History Characters / SpongeBobSquarePantsSpongeBobSquarePants

[[WMG:[[center:''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' [[Characters/SpongeBobSquarePants character index]]\\
[-[[Characters/SpongeBobSquarePantsMainCharacters Main Characters]]: '''[=SpongeBob SquarePants=]''' | [[Characters/SpongeBobSquarePantsPatrickStar Patrick Star]] | [[Characters/SpongeBobSquarePantsSquidwardTentacles Squidward Tentacles]] | [[Characters/SpongeBobSquarePantsMrKrabs Mr. Krabs]] | [[Characters/SpongeBobSquarePantsSheldonPlankton Sheldon Plankton]]\\
[[Characters/SpongeBobSquarePantsRecurringCharacters Recurring Characters]] | [[Characters/SpongeBobSquarePantsMinorCharacters Minor Characters]] | [[Characters/SpongeBobSquarePantsMovieCharacters Movie Characters]] | [[Characters/SpongeBobSquarePantsVideoGameCharacters Video Game Characters]]-]]]]]
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![=SpongeBob=] [=SquarePants=]
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/TomKenny (English), Antonio Raul Corbo (English, young, ''Sponge on the Run'')[[labelnote:additional [=VAs=]]]Creator/HiroyukiTsuru (Japanese, Seasons 1-3), Creator/TaikiMatsuno (Japanese, Season 4-current), Creator/KaihiamalMartinez (LA Spanish, Season 1), Creator/LuisCarreno (LA Spanish, Season 2 onwards), Ángel Balam (LA Spanish, A few songs and one line in season 7), Santiago Ziesmer (German), Creator/WendelBezerra (Brazilian Portuguese), Enzo Bezerra (Brazilian Portuguese, young, ''Sponge on the Run''), Peter Minarovits (Hungarian, seasons 1-3), Creator/IstvanBarath (Hungarian, season 3-present), Szabolcs Sesztak (Hungarian, songs), Kim Sulocki (Swedish, Season 1-present), Ido Mosseri (Hebrew)[[/labelnote]]
!!!'''Debut:''' "[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS1E1HelpWantedReefBlowerTeaAtTheTreedome Help Wanted]]"

-> ''"With imagination, I can be anything I want!"''

[[quoteright:255:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/spongebob_character.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:255:''"I'm ready!"'']]

An outgoing sea sponge who lives in a pineapple under the sea, as the show's ThemeTune implies. He works as a fry cook at the Krusty Krab. Although naïve, he has a good heart and constantly strives to help his friends... even when they don't really ''want'' it.

For the self-demonstrating article, click [[SelfDemonstrating/SpongeBobSquarePants here]].
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[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:A-B]]
* AbandonedCatchphrase: In the pre-movie seasons, he would sometimes say "yeah" in a sly manner after doing something cool (i.e. after performing extreme sports with Sandy in "Prehibernation Week", preventing the "permanent" paint from touching Mr. Krabs' prized possessions in "Wet Painters"), though he hasn't done so in years.
* AchievementsInIgnorance: In "House Sittin' for Sandy", he spends quite a while in Sandy's treedome without a helmet and manages not to dry up until Patrick visits and [[CentipedesDilemma reminds him that the treedome is filled with air]].
* AcquiredSituationalNarcissism: A particularly ridiculous example in "As Seen on TV". After appearing in the Krusty Krab commercial, he expects to be an overnight celebrity and gets a swelled head... despite the fact that the commercial aired at 3:28 in the morning and [=SpongeBob=] only appeared for a few seconds at most, with his face obscured from view.
* AdaptationalBadass: In the series, [=SpongeBob=] is more likely to attempt to befriend anyone who threatens him or, failing that, [[CowardlyLion swiftly run off in fear rather than fight]]. However, in some of the ''[=SpongeBob=]'' video games (i.e. ''VideoGame/SpongeBobSquarePantsBattleForBikiniBottom'', ''VideoGame/TheSpongebobMovieGame'') and even moreso in the three movies, it's the exact opposite, as he's perfectly willing to beat up and/or confront any evildoers who cross his path, all while remaining the same dorky sponge he always is.
* AerithAndBob: Shares this trope with Squidward in having a quirky first name in contrast to the other main characters' more normal names.
* AffectionateNickname: Pearl frequently calls [=SpongeBob=] "Sponge" in the first three seasons.
* AlliterativeName: '''S'''[=pongeBob=] '''S'''[=quarePants=].
* AllLovingHero: No matter how much the others find him annoying or treat him badly, [=SpongeBob=] genuinely loves everyone and everything.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter:
** Occasionally plays the role of being more successful and fortunate than the other guys, especially Squidward and once plays it for Patrick in "Big Pink Loser".
** "The Original Fry Cook" shows off the Krusty Krab's original fry cook and shows that there's someone who's even better at frying patties than him, though said original cook actually does say that [=SpongeBob=] could become a far better fry cook if he wised up and left the Krusty Krab to strike out on his own. Surprisingly, despite the constant DependingOnTheWriter of the series cast, this is a fact of [=SpongeBob=]'s character that [[ContinuityNod almost always stays constant, even long before said episode aired]].
* AmbiguouslyBi: Due to his rather feminine and flamboyant personality, many fans have speculated the topic of [=SpongeBob=]'s sexuality, with many people arguing that he could be bisexual or biromantic. This is largely due to the fact that there's been a number of instances in which he has seemingly shown attraction towards both Sandy and Squidward.
* AndCallHimGeorge: He has an overly affectionate attitude towards Gary, Squidward, Mrs. Puff... everyone in Bikini Bottom at some point or the other gets a tight hug from him.
* AnnoyingLaugh: His dolphin-like laugh is considered so annoying InUniverse that Mr. Krabs actually uses it to torture Plankton by forcing him to listen to it non-stop in ''WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobMovieSpongeOutOfWater''.
* AssumedWin: What starts the first movie. [=SpongeBob=] wakes up firmly convinced that he'll be named the manager of the Krusty Krab 2. Mr. Krabs announces that it's "a name you all know, it starts with an S!". [=SpongeBob=] assumes that ''he's'' the new manager (even though Mr. Krabs just announced that it was Squidward, ''revealing a giant portrait of his face'' to top it off), and has to humiliate himself three times over the microphone before he realizes he didn't get the job; when he demands to know why, Krabs explains that [=SpongeBob=] is JustAKid and too immature to handle the role.
* AstonishinglyAppropriateAppearance: On top of his buck teeth, big eyes and fashion sense, he has a cubic body, giving the cue that [[StealthPun he's square instead of cool]].
* AttentionDeficitOohShiny: His attention can be limited and he's prone to distraction.
-->'''Squidward:''' Attention, everyone, run for your lives! Robots have taken over the world! ''Our'' world! What do we do now?!\\
'''[=SpongeBob=]:''' I don't know!! ... Hey, a nickel!\\
'''Squidward:''' ''[=SpongeBob=]''.\\
'''[=SpongeBob=]:''' ... Sorry.
* AttentionWhore: He's an exuberant, confident guy most of the time, but when he forgets to keep his ego in check, he becomes a pompous prick. Episodes like "Porous Pockets" (where he becomes snotty and abandons Patrick after becoming rich) and "As Seen on TV" (where he develops a SmallNameBigEgo after being seen on a television commercial for only 5 seconds) are good examples. Also occurs in "Ripped Pants", where it looks as if he's about to die on the shore of Goo Lagoon, only for him to turn out fine and use the situation as an opportunity to exclaim he's ripped his pants (again), although unlike the former two examples, he was portrayed as InnocentlyInsensitive rather than pompous and this example was decidedly ''not'' PlayedForLaughs and he [[{{AnAesop}} immediately realizes where he went wrong.]]
* TheBabyOfTheBunch: Of the Krusty Krew. He shares a father-son relationship with Mr. Krabs and tends to get more attention and sympathy from him than Squidward, which the latter persistently lampshades and expresses jealousy towards. However, to Squidward's credit, Mr. Krabs also [[DependingOnTheWriter occasionally]] exhibits the same level of hostility and disrespect to [=SpongeBob=] as he does to Squidward, although it varies whether [=SpongeBob=] is affected by it or not, due to his {{workaholic}} attitude.
* BabysFirstWords: His first words were "May I take your order?" However, he also said "Krabby Patty!" and "Yummy!" as an unborn fetus.
* BadassAdorable: He's an adorable little guy who's saved the day a couple of times.
* BareFistedMonk: He practices karate, and a mutual fondness for the art is how he and Sandy first bonded.
* BerserkButton: In the Season 5 episode "The Battle of Bikini Bottom", when Patrick put Krabby Patties on his feet, [=SpongeBob=] literally exploded.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: He's usually a very kind-hearted and sweet-natured guy. However, in "Can You Spare a Dime?", when Squidward resigns from his job and ends up homeless as a result, [=SpongeBob=] finds him and takes him into his home until he can find a new job. He takes it too far and stays a lot longer than necessary, turning [=SpongeBob=] into his personal slave, even forcing him to wear a maid's uniform. While [=SpongeBob=] doesn't completely lose his temper, he snaps a bit and drops some very '''obvious''' hints that Squidward should go look for a job already. The latter refuses to take said hints, though, so [=SpongeBob=] furiously takes Squidward, still in bed, all the way to the Krusty Krab. He tries to convince Mr. Krabs to rehire Squidward, and when that doesn't work, the sponge finally snaps, outright strangles his boss, calls him a cheapskate, and finally yells at him on how stupid the situation is. It shows that even [=SpongeBob=] has his limits.
-->'''[=SpongeBob=]:''' Listen, you crustaceous cheapskate! Squidward's been living at my house driving me ''crazy''! ''And you're not gonna hire him back '''ALL BECAUSE OF A STUPID DIME?!'''''
* BewareTheSillyOnes: He is extremely silly and obnoxiously immature, but as shown in "Can You Spare a Dime?", when he gets mad, he gets scary.
* BigGuyLittleGuy: The skinny, thin little guy to Patrick's big fat DumbMuscle guy.
* BigThinShortTrio: The Short to Patrick or Mr. Krabs' Big and Squidward's Thin.
* BizarreTasteInFood: Although he originally planned on using ice cream, he indulges in a homemade sundae consisting of ketchup, onions, and a peanut plant in "Something Smells".
* BlindedByRage: Whenever [=SpongeBob=] is caught up in trivial pursuits, he becomes blind to danger and carelessly commits immoralities.
** In "Waiting", he unexpectedly throws Sandy on the ground in response to a friendly request to play karate, his reason being that he's too busy waiting for a new toy to be delivered to him.
** In "To Love a Patty", [=SpongeBob=] ''kills'' many innocent scallops out of defense for a ''Krabby Patty'' that he fell in love with.
* BlueIsHeroic: He's the main hero of the show and has blue eyes.
* BookSmart: He is rather simple-minded and lacking in street smarts, but several episodes have proven that he is at least academically gifted. Even in boating school, he only screws up because of anxiety rather than a lack of knowledge, although that does tend to vary (particularly in the post-movie era).
* BornLucky: Sometimes, good things just seem to happen to him out of nowhere. Especially noticeable in comparison to Squidward, who's the [[BornUnlucky exact opposite]].
* BrainyBaby: Even when he was just a baby, [=SpongeBob=] already had a knowledge of the ropes behind cooking, having prepared his first Krabby Patty back then.
* BreakTheCutie: Several episodes do whatever they can to take away [=SpongeBob=]'s optimism and lead him into a state of depression.
** Subverted in "Fools in April", where his devastated bawling at Squidward's prank is actually part of an elaborate counter-prank.
** Played straight in "Have You Seen This Snail?" and other episodes, which show him truly vulnerable and sympathetic when dealing with things like his pet snail Gary running away from home.
** "[=SpongeBob=] You're Fired" deals with Mr. Krabs firing [=SpongeBob=] in pursuit of a nickel and putting him through a combined state of depression and unemployment.
* BrokenAce:
** He's very talented and good at pretty much everything except driving a boat, no matter how much he tries. In "Mrs. Puff, You're Fired", it's revealed that he failed his driving test ''over 1 million times''.
** Comments from certain episodes, such as "I'm not good enough!" from the pilot, and "I'm not always as confident as I look!" from "Something Smells", imply that underneath his perky exterior, [=SpongeBob=] is not entirely as confident in himself as he appears and suffers from a pervasive InferioritySuperiorityComplex. Pushed even further in the first movie when he finds out he didn't get the promotion - he reacts with complete shame, as if his entire world has shattered.
** In "Artist Unknown", although Squidward's critique is admittedly unnecessarily hostile, [=SpongeBob=]'s reaction goes straight into BreakTheCutie territory.
