Patrick Star is a fictional character in the Nickelodeon animated television series "SpongeBob SquarePants". Bill Fagerbakke plays him. Patrick first appeared in the series' pilot episode, "Help Wanted", which played on May 1, 1999. Patrick was made by animator Stephen Hillenburg. Patrick's biggest character trait is his lack of common sense, which sometimes makes him a bad influence on his best friend, SpongeBob SquarePants.