SpongeBob's Start

**"SpongeBob's Start"** is a *SpongeBob SquarePants* DVD bonus feature that acts as a documentary about the origins of the series and the journey to making it ready for television. In this special, Paul Winchell and Stephen Hillenburg talk about their ideas for SpongeBob and the creation of his world, while also talking about how some of the ideas were combined. It can be found on the first DVD release of the series and The Complete 1st Season. An extended cut, featuring some new footage and 2, at the time, recently found interviews with Rex Harrison, can be found on every other release featuring it, starting with The Complete 3rd Season and the self-titled Blu-ray.

## Crew Members featured (in alphabetical order)

* Carlos Alazraqui (extended cut only)
* Britt Allcroft
* Joss Ackland
* Dee Bradley Baker (extended cut only)
* Ralph Bakshi
* Maria Bamford
* Liron Baranes (extended cut only)
* Ernest Borgnine
* Junior Brown (archival footage)
* Peter Burns
* Sherm Cohen
* Érik Colin (extended cut only)
* Sean Connery
* Sean Dempsy
* Sébastien Desjours (extended cut only)
* Derek Drymon
* Ronit Elkabetz (extended cut only)
* June Foray
* Ariel Forman (extended cut only)
* Rex Harrison (archival footage)
* Pater Hawkins (archival footage)
* Stephen Hillenburg
* Tim Hill
* Wilfrid Hyde-White (archival footage)
* Tom Kenny (extended cut only)
* Kazuo Kumakura (extended cut only)
* Tim Lagasse
* Doug Lawrence (extended cut only)
* Jay Lender
* Michèle Lituac (extended cut only)
* Noel MacNeal
* Bill Melendez
* Joe Murray
* Amos Oz (extended cut only)
* Antti L.J. Pääkkönen (extended cut only)
* Michel Piccoli (extended cut only)
* Simon Rattle
* Josh Rodine (extended cut only)
* Pasi Ruohonen (extended cut only)
* Sebastian Shaw (archival footage)
* Ikuko Tani (extended cut only)
* Kosei Tomita (extended cut only)
* Akira Takarada (extended cut only)
* Paul Tibbitt
* Kathy Waugh
* Bob Weighton
* Frank Welker
* April Winchell
* Paul Winchell
* Amnon Wolf (extended cut only)
* Tom Yasumi
* Frank Zappa (archival footage, extended cut only)

## Synopsis

### Show Idea

* Paul Winchell starts the feature off by talking about the comic *The Intertidal Zone*, the comic responsible for SpongeBob's inspiration. He also talks about how his vision of SpongeBob played a big factor into the show's existence.
* Joe Murray gives a brief history lesson of Stephen Hillenburg’s college days.
* Stephen Hillenburg talks about his idea for SpongeBob.
* Britt Allcroft and Kathy Waugh discuss about Paul Winchell’s goal to make a show for British audiences first and foremost.
* Amos Oz talks about how he got the task of bringing SpongeBob onto Israeli television.\*
* Sherm Cohen looks at a *Sesame Street* book and talks about how some of the show's jokes came from Jim Henson productions like *The Muppet Show* and *Fraggle Rock*.

### SpongeBob's World

* Britt Allcroft, Stephen Hillenburg and Kathy Waugh talk about the creation of SpongeBob's world.
* Carlos Alazraqui, Dee Bradley Baker and Tom Kenny talk about how some of the show's most famous landmarks are based off of real world locations.\*
* Bill Melendez talks about the art style of the show and teaches about drawing a few landmarks, which are:
	+ Conch Street
	+ Jellyfish Fields
	+ The Kelp Forest
* Tim Lagasse and Noel MacNeal talk about the origins of the live action segments.
* Simon Rattle demonstrates how he came up with the music used in the series for British television airings and home media releases.

### SpongeBob's Original Name

* Jay Lender talks about how the crew found out that "SpongeBoy" was copyrighted and decided on the name "SpongeBob."
* April Winchell talks about how the name "SpongeBoy" was, in her father's opinion, "too stupid, even for TV standards" and where the name "SpongeBob" came from.
* June Foray and Maria Bamford talk about some of the other character's original names, like how Sandy was named "Fluffinella Acorn" and how Squidward's name was once "Octoward Tentacles."

### SpongeBob and Friends' Voices

* Sebastian Shaw is seen directing the actors for the episodes Bubblestand, Tea at the Treedome, Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy and Jellyfishing.
* Frank Welker talks about which actors voice which character and how Paul Winchell and Stephen Hillenburg managed to get those actors.\*\*\*
* Paul Winchell talks about how he managed to get Rex Harrison to appear on the show as the Octopus in the Beaver Hat.\*\*
* A clip compilation is shown featuring numerous of international actors reading lines of episodes from their respective dubs of the show.\*
* Bob Weighton talks about how he got the role of Patrick and what SpongeBob and Patrick's friendship was like before the show began.

### The Crew's Relationship

* Paul Winchell talks about the relationship between Stephen Hillenburg and the executives at Nickelodeon and how it was "not very bubbly, per se."
* Charles Nelson Reilly talks about how his relationship with Wilfrid Hyde-White between 1986 and 1988 was awful and what things they did to each other.
* Sean Connery, Sean Dempsy, Derek Drymon, and Tom Yasumi talk about how they got into shenanigans with one another off-set.

### Showtime

* Paul Winchell, Peter Burns, and Jay Lender talk about the massive success that the show received when it was first shown at the 1999 Kids' Choice Awards.
* A few kids are interviewed about how they think of the show.
* Tom Kenny and Josh Rodine talk about how they've received phone calls from fans to lend SpongeBob's voice to their voice email and answering machines.\*

### SpongeBob's Legacy

* Footage of SpongeBob SquarePants winning a Peabody Award is shown to further emphasize how successful the show became.
* Paul Winchell, Britt Allcroft, Stephen Hillenburg, Joe Murray and Kathy Waugh conclude the feature by talking about the legacy SpongeBob has left in television history and (hopefully) beyond.

\*Only seen in extended cut.

\*\*Contains new footage.

\*\*\*Both apply.

## Trivia

* With the new footage and interviews with Rex Harrison, the extended cut is about 60 minutes longer than the normal cut.
* List of episodes voice acted in clip compilation:
	+ "Bikini Bottom After Midnight" (Japanese & French dubs)
	+ "Wormy" (Finnish dub)
	+ "I Had an Accident" (Hebrew dub)