The Spongebob Thread

[SGR]

As a millennial, I was around during the early days of Spongebob, where I think it was at it's absolute best (first 3 or 4 seasons). I think pound for pound, it's probably my favorite cartoon ever (even eclipsing more adult oriented cartoons that I might find more engaging nowadays like The Simpsons, Bob's Burgers, Futurama, etc). To this day, I can put on those early episodes and still laugh my ass off. Man, Spongebob was special.

So this thread is for all things Spongebob. For those of you who were too old to watch Spongebob, tell us all the reasons you don't understand its popularity and how, back in your day, they made real cartoons like Looney Tunes and The Flintstones. What's your all time favorite Spongebob episode? Mine happens to be "Rock Bottom". I don't think there's anything that makes me laugh more when I'm high than watching this sequence:

It's the plot, the music, the animation, the complete ridiculousness and irreverence of it all, there was nothing like it. Back in its heyday, cartoons like Fairly Odd Parents, Codename Kids Next Door, Catdog, Foster's Home for Imaginary friends, etc were shows you'd put on when Spongebob wasn't on.

Speaking of watching Spongebob when you're high, this is the height of Spongebob art when you're high. It's pretty dumb when you're stone sober, but when you're high? Man...

Is this thread about Spongebob or about being high? I guess I'll let you decide.

[Lexi Darling]

I like the first 3 seasons. I'm not as attached to it as some millennials are, it was more my little sister's thing back then. But I watched it too, mostly with her. It's probably just down to the difference in age, but I have more fondness for the mid-late 90s era of Nickelodeon.

I'd actually disagree with there being nothing like it, Rocko's Modern Life I feel has a similar irreverence and iirc a lot of the people who later worked on SpongeBob worked on it.

But yeah, peak SpongeBob is some good shit. My favorite episodes are probably Squidville (I looooooove fried oyster skins!) and Krusty Krab Training Video, because I love meta stuff like that.

[SGR]

I like the first 3 seasons. I'm not as attached to it as some millennials are, it was more my little sister's thing back then. But I watched it too, mostly with her. It's probably just down to the difference in age, but I have more fondness for the mid-late 90s era of Nickelodeon.

I'd actually disagree with there being nothing like it, Rocko's Modern Life I feel has a similar irreverence and iirc a lot of the people who later worked on SpongeBob worked on it.

But yeah, peak SpongeBob is some good shit. My favorite episodes are probably Squidville (I looooooove fried oyster skins!) and Krusty Krab Training Video, because I love meta stuff like that.

Also a big Rocko fan. Love the show, but it doesn't quite satisfy the same itch for me as early Spongebob. I suppose I can though see how one might find them similar. Also, remember Cow & Chicken? Loved that one.

Squidville is great! Damn, as a kid, I always thought Squidward was the heel of the show, and nowadays, I relate most to him 

[Psy-Fi]

I've probably seen around 25 to 30 episodes total from various seasons since the show first aired. Haven't watched enough to choose a favorite season or seasons of the show, though.

Any show that features a Tiny Tim song as a soundtrack, is cool in my book...

Tiny Tim - Living in the Sunlight

[Lisnaholic]

Spongebob makes me think of the number of times my son and his best friend sat on our sofa together, laughing through episode after episode; in the end they infected me with its joyous nonsense too. Thanks for the reminder, SGR.

The band episode was a favourite, with this dialogue that took place during their first rehearsal:

Squidward: Can anyone here play a musical instrument?
Patrick: Is mayonnaise a musical instrument?

Other favourites: the episode when Bob is on his best behaviour, but dehydrating, as he tries to impress a land-based girl. Also, every time Squidward gets annoyed, which of course is every episode, and finally the driving lessons with that lady: was she called Mrs.Puff ?

[Lisnaholic]

I like the first 3 seasons. I'm not as attached to it as some millennials are, it was more my little sister's thing back then. But I watched it too, mostly with her. It's probably just down to the difference in age, but I have more fondness for the mid-late 90s era of Nickelodeon.

I'd actually disagree with there being nothing like it, Rocko's Modern Life I feel has a similar irreverence and iirc a lot of the people who later worked on SpongeBob worked on it.

^ Hey, that's exactly when my son was spending hours watching Nickelodeon too: that, and Cartoon Network.
I remember Rocko's Modern Life as it was so bizarre, and also Angry Beavers for similar reasons. Not me so much, but my son also liked Cow & Chicken, Catdog and Johnny Bravo, plus Pokemon, which he was fascinated by.

