History YMMV / SpongeBobSquarePants

** Patrick and [[DependingOnTheWriter to a lesser extent]] [=SpongeBob=] are both characterized as being incredibly dumb. And it make sense when you realize that neither starfishes nor sponges have brains, or even, in the latter's case; a nervous system. So in other words: [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick are quite literally [[StealthPun brainless]].

** Patrick and [[DependingOnTheWriter to a lesser extent]] [=SpongeBob=] are both characterized as being incredibly dumb. And it make sense when you realize that neither starfishes nor sponges have brains, and in the latter's case; a nervous system. So in other words: [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick are quite literally [[StealthPun brainless]].

** Patrick and [[DependingOnTheWriter to a lesser extent]] [=SpongeBob=] are both characterized as being incredibly dumb. And it make sense when you realize that neither starfishes nor sponges have brains, and in the latter's case; a nervous system. So in other words: [=Spongebob=] and Patrick are quite literally [[StealthPun brainless]].

** Patrick and [[DependingOnTheWriter to a lesser extent]] [=SpongeBob=] are both characterized as being incredibly dumb. And it make sense when you realize that neither starfishes and sponges have brains (and in the latter's case: a nervous system). So in other words: [=Spongebob=] and Patrick are quite literally [[StealthPun brainless]].

** In "Squidward the Unfriendly Ghost", when Squidward is deciding where he wants his "throne" to be laid down, he complains that some spots are "too hot", "too wet", and [[Creator/HenriDeToulouseLautrec "Toulouse-Lautrec"]], and then cuts to a painting of his re-done with fish.

** In "Band Geeks," Patrick describes humans as "some ugly looking fish." As anyone who has studied evolution and biological phylogenetics can tell you, since humans and all other tetrapods are descended from lobe-finned fish, humans are part of this clade of fish, so, from a cladistic standpoint, yes, [[https://inference-review.com/article/on-being-a-fish humans are fish]].

* ShippingGoggles: The [=SpongeBob=]xSandy shippers are quite prone to this, treating almost any instance of one character showing fondness or concern for the other as ShipTease moments. While there was some genuine ShipTease between them early on in season one (namely in “Tea at the Treedome” and “Ripped Pants”), [[CharacterizationMarchesOn that was quickly dropped]] in favor of them being LikeBrotherAndSister [[PlatonicLifePartners with very little indication of romantic interest from either party]]. Even the infamous wedding scene in “Truth or Square” becomes null and void when viewed in its proper context (it was a play), and if anything, comes across like a ShipSinking from the writers.

** Patrick infamously tells Squidward to "''FIRMLY GRASP IT IN YOUR HAND''" from Season 1's "Jellyfishing."

** In "Artist Unknown", [=SpongeBob=] butchers Squidward's "If I'm lucky, some of Mr. Tentacles' talent will rub off on me" into "If I'm lucky, Mr. Talent will rub his tentacles on my art."

** During a scene in "The Chaperone" in which the prom is dancing (and injuring themselves) trying to do "The Sponge", one of the fish gets chased by a giant apple. The apple was never shown before or after the scene in question, and was most likely included for RuleOfFunny.

** [=SpongeBob=] himself, thanks to his exaggerated stupidity in Seasons 6-8 and his obsession with Squidward coming off as borderline stalking. While his negative traits have been considerably toned down by Season 9, there are still as many people who find him annoying as there are people who like and sympathize with him. In general--counting his personality in both the pre-movie and post-movie eras--[=SpongeBob=] is seen as either a kindhearted, {{Adorkable}} little sea sponge whose optimism, pureness, naivete, and [[{{Manchild}} childishness]] makes him unique and stand out from most fictional characters his age, or nothing but a ceaseless, idiotic, annoying {{Jerkass}} to the viewer, who wants him to suffer. It's no secret that [=SpongeBob=] is often regarded as one of WesternAnimation's most annoying protagonists; not helping is that he has a high-pitched, nasally voice and laugh that is emphasized on from time to time.
** Squidward is either the show's [[OnlySaneMan voice of reason]] or a judgmental, selfish prick trying to sabotage [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick's fun in exchange for the world giving him attention.

