SpongeBob and the Simpsons

I adore SpongeBob SquarePants and The Simpsons.

For some adults, SpongeBob on the TV appeared to be just noise, insipid. I think that's unfair. It was a great comedy series with charming characters and quotable lines. It was Stephen Hillenburg's (the creator and former marine biologist) way of expressing his love for marine life. It was surprising adult in some scenes and jokes, as is the case with several kids’ media. (For example, they have an episode wherein SpongeBob and Mr. Krabs believe they killed the health inspector and try to cover it up, burying his body.) Regarding the show as a whole, one internet personality theorized that part of the charm of the show was the differing perspectives between SpongeBob and Squidward. Squidward represented a cynical adulthood, while SpongeBob represented the naiveté and joy of childhood; both perspectives everyone could see themselves in. Kids were SpongeBob and grew up to become Squidward. This is not to dictate; adults still have those SpongeBob aspects and vice versa. SpongeBob sees the positive, and Squidward the negative. They were two perspectives, both, in a sense, equally valid. Just as Spongebob was sometimes blinded to be taken advantage of by Mr. Krabs' greed, Squidward was pretentious and often too much of a jerk to have fun. Yet they both had merits too. SpongeBob used his positive attitude to be a hard-worker, and Squidward, every occasional episode, would have some fun. Was SpongeBob SquarePants about pessimism vs. optimism? SpongeBob, Squidward, the underwater setting, the supporting cast, the rough yet classic animation, the comedic timing, and the perfectly simplistic plots for most episodes; all great.

One intriguing component SpongeBob has is that SpongeBob is both an adult and a kid. He has a childlike personality and demeanour. But he lives the life of an adult; he goes to boating school, he works, he doesn’t live with his parents. This component is no doubt part of the reason why it resonates to so many adults today. In the series, there were also many heartwarming moments of note. There's "Band Geeks" where SpongeBob rallies the citizens of Bikini Bottom in Squidward's band to make Squidward feel better against his rival, Squilliam Fancyson. It's a moment of complete happiness for Squidward and the cast when they play. Also, there's "Pizza Delivery". After SpongeBob and Squidward go on a whole journey to deliver Pizza, with Squidward being a sourpuss as usual. They finally arrive and SpongeBob delivers it, only for the customer to get angry that he didn't get a drink he didn't order, taking it out on SpongeBob and making him turn away and cry. Squidward takes the pizza, determination on his face, goes to this absolute troglodyte, and says "this one's on the house"; throwing it into his face, then telling SpongeBob that the customer happily took it. Or "Christmas Who?" where Squidward is a jerk most of the episode, mocking SpongeBob's Christmas attempt. Santa Claus doesn't show and SpongeBob is heartbroken, but gives Squidward his present. Squidward is so touched that he dresses up as Santa and gives away most of his belongings to keep up the facade. As you can tell, I have feelings. SpongeBob was a show about the simple joy of childhood, of life.

Another famous cartoon show I completely adore is The Simpsons. The Simpsons was absolutely brilliant. How is it that a somewhat scathing parody of America became an American staple? The humor works on multiple levels, watching it as a young adult instead of a child unlocks hidden layers, though it was still extremely entertaining as a child. This is also aided by the Simpsons incorporating all these different types of humor, which are then blended effectively: satire, slapstick, gag humor, parody, pastiche, wackiness, wordplay, and more.

It has been so very influential for animation, cartoons, politics, and television. I believe it would be fair to say that a lot of adult animation and animated sitcoms owe at least some inspiration to the Simpsons. The Simpsons perfected this suburban setting, the main family at the centre, surrounded by the large cast of all these zany and memorable characters. Springfield really feels like a community with all these different characters interacting and playing off each other.

The Simpsons was a mirror to society. A diverse cast in the town of Springfield is a good way of having different views expressed through the characters and how their distinct personalities and lives colour their perspective. Having episodes where certain background characters get their showcasing in the limelight is a merit of the show, allowing for variety.

The Simpsons dealt heavily with stereotypes, but a good deal of them are subverted. The show plays stereotypes straight, but all the significant characters are characters foremost. They make fun of every nationality and group (Cletus for hillbillies, Groundskeeper Willie for the Scottish, Apu for Hindu Indian immigrants, Luigi Risotto for Italians, Homer Simpson himself for Americans, Flanders for Christians, etc.) To some extent, every character is a stereotype. The characters are initially stereotypes, but become more fleshed out, as the audience spends more time with them. The Simpsons uses stereotypical humor and also subverts it.

