SpongeBob 23 years later still holds the world in his hand
“Stephen Hillenburg – SpongeBob SquarePants Bible” by Toon a Ville is marked with CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
“I’m ready!”
These two words are what I live by. Though not a perfect character SpongeBob has characteristics I always tried to emulate. His perseverance and ability to keep moving forward and coming out on top at the end of an episode is inspirational to me.
The first “SpongeBob SquarePants” episode premiered on May 1, 1999. This means the show turned 23 this year, and that also means I’m 20 days older than Spongebob.
Ever since the first episode, SpongeBob has been a cultural force and maybe the greatest cartoon ever.
SpongeBob was created by Stephen Hillenburg, a former California State University student graduate from Cal Poly Humboldt (formerly known as Humboldt State University). Hillenburg became a marine-biology teacher at The Ocean Institute in Dana Point, California, after graduating.
One day he was asked to create an educational comic book for the institution, and there, despite using a completely different design, he made Bob the Sponge, the first idea of the character many of us have grown to know and love.
After some years of working as a teacher, Hillenberg decided to switch from teaching to becoming an art student, enrolling in the master’s program at the California Institute of Arts.
Following his time at school, Hillenberg got a job as a director on the legendary show “Rocko’s Modern Life.”
When the show ended, Hillenburg decided to make his own cartoon, and from there, our beloved fry cook who lives in a pineapple under the sea really began to come into fruition.
Hillenburg’s idea for SpongeBob was an under the sea version of Jerry Lewis, a nerd the shape of a sink sponge.
Hillenburg created a pitch bible with future Creative Director Derek Draymond and Art Director Nick Jennings.
One legendary pitch later, he got some money from Nickelodeon and two weeks to write the pilot. Eventually, he got the green light for 13 episodes, and the rest is history.
Aside from making the childhood of countless kids, the show’s most significant impact has been on meme culture. Open up any social media app and I guarantee you will see at least one SpongeBob meme if you stay on that app long enough. Or you can google “SpongeBob meme” and be completely overwhelmed by the plethora of memes.
Seasons 1-3 are the best. My mom told me that I couldn’t stop watching it as a kid. This is true to this day, especially after extracurricular activities.
Now, SpongeBob has become a show I watch for inspiration. It helps me relax my mind because I never get sick of it, even having seen the same episodes a couple hundred times. It’s funny, the characters are memorable and the story of each episode, when written well, probably makes for the best writing in cartoon history.
Trust me, it has plenty of exceptionally written episodes. Yes, there have been rough times in the show’s history, but that hasn’t slowed down SpongeBob and his friends’ adventures and shenanigans. They have created three movies which made them millions and have had many comeback seasons.
These last couple of years have been pretty rough, but when I put the show on, it brings me back to a time in life when I felt like I didn’t have any problems.
And for the character himself, voiced by Tom Kenny, his bright, happy personality inspires us to stay positive. It inspired me as a kid and even now, as an adult.
Sadly, the creator, Stephen Hillenburg, died at 57 years old from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s Disease, on Nov. 26, 2018.
SpongeBob still lives on. The show is still airing with new episodes, but even if it ended today, Hillenburg’s creation would continue to impact future generations, probably forever.
Mario Ortiz can be reached at [email protected] or @realnameismario on Twitter.
Veronica McKall // Mar 21, 2023 at 5:22 am
My grandma has Lou Gehrig’s disease, she is about 75 years old it was diagnosed 2 years ago. Right now it’s getting more difficult to live for her, because of stiff muscles she can’t even move. Riluzole and Edaravone medicines are given, but won”t give much relief. She can”t eat food without choking. I thought this might be the last stage and the medications she was given did not help at all, so I started to do alot of research on natural treatments, I was introduced to Health Natural Centre and their ALS Herbal Protocol. She started on the ALS/MND Treatment last year, her symptoms gradually diminished including her vocal cord spasm, Body Weakness and Difficulty with swallowing. Reach them at healthnaturalcentre.org , She is getting active again since starting this treatment, she is able to walk again ( down the street and back )she have also resumed exercising to strengthen muscles!! God Bless all ALS Caregivers. Stay Strong, take small moments throughout the day to thank yourself, to love your self, and pray to whatever faith, star, spiritual force you believe in and ask for strength. I can personally vouch for these remedy but you would probably need to decide what works best for you.
Mrs Patricia Whitte // Sep 19, 2022 at 9:12 am
My mum was diagnosed with ALS 12 months ago and while it offered an explanation for her symptoms, we were devastated. She was always so strong and independent and it breaks my heart to see her suffer. We believe she may have had this disease for a few yrs already, but was never diagnose properly. Within the last 6-7 months she became much weaker and it was hard to understand her when she speaks. She was losing weight quickly and depends on a walker. I felt terrible and it is so hard to watch her deteriorate so fast. The riluzole did very little to help her. The medical team did even less. The psychological support from the medical centre was non-existent and if it were not for the sensitive care and attention of our primary physician she would have died. There has been little if any progress in finding a medical treatment. Acupuncture eased her anxiety a bit so my care provider Dr Miller introduced us to Health Herbs Clinic ALS herbal treatment. I wasn’t hopeful at first but glad to share she has recovered significantly within the last 3-4 months It has been a complete turnaround with her speech, she is even learning to walk again without a walker, the herbal treatment is a miracle. Visit www. healthherbsclinic. com we’re forever thankful to nature.
Thato amelia // Aug 19, 2022 at 11:10 pm
My first symptoms of ALS occurred in 2014, but was diagnosed in 2016. I had severe symptoms ranging from shortness of breath, balance problems, couldn’t walk without a walker or a power chair, i had difficulty swallowing and fatigue. I was given medications which helped but only for a short burst of time, then I decided to try alternative measures and began on ALS Formula treatment from Tree of Life Health clinic. It has made a tremendous difference for me (Visit w w w. treeoflifeherbalclinic .com ). I had improved walking balance, increased appetite, muscle strength, improved eyesight and others. ]