List of characters in SpongeBob SquarePants

The characters of SpongeBob SquarePants from left to right: Plankton, Mr. Krabs, Sandy, SpongeBob, Squidward, Patrick, Gary, and a jellyfish.

SpongeBob SquarePants is an animated television series broadcast on Nickelodeon among others, including the Nicktoons Network as well as MTV and Canadian broadcasting channel YTV. Much of the series focuses on the exploits of SpongeBob SquarePants, an optimistic sea sponge (but whose shape and color more closely resemble a kitchen sponge) that lives in a pineapple under the sea with his pet snail Gary, who meows like a cat. Although Gary only speaks in a few episodes, the characters have shown an ability to understand him. Living two houses down from SpongeBob is his best friend Patrick Star, a dim-witted yet friendly starfish who lives under a rock. Living between the two is Squidward Tentacles, an arrogant and egotistical octopus who lives in a moai and dislikes them (especially SpongeBob) for their child-like behavior. He enjoys playing the clarinet and painting self-portraits of himself.

Another friend of SpongeBob is Sandy Cheeks, a squirrel who speaks with a Texan accent and resides in an underwater dome in Bikini Bottom. She was sent there to do research for her chimpanzee bosses. Sandy is an expert at karate. When not inside her tree-dome, she wears an astronaut-like suit because she cannot breathe in water. Much to Squidward’s dismay, he and SpongeBob work together at the fictional Krusty Krab restaurant, where SpongeBob is fry cook and Squidward is cashier. Their employer is former officer cadet for the Bikini Bottom Navy force and war veteran Eugene Krabs, a miserly crab obsessed with money. Mr. Krabs’ archenemy is Sheldon Plankton, a small green copepod who owns a low-rank fast-food restaurant called the Chum Bucket across the street from the Krusty Krab. Plankton spends most of his time plotting to steal the recipe for Mr. Krabs's popular Krabby Patty burgers in order to obtain success, though most of his schemes usually end in failure. Recurring characters in the series include Plankton's computer wife, Karen, alternately helps him in his schemes or bickers with him.

The characters of SpongeBob SquarePants were created by artist, animator and former marine biologist Stephen Hillenburg. In addition to the series’ main cast, various celebrities have voiced roles in SpongeBob SquarePants. Some play recurring characters such as Ernest Borgnine and Tim Conway voicing the roles of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, while others have taken a one off part. Gary is his pet snail that lives with SpongeBob. SpongeBob and Patrick love to go Jellyfishing in Jellyfish Fields.

Main Characters

SpongeBob SquarePants

• Voice Actor: Tom Kenny

SpongeBob SquarePants,  SpongeBob is a sea sponge who lives with his pet snail, Gary, in a fully furnished, two bedroom pineapple in the town of Bikini Bottom. SpongeBob's dream in life is to be the ocean's ultimate fry cook, and thanks to his job flipping Krabby Patties at the Krusty Krab, he lives that dream every day. SpongeBob is as optimistic and earnest as a sea-dwelling sponge gets, but he can't seem to avoid getting himself, and usually everyone else around him, into trouble. While trying too hard, he tends to do things wrong...really wrong...which usually spells "disaster". However, SpongeBob's always looking on the bright side of life; his enthusiasm and curiosity about the world make him downright irresistible or completely annoying. SpongeBob's hobbies include blowing bubbles, catching (and releasing) jellyfish with his best friend, Patrick and practicing karate with his friend, Sandy.^[1]

SpongeBob was originally named "SpongeBoy" by the series creators, but it was later changed due to trademark issues. Blue and Orange were early color choices for the character before his classic yellow was chosen.^[2]

Patrick Starfish

• Voice Actor: Bill Fagerbakke

Patrick Starfish is a sea star who is SpongeBob's best friend and neighbor. He lives under a rock and favors colorful trunks as his attire. Patrick is not the brightest sea star in the ocean, though he did attend community college, we're not sure what he studied. His attention span has been clocked at .02 seconds. Patricks voice is similar to Barney Rubble's voice from The Flintstones. His favorite activities include sleeping, catching jellyfish, napping, blowing bubbles, snoozing and eating ice cream. He is also the most likely to gross people out with his poor hygiene. Patrick is, a actor/comedian who has starred in many funny movies. As SpongeBob's closest pal, Patrick is always offering his advice and encouragement as they embark on various adventures, which usually get them both in trouble, though things seem to always work out in the end. But, for better or worse, Patrick will always be SpongeBob's loyal buddy.^[3] Patrick's parents, Herb and Margie, are rarely seen in the series.

