeBob has been shown to be extremely talented in many fields, even sometimes having a high intellect. In fact, driving a boat is one of the few things SpongeBob is bad at. When he puts his mind to a task, he can accomplish anything, he spent ages constructing a circle of stone statues that produce a sound identical to his voice, simply to lure the jellyfish away from him. He is able to become a master of fancy dining by removing everything from his mind except "fine dining and breathing". Thanks to his vivid imagination, SpongeBob has in various episodes been shown to be superior to Squidward as an artist, he effortlessly produces a perfect rendition of Michelangelo's David, adept with a shell to block his genitalia. SpongeBob actually produces an exact replica of the interior of Squidward's house right down to Squidward's medicine cabinet and artwork, the latter of which Squidward admits are actually better than his own. SpongeBob also possesses a vast knowledge of subjects he is interested in, such as jellyfishing, Krabby Patties and their history, and boating (thanks to years of education in boating school).

Near-Death Experiences Edit

 * SpongeBob's life has most notably been in jeopardy at his Boating School driving tests, where he gets himself and others (usually Mrs. Puff) injured or almost injured from his reckless driving.

Tea at the Treedome: He and Patrick shrivel up from lack of water.

Pressure: He, Squidward, Patrick, and Mr. Krabs  are nearly eaten by seagulls.

Gary Takes a Bath: Caught in the explosion of a bomb strapped to his chest. He later falls from the ceiling and from a tall ladder.

Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy III: He and Patrick get electrocuted and disintegrated by weapons used by Man Ray.

Prehibernation Week: Sandy gets him into several life-threatening accidents.

Survival of the Idiots: He and Patrick are savagely mauled by Sandy  for disturbing her during hibernation.

No Free Rides: Attacked by giant clams, mutilated by cheese graters, and tortured by educational television.

Sandy, SpongeBob, and the Worm: He and Sandy are chased by a giant worm and nearly fall off a cliff.

SpongeGuard on Duty: Gets crushed by a giant ice cream truck. He and Patrtick nearly drown in Goo Lagoon.

Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy V: Gets burnt by lava and eventually disintegrates.

Clams: He and Squidward are nearly eaten by a giant clam when they are tied up as bait.

I Had an Accident: Plummets to the ground in a skiing accident. He is later ripped in half by a gorilla.

The Sponge Who Could Fly: Falls off a cliff and hits the ground, falls off another cliff and lands in a truck, hit by Old Man Jenkins (Cannonball Jenkins) and falls a third time.

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: He and Patrick nearly die when the heat lamp dries them out, only to be revived by the sprinklers. And him and Patrick were nearly eaten by a frogfish.

Dunces and Dragons: He and Patrick are almost killed by the Dragon Jellyfish.

Krusty Towers: He, Patrick, Squidward, and Mr. Krabs are nearly killed in the Krusty Towers Hotel's destruction.

Ghost Host: Eaten by a monster at the end of the episode.

Spy Buddies: He, Patrick, and Plankton  are almost killed by lasers that destroy the Chum Bucket.

A Flea in Her Dome: Him, Patrick and Sandy almost get killed by fleas.

Breath of Fresh Squidward: Gets electrocuted by touching Squidward's tentacle while his electric fence shocks him.

Spongicus: He and Patrick are chased by a hungry lion fish.

A Life in a Day: He, Patrick, and Larry are injured from landing in Ripper's Reef.

Sun Bleached: He, Patrick, and several Bikini Bottomites are disintegrated by the burning lights.

SpongeBob vs. The Big One: He, Patrick, Squidward, and Mr. Krabs are nearly killed by The Big One.

Krusty Krushers: He and Patrick are brutally beaten by the two wrestlers throughout the episode.

Ditchin': Very nearly dies by sinking in a tar pit.

Sand Castles in the Sand: He and Patrick are nearly killed in the collision of their planes.

A Pal for Gary: Nearly eaten byPuffy Fluffy.

SpongeBob's Last Stand: Gets run over by Plankton's steamroller and encased in cement.

Clash of Triton: Gets one of Triton's fingernails stuck in his eye.

Karate Star: Crushed by the debris of the destroyed Barg'N-Mart.

Whelk Attack: He and most of Bikini Bottom gets eaten by a giant whelk.

The Wreck of the Mauna Loa: He, Patrick, and several Bikini Bottomites are nearly killed in the destruction of the Mauna Loa Amusement Park Ride.

Frozen Face Off: Frozen in a block of ice.

The Splinter: Almost killed by swords when falling.

