There aren't many pop icons flying about these days that have had the same impact as the wonderful 'Spongebob Squarepants' has had on our generation. The legendary Nickelodeon series has been enjoyed by kids and adults alike over two generations. The series has certainly earned the right to be named as one of the more popular series over the years and Spongebob and co continue to make people laugh to this day.
18 years have passed since the first episode of the series was broadcasted, all the way back in May 1999 when the funny yellow sponge, who of course lives in a pineapple under the sea, made his first appearance on Nickelodeon. The rest was history and the series has become one of the most popular kids television shows to hit the screens.
The idea for the series came about in 1984 when its creator, Stephen Hillenburg, wrote a comic book called 'The Intertidal Zone' whilst he studied and taught marine biology at the Orange Country Marine Institute. The ideas and characters that Hillenburg came up with led to the creation of Spongebob.
Legendary series
Hillenburg had a change in career path and decided to go down the animation route when he studied at the prestigious CalArts. It was during his time there that he continued to develop his ideas of these creatures under the sea. After working with animator Joe Murray in 'Rocko's Modern Life', he presented the idea for Spongebob to the directors at Nickelodeon with the support of important animators in the industry such as Derek Drymon, Sherm Cohen and Dan Povermire. The series got given the green light and the idea became a reality.
Since then, Spongebob has grown into one of the most popular animation series of all time with 10 seasons under its belt. To pay a tribute to Spongebob and co., we give you 8 cool facts that you may not know about the series.
1 Name changing
Originally, Spongebob was going to be called Sponge Boy. In fact, even the series was given the name 'SpongeBoy Ahoy!'. However, the legal department at Nickelodeon realised that this name was already registered for mopping and cleaning products. Therefore, it became necessary to change the name of the yellow sponge. Hillenburg wanted to keep the word "sponge" as part of the name as he thought viewers would mistake him for a block of cheese.
2 Bikini Bottom, a real place?
Bikini Bottom, the place where Spongebob lives, is inspired by Bikini Atoll, which is situated in the Pacific Ocean. In fact, back in 1946 and 1958 Bikini Atoll was the location chosen by US authorities to carry out nuclear weapon testing where more than 20 atomic bombs were tested. A number of fan theories say that this was how the Bikini Bottom was created. Also, the are of Bikini Bottom is actually set on the city of Seattle in the States.
3 The longest Nickelodeon series
After a number of successful first few seasons, which saw the series overtake its rival, Pokemon, Spongebob and his trusty companions continued to grow and grow. What was originally meant to be a series for 2 to 9 year olds, teenagers and young adults were beginning to watch it. In fact, in 2013 the series broke a new Nickelodeon record. The show had hit episode number 178, which made it the longest running series by Nickelodeon. It surpassed the record set by 'Rugrats', which racked up 9 seasons and 172 episodes between 1991 and 2004. In it's ninth season, 'Spongebob Squarepants' reached 200 episodes in total.
4 The series inspired the name of a fungus
The series has been so popular that the famous yellow sponge inspired the name of a fungus discovered in 2011 in Malaysia. The fungus, which is named Spongiforma squarepantsii, was given the name due to the spores that appear on the fungus looking like a sponge.
5 Squidward is an octopus, not a squid
It may seem obvious, but this has been an ongoing discussion and debate between many Spongebob fans over the years. When we see Spongebob, we recognise that he is a sponge. When we see Patrick, we recognise that he is a starfish. When we Sandy, we recognise she is a squirrel. The list could go on. However, with Squidward people people get confused. He is actually a octopus, but people have been getting him mixed up with a squid due to his name. Creator Hillenburg confirmed in an interview that he is an octopus because his head is round, where as if he was a squid he would have a pointed head.
6 Spongebob's voice
The voice of Spongebob, Tom Kenny, said that he came up with the voice for the yellow sponge when he heard an angry dwarf yelling. Also, in order to create Spongebob's distinctive laugh Kenny has admitted he hits his throat repeatedly with his hand while saying "Ahh".
7 Left or right?
The infamous Krusty Krab burger restaurant is Spongebob's workplace and is a central part of the series. The home of the Krabby Patty has been known to move around in various episodes. The majority of the time, the restaurant is located to the left of Spongebob's house, where as other times, it can be seen on the right side of his pineapple house under the sea.
8 Guest appearances
There have been a number of celebrity guest appearances in the series over the years. The long list of stars include Will Ferrell, Johnny Depp, Mark Hamill, Amy Poehler, Ian McShane and David Bowie.