SpongeBob SquarePants (often referred to simply as
SpongeBob) is an American animated television series, created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg. Much of the series centers on the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the underwater city "Bikini Bottom". The series' popularity has prompted the release of a media franchise, contributing to its position as Nickelodeon's highest rated show, the most distributed property of MTV Networks, and among Nicktoons' most-watched shows.
The basis for
SpongeBob SquarePants was formed by Hillenburg in 1984 while teaching and studying marine biology at the Ocean Institute in Dana Point, California, where he wrote the comic strip
The Intertidal Zone, which starred various anthropomorphic forms of sea life, many of which would evolve into
SpongeBob SquarePants characters. He left the institute to become an animator in 1987, and later attended the California Institute of Arts in 1992. In the institute, he made his thesis film
Wormholes (1992), which led to his hiring as a director, writer, producer, storyboard artist, and executive producer of the series
Rocko's Modern Life by creator Joe Murray. He started to develop the series in 1996 following
Rocko's Modern Life's, and pitched the series to Nickelodeon in 1998 and was later greenlit for a first season.
The pilot episode of
SpongeBob SquarePants first aired episodes in the United States on Nickelodeon on May 1, 1999, following the
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. The first episodes were called "Help Wanted", "Reef Blower", "Tea at the Treedome". The "official" series premiere followed on July 17, 1999, with the second episode, "Bubblestand/Ripped Pants." The show reached enormous popularity by 2000 and has remained popular since. A feature film of the series was released in theaters on November 19, 2004. The series is currently in its seventh season and celebrated its tenth anniversary on July 17, 2009.
SpongeBob was renewed for a ninth season on January 3, 2011,
and the traditional definition of season is different for this series and defines more that episodes are ordered for future airing rather than they will be aired throughout one calendar year
 |
| Spong bob |
 |
| Spong bob |
 |
| Spong bob |
 |
| Spong bob |
 |
| Spong bob |
 |
| Spong bob |
 |
| Spong bob |
 |
| Spong bob |
 |
| Spong bob |
 |
| Spong bob |
