Infamous SpongeBob SquarePants Controversies

Even with the huge popularity this Nickelodeon cartoon has reached, it hasn't stopped the character from being the subject of several issues over the years.

[@DougBurgum4VP]

Hillenberg was once asked if SpongeBob was gay, he answered that sponges are asexual

[@colonelspicymustard]

exactly why he was in the pride tweet!

[@numbuh1507]

I think he meant they reproduce asexually. Despite this, SpongeBob has two parents.

[@IanThatMetalBassist]

Asexual but not aromantic

[@neuravanny]

Always love to see some ace rep!

[@HeihachiMishima_]

Lol

[@toamatoro570]

I remember the playground rumors of SpongeBob and Patrick being gay. I asked my parents about it once and both responded with "If anyone on that show is gay it's Squidward".

[@shinygiveaways1920]

I see it honestly, he likes culture and dresses well.

[@CommanderWiggins]

Ok now that I think about it they definitely have a point.

[@StellaStarzzz]

That made me laugh lmao,

[@homogenicmp3]

Lmao

[@mikefrost5575]

I mean... he does have a robe that looks exactly like Squilliam's...

[@flowerzforsaturn]

The SpongeBob being gay controversy is a prime example of adults creating problems out of nothing. As a kid I never wondered or cared about his sexuality I only ended hearing about the rumor from classmates who heard it from adults. Romance in general was never really a big point in the series. I only remember about 4 episodes dealing with romance and only one of those was with SpongeBob and it was with a krabby patty… The funny thing is I remember a lot of kids thinking SpongeBob was dating Sandy or at least shipped them

[@pufflepoint]

That just goes to show the damage that seeming harmless sterotypes can do.

[@SheilaDeBonis]

He definitely has a lot of romantic intentions with Sandy in the earlier seasons, and the show was pitched as them being a hinted couple, so he's probably biromantic I guess, as he also has some attraction to Patrick with "Rock-a-bye Bivalve" and other episodes. But he doesn't exactly need sex not only because he is childish, but also because he is a sponge. "Sponges can reproduce by budding!" Remember?

[@TheGodIvy]

In the "truth or square" special, when everyones stuck in the vents, spongebob asks everyone if they remember the time him and Sandy got married

[@LilXancheX]

@@TheGodIvy oh yeah i remember that one. Me and my friends were talking about it in 4th grade. They even asked me to draw spongebob and sandy kissing 🤣

[@racheljackson4428]

you know what? so did i. i often ship them but most of the time i ship Spongebob and Pearl.

[@tylertriezenberg1399]

The irony of spongebob balloons being stolen. Maybe people just thought it was national free balloon day

[@Mrnotpib]

All november? Well, that cold air is bracing, isn’t it?

[@spongebobfan78]

@@Mrnotpib Well, the "National No SpongeBob Day" was supposed to be a single day and it took the citizens several weeks before returning to a paranoid, ax-wielding SpongeBob. Maybe those people celebrated National Free Balloon Day too much that it extended.

[@brasun9802]

heheeheheeheheheeheheheh i have 3 kids in my freezer hehehehehehehehehehehehhee

[@Liplarnap]

@@brasun9802 wha...

[@livingdeadmedia2192]

Leave the Internet lol

[@UltimaJC]

The "is spongebob gay" controversy was one of the dumbest things that my parents ever fell for along with the Pokemon is Satanic bullshit.

[@yourcordialvermillionchapw2398]

Tell me about it. I hate how some basterdize the use of religion for their own self centered gain sometimes, it's a very low blow.

[@mightyfilm]

It's actually even dumber than you think. It's basically a case of 2 organizations with a similar name and a bunch of dumbass busybodies getting the websites confused. And instead of admitting they made a mistake, they doubled down with the same old Orwellian "popular things are bad because they indoctrinate when that's OUR job" business.

[@theace7002]

Me watching SpongeBob as a little kid...... Me now being pansexual"these events have nothing to do with each other"

[@jacksonteller3973]

my parents bought into the "Harry Potter is EEEEEEEEVIL" bullcrap, course now they're probably asskissing JKR since she came out as a TERF.

[@alexiskuwata]

​@@theace7002 Yo! Another Pansexual that watched SpongeBob 🙌

[@Murhuedur]

I think it's really sad that we can't have a male character breaking out of stereotypical masculinity without people thinking he's gay :c

[@JadeiteMcSwag]

yeah it's super cringe

[@gracekim25]

I thought for sure that people don’t like stereotypes 😅 I’m just surprised people like to stereotype based on voice and body language 😶

[@SirBlackReeds]

Can you even define stereotypical masculinity?

[@mystiikl8442]

@@SirBlackReeds big giant huge muscles

[@luckyinky7849]

​@@SirBlackReeds not liking "woman things" (playing with dolls, having no muscles, liking pink...) , only liking "men things" (sports, playing with tanks, wearing every color that exists except pink...)

[@mind-of-neo]

Imagine being taken to court for taking an advertising balloon 💀

[@jeremyriley1238]

Well, Burger King restaurants who had them did have to pay money to get them.

[@BlazeHeartPanther]

On Free Balloon Day too.

