Editing SpongeBob SquarePants (seasons 1-5, 9-present) (section)

==Reception==
===In ratings===
Within its first month on air, SpongeBob SquarePants overtook [[Pokémon (seasons 1-13, 17-present)|Pokémon]] as the highest-rated Saturday-morning children's series on television. It held an average national Nielsen rating of 4.9 among children aged two through eleven, denoting 1.9 million viewers. Two years later, the series had firmly established itself as Nickelodeon's second highest-rated children's program, after Rugrats. SpongeBob SquarePants was credited with helping Nickelodeon take the "Saturday-morning ratings crown" for the fourth straight season in 2001. The series had gained a significant adult audience by that point—nearly 40 percent of its 2.2 million viewers were aged 18 to 34. In response to its weekend success, Nickelodeon gave SpongeBob SquarePants time slots at 6:00 PM and 8:00 PM, Monday through Thursday, to increase the series' exposure. By the end of 2001, SpongeBob SquarePants boasted the highest ratings for any children's series, on all of television. Weekly viewership of the series had reached around fifteen million, at least five million of whom were adults.

In October 2002, another Nickelodeon series, [[The Fairly OddParents (seasons 9 & 10)|The Fairly OddParents]], ranked as the number two program for children between two and eleven years old. Its ratings at that time were almost equal to SpongeBob SquarePants' then-average of 2.2 million viewers per episode. [[The Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder|The Fairly OddParents]] even briefly surpassed SpongeBob SquarePants, causing it to drop into second place. At this time, The Fairly OddParents had a 6.2 rating and nearly 2.5 million child viewers, while SpongeBob SquarePants had a 6.0 rating and 2.4 million child viewers aged two to eleven. Nickelodeon "recognized" The Fairly OddParents for its climbing ratings and installed it in a new 8:00 PM time slot, previously occupied by SpongeBob SquarePants. In an interview, Cyma Zarghami, then-general manager and executive vice president of Nickelodeon said, "Are we banking on the fact that Fairly OddParents will be the next SpongeBob? ... We are hoping. But SpongeBob is so unique, it's hard to say if it will ever be repeated."

In 2012, however, the series' ratings were declining. The average number of viewers aged two to eleven watching SpongeBob at any given time dropped 29% in the first quarter from a year earlier, according to Nielsen. Wall Street Journal business writer John Jannarone suggested the series' age and oversaturation might be contributing to its ratings' decline and might also be directly responsible for the decline in Nickelodeon's overall ratings. Media analyst Todd Juenger attributed the decline in Nickelodeon's ratings directly to the availability of streaming video content on services like Netflix, a provider of on-demand Internet streaming media.

SpongeBob SquarePants is one of the longest-running series on Nickelodeon. It became the network's series with the most episodes during its eighth season, surpassing the 172 episodes of Rugrats. In the ninth season, its 26 episodes brought the number of episodes produced to 204. In a statement, Brown Johnson, Nickelodeon's animation president said, "SpongeBob's success in reaching over 200 episodes is a testament to creator Stephen Hillenburg's vision, comedic sensibility, and his dynamic, lovable characters. The series now joins the club of contemporary classic Nicktoons that have hit this benchmark, so we're incredibly proud."

===In general===
''SpongeBob SquarePants'' has received universal critical acclaim, being praised for its appeal to different age groups, and the show has earned numerous awards and accolades throughout its run. James Poniewozik of ''Time'' magazine described the title character as "the anti-Bart Simpson, temperamentally and physically: his head is as squared-off and neat as Bart's is unruly, and he has a personality to match—conscientious, optimistic and blind to the faults in the world and those around him. However, reception for seasons varies widely.

===Pre-Movie Era===
Seasons 1-3 have been highly praised among fans and critics for their humor, writing, and characters. These seasons also have tons of amazing episodes, like "Band Geeks", "My Pretty Seahorse", "SB-129", "Chocolate with Nuts", "Pizza Delivery", "Imitation Krabs", "Idiot Box", "F.U.N.", "The Secret Box", "Club SpongeBob" and the list goes on. However, some episodes like "I'm With Stupid", "The Great Snail Race", and "I Was a Teenage Gary" wasn't well received. 