** In "Pickles", when he believes that he didn't put pickles on Bubble Bass' burger, he suffers from what can only be described as a complete mental breakdown.
* BrokenWinLossStreak: The plot of the episode "Employee of the Month" is kicked off by Spongebob getting paranoid of this happening with his undefeated tenure. It finally occurs in 'A Breath of Fresh Squidward" due to a freak change in personality from Squidward. Spongebob quite predictably doesn't take it well.
* BumblingSidekick: He usually plays this role whenever paired with Mr. Krabs, as he's too ditzy to follow his directions. His role as this overlaps with GullibleLemmings whenever he's paired with [[BigBad Plankton]].
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Despite his [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} weirdness]] and frequent wacky antics, [=SpongeBob=] is very good at his job and loves it so much that he'll gladly take any opportunity to do more work. In fact, quite a few episodes have showed that [=SpongeBob=] could easily become a far more successful fry cook if he struck out on his own and focused on his own original fry cook creations, but he loves his job at the Krusty Krab too much to seriously consider it. It's one of the few facts about his character that almost always stays consistent and isn't up to DependingOnTheWriter, even in the later seasons.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:C-E]]
* CallousnessTowardsEmergency: In "A Pal for Gary", [=SpongeBob=] walks in on Gary's vicious nudibranch of a "playmate" brutally attacking him and does nothing to help his ''own pet snail'', [[MisplacedRetribution instead viewing the situation the other way around]].
* CampStraight: Whenever he cross-dresses or has to act like a girl, he seems to enjoy it very much, as well as having a pretty girly giggle. Despite this, he enjoys the attention girls give him for his long pants in "[=SpongeBob=] [=LongPants=]".
* CantTakeCriticism: In "The Algae's Always Greener", Plankton, having switched lives with Mr. Krabs, tells him that he's using too much sauce on the Krabby Patties. [=SpongeBob=], despite having literally ''begged'' Plankton to give him constructive criticism of his work, is reduced to a sobbing, whimpering wreck.
* CaptainOblivious: Exaggerated in "A Pal for Gary", in which, even after seeing Puffy Fluffy's [[EldritchAbomination monstrous true form]] firsthand and ''nearly being eaten by him'', he fails to notice anything amiss.
* CaptainObvious: [=SpongeBob=] sometimes states the obvious. For example, in the episode "Mr. Krabs Takes a Vacation", when Mr. Krabs throws [=SpongeBob=] at a muscular robber, [=SpongeBob=] points out how it had no effect.
-->'''[=SpongeBob=]:''' That didn't work at all! ''[falls to the ground]''
* CatchPhrase:
** "I'm ready!"
** "Order UP!"
* {{Cephalothorax}}: His head is also his body, as lampshaded in "Walking Small":
-->'''[=SpongeBob=]:''' Excuse me, sir, you're sitting on my body, which is also my face.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn:
** Early episodes (most notably "Karate Choppers") showed [=SpongeBob=] and Sandy as being equally skilled at karate, but after [=SpongeBob=] became defined as a weakling, the former quickly got retconned into him being a karate novice that is grossly outmatched by Sandy. Though his karate skills do fluctuate depending on the episode, he’s always depicted as being inferior to Sandy.
** While usually oblivious about Squidward’s disdain for him, in seasons 1-3, [=SpongeBob=] did get mad at Squidward several times, usually when the latter pushed him too far (like in “Can You Spare a Dime?”) or insulted him on a personal level (like “The Great Snail Race”). However, after the show was UnCancelled, while [=SpongeBob=] still gets mad at various other characters when pushed too far (including Gary, Patrick, and even occasionally Mr. Krabs), he’s never ever shown getting mad at Squidward, even when the latter blatantly abuses him or insults him right to his face.
* ChasteToons: In one of the comics, he has three nephews.
* ChildProdigy: A flashback in "Friend or Foe" shows that he perfectly made his first Krabby Patty when he was just a baby.
* ChildhoodBrainDamage: It's been implied that [=SpongeBob=]'s stupidity is a result of having been dropped as a baby. Make of the following exchange from "Cephalopod Lodge" what you will:
-->'''Squidward:''' Were you dropped on your head as a baby?\\
'''[=SpongeBob=]:''' ''[gasps]'' How did you know?
* ChildhoodFriend: He and Patrick have been friends ever since they were babies, as a flashback in "The Secret Box" reveals.
* ChildishToothGap: Has an often-joked-about gap between his buck teeth. It, combined with his freckles, help makes [=SpongeBob=] look innocent and child-like. "Mind the Gap" goes as far as to explain it as the reason [=SpongeBob=] is the way he is - closing the gap results in him taking on a much cooler persona with a lower voice.
* ClassClown: Mrs. Puff certainly sees him as one, as do the rest of the students. Even during class, [=SpongeBob=] can't control his goofball-ness.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: He tends to be an eccentric and silly guy. He's a [[{{Keet}} hyperactive]] {{manchild}} with cutesy hobbies such as blowing bubbles and catching jellyfish, [[SuperGullible tends to believe anything he is told]] and follows strange rituals, and to top it all off, isn't hesitant to fill his house with his own garbage and sentimentally collect it out of nostalgia.
* CollectorOfTheStrange: [[CompressedVice In the episode "Sentimental Sponge" anyways]]. He even goes as far as to preserve his beads of sweat in a jar!
* ComicallyCrossEyed: Sometimes crosses his eyes in certain shots to look extra silly, such as during his examination by the narrator in "The Krusty Krab Training Video".
* ComicallyMissingThePoint: [=SpongeBob=] is sometimes too absentminded to take into account rationality incorporated into him, even more so after {{Flanderization}} made him into TheDitz.
* ComicalOverreacting: To levels just avoiding DramaQueen, he will sometimes make a big deal over nothing. One notable example is when Plankton tells him he's using a little too much secret sauce in "The Algae's Always Greener" and reacts as if he's been told that his mother died.
* ComicTrio: TheLeader to Patrick's TheFool and Squidward's OnlySaneMan.
* CompanionCube:
** In "To Love a Patty", [=SpongeBob=] falls in love with a Krabby Patty he made that he deems too good to eat, so he keeps it and starts treating it like the love of his life.
** He also treats his spatula like a real person, having named it Spat (although it's referred to as Fifi in "Little Yellow Book" as a SeriesContinuityError).
* CompetitionFreak: DependingOnTheWriter, [=SpongeBob=] has a rather SeriousBusiness attitude about games. He once became paranoid about Squidward winning Employee of the Month, and took sandcastle building with Patrick to its most surreal.
* ConditionedToAcceptHorror: In "Ghost Host", the Flying Dutchman makes a habit of scaring [=SpongeBob=] when he stays with him while his ship gets repaired. Eventually, [=SpongeBob=] gets less scared of the Dutchman's antics to the point where he becomes unfazed at even his most elaborate horrors.
* CorruptTheCutie: Primarily due to his [[GoodCannotComprehendEvil overly trusting nature]], [=SpongeBob=] often finds himself under the manipulation of many antagonists who wish to see him suffer or use him as a slave. He becomes Plankton's main exploit in both "Plankton!" and "Walking Small" in order to help him obtain the Krabby Patty formula [[note]]Although in his defence, in the former episode he saw Plankton for the evil schemer that he was and was adamant in not letting Plankton take advantage of him. The only reason Plankton was able to manipulate him was because [=SpongeBob=] was sleeping at the time.[[/note]]. He then underwent two similar phases under Squidward's influence in "To [=SquarePants=] or Not to [=SquarePants=]" and "Gullible Pants", in which he was led to believe that poor service will benefit the Krusty Krab. Nonetheless, [=SpongeBob=] always comes squeaky-clean out of these tragedies and wouldn't have done them without manipulation.
* CovertPervert: If him, along with Patrick and Mr. Krabs, trying to steal panties from a woman's house in "Mid-Life Crustacean" is anything to go by, then he's definitely more perverse than we take him for. In the beginning of "Your Shoe's Untied", he seems awfully interested in [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything the dancing anemone]] before hastily changing the channel when Gary crawls up to him.
* CrazyCatLady: Gender-inverted example: He becomes one in "Sanctuary!", where an impossibly large number of stray snails are given to him to take care of until his house is overrun. He even sports the messy "hair" and rumpled house dress typical of one.
* CreditCardPlot: In "Whale of a Birthday", [=SpongeBob=] of all people is trusted with Mr. Krabs' credit card to buy his daughter Pearl what she wants for her 16th birthday, but since the latter only demands so much gifts, [=SpongeBob=] takes the risk of wasting the entire profit from the card ([[LaserGuidedKarma although Mr. Krabs admittedly deserved that]] for being such a cheap party-thrower even after Pearl was crying over her day being ruined).
* CreepyGood: His behavior towards Squidward in post-movie episodes steps far past unsettling. "Squid's Visit" has [=SpongeBob=] invite Squidward to his house and it turns out that the inside has been remodeled into a replica of Squidward's tiki, getting everything in order and every disturbing minor detail like a hole in the wall.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: While he sometimes isn't very bright, he occasionally displays some quite impressive abilities, such as easily surviving harsh physical punishment without suffering even a scratch (perhaps thanks to being a sponge), cooking Krabby Patties expertly and at amazing speeds, and even saving Bikini Bottom from destruction several times.
* {{Cuckoosnarker}}: [=SpongeBob=] can occasionally deliver witty remarks, showing that he's not as naïve as he seems.
* CuddleBug: He loves cuddling, [[DoesntLikeBeingTouched much to Squidward's chagrin]].
* CuteBruiser: He's absolutely adorable and innocent, but whenever riled up to a reasonable extent, he's not afraid to use his hands to fight.
* CuteButCacophonic: [=SpongeBob=] is a sweet and innocent [[TheCutie cutie]] who's also a LargeHam with a high-pitched voice and sheep-like laugh, in addition to [[ScreamsLikeALittleGirl screaming like a little girl]].
* CuteCrittersActChildlike: A RidiculouslyCuteCritter with a very [[{{Manchild}} child-like demeanor]].
* TheCutie: He's an adorable and likable person most of the time, who tends to love the world and everyone in it and has a lot of woobie-ish moments.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: The episode "[=BlackJack=]" reveals that [=SpongeBob=] had a sociopathic cousin who would usually torment him due to his weakness. It mercifully stopped when his said cousin was [[DisproportionateRetribution sentenced to 10 years in prison for littering]].
* DeadpanSnarker: Not as much as Squidward, but he has his moments of making sarcastic remarks, mostly in the pre-first movie seasons.
* DependingOnTheWriter:
** His popularity in town varies depending on the episode. In some, he's beloved by everyone for his NiceGuy attitude and helpful nature, while in others he's hated to the point where the town actively tries to avoid him due to how obnoxious he can be. In others, nobody has any idea who he is.
** His skills as a fry cook. In some episodes he has people treating him like he's a celebrity chef, but other times he's treated as a low level fast food cook.
** His karate skills. On the very rare occasion he's good enough to hold his own against (or even beat) Sandy, but in most episodes she beats him in less than a CurbStompBattle.
** His intelligence. Some episodes portray [=SpongeBob=] as being incredibly savvy in certain areas but otherwise naïve, whereas others (particularly late Season 3-onwards) portray him as being just as stupid and nonfunctional in society as Patrick (going hand-in-hand with [=SpongeBob=] [[TookALevelInDumbass taking a level in dumbass]]), which became more prevalent as the post-movie era went on. The latter trait seems to be gone by Season 9B, but still pops up every now and then.
** His boat driving skills. Some episodes tend to portray him as knowing exactly how to drive, but panics and forgets everything when behind the wheel. Other episodes peg him as an ignorant moron who pays no attention to his surroundings as he happily runs over pedestrians with reckless abandon.
** His maturity level ranges from being a civilized person in the form of an [[TheEveryman everyman]] and {{determinator}} to a weak-willed, meekly innocent [[ExtremeDoormat doormat]] who couldn't think for himself to save his life.
** His physical strength also varies depending on the plot. Some episodes show him being too weak to even lift a twig with marshmallows as dumbbells, while others show him strong enough to lift Mr. Krabs off his feet while grabbing him by the neck.
** How durable his body is varies based on whatever will be funnier. Sometimes, his body is incredibly fragile, such as being hospitalized just by slipping on an ice cube. Other times, his spongey body makes him pretty much indestructible to the point of not even feeling pain despite being wailed on for hours on end.
* {{Determinator}}:
** He may be a pushover most of the time, but nothing will stop him from doing his duty for the Krusty Krab, whether it's delivering a pizza or saving his boss from execution.
