SpongeBob SquarePants (often referred to simply as SpongeBob) is an American animated comedy television series created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. It chronicles the adventures of the title character and his aquatic friends in the underwater city of Bikini Bottom. Nickelodeon aired a preview for the series in the United States on May 1, 1999, after the airing of the 1999 Kids' Choice Awards. The series officially premiered on July 17, 1999. It gained popularity by its second season, and has received worldwide critical acclaim. As of 2019, the series was the fifth-longest-running American animated series. Its popularity made it a media franchise, the highest rated Nickelodeon series, and the most profitable property for Paramount Consumer Products. By 2019, it had generated over $13 billion in merchandising revenue.
Many of the series's ideas originated in The Intertidal Zone, an unpublished educational comic book Hillenburg created in 1989 to teach his students about undersea life. Hillenburg joined Nickelodeon in 1992 as an artist on Rocko's Modern Life. After Rocko was cancelled in 1996, he began developing SpongeBob SquarePants into a television series that same year; and in 1997, a seven-minute pilot was pitched to Nickelodeon. The network's executives wanted SpongeBob to be a child in school, but Hillenburg preferred SpongeBob to be an adult character. He was prepared to abandon the series, but he compromised by creating Mrs. Puff and her boating school so SpongeBob could attend school as an adult.
The series has run for a total of thirteen seasons, and has inspired three feature films: The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004), Sponge Out of Water (2015), and Sponge on the Run (2020). Two spin-off series, Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years and The Patrick Star Show, premiered in 2021. As of February 2022, four additional films are planned: three character spinoff films for Paramount+ and Netflix, and a theatrical SpongeBob film. The thirteenth season of the main series premiered in October 2020, and it has been renewed for a fourteenth and fifteenth season.
SpongeBob SquarePants has won a variety of awards including six Annie Awards, eight Golden Reel Awards, four Emmy Awards, two BAFTA Children's Awards, and a record-breaking twenty Kids' Choice Awards. A Broadway musical based on it opened in 2017 to critical acclaim. The series is also noted for having a profound impact on Generation Z.
Cast and characters[]
- Tom Kenny - SpongeBob SquarePants, Gary the Snail, Patchy the Pirate, French Narrator, Hans, Harold SquarePants, Dirty Bubble, Grandpa SquarePants
- Bill Fagerbakke - Patrick Star
- Rodger Bumpass - Squidward Tentacles
- Clancy Brown - Mr. Krabs
- Mr. Lawrence - Plankton, Potty the Parrot, Realistic Fish Head, Larry the Lobster
- Jill Talley - Karen
- Carolyn Lawrence - Sandy Cheeks
- Mary Jo Catlett - Mrs. Puff
- Lori Alan - Pearl
International broadcasts[]
| Country | Network | Local title |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Nickelodeon, Nicktoons, TeenNick, Nick at Nite, MTV, MTV2, CBS, Paramount+ | SpongeBob SquarePants |
| International | AFN Spectrum, AFN Family, ,BFBS 1, Netflix | |
| Asia | Nickelodeon | |
| Australia | Nickelodeon, Eleven/10 Peach, 10 Shake, 9Go! | |
