SpongeBob Squarepants is an incurable optimist who lives in another's in the underwater city of Bikini Bottom. When he's not looking for the ultimate frying pan to improve his burger-flipping technique at restaurant Mr Krabs, he hangs out with his best friend Patrick Star.
But how popular is the series really?
Did you know that the series was created by Steve Hillenburg, a former marine biologist turned cartoonist. Just like SpongeBob Squarepants, he once worked as a chef at a seafood restaurant.
SpongeBob Squarepants is one of our most popular brands, and a real t-shirt bestseller. Like South Park, it's a series that appeals to all ages, which we guess is one reason for its popularity.
10 facts about SpongeBob Squarepants you might not know.
• Approximately 50 people are required to animate and produce an episode of SpongeBob SquarePants
• The series is written, created and written by Nickelodeon in California, but the finished animation is done by Draft Studios in South Korea.
• Just after its first month on TV, SpongeBob took over the top spot from Pokémon as the most-watched series for children on Saturday mornings.
• In July 2009, Madame Tussauds wax museum in New York launched a wax sculpture of SpongeBob to celebrate the series' 10th anniversary. SpongeBob is the first animated character to be honored in this way by Madame Tussauds.
• Spongebob became a trend in Egypt in connection with the revolution. Actually a fashion phenomenon, which got to adorn all kinds of goods from hijabs to boxer shorts.
• If you are in the US, you can take a ride on SpongeBob SquarePants 4-D, a carousel that can be found at several amusement parks in the US:
• Several species and previously undiscovered organisms have been named after SpongeBob SquarePants. In May 2011, a new species of fungus, Spongiforma squarepantsii, was described and named after the series' main character.
• SpongeBob SquarePants memes have achieved immense popularity on the internet. If you are on Twitter for more than 10 minutes, the probability is almost 100% that you will see a "mocking Spongebob" meme.
• After The Simpsons, Arthur, South Park and Pokémon, SpongeBob SquarePants is the longest-running animated series on television. In Skrivandes stond, a total of 277 episodes have been broadcast in the series.
• SpongeBob SquarePants is available as a Broadway musical with music by famous artists and composers.
