There has always been a heavy presence of the Nickelodeon animated series SpongeBob SquarePants. It has been a mainstay on Nickelodeon and children’s television for almost two decades, but ever since the beginning of memes in the mid-2000s, this yellow sponge has been a consistent mainstay. I should know, as someone who has shitposted online ever since I had access to the Internet. I remember the days when iconic quotes like “No, This is Patrick,” and “CHOCOLATE!” were often uttered. I remember the days when Patrick had the spotlight with “Patrick Hates this Channel” and “Surprised Patrick” were everywhere. I remember the days when the Handsome Squidward episode came out, and his face populated Internet message boards the world over. Honestly, just about every episode from the first three seasons had some famous quote or gag associated with it.
But while other properties and franchises had died off, SpongeBob continued to grow and grow, to the point where just about every other month had a new meme. I remember it very vividly in 2015 with “Confused Mr. Krabs.” 2016 would later see “Caveman Spongebob.” 2017 saw “Mocking Spongebob.” And in 2018, within just a few weeks, there are not one, not two, but three different Spongebob memes. “Evil Patrick,” “Tired Spongebob,” and “Krusty Krab vs. Chum Bucket.” You can’t go through one scroll through your Twitter feed without seeing at least one of these pop up.
The question is, why exactly is this cartoon the one that continues to get new memes over and over again? Other cartoons and shows have gotten hit with memes in the past, including Nickelodeon programs like Jimmy Neutron and Drake & Josh, but SpongeBob is the only one that seems to have something fresh every couple of months. Is there a reason why Internet culture prioritizes this show above everything else?
It was while analyzing the show I came up with a few reasons. The main reason is that SpongeBob is probably the most recognizable cartoon since the Looney Tunes. It’s become one of those rare shows where just about everybody has seen the show at least once, including people who don’t even have kids. He’s up there alongside Mickey and Bugs in recognition, which gives him universal appeal both as a show and as a deliverer of memes.
The show is so popular to the point that it has been Nickelodeon’s #1 show pretty much since its inception, especially once the early 2000s rolled around. A 2009 post on the animation forum site ToonZone reveals that between 2005 to May 2009, the show has aired over 5,162.5 hours, which translates to about 97 hours a month within those time frames. Considering the channel has to share time between the Nick Jr. preschool block and the Nick @ Nite block, that only further emphasizes just how much SpongeBob has aired in just that time frame. Just one look at the Nickelodeon schedule shows that Spongebob has a clear dominance over all of the other shows the channel airs.
Outside of the show’s popularity, there is a sick interest many have in taking something for kids, removing the innocence, and adding in raunchiness. It’s the kind of corruption that has also been found with the countless memes based off of the PBS Kids show Arthur. We as a culture love taking media intended for children and making it appealing towards adults. SpongeBob memes are not an exact replica of this idea, but the fact that the most popular brand in Hollywood cinema is Marvel, a comic books company which largely had its comic issues targeting young kids, is now something enjoyed by grown adults does say quite a bit in how we like taking the stuff for kids and morphing them into something that is appealing to twenty and thirtysomethings. The first generation of kids who watched Spongebob in its early era, from the beginning of the show to the first movie are the ones who were born into the Internet, are now grown up, and have experienced the show, making it something immensely appealing and relatable to a good chunk of people. After all, other kids shows from the early 2000s, like Ed, Edd n Eddy, and Drake & Josh have also been hit with the meme craze, so having the most popular kids show of that time period be such a huge part of Internet culture is understandable.
But perhaps the main reason as to why this show has gotten so much love amongst the denizens of the Internet is the fact that SpongeBob SquarePants was a proto-Internet. Every single episode was silly, crazy, frenetic, surreal, and stupid. Nautical nonsense, if you will. Those adjectives perfectly describe certain factions of the Internet. In between the breakthroughs it has created in terms of communication and the like, the Internet is full of silly, goofy, and weird areas. To some, it is idiotic and ridiculous, but to a specific group of dwellers, it is the perfect canvas to paint on. A place where the ridiculous and surreal can live on. A place where inside jokes and references are king. A place for people to call home. And the twentysomethings that call the Internet home called Bikini Bottom home when they were youngsters, only helping the show’s influence online.
There is an oddity towards the obsession of SpongeBob amongst those on the Internet, but since the show was a gateway to countless laughs online, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