Creation and developmentEdit
Stephen Hillenburg intended to create a series about an over-optimistic sponge that annoys other characters. Hillenburg compared the concept to Laurel and Hardy and Pee-wee Herman. As he drew the character, he decided that a "squeaky-clean square" (like a kitchen sponge) fit the concept.

The first concept sketch portrayed the character as wearing a red hat with a green base and a white business shirt with a tie. SpongeBob's look gradually progressed to brown pants that was used in the final design. SpongeBob was designed to be a kid-like character who was goofy and optimistic in a style similar to that made famous by Jerry Lewis.[1]

Originally the character was to be named SpongeBoy but this name was already in use. This was discovered after voice acting for the original seven minute pilot was recorded in 1997. The Nickelodeon legal department discovered that the name was already in use for a mop product.[2] Upon finding this out, Hillenburg decided that the character's given name still had to contain "Sponge" so viewers would not mistake the character for a "Cheese Man." Hillenburg decided to use the name "SpongeBob." He chose "SquarePants" as a family name as it referred to the character's square shape and it had a "nice ring to it".[3]

Although SpongeBob's driver's license says his birth date is July 14, 1986, which would make the character 12 (nearly 13) years old at the time of his debut appearance on May 1, 1999, Hillenburg joked that he is fifty in "sponge years". He explained that SpongeBob actually has no specific age, but that he is old enough to be on his own and still be going to boating school. The decision to have SpongeBob attend a boat driving school was made due to a request from Nickelodeon that the character attend a school.[4]

SpongeBob is voiced by veteran voice actor Tom Kenny. Kenny previously worked with Hillenburg on Rocko's Modern Life, and when Hillenburg created SpongeBob SquarePants, he approached Kenny to voice the character.[5] Hillenburg utilised Kenny's and other people's personalities to help create the personality of SpongeBob.[2]

The voice of SpongeBob was originally used by Kenny for a background character present in a crowd scene in Rocko's Modern Life. Kenny forgot the voice initially as he created it only for that single use. Hillenburg however remembered it when he was coming up with SpongeBob and used a video clip of the episode to remind Kenny of the voice.[2] Kenny says that SpongeBob's high pitched laugh was specifically aimed at being unique, stating that they wanted an annoying laugh in the tradition of Popeye and Woody Woodpecker.[6]

In SpongeBob SquarePants' broadcast in non-English languages, the voice actors dubbing SpongeBob's voice use Tom Kenny's rendition of the character as a starting point but also add unique elements. For example the French version has SpongeBob with a slight Daffy Duck style lisp.[2]

BiographyEdit
According to his driver's license in the episodes "Sleepy Time" and "No Free Rides", SpongeBob was born on July 14, 1986. SpongeBob SquarePants lives with his pet snail Gary in a large pineapple-shaped house on 124 Conch Street, Bikini Bottom. His next-door neighbor, Squidward Tentacles, who lives in an Easter Island head, hates SpongeBob and is constantly annoyed by his antics. SpongeBob is oblivious to this, and believes Squidward to be his friend. Beside Squidward's house is the home of SpongeBob's best friend, Patrick Star, who literally lives under a rock.

SpongeBob works at the Krusty Krab, Bikini Bottom's most popular restaurant, where he is a fry cook and prepares all food served at the Krusty Krab, most notably Krabby Patties. The first episode of the series depicts SpongeBob applying for and being hired to this job. He says that it has been his lifelong dream to join the Krusty Krew, and that only now is he "ready". When he applies for the job, Squidward and Mr. Krabs, wanting no part of him, send him on a fool's errand for a "hydrodynamic spatula with port and starboard attachments and turbo drive". While he is out searching for one, several hundred hungry anchovies arrive and overwhelm Squidward and Mr. Krabs. SpongeBob soon returns, having actually found a hydrodynamic spatula, and saves their lives by feeding the anchovies, showing off his amazing cooking skills in the process. SpongeBob is not only extremely good at his job, being able to produce a Krabby Patty within seconds, but has a strong passion and an abnormal love for it; somewhat of a workaholic, he enjoys his job more than any other activity, and is saddened whenever he cannot be at work. He also has a similar obsession with Krabby Patties themselves; he has on numerous occasions proclaimed them to be the best food in the world, and in "Just One Bite" and "Shuffleboarding", he is shocked and horrified to see one thrown away. SpongeBob is one of the few characters to have fingers and the only main character to wear shoes. He is apparently very good at his job, because he is the Vice Assistant General Manager of Certain Things (Stanley S. SquarePants (transcript)). He also has been shown making a perfect Krabby Patty on his first try when he was a baby.

