197-434: Stephen McDannell Hillenburg (August 21, 1961 – November 26, 2018) was an American animator, voice actor, and marine biology teacher, best known for creating the animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants for Nickelodeon in 1999. Serving as the showrunner for its first three seasons, and again from season nine until his death, the show has become the fifth-longest-running American animated series . He also provided
394-586: A 10-day state visit to the US . President Eisenhower pledged his continued support, and a parade was held in Diệm's honor. But Secretary of State Dulles privately conceded Diệm had to be backed because they could find no better alternative. Between 1954 and 1957, the Diệm government succeeded in preventing large-scale organized unrest in the countryside. In April 1957, insurgents launched an assassination campaign, referred to as "extermination of traitors". 17 people were killed in
591-648: A Marxist–Leninist political organization which operated primarily in Hong Kong and the Soviet Union . The party aimed to overthrow French rule and establish an independent communist state in Vietnam. In September 1940, Japan invaded French Indochina, following France's capitulation to Nazi Germany . French influence was suppressed by the Japanese, and in 1941 Cung, now known as Ho Chi Minh , returned to Vietnam to establish
788-607: A Military Assistance and Advisory Group (MAAG) to screen French requests for aid, advise on strategy, and train Vietnamese soldiers. By 1954, the US had spent $ 1 billion in support of the French military effort, shouldering 80% of the cost of the war. During the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954, US carriers sailed to the Gulf of Tonkin and the US conducted reconnaissance flights. France and
985-493: A counterpoint ." In an interview, Fagerbakke compared himself to the character and said, "It's extremely gratifying". Whenever Patrick is angry Fagerbakke models his performance after American actress Shelley Winters . Squidward Tentacles is voiced by Rodger Bumpass, who describes him as "a very nasally, monotone kind of guy." He said the character "became a very interesting character to do" because of "his sarcasm, and then his frustration, and then his apoplexy, and so he became
1182-467: A live-action pirate named Patchy and his pet parrot Potty , whose segments are presented in a dual narrative with the animated stories. Patchy is portrayed as the president of a fictional SpongeBob fan club , and his greatest aspiration is to meet SpongeBob himself. He gets into absurd escapades in a similar matter to the actual show, with Potty constantly making fun of Patchy's nonsensical aspirations and causes trouble for him while he tries to host
1379-424: A media franchise , which is the most-distributed property of MTV Networks . As of 2015, it has generated $ 25 billion in merchandising revenue. In 2002, Hillenburg halted production of the show after the third season was completed to focus on the making of The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie which was released in 2004: "I don't want to try and do a movie and the series at the same time. We have 60 episodes and that
1576-554: A psychological warfare campaign which exaggerated anti-Catholic sentiment among the Viet Minh and distributed propaganda attributed to Viet Minh threatening an American attack on Hanoi with atomic bombs. During the 300-day period, up to one million northerners, mainly minority Catholics, moved south, fearing persecution by the Communists. The exodus was coordinated by a U.S.-funded $ 93 million relocation program, which involved
1773-530: A " band geek " who played the trumpet. At age 15, he snorkeled for the first time; Hillenburg took part in a "dive program" at Woods Coves in Laguna Beach , as part of the Regional Occupational Program at Savanna. This experience, as well as subsequent dives, reinforced his interest in, and led to his decision to study, marine biology in college: "The switch clicked and I decided I wanted to be
1970-554: A French oceanographer , made a strong impression on him. Hillenburg said that Cousteau "provided a view into that world", which he had not known existed. He liked to explore tide pools as a child, bringing home objects that "should have been left there and that ended up dying and smelling really bad." Hillenburg also developed his interest in art at a young age. His first drawing was of an orange slice. An illustration which he drew in third grade, depicting "a bunch of army men ... kissing and hugging instead of fighting", brought him
2167-451: A Master of Fine Arts in experimental animation . During his time at CalArts, he briefly drew comics for the surfing magazine KEMA in 1990. Hillenburg made his first animated works, short films The Green Beret (1991) and Wormholes (1992), while at CalArts. The Green Beret was about a physically challenged Girl Scout with enormous fists who toppled houses and destroyed neighborhoods while trying to sell Girl Scout cookies . Wormholes
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#17328583794462364-652: A boom box to play the Tiny Tim song [' Livin' in the Sunlight, Lovin' in the Moonlight '] that comes on in the third act. We really went all out in that pitch because we knew the pilot lived or died by if the execs laughed. When it was over, they walked out of the room to discuss it. We figured they would fly back to New York and we'd hear in a few weeks. We were surprised when they came back in what seemed like minutes and said they wanted to make it. — Derek Drymon While pitching
2561-464: A ceasefire with the Viet Minh, and independence was granted to Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. At the 1954 Geneva Conference, Vietnam was temporarily partitioned at the 17th parallel . Ho Chi Minh wished to continue war in the south, but was restrained by Chinese allies who convinced him he could win control by electoral means. Under the Geneva Accords, civilians were allowed to move freely between
2758-411: A child," but needed "an abnormally large voice." In addition to the regular cast, episodes feature guest voices from many professions, including actors, athletes, authors, musicians, and artists. Recurring guest voices include: Ernest Borgnine , who voiced Mermaid Man from 1999 until his death in 2012; Tim Conway as the voice of Barnacle Boy from 1999 until his death in 2019; Brian Doyle-Murray as
2955-505: A clip from the SpongeBob episode " Band Geeks " (which uses the song "Sweet Victory" as part of a spoof of a football halftime show) during their show as a means to pay tribute to Hillenburg. A full clip of the "Sweet Victory" song, including a dedication to Hillenburg, was played inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium . The song was later included in a promo for ViacomCBS 's Paramount+ streaming service during Super Bowl LV . A full, all- CGI version
3152-630: A coordinated uprising in South Vietnam against the government and a third of the population was soon living in areas of communist control. In December 1960, North Vietnam formally created the Viet Cong (VC) with the intent of uniting all anti-GVN insurgents, including non-communists. It was formed in Memot, Cambodia , and directed through COSVN. The VC "placed heavy emphasis on the withdrawal of American advisors and influence, on land reform and liberalization of
3349-500: A cultural touchstone of Millennials and Generation Z . The series revolves around the title character and an ensemble cast of his aquatic friends. SpongeBob SquarePants is an energetic and optimistic yellow sea sponge who lives in a submerged pineapple . SpongeBob has a childlike enthusiasm for life, which carries over to his job as a fry cook at a fast food restaurant called the Krusty Krab . One of his life's greatest goals
3546-451: A drummer, which Hillenburg called "a great way to bond with each other." He also enjoyed birdwatching at home, but said that he was always "an ocean freak". According to his colleagues, he was "a perfectionist workaholic", and was also known for his private nature. Julia Pistor, co-producer of The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie , noted that Hillenburg was "very shy". She said: "He doesn't want people to know about his life or family. He's just
3743-600: A fast-food seafood restaurant in Maine . (This later inspired SpongeBob SquarePants 's occupation in the television series .) Hillenburg went to Humboldt State University in Arcata, California , as a marine-science major. He minored in art, and said that "[he] blossomed as a painter in Humboldt." In 1984, he earned his bachelor's degree in natural-resource planning and interpretation, with an emphasis on marine resources. He intended to take
3940-501: A few years to get [ SpongeBob SquarePants ] together." During the production of Rocko's Modern Life , Martin Olson , one of the writers, read The Intertidal Zone and encouraged Hillenburg to create a television series with a similar concept. At that point, he had not even considered creating his own series: "After watching Joe [Murray] tear his hair out a lot, dealing with all the problems that came up, I thought I would never want to produce
4137-450: A hard time about [the offer]. ... but doors opened when [he] stepped into the animation world," so he accepted it. He "was planning on being a starving artist ": "[I spent] several thousand dollars to make a film and [realized] I may not make it back—I had loans out. Fortunately, Joe Murray saw my film ... and he took a huge chance," Hillenburg related. Hillenburg worked closely with Murray on Rocko's Modern Life for its whole run on
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#17328583794464334-400: A job" at the television network after he met the show's creator, Joe Murray , at the 1992 Ottawa International Animation Festival, where Wormholes and Murray's My Dog Zero were both in competition. Murray, who was looking for people to direct Rocko's Modern Life at the time, saw Hillenburg's film and offered him a directorial role on the television series. He "[had] friends that [gave him]
4531-664: A kid. Think a Stan Laurel , Jerry Lewis kind of child-man. Kind of like a Munchkin but not quite, kind of like a kid, but not in a Charlie Brown child's voice on the TV shows. —Tom Kenny Kenny voices SpongeBob and a number of other characters, including SpongeBob's pet snail Gary and the French narrator. He also physically portrays Patchy the Pirate in live-action segments of most special episodes. Kenny previously worked with Stephen Hillenburg on Rocko's Modern Life . When Hillenburg created SpongeBob SquarePants , he approached Kenny to voice
4728-424: A marine biologist, but I also liked being an artist." Some of his high-school teachers, who knew of his interest in art and fascination with the ocean, advised him otherwise, saying: "You should just draw fish." However, the idea of drawing fish seemed boring to him and he was more riveted by "making weird, little paintings". During a few summers after finishing high school, he worked as a fry cook and lobster boiler at