[@Kyumifun]

​​@@BlazeHeartPantherlmao i forget the litterally was an episode about this

[@thecreepoid901]

Thing is, the story about the child drowning at sea trying to find Spongebod reminds me of a much older story, about a family on a cruise ship with a kid and a newborn. The newborn would constantly cry, and the mother said that if the baby cried anymore she was going to throw him out of the porthole, with the other kid present to hear it. She goes to take care of something for a few minutes, hears the baby crying... and suddenly silence. She rushes back, to find the older kid just playing with some toy... and the porthole open.

[@roswellxo9214]

Yoooooooooo wait what?!? Lmao

[@dr.pepper9996]

That's tragic

[@Rey_Palpatine]

Is that a real incident or an urban legend? Dang

[@thecreepoid901]

@@Rey_Palpatine its an urban legend

[@Joel-kd1hq]

i don't have anything related, but i was also a kid who could have drowned trying to meet SpongeBob. my mom watched it since it came out and i was born 4 years after the start, so i watched a lot really since i could. i was 3 or 4 and was sitting by the ocean, just about 3 inches deep, so my mom was a few feet back, taking some photos. a particularly big wave (not huge, just about 8 inches) came and started to pull me in. i remember i was like "eh whatever I'll go meet the fish i guess" and just started to let it take me until my mom saw me. was incredibly stupid haha

[@Ekraelum]

I grew up with SpongeBob, and I never even questioned if he was gay or anything. I just saw him as a fun little cartoon sponge who made me laugh. And, even if he were (he's actually asexual though, at least biologically), who cares? That doesn't make him any less funny or wholesome as a character, he just happens to not be hetero. Like, literally who cares 😕 [edit]: the Burger King commercial is so cursed, but its extremely funny FOR being cursed. It never aired here in México but I ended up watching it when I discovered what cursed commercials were lol

[@Waveburd]

My man SpongeBob is straighter than an arrow.

[@Imaslutforpuns]

⁠@@Waveburd rule 34 would disagree with you on that lol

[@Vulpas]

Degenerate if he's not straight

[@DIASTCartoons]

I was the same way as you growing up. I didn't care if Spongebob was gay or not. However, my parents, siblings, and cousins would always question Spongebob's sexuality to the point they would sometimes get upset about me watching the show. They also blamed any sort of sensitive reactions (certain sounds and touches bother me) such as me twitching from frozen leaves touching the back of my neck on Spongebob's mannerisms. My brother and cousin even denied Hillinburg's response to the question to justify their headcanon about Spongebob being gay.

[@robertjohnson2916]

When I was nine years old I did legitimately notice Spongebob and Patrick acting gay for multiple reasons.

[@nickmoney]

How is this for a controversy? SpongeBob isn't square at all, he's rectangular since four sides aren't equal lengths.

[@GumSkyloard]

No.. No, this can't be!!

[@nickmoney]

@@GumSkyloard The math checks out, in fact SpongeBob might even be a Quadrilateral since top of head and pants aren't always symmetrical. I'm joking btw since these controversies are dumb, I had to come up with a dumber one.

[@GumSkyloard]

@@nickmoney How dare Nick lie to us all these years, about such a fundamental human truth!! I'm just joking as well, it's fun to sometimes play along with the ol funny comments.

[@nickmoney]

@@GumSkyloard As a fellow Nick, I'm very disappointed in Nickelodeon's decisions for misinformation. Please do not judge all Nick's or assume misinformation as a whole, we'll address this at the next quarterly summit along with Santa's alleged working conditions and improper allocation of donations during holidays.

[@nickmoney]

@NES Nickelodeon is lying to you. That's why..

[@thatonespinster]

I genuinely think the reason why so many people thought there was a squidward transformation scene was because there was one for spongebob. After all if he got one, why wouldn't squidward have one too? It's easy to imagine that idea in your head and make a false memory. I wasn't even old enough to see the original airing, but around the time the rumor circulated, I was able to imagine the scene as if it existed.

[@Greenleaf_]

So many false memories are just based on logic like with the Mandela effect. If it makes sense for something to exist then some people will remember it that way and others can be easily influenced into thinking like that too.

[@CluelessCarter]

It's like the krusty krab training video. At the end of the episode the narrator is about to tell spongebob the ingredients/secret formula of the krabby patty. But right as he was about to explain it the episode ends. However, as a child I recalled that the narrator named some of the ingredients in a krabby patty before he got to the meat, and other viewers remembered it like this too. Even though it never happened. I believe that since the secret formula is one of the most heavily guarded topics in the show, as a kid I really wanted to pay attention to the ingredients the narrator was going to list. So my brain started to list some obvious ingredients, like the patty, tomatoes, pickles, etc. I imagined the ingredients being said in the narrator's voice too! Being so into the episode in that moment made me want to "continue" the episode in my head, at least a few more lines. I believe other viewers were likely affected by the same phenomenon that made them believe the same as me.

[@fernandobanda5734]

@@CluelessCarter Does the narrator never name the ingredients? Because I remember it too. If it isn't the case, I'm sure we're being confused by the episode in which SpongeBob forgets how to do a Krabby Patty, where they do name the ingredients (I think multiple times) and we end up mixing those memories.