Squidward Tentacles

• Voice Actor: Rodger Bumpass ;also the voice of Professor Membrane in TV show Invader Zim

Squidward is SpongeBob's next-door neighbor and co-worker. If it weren't for the fact that SpongeBob is the only one who appreciates his clarinet playing, modern dance routines, and artistic abilities, Squidward would have nothing to do with him (not that he has any choice in the matter). SpongeBob finds Squidward's grumpiness part of the squid's charm, believing that deep down Squidward Tentacles has a good heart and likes to have fun, Squidward just doesn't know it! Squidward is the cashier at the Krusty Krab, a job he mostly loathes and treats with very little respect.

Sandy Cheeks

• Voice Actress: Carolyn Lawrence

Sandy Cheeks is a squirrel from the great state of Texas. Since she is a land-based, oxygen breathing species, she lives in a large, glassed-in, underwater home in Bikini Bottom known as the "Treedome", where she invents amazing devices and performs awesome experiments. Sandy is one smart squirrel but is also into extreme sports, surfing and most of all ... ka-ra-te! SpongeBob is her favorite sparring partner. She loves Texas and misses it on occasion, but not enough to leave her new home and new pals!

On November 6, 2009, a one-hour special titled Truth or Square aired a plausible wedding between Sandy and SpongeBob but turns out to be a play. This may be not true, as the details are very foggy.^[4]

Eugene Krabs

• Voice Actor: Clancy Brown

Mr. Krabs is SpongeBob's boss and the owner of The Krusty Krab, home of the delicious Krabby Patty. Nobody's cheaper or greedier or prouder of it. His favorite thing to say is, "I like money!" Krabs still has the first penny he ever earned and all his savings is stashed in his mattress. Mr. Krabs likes SpongeBob because he's willing to work long hours for little pay, and has occasionally taken him under his claw (especially if there is personal financial gain involved). Krabs has an ongoing rivalry with Plankton, the owner of The Chum Bucket. Krabs is obsessed with keeping his Krabby Patty secret formula safe from Plankton. However, each secretly enjoys competing with the other. The only thing that has more control over Mr. Krabs than money is his teenage daughter, Pearl, who just happens to be a whale.

Sheldon Plankton

• Voice Actor: Doug Lawrence

Mr. Krabs's arch-rival "Sheldon J." Plankton is a little microbe with a big attitude problem. Owner of the rival restaurant, The Chum Bucket, Plankton's only objective in life is to steal Krabs's secret Krabby Patty recipe. Then he can steal away The Krusty Krabs's customers as well. Plankton knows nothing about preparing food and as a result The Chum Bucket's menu (consisting mostly of chum products) is horrible. Plankton rarely has a customer, but he's a nasty little fellow who never gives up. Plankton's companion is his computer W.I.F.E., Karen. Karen tries to assist Plankton in his dastardly schemes to get the secret formula, but Plankton's ego never allows him to succeed. It kind of makes you feel sorry for the little guy, until you remember he's pure hot gas.

Gary the Snail

• Voice Actor: Tom Kenny

SpongeBob's loyal pet is a sea snail. He may not move so fast and he may leave a trail of slime everywhere he goes and he may not be so good at catching Frisbees or fetching slippers, and sometimes he's a real stick in the mud, but Gary's the best darn pet an invertebrate sea sponge with square pants could possibly ask for, and that's all that matters. Gary possesses the ability to speak, though his vocabulary consists of one word: "Meow". However, SpongeBob, his doting master can understand exactly what he is saying, whether it be advice or a request for "Food!"

Recurring characters

• Mrs. Puff (Mary Jo Catlett) - A white-spotted puffer with blond hair and green fins who is the owner and teacher of a boating school (analogous to a driving school, as the "boats" are underwater equivalents to cars). In the Season 3 episode "Krusty Love", it is revealed that she was married at one time, and her husband is now a lamp, and she does not like to talk about it. She has post-traumatic stress disorder due to countless wrecks while teaching SpongeBob, and often dreads teaching SpongeBob due to his reckless boating.

