SOS: Why do you love SpongeBob?

NeedSBhelp

Baby Clam
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Hi - I need help with a SpongeBob project and who better than true fans to tell me why you love him so much! What makes him/the show timeless and unique after 20 years? What are your favorite things about him/the show (humor, positivism, friendship with Patrick, etc)?

Any thoughts would be super helpful to understand his character, his world, and what differentiates this character/show from others. He's obviously loved by man so just need to understand why. Thanks so much in advance.
 

ssj4gogita4

Squidward Tortellini
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I've been watching for 20 years on television and had SBM since 2003. While I do not keep up with season 12, I am still an avid fan of the show...especially the older seasons. They are still funny and I laugh. I thoroughly enjoyed the 20th anniversary episode and to see that they can still produce quality episodes after so many years is what makes it timeless and great for any age. Not many shows (maybe a handful if anyone can name them?) can do this. I plan on showing my kids in the future this show and hope they enjoy it as much as I have.
 

eliugra

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I think part of the appeal, like @ssj4gogita4 mentioned, is the enjoyability for all ages of humans. The humor and themes are relatively child friendly (just subtle hidden lewd humor like the snow mermaid in The Snowball Effect with two large snowballs next to her). It is also free of conflict, most current real-world cultural references, politics, or anything that is super controversial. For some folks it may even be kind of escapist, just to get a break from the noisy, complex, sometimes-news-overloaded rest-of-the-world.
 

Grass-Skirt-Chase

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I think part of the appeal, like @ssj4gogita4 mentioned, is the enjoyability for all ages of humans. The humor and themes are relatively child friendly (just subtle hidden lewd humor like the snow mermaid in The Snowball Effect with two large snowballs next to her). It is also free of conflict, most current real-world cultural references, politics, or anything that is super controversial. For some folks it may even be kind of escapist, just to get a break from the noisy, complex, sometimes-news-overloaded rest-of-the-world.

OMG yes, preach! :sbsmiles:
 

NeedSBhelp

Baby Clam
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Thank you, all. Super great feedback! If you had to convince someone that SpongeBob is great, what would you say? My project centers around immersing folks in the SpongeBob world and make them understand why he's timeless and why people love him.

Please feel free to let me know if you have further thoughts.
 

Sara SquarePants

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SpongeBob's appeal is the fact he is kind and compassionate to others not unlike Fred Rogers from PBS's classic live-action series "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood"

He's a little of Mister Rogers, a little of Stan Laurel, and a little of Julia Child!

That's why people love this show
 

ssj4gogita4

Squidward Tortellini
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Thank you, all. Super great feedback! If you had to convince someone that SpongeBob is great, what would you say? My project centers around immersing folks in the SpongeBob world and make them understand why he's timeless and why people love him.

Please feel free to let me know if you have further thoughts.
Convince them by telling them to start with seasons 1-3 in order. Let them know there is a fan base out there that tells you to ignore season 6 & 7 (or just one of those) and that it starts getting great again with season 9. I would say start at the beginning and just know that even the best shows have episodes & seasons that are unwatchable. Heck, The Office has me not ever watching season 8 because of the ginger lady boss. Most shows have a slow start or a slow middle or a slow end, and SpongeBob isn't any different with the exception of great start, meh middle, good end (so far)
 

Grass-Skirt-Chase

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I could go on and on forever about why I like the show, but now I’ll list a few short reasons as to why I love the character. ❤️ 🧽

SpongeBob is relatable
He winds up in so many situations that people can relate to or draw similarities between an event in their life and one of those situations. He acts in unusual manners that people like myself can relate to. He’s a bit of OCD and ADHD and everything. He’s dumb but he’s smart, and he’s hardworking and silly. He does things that aren’t the norm, usually without caring what other people think. Simple things like singing random tunes and wearing interesting clothing can be relatable. I can think of so many moments where I felt like the show knew who I was. It’s a show for literally everyone. Everyone gets the humor, everyone gets the feelings.

SpongeBob is carefree
Don’t you wish you had no worries? Sometimes I wish I lived with SpongeBob. He’s calm about life. Things get him down, but never tear him down. He always gets back up. He’s lighthearted and very READY for life! Life is a gift from God. SpongeBob loves his life! He loves his friends! He loves his job (a bit too much)! He loves to help people! He often puts himself first. He’s always hanging around for the next adventure. SpongeBob is quite the happy fellow, and despite not being in the best place (working at a fast food joint), he keeps his head up.

