On November 26th, 2018, Stephen Hillenburg, the creator of Spongebob Squarepants, passed away. Many people, including myself, grew up watching Spongebob. Spongebob has made a huge impact, with movies, merchandise, and live events. Things like Jellyfish Jam, the F.U.N song, and funny faces made throughout the series have become internet jokes (not saying the “M” word) and brought many people joy. Spongebob first aired in 1999, and it’s still airing now, so it’s been a huge part of so many childhoods. I know for a fact that many, many people are hurt by his death. Despite the fact that Spongebob has gotten well, worse as the years go by, people still hold the loveable sea sponge close to their hearts.

Stephen was born August 21st, 1961. As he went through school he discovered that he loved learning about the sea, and became infatuated with it. So in a sense, Spongebob has been in development for years before it premiered. He then went into animation and worked on Rocko’s Modern Life, another popular Nickelodeon show. Soon came one of the longest running shows on tv, Spongebob Squarepants. Believe it or not, the first Spongebob movie was supposed to be the finale, as Hillenburg thought it had gone on long enough. After the movies release, he no longer ran things, but instead advised them. I feel like you can tell, as time went on, the show slowly got…less funny. But I digress. In 2017, Hillenburg was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS, but expressed that he would continue to work on the show for as long as he could. A little more than a year later, he died from complications with it.

For me personally, Spongebob means a lot to me. I remember being small and shoving my VHS tape of Scaredy Pants! into the player and giggling at how Spongebob resembled cheese as Patrick slowly shaved him into the shape of a ghost. Seeing a Spongebob plushy at jewels while shopping for groceries, Spongebob stickers at the doctors office, Spongebob mac n cheese, he’s all around. Spongebob reminds us of carefree times, when we weren’t in high school stressing about tests and finals. Spongebob is comforting to us, his sometimes annoying but happy nature brings joy to a lot of people. This show has made a huge impact to the world due to its wacky nature and loveable characters. It is loved now, and will forever be loved for years to come.

All I can say is, with the recent passing of Stan Lee, and now Hillenburg, I’m pretty drained. Both made pretty gigantic impacts to my childhood, and I hope we don’t lose anyone else any time soon. Best of wishes to Hillenburg’s family and friends. Until next time goofy goobers.