SpongeBob
SquarePants

SpongeBob SquarePants—or just SpongeBob to his friends—is the wildly popular animated series created by former marine biologist-turned-animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. It became the twelfth official Nicktoon and has been brought to life by Nickelodeon Animation Studio and United Plankton Pictures.

Back in 1997, Hillenburg pitched the show to Nickelodeon, but the network wasn’t convinced at first. They wanted a classic “kids in school” setup and even asked him to add a teacher. Hillenburg nearly scrapped the idea, since he always imagined SpongeBob as an adult. But instead of giving up, he introduced Mrs. Puff, SpongeBob’s boating-school teacher—adding the school element without changing who SpongeBob was meant to be. Problem solved!

The show first appeared on May 1, 1999, right after the Kids' Choice Awards, with the episodes “Help Wanted,” “Reef Blower,” and “Tea at the Treedome.” A few months later, on July 17, fans officially dove into Bikini Bottom with the regular series launch.

From there, SpongeBob became a massive hit, quickly becoming the most-watched Saturday morning cartoon. By 2002, over 56 million people—kids and adults—were tuning in. Today, the series has aired more than 300 episodes and is now making waves in its sixteenth season, which debuted on June 27, 2025.