Season 1 (SpongeBob SquarePants)

## Season 1

The **first season** of the American animated television series *SpongeBob SquarePants*, created by former marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg, aired from May 1, 1999 to March 3, 2001, and consisted 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 as SpongeBob SquarePants and Gary, Bill Fagerbakke as Patrick, Rodger Bumpass as Squidward, Clancy Brown as Mr. Krabs, Mr. Lawrence as Plankton, Jill Talley as Karen, Carolyn Lawrence as Sandy, Mary Jo Catlett as Mrs. Puff, and Lori Alan as Pearl.

Hillenburg initially conceived the show in 1984 and began to work on it shortly after the cancellation of Rocko's Modern Life in 1996. To voice the character of SpongeBob, Hillenburg turned to Kenny, who had worked with him on Rocko's Modern Life. The show was originally to be called "SpongeBoy Ahoy!," but the name "SpongeBoy" was already in use for a mop product.Upon finding it out, Hillenburg decided to use the name "SpongeBob." He chose "SquarePants" as a family name, as it referred to the character's square shape and it had a "nice ring to it."

After the pilot ("Help Wanted") was produced, Hillenburg was unsure if the show would be approved for a full season. In an interview, he said how he was perfectly fine with the accomplishment of just making one episode. When the show was greenlit for a full series, Nickelodeon only ordered six episodes (twelve 11-minute segments) for the season. Both Hillenburg and the network had low expectations for the show; Hillenburg thought the crew would only "make twelve shows and get canceled." The season was extended for fourteen additional segments—starting with segment #113, "The Chaperone"—after positive reactions from the studio.

Several compilation DVDs that contained episodes from the first season were released. The SpongeBob SquarePants: The Complete 1st Season DVD was released in Region 1 on October 28, 2003, Region 2 on November 7, 2005, and Region 4 on November 30, 2006. The DVD was re-released as The Complete First Season on November 13, 2012. The pilot episode "Help Wanted" was not included on the DVD due to copyright issues with Tiny Tim's song "Livin' in the Sunlight, Lovin' in the Moonlight," but was later released as a bonus feature on various series DVDs, including that of the third season. The season received positive reviews from media critics upon release.

## Characters

### Characters Introduced

* SpongeBob SquarePants
* Patrick Star
* Squidward Tentacles
* Mr. Krabs
* Sheldon J. Plankton
* Karen Plankton
* Sandy Cheeks
* Mrs. Puff
* Pearl Krabs
* Gary the Snail
* Mermaid Man
* Barnacle Boy
* Bubble Bass
* Margaret SquarePants
* Harold SquarePants
* Flying Dutchman
* Larry the Lobster
* Anchovies

## Trivia

* In 1999, Nickelodeon released a press statement summarizing the first four episodes. At the time, these episodes were planned to be released in production order: "Help Wanted," "Tea at the Treedome," "Squeaky Boots," and "Jellyfishing." Sometime in April 1999, Nickelodeon decided to air the episodes in a different order instead, called the "packaging order." This order does not relate to production or airing order, and it most notably moved "Squeaky Boots" (the third produced segment overall) to episode 8b, much later than it was produced.
* This is the only season of several things:
	+ The only season where the track "Merlins Hill." is played.
	+ The only season not to play the tracks "Comic Walk," "Earl's Revenge," and "Sponge Monger." before it introduced in the next season.
	+ The only season to air in the 1990s decade.
	+ The only season until tenth season to not have any double-length episodes.
	+ The only season to use traditional cel-animation.
	+ The only season to have an episode of three segments until the fifth season
	+ The only season until the eighth season to feature Bubble Bass.
	+ The only season to have Peter Burns, Fred Miller and Ennio Torresan worked on the series.
	+ The only season until the seventh season in which Patrick does not appear in the finale.
	+ The only season until the fourth season in which Mr. Krabs does not appear in the finale.
	+ The only season that Kaihiamal Martínez voices of SpongeBob in the Latin Spanish dub.
* The pilot episode, "Help Wanted", was excluded from *The Complete 1st Season* DVD set due to copyright issues with the song "Livin' in the Sunlight, Lovin' in the Moonlight". It was eventually included as a bonus episode on *The Complete 3rd Season* set, and later reinstated in its proper spot on *The First 100 Episodes* set.