The Legacy of Spongebob Squarepants ... And How Nickelodeon Is Squeezing It Dry | blameitonjorge
Summary
TLDRThe video script delves into the enduring legacy of 'SpongeBob SquarePants,' a beloved animated series created by Stephen Hillenburg, a former marine biologist. It discusses the show's cultural impact, its transformation over the years, and the creator's original intentions for the series. The script also touches on Nickelodeon's over-reliance on the SpongeBob brand and the controversy surrounding new spin-offs, especially in light of Hillenburg's passing. The narrative highlights the show's evolution, the challenges it faced, and the complex dynamics between creative vision and commercial interests.
Takeaways
- 📺 The script discusses the cultural impact of the animated series 'SpongeBob SquarePants' and its creator, Stephen Hillenburg.
- 🎨 Stephen Hillenburg, a former marine biologist, combined his love for marine life and comics to create the concept of 'SpongeBob SquarePants'.
- 🌐 The show became a flagship series for Nickelodeon and one of the most well-known characters globally, on par with iconic characters like Mickey Mouse.
- 🏆 'SpongeBob SquarePants' has become the fifth longest-running American animated series and the most distributed Viacom property.
- 🎬 The series spawned a movie, comics, video games, theme park rides, and more, leaving a significant impact on popular culture.
- 🔄 Despite its success, there is a debate over whether Nickelodeon is over-reliant on the 'SpongeBob' brand, potentially diluting its legacy.
- 🎉 The script mentions the 20th anniversary of 'SpongeBob SquarePants' and Nickelodeon's plans for celebrations and new content.
- 📉 There is criticism that the quality of the series declined after Stephen Hillenburg stepped down as showrunner, with changes in humor and character dynamics.
- 🤔 The script raises the question of whether the continued expansion of the 'SpongeBob' franchise respects the original vision of its creator.
- 🚫 Stephen Hillenburg was against the idea of spin-offs for the series, as noted in a 2009 interview, which contrasts with Nickelodeon's recent announcements.
- 💔 The passing of Stephen Hillenburg in 2018 is a significant loss to the animation industry, and his influence on the series is irreplaceable.
Q & A
What was the significance of May 1st, 1999 for Nickelodeon?
-On May 1st, 1999, Nickelodeon introduced 'SpongeBob SquarePants' to the world, a character that would become one of the most well-known in the world and a flagship series for the network.
Who created SpongeBob SquarePants?
-SpongeBob SquarePants was created by Stephen Hillenburg, a former marine biologist.
What was the original profession of Stephen Hillenburg before creating SpongeBob SquarePants?
-Stephen Hillenburg was a marine biologist before he became a creator of 'SpongeBob SquarePants'.
How did SpongeBob SquarePants become the flagship series for Nickelodeon?
-The show became an absolute success with fans from all around the world, quickly becoming the flagship series for Nickelodeon due to its popularity and almost overnight success.
What was the original name of SpongeBob before it was changed to SpongeBob SquarePants?
-SpongeBob was initially known as 'Sponge Boy', but the name was changed because it was already taken and copyrighted by a mop.
Why did Stephen Hillenburg decide to end the series after three seasons?
-Stephen Hillenburg decided to end the series to avoid it 'jumping the shark' or declining in quality, but Nickelodeon ordered more episodes due to high ratings.
What was the impact of Stephen Hillenburg's departure on the series?
-After Stephen Hillenburg's departure, the series underwent a change in direction and quality, moving away from clever humor to more physical and gross-out jokes, which alienated some of the older fans.
What is the term used to describe Nickelodeon's over-reliance on SpongeBob SquarePants?
-The term used to describe Nickelodeon's over-reliance on SpongeBob SquarePants is 'Hey SpongeBob Syndrome'.
How did the character developments in the series change after Stephen Hillenburg's departure?
-After Stephen Hillenburg's departure, characters like SpongeBob became more annoying and idiotic, Sandy became more of a stereotypical super genius, and Patrick turned into a complete antagonist, which upset many fans.
