The third season of the American animated television series ''
SpongeBob SquarePants
''SpongeBob SquarePants'' is an American animated television series, animated comedy television series created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. It first aired as a sneak peek after the 1999 Kids' C ...
'', created by
Stephen Hillenburg
Stephen McDannell Hillenburg (August 21, 1961 – November 26, 2018) was an American animator, writer, producer, director, voice actor, and marine biology educator. Hillenburg was best known for creating the animated television series ''SpongeBo ...
, aired on
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...
from October 5, 2001, to October 11, 2004, and consists of 20 half-hour episodes. The series chronicles the exploits and adventures of the
title character
The title character in a narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piëce. The title o ...
and his various friends in the fictional underwater city of Bikini Bottom. The season was
executive produced by series creator Hillenburg and
supervising produced by
Derek Drymon
Derek Drymon (born November 19, 1968) is an American animator, writer, storyboard artist, director, comedian, and producer. He has worked on numerous animated cartoon productions.
Early life
Derek Drymon was born in New Jersey. t=movies "De ...
, whom the former also acted as the
showrunner
A showrunner is the top-level executive producer of a television series. The position outranks other creative and management personnel, including episode directors, in contrast to feature films, in which the director has creative control over th ...
. Hillenburg halted production on the show to work on the 2004 film adaptation of the series, ''
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie
''The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie'' is a 2004 American adventure comedy film, animated adventure comedy film based on the television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. It was co-written, co-produced, and directed by series creator Stephen Hill ...
''. After production on the film, Hillenburg resigned from the show as its showrunner, and appointed staff writer,
Paul Tibbitt
Paul Harrison Tibbitt IV (born May 13, 1968) is an American animator, writer, and voice actor, best known for his work on the animated series ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. After its creator Stephen Hillenburg resigned in 2004, Tibbitt took his po ...
, to overtake the position. Season three was originally set to be the final season of the series, with the film acting as a series finale, but its success prevented the series from ending, leading to a
fourth season.
The season received acclaim from media critics and fans. During its run, ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' became (and remains) the highest rated children's show on cable, with over 50 million viewers a month. The show received several recognitions, including its nomination at the
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
s for Outstanding Children's Program. The episodes "New Student Starfish" and "Clams" were nominated for
category, while the entry "SpongeBob B.C. (Ugh)" was also nominated for the same category. The season was also the first time the show received a nomination at the
Kids' Choice Awards
The Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, also known as the KCAs or Kids' Choice, is an American annual awards ceremony show produced by Nickelodeon. Usually held on a Saturday night in March or early April, the show honors the year's biggest in te ...
and won. It won the
2003 Kids' Choice Awards
The 16th Annual Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards was held on April 12, 2003, hosted by Rosie O'Donnell. The award show was held in the Barker Hangar at the Santa Monica Airport in Santa Monica, California. This was the last time O'Donnell would ho ...
for Favorite Cartoon, and also won the
following year's Kids' Choice Award for the same category. Celebrities—including
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, and dancer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Prince of Pop", ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' honored him as the b ...
,
Kelly Osbourne
Kelly Michelle Lee Osbourne (born on October 27 1984) is an English television personality, singer, actress, and fashion designer. She is a daughter of Ozzy Osbourne, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, and came to prominence while appearing on the reali ...
,
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. Cultural impact of Brit ...
,
Bruce Willis
Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955) is a retired American actor. He achieved fame with a leading role on the comedy-drama series ''Moonlighting (TV series), Moonlighting'' (1985–1989) and has appeared in over one hundred films, gaining ...
,
Noel Gallagher
Noel Thomas David Gallagher (born 29 May 1967) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. Gallagher is the primary songwriter, lead guitarist and a co-lead vocalist of the rock band Oasis (band), Oasis. After leaving Oasis, he formed Noel ...
,
Dr. Dre
Andre Romell Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper, record producer, record executive, and actor. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and co-founder of ...
, and
Mike Myers
Michael John Myers, (born May 25, 1963) is a Canadian actor, comedian, and filmmaker. His accolades include seven MTV Movie & TV Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2002, he was awarded a star on the Hollywood W ...
—have been reported to be fans of the show.
[
The ''SpongeBob SquarePants: The Complete 3rd Season'' DVD was released in Region 1 on September 27, 2005, Region 2 on December 3, 2007, and Region 4 on November 8, 2007. Several compilation DVDs that contained episodes from the season were released prior.
