‘SpongeBob’ brought joy to generations
Cartoon creator
STEPHEN Hillenburg was the creator of the hit animated Nickelodeon series SpongeBob SquarePants.
He died on November 26 after battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. He was 57.
‘‘He was a beloved friend and longtime creative partner to everyone at Nickelodeon, and our hearts go out to his entire family,’’ the cartoon network said in a statement.
‘‘Steve imbued SpongeBob SquarePants with a unique sense of humour and innocence that has brought joy to generations of kids and families everywhere.
‘‘His utterly original characters and the world of Bikini Bottom will long stand as a reminder of the value of optimism, friendship and the limitless power of imagination.’’
SpongeBob, Patrick, Squidward, Mr Krabs, Sandy Cheeks, Plankton, Pearl Krabs, Mrs Puff, Larry the Lobster and the rest of the world of Bikini Bottom premiered in May 1999 and began a full run that July, capturing the imagination of children young and old off the bat. While youngsters watched with their families, college students went their own way with Saturdaynight viewing parties.
Tom Kenny, the actor who voices the show’s titular character, paid tribute to Hillenburg in an acceptance speech at this year’s Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.
‘‘SpongeBob’s vocal cords might be mine, but SpongeBob’s playful spirit of gentle anarchy, his humour and the joy he takes in his vibrant, colourful, musicfilled world come directly — directly — 100% from my buddy, Mr Stephen Hillenburg,’’ Kenny said as Hillenburg stepped onstage to accept the award for outstanding children’s animated programme.
The phenomenal success of the show created a huge merchandising opportunity worldwide. But in 2002, after 60 episodes, Hillenburg decided against renewing his Nickelodeon deal.
‘‘I definitely need a break,’’ Hillenburg said that year, when he was 40, adding he wanted to try something new.
‘‘I think the network wants to make a SpongeBob movie,’’ he said. It was something he wanted as well, but he didn’t want to do it at the same time as he was running the TV show. It wasn’t unusual, he said, for an animated series to end around 60 episodes.
The show has gone further than that: It’s now in its 12th season. It has won Emmys in the US and Britain and been translated into more than 60 languages.
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie — written, directed and produced by Hillenburg — came out in 2004, and he wrote and directed SpongeBob video games and shorts. He was also the executive producer of the 2015 sequel, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water. Another film is planned for a 2020 release.
Hillenburg didn’t start out pursuing a creative career in cartooning, though early on he’d been attending animation festivals in the US and Canada.
Born to Kelly and Nancy Hillenburg on August 21, 1961, at an army base in Oklahoma, he graduated from Humboldt State University in 1984 with a degree that emphasised marine resources.
He taught marine biology at the Orange County Marine Institute in Dana Point, now known as the Ocean Institute. There, he created colourful teaching tools that showed off his love of all things oceanic, writing and illustrating stories that birthed the future residents of Bikini Bottom. He soon found himself doing a degree in experimental animation at the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, earning an MFA in 1992.
Shortly after, Hillenburg found himself working as a writer and director on Nickelodeon’s Rocko’s Modern Life before moving on to produce and direct the animated series that would become SpongeBob SquarePants.
He is survived by his wife of 20 years, Karen Hillenburg, son Clay, mother Nancy Hillenburg (nee Dufour) and brother Brian Kelly Hillenburg. — Los Angeles