[SGR]

Spongebob makes me think of the number of times my son and his best friend sat on our sofa together, laughing through episode after episode; in the end they infected me with its joyous nonsense too. Thanks for the reminder, SGR.

The band episode was a favourite, with this dialogue that took place during their first rehearsal:

Squidward: Can anyone here play a musical instrument?
Patrick: Is mayonnaise a musical instrument?

Other favourites: the episode when Bob is on his best behaviour, but dehydrating, as he tries to impress a land-based girl. Also, every time Squidward gets annoyed, which of course is every episode, and finally the driving lessons with that lady: was she called Mrs.Puff ?

I'm really happy to hear that Spongebob was able to bring father and son together and make for some undoubtedly treasured memories, Lisna! 

Ah yes, "Band Geeks"! You'd be hapy to know that many Spongebob afficionados cite that episode as the all time best in the series, so great pick! I think one of the things Spongebob, in its early days, did so well is defy expectations of the viewer (as most good comedy does). That episode in particular, after watching example after example of the band's complete incompetence (even resulting in the death of one pilot)...building and building as Squidward gets more and more nervous - all for it to, for whatever reason, come together perfectly. One of the rare (in my memory) instances in the show where everything works out for Squidward. Usually, even when it appears that everything works out for Squidward (in an episode like 'Squidville'), in the end it doesn't. Definitely a great moment in the show.

One other episode deserving mention, and I think the only Spongebob episode to be pulled from TV rotation, was "Midlife Krustacean", the episode in which Mr. Krabs feels old and, in an effort to feel young and hip again, he hangs out with Spongebob and Patrick. Mr. Krabs quickly learns that Spongebob and Patrick are not, in fact, hip at all. As he's about to go home though, Spongebob and Patrick have one last idea: a panty raid. The twist at the end always gets me giggling. And just the fact that they decided to include a scene like this in Spongebob is hilarious itself.

 

[.]

It's one of the best cartoons ever made imo. And I agree that the first few seasons are especially good. The humor is still good even to today's standards.

[Lexi Darling]

I think most of my favorite episodes are from the second season. Dying for Pie, Graveyard Shift, Sailor Mouth, those are all winners. Felt like they were riding the crest of a creative wave.

I do admit I experienced Spongebob burnout for a while in the late 10s because of people online incessantly making random frames from it into meme formats. But going through the episode list I'm remembering how good that old stuff was.

[Lisnaholic]

I'm really happy to hear that Spongebob was able to bring father and son together and make for some undoubtedly treasured memories, Lisna! 

Ah yes, "Band Geeks"! You'd be hapy to know that many Spongebob afficionados cite that episode as the all time best in the series, so great pick! I think one of the things Spongebob, in its early days, did so well is defy expectations of the viewer (as most good comedy does). That episode in particular, after watching example after example of the band's complete incompetence (even resulting in the death of one pilot)...building and building as Squidward gets more and more nervous - all for it to, for whatever reason, come together perfectly. One of the rare (in my memory) instances in the show where everything works out for Squidward. Usually, even when it appears that everything works out for Squidward (in an episode like 'Squidville'), in the end it doesn't. Definitely a great moment in the show.

Thanks, SGR: yes, that was a particularly happy period in my life, when my son was small. And you're right, the triumph of that final performance is a real surprise.

One other episode deserving mention, and I think the only Spongebob episode to be pulled from TV rotation, was "Midlife Krustacean", the episode in which Mr. Krabs feels old and, in an effort to feel young and hip again, he hangs out with Spongebob and Patrick. Mr. Krabs quickly learns that Spongebob and Patrick are not, in fact, hip at all. As he's about to go home though, Spongebob and Patrick have one last idea: a panty raid. The twist at the end always gets me giggling. And just the fact that they decided to include a scene like this in Spongebob is hilarious itself.

^ Yes that's a surprising departure from what you'd expect from a kids program !!
Something else I liked about Spongebob: the way it would occassionally jump from cartoon to real actors mode, and it was always done so cheaply, with an attitude of "Kids don't care, so we don't care! Their imaginations will carry them through."

Spoiler

Not a cartoon, but there was one kids program, from Chile, that had a similar approach in terms of cheap effects, lots of imagination, and occassional "adult" topics, and that was called 31 Minutos. Here's an episode that's been dubbed into English:-

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