[@tiablue9106]

I think it makes total sense to skip squidward transforming bc we already saw spongebob transform. once we see squidward got stuck w/ the plasma we know what's gonna happen to him so we can cut right to him as a snail on the fence. makes sense to me, even when I was younger

[@limerobloxgaming8567]

😂tru

[@GribbleGob]

parents are 100% to blame if their kid doesn't understand that cartoons are fiction or if something like sand can suffocate someone.

[@Cain-rp4zp]

What if the child is 3

[@GribbleGob]

@@Cain-rp4zp What kind of idiot parent leaves a three year old alone long enough to choke on something?

[@Imaslutforpuns]

If I remember correctly hillenberg himself said “we never intended the cast to be gay or straight. I consider them to be almost asexual. We’re just trying to be funny and this has nothing to do with the show” based answer imo 💀

[@Vulpas]

Back when things were normal

[@Imaslutforpuns]

@@Vulpas things were never normal just less chaotic lol

[@marxmarxmarxmarxmarx]

@@Vulpas do you actively use tiktok?

[@bloodhound1182]

Did u even watch the video he said that

[@Imaslutforpuns]

@@bloodhound1182 i commented this before I got to that part lol also dude the top comment on this video literally says what I said but more simple who cares

[@TeaRektum]

This immediately made me remember that scene where sponge bob was told by Mr.Krabs that he looks like a girl in a demeaning manner and spongebob replied happly with a "Am i a pretty girl?" LMAO

[@BlazeHeartPanther]

"Well, umm, you're beautiful"

[@im_dead_ghost]

His thought process: “If I’m a girl I might as well be a pretty one” :)

[@mightyfilm]

There is ONE more controversy and I'm surprised it wasn't mentioned. This one annoyed the crap out of me at the time. A group called "Commercial Free Childhood" not only lead a major pressure campaign, but also sued Nickelodeon for the existence of (get this) Spongebob cereal. Now while there's a point in how kid's food has a lot of sugar in it and marketing that junk food to kids, the way this group went about came off as lazy, inept parents that hated the fact their kids wanted things and had tantrums for not getting it. You know something kids generally tend to do with ANYTHING regardless of what the product was. And while their crusade also went after Happy Meals and such, this was the ONLY thing they sued over and technically won, because the cereal was pulled from shelves soon after. Though that's mostly because it was a cereal that tied into the movie, and another cereal managed to pop up a few years later.

[@kingkoopa64]

To me. Merch and product of tv shows or movies or games help preserve a series for generations because there are physical objects that can be perserve without the internet.

[@mightyfilm]

@@kingkoopa64 I have absolutely no problem with merch of any kind, and kids would love candy colored sweet things regardless of Spongebob or anyone else on the package. But the Parental Rights Group that sued over the cereal didn't sue over "this is making our kids unhealthy" or "you're using pressure techniques to sell something dangerous to kids," but rather "we don't like how our kids want us to buy this and having to tell them no and having them act like any child who barely knows better, and it's YOUR fault as the copyright holders." They even issued a press release stating how this wasn't a frivolous law suit when it clearly was. Of course, not too long later Nick tried to put Spongebob and Dora on packages of vegetables, and that lasted a whole almost a year. Putting a character on something sweet and pleasant to a kid is a hat on a hat, putting them on bitter veggies doesn't really move the needle.

[@SheilaDeBonis]

It sounds like this was more of a win by proxy because the cereal was planned to be limited edition anyway.

[@mightyfilm]

@@SheilaDeBonis I'd say they claimed victory on that, even if it was unintentional, but the fact they were threatening to sue probably scared the hell out of Kelloggs anyway. And while there is something to be said for sugar content in kid's cereals, at LEAST they aren't posing as healthy options like adult cereal does. Count Chocula shouldn't have less sugar than Raisin Bran, but it does. And frankly ANY cereal with marbits in them a kid would scream and cry for in a supermarket. Back then, parents didn't have the smartphones to throw in the cart and put on some YT Kids nonsense to distract them. So if you take a kid to somewhere where they'd want something, regardless of cartoon marketing, they're kinda wanting to get something. That's a parental learning curve. It's just like the parents found some "won't someone think of the children" performative reasoning for being inept. You kinda HAVE to let the kid act like a brat now and then, because that's how they learn.

[@orcashadow8989]

Squidward's transformation seems more like something that came from the mandela effect rather than simple lost media.

[@Nakia11798]

It came from dumb child minds misremembering. I watched the episode on first airing and it was never there

[@slimcognito383]

No matter what time period it is there will always be people saying don’t expose kids to this it will turn them gay. Even though there’s never any evidence to back it up. Especially when people are grasping at straws to claim a character is evil for being gay

[@supermariof0521]

Thing is these bigoted assholes don't care about evidence, and instead only care about their agenda harming people and things they don't like.

[@StellaStarzzz]

Omg fr, ppl like that are so annoying. They just take anything even with no lgbtqa+ contents in it and say "don't show ur kids this or epse the'll be gay" bla bla bla bla, no it doesn't like bro. Do they know that gay ppl exist irl? Do they know that gay kids exist too? And plus it's better to expose them to make them understand better

[@neon_bite]

Stephen Hillenburg said that he thought all the characters in the show were "mostly asexual", because this is a CHILDREN'S show and none of the characters need to have a SEXUALITY. People create controversy over the dumbest, most silly shit. It drives me nuts.

