SpongeBob is overwhelmingly popular with children and adults alike. Its merchandise, for instance, ranges from Kraft macaroni and cheese to underwear. It has become a favorite cartoon for TV viewers. The SpongeBob SquarePants cartoon won an Emmy Award for animation, and two Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, one for favorite video game, and one for favorite cartoon.

SpongeBob SquarePants is an animated television series created by Stephen Hillenburg and first aired in the US on Nickelodeon in July of 1999. The main characters are SpongeBob SquarePants, Patrick Star, Squidward Tentacles, Mr. Krabs and Sandy Cheeks. Most episodes take place in the town of Bikini Bottom or the surrounding lagoon floor, islets, or deep.

The show's appeal to older viewers has a lot to do with the way underwater life and situations are represented as almost equivalent to normal terrestrial lifestyles. Instead of cars, the residents of Bikini Bottom drive boats—with wheels of course. And once, while on a camping trip, Patrick questions how they could have a camp fire on the lagoon bottom—the fire is immediately extinguished with a sizzle. A flurry of bubbles accompany many actions, just to remind the viewer everything IS underwater. SpongeBob's house pet is a snail named Gary that only meows. Jellyfish are the equivalent of bees (buzzing and stinging), but collected or appreciated like butterflies.

Work began in 2003 on The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie planned for a release on November 19, 2004.