** Plankton went from a menacing threat that always came close to getting the Krabby Patty formula (and actually succeeds in ''WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobSquarePantsMovie'') to an IneffectualSympatheticVillain in the later seasons. At least part of this, however, is PlayedForLaughs due to amping up the negative qualities of the "heroes", especially his ArchEnemy Mr. Krabs, often conveying them as EvilerThanThou (or at least more insufferable) to the point Plankton himself seems placid and down to earth.

** Patchy the Pirate. His appearances in two specials "Atlantis [=SquarePantis=]" and "Truth or Square" (which fans have found overhyped and subpar) have been criticized by many fans for being too long, too boring, and too out-of-place. However, these two episodes (both of which feature Patchy outside of his house, although it does show up in a few scenes of "Atlantis [=SquarePantis=]") are really the main reason he is disliked; some fans enjoy the campy feel of his older appearances, particularly because of his nostalgic house discontinued. Others dislike the campiness altogether, even in the old specials.

** [=SpongeBob=] himself, thanks to his exaggerated stupidity in Seasons 6-8 and his obsession with Squidward coming off as borderline stalking. While his negative traits have been considerably toned down by Season 9, there are still as many people who find him annoying as there are people who like and sympathize with him. In general--counting his personality in both the pre-movie and post-movie eras--[=SpongeBob=] is seen as either a kindhearted, {{Adorkable}} little sea sponge whose optimism, pureness, naivete, and [[{{Manchild}} childishness]] makes him unique and stand out from most fictional characters his age, or nothing but a ceaseless, idiotic, annoying {{Jerkass}} to the viewer, who wants him to suffer. It's no secret that [=SpongeBob=] is often regarded as one of WesternAnimation's most annoying protagonists; not helping is that he has a high-pitched, nasally voice and laugh that is emphasized on from time-to-time.

** [=SpongeBob=] himself, thanks to his exaggerated stupidity in Seasons 6-8 and his obsession with Squidward coming off as borderline stalking. While his negative traits have been considerably toned down by Season 9, there are still as many people who find him annoying as there are people who like and sympathize with him. In general--counting his personality in both the pre-movie and post-movie eras--[=SpongeBob=] is either found as a kindhearted, {{Adorkable}} little sea sponge whose optimism, pureness, naivete, and [[{{Manchild}} childishness]] makes him unique and stand out from most fictional characters his age, or nothing but a ceaseless, annoying {{Jerkass}} to the viewer, who wants him to suffer. It's no secret that [=SpongeBob=] is often regarded as one of WesternAnimation's most annoying protagonists; not helping is that he has a high-pitched, nasally voice and laugh that is emphasized on from time-to-time.

* EvilIsSexy:
** Bizarrely enough, a few fans actually find Plankton to be this. Obviously not appearance-wise, but for his rather [[EvilSoundsDeep deep and rich voice]], courtesy of Creator/MrLawrence.
** Some people also find Man Ray to be strangely attractive, mostly thanks to his muscular build, tight fitting outfit and some... [[FemaleGaze interesting shots and poses]].

** In "Pickles", Squidward abruptly stops writing down Bubble Bass' order and tells him "we serve food here, sir". Was Squidward unable to continue following the Hash House Lingo Bubble Bass used, or was he being judgemental about his order (which if followed right would result in an absurdly unhealthy and generally absurd DagwoodSandwich)?

** Patchy the Pirate. His appearances in two specials "Atlantis [=SquarePantis=]" and "Truth or Square" (which fans have found overhyped and subpar) have been criticized by many fans for being too long, too boring, and too out-of-place. However, these two episodes (both of which feature Patchy outside of his house) are really the main reason he is disliked; some fans enjoy the campy feel of his older appearances, particularly because of his nostalgic house discontinued. Others dislike the campiness altogether, even in the old specials.

* TrueArtIsIncomprehensible: Parodied loads of times.
-->"Now, you must acquire a taste for ''free-form jazz!''" ''("Pressure Point" plays)''

** In "Hot Crossed Nuts", after Spongebob scolds her for bringing outside food into the Krusty Krab, Sandy says "C'mon, Spongebob..." as she unzips her suit to put away her barbecued acorns. Taken out of context, it looks a ''lot'' like [[ShowSomeLeg she's trying to seduce Spongebob]].

