History Trivia / SpongeBobSquarePants

* RealLifeRelative: While Karen is married to Plankton in the show, her voice actress, Jill Talley, is married to [=SpongeBob's=] voice actor Tom Kenny.

** According to Vincent Waller, one [[https://mobile.twitter.com/VincentWaller72/status/734493734499450880 of]] Stephen Hillenberg's original ideas for the series was to have Sandy be [=SpongeBob's=] girlfriend. The pitch bible even refers to her as the "apple of SpongeBob's eye" and that he is willing to be physically harmed just to be next to her. Though they've been ship teased at times, the show ultimately leaves them as really good friends.

** According to Vincent Waller, one [[https://mobile.twitter.com/VincentWaller72/status/734493734499450880 of]] Stephen Hillenberg's original ideas for the series was to have Sandy be [=SpongeBob's=] girlfriend. Though they've been ship teased at times, the show ultimately leaves them as really good friends.

* TheWikiRule: [[http://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/Encyclopedia_SpongeBobia Encyclopedia SpongeBobia]].

** All of the cast members, including Mr. Lawrence (the voice of Plankton, and who also co-wrote the episode), really dislike how "One Coarse Meal" turned out. Clancy Brown even stated that he felt uncomfortable when he read some of Mr. Krabs' lines in the episode.

** "Reef Blower" was originally intended to have dialogue, but [[RealLifeWritesThePlot became a dialogue-free episode due to the sound equipment being damaged]].

* CowboyBebopAtHisComputer: This video for [[https://youtu.be/t9UOOyFh9Cs Karate Choppers]] says that Jill Talley voices Sandy when she actually voices Karen, as pointed out by her. Carolyn Lawrence voices Sandy.

* BreakingNewsInterruption: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sQTnybaZRQ A rerun of the episode]] "Eek, An Urchin!" on NHK E-Tele in Japan on March 20, 2021 was interrupted for news of a major earthquake in Miyagi.

** During the show's peak, you couldn't go anywhere in America without seeing something [=SpongeBob=] related. He's spawned hundreds of [[http://www.animationshops.com/sponge-bob.html T-shirts]], [[http://www.entertainmentearth.com/prodinfo.asp?number=YSSBW0200A#.WFh0_lMrKpo action]] [[https://www.amazon.com/Spongebob-Squarepants-Bikini-Squidward-Patrick/dp/B00417S8D4 figures]], [[http://www.karenandjay.com/trips/pkd702/pkd-8.jpg stuffed animals]], [[http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/spongebob/_/N-8q8;jsessionid=52FF3D11D0DB47D1C1B988D550E3CB1A.prodny_store02-atgap06 books]], [[VideoGame/SpongeBobSquarePantsBattleforBikiniBottom video games]], [[https://www.amazon.com/SpongeBobs-Greatest-Hits-SpongeBob-Squarepants/dp/B002935GLY soundtracks]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbQcBeIx5Zg DVD collections]], [[http://x-entertainment.com/articles/0867/ every food item you can think of]], [[https://www.google.com/search?q=spongebob+burger+king+toys&newwindow=1&safe=active&biw=1538&bih=742&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiQqsLnwYHRAhWD7oMKHRo4DFUQ_AUICSgC#imgrc=t0pVYG-LzHdA1M%3A kids meal toys]], [[http://www.funkidslive.com/events/theatre-spongebob-squarepants-the-sponge-who-could-fly-may-dates/ a touring stage show in the UK]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1yGmJsipqg amusement]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpongeBob_SquarePants_Rock_Bottom_Plunge park]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jhc05wsScb8 rides]], [[http://lego.fandom.com/wiki/SpongeBob_SquarePants_(Theme) LEGO sets]], and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9qe4HPeHlA a balloon in the Macy's Parade]] that shows up almost as much as [[Franchise/{{Peanuts}} Snoopy]] does.

* In the Hebrew dub, Squidward and Squilliam are both voiced by Creator/GiladKleter.

** In the Serbian dub, [=SpongeBob=], Mr. Krabs and all female charcters are voiced by Vladislava Đorđević. The episode "The Slumber Party" is consequently an entire episode of Vladislava talking to herself.

