With the release of Robert Eggers’ “Nosferatu” (2024), it should be acknowledged where exactly many people got their first introduction to the bloodthirsty vampire. It was not the original silent film “Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror” (1922) nor any other adaptations like “Nosferatu the Vampyre” (1979). Instead, it was an incredibly unlikely source—“SpongeBob SquarePants” (1999), to be exact.
Though, this was not the last time “SpongeBob SquarePants” would do something like this. There are times where the show introduces the younger generation to different topics they might not have been accustomed to. With that plus the amount of times people recite SpongeBob memes and references day-to-day—it is no wonder the underwater cartoon would soon define an entire generation.
Before “SpongeBob SquarePants” became what it is known as today, it was just a growing idea knocking around in the head of Stephen Hillenburg, the series creator. During Hillenburg’s time working at the Ocean Institute in Dana Point, California as a marine biology teacher, he began working on “The Intertidal Zone”: an unpublished comic book that would educate readers about life below the sea.
Many of the ideas in “SpongeBob SquarePants” came from “The Intertidal Zone,” for example, the main character of the comic is Bob the Sponge—similar to SpongeBob SquarePants. Hillenburg joined Nickelodeon in 1992 as an artist on the show, “Rocko’s Modern Life.”
After “Rocko’s Modern Life” was cancelled in 1996, Hillenburg then started to pursue “Spongebob SquarePants” as an actual TV series, pitching the plot to Nickelodeon the next year. There was a bit of a problem though, the network executives wanted SpongeBob to be a schoolboy while Hillenburg rather much preferred him to be an adult.
Hillenburg was on the verge of completely scrapping “SpongeBob SquarePants,” fortunately, they came to a compromise . The character of Mrs. Puff would be created as a way to have SpongeBob attend school and still be an adult—in this case, the only thing that SpongeBob would be learning was how to get his boating license.
Originally, SpongeBob was going to go by the name of SpongeBoy, this went along with the series’ first title “SpongeBoy Ahoy!” After the voice acting for the pilot episode wrapped up, Nickelodeon found out that the name was copyrighted and in use by another company.
To save their legal team some time and effort, the “y” soon became a “b” and thus SpongeBob was born. His last name SquarePants came from the simple fact that the character’s body was a square shape.
The first ever visual that people would see of “SpongeBob SquarePants” was a sneak peek that aired after the 1999 Kids’ Choice Awards in May. Viewers could practically feel the wackiness of the new show oozing from this short televised promo. Snippets from episodes such as “Help Wanted,” “Ripped Pants,” “Squeaky Boots” and “Plankton” were brought into the light for others to see.
It was not until July 17, 1999 that “SpongeBob SquarePants” would formally premiere on Nickelodeon. It did not take long for SpongeBob and his aquatic friends to receive some acclaim—a month after the premiere, the series was already the most viewed Saturday morning program of that year.
It is always easy for a show to lose the momentum that it gained during its release, however, “SpongeBob SquarePants” never seemed to. The reason that people still talk and reminisce about the show is what made it special in the first place.
For starters, Hillenburg’s goal to teach others all about sea life was made a priority during “SpongeBob SquarePants,” even after he left the series in 2004. There are numerous times where what happens in the cartoon is directly related to the actual sea animal in real life.
In the episode, “Karate Star,” Patrick begins to wreak havoc on Bikini Bottom after SpongeBob taught him some Karate. After all the damage that Patrick causes to SpongeBob and others around him, he promises to never do Karate again. He even goes as far as to rip off his own hand in order to further prove his promise.
Patrick is able to regenerate his hand back to the way it was, though, his fallen limb ends up generating a new body. This is the same process that actual sea stars go through when they manage to lose a limb, from just a single arm, they can grow entire new bodies.
Also, in “The Algae’s Always Greener,” Plankton is seen eating holographic meatloaf twice during the episode. Real-life plankton perform photosynthesis to gain energy from sun rays, holograms are projection of light, so it actually made sense for Plankton to be eating the meatloaf.
Alongside “SpongeBob SquarePants” being entertainment for many across the world, it also served its purpose in educating people about sea animals and their way of life. The topic of marine biology ties back to Hillenburg and his vision for the show.
“SpongeBob SquarePants” also introduced a variety of topics to the children who were watching Nosferatu included. Outloud it may not seem true, but it entirely is. In the episode “Graveyard Shift,” the Krusty Krab opens for 24 hours and SpongeBob and Squidward are forced to work the night shift.
Squidward, trying to fix his boredom, tells SpongeBob a fictional ghost story about the Hash-Slinging Slasher to scare him. It succeeds, though, it only ends up scaring the both of them, especially when the lights start to mysteriously flicker.
The other paranormal activities that happen to the two Krusty Workers end up having a mundane explanation. But, who is the one flickering the lights? Well, it turns out to be none other than the vampire Nosferatu who ends the episode off with a smile.
What really made the joke was the fact that the younger people watching most likely had no clue who Nosferatu was.his random joke opened the doors for others to learn more about the vampire, though, this was not even the last time “SpongeBob SquarePants” would do something like this.
Davy Jones’ locker is brought up a few times during the show and is commonly associated with the Flying Dutchman. The locker is full of dirty gym socks with its intention to torture whoever has to enter it. The true meaning of Davy Jones’ locker is the bottom of the sea, the place where demolished ships and drowned sailors end up.
The legend of Davy Jones’ locker existed for some time now, even with its first recording in 1726. It is likely that the name references the ghost of Jonah, a biblical figure who ended up swallowed by a huge fish. Though “SpongeBob SquarePants” takes Davy Jones’ locker to a completely different direction and instead uses The Monkees singer under the same name.
Davy Jones even ends up making an appearance in the episode “SpongeBob SquarePants vs. The Big One” where he tortures the Flying Dutchman by throwing socks at him. Once again, “SpongeBob SquarePants” was opening up the doors for the younger generation to get to know all types of different things and people they might not have known before.
With all of this, it is hard not to mention how many references and memes that come from the show. A lot of people like to say that “SpongeBob SquarePants” lost its quality after season three. No matter what is to be believed, some of the most well known memes came after season three, including “Handsome Squidward” which comes from season six.
Certain phrases such as “Is mayonnaise an instrument?” and “Are you feeling it now, Mr. Krabs?” are among everyday language that many recite from the show. There are times when under comment sections of a video that features sea animals, the names of “SpongeBob SquarePants” characters are sure to be brought up. It is undeniable how recognizable the town of Bikini Bottom and its inhabitants are to the general public.
“SpongeBob SquarePants” cultural impact on those who did and did not watch the show is something that will most likely not be replicated. With the many memorable aspects of the series, it is no surprise that it lasted this long.
15 seasons, 303 episodes, more than several movies, video games, clothing, accessories and a franchise worth $13 billion dollars in merchandise revenue. With all of these, it is no wonder that the yellow sponge’s face is practically everywhere.
Even when “SpongeBob SquarePants” comes to an eventual end, people will still be talking about the cartoon for years to come.