4925-419: A master's degree, but said it would be in art: "Initially I think I assumed that if I went to school for art I would never have any way of making a living, so I thought it might be smarter to keep art my passion and hobby and study something else. But by the time I got to the end of my undergrad work, I realized I should be in art." After graduating from college, Hillenburg held various jobs in 1984, including as
5122-982: A month before Hillenburg died. Hillenburg is credited as the creator of Kamp Koral , and is credited on other spin-offs as the characters' creator. In 1992, one of Hillenburg's early works, Wormholes , won for Best Concept at the Ottawa International Animation Festival . For SpongeBob SquarePants , Hillenburg was nominated for 17 Emmy Awards , winning in the categories of Outstanding Special Class Animated Program and Outstanding Sound Editing – Animation in 2010 and 2014, respectively. The show has also received several other awards and nominations, including 17 Annie Award nominations, winning six times, as well as winning two British Academy Children's Awards , out of four nominations. In 2002, SpongeBob SquarePants won its first TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming nomination. In 2001, Heal
5319-512: A more "modest" winning margin of "60 to 70 percent." Diệm, however, viewed the election as a test of authority. He declared South Vietnam to be an independent state under the name Republic of Vietnam (ROV), with him as president. Likewise, Ho Chi Minh and other communists won at least 99% of the vote in North Vietnamese "elections". The domino theory , which argued that if a country fell to communism, all surrounding countries would follow,
5516-734: A mythical hero's quest: the search for a stolen crown, which brings SpongeBob and his best friend Patrick to the surface. In 2003, during the production of The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie , his mentor Jules Engel died at the age of 94. Hillenburg dedicated the film to his memory. He said that Engel "truly was the most influential artistic person in [his] life." The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie grossed $ 140 million worldwide, and received positive reviews from critics. The review-aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes rates it 68 percent positive based on 125 reviews, with an average rating of 6.2/10. Its consensus states in summary, "Surreally goofy and entertaining for both children and their parents." "It reached to
5713-691: A park service attendant in Utah and an art director in San Francisco, before landing the job he wanted: teaching children. He hoped to work in a national park on the coast, and eventually found a job at the Orange County Marine Institute (now the Ocean Institute), an organization in Dana Point, California , dedicated to educating the public about marine science and maritime history . Hillenburg
5910-542: A person knowledgeable in Indochinese affairs who did not agree that had elections been held as of the time of the fighting, possibly 80% of the population would have voted for the Communist Ho Chi Minh as their leader rather than Chief of State Bảo Đại. Indeed, the lack of leadership and drive on the part of Bảo Đại was a factor in the feeling prevalent among Vietnamese that they had nothing to fight for. According to
6107-458: A pirate. Brown decided to use a "piratey" voice for the character with "a little Scottish brogue" after hearing Hillenburg's description of his boss. According to Brown, his Mr. Krabs voice was mostly improvised during his audition and it was not challenging for him to find the correct voice. Mr. Lawrence had met Hillenburg before on Rocko's Modern Life . While working on the pilot episode of SpongeBob , Hillenburg invited him to audition for all
Stephen Hillenburg - Misplaced Pages Continue
6304-452: A point where I felt I'd contributed a lot and said what I wanted to say. At that point, the show needed new blood and so I selected Paul [Tibbitt] to produce. I totally trusted him. I always enjoyed the way he captured the SpongeBob character's sense of humor. And as a writer, you have to move on—I'm developing new projects." — Stephen Hillenburg on leaving SpongeBob SquarePants as
6501-463: A policy of " Vietnamization " from 1969, which saw the conflict fought by an expanded ARVN, while US forces withdrew. A 1970 coup in Cambodia resulted in a PAVN invasion and a US–ARVN counter-invasion , escalating its civil war. US troops had mostly withdrawn from Vietnam by 1972, and the 1973 Paris Peace Accords saw the rest leave. The accords were broken almost immediately and fighting continued until
6698-499: A realistic sea sponge , as opposed to his later SpongeBob SquarePants character, a sea sponge whose stylized square shape resembles a kitchen sponge . He tried to get the comic published, but the publishers he approached turned him down. During this time, Hillenburg also started attending animation festivals such as the International Tournée of Animation and Spike and Mike's Festival of Animation , where student films from
6895-611: A really funny, down-to-earth guy with a dry sense of humor who puts his family first and keeps us on our toes in keeping our corporate integrity." Hillenburg said about himself: "I make animation because I like to draw and create things. I have no real interest to be on camera or to be a celebrity. It's not that I don't like people, but I like having my privacy." Hillenburg's graphic influences were George Herriman , E. C. Segar , Bill Watterson , Dr. Seuss , Max Fleischer , Chuck Jones , Tex Avery , Bob Clampett , Jay Ward , Jules Engel , Matt Groening , Joe Murray and John Kricfalusi ;
7092-492: A second animated feature film based on Rob Zombie 's comic-book series, The Haunted World of El Superbeasto , which was slated for a 2006 release. He helped to write Diggs Tailwagger , a 2007 pilot by Derek Drymon. In 2010, he began working on Hollywood Blvd., USA , a new short film for animation festivals. In making the two-minute film, he videotaped people walking and animated them in walk cycles . Hillenburg said in 2012, "I hope to get [the film] done. It takes forever." He
7289-665: A series as he was driving to the beach on the Santa Monica Freeway one day. "It finally dawned on me that if I was going to do my own show, all those things I lectured about and obsessed about would make for an interesting world." — Stephen Hillenburg As he was developing the show's concept, Hillenburg remembered his teaching experience at the Orange County Marine Institute and how mesmerized children were by tide-pool animals, including crabs , octopuses , starfish , and sponges . It came to him that
7486-509: A show of my own." However, he realized that if he ever did, this would be the best approach: "For all those years it seemed like I was doing these two totally separate things. I wondered what it all meant. I didn't see a synthesis. It was great when [my two interests] all came together in [a show]. I felt relieved that I hadn't wasted a lot of time doing something that I then abandoned to do something else. It has been pretty rewarding," Hillenburg said in 2002. He said that he finally decided to create
7683-524: A supervising producer but rose up to executive producer when Hillenburg went into semi-retirement in 2004. While he was on the show, he voiced Potty the Parrot and sat in with Derek Drymon at the record studio to direct the voice actors while they were recording. During the fourth season , Tibbitt took on voicing for Potty, while Andrea Romano replaced the two as the voice director. In 2014, Tibbitt announced on his Twitter account that Hillenburg would return to
7880-495: A wide spectrum of emotions". Arthur Brown, author of Everything I Need to Know, I Learned from Cartoons! , has compared Squidward's voice to that of Jack Benny 's, a similarity Bumpass says is mostly unintentional. Voice acting veteran Clancy Brown voices Mr. Krabs, SpongeBob's boss at the Krusty Krab. Hillenburg modeled Mr. Krabs after his former manager at a seafood restaurant, whose strong Maine accent reminded Hillenburg of
8077-610: Is co-chair . Health accounts for most of their grantmaking; they had gifted Planned Parenthood (where Karen has been on the board of directors as of 2014) and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society , among other national health organizations. In education, they have donated to schools, including the Polytechnic School in Pasadena (which their son attended), CalArts, and Humboldt State University. Donations to
Stephen Hillenburg - Misplaced Pages Continue
8274-427: Is a popular beach hangout. When the SpongeBob crew began production of the series' pilot episode , they were tasked with designing stock locations, to be used repeatedly, where most scenes would take place like the Krusty Krab and SpongeBob's pineapple house. The idea was "to keep everything nautical", so the crew used plenty of rope, wooden planks, ships' wheels, netting, anchors, boilerplates, and rivets to create
8471-404: Is an American animated television series created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon . It was revealed as a sneak peek after the 1999 Kids' Choice Awards on May 1, 1999, and officially premiered on July 17, 1999. It chronicles the adventures of the titular character and his aquatic friends in the underwater city of Bikini Bottom . Many of
8668-413: Is animation about kids in school... We want you to put SpongeBob in school." Hillenburg was ready to "walk out" on Nickelodeon and abandon the series, since he wanted SpongeBob to be an adult character. He eventually compromised by adding a new character to the main cast, Mrs. Puff, who is a boat-driving teacher. Hillenburg was happy with the compromise and said, "A positive thing for me that came out of it
8865-627: Is divided into two 11-minute segments. Hillenburg explained: "[I] never really wanted to deliberately try to write a half-hour show". He added, "I wrote the shows to where they felt right". SpongeBob SquarePants features the voices of Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke , Rodger Bumpass , Clancy Brown , Mr. Lawrence, Jill Talley , Carolyn Lawrence , Mary Jo Catlett , and Lori Alan . Most one-off and background characters are voiced by Dee Bradley Baker , Sirena Irwin , Bob Joles , Mark Fite and Thomas F. Wilson . Steve described SpongeBob to me as childlike and naïve. He's not quite an adult, he's not quite
9062-413: Is drawn by hand) rather than, for instance, make cartoons "by filming piles of sand changing". He made at least one other short film as an animation student, but its title is unspecified. Hillenburg's first professional job in the animation business was as a director on Rocko's Modern Life (1993–1996), Nickelodeon 's first in-house cartoon production. He "ended up finding work in the industry and got
9259-420: Is his best friend Patrick Star , a dimwitted yet friendly pink starfish who resides under a rock. Patrick considers himself to be intelligent, with his ignorance of his stupidity being a key trait of his. Squidward Tentacles , SpongeBob's next-door neighbor and co-worker at the Krusty Krab, is a grumpy and bitter octopus who lives in an Easter Island moai . He despises his job as a cashier and enjoys playing