** No matter how long it takes and how much destruction he may accidentally cause in the process, nothing will stop [=SpongeBob=] from getting his boating license.
* TheDitz: Very much downplayed in Season 1 -- the closest thing to low intelligence he seemingly possessed was being naïve and oblivious to Squidward's hatred of him, but was otherwise fairly intelligent and rational. It becomes more apparent in mid-Season 2 onwards, where he slowly but surely starts to lose a lot of his common sense and gradually picks up the IdiotBall more commonly with each passing season, as well as his gullibility steadily increasing to the point where he becomes an IdiotHero in Season 3.
* DoingItForTheArt: {{Invoked|Trope}}. Several episodes imply [=SpongeBob=] works at the Krusty Krab less for the money (considering Mr. Krabs often underpays him) and more because he just ''loves'' cooking Krabby Patties and making people happy.
* TheDogBitesBack:
** Gets back at Squidward for treating him like dirt in "Can You Spare A Dime?" [[StatusQuoIsGod It doesn't last long though.]]
** In the "Krabby Kronicle" episode, [=SpongeBob=] eventually [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone feels guilt pangs]] for writing [[BlatantLies stories]] that ruined the lives of other Bikini Bottomites, but [[IHaveYourWife Mr. Krabs just takes SpongeBob's spatula]] and demands that [=SpongeBob=] write the most outlandish story yet. [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor He does indeed]], and publishes in lurid detail how Mr. Krabs forced him to write the lies that ruined people, who then take their money back from Mr. Krabs.
* TheDragon: He is an unwitting subordinate to Mr. Krabs during his boss's worse days.
* DramaQueen: [=SpongeBob=] tends to make a big deal out of things that he shouldn't.
* DrillSergeantNasty: When training Gary for the Snail Olympics, he puts him through Boot Camp training. This shows he does indeed have a serious side when things get real.
* DrivesLikeCrazy: Probably the king of this trope in WesternAnimation. In early episodes, he states that he ''does'' know how to drive, but he always ends up panicking behind the wheel and cannot concentrate. Due to {{Flanderization}}, it deteriorates to the point where whenever he gets behind the wheel, he's a [[WalkingDisasterArea Driving Disaster Area]]. He drives a ''giant rock'' in "Pizza Delivery", a plane in "The Sponge Who Could Fly", a giant sandwich in TheMovie, and even a ''truck'' in one episode. Apparently, he can drive anything ''but'' a boat!
* DualAgeModes: "Rock Bottom" shows that [=SpongeBob=] can easily shapeshift into and vocalize his grandfather, though only for use as a gag when recalling his grandpa's words.
--> '''Spongebob''': I guess Grandpa Squarepants was right: Don't run for a bus. [''Grandpa Mode''] "Especially one that's going up at a 90 degree angle!"
* DudeLooksLikeALady: Having long eyelashes, sparkly blue eyes, a [[VocalDissonance high-pitched voice]], and [[InTouchWithHisFeminineSide feminine persona]], he can easily pass for a girl.
* DumbassHasAPoint: As clueless and naïve as [=SpongeBob=] can be, he does bring up good points on occasion, mainly to [[TheDitz Patrick]], who he acts as the voice of reason to.
* DumbBlonde: [=SpongeBob=]'s hair is stated to be yellow on his driver's license, and he is painfully naïve and gullible.
* DumbButDiligent: Though a total {{ditz}}, [=SpongeBob=] is is really devoted to his job as a fry cook at the Krusty Krab. So much that he breaks down when he either gets fired, forced into a day off, or is moved to another job.
* DumbIsGood: [=SpongeBob=] certainly isn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but to his credit, he is much nicer than characters considered smart like [[{{Jerkass}} Squidward]], [[BadBoss Mr. Krabs]], and [[BigBad Plankton]].
* EarlyInstallmentCharacterDesignDifference: For the three pre-movie seasons, [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/spongebob/images/9/9e/SBSeason2.png/revision/latest?cb=20171020232032 his cheeks surrounded the edges of his mouth whenever he smiled]]. For every season afterwards, this aspect was changed so that [=SpongeBob=]'s cheeks [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/spongebob/images/e/e2/SbSeason9v2.png/revision/latest?cb=20171020232503 now completely cover the edges of his mouth instead]].[[note]]Although this latter design did pop up during Season 3 every now and then, most notably in ''Mid-Life Crustacean''.[[/note]]
* EasilyImpressed: [=SpongeBob=] can become enamored with the most mundane of things, even the mere act of Squidward reading a book.
* EffeminateVoice: [=SpongeBob=] is an adult {{keet}} with an extremely high-pitched voice that got even higher post-movie due to VocalEvolution.
* TheEveryman: He started out as an average, mellow NiceGuy with a more down-to-earth personality and being somewhat eccentric and childlike, two traits which he got flanderized into.
* EvenTheLovingHeroHasHatedOnes: The only resident in Bikini Bottom who [=SpongeBob=] outright dislikes is Bubble Bass. While [=SpongeBob=] often likes Plankton (though how much is DependingOnTheWriter), he and Bass have an old personal grudge with each other as shown in "Pickles" where Bubble Bass made [=SpongeBob=] lose confidence by telling him he forgot the pickles. It was later revealed that Bubble Bass hid the pickles under his tongue to mock [=SpongeBob=]. In "Fun", Bubble Bass sat on Plankton when they and [=SpongeBob=] were in the cinema.
* EveryoneHasStandards:
** Rivals with Plankton as he might, he was ''not'' happy when Mr. Krabs tried to scare him into committing suicide in "One Coarse Meal". He was also guilty when his fraud story about how Plankton's food is made of his customers caused his restaurant to be shut down in "The Krabby Kronicle".
** As annoying as he can be to Squidward, he does have sheer moments of concern:
*** In "Good Neighbors", he sees Squidward's Sunday papers were never delivered and assumes that's why Squidward was grumpy today, only to get "attacked" by the "newspaper monster" with Patrick while struggling to round up the papers before finally taking them to him. He was also deeply saddened when Squidward calls out he and Patrick, and stops at nothing to apologize.
*** In "Squid's Visit", he was genuinely worried for Squidward when he goes catatonic and faints unconscious when he asks him to stay with him while his house is being rebuilt.
*** In "Restraining [=SpongeBob=]" after Squidward files a restraining order against him, [=SpongeBob=] finds it difficult to do his job properly because he and Squidward are co-workers, so he hires Patrick as a right-hand man. He also defies against the order to stop Patrick from fighting Squidward after he gets an allergic reaction, and Squidward sees how much [=SpongeBob=] cares for them both and takes him off the restraining order and replaces him with Patrick, to his relief.
*** In "Jolly Lodgers" when Squidward calls up pest control to evacuate the entire Hotel Halibut so he can have it all to himself, he and Patrick showed concern for Squidward for not making it out.
* ExtremeDoormat: His FatalFlaw, alongside his vanity. Several episodes show he's virtually incapable of saying no to ''anyone'', and in "Walking Small", the first episode to showcase this, he's so passive that he actually lets a random fish sit on him without a fight. Several episodes show him try to grow a spine, only to conclude that he's fine with being stepped on... sometimes literally. That being said, as shown in "Can You Spare a Dime?", [=SpongeBob=] ''does'' have his limits on how much abuse and exploitation he can take.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:F-H]]
* FailureIsTheOnlyOption: He can never get his boating license. ''[[YankTheDogsChain Ever.]]'' '''Not even in his dreams!''' In "Gone", [=SpongeBob=] finds blank drivers licenses and makes one for himself, but this was only done as a joke.
* FamedInStory: DependingOnTheWriter, he is often portrayed as a local celebrity for being the Krusty Krab's frycook.
* {{Fanboy}}: [=SpongeBob=] is a huge fan of and idolizes Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, as well as Kevin the Sea Cucumber.
* FanOfTheUnderdog: Primarily due to their naïve outlooks, [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick seem to be the only entities in Bikini Bottom who actually like Squidward and see him as a talented being. Unfortunately, their [[UnwantedAssistance clinginess and stalking behavior]] causes him just as much suffering as everyone else does.
* FatalFlaw:
** [=SpongeBob=]'s vanity post-Flanderization. He loves being the center of attention way too much for his own good, which has led to him growing aggressively jealous of Jim for being the Krusty Krab's original big-shot chef, blowing through a fortune in dough in a few days trying to impress strangers, imagining he's a bigger star than he actually is for having a blink-and-you-miss-it cameo in a commercial, and biting off more than he could chew when he tried to become a model.
** [=SpongeBob=]'s naïvety and passiveness. He is very trusting and oblivious, and people (especially Plankton) try to take advantage of this all the time. Ironically, one of the only things that will truly set him off is people taking advantage of his trust, like Squidward trying to take over his own home in "Can You Spare A Dime?", Patrick leaving him to do all the work raising their adopted son for months in "Rock-A-Bye Bivalve", and Mr. Krabs using and mistreating Gary to steal money in "The Cent Of Money".
* FelonyMisdemeanor: [=SpongeBob=] takes his job as a fry cook a little ''too'' seriously; he has a frequency to overreact over the slightest of mistakes like being one minute late to work, giving the wrong order, being out of ice...
* {{Flanderization}}:
** After TheMovie, he gravitated steadily from TheLeader towards the role of TheFool.
** His guilelessness, eccentricity, and dramatic behavior also increased as the series progressed. In the first season, [=SpongeBob=] was a laid-back, mellow [[TheEveryman everyman]] with a more relatable personality; he was still naïve but considerably more rational and smarter than he is now. He also behaved with more maturity aside from blowing bubbles and jellyfishing. Lastly, he was far less [[LargeHam hammy]] and overreactive. Sometime around season 2, these traits made him into the idiotic {{manchild}} we know today.
** His InnocentlyInsensitive habits were always a key plot device in the show, but while he tended to be oblivious, most of his mistakes or habits for annoying others were small forgivable grievances (often exacerbated by the other characters' extreme attempts to avoid him). He would also notice he was making errors as well, he was just hopeless at rectifying them. Later episodes amp up [=SpongeBob=]'s inconsiderate behavior, having him almost sociopathic levels of unempathetic and ruining others' lives on a routine basis with his stupid and clingy antics.
** His low intelligence also became much more apparent as the post-movie era approached. While he was always a WideEyedIdealist with a naïve outlook and oblivion to Squidward's hatred of him, he was still fairly intelligent and perceptive and had a touch of skepticism in him (i.e. not falling for Plankton's manipulation tactic to get the formula in the latter's debut episode) and was able to exhibit cynicism towards Squidward of all people in "Can You Spare a Dime?" Thus, he was more of a {{Cloudcuckoolander}} than a [[TheDitz ditz]] due to him being naïve and loopy rather than being idiotic and irrational. However, by sometime around Season 4, he's become so oblivious to Squidward's distaste for him that he can't even take a hint, in addition to [[TookALevelInJerkass becoming more harassing to him]], making him play the latter trope straighter than ever.
** His inability to drive. Early episodes implied he could drive perfectly well if not for the anxiety he suffers on the driving test causing him to inevitably screw up repeatedly; he came pretty close to getting his license when he got Patrick to guide him through the entire test in "Boating School". Later episodes ramped this up to the point where he's an active danger to himself and others [[DrivesLikeCrazy every time he drives]] and should ''never'' be left within any distance of a boat whatsoever.
** Even his loyalty to the Krusty Krab got exaggerated: in the earlier seasons, [=SpongeBob=] was indeed loyal, but he had his limits and actively chose to quit in "Nature Pants" and "Patty Hype", even actively [[BewareTheNiceOnes confronting and attacking Mr. Krabs]] in "Can You Spare a Dime?" to get him to rehire Squidward. [=SpongeBob=] in later seasons is not only [[UndyingLoyalty undyingly loyal]] to the point where not only would he not remotely consider the idea of quitting no matter how bad Mr. Krabs treats him, he actively suffers ''withdrawl'' on the odd occasion he can't work at the Krusty Krab.
** His demeanor and innocence is another example. In early episodes, particularly Season 1 and the beginning of 2, he's mostly a sweet-natured, humble NiceGuy who only had a small competitive streak and [[{{IJustWantToBeSpecial}} aspired to be loved by others]], such as in "Employee of the Month", where he competes with Squidward for the titular award, and "[=MuscleBob BuffPants=]", where he dons a couple of fake muscles in order to impress Sandy and the other beach-goers. He had smug moments at ''times'' but they usually only popped up when he was pretending to be charismatic or joking around. Season 3 seems to take his love of the spotlight and smugness to ridiculous extremes, with there often being episodes where he is overly-confident, conceited and full of himself, but messes up spectacularly and winds up making an ass of himself in the process. Oddly, Season 4 returns him to his earlier innocent, sweeter persona, if only for the cost of [[{{TookALevelInDumbass}} much of his intelligence]], and even then his egotistical persona pops up ''again'' in Season 5's ''Blackened Sponge'' only for it to disappear after that episode, with him subsequently being portrayed as a blissfully ignorant and cheerfully immature PerpetualSmiler.
