SpongeBob SquarePants

SpongeBob SquarePants
Genre	Comedy Slapstick Surreal humor
Developit by	Derek Drymon Tim Hill Nick Jennings
Creautive director(s)	Derek Drymon (1999–2004) Vincent Waller (2005–15)
Theme muisic componer	Derek Drymon Mark Harrison Stephen Hillenburg Blaise Smith
Appenin theme	"SpongeBob SquarePants Theme", performed by Patrick Pinney
Endin theme	"SpongeBob Closing Theme", written by Steve Belfer and Nicolas Carr
Componer(s)	Steve Belfer Nicolas Carr Sage Guyton Jeremy Wakefield Brad Carow (1999–2002) The Blue Hawaiians (1999–2002) Eban Schletter (2000–present) Barry Anthony (2006–15)
No. o series	13
No. o episodes	278 (leet o episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Stephen Hillenburg Paul Tibbitt (2008–17) Co-Executive Producers: Paul Tibbitt (2006–08)
Producer(s)	Donna Castricone (1999–2002) Helen Kafatic (2002–04) Anne Michaud (2001) Dina Buteyn (2005–10) Jennie Monica Hammond (2010–present) Supervising Producers: Derek Drymon (2002–04) Paul Tibbitt (2005–15) Marc Ceccarelli (2015–present) Vincent Waller (2015–present)
Lenth	11 minutes (regular episodes anly) 22 minutes (special episodes anly)
Production company(s)	United Plankton Pictures Nickelodeon Animation Studios Rough Draft Korea (animation service)
Distributor	Viacom International Media Networks (International) Paramount Television
Release
Oreeginal network	Nickelodeon
Pictur format	480i (4:3 SDTV) (1999–2012) 1080i (16:9 HDTV) (2009, 2012–present)
Audio format	Advantage Audio Services (NTSC) (1999–2012) Dolby Surround 5.1 (NTSC) (2009, 2012–present)
Oreeginal release	1 Mey 1999 (1999-05-01) – present (present)
Freemit airtins
Wabsteid

SpongeBob SquarePants is an American animatit televeesion series creatit bi marine biologist an animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. The series chronicles the adventures an endeavors o the title character an his various friends in the fictional underwater city o Bikini Bottom. The series' popularity haes made it mak a media franchise, as well as the heichest rated series tae ever air on Nickelodeon, an the maist distributed property o MTV Networks. As of 2024, the media franchise haes generated $13 billion in merchandising revenue for Nickelodeon.

Mony of the ideas for the series originated in an unpublished educational comic book titled The Intertidal Zone, which Hillenburg creatit in 1989. He began developin SpongeBob SquarePants intae a telly series in 1996 upon the cancellation of Rocko's Modern Life, an turned tae Tom Kenny, who haed worked wi him on that series, tae vyce the title character. SpongeBob wis oreeginally going tae be named SpongeBoy, an the series wis tae be cried SpongeBoy Ahoy!, but thir war baith changed, as the name wis already trademarked.

Nickelodeon held a preview for the series in the United States on Mey 1, 1999, follaein the television airing of the 1999 Kids' Choice Awards. The series offeecially premiered on Julie 17, 1999. It haes received warldwide critical acclaim syne its premiere and gained enormous popularity by its seicont season. A featur film, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, wis released in theaters on November 19, 2004, an a sequel wis released on Februar 6, 2015. On October 15, 2016, the series began airing its tenth season, beginnin wi the episode "Whirly Brains". In Mey 2017, the show wis annoonced tae be renewed for a 12t season.

The series haes won a variety of awards, includin six Annie Awards, aicht Golden Reel Awards, twa Emmy Awards, 12 Kids' Choice Awards, and twa BAFTA Children's Awards. Despite its widespread popularity, the series haes been involved in several public controversies, includin ane centred on speculation over SpongeBob's intendit sexual orientation, an anither focusing on the perceived declining quality of the show's content syne the release of the first film. In 2011, a newly describit species of fungi, Spongiforma squarepantsii, wis named efter the cartoon's title character.