===Post-Movie Era===
Seasons 4 & 5 received mixed to positive reception with some liking these seasons and considering it on par with seasons 1-3, and some disliking these seasons because of minor flanderization of some characters, and some bad episodes. These are still a handful of fan-favorite episodes such as, "That's No Lady", "Best Day Ever", "Friend or Foe", "Fear of a Krabby Patty", "Roller Cowards", "Have You Seen This Snail?", and "Krabs a la Mode," but there were a couple of stinkers such as "Fungus Among Us", "To Love a Patty", "Good Neighbors" and "Atlantis SquarePantis." 

Seasons 6 & 7 were heavily panned by fans and critics for flanderization of the characters, weaker writing, storylines, animation, humor, and unnecessary mean-spirited moments, and therefore have been widely regarded as the worst seasons of ''SpongeBob SquarePants'', with season 7 being considered the absolute worst season of the entire show overall (although few people were arguable that season 6 is worse, according to both PieGuyRulz and PhantomStrider), while season 8 & 9a is often regarded by many to be a mixed bag.  These seasons have tons of bad, awful, or mediocre episodes, like "[[A Pal for Gary (SpongeBob SquarePants)|A Pal for Gary]]", "[[One Coarse Meal (SpongeBob SquarePants)|One Coarse Meal]]", "[[The Splinter (SpongeBob SquarePants)|The Splinter]]", "[[Boating Buddies (SpongeBob SquarePants)|Boating Buddies]]", "[[Squid's Visit (SpongeBob SquarePants)|Squid's Visit]]", "[[Truth or Square (SpongeBob SquarePants)|Truth or Square]]", "[[Rodeo Daze (SpongeBob SquarePants)|Rodeo Daze]]", "[[Cephalopod Lodge (SpongeBob SquarePants)|Cephalopod Lodge]]", "[[Hide and Then What Happens? (SpongeBob SquarePants)|Hide and Then What Happens?]]", "[[Yours, Mine and Mine (SpongeBob SquarePants)|Yours, Mine and Mine]]", "[[A Day Without Tears (SpongeBob SquarePants)|A Day Without Tears]]", "[[Big Sister Sam (SpongeBob SquarePants)|Big Sister Sam]]", "[[Slide Whistle Stooges (SpongeBob SquarePants)|Slide Whistle Stooges]]" and the list goes on. Despite how terrible these seasons are, they still have some solid fan favorites, like "Not Normal", "Sand Castles in the Sand", "Suction Cup Symphony", "The Bad Guy Club for Villains", "Enchanted Tiki Dreams", "Perfect Chemistry", "Grandpappy the Pirate", "Spongicus", "Nautical Novice", 'Planet of the Jellyfish", "It's a SpongeBob Christmas!", and "Hello Bikini Bottom!".

Seasons 8 received mixed reviews with some liking them as an improvement over seasons 6 & 7 and most saying that they are just as bad as the latter season mentioned. 

Season 9a received a much better reception than seasons 6-8. 

===Post-Sequel Era===
Season 9b to 12 has been mostly positive as well, with improved writing, storylines, and humor than that of seasons 6-8.

Seasons 13 and 14 received very mixed reviews with some liking these seasons and considering them on par with seasons 9 through 12, and others disliking these seasons and putting them on par with the first dark era due to the constant nostalgia baiting and weaker writing, and characters. Some of which even believe Seasons 6 and 7 were better than these seasons, which is shocking but understandable. These episodes have had a stark decline in ratings as the seasons went on and each new episode sets record lows for the series, even though Nickelodeon considers this show to be its cash cow and continues airing it. However, seasons 13 and 14 are considered to still be better than the dark era despite the mixed reviews. There is also an influx of average/mediocre/bad episodes such as "[[Squidward's Sick Daze (SpongeBob SquarePants)|Squidward's Sick Daze]]", "[[Plane to Sea (SpongeBob SquarePants)|Plane To Sea]]", "[[User:Arle Nadja/sandbox/Yellow Pavement (SpongeBob SquarePants)|Yellow Pavement]]", "[[Friendiversary (SpongeBob SquarePants)|Friendiversary]]", "My Friend Patty", "[[SquidBird (SpongeBob SquarePants)|SquidBird]]", "Allergy Attack", "[[Squidiot Box (SpongeBob SquarePants)|Squidiot Box]]", "[[Don't Make Me Laugh (SpongeBob SquarePants)|Don't Make Me Laugh]]", and more. However, there are still good episodes like "Squidferatu", "Salty Sponge", "Dopey Dick", "Momageddon", "Tango Tangle", "The Dirty Bubble Bass", "[[Kreepaway Kamp (SpongeBob SquarePants)|Kreepaway Kamp]]", "Snow Yellow and the Seven Jellies", "Sandy's Country Christmas", and "Big League Bob." These seasons have been covered by notable cartoon reviewers such as BradenInsane, the Alpha Jay Show and Mr. Enter. BradenInsane notes that the later SpongeBob seasons are terrible due to the reasons mentioned above in his Friendiversary review and Season 12 rants. Mr. Enter, even though he still hates Seasons 6-8, says that Seasons 13+ got bad for being "utter nonsense" and incoherent writing, comparing it to broken AI. However, PhantomStrider considers these seasons decent when he ranked the episodes of these seasons.