What was the controversy surrounding the announcement of the spin-off 'Camp Coral'?
-The controversy surrounding 'Camp Coral' was its announcement came only three months after Stephen Hillenburg's death, which many saw as in poor taste, and it went against his known wishes against spin-offs.
What was Stephen Hillenburg's stance on spin-offs for the SpongeBob SquarePants series?
-Stephen Hillenburg was against the idea of spin-offs for the series, believing that the show was about SpongeBob and that focusing on other characters might not work well.
Outlines
🎉 The Rise of SpongeBob SquarePants
The first paragraph introduces the enduring success of 'SpongeBob SquarePants,' a show created by marine biologist Stephen Hillenburg that premiered on Nickelodeon on May 1st, 1999. It details the show's immediate popularity, becoming the network's flagship series and achieving a cultural impact comparable to iconic characters like Mickey Mouse. The paragraph also discusses the show's expansion into various media, including comics, films, video games, and theme parks, and raises the question of whether Nickelodeon is over-relying on the SpongeBob brand.
🔧 Changes and Challenges in the Post-Hillenburg Era
The second paragraph delves into the evolution of 'SpongeBob SquarePants' after the departure of its creator, Stephen Hillenburg, following the release of the first SpongeBob movie. It highlights the shift in the show's humor from clever and witty to more physical and gross-out jokes, which alienated older fans while still appealing to children. The paragraph also addresses Nickelodeon's over-reliance on SpongeBob, leading to the premature cancellation of other shows that did not immediately match its success. Furthermore, it discusses the announcement of a second SpongeBob movie and Hillenburg's return as an executive producer, culminating in his tragic battle with ALS and eventual passing in November 2018.
🌐 The Future of the SpongeBob Franchise
The third paragraph examines the future of the SpongeBob SquarePants franchise following Stephen Hillenburg's death, with Nickelodeon announcing multiple spin-offs and films. It describes the upcoming prequel film 'It's a Wonderful Sponge' and the spin-off series 'Camp Coral,' which has sparked controversy due to its announcement timing and content. The paragraph also reflects on Hillenburg's past statements against spin-offs and the potential impact on the franchise's legacy, emphasizing the importance of remembering the original spirit and appeal of the series that Hillenburg created.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡SpongeBob SquarePants
💡Nickelodeon
💡Stephen Hillenburg
💡Cultural Impact
💡Animation Schedule
💡Jump the Shark
💡Spin-offs
💡Camp Coral
💡ALS
💡Prequel
💡Polarizing Views
Highlights
SpongeBob SquarePants was created by former marine biologist Stephen Hillenburg and became a flagship series for Nickelodeon.
The show's success made SpongeBob one of the most well-known characters in the world, comparable to Mickey Mouse.
SpongeBob SquarePants became the fifth longest-running American animated series and the most distributed Viacom property.
The show has had a significant cultural impact, with memes and references ingrained into popular culture.
Stephen Hillenburg initially wanted to end the series to avoid 'jumping the shark,' but high ratings led to its continuation.
After Hillenburg's departure, the show's quality declined according to various publications, moving away from clever humor.
Characters like SpongeBob and Patrick underwent significant changes that alienated older fans.
Nickelodeon became over reliant on SpongeBob, leading to the cancellation of other less successful shows.
Stephen Hillenburg returned as an executive producer for the second SpongeBob movie and later the series' tenth season.
Hillenburg was diagnosed with ALS during the production of season 10 and passed away in 2018.
Following Hillenburg's death, Nickelodeon announced multiple spin-offs and a third SpongeBob movie.
The spin-off 'Camp Coral' was criticized for being announced shortly after Hillenburg's death and for its concept.
Paul Tibbets, a close colleague of Hillenburg, expressed his disapproval of 'Camp Coral' on social media.
The entertainment business has strayed far from the original purpose of SpongeBob, raising concerns about the future of the franchise.
