Question: What kind of technique does SpongeBob SquarePants and Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy have in common?
Context: The characters in the American animated television series "SpongeBob SquarePants" were created by artist, animator, and former marine biologist Stephen Hillenburg.  In addition to the series' main cast, various celebrities have voiced roles in "SpongeBob SquarePants".  Notably, Ernest Borgnine and Tim Conway voice the roles of recurring characters Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy respectively (Joe Whyte assumed the role of Mermaid Man shortly after Ernest Borgnine's death in 2012), while others have taken a cameo part. Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy are fictional superheroes in the Nickelodeon animated television series "SpongeBob SquarePants".  Mermaid Man was voiced by Ernest Borgnine from 1999 to his death in 2012, and Barnacle Boy is voiced by Tim Conway.  Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy were created and designed by Stephen Hillenburg.  The characters debuted on August 21, 1999 in the series' episode "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy". SpongeBob SquarePants: Lights, Camera, Pants!  is a 2005 party video game based on the TV series "SpongeBob SquarePants".  It was released in October 2005 for the Xbox, PlayStation 2, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, and the PC.  It was released for the Nintendo DS in Korea in 2007, but its North American release was cancelled.  It is the first "SpongeBob SquarePants" title to feature multiplayer mini-games, similar to the "Mario Party" video game series.  It is also the last SpongeBob game for the Xbox.  It is also the last time Charles Nelson Reilly would voice the Dirty Bubble before his death in 2007.  For reasons unknown, Mermaid Man was not voiced by his original voice actor Ernest Borgnine but instead Joe Alaskey, who would voice him again in . The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water is a 2015 American 3D live-action/animated comedy film based on the animated television series "SpongeBob SquarePants".  A stand-alone sequel to "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie" (2004), it was directed by former series showrunner Paul Tibbitt in his directorial debut, with live-action sequences directed by Mike Mitchell.  It was the first film to be produced by Paramount Animation and second film in the "SpongeBob SquarePants" film series.  The film stars Antonio Banderas and features the show's regular voice cast, who returned to reprise their respective roles from the series and the previous film.  The plot follows a pirate called Burger-Beard, who steals the Krabby Patty secret formula using a magical book that makes any text written upon it come true.  SpongeBob and his friends must travel to the surface to confront Burger-Beard and get the formula back. SpongeBob SquarePants 4-D (also known as SpongeBob SquarePants 4-D Ride, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Ride or SpongeBob SquarePants 3-D) is a cel-shaded 4-D film based upon the popular television series "SpongeBob SquarePants".  It can be found at many aquariums and theme parks across the world.  The ride consists of a pre-show which then leads into a stadium seated auditorium.  The ride is in 4-D, meaning it is a motion simulator with a 3D movie.  The effects on the ride vary at different parks.  Water spray, bubbles, wind, leg ticklers, smoke, and smells are usually found. Joseph "Joe" Whyte (born April 18, 1961) is an American actor and voice actor.  He attended California State University, where he performed in acting groups.  Whyte has also been working for Disney.  He is best known for voicing Mermaid Man in the "SpongeBob SquarePants" video games series, as well as voicing Mr. Krabs in some of the SpongeBob video games, when Clancy Brown was not available. The first season of the American animated television sitcom "SpongeBob SquarePants", created by former marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg, aired from May 1, 1999 to April 8, 2000, and consists of 20 episodes.  The series chronicles the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the fictional underwater city of Bikini Bottom.  The show features the voices of Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke, Rodger Bumpass, Clancy Brown, Mr. Lawrence, Jill Talley, Carolyn Lawrence, Mary Jo Catlett, and Lori Alan.  Among the first guest stars to appear on the show were Ernest Borgnine and Tim Conway voicing the superhero characters of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, respectively. In addition to the show's regular cast of voice actors, guest stars have been featured on "SpongeBob SquarePants", an American animated television series created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon.  "SpongeBob SquarePants" chronicles the adventures and endeavors of the title character and his various friends in the fictional underwater city of Bikini Bottom.  Many of the ideas for the show originated in an unpublished, educational comic book titled "The Intertidal Zone", which Hillenburg created in the mid-1980s.  He began developing "SpongeBob SquarePants" into a television series in 1996 upon the cancellation of "Rocko's Modern Life", which Hillenburg directed.  The pilot episode first aired on Nickelodeon in the United States on May 1, 1999.  The show's ninth season premiered in 2012, and episodes of "SpongeBob SquarePants" have aired.  A feature-length film adaptation of the show, "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie", was released in 2004; in 2015, a sequel, "", was released. SpongeBob SquarePants: Legend of the Lost Spatula is a platform action video game developed by Vicarious Visions and published by THQ for the Game Boy Color handheld video game console.  The game was released in the United States on March 14, 2001, and in Europe on May 4, 2001.  The game's story centers on SpongeBob SquarePants, a sea sponge who lives in the undersea town of Bikini Bottom and works for Mr. Krabs as the fry cook of the Krusty Krab fast food restaurant.  SpongeBob is destined to become the ocean's greatest fry cook, and must embark on a quest to retrieved a "golden spatula" from the Flying Dutchman, a pirate ghost.  The game features platforming-style gameplay, as well as many characters from the television series.  This is the only 8-bit SpongeBob game and the only SpongeBob video game on the Game Boy Color.  A sequel, was released in November 2001 for the PlayStation and Game Boy Advance. Thomas Daniel "Tim" Conway (born December 15, 1933) is an American actor, writer, director, and comedian.  He is known for his role as the inept Ensign Charles Parker in the 1960s World War II situation comedy "McHale's Navy", for his sketch comedy as a co-star on the 1960s variety program "The Carol Burnett Show", for starring as the title character in the Dorf series of comedy films, and for cartoon voice work as the voice of Barnacle Boy in the animated series "SpongeBob SquarePants".
Answer: animated