9456-409: Is important. I think they would want to maintain the original concept and quality." Consequently, he resigned as the showrunner and appointed his trusted staff member Paul Tibbitt to the role. Although he no longer had a direct involvement producing SpongeBob SquarePants , he retained his position as an executive producer and maintained an advisory role, reviewing each episode. Tibbitt started out as
9653-475: Is probably as many as [Nickelodeon] really needs. It is a standard number for a show like this. I have done a little research and people say it is just crazy doing a series and movie at the same time. I would rather concentrate on doing a good job on the movie," he noted. He directed the film from a story that he conceived with five other writer-animators from the series: Paul Tibbitt , Derek Drymon, Aaron Springer , Kent Osborne , and Tim Hill . The writers created
9850-552: Is scary, but the irony is that animation is a pretty healthy career right now and science education is more of a struggle." He studied under Jules Engel , the founding director of the program, whom he considered his "Art Dad" and mentor. Impressed by The Intertidal Zone , Engel accepted him into the program. Hillenburg said, "[Engel] also was a painter, so I think he saw my paintings and could easily say, 'Oh, this guy could fit in to this program.' I don't have any [prior experience in] animation really." Hillenburg graduated in 1992, earning
10047-404: Is the character! This is the guy!'" Jill Talley, Tom Kenny's wife, voices Karen Plankton. Being a Chicago native, she uses a Midwestern accent for the character. Electronic sound effects are underlaid by the series' audio engineers to create a robotic sound when she speaks. Talley and Mr. Lawrence often improvise Plankton and Karen's dialogue. Lawrence called improvisation his "favorite part of
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#173285837944610244-634: Is the most commonly used title in English . It has been called the Second Indochina War since it spread to Laos and Cambodia , the Vietnam Conflict , and Nam (colloquially 'Nam). In Vietnam it is commonly known as Kháng chiến chống Mỹ ( lit. ' Resistance War against America ' ). The Government of Vietnam officially refers to it as the Resistance War against America to Save
10441-414: Is to obtain a boat-driving license from Mrs. Puff 's Boating School, but he never succeeds. His favorite pastimes include "jellyfishing", which involves catching jellyfish with a net in a manner similar to butterfly catching , and blowing soap bubbles into elaborate shapes. He has a pet sea snail with a pink shell and a blue body named Gary , who meows like a cat. Living two houses away from SpongeBob
10638-454: Is unruly, and he has a personality to match—conscientious, optimistic and blind to the faults in the world and those around him." On the other hand, The New York Times critic Joyce Millman said that the show "is clever without being impenetrable to young viewers and goofy without boring grown-ups to tears. It's the most charming toon on television, and one of the weirdest [...]. Like Pee-wee's Playhouse , SpongeBob joyfully dances on
10835-399: Is written differently to many television shows." Unlike most of its contemporaries, SpongeBob SquarePants does not use written scripts . Instead, storylines are developed by a team of five outline and premise writers. A two-page outline is then assigned to a team of storyboard directors, who produce a complete rough draft of the storyboard. One of the methods used to assemble storyboards
11032-516: The 1975 spring offensive and fall of Saigon to the PAVN, marking the war's end. North and South Vietnam were reunified in 1976. The war exacted enormous human cost : estimates of Vietnamese soldiers and civilians killed range from 970,000 to 3 million. Some 275,000–310,000 Cambodians , 20,000–62,000 Laotians , and 58,220 US service members died. Its end would precipitate the Vietnamese boat people and
11229-585: The California Institute of the Arts (colloquially called CalArts) were shown. He determined that he wanted to pursue a career in that field. He had planned to take a master's degree in art, but instead of "going back to school for painting", he left his job in 1987 to become an animator . Hillenburg enrolled in CalArts's Experimental Animation Program in 1989. About this decision, he said: "Changing careers like that
11426-407: The California Institute of the Arts . His thesis film, Wormholes , is about the theory of relativity . It was screened at festivals, and at one of these, Hillenburg met Joe Murray , creator of the popular Nickelodeon animated series, Rocko's Modern Life . Murray was impressed by the style of the film and offered Hillenburg a job. Hillenburg joined the series as a director, and later, during
11623-597: The Châu Đốc massacre at a bar in July, and in September a district chief was killed with his family. By early 1959, Diệm had come to regard the violence as an organized campaign and implemented Law 10/59, which made political violence punishable by death and property confiscation. There had been division among former Viet Minh, whose main goal was to hold elections promised in the Geneva Accords, leading to " wildcat " activities separate from
11820-645: The Cold War between the Soviet Union and US. Direct US military involvement greatly escalated from 1965 until its withdrawal in 1973. The fighting spilled over into the Laotian and Cambodian Civil Wars , which ended with all three countries becoming communist in 1975. After the defeat of French Indochina in the First Indochina War that began in 1946, Vietnam gained independence in the 1954 Geneva Conference but
12017-777: The Cuban Missile Crisis (October 1962) played out on television worldwide. It was the closest the Cold War came to nuclear war . The Kennedy administration remained committed to the Cold War foreign policy inherited from the Truman and Eisenhower administrations. In 1961, the US had 50,000 troops based in South Korea, and Kennedy faced four crisis situations: the failure of the Bay of Pigs Invasion he had approved in April, settlement negotiations between
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#173285837944612214-555: The French Navy and the US Seventh Fleet to ferry refugees. The northern refugees gave the later Ngô Đình Diệm regime a strong anti-communist constituency. Over 100,000 Viet Minh fighters went to the north for "regroupment", expecting to return south within two years. The Viet Minh left roughly 5,000 to 10,000 cadres in the south as a base for future insurgency. The last French soldiers left South Vietnam in April 1956 and
12411-651: The Ho Chi Minh trail to supply and reinforce the VC. By 1963, the north had covertly sent 40,000 soldiers of its own People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN), armed with Soviet and Chinese weapons, to fight in the insurgency in the south. President John F. Kennedy increased US involvement from 900 military advisors in 1960 to 16,300 in 1963 and sent more aid to the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), which failed to produce results. In 1963, Diem
12608-632: The International Short Film Festival Oberhausen , and the Ottawa International Animation Festival , where it won Best Concept. LA Weekly called the film "road-trippy" and " Zap -comical", while Manohla Dargis of The New York Times called it "inventive". Hillenburg explained that "anything goes" in experimental animation. Although this allowed him to explore alternatives to conventional methods of filmmaking, he still ventured to employ "an industry style"; he preferred to traditionally animate his films (where each frame
12805-638: The Korean War in June convinced Washington policymakers that the war in Indochina was another example of communist expansionism, directed by the Soviet Union. Military advisors from China began assisting the Viet Minh in July 1950. Chinese weapons, expertise, and laborers transformed the Viet Minh from a guerrilla force into a regular army. In September 1950, the US further enforced the Truman Doctrine by creating
13002-626: The Ocean Institute , an organization in Dana Point, California , dedicated to educating the public about marine science and maritime history . While Hillenburg was there, his love of the ocean began to influence his artistry. He created a precursor to SpongeBob SquarePants : a comic book titled The Intertidal Zone used by the institute to teach visiting students about the animal life of tide pools . The comic starred various anthropomorphic sea lifeforms, many of which would evolve into SpongeBob SquarePants characters. Hillenburg tried to get
13199-608: The Pentagon Papers , which commented on Eisenhower's observation, Diệm would have been a more popular candidate than Bảo Đại against Hồ, stating that "It is almost certain that by 1956 the proportion which might have voted for Ho - in a free election against Diem - would have been much smaller than 80%." In 1957, independent observers from India, Poland, and Canada representing the International Control Commission (ICC) stated that fair elections were impossible, with
13396-603: The Tiki influence on the show, the background painters use a lot of pattern." Pittenger said the sky flowers were meant to "evoke the look of a flower-print Hawaiian shirt ". Series creator Stephen Hillenburg first became fascinated with the ocean as a child and began developing his artistic abilities at a young age. Although these interests would not overlap for some time—the idea of drawing fish seemed boring to him—Hillenburg pursued both during college, majoring in marine biology and minoring in art. After graduating in 1984, he joined
13593-587: The Viet Minh , an anti-Japanese resistance movement that advocated for independence. The Viet Minh received aid from the Allies , namely the US, Soviet Union, and Republic of China . Beginning in 1944, the US Office of Strategic Services (O.S.S.) provided the Viet Minh with weapons, ammunition, and training to fight the occupying Japanese and Vichy French forces. Throughout the war, Vietnamese guerrilla resistance against
13790-498: The Winsor McCay Award at the 45th Annie Awards , and a special recognition at the 45th Daytime Emmy Awards "for his contribution and impact made in the animation field and within the broadcast industry." The marine demosponge species Clathria hillenburgi , known from mangrove habitats off the coast of Paraíba , Brazil , was named in honor of Stephen Hillenburg. SpongeBob SquarePants SpongeBob SquarePants
13987-444: The clarinet and painting self-portraits. He is constantly annoyed by SpongeBob and Patrick's antics, who are unaware of Squidward's animosity towards them, though they get along well when the situation calls for it. Mr. Krabs , a greedy red crab, is the owner of the Krusty Krab. He serves as a father figure to SpongeBob. He is a single parent with a teenage daughter, a grey sperm whale named Pearl , who has no interest in taking over
14184-434: The fourth season , he took on the roles of producer and creative director . Martin Olson , one of the writers for Rocko's Modern Life , read The Intertidal Zone and encouraged Hillenburg to create a television series with a similar concept. At that point, Hillenburg had not even considered creating his own series. However, he realized that if he ever did, this would be the best approach. He began to develop some of