[@missplayer30]

I guess this completely nullify the idea that SpongeBob is actually ace (Like everyone said), if he said that everyone is like that in the show. "Almost" to boot.

[@BlazeHeartPanther]

Nowadays, certain people (on twitter mostly) demand that companies make characters with sexualities so that they feel more "represented" otherwise you'd be classified as "homophobic"

[@RichConnerGMN]

sexuality ≠ sex yeah, it's kinda a misnomer...

[@ellesimmons730]

There's one that I've heard a lot of people parrot which is that SpongeBob caused their kids ADHD. Most of the time people are half joking. That's not how ADHD works though.

[@vanillaownschocolate7327]

hearing lssq calmly describe the events and lyrics of the burger king "square butts" commercial without cracking up once is sending me rn

[@StevenHawkingsSpitrag]

Sending you where?

[@9adorechan7]

ik its kinda late reply but it basically means that it made them laugh really hard lol ​@@StevenHawkingsSpitrag

[@IwillloveY4ever]

I think the "I was a teenage Gary" scene never really existed, just because we as young kids probably confused spongebobs transformation and figured Squidward went through the same process, making us really think it existed....child minds are weird and wonderous things

[@cy1763]

Yes, the “SpongeBob is a character with no needs for introduction” meme remains strong

[@Lengineer360]

I just a deep fried a mouse

[@spicycrisps]

Same

[@MrMario995]

Are you KFC

[@Spongyboi897]

okay

[@bigdro5227]

Finally someones cookin

[@SMFH999]

W

[@Mephitinae]

Small correction: Stephen Hillenberg first confirmed that Spongebob was not gay in 2002, so it was known long before 2005.

[@pinetrees92]

its unnecessary to apply a sexuality to a character in a show that doesnt explore sexual identity

[@hunterberryhill2477]

The "SpongeBob is gay" controversy is the most perfect example of looking for a reason to be upset

[@Mothman69-ic2co]

Boowomp

[@NathanSpies]

This is one of the things that happens when you have a show running forever Aside from never being able to end there comes controversies

[@AmusingLuis]

its funny that you mentioned the "Square Butts" commercial, I really never knew it was controversial as I was just 10 when the commercial came out. so I remember seeing this commercial a lot of times. while yes it did have a short life span, I just think it stopped airing because the spongebob promotion ended. i remember seeing the commercials during the afternoons and evenings on Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon. as a 10 year old who saw it at the time. i never saw it as sexual or anything. it was provocative yeah, but they never went too far with it. I thought it was a pretty memorable commericial just for goofy it was.

[@10.ikadekanandadwipayadnya83]

I just remembered the scene when he was delivering pizza while singing and he starts shaking his butt and its litteral squares, so i thought "oh...that makes sense"

[@wilsonweiseng6485]

ass a kid i thought " haha butt jokes funny", didn't know people got so mad about it

[@KylerWulff]

I was 12 and even I never saw it as provocative or anything, just silly and goofy.

[@Account_Not_Applicable]

I remember seeing the "I Like Square Butts" commercial on tv back then, but I remember finding it "cringe" (before I even knew what cringe was). Like advertizing a BK kids meal with a song that hit its peak years before comes across as out of touch in the part of the advertisers, more so than inappropriate. Also, a lot of kids my age were familiar with "Baby Got Back" but just because of the "I like big butts and I cannot lie" part, with the rest flying over our heads. A lotta songs kids liked back then flew over our heads aside from the catchy parts, like "Who Let the Dogs Out?" or "Hey Ya!" (Which, fun fact, got a Kids Choice Award for Favorite Song, while containing the lyric "don't wanna meet your mama; just wanna make you cum-a"

[@re-huvane5622]

I believe it was the end segment from the original Shrek VHS that introduced my age group to that song

[@StevenHawkingsSpitrag]

Reminds me of when The Weeknd got a teen choice award for “I can’t feel my face” which is about cocaine. 😂

[@ARDIZsq]

I think the Squidward transformation scene is fascinating, because I feel like I would have seen it as a kid, but I was born in '02, years after it would have supposedly been taken out of the episode. Like, when I first heard about it, I went "Yeah, I remember that scene," but it just doesn't exist. It's so strange. I guess it's because most of us who saw the episode initially were kids at the time, and seeing SpongeBob's transformation and the ending scene with Snail Squidward kind of meshed together in our minds, leading to this mass Mandela Effect of sorts. Strange how our imaginations can so vividly create memories that never existed in the first place.

[@warriorseamonkey1693]

My dad remembers being in a Burger King or something, (around the time of Sponge out of Water so I was like 9) and they had Spongebob toys and he asked for one in my happy meal. Person in line looks at him and says her kids arent allowed to watch it saying "I dont trust that sponge"

[@dumdumsponge6568]

Sigh parents

[@Mauripsu]

"Cool. 2 toys then, I'll pay extra"

[@CommanderWiggins]

"I don't trust that sponge" is so funny to me

[@StevenHawkingsSpitrag]

And then all the cooks came out from the kitchen and clapped before giving out free happy meals to all the homeless people.

[@warriorseamonkey1693]

@@StevenHawkingsSpitrag Oh my god maybe your life is just boring. This actually happened and isnt even that unbelivable.