• Mermaid Man (Ernest Borgnine) and Barnacle Boy (Tim Conway)^[5] - Two elderly actors/superheroes who live in a retirement home (although they aren't retired anymore), whom SpongeBob and Patrick watch on television. Mermaid Man is the older of the two and is the leader, while Barnacle Boy is his sidekick. Mermaid Man's catchphrase is "To the (insert place here). Away!" Mermaid Man is often shown to be somewhat senile. Barnacle Boy often wants to be treated like a man.

• Pearl Krabs (Lori Alan) - Mr. Krabs' sixteen-year-old whale daughter, who is fairly popular but is sometimes teased about her father's cheapness. She can be very whiny because of her father's cheap attitude, and is sometimes shown to force him into doing things.

• Larry the Lobster (Doug Lawrence) - A lobster lifeguard of Goo Lagoon, Larry is a bodybuilder and workout fanatic.

• The Flying Dutchman (Brian Doyle-Murray) - A pirate ghost named after the famous ghost ship, The Flying Dutchman. He lives underwater in a giant ship, and collects souls.

• Karen (Jill Talley) - Sheldon Plankton's computer WIFE (Wired Integrated Female Electroencephalograph) who often expresses human emotions. Karen alternatively helps Plankton in his schemes to steal the Krabby Patty formula and bickers with him. Karen often tries to suggest effective plans for Plankton to use, but he never heeds them.

• French Narrator (Tom Kenny) - He speaks at the start of some episodes, and speaks with a French accent. He is seen as a scuba diver with a TV camera, and was once hit by SpongeBob when driving a boat with Mrs. Puff. In another episode, he quit off screen (no joke intended) due to impatience. On the November 16, 2004 episode of the NPR program Fresh Air with Terry Gross, Kenny admitted that Jacques Cousteau was the inspiration for the French narrator, as series creator Stephen Hillenburg considered him an idol.

• Patchy the Pirate (Tom Kenny) – A live-action character who is a pirate and the president of the SpongeBob fan club. He lives in Encino. The character hosts SpongeBob specials and related major events.

• Potty the Parrot (Stephen Hillenburg and Paul Tibbitt) - Potty is a character that appears in the live actions segments of special events. It is a crudely made puppet parrot, controlled by very obvious strings. Potty is Patchy the Pirate's mischievous pet parrot who enjoys playing practical jokes on Patchy.

• Harold SquarePants (Tom Kenny) and Mrs. SquarePants (Sirena Irwin) - SpongeBob's parents, who more resemble sea sponges rather than SpongeBob's shape as a kitchen sponge.

• Squilliam Fancyson (Dee Bradley Baker) - Squidward's successful and haughty rival from high school who is constantly showing off his riches.

Minor characters

• Mrs. Krabs (Paul Tibbitt, Sirena Irwin) (All other appearances) - Mr. Krabs's mother.

• Jelly - SpongeBob's jellyfish friend that likes dancing.

• Redbeard Krabs (Dennis Quaid) - Mr. Krabs's grandfather, a pirate.

• Bubble Bass (Dee Bradley Baker) - A bass who was SpongeBob's arch-nemesis.

• Stanley SquarePants (Christopher Guest) - SpongeBob's cousin who has a similar appearance to SpongeBob, but is much taller. Stanley is accident prone and causes destruction wherever he goes.^[6]

• Flatts (Thomas F. Wilson) - A mean green flounder who went to community college with Patrick and bullied SpongeBob at Mrs. Puff's boating school.

• Grandma SquarePants (Marion Ross) and Grandpa SquarePants (Tom Kenny) - SpongeBob's grandparents.

• Man Ray (John Rhys-Davies/Bob Joles) and the Dirty Bubble (Charles Nelson Reilly/Tom Kenny) - Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy's main enemies. Man Ray has a humanoid body with a special mask and helmet, while the Dirty Bubble is capable of encasing enemies inside his body. Charles Nelson Reilly was the primary actor for the Dirty Bubble, but Tom Kenny has portrayed the character in one episode after Reilly's death in 2007. In "Mermaid Man & Barnacle Boy V" Barnacle Boy turns evil and he and Man Ray and the Dirty Bubble form an alliance called EVIL - Every Villain Is Lemons - with a symbol of a lemon with an evil face and tentacles.

