SpongeBob SquarePants

SpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated comedy TV show made by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg that started on May 1, 1999 on Nickelodeon.

SpongeBob SquarePants is one of Nickelodeon's most popular shows, made into two movies, a Broadway musical that was nominated for twelve Tony Awards, and many pieces of merchandise.

Characters
The show gets its name from its main character, SpongeBob SquarePants, who lives in a pineapple under the sea (as can be heard in the theme song that begins every episode). SpongeBob (whose voice is provided by Tom Kenny) is a sea sponge, but he looks more like a kitchen sponge used for cleaning dishes. His best friend is a starfish named Patrick Star. His grumpy neighbor is an octopus named Squidward Tentacles.

SpongeBob and Squidward work as employees at a restaurant called the Krusty Krab in the underwater town of Bikini Bottom. The Krusty Krab, which is run by a greedy crab named Mr. Krabs, is famous for its Krabby Patty burgers. The recipe for Krabby Patties is top-secret. Plankton and Karen, who are the owners of a different restaurant called the Chum Bucket, often try to steal the recipe.


 * SpongeBob SquarePants is the main character and a sea sponge that lives in a pineapple under the sea. He is a fry cook in the Krusty Krab. He is very jolly and sometimes annoys his selfish neighbor, Squidward. His favorite pastimes are jellyfishing and blowing bubbles.
 * Patrick Star is a starfish and SpongeBob's best friend who lives under a rock. Patrick is goofy and stupid, but is a fun-loving character and eats a lot. He is unemployed, but has worked at several places before.

Main places

 * The show takes place in a city called Bikini Bottom, which is in the Pacific Ocean.
 * SpongeBob's pineapple house is SpongeBob's home. It has many big rooms even though on the outside it looks just like a small pineapple. It even has a huge library with many books.
 * The Krusty Krab is a restaurant in the city of Bikini Bottom. It is run by a crab, Eugene H. Krabs. Two workers at the restaurant are SpongeBob SquarePants (fry cook), and Squidward Q. Tentacles (cashier). The fast food items that are sold include the popular Krabby Patty (which is similar to a hamburger), kelp fries, and drinks.
 * The Chum Bucket is a restaurant that is across the street from the Krusty Krab. It is owned by Sheldon J. Plankton and Karen Plankton, but is very unpopular since the food is really bad. Plankton and Karen are always trying to steal the Krabby Patty secret formula, which only Mr. Krabs and SpongeBob know.
 * Mrs. Puff's Boating School is the driving school where SpongeBob often goes to try to get his driver's licence. SpongeBob is normally not good at driving and can never really get his license without help from a friend. Whenever he gets his licence, he soon after loses it.
 * Patrick's boulder is Patrick's home where Patrick lives and sleeps in. In some episodes, Patrick falls out of his boulder.
 * Squidward's house, an Easter Island head owned by Squidward. In his house, Squidward practices his clarinet and paints pictures.
 * Mr Krabs and Pearl's anchor house, a hollow anchor with lots of paintings on the walls. Mr. Krabs and Pearl live inside of it.
 * Goo Lagoon is a popular beach. Even though the beach is under water, the water in the beach is called "goo". In some episodes it is just a lake but in some it is an entire ocean.

Controversies
In 2005, several groups, including the American Family Foundation, attacked SpongeBob for being a representative of homosexual people. The character had recently appeared on a music video with other kids characters to promote diversity and tolerance. However, the creator said in 2002 that SpongeBob is asexual.

Decreasing quality
Many fans and critics believe that after the first movie, the series started to decline in quality due to many writers from the old seasons leaving (except Doug Lawrence, Aaron Springer, Erik Wiese and C.H. Greenblatt). Some modern episodes have been received poorly because the characters don't act as they were in Seasons 1-3 (examples: One Coarse Meal, A Pal for Gary, Demolition Doofus, Yours Mine and Mine, etc.)