Behind Closed Doors (book)

''Behind Closed Doors: Horrible, Filthy, Vile, Disgusting, Inappropriate, Off-Model Drawings by the Crew of a Popular Cartoon Show'' is an unreleased book of pornographic drawings of ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' characters created by storyboard artists for Nickelodeon in the early 2000s. First publicly mentioned by ''SpongeBob'' storyboarder Kent Osborne in a 2012 '' Hogan's Alley'' interview, excerpts from ''Behind Closed Doors'' were leaked online in July 2023 after an anonymous former Nickelodeon employee contacted YouTuber LSuperSonicQ with information about and a limited selection of drawings from the book. Critical analysis of ''Behind Closed Doors'' mostly focused on the graphic crudeness of the illustrations, and spawned discussions about the purpose of such material (as well of "storyboard jams" in general) when done by artists of family shows.

History

''SpongeBob SquarePants'' is a popular animated television show that premiered on Nickelodeon in 1999. In the early 2000s, storyboard artists for the show, such as Sam Henderson and Kent Osborne, would create crude illustrations of ''SpongeBob'' characters on Post-it Notes to relieve anger and amuse their coworkers. In 2012, Osborne made the first public mention of ''Behind Closed Doors'' in an explanation to ''Hogan's Alley'':

Contents

''Behind Closed Doors'' contains hundreds of pornographic drawings of ''SpongeBob'' characters. The illustrations are crudely drawn and contain scenarios such as SpongeBob masturbating, Mr. Krabs defecating into a toilet, and Squidward Tentacles "reimagined as a sentient penis with tentacles".

Discovery

In the years since Osborne revealed the book's existence in 2012, ''Behind Closed Doors'' took on a "legendary" status in the ''SpongeBob'' community due to the elusiveness and mysteriousness of the project. In July 2023, an anonymous ex-employee of Nickelodeon contacted YouTuber LSuperSonicQ, known for creating videos about lost media, with information about ''Behind Closed Doors''. The ex-employee explained to LSuperSonicQ that his copy of the book "was one of the originals rather than being a 3rd, 4th, 5th, printing", and was "held together in a nondescript spiral notebook". The ex-employee provided LSuperSonicQ with the book's front cover and six images depicting ''SpongeBob'' characters in sexual scenarios. The ex-employee also asserted that ''Behind Closed Doors'' contains " 1940s war imagery that uses company logos" and drawings of ''SpongeBob'' characters being physically harmed. LSuperSonicQ used the information and images the ex-employee provided him with to create "The Darkest ''SpongeBob'' Lost Media, Found", a video which discusses the images and their historical background.

Reception

Upon being leaked in July 2023, the drawings in ''Behind Closed Doors'' spawned a debate about the purpose of its contents. Writing for ''Kotaku'', Isaiah Colbert characterized the drawings as "unhinged" and said Nickelodeon storyboard artists should never make pornographic illustrations again. ''Screen Rant'' Hannah Gearan, ''Giant Freakin Robot'' Chris Snellgrove, ''Hocmarketing'' Van Toan, and ''Softonic'' Randy Meeks argued that ''Behind Closed Doors'' could be "childhood-ruining", echoing Colbert's reporting that ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' fans experienced "an influx of distress" when the book was revealed.

LSuperSonicQ also expressed a critical view of ''Behind Closed Doors'' in "The Darkest ''SpongeBob'' Lost Media, Found". He argued that the book was possibly malicious in nature and concluded, "The takeaway from ''Behind Closed Doors'' is not the fact that it simply exists for shock value, but the fact that it exists as a remnant of a studio that has been plagued with controversy, even in the best of content that has been produced for us." Meeks shared LSuperSonicQ's opinion and asserted that there were "obvious ethical issues" with the book's contents.

Notes

See also

*Rule 34
*Tijuana bible

References

Citations

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External links

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{{SpongeBob SquarePants

2000s in art
2000s LGBTQ literature
Erotic art
Gay art
Gay male literature
Gay male pornography in the United States
July 2023
LGBTQ art in the United States
LGBTQ literature in the United States
Parodies of television shows
Parody books
Pornographic books
SpongeBob SquarePants
Unpublished books
Works published under a pseudonym