[@nostalgiamationstudios8649]

It’s crazy how some cartoons can face some infamy

[@Fuzhou]

The thumbnail made me laugh for 10 minutes straight.

[@thrwonenjoyer]

"Straight" 💀

[@jacksonguillory8114]

​@@thrwonenjoyer""straight" 💀" 🤓

[@TheAckeePlant]

1:51 I love how a dude with the last name “Susman” is writing about whether a sponge is gay or not lol

[@ntcnetwork9934]

I left the comment before, but weird personal trivia fact, the director of the Square Butts commercial was my aunt’s partner at one point. They keep in touch, or at least did around 2009, which is how I know it was him.

[@mazda9624]

A scene of Squidward transforming into a snail would have *completely* thrown off the pacing/comedic timing of that scene change from him getting injected to him being a snail. I have no idea why anyone ever thought that was real.

[@TheGamingVillas]

I think it's just an internet urban legend combined with false memories. People have held wrong beliefs before. Even about their own life experiences.

[@julienicol9202]

Technically speaking, the Squidward transformation scene likely wouldn’t have existed to begin with. It would be redundant to go through another character’s same type of transformation since SpongeBob was already shown going through it. The same process would have probably happened to Squidward. To make the plot as good as it is in the existing episode they would have wanted to leave it out because in this case the redundancy wouldn’t have been as funny as the transformation process that SpongeBob went through was slower than a situation that you would want to repeat for comedic purposes would be, I know that it was kind of a terrifying episode but for a comedy show (even if it happens to be a kids’ one) comedic timing is everything, especially if you are SpongeBob in 1999 and the early,to beginning of the mid 2000’s (if this episode came later the Squidward transformation scene might have happened, I find that the more recent shows 2015, 2016, 2017 and on, had taken on “Repetition is always funny” as it’s motto and as a result a bit of the quality of the jokes and plot line has gone down in my opinion.

[@raptorskilltor4554]

Fun fact: based on the SpongeBob pitch bible SpongeBob was supposed to date sandycheeks

[@yourcordialvermillionchapw2398]

It may further support the fact that in some official guide: SB may have had a thing for Sandy, but it seemed personal so he crossed it out or something, been awhile since I seen it.

[@almond3066]

Yeah, it was before she even had a name, she was nicknamed as "SpongeBob's girlfriend" but one of the writers I believe said that it would have limited her character, because she would have been basically boxed as just being the girlfriend I think they made the right call imo

[@Eddy-xc4ni]

It's definitely hinted at somewhat in her early episodes With spongebob getting jealous of larry and kinda "dating" her with picnics and her introduction

[@kildaver]

...the fact that SpongeBob has, "Property of Sandy Cheeks" written on his butt supports this theory...

[@poweroffriendship2.0]

In _Truth or Square,_ Spongebob married Sandy Cheeks only for someone to interrupt their wedding. So, he really had a thing with Sandy. He's just never showed it.

[@nernerman]

Big Smoke: All you had to do was steal the Spongebob inflatable!

[@OneAndOnlyDanky]

Man I sure do love how a character being gay is a controversy, thanks society

[@edouchan]

"is spongebob gay" like he hadnt been thirsting over sandy in the first few seasons, literally getting worked up over what he thought was a date when they introduced her

[@minaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa]

i still remember the trauma i had because my mom never let me watch spongebob as a kid because squidward said "shut up" and because "spongebob was gay",,,,

[@StellaStarzzz]

💀💀 💀💀💀💀💀💀

[@minaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa]

@@StellaStarzzz i honestly wish i was joking

[@imtyler99yearsago90]

"Every other word is acceptable, but that word $hu+ up, that's just too far!"

[@supermariof0521]

One instance from the show that SHOULD'VE made parents upset but didn't was the episode "One Course Meal" which basically glorified suicide by showing Plankton laying on the road to get run over and nobody taking it seriously.

[@liltree8382]

Just because a cartoon makes a suicide joke does not means it’s glorifying suicide

[@supermariof0521]

@@liltree8382 Yeah but the episode itself seemed to do so.

[@StevenHawkingsSpitrag]

@@supermariof0521 you alphabet people sure do like to read too deep into menial things lmao

[@piss7610]

@@StevenHawkingsSpitrag dafuq is an alphabet person lol

[@IceePhoenix]

​@@piss7610they are referring to the LGBT+ community, which some people nickname "The Alphabet Mafia". I really don't even get why they brought it up, what does the LGBT+ community have to do with anything and why is that commenter just assuming that someone else is part of the LGBT+ community without knowing anything about them? Some people need to get off the internet and touch grass.

[@numbuh1507]

Lender: SpongeBob is a kid ... Manchild, not an actual child.

[@ammiebaker2911]

When you were talking about the police and you showed the fish cops from the show i smiled so hard.. you truly are a wonder!

[@yourcordialvermillionchapw2398]

The cops on that day trying to lighten the mood: *_"But it's not even Free Ballon Day guys!"_*

[@ammiebaker2911]

@@yourcordialvermillionchapw2398 thank u for that comment as well!! Just smiled hard again.. lolol

[@Stuarts_youtubepage]

Imagine being ratted out for $20. That made me laugh hard.

