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who lives in a pineapple under the sea? It would be hard to find anyone with access to Nickelodeon who couldn’t accurately answer this question. Spongebob Squarepants Bringing love, laughter and joy to families around the world for over 24 years.
With perhaps the richest cast of characters ever seen in animation (certainly of an aquatic nature), SpongeBob and company have been unconsciously pushing the love of sea creatures and nature into audiences’ minds with every episode and movie. Was this the main purpose of the show? Probably not, but perhaps this was the initial basis for creation.
The creator of the show started his career as a marine biology instructor
Before the late Stephen Hillenburg received worldwide fame as a builder Spongebob SquarepantsHe was a teacher of marine biology in Dana Point, California. Hillenburg has always had a strong desire to teach the world the beauty and wonder of life under the sea and how to preserve it, and it is no coincidence that he brought sponges and many other underwater creatures into his second animation career. What better way to teach in an engaging way than group entertainment?
In fact, before leaving his teaching role to pursue a degree in animation, Hillenburg wrote a comic book titled “The Intertidal Zone” which would eventually be the inspiration for the future Spongebob Squarepants. After obtaining a graduate degree, and after a few years of working in Roku Modern LifeHillenburg was finally able to pitch his aquatic animated series to the executives at Nickelodeon, who gave him the go-ahead to begin official work on his show.
character representation
There have been many popular fan theories put forward regarding Spongebob Squarepants They represent various topics about the environment (such as pollution, global warming, etc.), but this article has its own thoughts and interpretations of such speculations. As iconic as they are simply based on personality, the characters on the show can liken themselves to different pieces of environmental awareness. For example, Mr. Krabs (a crab) has a daughter named Pearl, who is literally a whale. How did this happen? Perhaps he saved her from poachers, bringing a hunting awareness into the mix.
He may have had affairs with another whale, or he may have adopted Pearl through legal means and without the whaling tragedy. Anyway, the whale and crab family represent the same thing that the sponge is best friends with the starfish and squid (in his mind) — diversity in family and friends is normal, wonderful, and prominent under the sea. Sea animals of all kinds use each other for protection, food, and life.
Disrupting that chemistry is Sandy Cheeks (among other things from above the ocean floor), a squirrel, and an actor from the surface world, who throws the characters in too often and radically to ignore. Sandy is not meant to live underwater, nor is she meant to interfere with the lives of undersea creatures. Fortunately for the residents of Bikini Bottom, she is benevolent in her intentions, but the awareness of outside interference is clear and evident throughout the show.
Sandy is not alone in highlighting how outside influence from the surface world can disrupt the harmony of the ocean. A butterfly literally causes the entire town of Bikini Bottom to collapse. Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, two humans (who may have shrunk themselves so many times that they’re smaller than a pencil) are superheroes in the literal sense of the word. Plankton, unlike Sandy as a normal sea creature, wields the power of manufacturing and causes his rival Mr. Krabs to enter a world of pollution driven by competition and money, all the obvious effects of humanity.
Story events
Warning signs of outside influence, particularly that of humans, shine most prominently in the storylines during the first three seasons of the show (the seasons on which Heilenberg had the most influence before he stepped down as writer). There are “small” examples of paranormal events – like Mrs. Puff’s husband turning into a lamp, Krabs forcing jellyfish to give him their jelly, and a man in a gorilla suit attacking Patrick and SpongeBob – and there are larger ones, like the magic pencil from the artist and the hooks that are Garden of Death!
A simple pencil falling from the surface causes SpongeBob to use a tool the sea creatures were never meant to use, and the end result is instant and widespread destruction. In the episode Hooks, Patrick becomes obsessed with hooking up fishing hooks, to the point where he becomes canned fish. Obviously, each of these episodes is ridiculous, but it’s meant to be. A gripping story about idiot balls dealing with the unfortunate unknowns of humankind’s meddling is a wonderfully subtle way to draw lighthearted attention to some of the actions, events, and situations that humans cause in ocean life.
However, the most enduring representation of Hillenburg’s environment is the show as a whole. He has created dozens of hilarious, unforgettable characters and placed them in a colorful world full of innocence, joy and laughter. Hillenburg has created a way for children and adults alike to engage with and enjoy something that, despite its silliness, represents a world that people often don’t see and are therefore likely to be unaware of (caused by humanity) its issues.
It wouldn’t be shocking to find those who watched Spongebob Squarepants They are more likely to be related to these ecosystems and creatures found in the beloved series, and viewers are more engaged, environmentally aware, and aware of the amazing life that exists in the ocean depths.