** While Stephen Hillenburg (jokingly or otherwise) later described him as asexual, early seasons, and especially the first one, implied that [=SpongeBob=] was a conventional, if socially awkward, young man who wanted to impress girls; his subtle attraction to Sandy Cheeks motivated a lot of his attention-seeking antics in "Tea at the Treedome", "Ripped Pants", "Sandy's Rocket", and even "[=MuscleBob BuffPants=]". Over time, these romantic inclinations were dropped from his character, and in later seasons, he seems far too naive and childlike to comprehend the subject.
%%* {{Foil}}: To Squidward, Sandy and Patrick.
* TheFool: In later seasons, he's a cheerfully oblivious and clueless IdiotHero and yet still manages to be TheAce, and good things seem to happen to him out of nowhere.
* ForHappiness: [=SpongeBob=] loves spreading happiness to everyone.
* ForgotAboutHisPowers: Apparently, [=SpongeBob=] forgot about his reproducing ability in "The Splinter", as he never bothered to pull off his arm with the splinter and regrow it.
%%* FriendlyEnemy: With Plankton in some episodes.
* FullyDressedCartoonAnimal: [=SpongeBob=] plays this trope the straightest out of all the main characters, being TheOneWhoWearsShoes, and since he's a {{Cephalothorax}}, his pants double as his shirt.[[note]]This trope is PlayedWith in regards to Sandy, as she herself is fully dressed in her astronaut suit when out in public, but she wears nothing but her bikini in her house.[[/note]]
* FurryReminder: [=SpongeBob=] sometimes demonstrates behaviors akin to that of a real sea sponge [[RuleOfFunny for the sake of a gag]]; he reproduces tiny versions of himself by budding in "Pressure" and filter-feeds in "I Had An Accident".
* TheGadfly: Certain episodes imply that he will sometimes act ''deliberately'' annoying when his life is in danger, so his captors will release him- such as "Welcome to the Chum Bucket", "[=SpongeBob=] Meets the Strangler", and "Born Again Krabs". He manages to drive Plankton, a ''serial killer'' (where it's implied ''numerous times'' that [=SpongeBob=] ''knew'' who he was), and the Flying Dutchman ''insane'' enough to allow himself to escape safely.
* GeniusDitz:
** He can flip burgers to suit a royal palate! A running gag is that he's also great at math and artistically inclined. If he focuses, he can be ''really'' smart.
** In a post-movie episode, he is asked to dismantle a car and then put it back together. He ends up building a ''functional rocket ship''. His teacher was amazed.
** He's amazingly artistically talented and appears to be something of a musical virtuoso in several instruments.
* GiftedlyBad: He's a notoriously incompetent driver, having failed well over a million times on his driver's test. Each time normally leads to him reducing Bikini Bottom to ruin through his manic driving habits, which has led Mrs. Puff to deem [=SpongeBob=] ''unteachable''. This, however, never sways him and he remains obliviously optimistic even as he has driven his instructor deeper into insanity. The first episode that focused on his atrocious driving skills showed that he's got a large amount of the boating lessons memorized, but that he always fails actual driving portion of the test because he gets extremely nervous and panics once he's behind the wheel; nearly every other episode just portrays him as being completely oblivious to anything and everything around him.
* GleefulAndGrumpyPairing: [=SpongeBob=] is the Gleeful to Squidward's Grumpy. [=SpongeBob=] is cheerful and optimistic, and considers Squidward to be his close friend. Squidward is grumpy and cynical, and hates [=SpongeBob=] with a passion.
* GoMadFromTheIsolation: In the episode "Gone", he goes crazy from Bikini Bottom being deserted except for him.
* GoodCannotComprehendEvil: He's too stupid to realize when antagonists are exploiting him, especially Squidward and Mr. Krabs (though the latter case is perhaps justified by the fact that he's his boss and must be listened to at all costs). On rare occasions though, [[TookALevelInCynic this can change]].
* GoodFeelsGood: [=SpongeBob=] feels at his best when helping others.
* GoodIsNotDumb: Even though he's a goofy manchild, [=SpongeBob=] does have his more assertive moments at times. The best example would be in "Pizza Delivery" when Squidward tries to entice [=SpongeBob=] into eating the Krusty Krab pizza, and he immediately catches on to this trick.
* GoodWithNumbers: He's good at math. When Squidward asks him for change for a dollar bill, he replies with [[MotorMouth this]]:
-->'''[=SpongeBob=]:''' Do you want four quarters? Or ten dimes? Or twenty nickels? Or one hundred pennies? Or one quarter, three dimes, seven nickels, and ten pennies? Or, if you give me a five dollar bill, your options are...
* GreenEyedMonster: Contrary to his selfless demeanor, [=SpongeBob=] occasionally gets jealous and mischievous if faced with the likelihood that his thunder has been stolen.
** In "Employee of the Month", [=SpongeBob=] becomes concerned when Squidward voices his plans to break the former's consecutive streak of receiving the eponymous award, so he enters CompetitionFreak mode and goes to all lengths possible to sabotage his chances. Justified since Squidward rubbed it in his face, but still.
** Perhaps most prominently, "Bummer Vacation" shows [=SpongeBob=] suffering ''major'' SanitySlippage when faced with the conclusion of Mr. Krabs firing him in favor of Patrick. As a result, [=SpongeBob=] hides in Patrick's rock and psychopathically confronts him, giving the impression of wanting to ''eat him alive'', and imprisons him in his rock with nothing to do but watch the static of a TV. He lastly resorts to disguising himself as Patrick in the Krusty Krab to have undetected access to his job (although the gloves come off the moment Mr. Krabs finds out who's in the Patrick costume). In reality, [=SpongeBob=] was on vacation and Patrick was hired as his temporary replacement, with the former being too impatient to preoccupy himself.
** In "Driven to Tears", when [=SpongeBob=] once again fails his boating test but Patrick passes, and happens to be the the one millionth person to pass and wins a new souped-up boat, [=SpongeBob=] begins to increasingly lose it.
* GullibleLemmings: [=SpongeBob=] is very easily manipulated by villains and unintentionally helps assist their diabolical schemes. This is very often exploited by Plankton, Squidward, and Mr. Krabs.
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: [=SpongeBob=]'s driver's license reveals that his hair is yellow, and he is incredibly kind-hearted.
* HanlonsRazor: He can get away with all kinds of travesties he commits on others, so long as he means well.
* HandyFeet: [=SpongeBob=] seems proficient at using his feet as his hands.
** In "Gullible Pants", [=SpongeBob=] serves food with his feet while walking with his arms.
** In "The Clash of Triton", in honor of "Work Without Your Hands Day", [=SpongeBob=] uses his feet to answer the phone.
** In "Bubbletown", he uses his feet to blow bubbles.
* HappinessInMinimumWage: He absolutely ''loves'' making Krabby Patties at the Krusty Krab despite the rude customers, his surly coworker, and his greedy boss. He willingly takes on all the extra jobs Mr. Krabs gives him without expecting extra pay. In "Big Pink Loser", it's even implied that Spongebob pays ''him'' to work there.
* HappinessInSlavery:
** Many episodes heavily imply that Mr. Krabs takes advantage of [=SpongeBob=]'s naïve personality to pay him a rate that is lower than minimum wage, if anything at all. Even so, [=SpongeBob=] will rarely question the morality, or lack thereof whatever ZanyScheme Mr. Krabs talks him into.
** In "Squid on Strike", it was not until the end of the episode that [=SpongeBob=] realizes employers have an obligation to pay their employees for their services, and that Mr. Krabs' new policy of charging his employees for wasting his time was wrong.
* HealingFactor:
** Being a sponge, he can regenerate lost limbs. This is exemplified in "Graveyard Shift" when he removes an arm and a new one pops up in its place. He then removes his other one, and the process repeats until he has a wall of arms holding arms. The episode involves a scary story about a clumsy fry cook who cut off his own hand. [=SpongeBob=] begins repeatedly removing his arm and regrowing it to get an idea of what it was like, not seeing what was so scary about it.
--->'''Squidward:''' Except he wasn't a sponge.\\
'''[=SpongeBob=]:''' So?\\
'''Squidward:''' ''So it didn't grow back!''
** Strangely enough, he can even regenerate his internal organs as well. Because of this, he could theoretically be a good organ donor.
* HeroicBSOD: Spends most of "[=SpongeBob=], You're Fired!" in one after being fired by Mr. Krabs for a nickel, not knowing what to do with his life now that he's unemployed. He immediately recovers at the end of the episode when he gets his job back.
* HeterosexualLifePartners:
** He is shown to be good friends with Patrick.
** Believes himself to be this with Squidward, though he isn't.
* HeavySleeper: "Broken Alarm" confirms that he's such a heavy sleeper, his foghorn alarm clock is the one thing that's loud enough to actually wake him up on time.
* HiddenDepths: He's repeatedly shown to be artistically gifted, good at math, a rather Shakespearean thespian, and a talented gardener, though almost none of these traits are ever important to the plot.
* HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood: Subverted. While his parents are [[{{GoodParents}} far from abusive]], as a kid, [=SpongeBob=] was very often tormented by his sociopathic cousin [=BlackJack=] and had his sponginess frequently taken advantage of.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: In "Can you Spare a Dime?", Mr. Krabs fires Squidward for supposedly stealing a dime, and after Squidward becomes homeless, [=SpongeBob=] takes him in, with Squidward feeling awkward accepting [=SpongeBob=]'s generosity, at first. Though after seeing how willing [=SpongeBob=] was to cater to him, Squidward became a SpoiledBrat that refused to do anything for himself, and even demanded [=SpongeBob=] wear a maid uniform. After [=SpongeBob=] wised up to the fact that Squidward was a moocher, [[TheThingThatWouldNotLeave Squidward refused to leave the bed to beg Mr. Krabs for his job back, and only did so because SpongeBob dragged him out the house.]]
* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: Especially with regards to Mr. Krabs, assuming him to be a good boss in spite of underpaying him and abusing him. He also thinks that Squidward is a good friend of his and that Mrs. Puff is a nice teacher willing to help him, when in reality, both of them hate him to the point of insanity and want nothing more than to be rid of him.
* HotBlooded: He can get pretty emotional and excited, especially when it comes to [[MundaneMadeAwesome fry cooking]].
* HyperCompetentSidekick: To Squidward, Patrick, and Mr. Krabs at different times. He's constantly shown to be pretty much the only competent employee at the Krusty Krab, and is luckily ''incredibly dedicated''.
* HypocriticalHumor: Anytime he is forced to put up with someone as obnoxious and clingy as himself, he will often become as irritable and neurotic about their lack of consideration as Squidward does about him (as demonstrated with their SwappedRoles episode, "A Breath of Fresh Squidward"). In "The Slumber Party", he encounters a girl who looks ''exactly like him'' and he refers to her as "ugly" behind her back.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:I-K]]
* IconicItem: His spatula. He in fact values it so much that he [[CompanionCube gives it a name]]. His love for it becomes a plot point of both "All That Glitters" and "Evil Spatula", in which he has trouble adapting to new varieties of the tool.
* IconicOutfit: His pants, down to his very surname. He in fact keeps a closet consisting of them.
* IdiotBall: [=SpongeBob=] is never typically portrayed as the sharpest knife in the drawer, but some episodes (particularly in later seasons) will have him act even more clueless than usual. Special mention goes to "The Inmates of Summer", where he (along with Patrick) never realizes that he was ''clearly'' in a prison, and even when he sees the summer camp boat, he simply misunderstands it as a different "boring" boat.
* IdiotHero: One of WesternAnimation's most iconic examples, although in the earlier seasons he was more of a naïve {{Cloudcuckoolander}} than TheDitz he's known as today. This seems to be less a result of him being BookDumb and more [=SpongeBob=] just plain not having common sense.
* IdiotHoudini: At least in the episodes after the movie, to the point where he gets away with making Squidward and Mrs. Puff's lives a living hell. An example being in a short that involves Mrs. Puff trying to cover "Boat Smarts". Being the reckless driver he is, [=SpongeBob=] unintentionally causes a crash and a big accident on the road. Clueless to the damage he has caused, he chastises Squidward and Mrs. Puff, claims they forgot their boat smarts, and drives off laughing without punishment.