[@rainbowphoenix1363]

I still think the "lost squidward transformation scene" thing is hilarious, because it sounds like people were trying to say that they, as Americans, saw a Polish recording of a spongebob episode that randomly became storyboards at one point, all because one transition looked weird to them.

[@mariajimenafigueroa233]

Spongebob sure has a wild history when it comes from Burger King marketing

[@xx_hann_art_xx]

My best friend from grade schools mom was a burger king manager and owned one of those giant sponge Bob inflatables. Every birthday party my friend had they would inflate the SpongeBob and put it in the front yard

[@galaxyglow5187]

That is legit so wholesome!

[@jacksonteller3973]

One of my classmates in high school told me that whole "a kid died trying to find Spongebob" story and even back then I thought it was fake.

[@josueproductions5007]

10:14 Gotta love how it says “Spongebob ‘Gone’ Pants”

[@bunny_galaxy]

Spongebob is an adult, not a kid. The creator had to fight tooth and nail to make him an adult. (In regards to the "he's a kid so he doesn't know what sex is). He can be asexual but homoromantic or biromantic. He could wanna date but not like sex or feel attraction that way

[@marxmarxmarxmarxmarx]

Yeah that’s what the point of the movie was (love the movie btw 👌)

[@bunny_galaxy]

@@marxmarxmarxmarxmarx I always hated the "he's a kid" argument. He is an adult, he lives by himself and has a job. He imagined marrying Sandy but I didn't hear the people who argued "he's a kid" there. Only when he is implied to have a crush on Squidward or when he and Patrick pretended to be literally married while raising Junior do people try and say that -_-

[@marxmarxmarxmarxmarx]

@@bunny_galaxy exactly, they completely disregard what the creator said and try to make up issues? So what if he’s gay or straight or whatever, he’s a adult and he can do as he pleases 🙄

[@bunny_galaxy]

@@marxmarxmarxmarxmarx also people seemed to forget Asexuality is a spectrum and is an umbrella term. Not every asexual is aromantic. Some asexuals want the other stuff relationships offer but not sex. Anyways happy pride month to my favorite biromantic asexual sponge man

[@gracekim25]

I honestly don’t care what his romantic alignment is. He’s SpongeBob.

[@mattwolf7698]

5:15 Unless you are in Florida, a teacher literally got fired down there for showing Strange World (it has two gay characters in it) that state is insane.

[@gracekim25]

Jesus!😰 that’s not called for at all. It’s just a movie

[@supermariof0521]

Florida. Where humanity goes to die.

[@GribbleGob]

We don't talk about florida.

[@hduniverse1631]

Florida and Texas are not really known for being the most accepting states.

[@neon_bite]

I live in Florida, they banned Captain Underpants here. We live in hell.

[@BlinksAwakening]

"I consider him to almost be asexual." Considering he's literally a sponge, that's probably exactly what SpongeBob would actually be.

[@piggybankvillan]

I think a lot of people are just confusing the Spongebob transformation scene with Squidward instead.

[@Sataesim]

i saw the spongebob BK commercial as a kid... and yeah, i didn't even understand the sexual context about it. i just thought it was weird - and funny that they all had square butts. some people gotta remember that this is the same era where when i was in elementary school, the radio the school bus would play would literally play S&M by rihanna and they wouldn't even change the station because they knew we wouldn't even understand what the song was talking about.

[@softestmelody]

Funny thing, I have a toy from that burger king collab and remember that commercial vividly. Good times

[@squeaky_window3552]

I remember watching the BK commercial as a kid, I thought it was hilarious. I think it was aired later on at night and was a frequent ad from what I remember.

[@gracekim25]

These other stories are mad 😶 thank you for covering it😅

[@Trillyana]

Is he...you know....[SpongeBob arm gesture]

[@Feurigel1806]

I know the Squidward transformation scene discussion from Mandela Effect videos XD The episode was the scariest for me as a kid, but I can remember watching it back when it first aired in Germany and I can tell you 100% that there was no Squidward transformation shown on screen XD The Spongebob transformation already scared me way too much, but the transformation of squidward is something I remember as funny, since he was just like "oh no" and then there's the cut with them on the fence :'D If there would have been a transformation shwon again the end would have scared me a second time ^^'' But having a cut, made it at least funny and not scary XD

[@meepshmeep6445]

i remember my mom telling me about the child drowning story as a kid, i believed it for so long, and it definitely scared me into not attempting something like that

[@Top10Dylan]

You didn't once think of asking your mom on her source of that?

[@DLSBA]

@@Top10Dylan Not everyone is born as a reddit user :(

[@Top10Dylan]

@@DLSBA ??

[@bidoof367]

@@Top10Dylan why would a kid think to do that???

[@Top10Dylan]

@@bidoof367 I would've done that. Maybe I was just a smart 7 year old, but if my mom told me something as ridiculous as that I'd ask where she got that from.

[@Bradyboy3211]

I stopped this video to go watch the Square butts ad. Gotta say that is probably the single greatest ad/ music video from Burger King.

[@josh_da_hippie8448]

He’s a childish adult, that doesn’t make him gay

[@StellaStarzzz]

Exactly,

[@whenpigsfly_lemmeoink]

Well that's where you're wrong.

[@josh_da_hippie8448]

@@whenpigsfly_lemmeoink So all childish people are gay?