Despite changes and controversies, the legacy of Stephen Hillenburg and the original SpongeBob series is remembered fondly.
Transcripts
[Music]
don't miss Nick's newest victim
it's a never-before-seen sneak-peek a
spongebob squarepants right after the
Kids Choice Awards tonight on the best
place to turn for new tours Nickelodeon
prepare to be vanquished
on May 1st 1999 Nickelodeon introduced
the world to a square yellow sponge who
lived in a pineapple under the sea named
SpongeBob SquarePants created by former
marine biologist Stephen Hillenburg the
show followed the titular sponge and his
friends and the undersea city of Bikini
Bottom going about their lives and
getting into crazy deep-sea adventures
the show became an absolute success with
fans from all around the world falling
in love with the yellow guy the series
quickly became the flagship series for
Nickelodeon almost overnight and
spongebob became one of the most well
known characters in the world on the
same level as Mickey Mouse for Mario it
has since become the fifth longest
running American animated series and the
most distributed Viacom property of all
time the series has spanned comics film
video games theme park rides
hotels resorts parades you name it
spongebob was left an impact in the
world and continues to do so but after
all these years you have to wonder is
Nickelodeon squeezing him a bit too dry
so today we're going to be taking a look
at the legacy of spongebob his creator
Stephen Hillenburg
and how Nickelodeon became over reliance
on the property
[Music]
go anywhere on the internet and you'll
hear a spongebob meme or reference the
Superbowl halftime show of 2019 with a
spongebob reference sort of spongebob
has been ingrained into our very culture
and references to the show are now as
natural as any other joke so what
exactly is it about this show that
caused such a cultural impact let's
start at the beginning while teaching
marine biology at the Ocean Institute of
California in the 1980s Stephen
Hillenburg got the idea to combine two
of his passions comics and marine life
many of the ideas that would become the
basis for SpongeBob started in his comic
the intertidal zone Hillenburg would
later go on to work on Rocko's Modern
Life where he met Tom Kenny the voice of
ever one of the writers for Rocko Mara
and Olsen read through the intertidal
zone and encouraged schellenberg to
pitch his own series at this point he
began to look closer at his old comic
and expand on the characters namely the
announcer of the sponge who would of
course have all been spongebob spongebob
was initially known as sponge boy and
wore a green hats
unfortunately that name was already
taken and copyrighted by a mop so they
switched the name around to SpongeBob
Nickelodeon had an open slaw in their
animation schedule that year as the
original show that what I filled it's
news and fondue was cancelled due to its
creator leaving the studio this flaw was
given to Helen Berg and production on
the soon-to-be legendary series began
[Music]
would you believe they only had one in
stock
[Music]
[Applause]
within the first month of its airing
spongebob overtook Pokemon as the
highest-rated children's show on
television it wasn't a media hits
topping the charts and winning awards
left and rights for the next three
seasons the series would come out
classic after classic such as Pizza
Delivery Bank extractor wood nuts almost
every episode was quotable with three
immensely successful seasons under its
belts Hillenburg decided to end the
series in a grand way a spongebob
squarepants movie paramount had offered
numerous film deals to Helen Berg but he
always turned them down
however with his vision of a series
finale in mind he finally accepted one
in 2002 and began developing the film
with a boost in animation quality a
hilarious and heartwarming story along
with many quotable moments the spongebob
squarepants movie was an undeniable hits
wit spongebob finally becoming manager
of the Krusty Krab - the series had
found a perfect place to end except
Nickelodeon had other plans
Hillenburg wanted to end the series so
that it wouldn't have to jump the shark
but the ratings were just too high for
Nickelodeon to let the show go
so more episodes were ordered and
Hillenburg departed from his own series
leaving Paul tibbitt in charge as
showrunner one of his favorite most
trusted crew members from the first
three seasons
despite his trust in Tibet fancied this
moment as a turning point the series the
point where it would change forever and
not for the best
while the movie came out in 2004 the
series itself underwent production
hiatus in 2002 while the film was being
made after I had released and all of
season 3 at broadcasted Hillenburg
