#stephen hillenberg

[ivytherium]

sad to hear about his passing, what an amazing guy who turned his love for marine biology into a show that defined a generation

[thecarlosramos]

Stephen Hillenberg was a monster talent. I didn't know him well but had the pleasure of watching the Spongebob pilot at a tiki-themed premiere party inside a tiny office inside Nick's North Hollywood space a million years ago. None of us there could have predicted what an impact that giddy animated sponge would have later. He showed that a series creator could build a global empire while still being kind and stand by his beliefs. The world has lost a true artist.

[spongebob-squarepants-is-my-hero]

Remembering Stephen Hillenberg

Once just an ordinary marine biology professor, became an extrodinary man. Artistic even at a young age, Hillenberg used his creativity through teaching. He wrote The Intertidal Zone, an informational comic book in the 80s. Hillenberg later went to school for his Master’s degree in Fine Arts. He made his comic into a television show, Spongebob Squarepants. We remember Hillenberg as he died from his fight to ALS on November 26, 2018.

[chasing-dreams-since-1995]

I was in total shock when I found out that Stephen Hillenburg the creator of Spongebob Squarepants passed away! Spongebob was one of my favorite cartoon shows growing up and is the one show I still watch today (the earlier episodes of course). Thank you Mr. Hillenburg for creating one of the most iconic cartoon shows alive and making me laugh over the years! You will be missed!

[greenapplepunch]

[umbramatic]

Spongebob Tribute

So, because of Stephen Hillenberg’s passing, I’ve decided to publish a essay I wrote a few weeks ago on Spongebob here on Tumblr, retooling it to be a tribute.

“The”

Spongebob Squarepants and its impact on life, Internet culture, and the author

I don't remember when I first expenced Spongebob. It's almost hard to think of a time before Spongebob. Spongebob just is. I do remember that during its rise to prominence, children like me weren't the only ones paying attention. Spongebob was part of a new wave of cartoons that started in the 90s, one that was abashedly unafraid to throw several nods and winks to any adults that happened to be in the audience. Magazines praised it. Teachers in school praised it. My father praised it. It felt good to me, like that by enjoying Spongebob I was part of something bigger. And in a sense that feeling's never gone away.

I collected DVDs of the first three seasons, the only ones that mattered. I watched them all, watched all the special features and the commentary, because I loved this cartoon so much. It made me laugh. It made me happy. Graveyard Shift, Chocolate With Nuts, and Band Geeks are still some of my favorite pieces of animated television.  Graveyard Shift in particular was always fun for me - Spongebob and Squidward are forced to work the night shift on the whim of Mr. Krabs, and Squidward's attempt to scare Spongebob into acting in line backfires horribly when his scary story seemingly starts coming to life. In Band Geeks, Squidward recruits the other characters into a band to defeat his arch-rival Squilliam, leading to one of Squidward's few personal victories. Chocolate With Nuts chronicles Spongebob and Patrick's attempts to be chocolate salesmen as they encounter various obstacles, including a fish-man that goes into hysterics at the mere mention of chocolate.

Spongebob was a love affair for its creator as well. Stephen Hillenberg was a marine biologist who created educational comics on sea life for children when he was younger, and proceeded to the realm of animation. Eventually, he went further into the realm of animation, teaming up with colleague Tom Kenny to create Spongebob. Spongebob went through many design and concept overhauls before it became what it premiered to be, but once it did it was a smash hit.

Eventually, I got older. Cartoons were long viewed as something you grew out of when you got older, but that didn't apply to me. I held the toons of my childhood close to my heart, but Spongebob most of all.And I wasn't the only one. I found out otherwise thanks to the wonderful, terrifying thing called the Internet. Many other people held Spongebob in their hearts. And for them, it became a language, in the form of surreal Internet communication known as memes. These memes of Spongebob were everywhere, covering just about anything.

In particular people gravitated to the character of Squidward Tentacles; a curmudgeonly sort tired of everyone and everything, and easily irritated. Fans flocked to him as a "relatable" character - they saw their own struggles through Squidward's.

These memes are there for anything and anybody, and the Internet has a Spongebob moment for everything. I have a field day with this, using my love of Spongebob to show people videos and images and quotes relevant to many situations. It all ties into feeling like being part of something bigger. Adding to that is how much of a cultural juggernaut Spongebob remains even outside the Internet. It's been going for almost 20 years even as it's regrettably past its prime. It's got tons of merchandise. Celebrities remai huge fans - Obama watched it with his kids during the presidency.

Spongebob is something bigger. It was something special for its creator to begin with, before expanding to be something special for children, then adults. It captured the hearts of millions, changed the way the Internet communicates, and occupies a special place in my own heart.

Rest In Peace Stephen Hillenberg

August 21 1961 - November 26, 2018

[artist-emerald]

RIP Stephen Hillenberg, creator of Spongebob

Died today at age 57.

[d-e-a-n-yt-blog]

Don't tell me I'm the only one who saw that.

'Yall watchin' the super bowl RN? They said they were gonna commemorate Stephen Hillenberg by playing Sweet Victory. They played the first few seconds, then suddenly Sicko Mode came on. That's fucking insulting tbh.