SpongeBob SquarePants

This article is about the character.If you want to know about the show,click SpongeBob SquarePants (Tv Show)

SpongeBob SquarePants is the eponymous character of the Nickelodeon animated series SpongeBob SquarePants. He was designed by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg, and is voiced by Tom Kenny.

SpongeBob was originally going to be named SpongeBoy, and used to wear a red hat with a green base and a white business shirt with a tie. The name "SpongeBoy" did not make it into the show since the name was already officially trademarked by Bob Burden, creator of Flaming Carrot. Hillenburg later chose the alternative name "SpongeBob". The original name was once referenced in the show by Mr. Krabs' line, "SpongeBoy, me Bob!."

Appearance and characteristics

SpongeBob is a porous yellow sponge with large blue eyes, a mouth with prominent front teeth, dimples and freckles. He is also, at times, shown to have hair. He typically wears a white shirt with a red tie and brown square trousers--hence his surname--and black shoes. He replaces the necktie with a bowtie for special occasions. He sleeps sometimes in pajamas, or in underwear.SpongeBob is a sea sponge, but he is drawn to resemble a kitchen sponge, apparently because Hillenburg found this design to be more amusing. Due to his soft, pliable frame, he is capable of shape shifting and has shown a degree of super"human" durability.

SpongeBob lives with his pet snail Gary in a large "pineapple-house". The house has been shown to be edible.

Character info

SpongeBob is marked for his cheerful nature. He is kind almost to a fault, and tries his hardest to make friends with those around him. Though he is generally harmless, he can become very dangerous when he puts his mind to a task; when SpongeBob focuses on a job, he will stick to it almost religiously, and go to extreme lengths to accomplish it.

SpongeBob is an adult, but he has a very childlike manner--he is not ashamed of enjoying things associated with young children, such as cartoons and homemade cookies. He cries about the littlest things in almost all episodes. He cannot discern sarcasm very well, and is very literal-minded. Despite these traits and his lack of physical strength, SpongeBob considers himself very tough and mature, and has attempted--and failed--to prove his "manliness" on many occasions.

SpongeBob has a career as a fry cook at the Krusty Krab restaurant. In spite of his meager salary (he once claimed that he is forced to pay his own boss) and the restaurant's poor working conditions, he is very proud of his trade. He is highly skilled at his job, and has won the Employee of the Month award three hundred seventy-four times. As such, he is highly favored by his boss, Mr. Krabs, with whom he has a twisted avuncular relationship; SpongeBob often follows Krabs's orders against his own better judgment.

SpongeBob's best friends are the dimwitted Patrick Star and Sandy Cheeks, whom he often attempts to best in fights and competitions. He has an awkward relationship with his neighbor Squidward Tentacles, who despises SpongeBob, though the sponge views him as very close friend and cannot be convinced otherwise. Squidward receives the brunt of the consequences of SpongeBob's actions, often by being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

SpongeBob is an enthusiastic practitioner of karate. His level of skill varies between episodes; at times he can can defeat Sandy with ease, and at others he is incompetent.

A recurring joke in the series reveals that SpongeBob is incapable of getting his driver's license. He has attended Mrs. Puff's boating school for many years, and each year, manages to fail his driving test. SpongeBob attributes this to nervousness behind the wheel; despite knowing how to drive, he loses his composure when driving, often ending up in a car accident.

SpongeBob's Family

• Grandma SquarePants
• Grandpa SquarePants
• Mrs. SquarePants (mother)
• Mr. SquarePants (father)
• Uncle Cap'n Blue SquarePants
• Uncle Sherm SquarePants
• Cousin Todd SquarePants
• Cousin BlackJack SquarePants
• Cousin Stanley S. SquarePants

Controversy

The creators of Spongebob Squarepants have been attacked by some evangelical groups in the US because they see the character SpongeBob as homosexual, ever since the episode Rock-A-Bye-Bivalve, in which Patrick and Spongebob were parenting a baby scallop.

James Dobson of Focus on the Family accused the makers of a video in which SpongeBob appears with other cartoon characters meant to promote diversity and tolerance as promoting homosexuality. Creator of the character, Stephen Hillenburg, has denied that Spongebob is gay and has said that he is in fact asexual.

Dobson later clarified his comments by saying his original complaints were not with the video, but with the We Are Family Foundation, who he says make available pro-homosexual material on their website. After the controversy, John H. Thomas, the United Church of Christ's general minister and president said they would welcome SpongeBob into their ministry. He said, "Jesus didn't turn people away. Neither do we."