SpongeBob SquarePants

SpongeBob Squarepants is the longest running Nicktoon in history, with 236 episodes created thus far. The show debuted in 1999, but only fourteen episodes actually debuted that year.
Due to its popularity, the show has been subject to both criticism and parody. It is viewed as being the one thing that Nickelodeon has been over-reliant on over the past twenty years, thus reducing the quality of its programming.
The show was known for combining live action and animation in unique ways. The show mainly took place in the town of Bikini Bottoms.
==Characters==
*SpongeBob SquarePants- a cheery sea sponge (who actually looks like a common sink sponge) who will gladly work anywhere for peanuts. He works at the Krusty Krab fast food hamburger restaurant as their fry cook (although he grills all the Krabby Patties he prepares). In the first episode, he manages to help the Krusty Krab deal with being overrun with anchovies. He lives in a pineapple house. His parents resemble actual sea sponges. His alarm clock features a loud foghorn.
*Gary- SpongeBob's pet sea snail, who meows like a cat
*Squidward Tentacle- SpongeBob's glum, easily annoyed, octopus neighbor who also works at the Krusty Krab as the cashier (although he hates working there). He lives in a house made out of a Moai statue. He loves playing his clarinet, although he isn't very good at it.
*Patrick Star- a pink, dimwitted sea star who is SpongeBob's best friend. He lives under a rock (partially a reference to the phrase "Have you been living under a rock?", implying that the person is stupidly clueless).
*Mr. Krabs- owner of the Krusty Krab, Mr. Krabs' main obsession is money. He has a stereotypical pirate accent and resembles a pirate to some extent.
*Sandy Cheeks- a squirrel living in an underwater vivarium who wears a sea outfit when not at home. She is from Texas. She is never seen using air tanks, despite being a land mammal.
*Plankton- a one eyed plankton bent on ruling the world. He works at the Chum Bucket (made from a literal bucket), the Krusty Krab's only competition.
*The narrator- an unseen man with a stereotypical French accent.
*Pearl Krabs- Mr. Krabs' daughter, although she is a whale rather than a crab. Despite her being a mammal, she never needs to surface.
==Video Games==
Countless SpongeBob video games have been released to many video game consoles over the years, including a racing game.
==Controversy==
* It has been revealed that sexual references can be found in several episodes. For example, in one episode, Spongebob is watching what is implied to be an "adult channel" (it is actually footage of an anemone). When Gary comes in, SpongeBob embarrassingly changes the channel to football.
* In the first episode, SpongeBob makes it clear when getting out of bed that he is naked. In another, he and Patrick are caught naked.
==DVD==
SpongeBob's popularity has led to the show being greatly available on DVD.
==iTunes==
The show's popularity has led it to being greatly available on iTunes
== Musical ==
A Broadway musical debuted in 2016
==Trivia==
*The intro makes several allusions to classic TV shows.
**The portrait saying "Are you ready, kids?" and the kids responding "Aye aye, captain!" alludes to such shows as Howdy Doody.
**The portrait also has a real mouth superimposed on its animated face, using a technique introduced in Clutch Cargo.
*In one episode, a few of the characters are on a fishing trip attempting to catch "Moby Dollar" (an allusion to the classic literary novel Moby Dick). When the dollar in question appears, dramatic music similar to the Jaws theme plays.
*One character is a ghost named The Flying Dutchman, which is actually a ghost ship.
*The character Mermaid Man is mostly a parody of Aquaman of the DC universe. However, he is partially a parody of the 1960s Batman.
**Adam West, who played Batman in the original TV series, voiced the young version of Mermaid Man.
*Barnacle Boy is supposed to be a parody of Aqualad, but is partially a parody of the 1960s Robin.
**Burt Ward, who played Robin in the original Batman series, voiced a young Barnacle Boy.
*Despite the characters living underwater, gravity is not affected. All actions requiring air are also possible (except for Sandy Cheeks requiring a diving suit to survive).
*David Glen Eisley performed "Sweet Victory" in the episode Band Geeks.
**The Bubble Bowl "real-life" crowd is the footage used from a USFL Memphis Showboats vs. Tampa Bay Bandits game at the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee back in the 1980s.
*One customer orders a "Diet Dr. Kelp", a reference to Diet Dr. Pepper.
*One episode implies that "karate" is sometimes pronounced "ker-rah-TAY". This is incorrect. The traditional Japanese pronunciation is "kuh-RAW-tay" and the common English pronunciation is "ker-RAW-tee".
*In one episode, SpongeBob asks Patrick what air is. Patrick mistakes this for "to put on airs" and claims it's "just fancy talk". To "put on airs" means to "pretend to be better than one is". He also says that in order to be fancy you just "hold your pinky up", a reference to how teacups are often held by the elite.
*In Maroon 5's Super Bowl halftime performance in 2019, Sweet Victory was included. Because it was only partially included, fans were disappointed.
*One episode has a song titled "Ocean Man", which was parodied in a YouTube video as "Lotion Man". This parody has become a popular meme.
Category:Nicktoons
==Films==
At least two films have been released since the show's debut.