===Controversies===
In 2005, an online video that showed clips from SpongeBob SquarePants and other children's shows set to the Sister Sledge song "We Are Family" to promote diversity and tolerance was attacked by an evangelical group in the United States. They saw SpongeBob being used to "advocate homosexuality". James Dobson of Focus on the Family accused the video of promoting homosexuality because it was sponsored by a pro-tolerance group. The incident prompted the question of whether SpongeBob is gay. Although the character has enjoyed popularity with gay viewers, series creator Stephen Hillenburg had already denied SpongeBob is gay three years earlier, clarifying at the time he considered the character to be "somewhat asexual". After Dobson's comments, Hillenburg reasserted his position, stating that sexual preference does not play a part in what they are "trying to do" with the series. Tom Kenny and other production members were distraught that the issue had arisen. Dobson later said his comments were taken out of context and his original complaints were not with SpongeBob, the video, or any of the characters in the video, but rather with the organization that sponsored the video, the We Are Family Foundation. Dobson said they posted pro-gay material on their website but later removed it. After the controversy, John H. Thomas, the United Church of Christ's general minister and president, said they would welcome SpongeBob into their ministry. He said: "Jesus didn't turn people away. Neither do we."

Queer theorist Jeffery P. Dennis, an author of the journal article "Queertoons", argued that SpongeBob and Sandy are not romantically in love, but added he believed SpongeBob and Patrick "are paired with arguably erotic intensity". Martin Goodman of Animation World Magazine called Dennis' comments regarding SpongeBob and Patrick "interesting". Ukrainian website Family Under the Protection of the Holy Virgin, which has been described as a "fringe Catholic" group by The Wall Street Journal, criticized SpongeBob SquarePants for its alleged "promotion of homosexuality". The group sought to have the series banned, along with several other popular children's properties. The National Expert Commission of Ukraine on the Protection of Public Morality took up the matter for review in August 2012. Questions of SpongeBob's sexuality resurfaced in 2020 after Nickelodeon's official Twitter account posted an image of the character, in rainbow colors with text celebrating the LGBTQ+ community and its allies during Pride Month. Although the post did not make any assertions about SpongeBob's sexual orientation, numerous users responded on social media, claiming they already had their suspicions that he might be gay or reasserting Hillenburg's description of asexuality.

In April 2009, Burger King released a SpongeBob-themed advertisement featuring a parody of Sir Mix-a-Lot's song "Baby Got Back". The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood protested the ad for being sexist and inappropriately sexual, especially considering SpongeBob's fan base includes young children. In official statements released by Burger King and Nickelodeon, both companies claimed the campaign was aimed at parents.

====Other====
A 2011 study conducted at the University of Virginia, published in the journal Pediatrics, suggested that allowing preschool-aged audiences to watch the series caused short-term disruptions in mental function and attention span because of frequent shot changes, compared to control groups watching Caillou and drawing pictures. A Nickelodeon executive responded in an interview the series was not intended for an audience of that age and that the study used "questionable methodology and could not possibly provide the basis for any valid findings that parents could trust."

Several of the series' episodes have also been the subject of controversy. In a report titled "Wolves in Sheep's Clothing", which documents the increase in potentially violent, profane, and sexual content in children's programming, the Parents Television Council, a watchdog media group, claimed the season 2 SpongeBob SquarePants episode "Sailor Mouth" was an implicit attempt to promote and satirize use of profanity among children. "SpongeBob's Last Stand" (season 7) and "Selling Out" (season 4) have been criticized for promoting environmentalism and left-wing politics because of their negative portrayal of big business. "SpongeBob, You're Fired" (season 9) caused widespread controversy and sparked a political debate over its portrayal of unemployment; after Fox News and the New York Post commented on the episode, Media Matters for America accused the two organizations of using the episode to "attack the social safety net." This statement was echoed by Al Sharpton, who claimed conservatives' "new hero" to be "a sponge who lives in a pineapple under the sea." In 2014, the education minister of Kazakhstan, Zabira Orazalieva, deemed the show too violent for children, labeling the titular character a "self-absorbed hooligan" who "regularly inflicts violence on others in his community and seems to enjoy what he does."