** In "Artist Unknown", [=SpongeBob=] butchers Squidward's "If I'm lucky, some of Mr. Tentacles' talent will rub off on me" into "If I'm lucky, Mr. Talent will [[NaughtyTentacles rub his tentacles]] on my art."

** In "Accidents Will Happen", Mr. Krabs is supposed to be seen as sympathetic as it's revealed that Squidward lied about getting hurt on the job so he could force Krabs into giving him special treatment. However, considering that there are numerous instances of Krabs not only mistreating his employees, but participating in illegal activities for his own benefit in multiple episodes (and even in ''this'' episode), it instead comes off as Krabs getting some [[TheDogBitesBack much-deserved comeuppance]].

* AmericansHateTingle: The show is disliked in Norway not only due to [[AudienceAlienatingEra the decline in quality affecting seasons 4-9]], but also because they made [[DuelingDubs a new dub for the show in 2006]], [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks which wasn't well-received by the fans of the older dub]]. On the other hand, the younger generation who grew up with the new dub will in turn bash the older dub. Let's just say that there's a FandomRivalry of which dub is better. There also exist people who think both dubs are good.

** [=SpongeBob=], thanks to his exaggerated stupidity in Seasons 6-8 and his obsession with Squidward coming off as borderline stalking. While his negative traits have been considerably toned down by Season 9, there are still as many people who find him annoying as there are people who like and sympathize with him. In general--counting his personality in both the pre-movie and post-movie eras--[=SpongeBob=] is either found as a kindhearted, {{Adorkable}} little sea sponge whose optimism, pureness, naivete, and [[{{Manchild}} childishness]] makes him unique and stand out from most fictional characters his age, or nothing but a ceaseless, annoying {{Jerkass}} to the viewer, who wants him to suffer. It's no secret that [=SpongeBob=] is often regarded as one of WesternAnimation's most annoying protagonists; not helping is that he has a high-pitched, nasally voice and laugh that is emphasized on from time-to-time.

** Pearl can be relatable in that she has to put up with a greedy, neglectful, [[AbusiveParents abusive dad]] who frequently [[AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents embarrasses her in public]], in addition to being ostracized by her peers and facing typical problems of a teenage girl. On the other hand, though, she is also seen as an annoying brat who complains about things not going her way and deserves all the bad luck she receives.

** In-universe (or meta) example from "I Had an Accident" that involves a gorilla with no real build up ''to'' the gorilla, and the fact the gorilla and some zebra were up to something made it ''more'' of a BLAM. The meta example comes in at the end where the family is sitting there dumbfounded and they turn off the TV, though at least it was {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d.

** The air from [=SpongeBob=]'s inflatable muscles just randomly moving to different parts of his body near the end of "[=MuscleBob=] [=BuffPants=]". While it does show off that [=SpongeBob=]'s muscles were fake, the scene is never commented on or acknowledged afterward.

* BileFascination: Many of the show's worst episodes like "One Coarse Meal" and "A Pal For Gary" receive a lot of attention because of their bad reputation.

** While the fanbase as a whole accepts [[WordOfGay Hillenburg's word that Spongebob is asexual]], fans are split on how to interpret what he said. Some fans think he's not true ace representation and think Hillenburg was only referring to the biological fact that some sea sponges are asexual. Others don't think he counts because Hillenberg was only doing it to shut up gay rumors. Some asexual fans of the show however, gladly embrace Spongebob's ace status and think that having one of the most kind, friendly and popular characters in all of cartoons also be asexual is great representation. Of course, to make things even more complicated, other fans say that Spongebob isn’t truly ace, and they tend to point out that there are episodes that show that Spongebob ''is'' indeed capable of romantic attraction, such as "To Love A Patty" (granted, the love in that episode is…[[CargoShip unusual]], but it still shows that Spongebob is capable of expressing romantic feelings for something or someone regardless).