]
Production
The season's executive producer was series creator Stephen Hillenburg
Stephen McDannell Hillenburg (August 21, 1961 – November 26, 2018) was an American animator, writer, producer, director, voice actor, and marine biology educator. Hillenburg was best known for creating the animated television series ''SpongeBo ...
, who also functioned as the showrunner
A showrunner is the top-level executive producer of a television series. The position outranks other creative and management personnel, including episode directors, in contrast to feature films, in which the director has creative control over th ...
. During production of the previous season, Nickelodeon already picked up a third season for ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' on September 20, 2000, due to the show's high ratings across basic cable television. It premiered more than a year later, on October 5, 2001.
In 2002, Hillenburg and the show's staff members decided to stop making episodes to work on the 2004 film ''The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie
''The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie'' is a 2004 American adventure comedy film, animated adventure comedy film based on the television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. It was co-written, co-produced, and directed by series creator Stephen Hill ...
'', after completing production of the third season. As a result, the show went into a "self-imposed" two-year hiatus
Hiatus may refer to:
* Hiatus (anatomy), a natural fissure in a structure
* Hiatus (stratigraphy), a discontinuity in the age of strata in stratigraphy
*''Hiatus'', a genus of picture-winged flies with sole member species '' Hiatus fulvipes''
* G ...
on television. During the break, Nickelodeon expanded the programming for the third season to cover the delay, however, according to Nickelodeon executive Eric Coleman, "there certainly was a delay and a built-up demand." Nickelodeon announced nine "as-yet-unaired" (full) episodes would be shown.[ " The Sponge Who Could Fly" first aired during a two-hour "Sponge"-a-thon, while the other eight were broadcast subsequently.]
Once the production on the film was completed, Hillenburg wanted to end the series "so the show wouldn't jump the shark
The idiom "jumping the shark", or "shark jumping", or to "jump the shark"; means that a creative work or entity has evolved and reached a point in which it has exhausted its core intent and is introducing new ideas that are discordant with or ...
", citing concerns among executives at Nickelodeon that the show "had peaked" during the movie's production, however the network "couldn't afford to nd the show due to its massive financial success. Hillenburg resigned as the series' showrunner,[ and appointed ]Paul Tibbitt
Paul Harrison Tibbitt IV (born May 13, 1968) is an American animator, writer, and voice actor, best known for his work on the animated series ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. After its creator Stephen Hillenburg resigned in 2004, Tibbitt took his po ...
, who previously served as the show's supervising producer, writer, director, and storyboard artist
A storyboard artist (sometimes called a story artist or visualizer) creates storyboards for advertising agencies and film productions.
Work
A storyboard artist visualizes stories and sketches frames of the story. Quick pencil drawings and mar ...
, to overtake the role. Hillenburg considered Tibbitt one of his favorite members of the show's crew,[ and "totally trusted him."] Tibbitt held the showrunner and executive producer position until 2016.[ Hillenburg did not have any direct involvement during this time, but reviewed each episode and delivered suggestions. He said "I figure when I'm pretty old I can still paint ..I don't know about running shows."] Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke, and the rest of the crew confirmed they had completed four new episodes for broadcast on Nickelodeon in early 2005, and planned to finish about 20 total for the then-fourth season.
Animation was handled overseas in South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...
at Rough Draft Studios
Rough Draft Studios, Inc. is an American animation production studio based in Glendale, California, with a sister studio Rough Draft Korea located in Seoul, South Korea. The studio was founded in Van Nuys, Los Angeles by Gregg Vanzo in 1991.
Rou ...
. Animation directors credited with episodes in the third season included Sean Dempsey, Andrew Overtoom
John Andrew Overtoom (born May 27, 1962) is an American animation director, writer, photographer, and cinematographer. Recent credits include Nickelodeon’s '' The Patrick Star Show'' as well as the animated feature film '' The SpongeBob Movie ...
, Frank Weiss, and Tom Yasumi
Yoshito "Tom" Yasumi (born August 20, 1965 in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese-born American animator and director best known for his work on ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' as well as ''Rocko's Modern Life''.
Yasumi was the animation director on ''Spon ...
