With SpongeBob's 25th anniversary today, something i'm curious about isWhy do you think SpongeBob became bigger than Rocko, Angry Beavers, and CatDog ever were? It even became bigger than Ren & Stimpy was at the height of it's popularity and Ren & Stimpy was huge around 1991-1993 (during the first two seasons)
Good writing, appealing characters, charming art and music.
>>144549633The early seasons were genuinely top-notch cartoon content, the popularity was earned from legitimate quality.
>>144549683It honestly makes me sad that they kept it going when Stephen left. The bad seasons must have left terrible impressions
It's actually funny.
>>144549633If John K wasn’t so bad at time management and was able to get his cartoons out on time, im sure R&S would’ve been way more popular than it was. Maybe not SpongeBob levels of popularity but at least as popular as Rugrats.
>Humour was less risqué/cynical than Rocko (Plus SpongeBob was a more lighter/childish character)>Less mean spirited than CatButt>Humour was more normo-friendly than The Pointy Weasel Thingies
>>144549633because it's better than all of those>inb4 john k fags flock in to say ren and stimpy is the best cartoon of all time
>>144549737>R&S would’ve been way more popular than it was.It was>>144549753Forgot>It told actual jokes when compared to Football Head and the Klasky-Csupo Nicktoons
>>144549633I always found it weird that Rocko never became a huge cultural hit, because it feels like many people praise it so heavily for being an incredibly smart satire of society. Some even put it next to The Simpsons in terms of brilliant satire
>>144549633Another point people tend to ignore>Very few pop culture references as jokes. Compare SpongeBob to Fairly Odd Parents and it's night and day. The few there are still work if you don't understand the reference as absurdist humor.>Setting aesthetic was based off of the 50s/60s to help keep it timeless>Very few 'of the time' jokes. The only one in the OG run I can think is a single Joe Mama joke.The show has aged insanely well, something you can't say for Rocko's Modern Life. Not that that makes Rocko bad, but it comes off as less relatable and easy for modern audiences (particularly kids) to get into.
>>144549633Distinct underwater setting with a unique and buildings. The aesthetic of Bikini Bottom was familiar but also fairly unique for a cartoon.Humor was a good mix of wordplay, slapstick, and absurdist. It wasn't too gross, too reference heavy, or too mean spirited.Background music was very memorable and comfy. Also I think the original songs were also a big part of it. Some of the best songs made for a cartoon series. Most were very much tied to the story story emotional climax of the episode so they aren't just remembered out of context. When you think of Ripped Pants or the FUN Song you remember what happend in the episode too.
>>144549633Rocko appealed mostly to adults (I mean it was still entertaining for kids but you know.) Spongebob appeals to literally everyone.
>>144549708It definitely hurt the show and gave rise to Mr. Enter. But when Stephen came back the quality picked up. Even when he wasn't involved we still got a decent amount of good episodes, even some masterpieces.
>>144550410what are the best post season 4, pre second movie episodes?
>>144549708Stephen never "left", he just scaled back how involved he was in the show. He still saw every episode and gave notes.
>>144549806Considering that this show was the reason why shows like Spongebob and Phineas & Ferb (et al) existed and became the main network stable for so long that it overshadowed a show that started it all. Without it, there would be no spongebob, and shows like Rugrats would be presumably spammed by but not at the highest lengths as to what they did with Spongebob.
because the first two seasons of spongebob were better than the other three combined
>>144549737R+S was fucking huge at its peak, it just didn't have the kind of long-lasting legs that Spongebob did because its style of humor is more grounded in the 90s and the stuff about John K you mentioned. Early Spongebob's humor is a lot more timeless whereas in the pushing-boundaries culture of the 90s seeing Ren have a complete psychological breakdown every other episode was a big deal.
>>144549633Spongebob was simply better than most of those other shows, and it was unique.It's easy now to forget how completely original the premise and world and theming was for Spongebob when it came out, we've lived so long with it that it's aesthetic has cemented itself, but it was novel and one of a kind when it first aired.I mean, the combination of all things nautical (pirates, Hawai'ian imagery and music, modern boating things) Plus the creativity in the shaping of the houses, carboats, and making up new sports and concepts for the underwater world, it's enchanting really.Also Spongebob was very accessible, the humor is more universal than other shows. Shows like Rocko and other 1990s shows were geared perhaps a bit too much at adults and were too topical for widespread appeal. Some shows were way too wordy for the average child.Others like Ren and Stumpy were inherently divisive since their types of humor were things not everyone would enjoy. Some shows like Rugrats had poor premises which couldn't appeal to everyone, many kids wouldn't want to watch a show about babies in the case of that example.So Spongebob was just a show which appealed to the widest array of people while also being the best and most original kids show on air at that time.So it really caught on.