* CatharsisFactor:
** Any moment where Squidward [[ThrowTheDogABone gets a victory]] that isn't [[YankTheDogsChain snatched away from him at the last moment]], it's ''incredibly'' satisfying. Especially when it's against [[SmugSnake Squilliam]], which is a huge part of why "[[Recap/SpongebobSquarepantsS2E15TheSecretBoxBandGeeks Band Geeks]]" is so [[SacredCow enduringly popular.]] "Enchanted Tiki Dreams" has also become popular among fans, in which [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick build Squidward a tiki land where he can relax, full of things he likes to do. Even after the tiki land is destroyed, Squidward is still happy, as he gets to hit [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick with a swinging boat.
** Given how [[TookALevelInJerkass awful he can be in later episodes]], seeing Mr. Krabs occasionally get his comeuppance for his never-ending {{Greed}} can definitely be this.
** [=SpongeBob=] [[RageBreakingPoint finally snapping]] at Patrick and calling him out on his utter stupidity in "Stuck in the Wringer" was very satisfying for fans who hated Patrick's infamous {{Flanderization}} from a dimwitted yet kind-hearted friend into a selfish mean-spirited oaf.
* CharacterPerceptionEvolution: Squidward Tentacles was conceived as an "entertaining jerk" character with his snotty personality and one-sided friendship with [=SpongeBob=] and [=Patrick=] (with Squidward being the non-reciprocating party), with this defining his perception during the show's first three seasons. However, several factors over the years would lead to his reputation growing more positive: later seasons featured a number of episodes that downplayed his {{jerkass}} qualities while increasing his sympathetic haplessness, other characters would be {{flanderized}} in the opposite direction, and most significantly, the show's initial child audience would grow up and enter the workforce. Consequently, Squidward is seen nowadays as more relatable than the show's own title character, being regarded as an accurate depiction of modern adult ennui.
* CharacterRerailment: Season 9 did a lot of this. [=SpongeBob=] is a NiceGuy again, Patrick's stupidity is less destructive and [[TheDitz more genuine]], Squidward suffers a lot less (and when he does, he usually brings it upon himself), and Mr. Krabs [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold is a good guy despite his greed]].

** Plankton. It has been established that he's evil as he continued to try to take Krabs' secret formula in myriad ways. One episode even had him as a JerkWithAHeartOfJerk with him saying "Being evil is just too much fun!" He's also been shown to be a big {{Jerkass}} with all his screaming and being angry. In the first movie, he even managed to enslave Bikini Bottom. However, due to {{Flanderization}} and TookALevelInJerkass on the parts of the main characters and Plankton becoming more a harmless IneffectualSympatheticVillain, most fans side with Plankton.
** Squidward ''does'' have redeeming qualities... at times, but he mentally and sometimes physically abuses [=SpongeBob=] because it amuses him. His absolute worst behavior was "Can You Spare a Dime?" where he takes advantage of [=SpongeBob=]'s generosity and gets no comeuppance for it. However, people who (understandably) feel sorry for him due to his endless abuse and ButtMonkey status tend to ignore his {{Jerkass}} traits and think he's just an innocent martyr.

** Squilliam Fancyson is quite popular despite being literally just Squidward [[HateSink without the redeeming qualities]]. It helps a lot because episodes he's in are an occasional opportunity for Squidward to ''[[ThrowTheDogABone throw himself a bone]]'' every once in a while.
** [[KnightOfCerebus Dennis]] has only appeared in the movie so far, but fans love him for being a [[VileVillainSaccharineShow genuinely frightening]] and [[EvilIsCool badass villain.]]

** Smitty Werbenjagermanjensen: [[RunningGag He was number one!]]

** Bizarrely enough, a few fans actually find Plankton to be this. Obviously not appearance-wise, but for his rather [[EvilSoundsDeep deep-sounding voice]], courtesy of Creator/MrLawrence.

* FairForItsDay: While "Squirrel Jokes" provided a much-needed commentary about how racist jokes create harmful, contagious stereotypes, the message of the ending where [=SpongeBob=] decides to make jokes about every race present in the comedy club, including his own is more likely to come across as "making racist jokes is okay as long as you're an EqualOpportunityOffender" in recent times.

** Incidental 6 (also known as Tom) arguably trumps them all in this department. While the other examples are all to certain extents joking, Tom is actually believed by most to be a real sociopath with his many insane outbursts and violent episodes.