. Episodes were written by a team of writers, which consisted of Walt Dohrn
Walter Dohrn (born December 5, 1970) is an American writer, director, animator, musician, and actor. He performed the voice of Rumpelstiltskin in ''Shrek Forever After'' (2010), as well as various characters in ''Shrek the Third'' (2007). He co-d ...
, C.H. Greenblatt, Sam Henderson, Kaz, Jay Lender, Joe Liss (''The Great Snail Race'' only), Mark O'Hare
Mark Sean O'Hare (born July 18, 1968) is an American cartoonist, animator, writer and storyboard artist who created the comic strip '' Citizen Dog''.
O'Hare is well known for his work on animated television shows as a writer and storyboard arti ...
, Kent Osborne
Kent Matthew Osborne (born August 30, 1969) is an American animator, writer, producer, director, and actor. He has worked for such animated television shows as ''SpongeBob SquarePants'', ''Camp Lazlo'', ''Phineas and Ferb'', '' The Marvelous Mi ...
, Aaron Springer
Aaron Springer (born September 5, 1973) is an American cartoonist, animator, artist, writer, director, and voice actor. He is the creator of the Disney XD original series '' Billy Dilley's Super-Duper Subterranean Summer'', in which he voiced th ...
, Paul Tibbitt
Paul Harrison Tibbitt IV (born May 13, 1968) is an American animator, writer, and voice actor, best known for his work on the animated series ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. After its creator Stephen Hillenburg resigned in 2004, Tibbitt took his po ...
, and Merriwether Williams. The season was storyboard
A storyboard is a graphic organizer that consists of simple illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence. The storyboarding proce ...
ed by Zeus Cervas, Dohrn, Greenblatt, Henderson, Kaz, Chuck Klein, Carson Kugler, Lender, Heather Martinez, Caleb Meurer, O'Hare, Osborne, Dan Povenmire
Dan Povenmire ( ; born September 18, 1963) is an American animator, voice actor, writer, director, and producer. With Jeff "Swampy" Marsh, Povenmire co-created the Disney Channel animated series ''Phineas and Ferb'' and '' Milo Murphy's Law'', i ...
, William Reiss
William Arthur Reiss (born May 4, 1976) is an American animator, storyboard artist, and writer.
Career
Reiss first worked on the Nickelodeon series ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' as an assistant storyboard artist in Season 1 as Bill Reiss, then go ...
, Mike Roth, Springer, Tibbitt, and Wiese.
Cast
The third season featured Tom Kenny
Thomas James Kenny (born July 13, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. He has been voicing SpongeBob SquarePants (character), the titular character in ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' and associated media since its debut in 1999. Kenny has voice ...
as the voice of the title character SpongeBob SquarePants
''SpongeBob SquarePants'' is an American animated television series, animated comedy television series created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. It first aired as a sneak peek after the 1999 Kids' C ...
and his pet snail Gary. SpongeBob's best friend, a starfish
Starfish or sea stars are Star polygon, star-shaped echinoderms belonging to the class (biology), class Asteroidea (). Common usage frequently finds these names being also applied to brittle star, ophiuroids, which are correctly referred to ...
named Patrick Star
Patrick Star is a fictional character in Nickelodeon's animated television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. He is voiced by actor Bill Fagerbakke and was created and designed by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg. He first ...
, was voiced by Bill Fagerbakke
William Fagerbakke ( ; born October 4, 1957) is an American actor. He voices Patrick Star in the ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' franchise, and played Michael "Dauber" Dybinski on the sitcom '' Coach''. He also appeared in 12 episodes of the sitcom ' ...
, while Rodger Bumpass
Rodger Bumpass (born November 20, 1951) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Squidward Tentacles on the American animated television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. He voices several other characters on the show as well, includi ...
played the voice of Squidward Tentacles
Squidward Quincy Tentacles (, ) is a fictional character in Nickelodeon's animated television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants.'' Created and designed by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg, he is voiced by actor Rodger Bumpass. ...
, an arrogant and ill-tempered octopus
An octopus (: octopuses or octopodes) is a soft-bodied, eight-limbed mollusc of the order Octopoda (, ). The order consists of some 300 species and is grouped within the class Cephalopoda with squids, cuttlefish, and nautiloids. Like oth ...
