SpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated television series created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. The series is set in the fictional underwater city of Bikini Bottom, and centers on the adventures and endeavors of SpongeBob SquarePants, an over-optimistic sea sponge that annoys other characters. Many of the ideas for the show originated in an unpublished, educational comic book titled The Intertidal Zone, which Hillenburg created in the mid-1980s. He began developing SpongeBob SquarePants into a television series in 1996 upon the cancellation of Rocko's Modern Life, another Nickelodeon television series which Hillenburg previously directed.
Since its debut on May 1, 1999, SpongeBob SquarePants has broadcast 188 episodes, and its ninth season premiered on July 21, 2012. The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, a feature-length film, was released in theaters on November 19, 2004 and grossed over US$140 million worldwide. Atlantis Squarepantis, a television film guest starring David Bowie, debuted as part of the fifth season. In 2009, Nickelodeon began celebrating the show's tenth anniversary with Square Roots: The Story of SpongeBob SquarePants and SpongeBob's Truth or Square. In 2013, it was reported that a tenth season is in production and was scheduled to air in 2014, but has been postponed.
Episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants have been nominated for a variety of different awards, including 17 Annie Awards (with six wins), 17 Golden Reel Awards (with eight wins), 15 Emmy Awards (with one win), 13 Kids' Choice Awards (with 12 wins), and four BAFTA Children's Awards (with two wins). Several compilation DVDs have been released. In addition, the first eight seasons have been released on DVD, and are available for Regions 1, 2 and 4 as of March 12, 2013.
Series overview
Episodes
Season 1 (1999â€"2000)
The first season of SpongeBob SquarePants consists of 20 episodes (41 segments), which are listed below as ordered on the DVD collection and not in their original broadcast or production order.
Season 2 (2000â€"02)
The second season of SpongeBob SquarePants consists of 20 episodes (39 segments), which are listed below as ordered on the DVD collection and not in their original broadcast or production order.
Season 3 (2001â€"04)
The third season of SpongeBob SquarePants consists of 20 episodes (37 segments), which are listed below as ordered on the DVD collection and not in their original broadcast or production order.
Season 4 (2005â€"07)
The fourth season of SpongeBob SquarePants consists of 20 episodes (38 segments), which are listed below as ordered on the DVD collection and not in their original broadcast or production order.
Season 5 (2007â€"09)
The fifth season of SpongeBob SquarePants consists of 20 episodes (41 segments), which are listed below as ordered on the DVD collection and not in their original broadcast or production order.
Season 6 (2008â€"10)
The sixth season of SpongeBob SquarePants consists of 26 episodes (47 segments), which are listed below as ordered on the DVD collection and not in their original broadcast or production order.
Season 7 (2009â€"11)
The seventh season of SpongeBob SquarePants consists of 26 episodes (50 segments), which are listed below as ordered on the DVD collection and not in their original broadcast or production order.
Season 8 (2011â€"12)
The eighth season of SpongeBob SquarePants consists of 26 episodes (47 segments), which are listed below as ordered on the DVD collection and not in their original broadcast or production order.
Season 9 (2012â€"15)
Season 10
In 2013, it was reported that a tenth season is in production and was expected to air in 2014, but it did not air that year. On December 10, 2014, Paul Tibbitt announced on his Twitter page that Stephen Hillenburg would return to work on the show in January 2015.
Notes
References
Works cited
- Banks, Steven (September 24, 2004). SpongeBob Exposed! The Insider's Guide to SpongeBob SquarePants. Schigiel, Gregg (Illustrator). Simon Spotlight/Nickelodeon. ISBNÂ 978-0-689-86870-2.Â
- Neuwirth, Allan (2003). Makin' Toons: Inside the Most Popular Animated TV Shows and Movies. Allworth Communications, Inc. pp. 50, 252â€"253. ISBN 1-58115-269-8.Â
External links
- Official website
- SpongeBob SquarePants at the Internet Movie Database
- SpongeBob SquarePants at TV.com
- SpongeBob SquarePants at DMOZ
- SpongeBob SquarePants at the Big Cartoon DataBase