* ImpossiblePickleJar: In "No Weenies Allowed", [=SpongeBob=] is required to open a simple bottle of ketchup in order to prove himself tough enough to enter the Salty Spitoon. He ultimately fails, proving himself to be a weakling.
* IncorruptiblePurePureness: Simply injecting himself with DNA from one of [=SpongeBob=]'s tears was enough to make Plankton pull a HeelFaceTurn, and his heart is so pure that he's immune to jerktonium (a chemical which turns people into jerks).
* IncredibleShrinkingMan: In "The Incredible Shrinking Sponge", [=SpongeBob=] gets shrunk down after a mishap involving the grill and a sea urchin.
* InferioritySuperiorityComplex: His ego is fragile and he responds to criticism with tears, but too much flattery tends to go straight to his head.
* InformedDeformity: The episode "You Don't Know Sponge" reveals that [=SpongeBob=] has an outie belly button, but it's never seen in any shots where he's nude.
* InformedSpecies:
** He's said to be a sea sponge, but his appearance is akin to that of a household kitchen sponge. This is lampshaded in "Nasty Patty" when Mr. Krabs refers to him as a "loony loofah".
** His appearance is also akin to that of a cube of cheese. This is lampshaded in "Band Geeks", where Nancy Suzy-Fish calls [=SpongeBob=] a "talking cheese", and again in "Picture Day", where he poses as a slice of cheese on a hot dog statue to avoid being targeted by a group of hooligans.
* InnocentBlueEyes: He has blue eyes and an innocence about him.
* InnocentlyInsensitive: Although [=SpongeBob=] means well, he unintentionally ruins other peoples' lives. Just ask Squidward or Mrs. Puff (the latter in post-movie episodes, mostly). At worst, his behavior can also cross under UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist territory. He's at his worst in "Demolition Doofus"; after he causes Mrs. Puff to rupture her inflation sack, he makes very insensitive comments about her condition, remarking that they should start calling her "Mrs. Pop" and he thinks she looks better this way. His comments end up pissing Mrs. Puff off so much that she tries to ''murder'' him.
* InSeriesNickname: Mr. Krabs occasionally refers to him as "[=SpongeBoy=]", which coincidentally was his prototype name.
* InTouchWithHisFeminineSide: He wears his heart on his sleeve, cries openly and ''very'' often, has some effeminate mannerisms, and has been shown wearing women's clothing several times. There's also the fact that he apparently ''owns'' a lot of women's clothing and make-up in the first place. Patrick mocks him for this in "I'm with Stupid", asking "Do you have any mascara I could borrow?"
* IronButtMonkey: Whenever he's not the one causing the abuse, [=SpongeBob=] very much owns this trope in that he illogically maintains the power to survive his many excruciating fates, being TheFool and MadeOfIron.
* ItsAllAboutMe: While he is usually a full-on NiceGuy, he can act a bit selfish and self-centered, such as forcing Squidward into his activities [[NoSenseOfPersonalSpace and not giving him personal space]], and not realizing that his actions are causing harm to Squidward, or anyone else.
* JerkassBall: Not as much as other unpleasant characters in the show, but he still has his moments throughout the series where he's ruder and less sympathetic than usual, especially evident during the post-movie seasons. While he's more prone to [[InnocentlyInsensitive insensitivity]], he can even have a mean streak at times.
** In "Choir Boys", he seems to be tormenting Squidward deliberately in an attempt to get the latter to listen to him sing and let him come with him to his choir audition.
** In "A Pal for Gary", he acts like an insensitive jerk to Gary, [[UngratefulBastard even after Gary saved his life]]. Not to mention, he also ignores the saleswoman's warnings and steals a pet from said saleswoman's store.
** He holds this in "Demolition Doofus". While him injuring Mrs. Puff was an accident, he makes jokes about her situation. He does try to apologize later on by offering her flowers, though.
** In "Pranks a Lot", he and Patrick go around terrorizing other townspeople pretending to be ghosts for their prank. They even go as far as to trespass other peoples' property to do so, and even block up the Krusty Krab and threaten to burn Mr. Krabs' dollar.
** In "The Great Snail Race", he pushes Gary to participate in a snail race, which Gary didn't even want to participate in, and harshly trains him to the point of exhaustion, all just because he feels like Squidward thought his snail was better than Gary and wanted to rub it in Squidward's face that Gary could win the race. He at least feels remorseful about it at the end of the episode.
** In "Survival of the Idiots", he and Patrick taunt Sandy while she's hibernating and steal her fur to keep themselves warm.
** He spends the majority of "Blackened Sponge" vainly boasting about his black eye and generally just being very arrogant, rude, pretentious and obnoxious to everyone else throughout the episode. He immediately snaps out of it and comes clean when it's revealed the bad guy in his dream was real.
** In "Slide Whistle Stooges", he and Patrick seemed to be deliberately annoying Squidward with their slide whistles for their own amusement, and/or to get him to play along with them.
** He also seemed to be deliberately going out of his way to bother Squidward in "Boating Buddies", as he stopped in the middle of [[ItMakesSenseInContext brushing Gary's shell]] just to go outside and supposedly listen to Squidward breathe. He also acts rather harassing toward Squidward while the two are in class together, doing things such as randomly touching him and staring at him while breathing heavily.
** In "Waiting", he acts rather rude and hostile toward his friends while impatiently waiting for his toy to arrive in the mail. [[JerkassRealization He at least realizes later on in the episode and feels remorseful]].
** In "Breath of Fresh Squidward", he becomes very hostile towards Squidward by kicking him out of his party, reducing poor Squidward to ''tears''. He does apologize for it afterwards, though.
** He acts hostile toward Gary and neglects to feed him in "Have You Seen This Snail?", prompting Gary to run away. Again, he at least has a JerkassRealization later on in the episode and regrets what he did.
** He acts rather bossy and self-centered in "Party Pooper Pants", as he tries to force everyone else to go by his schedule and whines whenever something doesn't go as he planned. Not to mention, it's also heavily implied that he cut Squidward's cables just to get him to come over to his house.
** In "Frankendoodle", he and Patrick use the giant pencil they found to play pranks on Squidward for their own amusement. Downplayed, as he at least shows concern when [=DoodleBob=] starts beating Squidward up.
* JustAKid: This becomes a plot point of the first movie, in which Mr. Krabs chooses to hire Squidward as the manager over [=SpongeBob=] on account of the latter being too childish to handle the position responsibly, [[BreakTheCutie much to his sadness]]. Then he and Patrick spend the rest of the film venturing through the scariness of Shell City to retrieve King Neptune's crown and also boost their maturity levels, [[TookALevelInBadass becoming more manly in the process]]. By the end of the movie, [=SpongeBob=] realizes that [[BeYourself it's okay to be a kid]] and finally gets promoted to manager like he initially dreamed of.
* KarmaHoudini: Throughout the series, [=SpongeBob=] has destroyed Bikini Bottom and put innocent bystanders in the hospital numerous times going on a rampage during his driving tests, and he's let Ms. Puff take the fall for him as his teacher every time, despite [=SpongeBob=] being an adult who can most certainly be held accountable for his own actions (he's briefly arrested by the police in "Doing Time", but it turns out to only be another layer of Mrs. Puff's dream). To say nothing of the other various criminal activities [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick have gotten away with throughout the series, like stalking, stealing, breaking and entering and on some occasions, kidnapping.
* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: Most of the time, [=SpongeBob=] is an [[TheFool irritatingly lucky]] IdiotHoudini who suffers no repercussions whatsoever for his immoral actions. This especially becomes prominent by the post-movie era. However, there are in fact some episodes that mercifully end with him suffering to the audience's pleasure, often as a result of Squidward turning the tables on him. One good example is in "Breath of Fresh Squidward" when he gets stalked and upstaged by Squidward, and then gets electrocuted alongside him after throwing him out of the party.
* {{Keet}}: One of the best examples in cartoon history. He's hyperactive, cute, and InTouchWithHisFeminineSide.
* TheKlutz: Sometimes, [=SpongeBob=] can be pretty clumsy, especially in later seasons.
* KidAppealCharacter: He's hyperactive, quirky, and acts like a kid in a candy store most of the time.
* KindheartedCatLover: His pet snail, Gary, under the show's theory of snails existing as an underwater equivalent for cats.
* KindheartedSimpleton: The large majority of times, he's a moron with good intentions. [[UnwantedAssistance He at least means well]], anyway.
* TheKirk: More rational than Patrick and [[{{DependingOnTheWriter}} occasionally]] Mr. Krabs; still not as level-headed as Squidward.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:L-N]]
* LargeHam: One has to assume that [=SpongeBob=]'s taken drama lessons at some point or another, because overdramatizing is his specialty. He can be more reserved when he wants to be, but it's usually hard for him to go a full episode without lapsing into this at some point.
* LaserGuidedKarma: Any episode that had him annoy the heck out of Squidward too far or even hold the JerkassBall ends with him receiving a proper comeuppance.
** For instance, he and Patrick were ChasedOffIntoTheSunset after ruining Squidward's chance to move away in "Opposite Day".
** In "Squid's Visit", he is forced to sleep on the remains of Squidward's house while Squidward sleeps in his interior replica of the pineapple, as punishment for forcing him to come visit him.
** The best would be "A Pal for Gary", as Puffy Fluffy gives him a proper punishment for treating Gary like he's the victim by nearly eating him alive.
** In "Demolition Doofus", he and Mrs. Puff get their comeuppances for insulting her injury and attempted murder when the boating school crashes down on top of them.
** "Jolly Lodgers", a post-sequel example, has he and Patrick get their comeuppance for following Squidward all over Hotel Halibut and forcing him to come to the jellyfishing convention when he calls pest control who unleash a noxious haze which kicks everyone out.
* LethalKlutz: In the post-movie episodes, [=SpongeBob=]'s incompetence and clumsiness often causes him to uncontrollably terrorize a majority of Bikini Bottom, which is best exhibited through his reckless driving skills.
* LethallyStupid: Primarily in later seasons, where his relentless stupidity has driven many people (mainly Squidward and Mrs. Puff) borderline, if not completely, insane.
* LivingEmotionalCrutch: In addition to being pretty much his OnlyFriend, [=SpongeBob=] is the person who primarily serves as the one to keep Patrick in touch with reality and prevents him from lapsing into psychopathic territory.
* LoonWithAHeartOfGold: [=SpongeBob=] may not have the best grip on reality, but his idealism makes him much kinder than the normals.
* LoonyFan:
** [=SpongeBob=] had such an obsession with Kevin the Sea Cucumber in "I'm Your Biggest Fanatic" that he not only wheezed out in front of him, but [[MadeOfIron also willingly inflicted requested physical harm on himself]] to entertain him. He eventually engaged in a desperate quest to join the Jellyspotters with him, [[spoiler:initially to no avail, but he gets crowned in the end.]]
** He and Patrick also exhibit similar clinginess to Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, often invading their personal space and concocting many ridiculous plans in order to spend them with them, often getting them injured in the process.
* LovableCoward: He's a weakling who becomes easily frightened over the most harmless of sights, cries very often, and refuses to fight back, yet it's all rooted in his NiceGuy personality.
* LoveMakesYouDumb: In "To Love a Patty", [=SpongeBob=] falls in love with a ''[[CompanionCube Krabby Patty]]'' and starts treating it like his very own girlfriend, ultimately leading him to grasp the IdiotBall and put an inanimate object above his friends.
* MadeOfIron: Depends on the episode. [=SpongeBob=] can take a lot of pain, and he just shrugs it off or regenerates.
* MadeOutToBeAJerkass: At the end of "The Bully", Mrs. Puff comes to the conclusion that [=SpongeBob=] is a school bully on grounds of his fist being raised in the air and Flats the Flounder lying unconscious on the ground. In reality, the latter was knocked out from persistently beating [=SpongeBob=], who was raising his hand to ask a question.
* MagneticHero: [=SpongeBob=] makes friends with almost everyone he comes in contact with, though Squidward would disagree.
* {{Manchild}}: He's old enough to hold down a job and live on his own, but is so immature and goofy that he's been referred to as a kid on multiple occasions.
-->'''[=SpongeBob=]:''' I'll have you know [[MinorInjuryOverreaction I stubbed my toe last week while watering my spice garden, and I only cried for TWENTY MINUTES!]]
* MarriedToTheJob: He's very devoted to his job at the Krusty Krab. It's to the point that Mr. Krabs has exploited this a few times. Krabs purposely underplays [=SpongeBob=] or sometimes doesn’t pay him at all while [=SpongeBob=] gleefully accepts the extra work Krabs gives him, because he knows that [=SpongeBob=] loves his job so much.
