List of SpongeBob SquarePants episodes

Stephen Hillenburg, shown here in 2011, created SpongeBob SquarePants, which premiered on May 1, 1999.

SpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated television series created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg that premiered on Nickelodeon on May 1, 1999.[1] The series is set in the fictional underwater city of Bikini Bottom, and centers on the adventures and endeavors of SpongeBob SquarePants, an enthusiastic and optimistic sea sponge. Many of the ideas for the show originated in an unpublished, educational comic book titled The Intertidal Zone, which Hillenburg created in the mid-1980s. He began developing SpongeBob SquarePants into a television series in 1996 after the cancellation of Rocko's Modern Life, another Nickelodeon television series that Hillenburg previously directed.[2][3]

As of November 11, 2024, 306 episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants have aired, currently in its fifteenth season. The fifteenth season consists of 20 episodes.[4] The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, a feature-length film, was released in theaters on November 19, 2004, and grossed over US$140 million worldwide.[5] Atlantis SquarePantis, a television film guest starring David Bowie, debuted as part of the fifth season.[6] In 2009, Nickelodeon celebrated the show's tenth anniversary with Square Roots: The Story of SpongeBob SquarePants and SpongeBob's Truth or Square.[7][8] The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, a stand-alone sequel, was released in theaters on February 6, 2015, and grossed over US$324 million worldwide.[9] In 2019, Nickelodeon celebrated the show's twentieth anniversary with SpongeBob's Big Birthday Blowout, a television film.

Episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants have been nominated for a variety of different awards, including 17 Annie Awards (with six wins),[10] 17 Golden Reel Awards (with eight wins),[11] 15 Emmy Awards (with one win),[12] 22 Kids' Choice Awards (with 21 wins),[13] and four BAFTA Children's Awards (with two wins).[14] Several compilation DVDs have been released. In addition, the first thirteen seasons have been released on DVD, and are available for Regions 1, 2 and 4 as of December 5, 2023.[15][16][17]

  1. ^ Gates, Anita (July 11, 1999). "Television / Radio; The Tide Pool as Talent Pool (It Had to Happen)". The New York Times. Retrieved April 26, 2008.
  2. ^ Hillenburg, Stephen (2003). The Origin of SpongeBob SquarePants. SpongeBob SquarePants: The Complete First Season (DVD). Paramount Home Entertainment.
  3. ^ Banks 2004, p. 10
  4. ^ "Paramount Global - SpongeBob SquarePants". Paramount. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  5. ^ "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
  6. ^ Walsh-Boyle, Megan (November 12, 2007). "Grammy Winner David Bowie Lends His Voice to SpongeBob". TV Guide. Archived from the original on January 10, 2015. Retrieved May 27, 2013.
  7. ^ "Nickelodeon Taps Patrick Creadon and Christine O'Malley to Produce First-Ever SpongeBob..." Reuters. January 19, 2009. Archived from the original on August 25, 2014. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
  8. ^ Zahed, Ramid (July 24, 2009). "Soaking in Festivities". Animation. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
  9. ^ "The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (2015)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference Annie Awards was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference Golden Reel Awards was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ "Winners of the 37th Annual Daytime Entertainment Creative Arts Emmy® Awards" (PDF). Emmy Award. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 21, 2013. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference Kids' Choice Awards was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference BAFTA Children's Awards was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ "SpongeBob SquarePants (1999)". TVShowsonDVD.com. Archived from the original on April 17, 2008. Retrieved April 27, 2008.
  16. ^ "Spongebob Squarepants – Season 8 [DVD]". Amazon.co.uk. October 28, 2013. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  17. ^ "Spongebob Squarepants – Season 8". JB Hi-Fi. Archived from the original on November 9, 2013. Retrieved July 30, 2015.