• Old Man Jenkins (Doug Lawrence/Tom Kenny) - A mean old fish who used to live in the Rusty Krab care home before it became the Krusty Krab restaurant, and currently resides at Shady Shoals. His appearance changes through some episodes. Voiced by Doug Lawrence and Tom Kenny in separate episodes.

• Painty the Pirate (Patrick Pinney) - A painting of a pirate head who sings the SpongeBob SquarePants theme.*

• Scooter (Carlos Alazraqui/Clancy Brown) - A lavender-colored fish who enjoys surfing. He died in the second-season episode "Bubble Buddy", but returned in future episodes. He talks like a stereotypical surfer dude and spends most of his time at the Goo Lagoon.

• King Neptune (Paul Tibbitt; John O'Hurley (series) / Jeffrey Tambor (movie))^[5][7] - The king of the ocean and Atlantis, King Neptune is a massive magical blue merman with red glowing hair. Neptune also appears as one of the movie's characters, although he instead appears with a different appearance, including a blindingly bald head. He looks slightly different most of his appearances. In the movie, he is also shown to have a daughter named Mindy. His name is also used frequently as a substitute for the word "God" in colloquial phrases (e.g. "Sweet mother of Neptune!"). In "The Krusty Towers", it is explained that Neptune's original appearance as a character named "Neptune XIV".

• Jack Kahuna Laguna (Johnny Depp) - A surfer who helps SpongeBob, Patrick and Squidward get home by teaching them how to surf.^[8] He only appears in the special episode "SpongeBob vs. The Big One". Patrick Pinney has confirmed Jack Kahuna Laguna would become a recurring character, building a house next to Spongebob, although he would be voiced by Patrick

• Kevin the Sea Cucumber (Dee Bradley Baker)- Spongebob is his number one fan. Kevin is the leader of the Jelly Spotters which catches jellyfish.

Reception

The characters of SpongeBob SquarePants have been well-received overall. The titular character SpongeBob has become very popular with both children and adults. The character's popularity has spread from Nickelodeon's original demographic of two to eleven year olds, to teenagers and adults,^[9] including college campuses and celebrities such as Sigourney Weaver and Bruce Willis.^[10] The popularity of SpongeBob translated well into sales figures. In 2002, SpongeBob SquarePants dolls sold at a rate of 75,000 per week, which was faster than Tickle Me Elmo dolls were selling at the time.^[11] SpongeBob has gained popularity in Japan, specifically with Japanese women. Nickelodeon's parent company Viacom purposefully targeted marketing at women in the country as a method of building the SpongeBob SquarePants brand. Sceptics initially doubted that SpongeBob could be popular in Japan as the character's design is very different to already popular designs for Hello Kitty and Pikachu.^[12] However, the characters have also attracted negative reception, including SpongeBob himself, who was listed as number four on AskMen's Top 10: Irritating '90s Cartoon Characters.^[13]

Jeffrey P. Dennis, author of the journal article "The Same Thing We Do Every Night: Signifying Same-Sex Desire in Television Cartoons," said that Spongebob and Patrick are "are paired with arguably erotic intensity." Dennis added that while the two are "not consistently coded as romantic partners," since they live in separate residences and have distinct groups of friends, Dennis argued that "the possibility of same-sex desire is never excluded."^[14] Martin Goodman of Animation World Magazine described Dennis's comments regarding Spongebob and Patrick as "interesting."^[15]

Arthur Brown, author of Everything I Need to Know, I Learned from Cartoons!, has compared Squidward's voice to that of Jack Benny's.^[16]

Merchandise

Appearances in other media

The characters of SpongeBob SquarePants have been parodied various times in popular culture. In 2007, the Amsterdam-based company Boom Chicago created a SpongeBob parody called "Back to Work!" in which a Chinese Patrick refuses to go to work and advocates freedom of speech and rights of leisure and income.^[17] During the same year, production company Camp Chaos created a SpongeBob parody entitled SpongeBong HempPants which features a multitude of the series' characters parodied in the form of various drugs.^[18]

References

External links

• List of characters at SpongePedia
• Full list of SpongeBob SquarePants characters at the SpongeBob SquarePants Wiki