[@josh_da_hippie8448]

@@whenpigsfly_lemmeoink that’s what I thought

[@ARDIZsq]

Man, I remember seeing that BK Spongebob ad on TV, and it was hilarious, and probably awoke something inside me XD. I watched it as a kid, which would have been the mid to late 2000's, and I'm almost certain it was on Nickelodeon, since I would ALWAYS watch Fairly OddParents as a kid. I know for a fact I saw it on TV because I didn't even know what KZbin was until years after seeing the ad as a kid. I also remember how awkward it was because my mom was in the next room over and it felt like the ad went on forever. XD

[@caitlinabbott7895]

2:46 As referenced in Bo Burnham's song My Whole Family (Thinks I'm Gay) "My whole family now suspects That watching Spongebob had side-effects"

[@CAPNOMINOUS]

I really enjoy your video style and the way you deliver the information. I only hope one day my video style will be of the same quality. Wonderful video LSuperSonic.

[@BroadcastboiRedYTLOL]

People question if SpongeBob is gay,and that’s controversial,but Clyde’s parents in the Loud house are legitimately gay and draw no attention?! How?!!?

[@StellaStarzzz]

Fr

[@LordArikado]

Because The Loud House isn't nearly the pop culture staple that SpongeBob is. It's one of those cases where it's only been a frequent target of controversies from "concerned parents" because it's so mainstream and heavily marketed/promoted that they've actually heard of it, unlike most of the Nickelodeon lineup.

[@CECGuy_]

I feel like the I Was A Teenager Gary deleted scene was just a false memory. I mean, it’s strange that so many people remember it, but it was in the original airing and there was no storyboard. Could it have been an idea while coming coming up with the story, yes. But It probably didn’t make it through the thought process. It’s very easy to have false memories. I had this one where Spongebob told Patrick “check this out” and then he took his head off. I then realized that would never happen

[@JamesLawner]

I can recall seeing the Gary ep like back in the early 2000s at least, and I don’t remember seeing a Squidward transformation sequence at all. I do remember the Spongebob transformation sequence and I remember being creeped out by the ep overall. Also, I think I can remember being grateful that there wasn’t a sequence for Squidward. I think people’s imagination at the time filled in the blanks and now they all swear that they saw something.

[@Angie_bae]

I think he might swing both. Patrick and SpongeBob acted like parents for a baby clam, and also I can tell both SpongeBob and Patrick seem to fixate on Sandy as well. Patrick rubbing sunscreen on Sandy’s back or when SpongeBob is willing to bend over backward for anything sandy wants, even first pilot episode he went over her house for tea

[@Chris-ot9bk]

spongebob was fixated on both squidward and sandy, so most likely. he has big ADHD energy though

[@gracekim25]

I love how people proceeded to stereotype SpongeBob 😅 and forget the reason for the wrestling match episode 🤷‍♀️ how odd🤔

[@kutielkalupto6818]

The search for the squidward snail transformation must be one of the silliest searches for "lost media" ever. Simply because, from the perspective of the script writers and storyboard artists, this scene would make no sense. Spongebob's transformation is the first one, so its the one that plays up the horror aspect of the episode because we don't see it coming. By the time squidward gets injected, we know how snail plasma works and its no longer unnerving, having another horror transformation would just be redundant. It makes much more sense and has better comedic timing to cut away to an already transformed squidward after the injection.

[@BoompaWorld]

Weird old school vids like this keep the inner kid in me alive I swear 🔥

[@SakuraStardust]

Oh my goodness I only knew one of these controversies 👀 This was such an interesting video, L! I learned a lot!

[@thesman1305]

I'm surprised you didn't talk about the outcry that led to the removal of the episode, Mid-Life Krustacean. Oh wait a minute...

[@poweroffriendship2.0]

Have you heard of... panty raid?

[@dumdumsponge6568]

Don’t forget another banned episode that was temporarily banned called kwarinted krab

[@thesman1305]

@@poweroffriendship2.0 a bunch of episodes involve Plankton trying to steal the Krabby patty formula.

[@supermariof0521]

Yeah that episode gets banned, but for some ass backwards reason, "One Course Meal" was allowed to remain on the air!

[@scottreacher]

It's Christian "outrage" and how they reacted to anything new with distain ruined part of my childhood. Literally couldn't enjoy anything without someone from group saying "You should let him watch so and so because: utter nonsense." I pity any kid that has to be subjected to an experience like that.

[@mattwolf7698]

I was banned from Yu-Gi-Oh and Harry Potter, my church hated Pokemon and Disney movies but thankfully parents let me watch those. All this stupidity among many others things contributed to me eventually dropping religion.

[@GribbleGob]

Christians hate what they can't control/abuse.

[@tobytv811]

one of the best thumbnails on youtube

[@codygagecampbell4521]

I don't know if it's possible but could you do a video on lost media that most where not looking for but then comes out of nowhere I know recently the star vs the forces of evil pilot came out of nowhere and as far as I know not a lot was looking for it

[@katlyndobransky2419]

I never thought of SpongeBob being gay as a kid. If anything, he had more romantic interactions with Sandy than Patrick. But I do remember wanting to buy this shirt of SpongeBob wearing a pink fuzzy scarf as a kid, and after begging my mother for it, she said it was gay (saying it was when a guy dressed like a girl). SpongeBob is just a very flamboyant character with a flirty personality. But in a technical sense, he is asexual

[@TooneyBird2468]

Who's idea was it at Burger King to make a Spongebob version of "Baby Got Back" anyways. Then again this ad came from the same restaurant that made a commercial showing a whopper rotting away so I'm not really that suprised.