14381-402: The series bible . Although Drymon would go on to have a significant influence on SpongeBob SquarePants , he was not offered a role on the series initially. As a late recruit to Rocko's Modern Life , he had not established much of a relationship with Hillenburg before SpongeBob ' s conception. Hillenburg first sought out Drymon's storyboard partner, Mark O'Hare —but he had just created
14578-442: The series finale . He then resigned as showrunner, but remained credited as executive producer on subsequent seasons (even after his death). He later resumed creating short films with Hollywood Blvd., USA (2013). He co-wrote the story for the second film adaptation of the series, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (2015), and received a posthumous executive producer credit for the third film, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on
14775-597: The Arts in 1989 to pursue a career in animation. He was later offered a job on the Nickelodeon animated television series Rocko's Modern Life (1993–1996) following the success of his 1992 short films The Green Beret and Wormholes , which were made as part of his studies. In 1994, Hillenburg began developing The Intertidal Zone characters and concepts for what became SpongeBob SquarePants , which has aired continuously since 1999. He also directed The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004), which he originally intended to be
14972-779: The Bay , an environmental nonprofit organization, honored Hillenburg with its Walk the Talk award. He was recognized for raising public awareness of marine life through SpongeBob SquarePants . The following year, Hillenburg was given the Television Animation Award from the National Cartoonists Society , and the Princess Grace Statue Award from the Princess Grace Foundation. In 2018, Hillenburg received
15169-511: The British were opposed. Eisenhower, wary of involving the US in an Asian land war, decided against intervention. Throughout the conflict, US intelligence estimates remained skeptical of France's chance of success. On 7 May 1954, the French garrison at Dien Bien Phu surrendered. The defeat marked the end of French military involvement in Indochina. At the Geneva Conference , they negotiated
15366-478: The Chum Bucket. It rarely has any customers due to its sale of chum -based food constituting as cannibalism by the majority of the fish population. It is run by a small, green, one-eyed copepod named Plankton and his computer wife, Karen . Plankton, being a childhood friend and eventual rival of Mr. Krabs, constantly tries to steal the secret recipe for Mr. Krabs's popular Krabby Patty burgers, hoping to gain
15563-512: The Flying Dutchman; and Marion Ross as Grandma SquarePants. Notable guests who have provided vocal cameo appearances include: David Bowie as Lord Royal Highness in the television film Atlantis SquarePantis ; John Goodman as the voice of Santa in the episode " It's a SpongeBob Christmas! "; Johnny Depp as the voice of the surf guru, Jack Kahuna Laguna, in the episode " SpongeBob SquarePants vs. The Big One "; and Victoria Beckham as
15760-452: The GVN, on coalition government and the neutralization of Vietnam." The identities of the leaders of the organization were often kept secret. Support for the VC was driven by resentment of Diem's reversal of Viet Minh land reforms in the countryside. The Viet Minh had confiscated large private landholdings, reduced rents and debts, and leased communal lands, mostly to poorer peasants. Diem brought
15957-576: The ICC reporting that neither South nor North Vietnam had honored the armistice agreement. From April to June 1955, Diệm eliminated political opposition in the south by launching operations against religious groups: the Cao Đài and Hòa Hảo of Ba Cụt . The campaign also attacked the Bình Xuyên organized crime group, which was allied with members of the communist party secret police and had military elements. The group
16154-464: The Japanese grew dramatically, and by the end of 1944 the Viet Minh had grown to over 500,000 members. US President Franklin D. Roosevelt was an ardent supporter of Vietnamese resistance, and proposed that Vietnam's independence be granted under an international trusteeship following the war. Following the surrender of Japan in 1945, the Viet Minh launched the August Revolution , overthrowing
16351-649: The Japanese-backed Empire of Vietnam and seizing weapons from the surrendering Japanese forces. On September 2, Ho Chi Minh proclaimed the Declaration of independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV). However, on September 23, French forces overthrew the DRV and reinstated French rule. American support for the Viet Minh promptly ended, and O.S.S. forces left as the French sought to reassert control of
16548-624: The Nation. It is sometimes called the American War . Vietnam had been under French control as part of French Indochina since the mid-19th century. Under French rule, Vietnamese nationalism was suppressed, so revolutionary groups conducted their activities abroad, particularly in France and China. One such nationalist, Nguyen Sinh Cung , established the Indochinese Communist Party in 1930,
16745-453: The Orange County Marine Institute. He indicated that children's television series such as The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse (1987–1988) and Pee-wee's Playhouse (1986–1991) "sparked something in [him]." He continued, "I don't know if this is true for everybody else, but it always seems like, for me, I'll start thinking about something and it takes about ten years to actually have it happen, or have someone else believe in it... It took me
16942-455: The PRC also completed its withdrawal from North Vietnam. Between 1953 and 1956, the North Vietnamese government instituted agrarian reforms, including "rent reduction" and "land reform", which resulted in political oppression. During land reform, North Vietnamese witnesses suggested a ratio of one execution for every 160 village residents, which extrapolates to 100,000 executions. Because the campaign
17139-541: The Run (2020). Besides his two Emmy Awards and six Annie Awards for SpongeBob SquarePants , Hillenburg also received other recognitions, such as an accolade from Heal the Bay for his efforts in elevating marine life awareness and the Television Animation Award from the National Cartoonists Society . Hillenburg announced he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in 2017, but stated he would continue working on SpongeBob for as long as possible. He died from
17336-504: The Run (2020). Two spin-off series, Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years and The Patrick Star Show , premiered in 2021. As of February 2022, four additional films are planned: three character spinoff films for Paramount+ and Netflix , and a theatrical SpongeBob film. The fourteenth season of the main series was announced in March 2022, and premiered in November 2023. In September 2023,
17533-462: The Sponge resembles an actual sea sponge, and at first, Hillenburg continued to use this design. In determining the new character's behavior, Hillenburg drew inspiration from innocent, childlike figures that he enjoyed, such as Charlie Chaplin , Laurel and Hardy , Jerry Lewis , and Pee-wee Herman . He then considered modeling the character after a kitchen sponge and realized this idea would match
17730-448: The Sponge, who resembles a realistic sea sponge; at first, Hillenburg continued this design because it "was the correct thing to do biologically as a marine-science teacher." In determining the new character's personality, he drew inspiration from innocent, childlike figures that he enjoyed, such as Charlie Chaplin , Laurel and Hardy , Jerry Lewis , Pee-wee Herman , Abbott and Costello , and The Three Stooges . While Hillenburg "retained
17927-516: The State of Vietnam, with Bảo Đại as Emperor, and Ngô Đình Diệm as prime minister. Neither the US, nor Diệm's State of Vietnam, signed anything at the Geneva Conference. The non-communist Vietnamese delegation objected strenuously to any division of Vietnam, but lost when the French accepted the proposal of Viet Minh delegate Phạm Văn Đồng , who proposed Vietnam eventually be united by elections under
18124-508: The US discussed the use of tactical nuclear weapons , though reports of how seriously this was considered and by whom, are vague. According to then-Vice President Richard Nixon , the Joint Chiefs of Staff drew up plans to use nuclear weapons to support the French. Nixon, a so-called " hawk ", suggested the US might have to "put American boys in". President Dwight D. Eisenhower made American participation contingent on British support, but
18321-656: The United Plankton Charitable Trust, which they established in 2005, naming after Hillenburg's United Plankton Pictures. It supports areas of their personal interest, giving under $ 500,000 annually as of 2017. Grantees include large, established arts-related organizations such as the Los Angeles County Museum of Art , and the Society for the Activation of Social Space through Art and Sound , in which Karen
18518-522: The Vienna summit with Khrushchev, "Now we have a problem making our power credible and Vietnam looks like the place." Kennedy's policy toward South Vietnam assumed Diệm and his forces had to defeat the guerrillas on their own. He was against the deployment of American combat troops and observed "to introduce U.S. forces in large numbers there today, while it might have an initially favorable military impact, would almost certainly lead to adverse political and, in
18715-488: The air. Aside from directing, he also produced, wrote and storyboarded for some episodes, and served as the executive story editor. In particular, the third season episode " Fish-N-Chumps " was co-written and directed by Hillenburg, and involved Rocko , Heffer , and Filburt going on a fishing trip, oblivious to the fact that a pair of anthropomorphic sea creatures are attempting to catch them from underwater; this would foreshadow his later work with SpongeBob . In 1995, during
18912-574: The band's uniforms were altered from red to green to match the Stars's colors, with the title "The #SuperBowl halftime show fans deserve". The Stars's video had previously been shown during their February 1 game against the Minnesota Wild . In 2019, a spin-off of SpongeBob SquarePants , Kamp Koral , began production, featuring younger versions of the characters attending summer camp. Former showrunner Paul Tibbitt stated that Hillenburg would have disliked
19109-442: The best we could hope for was a college audience." SpongeBob SquarePants has gone on to become the longest-running series on Nickelodeon. "Ten years. I never imagined working on the show to this date and this long. It never was possible to conceive that [...]. I really figured we might get a season and a cult following, and that might be it," Hillenburg said in 2009 during the show's tenth anniversary. Its popularity has made it
