when did the first episode of spongebob squarepants come out
SpongeBob SquarePants (season 1) The first season of the American animated television sitcom SpongeBob SquarePants, created by former marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg, aired from May 1, 1999 to April 8, 2000, and consists of 20 episodes. The series chronicles the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the fictional underwater city of Bikini Bottom. The show features the voices of Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke, Rodger Bumpass, Clancy Brown, Mr. Lawrence, Jill Talley, Carolyn Lawrence, Mary Jo Catlett, and Lori Alan. Among the first guest stars to appear on the show were Ernest Borgnine and Tim Conway voicing the superhero characters of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, respectively.
List of SpongeBob SquarePants episodes Since its debut on May 1, 1999,[3] SpongeBob SquarePants has broadcast 232 episodes, and its eleventh season premiered on June 24, 2017. The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, a feature-length film, was released in theaters on November 19, 2004 and grossed over US$140 million worldwide.[4] Atlantis SquarePantis, a television film guest starring David Bowie, debuted as part of the fifth season.[5] In 2009, Nickelodeon celebrated the show's tenth anniversary with Square Roots: The Story of SpongeBob SquarePants and SpongeBob's Truth or Square.[6][7] The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, a stand-alone sequel, was released in theaters on February 6, 2015 and grossed over US$324 million worldwide.[8]
SpongeBob SquarePants Many of the ideas for the series originated in an unpublished educational comic book titled The Intertidal Zone, which Hillenburg created in 1989.[3] He began developing SpongeBob SquarePants into a television series in 1996 upon the cancellation of Rocko's Modern Life, and turned to Tom Kenny, who had worked with him on that series, to voice the title character. SpongeBob was originally going to be named SpongeBoy, and the series was to be called SpongeBoy Ahoy!, but both of these were changed, as the name was already trademarked.
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie The film's trailer was released on May 19, 2004, and was attached to Shrek 2.[68] The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie opened in theaters on November 19, 2004;[69] its yellow-carpet world premiere was at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood on November 14, 2004.[70][71][72] Among celebrities who saw the premiere with their children were Ray Romano, Larry King, Ice Cube, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation's Gary Dourdan and Friends' Lisa Kudrow.[73] The carpet was a disturbing reminder of home for Tom Kenny, SpongeBob's voice actor; he said, "I have a 15-month-old daughter, so I'm no stranger to yellow carpets."[73]