I recently discovered that Spongebob Squarepants is available on Amazon Prime Video. Since I am still a subscriber to said service, I enjoyed a fun weekend night watching the first couple of seasons. I’ve always had such positive nostalgia for the show, in large part due to how quotable it is. Little did I realize that nearly every line in the show is quotable, and how good each episode was in the early seasons. Even today, they have a certain innocent charm to them, yet the jokes still have enough depth to be legitimately funny now.
Spongebob was an incredibly important part of my childhood that I remember, much in the way Looney Tunes was for my dad, or the Jetsons and Flintstones for my mom. Each new generation has a set of cartoons that identify them, and they are very formative. I think Spongebob instilled a sense of ridiculous creativity and flagrant optimism that I can track with today. It was also the genesis of my love for blowing bubbles that I still hold today.
While much can be said about letting kids watch too much television, I have such fond memories of Spongebob. He is iconic, with the absurdity of the show being just enough to capture our imaginations. It was also interesting to watch everything in order, to remember how each character was introduced and subsequently developed in the show. Each main character was introduced in the first episode, with the exception of Plankton and Mrs. Puff. In fact, the first episode opens with the (French?) narrator describing Bikini Bottom, and their favorite sea critter:
Spongebob Squarepants. And yes, of course he lives in a pineapple, you silly!
This sets the tone so well for the next few seasons. After a calm and serene intro, we are met with the always funny, and alarming, boat horn alarm on Spongebob’s bedside. We are quickly introduced to Gary, with no further explanation needed beyond his “Meow.” As Spongebob goes to the Krusty Krab to try and obtain a job, we meet Patrick, encouraging his friend. We also meet Squidward, who isn’t quite as mean or dreary as I remember, but definitely did not want to work with Spongebob. Mr. Krabs, after Spongebob managed to procure the imagined spatula with port and starboard attachments, recognizes his talent and brings him on board.
The third segment of the episode introduces us to Sandy, and Spongebob wanting to impress her by first knowing what air is, and subjecting himself to near death by not asking for water.
Just the first episode had me so incredibly excited. I really recommend anyone who ever enjoyed the show to any extent to go back and watch it. It still holds up.