** [=SpongeBob=] gets this sometimes. Although numerous post-season 3 episodes portray him as an annoying, obnoxious man-child, he can still be a nice guy, [[DependingOnTheWriter depending on the episode]]. Yet, some fans demonize him even when he doesn't cause trouble. He also gets this from some leftist/anti-capitalist fans who relate to Squidward due to his unconditional adoration of Mr. Krabs and his minimum-wage job at the Krusty Krab while being completely oblivious to Squidward's plight and to the class struggle, which causes them to paint him as a "perfect little capitalist minion".[[note]]Strangely enough, "Bummer Vacation" establishes that [=SpongeBob=] is, in fact, a union worker, which is why Mr. Krabs has to give him a vacation in the first place, though it doesn't change how horrified [=SpongeBob=] is by the thought of taking time off.[[/note]]

** While Mr. Krabs has had his fair share of {{jerkass}} and antagonistic moments DependingOnTheWriter, the early seasons often portrayed him as a JerkWithAHeartOfGold and a ReasonableAuthorityFigure to [=SpongeBob=]. On the other hand, fan works and interpretations almost always have him as the BigBad and remove any redeeming qualities he had in canon.

** More fans would sympathize with Plankton because of Mr. Krabs' constant bullying towards his failures, and actively trying to make Plankton as miserable as possible ("Plankton's Regular").

** A few viewers started rooting for Mrs. Puff trying to kill [=SpongeBob=] in "Demolition Doofus".

* TheScrappy: Sam, Patrick's sister from "Big Sister Sam", has little redeeming qualities and is even stupider and meaner than her brother. Another thing worth noting is that her existence contradicts Patrick's claim of not having a sister in "Something Smells". [[FridgeBrilliance But if "Rule of Dumb" and "I'm With Stupid" are anything to go by, Patrick probably has a hard time remembering his family members.]]

** The series never was the same from Season 4 onwards.[[note]]When the show was UnCanceled in 2004, due to [[MoneyDearBoy the box-office gross]] the feature [[WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobSquarePantsMovie film adaptation]] (which was the intended GrandFinale to the show - Season 3 ended production back in 2002, until Nickelodeon decided to revive the show) made in addition to the high ratings the show maintained, creator Stephen Hillenburg notably changed his position in the show's production and co-creator Derek Drymon left.[[/note]] Once it started back up, the show became much more grotesque compared to the earlier seasons -- the post-movie seasons have VulgarHumor, massive {{flanderization}} of various cast members (with some being flanderized into [[TheDitz ditzes]] and {{designated hero}}es), occasional [[BlackComedy dark humor]], [[NightmareFuel creepy]] NauseaFuel, and overall less charm.
** The consensus is that Season 4 was when the rot kicked in (although that season has since been VindicatedByHistory to fans), and Seasons 6 and 7 were the peak of the rot.[[note]]Most notably Season 6, with episodes like "The Splinter", "Choir Boys", "House Fancy" and "Truth or Square", although the Season 7 episodes "A Pal For Gary" and "One Coarse Meal" are almost unarguably the two most hated of the entire series.[[/note]] Seasons 5 and 8 are... "''mixed''" among fans. The good episodes in them are generally better-received than the ones from Season 6 and 7, but the bad episodes include some of the most reviled episodes of the show.[[note]]"To Love a Patty", "Atlantis [=SquarePantis=]", "Demolition Doofus" and "Are You Happy Now?".[[/note]] The first half of Season 9 was similarly divisive. The good episodes are better-received than the ones from Season 5-8 [[note]] like "Plankton's Pet" which many consider as one of the best episodes in a long time [[/note]], but the worst episodes of the first half are some of the most reviled episodes of the show.[[note]] "Little Yellow Book", "Squid Baby", and "[=SpongeBob=], You're Fired". [[/note]]

** Fans often cite Seasons 12 onward to be another major, though much smaller, dip in quality for the show. This is somewhat understandble as this appears to be the era where the writers were starting to experiment with the franchise a lot more than before. As a result of this, the overall reception on this era is mixed among fans. Some fans believe that this era is worse than the first post-movie era, often citing the frequent, sloppy use of references to older episodes and memes, the frequent use of slapstick for its humor, episode plots being incredibly similar to those from previous seaons, and the promotions of spin-off shows such as Kamp Koral or the Patrick Show in Season 13 as common complaints. On the other hand, some fans see this as the show GrowingTheBeard, and are keen on many of the show's more recent experimentation with its animation and characters, underutilized characters and settings being explored and developed more, as well as the franchise as a whole expanding its boundaries, and opening itself to newer ideas.