. Other members of the cast were Clancy Brown
Clarence James Brown III (born January 5, 1959) is an American actor. Prolific in film and television since the 1980s, Brown is often cast in villainous and authoritative roles.
His film roles include Rawhide in ''The Adventures of Buckaroo Ban ...
as Mr. Krabs, a miserly crab obsessed with money and SpongeBob's boss at the Krusty Krab
The Krusty Krab is a fictional fast food restaurant in the American animated television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. In the television show the restaurant is famous for its signature burger, the Krabby Patty, the formula to which is a clo ...
; Mr. Lawrence as Plankton
Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms that drift in Hydrosphere, water (or atmosphere, air) but are unable to actively propel themselves against ocean current, currents (or wind). The individual organisms constituting plankton are ca ...
, a small green copepod
Copepods (; meaning 'oar-feet') are a group of small crustaceans found in nearly every freshwater and saltwater habitat (ecology), habitat. Some species are planktonic (living in the water column), some are benthos, benthic (living on the sedimen ...
and Mr. Krabs' business rival; Jill Talley
Jill Talley is an American actress and comedian. She is a main cast member on the animated series ''SpongeBob SquarePants'', in which she voices Karen Plankton. Her other voice roles include Sarah Dubois on Adult Swim's ''The Boondocks'' and Ri ...
as Karen, Plankton's sentient computer sidekick; Carolyn Lawrence
Carolyn Lawrence (born ) is an American actress. She is known for her voice roles on Nickelodeon animated shows, including Sandy Cheeks on ''SpongeBob SquarePants'', Cindy Vortex on ''Jimmy Neutron'', and Mandragora on ''Winx Club'' as well ...
as Sandy Cheeks
Sandy Cheeks is a fictional character in the American animated comedy television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' and the Nickelodeon franchise of the same name. She is voiced by Carolyn Lawrence and first appeared in the episode "Tea at the ...
, a squirrel from Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
; Mary Jo Catlett
Mary Jo Catlett (born September 2, 1938) is an American actress. She is a main cast member on the animated series ''SpongeBob SquarePants'', providing the voice of Mrs. Puff. She is also known for originating the role of Ernestina in the 1964 Br ...
as Mrs. Puff, SpongeBob's boating school teacher; and Lori Alan
Lori Alan is an American actress. She has played a long-running role as Pearl Krabs on the animated television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. She also voiced Diane Simmons on ''Family Guy'', the Invisible Woman on ''Fantastic Four'', and T ...
as Pearl
A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle (mollusc), mantle) of a living Exoskeleton, shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pear ...
, a teenage whale who is Mr. Krabs' daughter.
In addition to the regular cast members, episodes feature guest voices from many ranges of professions, including actors and musicians. Former ''McHale's Navy
''McHale's Navy'' is an American sitcom starring Ernest Borgnine that aired 138 half-hour episodes over four seasons, from October 11, 1962, to April 12, 1966, on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network. The series was filmed i ...
'' actors Ernest Borgnine
Ernest Borgnine ( ; born Ermes Effron Borgnino; January 24, 1917 – July 8, 2012) was an American actor whose career spanned over six decades. He was noted for his gruff but relaxed voice and gap-toothed Cheshire Cat grin. A popular perf ...
and Tim Conway
Thomas Daniel "Tim" Conway (December 15, 1933 – May 14, 2019) was an American actor, comedian, writer, and director. Conway is perhaps best known as a regular cast member (1975–1978) on the TV comedy ''The Carol Burnett Show'' where he port ...
returned in the episode "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy IV", reprising their roles as Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, respectively.[ Borgnine and Conway reappeared in the episode "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy V", which was also guest starred by ]John Rhys-Davies
John Rhys-Davies (born 5 May 1944) is a Welsh actor known for portraying Gimli (Middle-earth), Gimli in The Lord of the Rings (film series), ''The Lord of the Rings'' trilogy and Sallah in the ''Indiana Jones'' franchise. He has received three ...
as Man Ray, and Martin Olson
Martin Olson (born April 2, 1956) is an American comedy writer, television producer, author and composer. He is known for his unusual subject matter, and is an original member of the Boston Comedy Scene. He is the father of actress Olivia Olson. ...
as the Chief.[ ]Brian Doyle-Murray
Brian Murray (born October 31, 1945), better known by his stage name Brian Doyle-Murray, is an American actor, comedian and screenwriter. He has appeared with his younger brother, actor/comedian Bill Murray, in several films, including ''Caddy ...
reprised his role as the Flying Dutchman for "Born Again Krabs". Radio disc jockey
A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at nightclubs or music fes ...