| Canada | Nickelodeon, YTV | |
| Cyprus (English) | Alfa TV | |
| Fiji | FBC TV | |
| Guyana | DTV-8, HGPTV | |
| Hong Kong (English) | ATV World, ViuTVsix | |
| India (English) | Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, ETV Bal Bharat | |
| India (Bengali) | ETV Bal Bharat | |
| India (Hindi) | Nickelodeon | |
| India (Kannada) | Chintu TV, ETV Bal Bharat | |
| India (Malayalam) | ETV Bal Bharat, Kochu TV | |
| India (Marathi) | ETV Bal Bharat | |
| India (Odia) | ETV Bal Bharat | |
| India (Punjabi) | ETV Bal Bharat | |
| Indonesia | Lativi, GTV | |
| Ireland | Nickelodeon, Nicktoons, Cúla4, TG4 | |
| Jamaica | CVM Television | |
| Kenya | KTN | |
| Kurdistan | Zaro TV | |
| Malaysia | TV9, NTV7 | |
| Myanmar | Skynet Cartoon | |
| Namibia | NBC 1 | |
| Netherlands (Dutch) | Nickelodeon, Nicktoons, TMF | |
| New Zealand (English) | Nickelodeon, TVNZ 2 | |
| Nigeria | Silverbird Television | |
| Pakistan | Nickelodeon | |
| Philippines | Q, TV5, ABS-CBN, Yey!, ABS-CBN Sports and Action | |
| Portugal | Nickelodeon, SIC, TVI, MTV, Netflix, RTP2 | |
| Scotland | STV | |
| Singapore | Okto, Channel 5 | |
| South Africa | K-T.V World, eToonz, M-Net, M-Net City. SABC 2 | |
| Sri Lanka (English) | ETV | |
| Uganda | NTV | |
| United Kingdom | Nickelodeon, nicktoons, viva, tmf city mtv shows
channel 5 5star Comedy Central extra itv cbeebies | |
| Zimbabwe | ZBC TV | |
| Latin America | Nickelodeon, Nicktoons | Bob Esponja |
| Argentina | Canal 13, Telefe | |
| Bolivia | Red ATB | |
| Chile | Mega, Canal 13 | |
| Colombia | RCN Televisión, Citytv Bogotá | |
| Cuba | Canal Educativo | |
| Dominican Republic | Antena Latina | |
| Ecuador | Teleamazonas | |
| Mexico | Canal 5, Galavision | |
| Peru | América Televisión | |
| Spain | Nickelodeon, Clan, Cuatro, Canal Panda, Neox, TVE 1/La 1, Paramount+, SkyShowtime | |
| Venezuela | Venevisión | |
| Belgium (French) | Nickelodeon, AB3 | Bob l'éponge |
| Canada (French) | Vrak | |
| France | Nickelodeon, TF1, Canal J, Télétoon | |
| Austria | ORF eins | SpongeBob Schwammkopf |
| Germany | Super RTL, Nickelodeon, RTL, Nicktoons, MTV, VIVA, Comedy Central | |
| Switzerland | SRF zwei | |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Nickelodeon, Alternativna TV | Sunđer Bob Kockalone (Сунђер Боб Коцкалоне) |
| Montenegro | Nickelodeon, TV Vijesti | |
| Serbia | Nickelodeon, B92, O2 TV, PINK Super Kids | |
| Arab World | Nickelodeon, MBC3, Nicktoons, Cookies Kids TV, Kidzinia, Nemo Kids | سبونج بوب سكوير بانتس |
| Israel (Arabic) | Makan 33 | |
| Cyprus (Greek) | RIK 2 | Μπομπ Σφουγγαράκης |
| Greece | Channel 9, Alpha Kids, Nickelodeon, MTV, Alfa TV, Star Channel, Tele Time | |
| Estonia (Russian) | TV3+ | Губка Боб Квадратные Штаны |
| Russia | Nickelodeon, Nicktoons, 2x2, TNT, MTV, Carousel, STS, NTK, Okko Paramount+ | |
| Albania | Bang Bang, Top Channel | SfungjerBob PantallonKatrori |
| Çufo | BobSfungjeri Pantallona-katrori | |
| Comedy Central, Comedy Central Extra, Amazon Prime Video, Nicktoons | Sfungjeri Bob me pantallona katrore | |
| Armenia | Armenia 2, TV5 | Սպունգ Բոբ |
| Azerbaijan | İctimai Television | Spanç Bob Skver Pents |
| ARB Günəş, ANS TV | SüngərBob KvadratŞalvar | |
| Bangladesh | Duronto TV | স্পঞ্জবব স্কয়ারপ্যান্টস্ |
| Brazil | Nickelodeon, SBT, Rede Globo | Bob Esponja Calça Quadrada |
