SpongeBob SquarePants

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.

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 trousers--hence his surname--and black shoes. He replaces the necktie with a bowtie for special occasions.

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 superhuman durability, though the latter tends to fluctuate depending on the episode.

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 innocuous, his zealousness in performing many tasks can cause major problems; when SpongeBob puts his mind to a job, he will stick to it almost religiously, and go to extreme lengths to accomplish it.

SpongeBob is said to be an adult, but he has a very childlike manner--he is not ashamed to enjoy things generally associated with younger children, such as cartoons and homemade cookies. He is not good at discerning sarcasm from sincerity, and, at times, is very literal-minded, which can lead to disaster for those around him. Despite these traits, his lightweight appearance, and his lack of physical strength, SpongeBob considers himself very 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 hundreds of times. As such, he is highly favored by his boss, Eugene H. 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 the tomboyish 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 often receives the brunt of the consequences of SpongeBob's actions, often by being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

A recurring joke in the series reveals that SpongeBob is incapable of getting his driving 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.

Despite the fact that Spongebob is invincible, he suffers from dehydration from an episode "Tea at the Treedome" where Spongebob panics that there is no water. He nearly dies of dehydration (along with Patrick) when the two failed to get out of the treedome.

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

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 have 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."