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Nick Soaks Up More "SpongeBob"
Sure he's an international movie star and fronts a multibillion-dollar merchandising empire, but everyone's favorite sea sponge isn't giving up his day job just yet.
Nickelodeon has commissioned 20 brand-spanking new episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants to run through 2007. The order will bring the series total to 100. Krabby Patties for everybody!
"It just doesn't feel like we should stop yet," Cyma Zarghami, president of Nickelodeon TV, told the Associated Press.
Since his debut in 1999, SpongeBob has become a cultural phenomenon, drawing not only the biggest children's audience for any show on the cable net, but also attracting adult fans. Saturday morning's episode drew more than 4.5 million viewers, making it the most watched program on cable outside of football, according to Nielsen Media Research. The Porous One and his crustacean cohorts at Bikini Bottom have become so popular that four installments rank among last week's top 15 cable shows. SpongeBob is now airing in more than 25 different languages around the world.
Not bad for someone who could barely pass his driver's license exam (thanks, Mrs. Puff!).
Nick temporarily halted production on new SpongeBob adventures in 2004 to allow creator Stephen Hillenburg to focus on SpongeBob SquarePants: The Movie, released last year. The film, in which our perpetually happy yellow hero hooked up with Baywatch star David Hasselhoff, among other adventures, grossed $85 million domestically.
After the movie left theaters, Nickelodeon renewed SpongeBob for 20 episodes, which are running right now.
"SpongeBob came at a time when the country was maybe a little bit blue, and SpongeBob was an endlessly optimistic character that came along and gave us a boost," Zarghami told AP. "And maybe it's just because he's plain funny."
He's also made Nick just plain rich, soaking up an astounding $4 billion in merchandise and other licensing initiatives, including DVDs, videogames, greeting cards and toys since his inception. He's also become a gay icon.
SpongeBob will continue to be voiced by Tom Kenny in the new installments. No word on when the eps will begin airing.
In the meantime, fans can tide themselves over with the new videogame, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Yellow Avenger, which software publisher THQ just shipped for the Nintendo DS.
To help celebrate SpongeBob's extension and to promote Friday's TV-movie special Where's Gary?, in which SpongeBob's pet snail runs away from home, the cable network has recruited skateboarding guru Tony Hawk to help in the snail hunt and has also created a Sponge-worthy online game that's been played by more than 700,000 fans.
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