happy 25th birthday Spongebob!! 🧽🍍🛟

[xSuperMario64x]

I didn't post about this yesterday (busy busy Bug lately), but twenty-five years ago yesterday (May 1st 1999), Spongebob aired its pilot episode on Nickelodeon!

the show premiered basically right before I was born, so it was a huge part of my childhood. I loved watching it as a kid, and as a mid-20s adult I still very much enjoy watching the earlier seasons. I actually just watched the first three seasons again only a few weeks ago hehe

have you watched Spongebob before? what's your opinion on it? how do you feel about the newer episodes? what do you think about the three "eras" (pre-movie, post-movie aka dark ages, and modern) and how they differ so greatly? do you own any merch or video games for the show? I'd love to hear others' experiences with it!

 

[Suguri]

Oh, wowzers! Happy 25th anniversary to one of the most iconic TV shows!

Yeah, me and my siblings used to watch Nickelodeon and they ran and reran a lot of SpongeBob episodes. I wouldn't say I was a fan of the series (even though I liked the episodes) but my brother enjoyed it. I think it was his favorite show or something back then. We even had a DVD of the first SpongeBob movie, and despite what I mentioned earlier about me not being a fan, I watched that a billion times in a DVD player in our car. It was fun!

I don't have a lot of merch but there's this thing sitting on top of the shelf in my room.

We got it at a Universal Studios theme park a long time ago. I think it was supposed to be some kind of bottle for drinks because I have a vague memory that there was a hole where you could insert a straw. I could be wrong, though. I can't be bothered to get it down.

Even though I feel like I've outgrown SpongeBob and Nickelodeon in general nowadays, it never hurts for me to rewatch a few episodes. I can only do up to Season 3, though, because I've heard bad things about the episodes after that point, and so they didn't feel right to me.

 

[Yoshi155]

Happy 25th anniversary, SpongeBob!

Anyway, to answer the questions:

- I’ve watched SpongeBob before. It’s actually one of my favorite TV shows. The writers (at least before season 6) are actually really good at what they do.
- the best era is pre movie. The writing was the best and the show was the funniest here. The next best is the post movie era. While seasons 6-7 are pretty bad, and seasons 8-9 are a little mediocre but at the very least better than the last two seasons, seasons 4-5 are almost on par with the first three seasons and they have some really great episodes, so the first two seasons of this era really carry it. The reason the middle seasons of this era are so bad is because there’s worse writing and too much reliance on gross out and a lot of stuff that shouldn’t be in kids’ shows. The worst episodes here, like The Splinter, A Pal For Gary, and One Coarse Meal show this the best. The worst is the modern era. There are some pretty good episodes, but they focus way too much on exaggerated animation rather than writing quality. And also, older seasons, even the dark era, were aimed at children but others could watch it and still find it entertaining, but now the show feels more like it’s aimed exclusively at children. Which is what it’s supposed to be, since it’s a kids’ show, but it’s kind of sad because it used to be something meant for children but people of all ages could enjoy. And now it’s in the state of a lot of long running shows like The Simpsons and Family Guy where it clearly doesn’t have anything else to do and there’s no reason it should still be airing new episodes, but this is SpongeBob, so they can’t just cancel it because it’s making money. So yeah, the modern era is the worst.
- I don’t have any SpongeBob video games, but I do have this SpongeBob pillowcase. Now that I think about it Mario is really the only thing I have a lot of merch for lol.

 

[SkyKnight03]

I was born after 1999, but I retain memories of the early seasons thanks to reruns. I watched the show all the time during childhood, and still constantly quote it. I must have watched the Spongebob SquarePants Movie a dozen times too. (at the time: what the heck is a david hasselhoff)?

I'm not as furiously against the new episodes as some, because I still think most of them are better than the average cartoon produced. I do think those first 3 season set such a high standard, and the changes in characterization (especially dumbing down patrick) are a valid reason for people to dislike the new ones.

As far as games go, I have Battle for Bikini Bottom and The Cosmic Shake.

