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.