SpongeBob Schwammkopf (TV Series 1999–2021)

SpongeBob Schwammkopf: Created by Stephen Hillenburg, Tim Hill, Nick Jennings, Derek Drymon, Paul Tibbitt, Zeus Cervas, Casey Alexander, Steve Oedekerk. With Tom Kenny, Rodger Bumpass, Bill Fagerbakke, Clancy Brown. The misadventures of a talking sea sponge who works at a fast food restaurant, attends a boating school, and lives in an underwater pineapple.

“u0026quot;SpongeBob SquarePantsu0026quot; is an hilarious and often unpredictable cartoon series aired at this writing on Nickelodeon. Its regular times are Saturday u0026amp; Sunday mornings, with occasional marathons and a semi-regular feature on Nicku0026#39;s Friday evening U-Vote feature. The massive amount of hype surrounding its release in mid-1999 suggests that the Nickelodeon staff really likes the show.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe series is clearly for adults, in the same sense as u0026quot;The Simpsonsu0026quot; and u0026quot;Beavis and Buttheadu0026quot; are. The marketing, however, is quite child-oriented, and somehow, the series has become associated with other Nickelodeon features which actually offer redeeming social value for children, viz u0026quot;Wild Thornberrysu0026quot; and u0026quot;Blueu0026#39;s Cluesu0026quot;. I donu0026#39;t mind, personally–I enjoy watching SpongeBob with my toddler-age children, although I do find myself answering lots of interesting questions (u0026quot;Why is Squidward dancing like that? Itu0026#39;s scary.u0026quot;, u0026quot;You canu0026#39;t put fake arms on like that, can you, Daddy?u0026quot;, u0026quot;Why is Patrick so dumb?u0026quot;)u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe show features the voice talents of Tom Kenny (a perennial supporting voice in cartoons) as SpongeBob, Rodger Bumpass (another voice talent veteran) as Squidward the, well, squid, Bill Fagerbakke (u0026quot;Coachu0026quot;s Dauber) as Patrick the Starfish, Carolyn Lawrence as Sandy Cheeks (SpongeBobu0026#39;s love interest, a squirrel with an air helmet), and Clancy Brown (u0026quot;Buckaroo Banzaiu0026quot;s Rawhide) as SpongeBobu0026#39;s employer, the tight-clawed Mister Krabs. I have noticed in many features that u0026quot;Mr. Lawrenceu0026quot; is credited as a writer; I suspect a husband-wife team, given that Sandy Cheeks gets some great dialogue–but thatu0026#39;s pure conjecture, and I heartily welcome correction or corroboration alike. There have been several celebrity appearances, most notably Ernest Borgnine and Tim Conway as the voices of fictional superheroes Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI like the damn show. I was hooked on it for at least a year, from the Clutch-Cargo-flavored introduction to the United Plankton logo at the end of each episode. The plot linesu0026#39; continuity is above average, with a well-developed cast of supporting characters who populate Bikini Bottom, SpongeBobu0026#39;s home. There are the obvious suspension-of-disbelief requirements, such as the watery environmentu0026#39;s inexplicable tolerance for electricity and exhaled air, but this is easily counterbalanced by the whimsical misusage of jargon (SpongeBob, in a desperate moment says, u0026quot;Iu0026#39;ll use the Shell Phone!u0026quot;).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eClassic episodes include u0026quot;Bubblesu0026quot;, u0026quot;Moon Rocketu0026quot;, and u0026quot;Home Sweet Pineappleu0026quot;.”