SpongeBob SquarePants

SpongeBob SquarePants (Suponji Bobu, pronounced Supongey Bobbu and also known as スポンジボブ ズボンは四角) is a 1967-1974 manga series created by Osamu Tezuka and Kelly Hillenburg, Jr. The series chronicles the adventures and endeavors of the title character and his aquatic friends in the fictional underwater city of Bikini Bottom (Bikini Taun/ビキニボトム).

Tezuka and Hillenburg began developing SpongeBob SquarePants into a manga and anime series in 1967 following the series finale of the 1960s Astro Boy television series. They turned to Hisashi Katsuta, the voice of Ochanomizu from Astro Boy, to voice the title character.

Fuji TV held a preview for the series in Japan on May 1, 1969. The anime series officially premiered on July 17, 1969. It has received worldwide critical acclaim since its premiere and had gained enormous popularity by its second season. A feature film, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, was released in theaters on November 19, 1974. A second film adaptation, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie 2: Sponge Out of Water, followed on February 6, 1985. A third film and prequel to the television series, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie 3: Sponge on the Run, followed on August 14, 1990. In 1988, the series began airing its twelfth season; it was renewed for a thirteenth season on July 17, 1989.

An anime was also remade in 1999, 2008 and 2018.

Three spin-off series, Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years, Squidward, and Patrick Star, are in development as of 1989 and 1990.

Characters

 * Suponji Bobu/SpongeBob SquarePants (voiced by Hisashi Katuta, later voiced by Hiroyuki Tsuru) is a yellow anthropomorphic sea sponge who usually wears brown short pants, a white collared shirt, and a red tie. He lives in a pineapple house and is employed as a fry cook at a fast-food restaurant called the Krusty Krab. He diligently attends Pafu-Sensei's Boating School but has never passed; his lack of a driver's license is a running gag throughout the series. He is relentlessly optimistic and enthusiastic toward his job and his friends. Suponji Bobu's hobbies include catching jellyfish, blowing bubbles, playing with his best friend Patrikku, and unintentionally irritating his neighbor Ikarudo. He first appears in "Help Wanted".
 * Patrikku/Patrick Star (voiced by Shinpei Sakamoto, later voiced by Ikuko Tani, in the 2002 film, he was voiced by Takashi Nagasako) is a pink starfish who lives under a rock and wears flowered swim trunks. His most prominent character trait is his extremely low intelligence. He is best friends with Suponji Bobu and often unknowingly encourages activities that get the two into trouble. While typically unemployed throughout the series, Patrikku holds various short-term jobs as the storyline of each episode requires. He is generally slow and easy-going but can sometimes get aggressive, much like real starfish.


 * Ikarudo/Squidward Tentacles (voiced by Ayao Wada, later voiced by Rokurō Naya) is an octopus with a large nose who works as a cashier at the Krusty Krab. He is Suponji Bobu's next-door neighbor with a dry, sarcastic sense of humor. He believes himself to be a talented artist and musician, but nobody else recognizes his abilities. He plays the clarinet and often paints self-portraits in different styles, which he hangs up around his moai house. Ikarudo frequently voices his frustration with Suponji Bobu, but he genuinely cares for him deep down. This has been revealed in the form of sudden confessions when Squidward is in a dire situation.
 * Kani-San/Eugene Krabs (voiced by Hisashi Katsuta, later voiced by Keijin Okuda), more commonly known as Mr. Krabs, is a red crab who owns and operates the Krusty Krab restaurant where SpongeBob works. He is self-content, cunning, and obsessed with the value and essence of money. He lives in an anchor-shaped house with his teenage daughter Paru, who is a whale. He dislikes spending money but will go to great lengths to make Paru happy. He tends to worry more about his riches than about the needs of his employees. Having served in the navy, he loves sailing, whales, sea shanties, and talking like a pirate.
 * Purankuton/Sheldon Plankton (voiced by Hisashi Katsuta, later voiced by Yūko Ogiso, then later voiced by Yuichi Nagashima, and at last voiced by Chie Matsuura) and Karen/Karen Plankton (voiced by Kazue Tagami, later voiced by Ikuko Tani) are the owners of the Chum Bucket, an unsuccessful restaurant located across the street from the Krusty Krab. Their business is a commercial failure because they sell mostly inedible foods made from chum. Purankuton is a small planktonic copepod and the self-proclaimed archenemy of Kani-San. He is a skilled inventor and possesses a Napoleon complex due to his short stature. Karen is Purankuton's own invention, a former security system turned into a sentient supercomputer who supplies him with evil plans to steal Kani-San's secret recipe for Krabby Patties. She is married to Purankuton and usually takes residence in the Chum Bucket laboratory.
 * Sandi/Sandy Cheeks (voiced by Mari Shimizu, later voiced by Yūko Ogiso) is a squirrel from Texas who lives in an air-filled glass dome and wears a diving suit to breathe underwater. Whenever any aquatic creatures enter her home, they must wear helmets of water. Sandi works as a scientist, explorer, and inventor. She is a rodeo champion with a number of athletic interests, such as "sand-boarding" and karate. She speaks with a Southern drawl and uses typical Southern slang words and phrases.
 * Pafu-Sensei/Mrs. Puff (voiced by Kazue Tagami, later voiced by Ikuko Tani) is a paranoid pufferfish who is Suponji Bobu's teacher at boating school, an underwater driver's education facility where students drive boats like cars. She wears a sailor suit, and her school is a lighthouse. SpongeBob is Mrs. Puff's most dedicated student and knows the answer to every question on her written and oral exams, but always panics and crashes when he actually boards a vessel. She puffs up into a ball when she is scared or injured.
 * Paru/Pearl Krabs (voiced by Kazue Tagami, later voiced by Ikuko Tani) is a teenage sperm whale and Kani-San's daughter. She wants to fit in with her fish peers but finds this impossible to do because of the large size inherent to her species. She will inherit the Krusty Krab from her father when she grows older but is still in high school and does not yet have a job at the family business. Paru's favorite activities are working at the Bikini Bottom Mall, using her father's credit card to buy anything that is in style, and listening to music.
 * Geiri/Gary the Snail is Suponji Bobu's pet cat snail who lives with him in their pineapple home. Despite only communicating through meows, other characters can understand and talk to him. Depicted as a level-headed character, Geiri often serves as a voice of reason and a foil to Suponji Bobu and solves problems that his owner cannot. He has a pink shell that is impossibly spacious on the inside.
 * Puffy Fluffy is Suponji Bobu's pet nudibranch who behaves like a normal human. He serves as a new friend to Gary, who protects Bikini Taun from taken over by Purankuton. He debuts on "A Pal for Gary".
 * Le Spatula is a robotic spatula who helps cook food, like krabby patties. He costs $20. He debuts on "The New Spatula".