SpongeBob is positive
He is very optimistic, and it’s great to have a main character who thinks happy thoughts. Too much “ignorance is bliss” can get annoying after awhile, but his overall demeanor, intentions, manners, and hard work... he’s a good example when you strip away all the silliness. It’s good to have a happy main character as well as characters like good ol’ Squidward. But I feel as though if Squidward were to have been the main character, the shows tone would be so much different. No matter what the episode’s genre may be, whether it be romance, drama, or horror, SpongeBob is always looking on the bright side. You can feel good watching him. He’s not a character I’d be ashamed to call my favorite. He’s not a bad character. He gets a bad rap sometimes simply due to the nature of the show, the awful seasons that it had, and even something as simply as his tone of voice and kid-like demeanor. Despite this, he’s my absolute favorite character of all time.

SpongeBob is iconic
I went to a small Comic-Con dressed as SpongeBob and so many people called out saying, “Hey, SpongeBob!” Little kids smiled. Adults made references. Fellow teens waved and smiled. It felt so nice! Utter the words “I wumbo, you wumbo, he, she me, wumbo” in school and people will know what you’re talking about. I guarantee you’ll hear SpongeBob’s voice in a cartoon impression video compilation. Checked the latest memes? How about new clothing items? There’s a musical? A real life Krusty Krab? A trap remix? A news article? A fan website? A Facebook page? A bazillion YouTube videos? Oh, he’s everywhere! I could draw SpongeBob on anything. People as young as two and as old as seventy will know who it is! There’s so much potential with SpongeBob. 20 years and he’s no longer just a cartoon. He’s history. He’s culture. He is iconic.
 

NeedSBhelp

Baby Clam
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I could go on and on forever about why I like the show, but now I’ll list a few short reasons as to why I love the character.

SpongeBob is relatable
He winds up in so many situations that people can relate to or draw similarities between an event in their life and one of those situations. He acts in unusual manners that people like myself can relate to. He’s a bit of OCD and ADHD and everything. He’s dumb but he’s smart, and he’s hardworking and silly. He does things that aren’t the norm, usually without caring what other people think. Simple things like singing random tunes and wearing interesting clothing can be relatable. I can think of so many moments where I felt like the show knew who I was. It’s a show for literally everyone. Everyone gets the humor, everyone gets the feelings.

SpongeBob is carefree
Don’t you wish you had no worries? Sometimes I wish I lived with SpongeBob. He’s calm about life. Things get him down, but never tear him down. He always gets back up. He’s lighthearted and very READY for life! Life is a gift from God. SpongeBob loves his life! He loves his friends! He loves his job (a bit too much)! He loves to help people! He often puts himself first. He’s always hanging around for the next adventure. SpongeBob is quite the happy fellow, and despite not being in the best place (working at a fast food joint), he keeps his head up.

SpongeBob is positive
He is very optimistic, and it’s great to have a main character who thinks happy thoughts. Too much “ignorance is bliss” can get annoying after awhile, but his overall demeanor, intentions, manners, and hard work... he’s a good example when you strip away all the silliness. It’s good to have a happy main character as well as characters like good ol’ Squidward. But I feel as though if Squidward were to have been the main character, the shows tone would be so much different. No matter what the episode’s genre may be, whether it be romance, drama, or horror, SpongeBob is always looking on the bright side. You can feel good watching him. He’s not a character I’d be ashamed to call my favorite. He’s not a bad character. He gets a bad rap sometimes simply due to the nature of the show, the awful seasons that it had, and even something as simply as his tone of voice and kid-like demeanor. Despite this, he’s my absolute favorite character of all time.

SpongeBob is iconic
I went to a small Comic-Con dressed as SpongeBob and so many people called out saying, “Hey, SpongeBob!” Little kids smiled. Adults made references. Fellow teens waved and smiled. It felt so nice! Utter the words “I wumbo, you wumbo, he, she me, wumbo” in school and people will know what you’re talking about. I guarantee you’ll hear SpongeBob’s voice in a cartoon impression video compilation. Checked the latest memes? How about new clothing items? There’s a musical? A real life Krusty Krab? A trap remix? A news article? A fan website? A Facebook page? A bazillion YouTube videos? Oh, he’s everywhere! I could draw SpongeBob on anything. People as young as two and as old as seventy will know who it is! There’s so much potential with SpongeBob. 20 years and he’s no longer just a cartoon. He’s history. He’s culture. He is iconic.
Wow! Thank you so much for helping me understand why he's loved! :)
 
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