* {{Mascot}}: For {{Creator/Nickelodeon}} as a whole.
* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: The Feminine Boy to Sandy's Masculine Girl. [=SpongeBob=] is friendly, loving, cries very easily, is InTouchWithHisFeminineSide, and has cross-dressed on a few occasions. Sandy is a strong and tough woman who is a master at karate and by no means above attacking those who insult Texas. She's friendly, yes, but her buttons tend to be pushed a lot more than the title character.
* MesACrowd: Sometimes after being cut into pieces, those pieces form miniature [=SpongeBob=]s.
* MindControlEyes:
** [=SpongeBob=] gets red spirals for eyes in "[=SpongeBob=]'s Bad Habit" during his hypnotherapy session.
** He gets a blue spiral variant in "Bumper to Bumper" when Mrs. Puff's mantra gets to his head.
** He and Patrick get the red spiral variant in "Whirly Brains" when entranced by the Whirly Brains commercial.
* MinionWithAnFInEvil: To Mr. Krabs sometimes and in the episode "Welcome to the Chum Bucket" to Plankton. He's just too nice to be an effectual henchman.
* MisplacedRetribution: Often ends up taking the blame when Patrick gets them into trouble.
* MistakenForGay: In "Rock-a-Bye Bivalve", [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick roleplay as parents to a vulnerable scallop in public, with a couple imagining the confusing scenario of a sponge and starfish breed.
* MistakenIdentity: In "As Seen on TV", [=SpongeBob=] encounters an old man who claims to have seen him on TV the previous night, with the former assuming he's referring to the 3-second cameo he made in the Krusty Krab commercial, but it actually turns out the man was referring to a Bran-Flakes commercial.
* MoralityChain: In general, he's usually the one to keep his friends on the straight and narrow.
** He serves as the voice of reason to and seems to be the only one available to support Patrick. Without [=SpongeBob=], Patrick would probably not only be nonfunctional in society and TooDumbToLive, but also an AxCrazy and LoveHungry psychopath who would be sentenced to life in prison.
** Despite Squidward's hatred for [=SpongeBob=], many of his PetTheDog moments (such as [[PieInTheFace throwing a pizza in a rude customer's face]] in "Pizza Delivery" and pretending to be Santa in "Christmas Who?") are done to make the latter happy.
* MoralMyopia: In "Breath of Fresh Squidward", he gets indignant when Squidward starts acting clingy towards him and harshly tells him off for it, even though he normally does the same to Squidward all the time.
* MotorMouth: Tends to talk ''really'' fast and rapidly when he's very excited, much to the annoyance of other people.
* MrImagination: He provides the page quote. Another example (though it doesn't spell it out as clearly) is "The Paper", where [=SpongeBob=] manages to have lots of fun with only a piece of paper Squidward discarded. When Squidward tries, he can't do any of the things with the piece of paper [=SpongeBob=] did, probably because he has no imagination.
* MundaneMadeAwesome: In "Procrastination", when writing an essay, he makes the pencil fall like a toppling airplane against the sheet of paper and begins writing rapidly while shouting "Yeah!" When he's finished, he lets go of the pencil which fumes from the use of it, then it turns out he just wrote "The" in a very artistic way.
* NaiveAnimalLover: In "A Pal for Gary", [=SpongeBob=] buys a vicious nudibranch in guise of a RidiculouslyCuteCritter with total disregard to the seller's warnings, also stealing it in the process. Even after witnessing the pet's dangerousness and it eating Gary ''right in front of him'', and eventually '''himself''', [=SpongeBob=] ''still'' views it as a sweet and harmless creature.
* NakedPeopleAreFunny: Several episodes involve him ending up naked for the sake of laughs, like when he decides to become a naturist and live with the jellyfish in "Nature Pants" or when he and Patrick take off their clothes and use a can of invisible spray to prank Bikini Bottom by pretending to be ghosts in "Pranks a Lot".
* NeatFreak: In contrast to his friend [[FatSlob Patrick]], he cares more about keeping things tidy and orderly.
* NerdGlasses: He wears a large pair of thick-rimmed glasses whenever he goes jellyfishing.
* NeverMyFault: Despite being a nice guy, [=SpongeBob=] shows this a few times in the series.
** In "Can You Spare A Dime?", he willingly allows Squidward to live in his house due to the latter losing his job and home. Squidward takes advantage of [=SpongeBob=]. While Squidward is a complete jerk in this episode, [=SpongeBob=] fails to realize that he was never obligated to keep Squidward around in his house and instead gets angry at Squidward for his laziness rather than evicting him. Even when Gary tried to tell [=SpongeBob=] that Squidward was taking advantage of him, [=SpongeBob=] just made excuses rather than take them seriously. It's also implied that he didn't learn anything from the experience when he changed his clothes back into the maid outfit Squidward made him wear.
** In "I Had An Accident", [=SpongeBob=] blames his butt injury on the fact that he leaves his house and decides to stay inside his house. He ignores the fact that he didn't take measures to prevent himself from suffering from that injury in the first place.
* NiceGuy: He is very friendly, affectionate, and almost absurdly nice to everyone. Most of the time.
* NiceMeanAndInbetween: The nice one when he's paired with Patrick and Squidward or with Squidward and Mr. Krabs. He's so nice it hurts. [[BewareTheNiceOnes Most of the time.]]
* NighInvulnerability: He seems to be practically impossible to kill at times (he can regrow ''internal organs''). In fact, only when he suffers from a ''very painful'' situation, [[spoiler:such as launching himself onto an island made of spikes or being caught in the demolition of a high tower]], does he not regenerate near-instantly from his injuries.
* NoIndoorVoice: Whenever he gets excited or hyped up about something, he tends to yell at the top of his lungs.
* NoSenseOfPersonalSpace: As Squidward says in "The Algae's Always Greener": "[=SpongeBob=], do you remember that little talk we had about ''personal space''?"
* NoSell: He's the only one unaffected by Plankton's Jerktonium-infused fruitcake, because his innocence and deep love of the holidays are what shield his heart from its effects.
* NoSocialSkills: Frequently laps into this territory. For example, he has no idea that his clingy behavior is excessive and Squidward finds him annoying.
* NosyNeighbor: He's a nice, generous, friendly fellow and all he wants to do is include Squidward in his friendship and fun — but he and Patrick are obnoxious and foolish, lack tact, and don't adhere to boundaries. At best, [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick are nice guys and Squidward likes them — at worse, they're extremely annoying, and Squidward is frustrated by them.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:O-Q]]
* ObliviousToHatred: [=SpongeBob=] is firmly convinced Squidward is his best friend and Mrs. Puff is a nice teacher and loves them both. What he fails to realize is that they both hate him to the point of madness and want nothing more than to be rid of him, to the point of both actively wanting him ''dead''.
* ObliviousToHints: Having TookALevelInDumbass, [=SpongeBob=] in the post-movie seasons can't take hints and needs the most obvious of implications explained to him in a very specific way.
* OddFriendship:
** His friendship with Sandy somewhat qualifies as one. While both of them like karate and are socially inept, their personalities and levels of intelligence are practically incompatible, as [=SpongeBob=] is absurdly goofy, naïve and childish, while Sandy is intelligent and tough. In conclusion, their friendship is more little-brother-big-sister-combat than realistic.
** He also seems to have a bit of one with Pearl, best seen in "The Chaperone", "Bossy Boots", and "Tunnel of Glove", where Pearl is utterly embarrassed by his company but warms up to him when his feelings have ultimately been hurt, showing that [=SpongeBob=] is a bit of a surrogate little brother to her.
* OffscreenTeleportation: Being TheThingThatWouldNotLeave, he magically finds the way to invade Squidward's privacy or his house even after having been kicked out.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness:
** [=SpongeBob=] is normally enamored with Squidward and completely oblivious to how much he hates him, so it's quite shocking in "Can You Spare a Dime?" to see him get sick of Squidward [[TakingAdvantageOfGenerosity taking advantage of his hospitality]] and start [[DeadpanSnarker snarking at him under his breath]], let alone [[RageBreakingPoint getting in his face and screaming at him]].
** [=SpongeBob=] takes his job at the Krusty Krab incredibly seriously, to the point where he has a meltdown just for being a minute late, or when he's forced to take a vacation. But in "Have You Seen This Snail?", he's so depressed over losing Gary, he not only shows up fifteen minutes late, but he leaves in the middle of his shift.
** Any episode that has [=SpongeBob=] yelling at Mr. Krabs or turn against him shows how much the latter has crossed the line.
** Strongly exemplified in "One Coarse Meal". Upon hearing Mr. Krabs has used Plankton's whale phobia to scare him into committing suicide, he drops all traces of {{Cloudcuckoolander}} and ThePollyanna and calls him out for it.
** In "Broken Alarm", him not showing up to work on time is such a shock that Mr. Krabs immediately assumes that [=SpongeBob=] has literally died.
* OlderThanTheyLook: He's a grown adult (his driver's license, when seen, says he was born on July 14th, 1986, though the episode where it was seen aired in the 2000s), but with his freckled dimpled cheeks, high-pitched voice, big blue eyes, naïve demeanor, long eyelashes, and short stature, he easily passes for an actual ''child''.
* OneNoteCook: [=SpongeBob=] can make excellent Krabby Patties, though sometimes it's the only thing he can make. He doesn't even know what a "salad" is in "Bossy Boots" and the concept of just lettuce and tomato shocked him.
* TheOneWhoWearsShoes: In "Your Shoe's Untied", it's implied he's been wearing shoes since ''before he was born''. The episode also points out how very few other characters wear shoes with laces or any shoes at all.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: He is rarely ever called "[=SpongeRobert=]".
* OnlySaneMan:
** DependingOnTheWriter, and much more prevalent in earlier seasons, [=SpongeBob=] will occasionally act as a meek voice of reason to Patrick's stupidity, Squidward's apathy and nastiness, Mr. Krabs' greediness and rivalry with Plankton, or Sandy's daredevil antics.
** Shown InUniverse in his ending of "Shanghaied"; when he is chosen for the last wish, he makes a really serious decision to prevent himself, Patrick and Squidward from getting EatenAlive by wishing the Flying Dutchman was a vegetarian. And despite the GainaxEnding, [=SpongBob=]'s ending is the only one of the three that does not end with the trio getting eaten.
* OutOfCharacterMoment: [=SpongeBob=] was not himself at all in the infamous "A Pal for Gary". He repeatedly scolds Gary for "being mean" and "ignoring" Puffy Fluffy completely unaware that the creature hates being around other pets, lets him be tortured through the night, and still scolds him even though he saw the monster's true form and especially after Gary saves his life, when he's usually a PapaWolf who follows the rules and can tell if his snail is in danger or being threatened.
* ParentalSubstitute: He and Patrick both become the DesignatedParents to a vulnerable, abandoned baby scallop in "Rock-a-Bye Bivalve" before it becomes capable of flying on its own. He then acts as a mother figure to Squidward in "Can You Spare a Dime?" after the latter loses his job, before [[TheDogBitesBack losing it and mustering up the courage to stand up to the latter's exploitation and encouraging him to get a life]].
* PapaWolf: He can be very protective of Gary, his pet snail. Also shows up when he's left to care for a bunch of baby worms.
* PatheticallyWeak: Despite his skill at karate, he is occasionally seen training with plush animals as weights, and once was barely able to lift a stick with two - count'em, two! - marshmallows stuck on it. Highlighted in the episode "[=MuscleBob BuffPants=]", where he wears Fake Muscles to look stronger, but is unable to even lift an ordinary drinking glass.
* ThePerfectionist: Though it is never stated in-universe, [=SpongeBob=] has shown to be ObsessivelyOrganized and wants everything in his daily life to be perfect, whether he is cooking a Krabby Patty, doing chores around his house or doing his morning routines. It is best shown in the episode, Party Pooper Pants, where he schedules his party to a ridiculous degree much to the dismay of his guests. Unlike most examples of this trope however, he is still very friendly.
* PerpetualSmiler: Being an irreparable optimist, it's hard to knock the smile off of [=SpongeBob=]'s face. Thus, a smile is essentially his default expression.
* PersonOfMassDestruction: Whenever he gets behind the wheel of a boat, it's a guarantee that he'll cause massive amounts of collateral damage. In fact, at the end of "Mrs. Puff, You're Fired", it's outright stated that he ''would'' have passed his boating test...if there was a "destroy the city" portion of it.
** Even when doing something simple, it can happen. Particularly in "Hall Monitor", where he, in attempts to help the townspeople, ends up causing all manner of chaos and knocking over several buildings.
