Mocking Spongebob

The “Mocking Sponge” Meme is a fresh meme as it is still used very often across social media platforms. The first recorded version of this meme was in 2017 and it begun on Twitter. (Knowyourmeme.com) Also, this meme originated from a season 9 episode of *SpongeBob* titled “Little Yellow Book.” The meme began as simply a screenshot from the episode and exploded from there. (Vox.com) The meme has undergone much popularity since its 2017 start in its online journey.

On the site "Spongebob Case," Anonymous states that: "[T]he meme, Mocking SpongeBob or SpongeMock, shows SpongeBob Squarepants in a deformed state (from an episode where SpongeBob is acting like a chicken, with his arms and torso askew). People overlaid text onto this image in the SpongeBob casing, typically in a call and response way to show mockery or a response to mockery" (selfdefined.app).

### Recognizable Features

Mocking SpongeBob encapsulates everyone’s favorite childhood sea sponge in a new form. The recognizable features of this meme are significant. First, the meme depicts SpongeBob, color is very important in this meme as his signature yellow look is depicted. Second, in the many renditions of this meme there are various forms of text used, which encapsulates the signature mocking SpongeBob theme. The text in these memes is meme specific and used in a mocking manner with upper and lower case letters such as sPoNGebOb mEMe.

Also, the article "Meme and My Squad" by Peyton Dix states that: "memes are powerful because almost anything can be turned into one" (3). This meme proves that to be true, a recognizable character on Nickelodeon turned into a worldwide widely spread meme. This proves Dix's point by showing how a cartoon character was turned into a meme very easily.

### Cultural Context

“Knowyourmeme.com” describes this meme by stating “Mocking SpongeBob, also known as Spongemock, refers to an image macrofeaturing cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants in which people use a picture of SpongeBob to indicate a mocking tone towards an opinion or point of view.” SpongeBob himself is a cultural icon, as a 90s child in America I was very much exposed to seeing the little yellow guy on my television screen.

The meme has grown from being just a television star to the face of mocking culture. This meme is used when one is annoyed or irritated and wants to mock the counterpart of the situation. He serves as a way of disagreeing and poking fun or irritation at an opposing understanding, comment, or situation. There is no necessary background needed to enjoy or use this meme, even if you do not know SpongeBob you can still enjoy or use the basis of this meme to express your thoughts or feelings.

### Audience

Audiences of this meme vary from 90s Nickelodeon kids to active contemporary social media users. The targeted audience is an individual who has SpongeBob knowledge but this meme is not limited to that audience. In the article "A Unified Theory of Meme Death" by Lauren Michele Jackson it states that: "Memes aren't built to last. This is an accepted fact of online life. Some of our most beloved cultural objects are not only ephemeral but transmitted around the world at high speed before the close of business" (1). Jackson presents this statement proving that memes change, some go away and some remain popular for longer. Audience is one thing that I very much see affecting this statement, as this meme has remained popular it has done so because of the audience spreading it. The audience of this meme ranges heavily which impacts its spread, usage, and freshness.

### Circulation

The meme began on Twitter back in 2017 (Knowyourmeme.com) and is still alive today. This meme has been spread on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, iMessage, and Google Images. The meme is still getting around today. Later in Jackson's article it is stated that: "memes and jokes do share several formal qualities. And looking at memes as jokes may also help answer why some memes dry up, and why and when others return" (3). In terms of the Mocking Sponge meme, it is still around, not dried up yet whereas other Spongebob memes did not make it as far.

Circulating throughout the social media platforms, internet, and everyday life is Mocking Spongebob but the other Spongebob memes such as "Spongegar" who originated on 4chan in 2015 is not as fresh in our current times. "Tired Spongebob" is another that has similar circulation to Mocking Sponge, it originated in 2018 on Twitter. (Knowyourmeme.com) It seems as if a common trend in terms of circulation is that later Spongebob memes (2017 and onward) are still popular and being remediated, readapted, and recirculated commonly.

### Ethical Issues

The “Mocking SpongeBob” meme weighs in on ethical issues by serving as a reaction. Anyone can take up this meme and use it as a response in whatever way they wish, it could serve as a visual depiction of annoyance of what an opposing political party said, an irritated response to what a boss at work said, or an expression of one’s views in regard to politics, ethics, society, climate, etc.

The Nickelodeon show itself raised many conversations regarding sexuality, expression, and identity when Spongebob was rumored to be part of the LGBTQIA+ community. In the article "Nickelodeon announces SpongeBob is member of the LGBTQ2 community," Katie Scott writes: "*SpongeBob SquarePants* creator Stephen Hillenburg announced in 2005 that he never intended for SpongeBob or his best friend Patrick Starfish to 'be gay.' 'We never intended them to be gay. I consider them to be almost asexual,' he told Reuters at the time. 'We’re just trying to be funny and this has nothing to do with the show' (globalnew.ca). Hillenburg dismissed this claim but Spongebob is still a queer icon that many can find solidarity and community in watching and following- whether that is acceptance, struggle, or disapproval.

### Impact

This meme can impact people by serving as a countermeme to something that someone found undesirable. It could serve as a way to start a surge in societal change by mocking something problematic or offensive and highlighting the opposing end. The impacts of this meme are endless as it can help a broken hearted person get over a break up by mocking what their ex partner said or go as far as mocking what the President said at the most recent speech.

On the contrary, again on the site "Spongebob Case," Anonymous writes that "By using and spreading both the meme and text styling, we are perpetuating ableist language, violence, systems and of harm against Disabled people, regardless of our awareness and/or intent" (selfdefined.app). This site focuses on how the meme takes Spongebob and morphs him into a new body that is full of mockery that could be depicted or used in an ableist fashion. The meme has many different impacts, whether it be mockery, ableism, expression, community, humor, etc. and that is what makes it so widely used. Memes can impact individuals in many different ways so by using Mocking Sponge in a positive, humorous way will help shape our meme intake and spread for the better.

### 15 Examples

1. ↑ https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/mocking-spongebob
2. ↑ https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/5/1/18525337/spongebob-memes-mocking-caveman-history
3. ↑ https://www.selfdefined.app/definitions/spongebob-case/#:~:text=text%20styling%20that%20randomly%20alternates,%2C%20SpongeMock%2C%20or%20alternating%20caps
4. ↑ https://www.bitchmedia.org/article/queer-teens-create-meme-utopia
5. ↑ https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/mocking-spongebob
6. ↑ https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/12/a-unified-theory-of-meme-death/546866/
7. ↑ https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/mocking-spongebob
8. ↑ https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/12/a-unified-theory-of-meme-death/546866/
9. ↑ knowyourmeme.com
10. ↑ https://globalnews.ca/news/7066112/spongebob-lgbtq-community/
11. ↑ https://www.selfdefined.app/definitions/spongebob-case/#:~:text=text%20styling%20that%20randomly%20alternates,%2C%20SpongeMock%2C%20or%20alternating%20caps