Rodney Bingenheimer
Rodney Bingenheimer (born December 15, 1946) is an American radio disc jockey who is best known as the host of ''Rodney on the ROQ'', a radio program that ran on the Los Angeles rock station KROQ-FM from 1976 to 2017. In the early 1970s, he als ...
guest starred in the episode "Krab Borg" as the DJ.[ In "Party Pooper Pants", American rock band ]the Cramps
The Cramps were an American rock band formed in 1976 and active until 2009. Their lineup rotated frequently during their existence, with the husband-and-wife duo of singer Lux Interior and guitarist Poison Ivy the only ever-present members. T ...
lead vocalist Lux Interior performed the voice of the lead singer of the all-bird rock band called the Bird Brains. Kevin Michael Richardson
Kevin Michael Richardson (born October 25, 1964) is an American actor. Known for his distinctively deep voice, he has mostly voiced villainous characters in animation and video games. In film, Richardson voiced Goro in ''Mortal Kombat'' (1995) ...
also appeared in the live action
Live action is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live action with animation to create a live-action animated feature film. Live action is used to define film, video games o ...
segments of the episode as King Neptune.[ Various other characters were voiced by ]Dee Bradley Baker
Dee Bradley Baker (born August 31, 1962) is an American voice actor. Much of his work has consisted of vocalizations of animals and monsters. Baker's roles include animated series such as '' Adventure Time'', ''American Dad!'', '' Avatar: The Las ...
, Steve Kehela, Frank Welker
Franklin Wendell Welker (born March 12, 1946) is an American actor who specializes in voice acting. He began his career in the 1960s, and held around 850 film, television, and video game credits as of 2020, making him one of the most prolific v ...
, and Thomas F. Wilson.[ Note: Click on the various characters under "Guest Stars" to reveal a character's voice actor or actress.]
Reception
During its third season, ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' passed ''Rugrats
''Rugrats'' is an American animated television series created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, and Paul Germain for Nickelodeon. The series focuses on a group of toddlers, most prominently Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, and Lil, and their day-to-d ...
'' and earned the title of being the highest rated children's show on cable, with a 6.7 rating and 2.2 million kids 2 to 11 in the second quarter of 2002, up 22% over 2001. ''Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...
'' called the show "a $1 billion honeypot," and said the show is "almost single-handedly responsible for making Viacom
Viacom, an abbreviation of Video and Audio Communications, may refer to:
* Viacom (1952–2005), a former American media conglomerate
* Viacom (2005–2019), a former company spun off from the original Viacom
* Viacom18, a joint venture between Pa ...
's Nickelodeon the most-watched cable channel during the day and the second most popular during prime time."[ It was also reported that of the 50 million viewers who watch it every month, 20 million are adults.]
The season was acclaimed by media critics and fans. In 2002, the show itself was nominated at the Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
s for Outstanding Children's Program. Its episodes "New Student Starfish" and "Clams" were nominated for category, while the entry "Ugh" was also nominated for the same category. The show also won the Television Critics Association Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Youth Programming. The season was also the first time the show received a nomination at the Kids' Choice Awards
The Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, also known as the KCAs or Kids' Choice, is an American annual awards ceremony show produced by Nickelodeon. Usually held on a Saturday night in March or early April, the show honors the year's biggest in te ...
and won. In 2003, the show won the 2003 Kids' Choice Awards
The 16th Annual Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards was held on April 12, 2003, hosted by Rosie O'Donnell. The award show was held in the Barker Hangar at the Santa Monica Airport in Santa Monica, California. This was the last time O'Donnell would ho ...
for Favorite Cartoon, and also won the succeeding year's Kids' Choice Award for the same category. At the 2003 Golden Reel Awards, the show won Best Sound Editing in Television Animation and Best Sound Editing in Television Animation — Music categories for the episodes "Nasty Patty"/"Idiot Box" and "Wet Painters"/"Krusty Krab Training Video", respectively. The episodes "The Great Snail Race" and " Mid-Life Crustacean" won at the 2004 Golden Reel Awards for "Best Sound Editing in Television Animation — Music", while the episode "Mid-Life Crustacean" itself received a nomination for "Best Sound Editing in Television Animation".