Speaking of the whole Apu controversy, I believe that Apu himself was a fully fleshed-out character, through episodes like "Much Apu About Nothing", "The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons", and "Homer and Apu", among others. He was a somewhat unethical religious workaholic, friendly and loving when it called for it, but also stingy in certain situations. He was a successful individual. Though, I believe there is merit to the claim that the humor that people take away from the character, is not the humor derived from the character himself, but the humor from the stereotype the Simpsons wishes to subvert in the first place. People who just think that he has a funny accent and nothing else.

The Simpsons was emotionally powerful. It also talked about social issues. They talked about LGBT+ rights, immigration and scapegoating, the environment, guns, elections, corruption, vegetarianism, and more than can be listed. One particular episode I think of was the episode “Lisa the Vegetarian”. The episode both discusses vegetarianism fairly and develops Lisa Simpson, an iconic representation of virtue. What a great character. Also, the show could be really touching with episodes like "'Round Springfield" (Bart gives away his lawsuit money to help Lisa buy the album of her deceased mentor, which she then plays to every radio in Springfield.) or "Stark Raving Dad". (Bart makes a song for Lisa's birthday present.) The first nine seasons are the true Simpsons. Then, it began its famous decline, becoming a bloated parody of itself. Having gone far beyond beating a dead horse; it's sad how they have fallen.


Similarly, for Spongebob it's only the first three seasons and the movie that are good, everything after that is soulless. Nickelodeon found their success and became dependent on the sponge, drying everything else up. I feel bad for some kids who haven't experienced the true SpongeBob experience, instead witnessing these obnoxious imposters written by a corporation instead of people. It's worth noting that the series went through a change in writers after the first movie. The fandom claims that the episodes now are slightly better, but they don't seem to come close to classic SpongeBob. Both SpongeBob and The Simpsons became a victim of their own success, and have gone on far too long, desperately trying to recreate that sweet victory.

Furthermore, an aspect of both shows that has been lost over time is their down-to-earth nature.

The Simpsons were a family dealing with regular issues and normal family conflicts. SpongeBob is similar. The first episode of The Simpsons is Homer realising he doesn’t have enough money to get his family gifts for Christmas. There are down-to-earth issues; sibling fights, dealing with loss, finance trouble, parent-child conflict, terrible jobs and terrible schooling.

The first episode of SpongeBob is SpongeBob getting a job. Many episodes in the first three seasons are designed so that when one removes the underwater aesthetic, it’s something you could see in real-life. Squirrel Jokes and Ripped My Pants are about a friend not realising how insensitive their actions are. Tea at the Treedome is about the necessity of communication between friends and how SpongeBob suffers because he’s afraid to ask for something he needs from Sandy. Stuff with Squidward at the Krusty Krab is about the mundanity of shitty jobs.

It’s possible to have fantastical components in these series and have it still be good. There are some great episodes of both series that get fairly fantastical, but the strength of that down-to-earth component cannot be understated. For so long since the classic episodes, both shows have been so completely removed away from anything relatable.

On another note, both classic episodes and modern episodes have Squidward suffering. But it’s only funny in the classic series. Because Squidward has done something bad to make his suffering feel karmic. You can understand where Squidward is coming from, but it’s also funny because he acts like a jerk and the suffering he goes through is cathartic for the audience. Contrasting this, the modern episodes are purely mean-spirited and cynical. Squidward suffers simply for being Squidward. It’s miserable. It’s like the writers try to relive the humor of earlier episodes, but forget that things need to be set-up. SpongeBob is so popular that they’ve accepted the common tropes of SpongeBob, like that Squidward usually suffers, without knowing that those tropes need to be set-up in the story.

Regarding popular culture, interestingly enough, both these shows are very prominent in meme culture. Anyone can search SpongeBob or Simpson memes and be overloaded. It could be said that they partially created meme culture. Both these shows are about the mundanity of everyday suburban life disguised in a cartoon setting. That aspect, as well as the brilliant writing, can make the series very applicable and relatable, in a strange cartoony way. It's absolutely incredible that both shows have had such an impact on popular culture and people's 'childhood', to be remembered and quoted even now. That's timelessness.