SpongeBob SquarePants (character) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids SpongeBob SquarePants |
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| SpongeBob SquarePants character | |
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| Created by | Stephen Hillenburg |
| Designed by | Stephen Hillenburg |
| Portrayed by | Ethan Slater (Broadway) |
| Voiced by | Tom Kenny |
| Information | |
| Species | Yellow tube sponge |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Fry cook |
| Family | Harold SquarePants (father) Margaret SquarePants (mother) |
| Relatives |
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SpongeBob SquarePants is the main character of the American animated TV show SpongeBob SquarePants on Nickelodeon. He is famous for being very optimistic and having a happy, childlike personality. The voice of SpongeBob is provided by actor Tom Kenny.
SpongeBob lives in the underwater city of Bikini Bottom. He often finds himself in silly and funny situations with his friends. The character was created by Stephen Hillenburg, who was an artist and a teacher of marine science (the study of ocean life).
SpongeBob first appeared in the episode "Help Wanted" on May 1, 1999. Since then, he has become one of the most famous cartoon characters in the world, loved by both kids and adults.
Contents
Creating SpongeBob
The Idea for a Sponge Character
The creator of SpongeBob, Stephen Hillenburg, loved the ocean ever since he was a child. In college, he studied marine biology and art. After graduating in 1984, he worked at the Ocean Institute in California, where he taught visitors about ocean life.
While working there, he created a comic book called The Intertidal Zone. The comic's host was a character named "Bob the Sponge," who looked like a real sea sponge. This character was the first idea that would later become SpongeBob.
In 1987, Hillenburg decided to become an animator. He worked on the TV show Rocko's Modern Life. There, a writer saw his old comic book and suggested he should create a TV show about sea animals. This gave Hillenburg the idea to create SpongeBob SquarePants.
When Rocko's Modern Life ended in 1996, Hillenburg started working on his new show. He used characters from his comic, like a starfish, a crab, and of course, a sponge. He wanted the sponge to be the main character of the show.
Designing the Character
Hillenburg wanted SpongeBob to be a funny and innocent character, like the famous comedian Jerry Lewis. An early drawing showed SpongeBob wearing a red hat and a white shirt with a tie. Over time, his look changed into the character we know today, with his famous brown square pants.
Originally, the character was going to be named SpongeBoy. But after the voice actors recorded the first episode, Hillenburg found out that the name "SpongeBoy" was already being used for another product.
He knew the new name had to have "Sponge" in it so people wouldn't think he was a block of cheese. He came up with the name "SpongeBob" and added "SquarePants" as a last name because of the character's square shape.
When Hillenburg first showed the idea to Nickelodeon, the executives wanted SpongeBob to be a kid who went to school. Hillenburg wanted him to be an adult. They made a compromise by creating the character Mrs. Puff. She is a driving instructor, so SpongeBob can go to her boating school as an adult student.
According to some episodes, SpongeBob's birthday is July 14, 1986. This means he is 39 as of September 2025[update] old.
The Voice of SpongeBob
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SpongeBob is voiced by Tom Kenny, who had worked with Stephen Hillenburg on Rocko's Modern Life. When Hillenburg created SpongeBob, he knew he wanted Kenny to be the voice.
Kenny had used a similar high-pitched voice for a small character in Rocko's Modern Life. Hillenburg remembered that voice and played a video to remind Kenny how it sounded. When Kenny performed the voice, Hillenburg said, "That's it—I don't want to hear anybody else do the voice. We've got SpongeBob."
SpongeBob's high-pitched laugh was made to be unique and memorable, like the laughs of other famous cartoon characters such as Popeye and Woody Woodpecker.
Over the years, SpongeBob's voice has become a little higher. Kenny says this happened naturally as he voiced the character in more and more situations. When the show is dubbed for other languages, the voice actors use Kenny's performance as a guide but often add their own special touches.
SpongeBob's Life in Bikini Bottom
SpongeBob is a very friendly, innocent, and energetic sea sponge. He lives in the underwater city of Bikini Bottom in a pineapple-shaped house with his pet snail, Gary.
He works as a fry cook at the Krusty Krab, a fast-food restaurant. He loves his job and is very loyal to his boss, Eugene Krabs, a crab who loves money but also acts like a father to SpongeBob. His co-worker is Squidward Tentacles, a grumpy octopus who is also SpongeBob's next-door neighbor.
SpongeBob's best friend is a starfish named Patrick Star. His other close friend is Sandy Cheeks, a squirrel from Texas who lives in an underwater dome. SpongeBob's favorite hobbies are catching jellyfish, practicing karate with Sandy, and blowing bubbles.
Because he is so optimistic, SpongeBob doesn't always realize when other characters are annoyed with him. For example, he thinks Squidward is his good friend, even though Squidward usually finds him very annoying. One of SpongeBob's biggest dreams is to get his driver's license from Mrs. Puff's boating school, but he always gets nervous and crashes during the driving test.
SpongeBob in the Real World
SpongeBob is so popular that many different products have been made based on him.
- In 2002, SpongeBob dolls were selling at a rate of 75,000 per week. That was faster than the popular Tickle Me Elmo dolls.
- In 2009, a jewelry company released a diamond necklace shaped like SpongeBob that cost $75,000.
- In 2013, Build-A-Bear Workshop released a collection of SpongeBob SquarePants toys.
- Also in 2013, the car company Toyota created a special SpongeBob-themed Toyota Highlander car. The car was yellow with SpongeBob's face on the front.
See also
In Spanish: Bob Esponja Pantalones Cuadrados para niños