In 2019, University of Washington professor Holly M. Barker stated that the show promotes "violent and racist" colonialism since Bikini Bottom is named after Bikini Atoll, a place where natives were resettled by the US government for nuclear testing. Barker also pointed out the cultural appropriation of Pacific culture in the show. Because of such content, children have "become acculturated to an ideology that includes the U.S. character SpongeBob residing on another people’s homeland", according to Barker. ViacomCBS eventually pulled the episode "Mid-Life Crustacean" (season 3), first aired in 2003, out of circulation in March 2021, presumably due to its ending in which SpongeBob, Patrick, and Mr. Krabs partake in a panty raid. "We determined some story elements were not kid-appropriate", a Nickelodeon representative stated. A later episode, "Kwarantined Krab" (season 12), was also made unavailable for release, over its similarities to the COVID-19 pandemic.

===Legacy===
In July 2009, Madame Tussauds wax museum in New York launched a wax sculpture of SpongeBob in celebration of the series' 10th anniversary. SpongeBob became the first animated character sculpted entirely out of wax

The character has also become a trend in Egypt at Cairo's Tahrir Square. After the Egyptian Revolution of 2011, SpongeBob became a fashion phenomenon, appearing on various merchandise items from hijabs to boxer shorts. The phenomenon led to the creation of the Tumblr project called "SpongeBob on the Nile". The project was founded by American students Andrew Leber and Elisabeth Jaquette and attempts to document every appearance of SpongeBob in Egypt. Sherief Elkeshta cited the phenomenon in an essay about the incoherent state of politics in Egypt in an independent monthly paper titled ''Midan Masr''. He wrote, "Why isn't he [SpongeBob] at least holding a Molotov cocktail? Or raising a fist?" The phenomenon has even spread to Libya, where a Libyan rebel in SpongeBob dress was photographed celebrating the revolution. Although ''The Guardian'' and ''Vice'' have asserted that the trend has little to no political significance, "joke" presidential campaigns have been undertaken for SpongeBob in Egypt and Syria.

A clip was posted to [[YouTube (2005-2016)|You]][[YouTube (2017-present)|Tube]] in February 2013 that features soldiers in the Russian army and navy singing the ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' theme song as they march. According to the website that uploaded the video, this is one of the "most popular marching songs" in the Russian military.

Following Hillenburg's death in November 2018, more than 1.2 million fans signed a petition for the National Football League to have the song "Sweet Victory" from the season 2 episode "Band Geeks" performed in his honor at the Super Bowl LIII halftime show. Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium's Twitter account, the venue of the show, tweeted a GIF of SpongeBob dancing in "Band Geeks" in December. Maroon 5 who were performing at the game, included a brief clip of SpongeBob in a preview video, leading fans to believe the song would be performed. While the song's opening was ultimately included, it served as a transition into artist Travis Scott's set, which left many fans disappointed. In response to fans' disappointment at not hearing the complete "Sweet Victory" song during the halftime show at the Super Bowl LIII, the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League showed a clip of the full "Sweet Victory" song during a game at the American Airlines Center. In the clip, the characters' band uniforms are recolored green after the Stars.

Several species of organism have been named after ''SpongeBob''. In May 2011, a new species of mushroom, ''Spongiforma squarepantsii'', was described and named after the series' title character. In 2019, a species of sea sponge, ''Clathria hillenburgi'', was named in honor of Hillenburg, also referencing his creation of ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. In 2020, a species of abyssal sea star, ''Astrolirus patricki'', was described and named after Patrick Star; individuals of this species were found to be closely associated with hexactinellid sponges, and it was thus named after Patrick as a reference to the character's friendship with SpongeBob.

In honor of Stephen Hillenburg, a non-profit fan project, titled ''The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie Rehydrated'', was released online on May 1, 2022. It consists of a recreation of ''[[The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie]]'' reanimated by 300 people with re-recorded music and dialogue. Amid the YouTube premiere, the video was taken down by Paramount Global due to copyright laws. As a result, the hashtag #JusticeForSpongeBob became trending on Twitter against Paramount Global's action. The video was restored the following day.