SpongeBob's skills as a fry cook could accurately be described as superhuman; in episodes such as "Help Wanted" and "Employee of the Month", he is seen making them at rates of hundreds or even thousands per minute. He has won 374 consecutive Employee of the Month awards at the Krusty Krab. In "Friend or Foe", it is shown that SpongeBob, as an infant, made a perfect patty on his first attempt. In "Neptune's Spatula", he is able to pull the Golden Spatula from the grease, making him the "chosen one" of King Neptune. In that same episode, it is shown that the burgers made by Neptune himself are horrible compared to SpongeBob's.

Squidward, the restaurant's only other employee, runs the cashier and takes orders. Squidward is the polar opposite of SpongeBob; he hates his job (as well as the Krusty Krab itself) and performs it poorly. SpongeBob's and Squidward's boss, Eugene H. Krabs, is extremely greedy, selfish and abusive of his employees. He pays them extremely poorly, far below legal minimum wage, and is unhealthily obsessed with money. Despite this, SpongeBob is unquestioning of Mr. Krabs and looks up to him as an authority figure. While not working, SpongeBob spends much of his time playing with his best friend, Patrick Star. Like SpongeBob, Patrick is childish, moronic and fun-loving. The two have known each other since early childhood, and are members of the "Best Friends Forever Club". Their usual activities include jellyfishing, bubble blowing, and various others. Their antics are of constant annoyance to their neighbor, Squidward, who has on numerous occasions been put in harm's way as a direct result of their actions. Despite Squidward openly hating SpongeBob and Patrick, they are completely oblivious to this and believe they are his best friends. SpongeBob and Patrick's favorite superheroes are Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, who they convinced to come out of retirement.

SpongeBob's other best friend is a squirrel from the surface named Sandy Cheeks, who wears a special suit and helmet to survive underwater. SpongeBob first met Sandy when he saw her wrestling a giant clam, which he helped her defeat. Sandy then invited SpongeBob to her home, an airtight terrarium known as the Treedome, and SpongeBob, not knowing what air is, accepts. When he comes to the Treedome and realizes that there is no water, he begins drying up and attempts to survive without water, telling himself that he doesn't need it and that "Water is for quitters!" Eventually, however, he gives in and starts panicking. Eventually, Sandy gives SpongeBob and Patrick bowls of water to wear over their heads, which they typically wear whenever they visit the Treedome.

Unlike Patrick, Sandy is very intelligent, both technologically and practically, but is tolerant of SpongeBob's stupidity and enjoys his company, and in some episodes, it is implied that Sandy has even raised SpongeBob's intelligence considerably. They enjoy doing extreme sports together, most notably Karate. SpongeBob's skill in karate is shown to vary considerably between episodes; at times, he equals and even outmatches Sandy in skill, while at other times he is incompetent to the point where Sandy can send him flying a considerable distance with a single punch; in "Karate Island", Sandy openly states that her karate skills are better than SpongeBob's by "a country mile." SpongeBob has also, on various occasions, been hinted to have a crush on Sandy, even though SpongeBob staff has been known to disprove it.

SpongeBob also attends Mrs. Puff's Boating School, where he is periodically tested for his driver's license. However, he becomes extremely nervous and reckless when behind the wheel of a boat, and has consistently failed his test countless times, often injuring Mrs. Puff and/or damaging the school and/or the entirety of Bikini Bottom in the process. According to the episode "Mrs. Puff, You're Fired", SpongeBob has failed the exam 1,258,056 times, and is the only person in the history of the school to ever fail it. In that same episode, Mrs. Puff describes SpongeBob as "unteachable". Despite his inability to properly drive a boat, SpongeBob has been shown to be able to drive/ride various other things capably, including a rock, a rocket ship, a sandwich and a submarine. SpongeBob claims that he does know how to drive, but simply panics behind the wheel and cannot concentrate. In "Mrs. Puff, You're Fired," SpongeBob receives extremely good training from Mrs. Puff's extremely tough military-esque replacement and learns how to drive capably, but can only do so while blindfolded due to the teacher's strict drills and very specific teaching methods.

Although SpongeBob has several friends, and many of the citizens of Bikini Bottom often treat him quite friendly, most, if not all, citizens of Bikini Bottom have been shown to have some degree of dislike for him. In the episode "Gone", it is shown that a holiday called "National No SpongeBob Day" has been started by the citizens of Bikini Bottom. As its name suggests, it is an entire day dedicated to getting away from SpongeBob, where the people leave Bikini Bottom for the day. Even Patrick goes, stating that everyone needs at least one day away from SpongeBob's laughter. In the ceremony, they build a giant wooden effigy of SpongeBob, burn it down, dance on the ashes (though some, like Squidward, are actually shown kicking the ashes), and depart Bikini Bottom. SpongeBob is more honored than insulted by this, as he was the "inspiration" for the holiday.