My favorite 'modern' episodes (post season 3) are Dunces and Dragons and Roller Cowards.

 

[Croconaw]

Wow, I'm actually older than Spongebob? I sort of knew that, but this thread has it sinking in.

Is anyone else obsessed with those Spongebob popsicles? I missed when the eyes were gumballs. They changed to chocolate balls at a point, and it's just not the same. I recently found out they actually have those popsicles in packs, so you're not forced to buy them individually at a gas station! I'll have to pick up a box eventually.

 

[Seastar]

Yeah, I am slightly older than this show.
I don't know what season I stopped watching it at but admittedly, I have mostly only seen older episodes.
I vaguely remember when the show was new. I remember I was at my great aunt's house and she put it on SpongeBob and asked if I liked it. Her tone sounded like she wasn't sure what it was. She's also not around anymore.
I also saw this amazingly weird commercial air. I don't know why Squidward sounds off, though.

Unfortunately the beginning is missing and I can no longer find a video with it but I remember it went something like "Steve is going off to college. So who's going to be the new host of Blue's Clues?"

I still like SpongeBob, I just haven't watched any of the newest episodes.
As for merchandise, I cannot remember what I still own but I do have the remake of Battle for Bikini Bottom for the Switch. I need to finish it...

 

[rocketspruggs]

I was born a year after the show premiered, it's a big part of my childhood. I still have some games and merchandise related to the show.

I believe that there are still good and tolerable episodes, even after its first movie came out. Even the infamous episodes can be written and produced better, compared to infamous episodes of other long-running shows, depending on one's point of view.

 

[Mr.Fox]

I'm big on cartoons in general, so I enjoy Spongebob. The early seasons were easily the best (Tea At The Treedome is the episode that hooked me), and although I still enjoy the show in a basic sense, the writing has become a bit stupid and sloppy. Either last season or the one before, I watched an episode where there were 'hippies' living inside a giant soup pot at the Krusty Krab, and I thought to myself even for Spongebob this is a bit stupid.
I find Plankton to be a great character in general, so any of his episodes are great in my books.

 

[AccfSally]

I'm older than the show, but I have a brother who is the same age as it. But wow... it's been that long. Due to this I have a bias for the older episodes. I don't hate the current ones. Matter of fact I don't even have cable anymore so I don't get to see them. But from the clips I see online, it seems very different now.

As for stuff. We use to have a couple of the SpongeBob VHS tapes, have no clue what happened to them. I also had one of the games on the GBA and a doll that was a prize, no clue what happened to them too.

 

[Millysaurusrexjr]

Well don't I feel old now!!

I remember when Spongebob was a new cartoon! I watched it quite a bit as a kid but it was not my very favorite cartoon.. I love Tom Kenny though, he is a treasure

I think the episode I'm most nostalgic about is the one where Spongebob ends up in Rock Bottom.. I really wanted to try those glove candy things

 

[Dim]

Happy Birthday Spongebob! This truly one of, if not, the greatest cartoon in history! Thank you Stephen Hillenburg!

 

[Hopeless Opus]

happy birthday spongebob we grew up together.

 

[LambdaDelta]

happy quarter century, spongebob

quarter century secret rare spongebob yugioh card when

 

[Neb]

I watched SpongeBob almost every day for most of my childhood. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen every episode from seasons 1-6 at least 5 times and the first movie over 15 times. The first three seasons definitely had the best jokes, but I liked the art style of seasons 4-7 more. I quit watching the series around 2012. I’ve only seen bits of the second movie and never watched the third movie. I haven’t watched any newer episodes beyond a few from season 8.

My favorite episode was always SB-129. I loved time travel stories as a kid and that one was super creative and fun. I didn’t realize how existential it got until I was much older. Spongehedge always confused me growing up and that fan theory that it’s the true finale of the series makes me really sad.

My least favorite episodes were the ones with the boil, the one where SpongeBob got sick, and the one where fleas infested Sandy’s done. The first two were just disgusting and not funny. The third one gave me a phobia of fleas I still haven’t gotten over.