Nickelodeon shared a tweet in celebration of Pride Month with characters that are allies and part of the LGBTQ+ community, among those SpongeBob SquarePants, which revived the conversation over the character’s sexual orientation. Questions about whether SpongeBob is gay or not have been floating around for years as the show has dropped some hints about it, even though series’ creator Stephen Hillenburg spoke about it years ago.
SpongeBob SquarePants made its debut on Nickelodeon in 1999 and has since become the most successful Nicktoon, with over 12 seasons and counting, and successfully expanding to other media, most notably film and video games. SpongeBob and his friends (and a couple of enemies) from Bikini Bottom have become part of pop culture, so it’s not surprising that many aspects of the show have sparked heated debates and that it has also been involved in controversy a couple of times.
Although SpongeBob SquarePants is aimed at children, it has managed to include some jokes that only adults would catch, but it has also touched on some topics that mature audiences have found controversial and/or inappropriate for children. The biggest one is that of SpongeBob’s sexuality, with many groups accusing the show of promoting homosexuality and gay marriage. This can be tracked all the way back to 2002, when season 3’s episode “Rock-a-Bye Bivalve” was released. In it, SpongeBob and Patrick adopt a baby scallop they find abandoned on the street, with SpongeBob taking on the role of mom and Patrick of dad. People insisted the episode promoted gay marriage, but as sea sponges aren’t either female or male (and Hillenburg was a marine science educator), playing the role of mother was normal for SpongeBob.
Of course, the controversy didn’t end there, and many groups began to over-analyze the show to find clues that proved that SpongeBob was gay and the show was a bad example for children. Among those clues are Patrick and SpongeBob’s relationship, which many see as more than friendship, as well as those times SpongeBob has worn dresses and skirts, such as when Squidward made him dress like a maid. Another clue is in season 3’s episode “One Krabs Trash”, where Mr. Krabs tells him the soda drink hat makes him look like a girl, to which SpongeBob (very flattered) asks if he looks like a pretty girl. To some, however, SpongeBob’s overly cheerful personality and sensitivity are enough proof that the character is actually gay.
While many have taken Nickelodeon’s tweet as confirmation that SpongeBob is gay, it’s important to remember that Hillenburg once clarified that he considered the character to be “somewhat asexual”, very much like real-life sea sponges. Taking that into account, SpongeBob would still be part of the LGBTQ+ community, which had already adopted the character as an icon. Still, Nickelodeon’s tweet is an important step towards more open and inclusive content, especially in networks where children are the target audience.
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