19306-842: The border. About 500 of the "regroupees" of 1954 were sent south on the trail during its first year of operation. The first arms delivery via the trail was completed in August 1959. In April 1960, North Vietnam imposed universal military conscription for men. About 40,000 communist soldiers infiltrated the south from 1961 to 1963. In the 1960 U.S. presidential election , Senator John F. Kennedy defeated incumbent Vice President Richard Nixon. Although Eisenhower warned Kennedy about Laos and Vietnam, Europe and Latin America "loomed larger than Asia on his sights." In June 1961, he bitterly disagreed with Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev when they met in Vienna to discuss key U.S.–Soviet issues. Only 16 months later,
19503-410: The cartoon to Nickelodeon executives, Hillenburg donned a Hawaiian shirt, brought along an "underwater terrarium with models of the characters", and played Hawaiian music to set the theme. The setup was described by Nickelodeon executive Eric Coleman as "pretty amazing". They were given money and two weeks to write the pilot episode " Help Wanted ". Drymon, Hillenburg, and Jennings returned with what
19700-487: The central character of the series, Hillenburg turned to Tom Kenny , whose career in animation had begun with his role in Rocko's Modern Life . Elements of Kenny's own personality were employed in further developing the character. While pitching the cartoon to executives at Nickelodeon, Hillenburg donned a Hawaiian shirt , brought along an "underwater terrarium with models of the characters", and played Hawaiian music to set
19897-428: The character for a "Cheese Man". He settled on the name "SpongeBob". "SquarePants" was chosen as a family name after Kenny saw a picture of the character and remarked, "Boy, look at this sponge in square pants, thinking he can get a job in a fast food place." When he heard Kenny say it, Hillenburg loved the phrase and felt it would reinforce the character's nerdiness. Derek Drymon , who served as creative director for
20094-432: The character's square personality perfectly. Patrick, Mr. Krabs, Pearl, and Squidward were the next characters Hillenburg created for the show. To voice the series' central character, Hillenburg turned to Tom Kenny , whose career in animation had started alongside Hillenburg's on Rocko's Modern Life . Elements of Kenny's own personality were employed to develop the character further. Initially, Hillenburg wanted to use
20291-434: The characters from The Intertidal Zone , including the comic's "announcer", Bob the Sponge. He wanted his series to stand out from most popular cartoons of the time, which he felt were exemplified by buddy comedies like The Ren & Stimpy Show . As a result, Hillenburg decided to focus on a single main character: the "weirdest" sea creature he could think of. This led him to the sponge. The Intertidal Zone ' s Bob
20488-436: The characters. Since other voices had been found for the main cast already, Lawrence began by voicing a variety of minor characters. This included Plankton, who was initially only set to appear in one episode. Mr. Lawrence recalls that Nickelodeon executives told Hillenburg, "'we could stunt-cast this. You know, we could have Bruce Willis do this voice.' And Steve was just like, 'it's Doug [Lawrence], don't you hear it? This
20685-422: The comic professionally published, but none of the companies he sent it to were interested. A large inspiration to Hillenburg was Ween 's 1997 album The Mollusk , which had a nautical and underwater theme. Hillenburg contacted the band shortly after the album's release, explaining the baseline ideas for SpongeBob SquarePants , and also requested a song from the band, which they sent on Christmas Eve. This song
20882-495: The country . Tensions between the Viet Minh and French authorities had erupted into full-scale war by 1946, a conflict which soon became entwined with the wider Cold War . On March 12, 1947, US President Harry S. Truman announced the Truman Doctrine , an anticommunist foreign policy which pledged US support to nations resisting "attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures". In Indochina, this doctrine
21079-491: The country to the Virgin Mary . In the summer of 1955, Diệm launched the "Denounce the Communists" campaign, during which suspected communists and other anti-government elements were arrested, imprisoned, tortured, or executed. He instituted the death penalty in August 1956 against activity deemed communist. The North Vietnamese government claimed that, by November 1957, over 65,000 individuals were imprisoned and 2,148 killed in
21276-618: The demilitarized zone, between North and South Vietnam. The North Vietnamese Communist Party approved a "people's war" on the South at a session in January 1959, and, in May, Group 559 was established to maintain and upgrade the Ho Chi Minh trail , at this time a six-month mountain trek through Laos. On 28 July, North Vietnamese and Pathet Lao forces invaded Laos, fighting the Royal Lao Army all along
21473-449: The disease on November 26, 2018, at the age of 57. Stephen McDannell Hillenburg was born on August 21, 1961 at Fort Sill , a United States Army post in Lawton, Oklahoma , where his father, Kelly N. Hillenburg Jr. (1936–2006), worked for the U.S. military and was a Methodist . His mother, Nancy ( née Dufour), taught visually impaired students and came from a Methodist family. When he
21670-421: The educational directors asked him if he would be interested in creating an educational comic book about the animal life of tidal pools . He created a comic called The Intertidal Zone , which he used to teach his students. It featured anthropomorphic forms of sea life, many of which would evolve into SpongeBob SquarePants characters – including "Bob the Sponge", the comic's co-host, who resembled
21867-470: The end of 1965, and to 536,000 by the end of 1968. US forces relied on air supremacy and overwhelming firepower to conduct search and destroy operations in rural areas. In 1968, North Vietnam launched the Tet Offensive , which was a tactical defeat but convinced many in the US that the war could not be won. The PAVN began engaging in more conventional warfare . Johnson's successor, Richard Nixon , began
22064-417: The episode when Mr. Krabs uses even more profanity than SpongeBob and Patrick was inspired "by the fact that my [Drymon's] mother has a sailor mouth herself". The idea for the episode "The Secret Box" also came from one of Drymon's childhood experiences. Hillenburg explained, "Drymon had a secret box [as a kid] and started telling us about it. We wanted to make fun of him and use it." Almost every episode
22261-403: The family business. Another of SpongeBob's friends is Sandy Cheeks , a thrill-seeking and athletic squirrel from Texas , who wears an air-filled diving suit to breathe underwater. She lives in a tree enclosed in a clear glass dome locked by an airtight, hand-turned seal and is an expert in karate . Located across the street from the Krusty Krab is an unsuccessful rival restaurant called
22458-441: The film was finalized and the third season finished, Hillenburg resigned as the series' showrunner. Although he no longer had a direct role in the series' production, he maintained an advisory role and reviewed each episode. It reached a point where I felt I'd contributed a lot and said what I wanted to say. At that point, the show needed new blood, and so I selected Paul [Tibbitt] to produce. I totally trusted him. I always enjoyed
22655-494: The fine line between childhood and adulthood, guilelessness and camp, the warped and the sweet." SpongeBob SquarePants was an immediate hit. Within its first month on air, it overtook Pokémon (1997–) as the highest-rated Saturday morning children's series. By the end of 2001, the show boasted the highest ratings of any children's series on television. Nickelodeon began adding SpongeBob SquarePants to its Monday-through-Thursday prime-time block. This programming change increased
22852-533: The first praise for his artwork, when his teacher commended it. "Of course, this is 1970 ... She liked it because, I mean, obviously that was in the middle of [the Vietnam War ]. She was, I would imagine, not a hundred percent for the war like a lot of people then. ... I had no idea about the implications, really, because I just thought it was a funny idea. I remember that still, that moment when she said, 'oh my gosh, look at that'", Hillenburg elaborated. It
23049-914: The first three seasons, Hillenburg and Drymon sat in the recording studio and directed the actors. Andrea Romano became the voice director in the fourth season, and Tom Kenny took over the role during the ninth. Wednesday is recording day, the same schedule followed by the crew since 1999. Casting supervisor Jennie Monica Hammond said, "I loved Wednesdays". Vietnam War ≈860,000 (1967) ≈1,420,000 (1968) Total military dead/missing: ≈1,100,000 Total military wounded: ≈604,200 (excluding GRUNK / Khmer Rouge and Pathet Lao ) Second Third American intervention 1965 1966 1967 Tet Offensive and aftermath Vietnamization 1969–1971 1972 Post- Paris Peace Accords (1973–1974) Spring 1975 Air operations Naval operations Lists of allied operations The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975)
23246-425: The first three seasons, has said that Hillenburg wanted to surround himself with a "team of young and hungry people." Many of the major contributors to SpongeBob SquarePants had worked before with Hillenburg on Rocko's Modern Life , including: Drymon, art director Nick Jennings , supervising director Alan Smart , writer/voice actor Doug Lawrence (often credited as Mr. Lawrence), and Tim Hill , who helped develop
23443-437: The fourth and final season of Rocko , Hillenburg was promoted to creative director , where he helped oversee pre- and post-production. Working on the series enabled him to repay his loans. He later related that he "learned a great deal about writing and producing animation for TV" from his stint on Rocko's Modern Life . Some evidence shows that the idea for SpongeBob SquarePants dates back to 1986, during Hillenburg's time at
23640-505: The funniest person he knew, and the character of Karen Plankton was named after her. Also in 1998, their son was born. Hillenburg formerly resided in Hollywood and Pasadena , and lived with his family in San Marino, California until his death. His hobbies included surfing , snorkeling , scuba diving , swimming, and performing "noisy rock music" on his guitar. He jammed with his son, who is
23837-399: The idea of a living sea sponge," he soon considered giving the character a square shape (like a kitchen sponge ), and realized that this idea would match the character's square personality perfectly: "[I]t looked so funny. I think as far as cartoon language goes he was easier to recognize. He seemed to fit the character type I was looking for—a somewhat nerdy, squeaky clean oddball ." To voice
24034-477: The idea; he commented, "Steve would always say to me, 'You know, one of these days, they're going to want to make SpongeBob Babies . That's when I'm out of here. ' " Tibbitt also released a statement stating, "I do not mean any disrespect to my colleagues who are working on this show ... [but] they all know full well Steve would have hated this." The concept of Kamp Koral came from a season 12 meeting in October 2018,