!!Trivia Tropes

* ImageSource:
** AcidTripDimension ("Shanghaied")
** [[BlazingInfernoHellfireSauce.WesternAnimation Blazing Inferno Hellfire Sauce.Western Animation]] ("[[Recap/SpongebobSquarepantsS1E14SB129KarateChoppers Karate Choppers]]")
** BrainWithAManualControl ("[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS1E3JellyfishingPlankton Plankton!]]")
** [[BewareTheNiceOnes.WesternAnimation Beware the Nice Ones.Western Animation]] ("[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS3E7AsSeenOnTVCanYouSpareADime Can You Spare a Dime?]]")
** BoredomMontage ("[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS2E6GrandmasKissesSquidville Squidville]]")
** ButNotTooWhite ("Sun Bleached")
** CardboardBoxHome ("[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS3E7AsSeenOnTVCanYouSpareADime Can You Spare a Dime?]]")
** CommercialPopUp (''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' crossover)
** CruiseEpisode ("Walking the Plankton")
** DarkHorseVictory ("[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS3E14TheGreatSnailRaceMidLifeCrustacean The Great Snail Race]]")
** DiegeticVisualEffects ("[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS3E13NewStudentStarfishClams New Student Starfish]]")
** DinnerDeformation ("[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS2E32PressureTheSmokingPeanut Pressure]]")
** DudeNotFunny ("[[Recap/SpongebobSquarepantsS1E2BubblestandRippedPants Ripped Pants]]")
** ExposedAnimalBellybutton ("[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS2E17ProcrastinationImWithStupid I'm with Stupid]]")
** FeigningHealthiness (Suds)
** GrumpyBear
** HappinessInMinimumWage
** IllFatedFlowerbed ("Sportz?")
** InfernalBackground ("[[Recap/SpongebobSquarepantsS3E3TheBullyJustOneBite Just One Bite]]")
** InstantTasteAddiction ("Just One Bite")
** ISOStandardUrbanGroceries ("[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS3E10WetPaintersKrustyKrabTrainingVideo Wet Painters]]")
** JustForFun ("[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS1E10CultureShockFUN F.U.N.]]")
** MediumShiftGag ("[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS2E32PressureTheSmokingPeanut Pressure]]")
** OldSuperhero ("[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS2E31MermaidManAndBarnacleBoySquirrelJokes Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy III]]")
** [[PaperThinDisguise.WesternAnimation Paper-Thin Disguise.Western Animation]] ("[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS3E20SpongebobMeetstheStrangerPranksALot SpongeBob Meets the Strangler]]")
** PennyPinchingCrab (promotional image)
** PhlebotinumInducedStupidity ("[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS2E31MermaidManAndBarnacleBoySquirrelJokes Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy III]]")
** PostTreatmentLollipop ("[[Recap/SpongebobSquarepantsS1E15SleepyTimeSuds Suds]]")
** PostWakeUpRealization ("[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS1E5PizzaDeliveryHomeSweetPineapple Home Sweet Pineapple]]")
** PrankGoneTooFar ("[[Recap/SpongebobSquarepantsS1E19FoolsInAprilNeptunesSpatula Fools in April]]")
** RapidFireNailBiting ("[=SpongeBob=]'s Bad Habit")
** SchoolIsForLosers ("[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS3E13NewStudentStarfishClams New Student Starfish]]")
** SecretlyWealthy ("Friend or Foe")
** ShowerOfAwkward ("New Digs")
** SloganYellingMegaphoneGuy ("[[Recap/SpongebobSquarepantsS2E20SquidOnStrikeSandySpongeBobAndTheWorm Squid on Strike]]")
** SmellPhone ("[[Recap/SpongebobSquarepantsS2E6GrandmasKissesSquidville Squidville]]")
** TheSomethingSong ("[[Recap/SpongebobSquarepantsS3E17 The Camping Episode]]")
** SplittingPants (Ripped Pants)
** SpontaneousCrowdFormation ("[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS3E13NewStudentStarfishClams New Student Starfish]]")
** SternOldJudge ("[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS5E9TheKrustySpongeSingASongOfPatrick The Krusty Sponge]]")
** StockingMask ("[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS3E5MermaidManAndBarnacleBoyIVDoingTime Doing Time]]")
** StrikeEpisode ("[[Recap/SpongebobSquarepantsS2E20SquidOnStrikeSandySpongeBobAndTheWorm Squid on Strike]]")
** TomatoInTheMirror ("[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS1E7HallMonitorJellyfishJam Hall Monitor]]")
** TropeyComeHome ("Have You Seen This Snail?")
** UnreadableDisclaimer ("Pickles")
** UsefulNotes.{{The Millennium Age of Animation}} (top-right)
** WarReenactors ("The Battle of Bikini Bottom")
** WaterIsAir ("Jellyfish Jam")
** WormInAnApple ("Rock-A-Bye Bivalve")