--->'''Mrs. Puff:''' I turn my back on you for one minute, and you destroy half the city!
* PingPongNaivete: Is capable of surprising bouts of [[GeniusDitz resourcefulness and wisdom]] and can even play the StraightMan on occasion, but can never figure out that [[UnwantedAssistance half the town wants him to leave them alone]].
* ThePollyanna: He's always cheerful and positive, no matter what.
* ThePowerOfRock: From TheMovie: He performs "Goofy Goober Rock" to free everyone from Plankton's mind control, along with episodes like "Ripped Pants", "Band Geeks", and "Hello Bikini Bottom".
* PrimaryColorChampion: Has yellow skin, a red tie and blue eyes and is the main hero of the series.
* PrinciplesZealot: [=SpongeBob=] always sticks to any type of rules and regulations regarding the Krusty Krab. Good examples are "Welcome to the Chum Bucket", when he refused to make food for the Chum Bucket, and "Pizza Delivery", when he refused to eat the pizza no matter what, and sobbed when the customer refused to take the pizza without a drink.
* ProneToTears: He cries ''all the time'', whether it's tears of sadness or tears of joy. He even mentions in "No Weenies Allowed" that he cried for ''twenty minutes'' after stubbing his toe. It becomes more pronounced in later seasons, due to {{Flanderization}}.
* ProtagonistTitle: His name is the show's title and he is the main character.
* PunchClockVillain: PlayedWith, he willingly works for [[{{Jerkass}} Mr. Krabs]], or rather, just the job itself, but he only occasionally does malicious things. Such as [[spoiler:not actually]] killing a health inspector, or feeding people spoiled food.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:R-S]]
* RageBreakingPoint: He's a NiceGuy through and through, and has an extreme level of tolerance for most people, but even he has his limits:
** In "Can You Spare a Dime?", when after Krabs refuses to hire Squidward back over the dime he thinks Squidward stole on top of all of the absolute hell Squidward put him through by being TheThingThatWouldNotLeave, [=SpongeBob=] blows his stack, {{Neck Lift}}s Krabs, and shakes him while screaming at him over how stupid the situation is (which in turn causes the first dime to appear):
--->'''[=SpongeBob=]:''' Listen, you crustaceous cheapskate! Squidward's been living at my house driving me ''crazy''! ''And you're not gonna hire him back '''ALL BECAUSE OF A STUPID DIME?!'''''
** In "Krusty Love", Mr. Krabs brings him along on his date with Mrs. Puff and puts him in charge of his money to make sure he doesn't spend it all, but he nonetheless keeps demanding that [=SpongeBob=] buy increasingly unnecessary items for Mrs. Puff, all while lashing out at him for spending his money when ''he'' was the one who asked him to do so in the first place. When Mr. Krabs [[NeverMyFault declares that SpongeBob is "loose with other people's money"]], [=SpongeBob=] finally snaps, goes off on an {{Angrish}} rant towards Krabs (heavily implied to be [[ClusterFBomb swear words]]), and storms off, muttering to himself angrily.
** In "Driven to Tears", Patrick takes Mrs. Puff's driving test himself after [=SpongeBob=] fails yet again, and passes with a perfect score on his first try, getting a license and new boat. Patrick quickly suffers AcquiredSituationalNarcissism and spends the rest of the episode rubbing it in [=SpongeBob=]'s face, calling himself a "driving genius." This continues to grate on [=SpongeBob=], especially after Patrick pulls off an illegal U-turn through an orphanage and runs a red light, and when Patrick calls him out for not being happy for him getting his license and goes so far as to ''literally'' rub his license in [=SpongeBob=]'s face, [=SpongeBob=] finally snaps; ranting that he's worked his entire life for a license and Patrick doesn't deserve one, he snatches Patrick's license right out of his hands and rips it to pieces.
** In "Stanley S. [=SquarePants=]", [=SpongeBob=]'s uncle sends his cousin Stanley to live with him until he gets a job. Unfortunately, Stanley is a [[TheJinx MASSIVE jinx]] and ruins everything he touches. [=SpongeBob=] helps Stanley get a job at the Krusty Krab and covers for him when he somehow sets the cash register on fire and leaves a long line of angry customers. But when Stanley breaks [=SpongeBob=]'s spatula? That's the last straw.
* RedOniBlueOni: The red to Squidward's blue. He's more emotional and hyperactive while Squidward is stoic and reasonable.
* RidiculouslyCuteCritter: He looks cute thanks to his big, sparkly blue eyes, friendly smile, and long girly eyelashes.
* RubberMan: He can stretch his limbs towards great lengths and put himself together after being cut into pieces. [=SpongeBob=]'s spongy constitution also lends itself to various AmusingInjuries ever so often; for example, "Walking Small" shows that [[BeTheBall [=SpongeBob=] makes for a very good volleyball.]]
* RunningGag: Failing his drivers test is an occurrence that has happened countless times.
* SanityBall: On rare occasions, [=SpongeBob=] will play the episode's role as the voice of reason when the townspeople are acting up or when Patrick holds the JerkassBall or [[IdiotBall takes his idiocy to absurd and extreme levels]].
* SanitySlippage:
** In "Pickles", he loses his mind after thinking he forgot the pickles on a Krabby Patty. He forgets how to make a Krabby Patty, forgets how to leave the Krusty Krab and which direction his house is in, then becomes completely incapable of doing simple tasks like putting his clothes on correctly or sleeping in a bed the right way.
** In "Fear of a Krabby Patty", working continuously for 43 days without sleep causes him to hallucinate everyone as giant Krabby Patties.
* SarcasmBlind: Whenever Squidward delivers sarcastic remarks at him, he never seems to notice.
* ScreamsLikeALittleGirl: [=SpongeBob=] used to scream like this in pre-movie seasons.
* SelectiveObliviousness: He just ''cannot'' seem to comprehend the obvious fact that not only is Squidward not his best friend, but in fact hates him to the point of madness. Even though Squidward has flat-out told [=SpongeBob=] to his face that he can't stand him on at least one occasion. This is best shown in "Little Yellow Book", where we're shown a scene of Squidward chewing [=SpongeBob=] out; while in reality, Squidward was furious at [=SpongeBob=] for letting Gary into his home and Gary chewing up many of his possessions, complete with Squidward screaming "horrible words that should never be used around strangers" in his face, [=SpongeBob=] sees it as Squidward giving him "his profound opinions on how to properly raise and care for a household pet."
-->'''Squidward:''' Great Neptune, I had no idea. [[LampshadeHanging The depth of his delusion is awe-inspiring.]]
** Although, if "[=SpongeBob=], You're Fired" is to be believed, he actually ''does'' know that Squidward hates him. It's possible that [=SpongeBob=] knows it deep down, but just chooses to disregard or deny it.
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: He's the sensitive guy compared to his boss Mr. Krabs. [=SpongeBob=] is a weak-willed [[ExtremeDoormat doormat]] who's InTouchWithHisFeminineSide, while Mr. Krabs is considerably strong, armed, and even served in the navy.
* SeriousBusiness: He once cried because ''he arrived at the Krusty Krab one minute late''.
* ShakeSomeoneObjectsFall: When Mr. Krabs shakes [=SpongeBob=] upside-down in pursuit of a penny in "Penny Foolish", his brain falls out of his head and starts crawling, as a result of being manipulated by Plankton.
* ShapeshifterMashup: Reaches an unhealthy level in "Mimic Madness", in which [=SpongeBob=] shapeshifts into so many of his friends that he suffers an identity crisis (the "Mocking Mimicry Madness").
* ShipTease:
** [=SpongeBob=]'s possible crush on Sandy has been a surprisingly consistent element of his character over the years, and it was hinted at as far back as her debut episode, "Tea at the Treedome", where he went to great lengths to "put on airs" in front of her by bringing flowers and braving the totally dry environment of her treedome.
** "Ripped Pants" continues the above trend. His attempts to impress Sandy at the beach are what create the plot.
** The ''Employee of the Month'' CD-ROM game shows [=SpongeBob=] has a pin-up-esque poster of Sandy in his Krusty Krab cabinet, claiming she makes him smile.
** One line from [[https://youtu.be/th1N938evb8?t=264 this]] game has him outright say he loves her when you get a Game Over.
** "The Chaperone" and "Bossy Boots" blatantly tease [=SpongeBob=] and Pearl. The former ends with SB and Pearl holding hands about to kiss until Mr. Krabs interrupts them, and the latter features Pearl hugging ''and'' kissing [=SpongeBob=].
* SicklyNeuroticGeek: He has the tendency to start wheezing loudly when he gets too excited about something. Krabs also implied in one episode that he takes allergy medication.
* SignatureLaugh: It's annoying, but so much a part of his character that it alone is enough for one to recognize him.
* SizeShifter: He can make himself smaller sometimes.
* SkilledButNaive: He's considered this by Jim, the original Krusty Krab fry cook before [=SpongeBob=] (and who's [=SpongeBob=]'s superior in fry cooking). Jim notes that while [=SpongeBob=] is talented, he's not gonna be great until he finally "gets the guts to quit this dump" (referring to the Krusty Krab).
* SmallNameBigEgo: DependingOnTheWriter. He sometimes thinks better of himself than he should, only for his boastful remarks to end up biting him in the ass.
* SmartJerkAndNiceMoron: The KindheartedSimpleton (nice moron) to Squidward's cranky and cynical (smart jerk).
* SmarterThanYouLook: Several episodes do show him acting serious and even competent, suggesting that he can choose to be smart anytime he wants.
* SnarkBall: Who would've thought that [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} SpongeBob]], of all people, could be capable of delivering snarky remarks? It's especially interesting considering how often he's SarcasmBlind. [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness On the rare occasions he has a bad day]], it tends to bring out his wittier side; when Mr. Krabs unceremoniously kicks him off the job in "[=SpongeBob=], You're Fired!", he becomes bitterly snide.
* SpeaksFluentAnimal: Can understand snails.
* TheSpeechless: When turned into a sponge-snail hybrid by snail plasma in "I Was a Teenage Gary", he loses the ability to speak and can only meow.
* SphereEyes: He has round eyes.
* StalkerWithoutACrush: Is often depicted as such around Squidward. He, by his own admission, was spying on Squidward through the window in "House Fancy", and Squidward's threat to "get the cops down here again" implies [[NoodleIncident it's not the first time SpongeBob has done so]]. Then there's "Squid's Visit", where he's able to copy the interior of Squidward's house perfectly, right down to knowing the exact contents of his medicine cabinet. Last but not least is "Breath of Fresh Squidward", where Squidward discovers that [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick sneak into his house every morning to watch the sunrise with him.
* StraightMan: Usually the more reasonable and stoic one when paired with Patrick, but he may also play this role to other characters.
* StrongAsTheyNeedToBe:
** [=SpongeBob=]'s strength varies from episode to episode. Some episodes depict him as so weak he couldn't even lift a straw, other depict him lifting a mailbox straight off its hinges. The only times he's strong is when it's not brought up or plot-important. This also applies to his skills in karate; once, in "Karate Choppers", he could fight Sandy evenly and even beat her, while all other times he's incompetent to the point where Sandy [[CurbStompBattle literally kicks him around like a football.]]
** His durability can also vary, sometimes he can be sent to the hospital just for stepping on an ice cube and other times is almost invulnerable to physical damage.
* StepfordSmiler: A few episodes indicate that behind that perpetual smile and always energetic and optimistic personality [=SpongeBob=] isn't entirely sane. There have been episodes where he would go into FreakOut mode over little things or become stark raving mad if things don't go right for him, like if he encounters some problems at his job that he loves and the like.
* StoneWall: Depicted as one in "The Bully", where he took punches to the head for an entire week without any damage, until his assailant passed out from exhaustion. Of course, another episode stated that he cried for 20 minutes after stubbing his toe, so this largely depends on RuleOfFunny.
* StupidGood: Even if it nearly gets him killed, [=SpongeBob=] is too much of a goody-goody to not do the morally right thing and rarely uses skepticism while in sticky situations. The only bad guy whom he normally turns down is [[BigBad Plankton]], but even then, [[DependingOnTheWriter only sometimes]].
* SuddenNameChange: AllThereInTheManual example: [=SpongeBob=]'s prototype name was [=SpongeBoy=], but the name was subsequently changed after it had been found out that the name was already copyrighted by a mop brand.
* SuicideAsComedy: In "Gary Takes a Bath", one of his attempts to get Gary to take a bath is strapping a bomb to his chest, which is purely PlayedForLaughs.