Sometimes, SpongeBob is a nudist. His tendency is to take off his clothes whenever he wants to. He was shown naked in Ripped Pants, Nature Pants, The Paper, Hooky, Pranks a Lot, All That Glitters, Rise and Shine, Overbooked, and Model Sponge. SpongeBob got nude when he wanted to live with the jellyfish in Nature Pants. And in Model Sponge, SpongeBob, got undressed when he is used in a sponge commercial. In Pranks a Lot, SpongeBob and Patrick had to strip in order to use the invisible spray. In Overbooked, during the presentation, he is requested to undress and enter the machine.

Criminal RecordEdit
Life of Crime - Stealing a balloon (On free balloon day) Nasty Patty - For burying a dead person Party Pooper Pants - Did not invite the police to his party Doing Time - Driving crazily into a delivery truck Driven to Tears - Claims that he threw out Patrick's license out of the window (litterbug) SpongeBob's Last Stand - Trying to save the jellyfish (actually unlicensed use of a sitar)

FamilyEdit

 * Main article: SquarePants Family

SpongeBob has many relatives, most notably his parents, who appear in several episodes. Unlike SpongeBob, who has the appearance of a kitchen sponge, most of SpongeBob's relatives, while still cartoon-y, resemble actual sea sponges, being round in shape and brownish in color.

In "SB-129", a robotic descendant of SpongeBob named "SpongeTron" is seen, as well as a primitive ancestor. "Ugh" features a caveman version of SpongeBob known as "SpongeGar". SpongeGar is distinctly different from the primitive sponge seen in "SB-129", being more evolved and closer to his modern counterpart. "Pest of the West" features SpongeBuck SquarePants, an ancestor who saved Dead Eye Gulch in what is now Bikini Bottom from Dead Eye Plankton in 1882.

OccupationEdit
For the majority of the series, SpongeBob takes the job of a fry cook in the Krusty Krab. Acting like a workaholic, he treats his job seriously and with dignity. Primarily, he works as the janitor and fry cook but occasionally takes the role of the cashier and manager.

SpongeBob also has been shown to have taken other jobs such as Mayor of New Kelp City after saving the denizens from the Bubble Poppin' Boys. He created the Pretty Patties and opened his own store, which was highly successful. Later, the painted food poisoned the many consumers that admired the creation. In "Model Sponge," SpongeBob seemingly hears he was to be let go, but he mistaken himself as the person to vacate his current life. Throughout his unemployed life during the episode, he tries to apply for many jobs, but he wasn't qualified for them as he was meant for the fry cook role at the Krusty Krab.

ReceptionEdit
Throughout the run of SpongeBob SquarePants, the SpongeBob character become very popular with both children and adults. The character's popularity has spread from Nickelodeon's original demographic of two to eleven-year-olds, to teenagers and adults,[7] including college campuses and celebrities such as Sigourney Weaver and Bruce Willis.[8] Salon.com indicates that the unadulterated innocence of SpongeBob is what makes the character so appealing.[9] SpongeBob has also become popular with gay men, despite Stephen Hillenburg saying that none of the characters are homosexual. The character draws fans due to his flamboyant lifestyle and tolerant attitude.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Icon_9-0" sizcache="214" sizset="393">[10]

The popularity of SpongeBob translated well into sales figures. In 2002, SpongeBob SquarePants dolls sold at a rate of 75,000 per week, which was faster than Tickle Me Elmo dolls were selling at the time.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-goodlife_0-1" sizcache="214" sizset="395">[1] SpongeBob has gained popularity in Japan, specifically with Japanese women parent company Viacom purposefully targeted marketing at women in the country as a method of building the SpongeBob SquarePants brand. Skeptics initially doubted that SpongeBob could be popular in Japan as the character's design is very different to already popular designs

However, not all reception for SpongeBob has been positive. Many viewers, particularly those older or some that consider themselves "above" the series, find his character to be very obnoxious and/or annoying. Such issues have been amplified since season four and onwards as hundreds of formerly loyal fans turned on SpongeBob due to a "quality loss", in which the character's antics and mannerisms are significantly upplayed. AskMen's Top 10: Irritating '90s Cartoon Characters ranked SpongeBob at number four. The publication said that his well meaning attitude is "extremely annoying."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10" sizcache="214" sizset="397">[11]

MultiverseEdit
An alternate SpongeBob exists in a world where Plankton was successful. Like his mainstream counterpart, he likes his career, likes promotions and gets sad when he makes an error in someone's order. The most significant difference is that he was made co-cashier by Plankton and is employed by him.

