HOME | DD

Description
“You and me forever in the underwater sun.”

I was originally going to wait until the 20th anniversary to do a SpongeBob tribute pic, but recent events changed plans.

Stephen Hillenburg’s SpongeBob Squarepants was a major influence on me growing up. Mickey Mouse might have given me the spark to start drawing, but SpongeBob helped to keep that spark going. I could go on and on about how me and my friends would reenact episodes line for line, sometimes coming up with our own alternate endings, how some of the first fan comics I ever drew were of SpongeBob and his friends doing absurd things, and how I even made my own animated episodes via the Nicktoons ToonTwister 3D computer program (sadly these are lost forever).

Stephen Hillenburg created something truly special. He didn’t just create a popular cartoon, he created a pop culture icon. SpongeBob has become so engraved in our minds that we could see any random screenshot or hear any quote and we’ll immediately know the context of them. Even people who haven’t watched the show still recognize the main character, a rarity for any TV cartoon made in the past 20 years.

While his creator might be gone, the character of SpongeBob will live on. If there’s any character from more recent decades worthy of joining the ranks of Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny, it's him and like them SpongeBob will be passed down from generation to generation. When I’m dead and gone SpongeBob will still be around, even if the original series comes to a close another incarnation will not be too far away.

Recently it’s been confirmed a third SpongeBob movie is in the works to be entitled It’s A Wonderful Sponge. It hasn’t been confirmed if the film will be a parody of It’s A Wonderful Life or if the reference only applies the title, but if the former is true then the first SpongeBob movie to be released after Stephen Hillenburg’s passing will be about how the world would be a much sadder place without SpongeBob and that its a happier place because of his existence. If that’s not a fitting tribute I don’t know what else is.

So to you Mr. Hillenburg, I want to say, Thank you. It is sad that you left the world too soon, but to quote one French narrator:

“As long as there are stars in the sky, SpongeBob will live in our hearts and in our minds.”

On a final note:

During the process of making this drawing I put on a playlist of various SpongeBob songs to help get me in the proper mood. However when I was putting the finishing touches on this piece the Broadway musical version of “The Best Day Ever” started playing and it was very hard to continue drawing while also holding back my tears.

Description
“You and me forever in the underwater sun.”

I was originally going to wait until the 20th anniversary to do a SpongeBob tribute pic, but recent events changed plans.

Stephen Hillenburg’s SpongeBob Squarepants was a major influence on me growing up. Mickey Mouse might have given me the spark to start drawing, but SpongeBob helped to keep that spark going. I could go on and on about how me and my friends would reenact episodes line for line, sometimes coming up with our own alternate endings, how some of the first fan comics I ever drew were of SpongeBob and his friends doing absurd things, and how I even made my own animated episodes via the Nicktoons ToonTwister 3D computer program (sadly these are lost forever).

Stephen Hillenburg created something truly special. He didn’t just create a popular cartoon, he created a pop culture icon. SpongeBob has become so engraved in our minds that we could see any random screenshot or hear any quote and we’ll immediately know the context of them. Even people who haven’t watched the show still recognize the main character, a rarity for any TV cartoon made in the past 20 years.

While his creator might be gone, the character of SpongeBob will live on. If there’s any character from more recent decades worthy of joining the ranks of Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny, it's him and like them SpongeBob will be passed down from generation to generation. When I’m dead and gone SpongeBob will still be around, even if the original series comes to a close another incarnation will not be too far away.

Recently it’s been confirmed a third SpongeBob movie is in the works to be entitled It’s A Wonderful Sponge. It hasn’t been confirmed if the film will be a parody of It’s A Wonderful Life or if the reference only applies the title, but if the former is true then the first SpongeBob movie to be released after Stephen Hillenburg’s passing will be about how the world would be a much sadder place without SpongeBob and that its a happier place because of his existence. If that’s not a fitting tribute I don’t know what else is.

So to you Mr. Hillenburg, I want to say, Thank you. It is sad that you left the world too soon, but to quote one French narrator:

“As long as there are stars in the sky, SpongeBob will live in our hearts and in our minds.”

On a final note:

During the process of making this drawing I put on a playlist of various SpongeBob songs to help get me in the proper mood. However when I was putting the finishing touches on this piece the Broadway musical version of “The Best Day Ever” started playing and it was very hard to continue drawing while also holding back my tears.