* SuperGullible: To such a ridiculous extent that it's [[TooDumbToLive lethal]]. The amount of times he's been exploited by antagonists requires more than two hands to be counted on. This is best exampled in "Gullible Pants".
* SuperSpeed: As the Quickster in "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy V", he possesses the ability to run extremely fast.
* SupremeChef: He's a very talented fry cook and customers absolutely ''love'' his Krabby Patties. Not even Squidward can resist them. Some episodes like "Spongebob You're Fired" indicate the Krabby Patty Secret Formula itself isn't what makes the Krusty Krab a smash hit, it's Spongebob's ability to cook it.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:T-Z]]
* TeachersPet: Or rather "Boss's Pet". Squidward lampshades this in "Can You Spare a Dime?" when Mr. Krabs makes [=SpongeBob=] enlighten Squidward on the Krusty Krab's company policy regarding leaving work, and Squidward calls him a "teacher's pet" for brown-nosing Mr. Krabs.
* TenderTears: He cries when bad things happen to other people. At one point, he got tearful when he saw a snail stuck in a tree.
* TheThingThatWouldNotLeave:
** Is this to Squidward, who only wants to spend time painting and sculpting artistic representations [[{{Narcissist}} of himself and composing pieces that he considers appealing]] but can't, because [=SpongeBob=] barges into his home, and despite being told clearly and loudly, to go away, [=SpongeBob=] will playfully insist on Squidward to "stop kidding around" and do something that only he and Patrick will enjoy.
** Is also this for Mrs. Puff, who wants nothing else but for [=SpongeBob=] to learn how to drive, and get his license, because of the severe [=PTSD=] she's gotten because he re-enrolls in her class, and fails the driver's test no matter how many times he takes it.
* TokenGoodTeammate: Of the Krusty Krew, he's not only the nicest, but also the only member of the crew with any moral decency, in contrast to his greedy, sadistic BadBoss Mr. Krabs and his cynical coworker Squidward.
* TokenMiniMoe: The only innocent and sweet member of the Krusty Krew, in addition to sporting a very [[TheCutie cute]] factor.
* TooDumbToLive: Along with Patrick. Once, they were lost in the wilderness with nothing but a food supply, water, and a shelter. Patrick starts a fire... with the food supply! [=SpongeBob=] tries to put it out... with the shelter, which then is destroyed. [=SpongeBob=] finally succeeds in putting out the fire... with the entire water supply. So, they've wasted their food, water, and shelter when they're in the middle of nowhere.
* TookALevelInBadass: As the series progresses, [=SpongeBob=] has shown himself at the most unexpected of moments to become less childlike and confront malice, even veering into borderline DisproportionateRetribution territory at times. His acts of badassery have ranged from [[spoiler:not actually]] killing a health inspector with a tainted Krabby Patty, taking the lives of numerous innocent scallops, psychopathically confronting Patrick and imprisoning him in his own house, and violently standing up to ''his own boss''.
* TookALevelInCynic: In later seasons, there are times where he becomes less blind to the world's imperfections and confronts them with bluntness. This is best prominent whenever faced with the looming prospect of being exploited by Plankton along with the rest of the world, or when Mr. Krabs' abuse of authority goes ''really'' off-limits. Though, how intentionally he does so varies, as sometimes it is done out of manipulation.
* TookALevelInDumbass: When the series began, he was fairly intelligent but incredibly naïve and childlike; in the later episodes, he is barely smarter than pre-first movie Patrick. In any case, Patrick still makes him look like a genius by comparison.
* TookALevelInJerkass: In later seasons, he was more prone to being a jerk and doing rude and heartless things to other people, such as selfishly turning down their kindness, blaming others for his own shortcomings, or neglecting the responsibility of his ''very own pet'' being endangered. This got toned down as of the HD seasons.
* TookALevelInKindness: Downplayed as he was more InnocentlyInsensitive than a jerk prior, but by Season 9B, his pestering towards Squidward and his JerkassBall territory has been phased out for the most part (with "Ink Lemonade" being a notable exception).
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Krabby Patties, as revealed in "You Don't Know Sponge". His fondness for them in fact goes all the way back from when he was in the womb.
* TrulySingleParent: [=SpongeBob=], like real sponges, displayed the capacity for asexual reproduction in "Pressure", though the new [=SpongeBob=]s were gone by the next scene.
-->"Can you reproduce by budding? Can ya?" "Can ya?" "Can ya?" Can ya?" "Can ya?"
* TurnTheOtherCheek: Case in point: no matter how heinous Mr. Krabs' actions are or how badly he is treated by the other characters, [=SpongeBob=] will ''always'' forgive them by the end of the episode.
* UndyingLoyalty: His unbreakable dedication to the Krusty Krab and by extension Mr. Krabs surpasses even his loyalty to his friends.
* UngratefulBastard: In "A Pal For Gary". Throughout the whole episode, he has [[NeverMyFault blamed Gary for Puffy Fluffy's actions, culminating in scolding Gary]] ''[[TooDumbToLive when the snail is clearly about to be eaten by the now-monstrous Puffy Fluffy]]''. Puffy puts Gary down and [[LaserGuidedKarma starts eating [=SpongeBob=]]], and Gary (who has ''NO REASON WHATSOEVER'' to help [=SpongeBob=], at this point) bravely comes to the rescue, acting like a cowboy and whipping Puffy to knock [=SpongeBob=] out of his mouth and drive him away. How does [=SpongeBob=] reward this act of heroism? He tries to get Puffy Fluffy back, but after that fails, he [[NeverMyFault scolds Gary AGAIN,]] ''[[CaptainOblivious completely]]'' ignoring the fact that the snail ''[[TookALevelInJerkass just saved his ungrateful life]]''! Naturally, this all came from him ignoring the old lady's warning about the pet in the first place, not to mention he can also understand snail language, but shows no knowledge of such throughout the episode.
* {{Unishment}}:
** Sometimes, it's impossible to discipline the little sponge. Due to his naïvete, [=SpongeBob=] often views his punishments as beneficial one way or another, and sometimes interprets them as fun and games. And due to being an invertebrate, his sponginess makes him immune to physical harm most of the time.
** Throughout "The Inmates of Summer", he and Patrick are completely unaware Inferno Island is a prison and all the torture they are put through are misinterpreted as group activities.
** In "License to Milkshake", he survives the Shake Simulator's excruciating features and even wants a second turn.
--->'''Captain Frostymug:''' Now, let's see how the boy turned out! ''[presses a button which causes the machine to pour out [=SpongeBob=] who fills up the cup]''\\
'''[=SpongeBob=]:''' That was fun! Can I go again?
* VagueAge: The show's staff sure do like to [[PlayingWithATrope play around with this trope]] a lot in regards to [=SpongeBob=]'s age.
** [[invoked]] His driver's license states his birthday as July 14, 1986, which would put him in his thirties if the show took place in real times. However, this was eventually stated as a joke by WordOfGod. In addition, he wouldn't have legally gotten his job at the Krusty Krab when the show first began in 1999 if child labor laws in Bikini Bottom were the same as in the United States, as he would have only been 12. Though given that Stephen Hillenburg said [=SpongeBob=] is around 50 in "sponge years", that could be excusable for his species.
** That said, he's old enough to live on his own, own a bank account, hold down a job, own his own pet, and attend driver's education, yet he's so extremely silly and absurdly childish that he's been mistaken for and referred to as a kid numerous times in-universe, in addition to [[OlderThanTheyLook sporting the appearance of one]]. He's either a {{manchild}}, an actual child, or an [[KiddieKid immature teenager]].
** His birthday was celebrated in "[=SpongeBob=] Meets the Strangler", "Waiting" and "[=SpongeBob=]'s Big Birthday Blowout", but [[AgelessBirthdayEpisode no age was specified]].
* VetinariJobSecurity: A number of episodes have him either be fired from the Krusty Krab or unable to work for whatever reason; during this time, Squidward and occasionally Mr. Krabs himself try to take over for him, but fail miserably, such as burning a Krabby Patty, fries, and a ''milkshake'' in "Pickles" and serving a customer a fried boot instead of a sandwich in "Hooky". [=SpongeBob=] himself lampshades it in the song "Employee of the Month", stating outright that the Krusty Krab would fall apart if not for him.
* VocalEvolution:
** [=SpongeBob=]'s voice was much deeper and noticeably nasally in the first season, before settling into a lighter, clearer tone for the next two seasons.
** Starting with TheMovie, [=SpongeBob=]'s voice would become even higher, before lowering again (akin to how he sounded in seasons 2 and 3) come season 9 and ''[[WesternAnimation/TheSpongebobMovieSpongeOutOfWater Sponge Out of Water]]''.
* WeakButSkilled: Despite being physically weak, [=SpongeBob=] is quite adept at karate.
* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: Apparently, [=SpongeBob=] is seriously afraid of clowns, as the only reason he summoned all of Bikini Bottom to his Pineapple in the episode "Rodeo Daze" was to save Sandy from the clowns at the rodeo.
* WideEyedIdealist: Luckily for him, though, his idealism [[{{Reconstruction}} usually makes things work out for him]].
* WiseBeyondTheirYears: [=SpongeBob=] already had a knowledge of fry cooking when he was just a baby.
* WithFriendsLikeThese: Is this to Squidward. [[{{Narcissist}} Squidward]] may believe that he is culturally superior to everyone, but he deserves to quietly his hobbies without [=SpongeBob=], with Patrick in tow, barging into his house and loudly proclaiming that the three of them will do an activity that only [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick will enjoy. And despite very clearly being told that he is not interested, and couldn't care less if they went ahead without him, [=SpongeBob=] will refuse to take no for an answer.
* {{Workaholic}}: At one point, Mr. Krabs forcing him to take a vacation nearly causes him to ''go insane''. In "The Splinter", he frantically tries to avoid being sent home early. In "Suds", he drags himself to work, despite being so sick that he can barely stand or keep his eyes open and he's sneezing constantly. Despite [[BlatantLies insisting that he is okay]] (punctuated by a loud sneeze), Mr. Krabs sends the guy home so he can rest. This exchange from "Graveyard Shift" says it all:
--> '''Mr. Krabs:''' From now on the Krusty Krab is open 24 hours a day.\\
'''Squidward:''' What...!\\
'''[=SpongeBob=]:''' Wooow! Now we ''never have to stop working''!
* WouldHitAGirl: At least in his karate sessions with Sandy, which, to be fair, is all in good fun.
* YesMan: While he occasionally plays an ignored voice of reason to Mr. Krabs, he generally goes with whatever he says without raising a finger.
* YouHaveGotToBeKiddingMe: His reaction to finding out that Squidward has never tried a Krabby Patty and never wants to.
-->'''Squidward:''' That's me. Never had one, never will.\\
''[[=SpongeBob=] flips the Krabby Patty he's cooking so hard that it flies through the roof of the Krusty Krab]''\\
'''[=SpongeBob=]:''' What?\\
'''Squidward:''' What?\\
'''[=SpongeBob=]:''' ''[scratching his ear]'' What? What did you say?\\
'''Squidward:''' I've never had a Krabby Patty and never will.\\
'''[=SpongeBob=]:''' I'm sorry, I don't...\\
'''Squidward:''' ''I've never had a Krabby Patty.''\\
'''[=SpongeBob=]:''' ''[pulls out a dictionary and a pair of glasses]'' Those words... is it possible to use them in a sentence together like that?!\\
'''Squidward:''' I've never had a Krabby Patty! I've never had a Krabby Patty! I've never had a Krabby Patty!
* YouthfulFreckles: [=SpongeBob=] has freckles that showcase his child-like appearance.
[[/folder]]
----

* ThePerfectionist: Though it is never stated in-universe, [=SpongeBob=] has shown to be extremely organized and wants everything in his daily life to be perfect, whether he is cooking a Krabby Patty, doing chores around his house or doing his morning routines. It is best shown in the episode, Party Pooper Pants, where he schedules his party to a ridiculous degree much to the dismay of his guests. Unlike most examples of this trope however, he is still very friendly.

** How durable his body is varies based on whatever will be funnier. Sometimes, his body is incredibly fragile, such as being hospitalized just by slipping on an ice cube. Other times, his spongey body makes him pretty much indestructible, Spongebob not even feeling pain despite being wailed on for hours on end.

* OutOfCharacterMoment: [=SpongeBob=] was not himself at all in the infamous "A Pal for Gary". He repeatedly scolds Gary for "being mean" and "ignoring" Puffy Fluffy completely unaware that the creature hates being around other pets, lets him be tortured through the night, and still scolds him even though he saw the monster's true form and even after Gary saves his life, when he's usually a PapaWolf who follows the rules and can tell if his snail is in danger or being threatened.