January 30, 2020

Why I still enjoy watching Spongebob

Only the first three seasons, of course.

I often have people ask, “Why do you still like Spongebob?”

“Isn’t that a kids’ show?”

“My mom said I couldn’t watch it as a kid because it rots your brain.”

Well, this rotten-brained 21-year-old has a lot to say about what is, in my humble opinion, the best cartoon ever. Even still, I often find it hard to describe why I still find so much enjoyment from its lighthearted humor. I want to take the time to brainstorm so that I have a solid answer the next time somebody asks me that question.

It’s a prime source of nostalgia. I remember having a Spongebob-themed eighth birthday party, and it. was. LIT. We watched the first Spongebob movie. I wore Spongebob pajamas and made up a dance to Lose Control by Missy Elliott, forcing my friends and mom to watch me. The show has inspired an innocent joy in me since I was young. I can always rely on it to relax and reminisce on the elementary school days when I had no real stressors – except deciding which of my older brother’s friends I would have a crush on next.
I still find the early seasons genuinely funny to this day. A few weeks ago, I was watching the show with two roommates. They watched it occasionally as a kid, but they weren’t as immersed as I was. Even still, they were belly laughing at the antics and the jokes that went over their heads back in the day. So much better than Bachelor Monday, right?
The only primary female character is more intelligent and well-rounded than the rest of the cast combined. Sandy Cheeks is into so many different things, and she always rises to the occasion. She’s a scientist who built a rocket (that traveled from the bottom of the ocean to the moon!) She’s a karate enthusiast who can chop up Krabby Patties with just her hands. She lifts weights with Larry the Lobster like it’s nothing, throwing anchors farther than him and the other gym rats. Plus, I don’t think her character was pigeonholed in the same way that many male writers archetype their female characters (well, this did happen in the later seasons, but I’m talking about the Spongebob golden age here). She’s an independent woman through and through!
The current popularity of Spongebob memes links together an entire generation of people who grew up with this show. I would consider it to still be a canonical piece of American pop culture. Although there were so many other cartoons out at the time, something about this one was exceptionally memorable for us. It’s a collective reflection of our nostalgia, our happy times, our childhood innocence. That’s a powerful thing, and my ability to bond over this show and its jokes with people my age is a nice reminder that we’re not all so different from one another after all.

Ultimately, I still haven’t pinpointed a concise answer for why I enjoy Spongebob so much. When people ask me this question in the future, I’m just going to answer, “Because it makes me happy.” And for whatever your Spongebob is, your hobby, even your guilty pleasure, I think you should use that answer too. If it brings you joy, what more does anyone need to know?