24231-711: The insurgency entitled "The Road to the South" to the Politburo in Hanoi. However, as China and the Soviets opposed confrontation, his plan was rejected. Despite this, the North Vietnamese leadership approved tentative measures to revive southern insurgency in December 1956. Communist forces were under a single command structure set up in 1958. In May 1958, North Vietnamese forces seized the transportation hub at Tchepone in Southern Laos near
24428-497: The landlords back, people who had been farming land for years had to return it to landlords and pay years of back rent. Marilyn B. Young wrote that "The divisions within villages reproduced those that had existed against the French: 75% support for the NLF, 20% trying to remain neutral and 5% firmly pro-government". In March 1956, southern communist leader Lê Duẩn presented a plan to revive
24625-467: The larger Indochina refugee crisis , which saw millions leave Indochina, an estimated 250,000 perished at sea. The US destroyed 20% of South Vietnam's jungle and 20–50% of the mangrove forests, by spraying over 20 million U.S. gallons (75 million liters) of toxic herbicides; a notable example of ecocide . The Khmer Rouge carried out the Cambodian genocide , while conflict between them and
24822-977: The latter helped fund the HSU Marine Lab and the Stephen Hillenburg Marine Science Research Award Endowment, which the couple created in 2018 to support the university's marine-science research students. The previous year, the Princess Grace Foundation introduced the Stephen Hillenburg Animation Scholarship, an annual grant from the Hillenburgs to emerging animators. Hillenburg disclosed to Variety magazine in March 2017 that he had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig 's disease), though he continued to work on SpongeBob SquarePants for as long as he
25019-437: The latter was inspired to have many close-up shots in several SpongeBob episodes to have grotesque and extremely detailed drawings. He had also cited Charlie Chaplin , Buster Keaton , Laurel & Hardy , The Three Stooges , W.C. Fields , Jerry Lewis , Jacques Cousteau , Jim Henson's The Muppets and Paul Reubens 's Pee-wee Herman . Hillenburg, with his wife Karen endowed numerous projects and organizations through
25216-526: The long run, adverse military consequences." The quality of the South Vietnamese military, however, remained poor. Poor leadership, corruption, and political promotions weakened the ARVN. The frequency of guerrilla attacks rose as the insurgency gathered steam. While Hanoi's support for the VC played a role, South Vietnamese governmental incompetence was at the core of the crisis. One major issue Kennedy raised
25413-417: The main background characters for the show and are featured in almost every episode. They are each referred as "Incidental" followed by their given model number. Their names, jobs, personalities, relationships, voices, ages, and sometimes gender are inconsistent and tend to differ from each episode. There are 222 of these characters. Special (generally half-hour or hour-long) episodes of the show are hosted by
25610-452: The main character. Kenny originally used the voice of SpongeBob for a minor character on Rocko . He forgot how to perform the voice initially and did not intend to use it afterward. Hillenburg, however, used a video clip of the episode to remind Kenny of the voice. When Hillenburg heard Kenny perform the voice, he knew immediately he wanted it for his character. He said to Nickelodeon executives, "That's it—I don't want to hear anybody else do
25807-416: The name SpongeBoy—the character had no last name—and the series was to have been named SpongeBoy Ahoy! However, the Nickelodeon legal department discovered—after voice acting had been completed for the original seven-minute pilot episode—that the name "SpongeBoy" was already copyrighted. In choosing a replacement name, Hillenburg felt he still had to use the word "Sponge", so that viewers would not mistake
26004-508: The neighboring houses of SpongeBob , Patrick , and Squidward ; two competing restaurants, the Krusty Krab and the Chum Bucket ; Mrs. Puff 's Boating School, which includes a driving course and a sunken lighthouse ; the Treedome, an oxygenated glass enclosure where Sandy lives; Shady Shoals Rest Home; a seagrass meadow called Jellyfish Fields; and Goo Lagoon, a subaqueous brine pool that
26201-524: The number of older viewers significantly. By May 2002, the show's total viewership reached more than 61 million, 20 million of which were aged 18 to 49. Hillenburg did not expect the show would be very popular even to adults: "I never imagined that it would get to this point. When you set out to do a show about a sponge, you can't anticipate this kind of craze. We just try to make ourselves laugh, then ask if it's appropriate for children. I can tell you that we hoped it would be liked by adults. But we really thought
26398-527: The oceanographer Jacques Cousteau . Recurring guest characters appear throughout the series including: the retired superheroes Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy , who are idolized by SpongeBob and Patrick; a pirate specter known as the Flying Dutchman ; the muscular lifeguard of Goo Lagoon, Larry the Lobster ; and the merman god of the sea, King Neptune . There is also a large variety of characters who serve as
26595-516: The oral exams he takes, but he panics and crashes when he tries to drive a real boat, hence failing the course multiple times. When Mrs. Puff endures one of SpongeBob's crashes or is otherwise frightened, she puffs up into a ball. An unseen figure called the French Narrator often introduces episodes and narrates the intertitles as if the series were a nature documentary about the ocean. His role and distinctive manner of speaking are references to
26792-601: The original voice of Patchy the Pirate 's pet, Potty the Parrot . Born in Lawton, Oklahoma and raised in Anaheim, California , Hillenburg became fascinated with the ocean as a child and developed an interest in art. He started his professional career in 1984, instructing marine biology at the Orange County Marine Institute , where he wrote and illustrated The Intertidal Zone , an informative picture book about tide-pool animals, which he used to educate his students. After two years of teaching, he enrolled at California Institute of
26989-446: The other communists and anti-GVN activists. Douglas Pike estimated that insurgents carried out 2,000 abductions, and 1,700 assassinations of government officials, village chiefs, hospital workers and teachers from 1957 to 1960. Violence between insurgents and government forces increased drastically from 180 clashes in January 1960, to 545 clashes in September. In September 1960, COSVN , North Vietnam's southern headquarters, ordered
27186-463: The pilot) and was offered the role of story editor , but turned it down—he would go on to pursue a career as a family film director. In his stead, Pete Burns was brought in for the job. Burns hailed from Chicago and had never met any of the principal players on SpongeBob before joining the team. The execs from Nickelodeon flew out to Burbank , and we pitched it to them from the storyboards . We had squeezy toys, wore Hawaiian shirts, and used
27383-420: The point where people don't want to see your show anymore," Hillenburg said in 2002. However, Nickelodeon wanted to produce more episodes: "The show was such a cash cow for the station that it couldn't afford not to," storyboard director Sam Henderson observed. Initially Hillenburg doubted that the network would continue the show without him, saying: "I think [Nickelodeon executives] respect that my contribution
27580-583: The pro-Western government of Laos and the Pathet Lao communist movement in May, construction of the Berlin Wall in August, and the Cuban Missile Crisis in October. Kennedy believed another failure to stop communist expansion would irreparably damage US credibility. He was determined to "draw a line in the sand" and prevent a communist victory in Vietnam. He told James Reston of The New York Times after
27777-412: The process for SpongeBob SquarePants —even though Nickelodeon was beginning to show a greater preference for script-driven cartoons. Another series' writer, Merriwether Williams , explained in an interview that she and Mr. Lawrence would write a draft for an episode in an afternoon and be done at 4:00 pm. The writing staff often used their personal experiences as inspiration for the storylines of
27974-412: The process. According to Gabriel Kolko , 40,000 political prisoners had been jailed by the end of 1958. In October 1956, Diệm launched a land reform program limiting the size of rice farms per owner. 1.8m acres of farm land became available for purchase by landless people. By 1960, the process had stalled because many of Diem's biggest supporters were large landowners. In May 1957, Diệm undertook
28171-494: The progression of the illness. Hillenburg died on November 26, 2018, at the age of 57. According to his death certificate obtained by TMZ , he died at his home in San Marino, California . It also states that his body was cremated , and that his ashes were scattered in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California the next day. During the halftime show for Super Bowl LIII , the performing band Maroon 5 arranged to use
28368-693: The projects I'm most proud of, even with SpongeBob . It provided me the opportunity just to make a film that was personal, and what I would call independent, and free of some of the commercial needs." Wormholes was shown at several international animation festivals, including the Annecy International Animated Film Festival , the Hiroshima International Animation Festival , the Los Angeles International Animation Celebration,
28565-417: The role, Alan was shown an early drawing of the characters and noted that Pearl was much larger than the rest of the cast. She decided to reflect the character's size in her voice by making it deep and full in tone. She aimed to make it invoke the sound of whales' low vocalizations while also sounding "spoiled and lovable." In an interview with AfterBuzz TV , Alan said she knew Pearl "had to sound somewhat like
28762-485: The role. American actress Mary Jo Catlett, who is known for her live-action roles on television programs from the 1970s such as Diff'rent Strokes and M*A*S*H provides Mrs. Puff's voice. As of 2017, voicing Mrs. Puff has become her only regular television role; Catlett described herself as "basically retired" in 2013, since she feels that voicing Mrs. Puff requires less preparation than her performances in person. Lori Alan voices Pearl Krabs. During her audition for
28959-408: The same time when Hillenburg, Derek Drymon and Tim Hill were writing the pilot "Help Wanted", Hillenburg was also conducting auditions to find voices for the characters. Fagerbakke auditioned for the role of Patrick after Kenny had been cast. Fagerbakke recalled that during this audition, "Hillenburg actually played for me a portion of Tom [Kenny]'s performance [as SpongeBob], and they were looking for
29156-418: The same year. Hillenburg noted that the show's premise "is that innocence prevails—which I don't think it always does in real life." It has received positive reviews from critics, and has been noted for its appeal to different age groups. James Poniewozik of Time magazine described the titular character as "the anti- Bart Simpson , temperamentally and physically: his head is as squared-off and neat as Bart's