In his review for the DVD Verdict
DVD Verdict was a judicial-themed website for DVD reviews. The site was founded in 1999. The editor-in-chief was Michael Stailey, who owned the website between 2004 and 2016, and the site employed a large editorial staff of critics, whose revie ...
, Bryan Pope wrote that "the show's charm lies in the vast world of nautical nonsense" and that the show is "a world of aquanaut squirrels, clarinet-playing squids, underwater campfires, retired superheroes, plankton obsessed with world domination, and the most head-scratching family units I've ever come across (a crab and a puffer fish are parents to a teenage whale, while pint-sized Plankton is married to a no-nonsense computer named Karen)."[ Pope said that the season "remains ''the'' high point for the series" as it had produced "classic" episodes such as "No Weenies Allowed", "SpongeBob Meets the Strangler", and "Krusty Krab Training Video".][ However, Pope described " The Lost Episode" as a "misstep" that "veers too far away from Bikini Bottom and into unfunny live-action territory."][ Furthermore, various celebrities—including ]Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, and dancer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Prince of Pop", ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' honored him as the b ...
, Kelly Osbourne
Kelly Michelle Lee Osbourne (born on October 27 1984) is an English television personality, singer, actress, and fashion designer. She is a daughter of Ozzy Osbourne, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, and came to prominence while appearing on the reali ...
, Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. Cultural impact of Brit ...
, Bruce Willis
Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955) is a retired American actor. He achieved fame with a leading role on the comedy-drama series ''Moonlighting (TV series), Moonlighting'' (1985–1989) and has appeared in over one hundred films, gaining ...
, Noel Gallagher
Noel Thomas David Gallagher (born 29 May 1967) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. Gallagher is the primary songwriter, lead guitarist and a co-lead vocalist of the rock band Oasis (band), Oasis. After leaving Oasis, he formed Noel ...
, rapper Dr. Dre
Andre Romell Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper, record producer, record executive, and actor. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and co-founder of ...
, and Mike Myers
Michael John Myers, (born May 25, 1963) is a Canadian actor, comedian, and filmmaker. His accolades include seven MTV Movie & TV Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2002, he was awarded a star on the Hollywood W ...
—were reported to be fans of the show.[ In 2002, fans of the show formed a "new religion"—the Church of SpongeBob SquarePants.][ The organization has more than 700 members.][ Its manifesto said it wanted to push "simple things like having fun and using your imagination", and even offered study courses on the show.][ A Nickelodeon spokesman said "SpongeBob's appeal is extraordinary."]
The popularity of ''SpongeBob'' translated well into merchandising. In 2002, SpongeBob SquarePants dolls sold at a rate of 75,000 per week, which was faster than Tickle Me Elmo
Tickle Me Elmo is a children's plush toy from Tyco Preschool, a division of Tyco Toys, of the Muppet character Elmo from the children's television show ''Sesame Street''. When squeezed, Elmo recites his trademark giggle. When squeezed three ti ...
dolls were selling at the time, and was also reported that various SpongeBob SquarePants merchandise sold "extremely well" in stores such as Hot Topic
Hot Topic, Inc. is an American fast-fashion company specializing in counterculture-related clothing and accessories, as well as licensed music. The stores are aimed towards an audience interested in rock music and video gaming, and most of the ...
. SpongeBob has gained popularity in Japan, specifically with Japanese women. Nickelodeon's parent company Viacom
Viacom, an abbreviation of Video and Audio Communications, may refer to:
* Viacom (1952–2005), a former American media conglomerate
* Viacom (2005–2019), a former company spun off from the original Viacom
* Viacom18, a joint venture between Pa ...
purposefully targeted marketing at women in the country as a method of the ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' brand. Skeptics initially doubted that SpongeBob could be popular in Japan as the character's design is very different from already popular designs for Hello Kitty
, also known by her real name , is a fictional character created by Yuko Shimizu, currently designed by Yuko Yamaguchi, and owned by the Japanese company Sanrio. Sanrio depicts Hello Kitty as a British anthropomorphized white cat with a red ...
and Pikachu
Pikachu (; Japanese: , Hepburn: ) is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's ''Pokémon'' media franchise, and the franchise's mascot. First introduced in the video games ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Blue'', it was created by Atsuko N ...