>>144549934>Very few pop culture references as jokesI'm thinking of the first few seasons, and frankly I think there are more 'alt culture' references than pop culture.>Spongebob reciting Ween lyrics>Ween performing that tying shoes song>Whatever that one reference in Squidward's Ghost is when they're moving Squidward around on his throne >Pantera is played in the extreme sports episode>Much of the music is licensed surf rock>A niche horror-themed surf rock recorded something for their Halloween special>Lux Interior of the Cramps sings the song the parrot band plays in that Patchy segment.It's especially odd to me, since I went through this psychobilly/surf rock phase, so I knew those musicians and bands. So when I watched the show again I was like "What the fuck, it's fucking Lux Interior, how did I never know this?"
>>144552217when i was a kid i always assumed they were friends with the creators
>>144549633ChildishSillyToyeticGirls loved himKids liked the silly adventures and memetic easy to remember simple art styleI mean in a lot of ways, spongebob(which was litterally just childish girly good burger under the sea and used the cartoon character made by another guy)is perfect The first season or two were actually forgetable shit.
>>144552234Well I know Stephen Hillenburg was a huge Ween fan, which is why they worked together.I don't know if he also liked surf rock, he might have, but his team may have just looked for surf rock musicians for the show to go with the aesthetic.Don't know how they got Lux Interior though, I guess maybe someone one the show was a fan of The Cramps.
>>144549806It was actually really really popular. Problem is that it was an MTV show stuck on Nickelodeon.
>>144549633Was the decision to premiere SpongeBob right after Rugrats (when SpongeBob officially premiered 2 months after it's sneak preview that aired right after Kids Choice Awards) have anything to do with Rugrats being Nick's biggest show during the second half of the 90s? Aside from CatDog, Nick premiered pretty much all their Nicktoons during 1996-1999 right after either a rerun or a new episode of Rugrats (Hey Arnold, KaBlam, Angry Beavers, Wild Thornberrys, SpongeBob, and Rocket Power)
Seeing SpongeBob in stuff where he's not meant to be the main attraction feels surreal. What a time capsule.
>>144552376Well that's just normal business, new shows are aired following popular established ones so that the most amount of people will be there to watch the new pilot.Many later shows on Nick did the same thing with Spongebob, being aired for the first time right after a Spongebob rerun
the first 3 seasons are better than all those shows, whats a wonder is why Ed, Edd n Eddy didn't reach the same height that shows just as good but I guess its more gender focused for boys
>>144552503EEnE wasn't as marketable plus the creator had more control over its production and put an end to it when he had to.
>>144552503Ed, Edd, & Eddy has less of a wide range of appeal than SpongeBob.Like EE&E is loud and virtually only focused on slapstick, which means plenty of adults won't really enjoy it.You're right to think it's more boy-centered too.That alone cuts the potential audience by a large amount
>>144552534Yeah you can't sell a toy of those characters, and if you did they'd do worse than a SpongeBob thing.
>>144549633Is Powerpuff Girls the Cartoon Network show that was the biggest at it's height of popularity? From what I understand, it was huge for during like 1999-2001 or so and it ended up getting to a billion dollars or something in terms of merch sales. The popularity though seemed to die down sometime in either 2002 or 2003 or something and the movie ended up performing poorly
>>144549633Genuinely really good season 1, hit so well with people it became big in internet culture as well as pop culture. It as an aesthetic that appeals to anyone regardless of gender or race
>>144552376>aside from CatDogWhy did Nick make the stupid mistake of not airing a Rugrats rerun or new episode right before CatDog's official premiere (months after it's sneak preview right after the Kids Choice Awards)? Let me guess, they expected CatDog to be huge so they felt they didn't need to air it right after Rugrats
>>144552534>>144552546yeah im still dumbfounded how many people are immediately turned off by the "ugly" art style when that style is what makes old cartoons far superior to newer ones, for me it was the friendship between the main characters if you grew up running around your neighborhood like adults didn't exist EEnE was your life
>>144549633What influenced Nick to want SpongeBob to be a kid who went to school leading to the compromise of where SpongeBob is still a childlike adult, but goes to boating school?
>>144552070This. Ren and Stimpy was to the 90s counterculture teen generation what Invader Zim was to 2000s emo/scenes/mallgoths. It wasn't small by any means.
>>144549633Bright colors and a unique aesthetic that isn't fucking ugly like previous water-themed cartoon shows. Being a yellow colored sponge made him incredibly different to the other cartoons, Pokemon was his only "yellow" rival. His uniqueness and simple design allowed him to easily be distinct in merchandises and popular in carnivals. Say what you want about the earlier seasons but any show could've been as good as spongebob but if they never had the financial success as spongebob, they won't last long. >>144552450>spongebob right next to the title and brandwhat a foreshadow
>>144553419They wanted SpongeBob to be relatable to kids and adults
>>144553450Invader Zim was a cult classic that completely failed to achieve mainstream success. It's probably the reason I love body horror but I get the impression I was weird for liking it without being a mall goth.