29353-404: The second highest-grossing film based on an animated television show, behind The Simpsons Movie (2007). In 1998, Hillenburg formed United Plankton Pictures Inc. , a television and film production company , which produces SpongeBob SquarePants and related media. From 2011 to 2018, the company published SpongeBob Comics , a comic-book series based on the cartoon. Hillenburg announced
29550-487: The series is the fifth-longest-running American animated series . Its popularity made it a multimedia franchise , the highest rated Nickelodeon series, and the most profitable intellectual property for Paramount Consumer Products . By 2019, it had generated over $ 13 billion in merchandising revenue. The series has run for a total of fourteen seasons, and has inspired three feature films: The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004), Sponge Out of Water (2015), and Sponge on
29747-407: The series should take place underwater, with a focus on those creatures: "I wanted to create a small town underwater where the characters were more like us than like fish. They have fire. They take walks. They drive. They have pets and holidays." It suited what Hillenburg liked for a show, "something that was fantastic but believable." He also wanted his series to stand out from most popular cartoons of
29944-472: The series would continue after his death. In February 2019, incoming president Brian Robbins vowed Nickelodeon would keep the show in production for as long as the network exists. As of the ninth season, former writers and storyboard directors Vincent Waller and Marc Ceccarelli act as showrunners. Hillenburg is still posthumously credited as executive producer in episodes as of 2024. According to writer and storyboard artist Luke Brookshier , " SpongeBob
30141-420: The series' episodes. For example, the episode " Sailor Mouth ", where SpongeBob and Patrick learn profanity , was inspired by creative director Derek Drymon's experience as a child of getting into trouble for using the f-word in front of his mother. Drymon said, "The scene where Patrick is running to Mr. Krabs to tattle, with SpongeBob chasing him, is pretty much how it happened in real life". The end of
30338-460: The series' ideas originated in The Intertidal Zone , an unpublished educational comic book Hillenburg created in 1989 to teach his students about undersea life. Hillenburg joined Nickelodeon in 1992 as an artist on Rocko's Modern Life . After Rocko was cancelled in 1996, he began developing SpongeBob SquarePants into a television series that same year, and in 1997, a seven-minute pilot
30535-556: The show as a writer, director, and storyboard artist, to take over his role as showrunner to produce additional seasons. Hillenburg considered Tibbitt one of his favorite members of the show's crew, and "totally trusted him". On December 13, 2014, it was announced that Hillenburg would return to the series in an unspecified position. On November 26, 2018, at the age of 57, Hillenburg died from complications from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), with which he had been diagnosed in March 2017. Nickelodeon confirmed via Twitter
30732-400: The show was renewed for a fifteenth season, which premiered in July 2024. SpongeBob SquarePants has won a variety of awards including six Annie Awards , eight Golden Reel Awards , four Emmy Awards , two BAFTA Children's Awards , and a record-breaking twenty-one Kids' Choice Awards . A Broadway musical based on the series opened in 2017 to critical acclaim. The series is also noted as
30929-400: The show's setting. Transitions between scenes are marked by bubbles filling the screen, accompanied by the sound of rushing water. The series features "sky flowers" as a main setting material. When series background designer Kenny Pittenger was asked what they were, he answered, "They function as clouds in a way, but since the show takes place underwater, they aren't really clouds. Because of
31126-468: The show. The series takes place primarily in the benthic underwater city of Bikini Bottom located in the Pacific Ocean beneath the real-life coral reef known as Bikini Atoll . Its citizens are mostly multicolored fish who live in buildings made from ship funnels and use "boatmobiles", amalgamations of cars and boats, as a mode of transportation. Recurring locations within Bikini Bottom include
31323-443: The show. ... it is getting harder and harder to come up with stories. So Paul [Tibbitt] and I are really going to brainstorm and come up with fresh material." Called The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water , the second film adaptation was released in 2015 to positive critical reception, currently holding a Rotten Tomatoes approval rating of 80 percent and an average rating of 6.5/10. It earned $ 323.4 million worldwide, becoming
31520-523: The show. However, he did not specify what position the former showrunner would hold. As early as 2012, Hillenburg had already been contributing to another film based on the series, which was first reported in 2011 and officially announced the following year, with Tibbitt as director. Tibbitt also wrote the story with Hillenburg, who "[had] been in the studio everyday working with [the crew]." Besides writing, Hillenburg also executive-produced. He said in 2014: "Actually when [the film] wraps , I want to get back to
31717-425: The showrunner After completing the film, Hillenburg wanted to end the series "so [it] wouldn't jump the shark ." "We're working on episodes 40 through 60 right now, and I always looked at that as a typical run for an animated show. [ The Ren & Stimpy Show ] lasted about that long, for example. And I thought now was a good time to step aside and look at a different project. I personally think it's good not to go to
31914-410: The soon-to-be syndicated comic strip, Citizen Dog . While he would later join SpongeBob as a writer, he lacked the time to get involved with both projects from the outset. Drymon has said, "I remember Hillenburg's bringing it up to Mark in our office and asking him if he'd be interested in working on it ... I was all ready to say yes to the offer, but Steve didn't ask; he just left the room. I
32111-825: The supervision of "local commissions". The US countered with what became known as the "American Plan", with the support of South Vietnam and the UK. It provided for unification elections under the supervision of the UN, but was rejected by the Soviet delegation. The US said, "With respect to the statement made by the representative of the State of Vietnam, the United States reiterates its traditional position that peoples are entitled to determine their own future and that it will not join in any arrangement which would hinder this". US President Eisenhower wrote in 1954: I have never talked or corresponded with
32308-459: The theme. Nickelodeon executive Eric Coleman described the setup as "pretty amazing". Although Derek Drymon , creative director of SpongeBob SquarePants , described the pitch as stressful, he said it went "very well". Nickelodeon approved and gave Hillenburg money to produce the show. SpongeBob SquarePants is Nickelodeon's first original Saturday-morning cartoon . It first aired as a preview on May 1, 1999, and officially premiered on July 17 of
32505-469: The time exemplified by buddy comedies such as The Ren & Stimpy Show (1991–1995). As a result, he decided to focus on one main character: the weirdest sea creature that he could think of. This led him to the sponge: "I wanted to do a show about a character that was an innocent, and so I focused on a sea sponge because it's a funny animal, a strange one." In 1994, Hillenburg began to further develop some characters from The Intertidal Zone , including Bob
32702-511: The two provisional states for a 300-day period. Elections throughout the country were to be held in 1956 to establish a unified government. However, the US, represented at the conference by Secretary of State John Foster Dulles , objected to the resolution; Dulles' objection was supported only by the representative of Bảo Đại. John Foster's brother, Allen Dulles , who was director of the Central Intelligence Agency , then initiated
32899-587: The unified Vietnam escalated into the Cambodian–Vietnamese War . In response, China invaded Vietnam , with border conflicts lasting until 1991. Within the US, the war gave rise to Vietnam syndrome , a public aversion to American overseas military involvement, which, with the Watergate scandal , contributed to the crisis of confidence that affected America throughout the 1970s. Various names have been applied and have shifted over time, though Vietnam War
33096-407: The upper hand and put the Krusty Krab out of business. Karen supplies him with evil schemes to obtain the formula, but their efforts always fail and their restaurant rarely has any customers. When SpongeBob is not working at the Krusty Krab, he is often taking boating lessons from Mrs. Puff , a paranoid but patient pufferfish . SpongeBob is Mrs. Puff's most diligent student and knows every answer to
33293-470: The venture in a 2011 press release, where he said, "I'm hoping that fans will enjoy finally having a SpongeBob comic book from me." Various cartoonists, including James Kochalka , Hilary Barta , Graham Annable , Gregg Schigiel, and Jacob Chabot, have contributed to issues of the comic. According to Jeff Lenburg, in his book Who's Who in Animated Cartoons , Hillenburg was co-writing and co-directing
33490-455: The voice of Queen Amphitrite in the episode " The Clash of Triton ". Voice recording sessions always include a full cast of actors, which Kenny describes as "getting more unusual". Kenny said, "That's another thing that's given SpongeBob its special feel. Everybody's in the same room, doing it old radio-show style. It's how the stuff we like was recorded". Series writer Jay Lender said, "The recording sessions were always fun ..." For
33687-590: The voice over" in 2009. He elaborated in a 2012 interview, saying, "I always enjoy the back-and-forth. [Talley and I] start to actually overlap so much talking to each other that [the voice directors] have to tell us, 'hey, stop doing that, separate what you're saying!'" Carolyn Lawrence voices Sandy Cheeks. She was in Los Feliz, Los Angeles, with a friend who knew SpongeBob SquarePants casting director Donna Grillo. Her friend said to Grillo that Lawrence had "an interesting voice". Grillo invited her to audition and she got
33884-518: The voice. We've got SpongeBob." The network insisted on auditioning more actors, but Hillenburg turned them down; in the words of Tom Kenny, "one of the advantages of having a strong creator is that the creator can say, 'No, I like that—I don't care about celebrities.'" While Kenny was developing SpongeBob's voice, the show's casting crew wanted him to have a unique, high-pitched laugh in the tradition of Popeye and Woody Woodpecker . Fagerbakke voices Patrick Star and other miscellaneous characters. At