departed from his own show
after Nickelodeon made the choice to
continue the series into a season 4
airing in 2005 the episodes fear of a
krabby patty and shell of a man aired
beginning the post Hillenburg arrow
spongebob
despite his stepping down a showrunner
Hillenburg remain with the series in a
much smaller role where he offered his
advice and suggestions to the crew
despite their best efforts the audience
began to notice that the series had
changed in a way they couldn't quite put
their finger on various publications
such as MSN The AV Club and vulture
reported on the declining quality of the
series for seasons 4 through 8 the show
seemed to be running on autopilot
moving away from clever humor to more
gross out jokes and random physical
humor while the intended audience
children still regularly tuned in teens
and older fans found the new direction
of the series off-putting compared to
the previous seasons where it appealed
to all ages with this new direction the
series was heading in the characters
changed to fit it's spongebob himself
went from being a whimsical naive sponge
to an annoying and idiotic manchild his
obsession with spit word was also
amplified leading it to feel like basic
stalking sandy became more associated
with science and became more of a
stereotypical super genius patrick
however was the most notorious example
who went from being SpongeBob's
well-meaning low IQ best friend
to a complete dick many fans were
unhappy with these changes made to the
main characters as they felt as though
they were completely different people
now despite the negative reactions from
fans ratings and merchandise sales
continue to skyrocket as spongebob had
become a global brand at that point
around 2005 when season four began
airing Nickelodeon became over reliant
on SpongeBob hey spongebob syndrome as
Robo taxi calls it began to take hold in
network where any series that premiered
that wasn't immediately as successful as
spongebob was ultimately kicked to the
curb and canceled notable examples of
this are Harvey beaks robot monster
welcome to the Wayne and El Tigre
it's a ridiculously unfair standard to
hold a new series too as rarely do they
find their footing and success in their
first season like spongebob did
unfortunately many shows just aren't
giving that chance on Nickelodeon
whenever their ratings come in
Nickelodeon usually quietly pushes the
series to their sister channel Nicktoons
Network where are the remaining episodes
air and the show ends to no fanfare
recently the loud house is the only
Nicktoons to be given a fair chance now
entering its fourth year on the air
alongside loud houses spongebob rise of
the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are the
only currently airing new tunes on the
network at the time of writing this
video On June 10th 2014 it was announced
that production had begun on a sequel to
the SpongeBob SquarePants Movie it was
also announced that Stephen Hillenburg
would be acting as the executive
producer of the film it was reported in
2002 that he helped with writing the
script but nobody expected him to return
to the series after he had been away for
so long
the sequel titled the Spongebob movie
sponge out of water would released a
critical acclaim with much of its
success attributed to the return of
Cullen Berg following the second film
Hillenburg returned to the series as a
full-time executive producer rather than
the small advisor role he took on after
the release of the first movie season 10
was a season full of mix ups for the
series not only was Hillenburg back
after being gone for so long but this
was the first season to not involve
longtime crew member and showrunner Paul
Tibbets whom had left the series to
focus on developing the third sponge off
film which we'll go over later sadly
during the production of this season
Stephen Hillenburg was diagnosed with
ALS a terminal illness that caused the
death of neurons that control the brain
and spinal cord in a statement he
released the public he stated that he
would continue to work on spongebob for
quote-unquote as long as he is able he
added quote my family is grateful for
the outpouring of love and support we
ask that our sincere request for privacy
be honored during this time unquote
Stephen Hillenburg passed away on
November 26th 2018
at his home in Southern California he
was 57 the following day he was cremated
and his ashes were scattered in the
Pacific Ocean 500 yards off the coast of
California his contributions to the
animation industry and children's media
will forever be remembered and his
legacy continues to this day
On February 14th 2019 it was announced
that Nickelodeon would be celebrating
the 20th anniversary of sponge off
SquarePants with the best year ever as
