Can you believe it’s been 20 years since the first episode of SpongeBob SquarePants aired on Nickelodeon?
To celebrate this milestone, the network threw SpongeBob an epic “birthday blowout” last month at the Nickelodeon Animation Studio in Los Angeles where we got to see the special episode and speak with the cast about being apart of such a staple in animated television.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BzO7CCTBZhs/
The episode, which premiered on Friday (July 12), featured the celebrated voice talent behind SpongeBob, Patrick, Mr. Krabs, Sandy, Squidward and Plankton playing live-action doppelgänger versions of the animated characters they voice. In the one-hour special, Patrick and SpongeBob journeyed to the surface world, where they came across a few familiar characters during lunchtime rush at The Trusty Slab restaurant. Meanwhile, the Bikini Bottom residents set up a surprise party for SpongeBob. It seems as if fans liked the finished product, as “SpongeBob’s Birthday Blowout” racked in over 2.2 million viewers across Nickelodeon, TeenNick and Nicktoons!
“I think SpongeBob has managed to become a comfortable companion — like a comfortable friend — to people. For years, their affection for the characters and the show and the type of humor doesn’t go away. They still like it and hang on to it,” Tom Kenny, the voice of SpongeBob, tells Celeb Secrets when asked about his character’s longevity.
Up next, Nickelodeon will bring SpongeBob SquarePants’ Bikini Bottom to life at Comic-Con International: San Diego on July 18-21, 2019. The network also announced a pick up for a 13th season of the hit animated series (13 episodes) this week, which will begin production soon.
Watch our full interview with the cast of SpongeBob SquarePants below and let us know what you thought about the Birthday Special by either leaving a reaction at the bottom of the post or by sending us a tweet at @celebsecrets.