34081-415: The way he captured the SpongeBob character's sense of humor. And as a writer, you have to move on—I'm developing new projects. — Stephen Hillenburg , The Washington Post When the film was completed, Hillenburg intended it to be the series finale , "so [the show] wouldn't jump the shark ." However, Nickelodeon wanted more episodes. Hillenburg appointed Paul Tibbitt , who had previously served on
34278-521: Was "Loop de Loop", which was used in the episode "Your Shoe's Untied". While working as a staff artist at the Ocean Institute, Hillenburg entertained plans to return eventually to college for a master's degree in art. Before this could materialize, he attended an animation festival, which inspired him to make a slight change in course. Instead of continuing his education with a traditional art program, Hillenburg chose to study experimental animation at
34475-418: Was [how it brought] in a new character, Mrs. Puff, who I love." Until his death in 2018, Hillenburg had served as the executive producer over the course of the series' entire history and functioned as its showrunner from its debut in 1999 until 2004. The series went on hiatus in 2002, after Hillenburg halted production on the show itself to work on the feature film The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie . Once
34672-504: Was a marine biology teacher there for three years: "We taught tide-pool ecology, nautical history, diversity and adaptation . Working there, I saw how enamored kids are with undersea life, especially with tide-pool creatures." He stayed at the Dana Point Marina and was also a staff artist. Although "[i]t was a great experience" for him, he realized he was more interested in art than his chosen profession. While working there, one of
34869-463: Was a year old, the family moved to Orange County, California , where his father began a career as a draftsman and designer in the aerospace industry. His younger brother, Bryan, eventually became a draftsman/designer as well. When an interviewer asked Hillenburg to describe himself as a child, he replied that he was "probably well-meaning and naive like all kids." His passion for sea life can be traced to his childhood, when films by Jacques Cousteau ,
35066-413: Was able. He added: "My family and I are grateful for the outpouring of love and support. We ask that our sincere request for privacy be honored during this time." Hillenburg was in the early stages of the disease at the time, according to a source close to him. During his last days as executive producer, he had difficulty speaking, and it ultimately got to the point where he stopped going to his office due to
35263-515: Was aiming to finish it that fall. In 2013, three years after production began, Hollywood Blvd., USA was released to festivals. Hillenburg characterized it as a "personal film" and said that "it's not a narrative. It's just really about people in our town." In 1998, Hillenburg married Karen Jean Umland, a Southern Californian chef who teaches at the New School of Cooking in Culver City . He deemed her
35460-438: Was also instrumental in SpongeBob ' s genesis. Kenny has called him "one of SpongeBob's early graphics mentors". On weekends, Kenny joined Hillenburg, Jennings, and Drymon for creative sessions where they recorded ideas on a tape recorder. Kenny performed audio tests as SpongeBob during these sessions, while Hillenburg voice acted the other characters. Hill contributed scripts for several first-season episodes (including
35657-577: Was an armed conflict in Vietnam , Laos , and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam was supported by the Soviet Union and China , while South Vietnam was supported by the United States and other anti-communist nations. The conflict was the second of the Indochina Wars and a major proxy war of
35854-420: Was broadcast before Nickelodeon's broadcast of Super Bowl LVIII . The TV special SpongeBob's Big Birthday Blowout and the theatrical film The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run which he worked on, are dedicated to his memory. The day after Super Bowl LIII, the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League uploaded on their Twitter page a modified version of the full "Sweet Victory" sequence, in which
36051-402: Was defeated in April following a battle in Saigon . As broad-based opposition to his harsh tactics mounted, Diệm increasingly sought to blame the communists. In a referendum on the future of the State of Vietnam in October 1955, Diệm rigged the poll supervised by his brother Ngô Đình Nhu and was credited with 98% of the vote, including 133% in Saigon. His American advisors had recommended
36248-451: Was described by Nickelodeon official Albie Hecht as, "a performance [he] wished [he] had on tape". Although executive producer Derek Drymon described the pitch as stressful, he said it went "very well". Kevin Kay and Hecht had to step outside because they were "exhausted from laughing", which worried the cartoonists. In an interview, Cyma Zarghami , then-president of Nickelodeon, said, "their [Nickelodeon executives'] immediate reaction
36445-433: Was divided into two parts at the 17th parallel : the Viet Minh , led by Ho Chi Minh , took control of North Vietnam, while the US assumed financial and military support for South Vietnam, led by Ngo Dinh Diem . The North Vietnamese began supplying and directing the Viet Cong (VC), a common front of dissidents in the south, which intensified a guerrilla war from 1957. In 1958, North Vietnam invaded Laos , establishing
36642-648: Was first proposed by the Eisenhower administration . John F. Kennedy , then a senator , said in a speech to the American Friends of Vietnam : "Burma, Thailand, India, Japan, the Philippines and obviously Laos and Cambodia are among those whose security would be threatened if the Red Tide of Communism overflowed into Vietnam." A devout Roman Catholic, Diệm was fervently anti-communist, nationalist, and socially conservative. Historian Luu Doan Huynh notes "Diệm represented narrow and extremist nationalism coupled with autocracy and nepotism ." Most Vietnamese were Buddhist , and alarmed by Diệm's actions, like his dedication of
36839-434: Was first put into practice in February 1950, when the United States recognized the French-backed State of Vietnam in Saigon , led by former Emperor Bảo Đại, as the legitimate government of Vietnam, after the communist states of the Soviet Union and People's Republic of China recognized the Democratic Republic of Vietnam , led by Ho Chi Minh, as the legitimate Vietnamese government the previous month. The outbreak of
37036-438: Was his seven-minute thesis film, about the theory of relativity . He described the latter as "a poetic animated film based on relativistic phenomena" in his grant proposal in 1991 to the Princess Grace Foundation , which assists emerging artists in American theater, dance, and film. The foundation agreed to fund the effort, providing Hillenburg with a Graduate Film Scholarship. "It meant a lot," he said in 2003. "They funded one of
37233-414: Was killed in a US-backed military coup , which added to the south's instability. Following the Gulf of Tonkin incident in 1964, the US Congress passed a resolution that gave President Lyndon B. Johnson authority to increase military presence without a declaration of war. Johnson launched a bombing campaign of the north and began sending combat troops, dramatically increasing deployment to 184,000 by
37430-406: Was mainly in the Red River Delta area, 50,000 executions became accepted by scholars. However, declassified documents from Vietnamese and Hungarian archives indicate executions were much lower, though likely greater than 13,500. In 1956, leaders in Hanoi admitted to "excesses" in implementing this program and restored much of the land to the original owners. The south, meanwhile, constituted
37627-581: Was pitched to Nickelodeon. The network's executives wanted SpongeBob to be a child in school, but Hillenburg preferred SpongeBob to be an adult character. He was prepared to abandon the series, but compromised by creating Mrs. Puff and her boating school so SpongeBob could attend school as an adult. In only a month after its premiere in 1999, the show became the highest-rated and most viewed animated Saturday morning program that year, beating Pokémon . The series received worldwide critical acclaim, and had gained more popularity by its second season. As of 2019,
37824-434: Was pretty desperate ... so I ran into the hall after him and basically begged him for the job. He didn't jump at the chance." Once Hillenburg had given it some thought and decided to bring Drymon on as creative director, the two began meeting at Hillenburg's house several times a week to develop the series. Drymon has identified this period as having begun in 1996, shortly after the end of Rocko's Modern Life . Jennings
38021-545: Was the film that I thought was uniquely strange and that lodged itself in my head early on," he recounted. "I've always been interested in art and making things, but I chose not to go to art school because I thought I needed to do something else. Art was a tough way to make a living. I've always done both. I just kind of figured that the marine biology would be a career and the art would be something I did for my own self-expression." — Stephen Hillenburg He attended Savanna High School in Anaheim, describing himself as
38218-498: Was then when he knew he "had some [creative] skill". He asserted that his artistry came from his mother's side, despite his father being a draftsman, noting that his maternal grandmother was "really, really gifted" and a "great painter". In the 1970s, someone took Hillenburg to the International Tournée of Animation at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art . He was "knocked out" by the foreign animated films, including Dutch animator Paul Driessen 's The Killing of an Egg (1977). "That
38415-477: Was to see it again, both because they liked it and it was unlike anything they'd ever seen before". Zarghami was one of four executives in the room when SpongeBob SquarePants was screened for the first time. Before commissioning the full series, Nickelodeon executives insisted that it would not be popular unless SpongeBob was a child who went to school, with his teacher as a main character. Hillenburg recalled in 2012 that Nickelodeon told him, "Our winning formula
38612-453: Was to use Post-it notes . Most of the dialogue and jokes are added during this stage. Brookshier has likened this process to how cartoons were made "in the early days of animation ". The decision to eschew scripts for storyboards is one that Hillenburg made early in the series' development. Rocko's Modern Life had also used storyboarding derived from short outlines, and having worked on that series, Hillenburg felt strongly about adopting
38809-465: Was whether the Soviet space and missile programs had surpassed those of the US. Although Kennedy stressed long-range missile parity with the Soviets, he was interested in using special forces for counterinsurgency warfare in Third World countries threatened by communist insurgencies. Although they were intended for use behind front lines after a conventional Soviet invasion of Europe, Kennedy believed guerrilla tactics employed by special forces, such as
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