An alternate SpongeBob is mentioned in every short of the series, What if SpongeBob was Gone is one example: without him, Gary threw a humongous party that ended in disaster; Patrick in this universe cannot hunt jellyfish properly; Sandy gets injured when playing karate and the Krusty Krab ends in ruins.

Other SpongeBobs exist throughout non-TV media.

SpongeBob also has friends from other universes as shown in the video game Nicktoons Unite and its sequels, Nicktoons: Battle for Volcano Island, Nicktoons: Attack of the Toybots and SpongeBob SquarePants featuring Nicktoons: Globs of Doom. In these games, he and Patrick befriend Timmy Turner (as well as his fairy godparents Cosmo and Wanda), Danny Phantom, Sam Manson, Tak, Invader ZIM, XJ9/Jenny, Stimpy and Jimmy Neutron.

Trivia/GoofsEdit

 * On some occasions, SpongeBob wears glasses, like for jellyfishing (for protection) or for reading. These are similar to those worn by his portrayer, Tom Kenny.
 * In Help Wanted, it is revealed that his first words were, "May I take your order?".
 * SpongeBob has displayed some forms of telepathy. This usually is displayed in form of jokes about how annoying he can be.
 * Sleepy Time- SpongeBob affects his friends' dreams.
 * Dying for Pie- SpongeBob says hi to Mr. Krabs in Squidward's thoughts.
 * The Great Snail Race- SpongeBob asks Gary "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?", Gary thinks about T.V, and SpongeBob replies negatively.
 * Big Pink Loser- SpongeBob thinks, "At least I'm safe inside my mind". Patrick thinks the same, as a result SpongeBob screams.
 * Gary Takes a Bath- SpongeBob assults Gary's mind with a creepy image.
 * In the episode, Selling Out, SpongeBob has green eyes. In every other episode, SpongeBob's eyes are blue.
 * SpongeBob is shown to be weak but in episodes like Can You Spare A Dime, he showed super strength.
 * SpongeBob has on various occasions, insulted any or everyone who insults him or rather enrages him, including his friends. Strangely enough, SpongeBob has never once insulted Squidward except for in Can You Spare a Dime, when he was mad at Squidward for mooching off of him and taking advantage of him while living at SpongeBob's house and in The Abrasive Side where he, due to his abrasive side, has insulted everyone who took advantage of him, including Squidward.
 * On the cover of the SpongeBob's Box of Books box, SpongeBob's passageway to the esophagus was dark purple. In the books, it was maroon.
 * SpongeBob voice changes by the fourth season; it is lighter and sounds like a complete child. Also his personality changes somewhat to be even more childish, this affected the episodes plots from the fourth season onward. It is unknown why this was done. Most likely to attract even younger viewers, this possibly lessened adult viewers though.
 * SpongeBob has appeared on a few pictures on iCarly.com.
 * SpongeBob wears green pajamas instead of his usual underwear whenever he has a visitor or is at a sleepover (usually with Patrick or Squidward), possibly to make the episode more appropriate.
 * SpongeBob is a loose mass murderer as evidenced in Sandy's Rocket.
 * SpongeBob is a shape shifter as the episodes shown.
 * SpongeBob is a mascot of Nickelodeon and Nickelodeon Movies.
 * His regular outfit has two shirt pockets, two back pockets, two front pockets, a pocket in his tie, and another pocket.
 * SpongeBob SquarePants appeared in "every" episode of the series, even as a cameo. He did not miss a single appearance
 * Most of the time, his pants refers to his entire outfit, including the shirt and tie.
 * In one episode, SpongeBob was given a ten-dollar paycheck on Monday. It was a raise from starting out beging paid as nothing then recieving underwear.
 * SpongeBob was called 'Robert' once by Patrick in Patrick SmartPants.
 * In I Was a Teenage Gary, he is left handed, but in later episodes, he is ambidextrous. This could be he was born a dominant lefty, but an accident with his left arm might have happened sometime after "I was a Teenage Gary", which made him learn with his right.
 * Spongebob is said to be right handed, but in Neptune's Spatula he approved that he had two left hands.
 * SpongeBob is considered to be the most popular character on Nickelodeon.
 * In "Mrs. Puff, You're Fired", Mr. Fitz states that he has failed Boating School 1025856 times.
 * Season 4-Today, Spongebob Has His Nose is down when his is sad like Squidward's nose is normally