. The show's success in merchandising brought around $500 million in revenue.[
Moreover, the ]gay community
The LGBTQ community (also known as the LGBT, LGBT+, LGBTQ+, LGBTQIA, LGBTQIA+, or queer community) comprises LGBTQ individuals united by a common culture and social movements. These communities generally celebrate pride, diversity, individua ...
had embraced the show, according to BBC Online
BBC Online, formerly known as BBCi, is the BBC's online service. It is a large network of websites including such high-profile sites as BBC News and BBC Sport, Sport, the on-demand video and radio services branded BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, t ...
.[ '']The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
'' also raised questions about SpongeBob and Patrick in a recent article that pointed up the show's popularity in the gay community. Tom Kenny
Thomas James Kenny (born July 13, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. He has been voicing SpongeBob SquarePants (character), the titular character in ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' and associated media since its debut in 1999. Kenny has voice ...
, in response to the article, said " felt the insinuation was a stretch."[ Kenny said "I had heard that gay viewers enjoy the show in the same way that lots of people—college students, parents and children—like the show ..I thought it was rather silly to hang an entire article on that. I don't think it's a case of it being a gay-friendly show—It's a human-being-friendly show. They're all welcome."][ Hillenburg responded about the character's sexual orientation and stated that he is " cheerful character utis not gay."] He clarified that he considers the character to be "almost asexual
Asexual or Asexuals may refer to:
*Asexual reproduction
**Asexual reproduction in starfish
*Asexuality, the lack of sexual attraction to anyone or lack of interest in or desire for sexual activity.
**Gray asexuality, the spectrum between asexualit ...
". The show's popularity among gay men would become controversial. In 2005, a promotional video, which showed SpongeBob along with other characters from children's shows singing together to promote diversity
Diversity, diversify, or diverse may refer to:
Business
*Diversity (business), the inclusion of people of different identities (ethnicity, gender, age) in the workforce
*Diversity marketing, marketing communication targeting diverse customers
* ...
and tolerance, was attacked by an evangelical
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...
group in the United States because they saw SpongeBob being used as an "advocate for homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or Human sexual activity, sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexu ...
". James Dobson
James Clayton Dobson Jr.
(born April 21, 1936) is an American evangelicalism, evangelical Christian author, psychologist, and founder of Focus on the Family (FotF), which he led from 1977 until 2010. In the 1980s, he was ranked as one of the m ...
of Focus on the Family
Focus on the Family (FOTF or FotF) is an American Christian fundamentalism, Evangelical Protestant organization founded in 1977 in Southern California by James Dobson, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The group is one of a number of Evangel ...
accused the makers of the video of "promoting homosexuality due to a pro-tolerance group sponsoring the video". After Dobson made the comments, Hillenburg repeated this assertion that sexual preference was never considered during the creation of the show. Tom Kenny and other production members were shocked and surprised that such an issue had arisen. Dobson later asserted that his comments were taken out of context and that his original complaints were not with SpongeBob, the video, or any of the characters in the video but with the organization that sponsored the video, ''We Are Family Foundation
We Are Family Foundation (WAFF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded by musician Nile Rodgers and his life partner, Nancy Hunt. Based in New York City—and established in the wake of the 9/11 attacks—WAFF recognizes, funds, and mentors ...
''. Dobson indicated that the ''We Are Family Foundation'' posted pro-homosexual material on their website, but later removed it.
Episodes
The episodes are ordered below according to Nickelodeon's packaging order, and not their original production or broadcast order.
DVD release
The DVD boxset for season three was released by Paramount Home Entertainment
Paramount Home Entertainment (formerly Paramount Home Media Distribution, originally Paramount Home Video, and operating as the namesake film studio since 2022) is the home video distribution arm of Paramount Pictures.
The division oversees Para ...
and Nickelodeon in the United States and Canada on September 27, 2005, almost a year after the season had completed broadcast on television.[ The DVD release features bonus materials including the pilot episode " Help Wanted" and featurettes.]
Notes
References
;Bibliography
*
External links
Season 3
at Metacritic
Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
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2001 American animated television seasons
2002 American animated television seasons
2003 American animated television seasons
2004 American animated television seasons
SpongeBob SquarePants seasons