** The chorus sections of "Best Day Ever" resemble Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline".

* TakeThatScrappy: In "Truth of Square", Patchy is dissed by Triumph, the Insult Dog.
--> '''Patchy:''' This is Patchy the Pirate, President of '''The''' [=SpongeBob=] [=SquarePants=] fanclub!

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: Many fans did not take kindly towards the shift towards KafkaComedy in Seasons 6-8, with many complaining that it was too mean-spirited and tasteless, further compounded by the mass {{Flanderization}} the characters underwent. Many feel they're trying too hard to capture the charm of the first three seasons without understanding why they worked.

** Squilvia has an interesting concept of being Squidward's love interest and one of the few people to truly make him happy by dint of their [[BirdsOfAFeather matching interests]]. Despite them actually getting into a relationship at the end of "Love That Squid", Squilvia has yet to return in any capacity.

*** In "I'm With Stupid", after [=SpongeBob=] volunteers to [[ObfuscatingStupidity act dumb]] to impress Patrick's parents, Patrick forgets the plan and makes many hurtful comments aimed at him. It goes to the point where -- failing to explain his true intelligence -- [=SpongeBob=] leaves in a huffing rage, Patrick's "parents" turn out to be total strangers, and Patrick [[KarmaHoudini gets away with his actions]].

** In the German dub, when [=SpongeBob=] speaks authentic German to Squidward who disguises himself as a German immigrant and excuses not speaking German as wanting to practice English, Squidward instead disguised himself as a Bavarian immigrant and [=SpongeBob=] speaks to him in Bavarian. Squidward instead dumbfoundedly answers "Yodel?", referencing the stereotype about yodeling Bavarians.

** Patrick’s Japanese voice is another example of this. In Seasons 1-8, he had a [[CrossDressingVoices Cross-Dressing Voice]] by Ikuko Tani. Although her high-pitched voice for Patrick is completely different from Bill Fagerbakke’s deep voice in the original English version, Patrick with that voice was (and still is) beloved by Japanese fans. When his voice was replaced by a male voice actor Mitsuaki Kanuka from Season 9 (reprising his role in ''[[WesternAnimation/TheSpongebobMovieSpongeOutOfWater The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water]]''), there were several backlash from many Japanese fans, due to his deep-toned voice which is closer to the original one but totally different from what they used to hear. Even some fans who had already known his English voice were generally not in favour of the change. On top of that, Ikuko Tani herself admitted in the radio program that [[CreatorBacklash she didn’t like the replacement]] but reluctantly quitted her role.

** ''[=SpongeBob=]'' is very popular in the United Kingdom. (Despite some episodes like Shanghaied rarely being shown, and Gary Takes a Bath being pulled from British airings), it has remained in UK feed of Nickelodeon since it first aired on the feed in 2000,[[note]]Other Nicktoons have not been so lucky and were usually regulated to the British feed of the Nicktoons network.[[/note]] in 2012, they broadcasted a marathon called ''[=SpongeBob's=]'' Top 100'', merchandising is very big there, and is one of the shows of the Nickelodeon brand for their British theme park, Nickelodeon Land, in Blackpool Pleasure Beach.

** SpongeBob is very popular in the United Kingdom. (Despite some episodes like Shanghaied rarely being shown, and Gary Takes a Bath being pulled from British airings), it has remained in UK feed of Nickelodeon since it first aired on the feed in 2000,[[note]]Other Nicktoons have not been so lucky and were usually regulated to the British feed of the Nicktoons network.[[/note]] in 2012, they broadcasted a marathon called ''SpongeBob's Top 100'', merchandising is very big there, and is one of the shows of the Nickelodeon brand for their British theme park, Nickelodeon Land, in Blackpool Pleasure Beach.