[@ThunderTHR]

This was recommended to me when the video had 6,900+ views. I feel like going by the thumbnail, this was deliberate on KZbin's part-

[@raspberry1440kb]

Huh, I could've sworn that SquareButts commercial was from 2004 as opposed to 2009, because I remember seeing a similarly risqué SpongeBob-themed Burger King commercial around the time the first movie was being hyped up and Burger King was giving away SpongBob-themed digital wristwatches.

[@emo-nordegraf]

the thumbnail is way too funny for absolutely no reason

[@SorasShadow1]

i don't think i ever saw that square butts commercial as a kid but i know damn well that kid me would've thought it was hilarious whereas things like that chocolate man or airheads and gushers commercials were very upsetting to me due to the body horror aspects. pretty weird how one's worth pitching a fit over and the others are fine to let your 9 year old watch on every other commercial break and have nightmares about.

[@superhedgehog6447]

I can believe the chocolate man commercial even exists.....

[@milesdodson3510]

It's inappropriate and lustful though. Whoever thought it was a good idea to show children TWERKING, a dance designed to be sexual and pornographic to CHILDREN is nasty and should be in jail. 🤢

[@Mrnotpib]

“Until next time fin”. I get it. Because underwater! Good epispde.

[@matthewkrager5754]

i forgot about balloons on top of burger kings and fast food restaurants!!!! you could do a whole vid on that alone I'm sure

[@shyguy54321]

Greatest thumbnail I've ever seen

[@Chrizz531]

Anyone heard of the rumor/controversy about SpongeBob making you dumb as a kid? I remember my freshman english teacher saying that as a kid she wasn’t able to watch the show for that reason and ive heard the same thing from classmates/teachers growing up as well. Im guessing teachers having a vendetta against the yellow sponge because of his popularity? Not sure if anyone else heard this as well

[@Benjey657]

The Burger King Spongebob toys did spark another controversy allthough not in the US but in Germany. The toys used voice lines from the show for which the german voice actor of Patrick didn't get paid. As they didn't want to pay him for it he quitted the role out of protest.

[@mountnstream]

One thing I love about the controversy surround the non-existent cut "I Was a Teenage Gary" scene, is that as more and more evidence was brought up confirming it never happened, the goal posts got pushed further and further. To the point where as soon as the storyboard-hypothesis was proposed, it was at a point where no one could've actually remembered seeing said scene to begin with, like originally claimed at the beginning.

[@strawberrylemonadelioness]

SpongeBob and Tinky Winky are two of my childhood icons that people claimed were gay. As a kid I didn't really understand Homophobia that much and didn't get why it would be a big deal if they were or not (SpongeBob was confirmed Ace in an interview and Tinky Winky was said to not have a sexuality. Which makes sense, I don't think the creators ever thought too deeply into The Teletubbies lives like that.). Now that I'm an adult I know I'm Bi, and I now understand why they were being that way about Tinky Winky and SpongeBob....Ugh. Homophobia sucks.

[@pkkingcrimsonrequiem1332]

so fast sound couldn't keep up

[@KuroKappo]

I got an ad for a spongebob videogame on this video, how fitting lol

[@hippaman2435]

LsupersonicQ what’s the background tracks you use? just asking cause they bop.

[@dpglounge4900]

You said hi to squidward twice I like squidward Come on

[@shinygiveaways1920]

Is Spongebob gay? **Checks DeviantArt** "All signs point to yes"

[@FoxBoyWithBushyTailAndEars]

It appears he is *HOLLY FUCK, IT IS NOT IS HE GAY BUT HOW GAY?*

[@Vulpas]

🤢

[@Lee.M.D]

💀 checks out /j

[@jackhamilton9604]

I remember telling my best friend about the episode where he makes the inside of his house an exact replica of Squidward's and when I said "you know what that means?" he said "he's gay?"

[@CrocodileSharpy]

I still do have mixed feelings of Squidward Transforming scene. I do remember I do watched first time this episode I guess in 2009 (can't remember very well the year), where this episode was aired in Super RTL channel, a German channel. I wonder, if there could be a possibility to find old recording for this episode aired in Germany. I still do have a feeling it was revealed this scene in Germany but I am not 100% sure.

[@KnuxtheFanGirl]

I remember seeing the square butts burger king commercial on tv! Younger me thought it was funny lmao

[@EmeraldCityVideo]

LSSQ: "In fact, it holds some similarities to the banned episode of Postcards From Buster from around the same time, which was never aired in some US states because two moms were shown as part of a family structure. Nowadays, such content wouldn't be seen as widely inappropriate as it did nearly 20 years ago." America: *Bans books about race, gender, and sexuality*, *Terrorizes retail employees because there's a single shelf of merchandise themed for Pride Month*, *Harasses teacher for screening a film featuring a single scene where two gay characters are vaguely flirtatious*