This article was written for the August '24 issue of Animation Magazine (No. 342).

1999 was a big year for animation: While major features such as Disney’s Tarzan, Pixar’s Toy Story 2 and Brad Bird’s The Iron Giant opened in theaters, the TV and cable scene was also blazing with influential shows such as Batman Beyond, Family Guy, Futurama and Ed, Edd n Eddy.

But among the many animated shows that premiered 25 years ago, none has had the lasting power or pop culture impact as Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants. Created by the much-loved former marine biologist Stephen Hillenburg, the highly original, funny and easy-to-love series quickly became the animated show that everyone wanted to emulate but, frankly, never even came close to repeating its special kind of magic.

Sadly, Hillenburg passed away at 57 from ALS in 2018, but his legacy continues to shine today. The series is now in its 15th season on Nickelodeon, and its two spinoff series, Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years and The Patrick Star Show, are faring well with audiences too. There have been three clever, successful movies — The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004), Sponge Out of Water (2015) and Sponge on the Run (2020) — and a new one (Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie) premieres on Netflix this month. The streamer also announced that another feature, Plankton: The Movie, is in the works for 2025. To date, SpongeBob has won six Annie Awards, four Emmys, two BAFTA Children’s awards and has also inspired an acclaimed Broadway musical that premiered in 2017. And the optimistic yellow sponge’s entertainment empire shows no signs of losing its global appeal.

As showrunners and exec producers Marc Ceccarelli and Vincent Waller — CalArts grads who have been with the show since 1999 — see it, there’s no shortage of ideas or adventures for SpongeBob and his delightfully eccentric pals.

“It’s quite amazing as we now have crew members who grew up watching the show, so they’re taking all that knowledge and bringing [it] into the new episodes,” says Waller, who worked as a storyboard artist on such shows as The Ren & Stimpy Show, Duckman and Cow and Chicken before joining the SpongeBob team during its first season. He became the show’s creative director during Season 4, and in 2015, he became supervising producer and showrunner with Ceccarelli. “You put all the pain and the joy in your life into the show: That’s where comedy comes from, and nobody tells us, ‘Oh, that’s too weird … you can’t do that!”

Ceccarelli, a key member of the SpongeBob team since the start, agrees. “We’ve been so lucky, because this show, from its very inception with Steve [Hillenburg], has always been kind of about creativity and imagination. So, it allows us to take the lid off and just pour as much into it as we possibly can. We’re always trying new things to keep it fresh and alive with imagination.”

Of course, making audiences laugh has always been the show’s most important goal. “Our main mandate has always been to be funny,” adds Ceccarelli. “We don’t have to include messages or to teach children anything. We make a show that’s generally funny for a general audience, so everything’s laser-pointed on trying to find the funny in every scene. Each department’s goal is to make a scene funnier — from the writing to the storyboarding to the designs for the props. We’re making the show for ourselves first. We’re the test audience, and if it cracks us up, then we go ahead with it.”

Waller adds, “I can’t tell you how many times parents come up to me whenever we’re doing signings or when they just find out I’m working on the show and they tell us, ‘Thank you for making something I can watch too and not want to kill myself!’”

When it comes to the series’ stunning longevity, both Waller and Ceccarelli both believe that the unique characters dreamed up by Hillenburg a quarter-century ago play a big part in keeping the spark alive.

“SpongeBob is completely undaunted in anything and everything he does,” says Waller. “He is naive and has this pure heart, and just like Steve, he is always striving to make the world a better place. Plus, all the other characters are just the perfect supporting cast. It’s like there’s truly something for everybody, and we have the best cast I’ve ever worked with. It’s so completely well rounded, and you’re hitting all the bells as you go along.”

Ceccarelli says, “The fact that you have such a pure-hearted character at the center of it makes the show a completely uncynical, positive experience, even though a lot of the humor points out society’s foibles. But at the same time, you’re always looking at it through these rose-colored glasses worn by this naive, special little character.”

Waller believes that the late 1990s and early 2000s was a special time for TV animation because creators were allowed to run free with their ideas. “I might have a stilted point of view, but there was a big cartoon explosion that happened after Ren & Stimpy. People actually saw what you could get when you actually let cartoonists have the power and run with it; they’ll give you gold.”

“That’s what blew my mind when I was at CalArts,” recalls Ceccarelli. “When Ren & Stimpy came out, I was in the live-action program, and I thought, ‘Boy, did I make a big mistake!’ I should have been in the animation program. That’s why it took me 10 years to claw my way into animation!”

When asked about their favorite memories of working with Hillenburg, the two animation veterans have similar answers. Waller says, “Just hearing him laugh was the best. It wasn’t easy. It was hard to make him laugh. As they say, a laugh from a comedy writers’ room is a ‘HA!’ That’s like other people’s falling over and dying laughing.”

“Exactly, because we’re all kind of like comedy scientists,” explains Ceccarelli. “You are all putting the special formulas together. It’s great when you hear that a joke gets unprompted laughter.”

The duo has some important words of advice for animation hopefuls who want to have a long and rewarding career. Waller offers an easy mantra. “Draw, draw, draw!” he says. “And don’t be a jerk to work with!”

Ceccarelli adds, “What I’ve found out about this business is that it’s filled with really intelligent, thoughtful people, but they’re also really kind. It’s really a unique bunch of people. So, if you’re going to join this group of people, try and be the best version of yourself.”

“Remember that it’s always a group effort,” says Waller. “The great thing is that everybody gets to add something. Other people call it cleanup, but we call it plusers, because they’re not just making it a nicer drawing: They’re also adding more storytelling elements to the action or making the acting and comedy come through the action. Every job in the pipeline is important.”

