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Spongebob Squarepants, the nonsensical cartoon that rose to unbelievable heights of popularity. The adventures of Spongebob with his best friend Patrick Star, friend (or girlfriend) Sandy Squirrel, annoying neighbor Squidward and cat/snail thing Gary rose to become one of the most popular cartoons of all time.

The Spongebob story begins back in the 80s, creator Stephen Hillenburg got a job at The Ocean Institute in Dana Point, California and was asked to create a comic. He would create "The Intertidal Zone". Following the stories of several underwater creatures, the comic was "hosted" by a Sponge, named (you guessed it) Bob. Hillenburg realized that he enjoyed making the comic (as well as painting, sculpting, etc.) more than marine biology itself. This inspired him to go to California Institute of the Arts; his student film would be seen by a man named Joe Murray, who would hire him to work on a show called Rocko's Modern Life. Hillenburg would write for Rocko for several years before moving onto his own project.

Stephen had the idea of creating a show based on an innocent sea creature. He tried many different creatures, but when he thought to draw a common household sponge, everything came together. With help from fellow Rocko staffers Nick Jennings and Derek Drymon, Hillenburg created a pitch and then a pilot to the network, and the show was picked up for 13 episodes.

The show was met with extreme success. Kids flocked to the show immediately, and Nickelodeon had a hit. But the popularity didn't stop with kids. The widespread appeal of Spongebob's stupid-but-fun style of humor reached everyone from toddlers right up to adults. At one point the show even became extremely popular with gay men. By the end of season 2, just about every preschool, school, high school and office had that one guy who knew the Spongebob theme song by heart.

To some of the bigger Spongebob fans, the show took a dive in quality in season three. Whether it did or not is arguable, but the ratings continued to climb, as Spongebob was now the highest-rated kids show on any network. Specific broadcasts have gone on to break ratings records.

After season four aired on Nickelodeon in 2005, staggered episodes were shown leading up to "Spongebob Squarepants: The Movie" which ran in theaters that summer. A rumored fifth season has been scheduled to air sometime in 2006-2007. Spongebob's popularity seems to have died down from its height, but the appeal of a nonsensical world with sponges, squirrels and starfish shouldn't be underestimated.

[Written by Toon Zone community member, Matthew Williams]

· Premiered: May 1, 1999
· 74 Episodes, 4 Seasons
· Feature Film: "Spongebob Squarepants: The Movie "

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