| Bulgaria | Diema Family, Super 7, TV7, Nickelodeon | СпонджБоб Kвадратнигащи |
| China | CCTV-14, CCTV-1 | 海绵宝宝 |
| Croatia | RTL, Nova TV, Nickelodeon, Hayat TV, Hayatovci | Spužva Bob Skockani |
| Czech Republic | Nickelodeon, TV Nova, SMÍCHOV, Prima Comedy Central, Nova 2, Nova Gold | SpongeBob v Kalhotách |
| Denmark | Nickelodeon, DR1, DR Ultra | SvampeBob Firkant |
| Estonia (Estonian) | TV3, Nickelodeon, Kanal 2 | Käsna-Kalle Kantpüks |
| Finland | Nickelodeon, Nelonen, MTV3, C More Juniori, Sub | Paavo Pesusieni |
| Georgia | Imedi TV | ღრუბელი ბობი კვადრატული შარვალი |
| Hong Kong (Cantonese) | ATV Home, ViuTV, Netflix | 海綿寶寶 |
| Hungary | Nickelodeon, TV2, RTL Klub, VIVA, Cool TV, Comedy Central, Nicktoons | SpongyaBob Kockanadrág |
| India (Assamese) | ETV Bal Bharat | স্পঞ্জবব স্কোৱেৰপেণ্ট |
| India (Gujarati) | Colors Gujarati, ETV Bal Bharat | સ્પોન્જબોબ સ્ક્વેરપેન્ટ |
| India (Tamil) | Nickelodeon, Chutti TV, ETV Bal Bharat | ஸ்பாஞ்ஜ்பாப் ஸ்கொய்ர்பேண்ட்ஸ் |
| India (Telugu) | Nickelodeon, Kushi TV, ETV Bal Bharat | స్పాంజ్బాబ్ స్క్వేర్ పాంట్స్ |
| Iran | IRIB Pooya, Utoon, Persian Toon, Shiraz TV, MyTV, MBC Persia, Glory | باب اسفنجی |
| IRIB TV2 | اسفنج دریایی | |
| Iraq | Kurdsat TV | سپۆنج بۆب پانتۆل چوارگۆشئا |
| Pêlistank TV | سپۆنج بۆب | |
| Israel (Hebrew) | Nickelodeon | בובספוג מכנסמרובע |
| Iceland | Stöð 2, Stöð 2 Krakkar, RÚV | Svampur Sveinsson |
| Italy | Nickelodeon, Italia 1, Boing, Super!, Paramount Comedy | SpongeBob |
| Japan | Nickelodeon, NHK Educational TV, Animax | スポンジ・ボブ |
| Kazakhstan | KTK, Balapan | Спанч Боб Шаршы Шалбар |
| Latvia | Nickelodeon, TV3 | Sūklis Bobs Kvadrātbiksis |
| Lithuania | Nickelodeon, TV3, LNK, TV8 | Kempiniukas Plačiakelnis |
| Mongolia | Olloo TV | Хөвсгөр Боб |
| New Zealand (Māori) | Māori Television, Nickelodeon | SpongeBob Tarauporowhā |
| North Macedonia | A1, MRT1, HBO Go | Сунѓерот Боб Панталоновски |
| Norway | Nickelodeon, NRK Super | SvampeBob Firkant |
| Poland | Nickelodeon, MTV, Puls 2, TVP1, TV Puls, Comedy Central, Comedy Central Family, Super Polsat, Nowa TV | SpongeBob Kanciastoporty |
| Romania | Nickelodeon, Național TV, Pro TV, Nicktoons, Comedy Central, Kanal D, Prima TV, Paramount Channel, HBO Go | Current: SpongeBob Pantaloni Pătrați Former: Buretele Bob Pantaloni Pătrați |
| South Korea | Nickelodeon, EBS, Tooniverse | 스폰지밥 네모바지 |
| Slovakia | Dajto, Markíza, Nickelodeon | Spongebob v sortkach |
| JOJ, JOJKO | SpongeBob v nohaviciach | |
| Slovenia | Nickelodeon, OTO, Pop, Planet TV, Kanal A | Spuži Kvadratnik |
| Sri Lanka (Sinhala) | Siyatha TV | ස්පොන්ජ් බොබ් |
| Sweden | Nickelodeon, Nicktoons, TV4 | Svampbob Fyrkant |
| Taiwan | Nickelodeon, BTV Kaku Kids, EBC Super TV, Hunan Golden Eagle, Jiajia Cartoon, Toonmax TV, Yoyo TV | 海綿寶寶 |
| Thailand | Nickelodeon, True Spark, Rama Channel | สพันจ์บ็อบ สแควร์แพ้นท์ |
| Tibet | CCTV Tibet, Qinghai Television | མཚོ་སྐྱེས་སྙི་སྙི། |
| Turkey (Turkish) | Nickelodeon, Nicktoons, Show TV, CNBC-e | Current: SüngerBob Karepantolon Former: SüngerBob KareŞort |
| Turkey (Kurdish) | Zarok TV | Sifinc Bob Çarçik Şort سپۆنج بۆب پانتۆل چوارگۆشئا |
| Ukraine | Novyi Kanal, QTV, ICTV, STB, PlusPlus, TET | Губка Боб Квадратні Штани |
| Vietnam | YouTV | Chú bọt biển tinh nghịch |
| HTVC, VTV1 | Bob bọt biển quần vuông | |
| Wales | S4C | SpynjBob Pantsgwâr |