Stephen Hillenburg on SpongeBob’s Beginnings

‘I think that the attitude of the show is about tolerance. Everybody is different, and the show embraces that. The character SpongeBob is an oddball. He’s kind of weird, but he’s kind of special.’

— Stephen Hillenburg (Wall Street Journal, 2002)

I had written an educational comic book about tide pools called The Intertidal Zone, which had a talking sponge …The original name was Spongeboy, but I couldn’t use that because it was copyrighted by a mop company.

When I pitched the show, I made this special seashell. You could pick it up and hear me singing: “Spongeboy, Spongeboy!” I also made an aquarium with Patrick planted on the side, SpongeBob sitting on a barrel and Squidward inside. I wore a Hawaiian shirt. I don’t know what they thought of it. Eventually, we pitched with a storyboard. The executive, Albie Hecht, walked out — then walked straight back in and said: “Let’s make this.”

From a 2016 interview with Stephen Hillenburg by Ben Beaumont-Thomas in The Guardian (full article here).

Seafaring Stars!

Throughout the years, SpongeBob SquarePants has welcomed a wide variety of stellar guest voices to Bikini Bottom. Here’s a handy list of actors, musicians, comedians and celebrity personalities that lent their voices during each season of the show. (Repeat guest spots are not included.)

Season 1— Ernest Borgnine, Tim Conway, Don Newhouse, Brian Doyle Murray, Ghastly Ones, Junior Brown, John O’Hurley, Jim Jarmusch, John Lurie, Charles Nelson Reilly

Season 2 — Ween, The Capsules, Brad Abrell, Corky Carroll, Marion Ross, Pantera, John Rhys-Davies, Frank Welker

Season 3 — Steve Kehela, Rodney Bingenheimer, Lux Interior, Kevin Michael Richardson, Martin Olson

Season 4 — Amy Poehler, Stew, C.H. Greenblatt, Robin Sachs, Rik Mayall, Nigel Planer, Christopher Ryan, Pat Morita

Season 5 — Patton Oswalt, Mark Hamill, Gene Shalit, David Bowie, John DiMaggio, Marion Ross, Garnett Sailor, R. Lee Ermey, Gene Simmons, Shannon Tweed, Ray Liotta, Andrea Martin, Christopher Guest

Season 6 — Alton Brown, Bruce Brown, Johnnn Depp, Davy Jones, Ian McShane, Dennis Quaid, Dee Snider, Rosario Dawson, Eddie Deezen, Craig Ferguson, Tina Fey, Ricky Gervais, LeBron James, Pink, Robert Smigel, Robin Williams, Gregg Turkington, Sebastian Bach, Victoria Beck

Season 7 — Burt Ward, Adam West, Laraine Newman, Ginnifer Goodwin, Kristen Wig, Amy Sedaris

Season 8 — Chris Elliott, Rich Fulcher, John Goodman, Andy Samberg, Johnny Knoxville, Michael McKean

Season 9 — Biz Markie, Frank Ferrante, Bob Barker, Aubrey Plaza, Betty White, Henry Winkler, David Leader, James Arnold Taylor, Jon Hamm

Season 10 — Ed Asner, J.K. Simmons, Steve Buscemi, Joe Pantoliano, Peter Browngardt

Season 11 — Jeff Garlin, Keith David, Brian George, Lewis Black

Season 12 — Fred Tatasciore, Maurice LaMarche, Maria Bramford, Bobby Cannvale, Charlie Adler, Lana Condor, Lilli Cooper, Vernon Davis, Gilbert Gottfried, Ed Begley Jr., Jack Griffo, Rob Gronowski, Tiffany Haddish, David Hasselhoff, Heidi Klum, Kel Mitchell, Kal Penn, Daniella Perkins, RuPaul, Jojo Siwa, Danny Skinner, Ethan Slater, Jason Sudeikis, Sigourney Weaver, Nyasha Hatendi

Season 13 — Christopher Guest, Brad Garrett, Jeffrey Kombs, Steve Buscemi, Jennifer Tilly, Rhys Darby, Mark Dacascos,

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie — Alec Baldwin, David Hasselhoff, Scarlett Johansson, Jeffrey Tambor

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water — Antonio Banderas, Matt Berry, Peter Shukoff, Lloyd Ahlquist, Eric Bauza, Tim Conway, Eddie Deezen, Nolan North, April Stewart, Cree Summer, Billy West

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run — Awkwafina, Tiffany Haddish, Reggie Watts, Aaron Smith De Niro, Tyler Peterson, Keanu Reeves, Snoop Dog, Danny Trejo, Rick Pasqualone, Antonio Raul Corbo, Jack Gore

Nick’s Marine Meme Machine

As a cultural touchstone of the earliest “Internet Native” generations, SpongeBob SquarePants has inspired innumerable memes drawn from fan-favorite episodes and character moments. Some of the most-viewed SpongeBob entries on Know Your Meme include (left to right):

• Top Row: Ight Imma Head Out (episode “The Smoking Peanut”), Confused Mr. Krabs (“Patty Hype”), Mocking SpongeBob (“Little Yellow Book”)
• Middle Row: Surprised Patrick (The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie), Imagination (“The Idiot Box”), Savage Patrick (“Nature Pants”)
• Bottom Row: You Like Krabby Patties, Don’t You Squidward? (“Just One Bite”); Handsome Squidward (“The Two Faces of Squidward”); Caveman SpongeBob/SpongeGar (“SB-129”)