** BaldHeadofToughness [[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS3E8NoWeeniesAllowed / SquilliamReturns (No Weenies Allowed) ]]

** Stephen Hillenburg has made it perfectly clear that [=SpongeBob=] [[{{Asexuality}} does not feel sexual attraction]].

** Due to AuthorExistenceFailure, Squidward's Chinese, German, Brazilian and Japanese voice actors had to be replaced.

* The synthesizer that appears on "[=SpongeBob=] In Randomland" and "Broken Alarm" once belonged to Music/TheResidents. It is the same that can be heard on ''Mark of the Mole'', ''Music/TheCommercialAlbum'', Music/{{Eskimo}}'', and ''Music/DuckStabBusterAndGlen'', among other places.

* The synthesizer that appears on "[=SpongeBob=] In Randomland" and "Broken Alarm" once belonged to Music/TheResidents. It is the same that can be heard on ''Mark of the Mole, Music/TheCommercialAlbum, Music/{{Eskimo}},'' and ''Duck Stab!,'' among other places.

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece:
** The first three seasons tend to get hit with this harder than the rest of the series, thanks to its greater grounding in the atmosphere of western society in 1999-2004. Most of this is visible in the technology present throughout the show, including pre-smartphone "shell phones" and landline phones being ubiquitous, computer monitors and television sets being boxy units with 4:3 displays, and the internet never showing up or even being alluded to.
** The episode [[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS3E4NastyPattyIdiotBox "Idiot Box"]] is kicked off when [=SpongeBob=] buys a brand-new television set so that [[KidsPreferBoxes he and Patrick can play in the box it came in]]. Before the late 1990s, the average TV screen would not exceed 24 inches in diameter (except for costly rear-projection sets), while flat LCD and LED sets would take over in TheNewTens. Thus, it was only in TheAughts when most [=TVs=] were both large and bulky enough for someone (children at least) to fit inside their packaging.
** A couple cases also occur for "The Sponge Who Could Fly", where a joke was made about [=SpongeBob=] gearing up to get some complimentary peanuts; due to greater attention towards peanut allergies in recent years, most airlines now give pretzels to customers instead. The live-action framing scenes also date themselves by videotapes still being commonplace, with the joke at the end about Patchy's tape of the episode getting chewed up being something that could've only worked without an explanation as late as its 2003 airdate, by which point DVD players were already rapidly supplanting [=VCRs=]-- the last official ''[=SpongeBob=]'' VHS release was the "Lost in Time" package just three years later.
* UnisexSeriesGenderedMerchandiss: ''[=SpongeBob=]'' is aimed at children of both genders, but most merchandise omits the female characters like Sandy and focuses on [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick.

** Some people, including [[https://www.vulture.com/2018/11/spongebob-squarepants-stephen-hillenburg-legacy.html Vulture]] and [[https://twitter.com/spongebob/status/1202664701936705537 SpongeBob's Twitter account]], quoted a conversation between [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick where [=SpongeBob=] exclaims "Patrick, you're a genius" and Patrick remarks that he gets called that a lot ([[BaitAndSwitch called "Patrick", not "a genius"]]). While [=SpongeBob=] has exclaimed "Patrick, you're a genius" in "Missing Identity", "Squidtastic Voyage" and "Fungus Among Us", Patrick never responds with "Yeah, I get called that a lot" in the show (in fact, he doesn't reply with anything in those three episodes). It's likely that this a conflation of two separate jokes from "Texas" and "Porous Pockets":

* DevelopmentGag: Writer Doug Lawrence originally auditioned for the role of [=SpongeBob=], using the same voice that he'd eventually use for Plankton. The BadassBaritone voice [=SpongeBob=] occasionally launches into throughout the series (most prominently heard in "Hall Monitor") is a nod to this, being Creator/TomKenny's imitation of Lawrence's audition tape.

** CruiseEpisode