he call it around the same time
Nickelodeon announced their upcoming
slate for their 2019 2020 schedule the
majority of the shows featured were
revivals and spin-offs with barely any
original content however the main
headliner was a familiar yellow sponge
not only with SpongeBob SquarePants
continuing into the year but Nickelodeon
announced a host of spin-offs which CVR
calm described as quote including new
show specials and films based around
other characters in the franchise
unquote the amount of spin-offs and
films are undetermined but the fact that
it's plural indicates that Nickelodeon
plans on keeping this boat of a
franchise chugging along the first
installment of this new direction was
announced to be the third theatrical
film that Paul tibbitt had been working
on 2020s the Spongebob movie it's a
wonderful sponge unlike the previous two
films though this is planned to be a
prequel film following a ten-year-old
spongebob during a summer at Camp Coral
during this time there his pet snail
Gary its kidnapped by Poseidon and taken
to the lost city of Atlantis City so he
and his new best friend Patrick must go
out and rescue him
however this film won't be the end of
SpongeBob's adventures that can't Coral
as the film is acting as a tie-in to
launch the first spin-off of the
spongebob series simply titled camp
coral oddly enough it's a spin-off with
the entire same main cast as the
original series which is weird
considering that mr. Karp's sandy and
mrs. puff will be there whom we've all
seen meets lunch off for the first time
in the original series
the spin-off has been met with some
polarizing views regarding the timing of
its announcements and its contents the
announcement came only three months
following the death of Stephen
Hillenburg which many of you to be in
poor taste
additionally Stephen Hillenburg has gone
on record stating that he was against
the ideas of spin-offs for the series in
a 2009 interview with TBI vision a
question about the possibility of
spin-offs came up to which he replied
quote the show is about SpongeBob
he's the core elements and sabahi
relates to the other characters
Patrick by himself might be a bit too
much so I don't see any spin-offs granny
cam coral is still focused on spongebob
as a main character but the fact that
it's a spinoff still stands in the same
interview he states that he had to fight
against Nickelodeon at the very start of
the series to keep spongebob as a young
adults instead of a child which is what
Nickelodeon wanted originally
compromises were made such as
SpongeBob's parents showing up every now
and then as well as him going to boating
school it's difficult to know exactly
what Hillenburg full views on spin-offs
and younger versions of his characters
were without putting words in his mouth
but upon the announcement of camp coral
someone very close to him who would know
his views spoke outs Paul Tibbets on the
day of the announcement Paul tweeted I
do not mean any disrespect to my
colleagues who are working on the show
they are good people and talented
artists but this is some greedy lazy
executive in right here and they all
know full well Steve would have hated
this shame on them
from Paul's tweets a man who was very
close to Helen Berg and knew spongebob
inside announce it's clear that the
concept of Camp coral is something that
would not go over well with Steve it's
worth noting that shows usually don't go
from concept to green-light in just
three months it's likely that
nickelodeon already had this planned and
would have announced this even if
Hillenburg was still alive yes it
absolutely goes against the wishes of
Hillenburg to the Creator but spongebob
is owned by Nickelodeon that's kind of
what happens when a network wants to air
your show the entertainment business
isn't always nice however announcing a
slew of projects surely after the
Creator died is still pretty scummy
and without Hillenburg around i'm
skeptical as to how these new spin-offs
will perform well swim shop has turned
into a massive beast or franchise one
that has strayed far away from its
original purpose let's not forget the
amazing legacy that Stephen Hillenburg
left behind with his phenomenal series I
mean the fact that we're still talking
about it almost twenty years later is an
impressive feat granted that's because
it still hasn't left the air yet but
even if it had I'm pretty sure we'd all
still finally remember what it was and
how it touched our childhood our teen
years and even college years for me
Steve made sure that spongebob was a
show for everyone no matter what age you
were let's remember it for what it was
not for what it's become
[Music]
you
[Music]
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