The death of Stephen Hillenburg, creator of Spongebob, devastates our generation.
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.
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Katherine Bhana • Mar 13, 2024 at 8:11 am
ALS is a cruel disease. My mum is 83 and had great difficulty speaking and swallowing much of anything. Food was getting trapped in her throat and blocking her air way was happening more often. she battled for each breath. The riluzole did very little to help her. The medical team did even less. Her decline was rapid and devastating. The psychological support from the medical centre was non-existent and if it were not for the sensitive care and attention of our primary physician, there she would have died. There has been little if any progress in finding a cure or reliable treatment. Acupuncture eased her anxiety a bit. this year our primary physician started her on Natural Herbs Centre ALS/MND Ayurvedic treatment, 6 months into treatment she improved dramatically. It has been a complete turnaround with her speech, she no longer needs the feeding tube to feed, the treatment is a miracle. She recovered significantly!
Marcia Stewart • Mar 16, 2022 at 9:46 pm
With my amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the first thing that happened almost 2 years ago now, was speaking as if I were drunk. I wasn’t. I initially did improve speech (articulating clearly but slow) but now I can no longer speak in an acceptable way. Then, a year later eating became problematic, I was biting my tongue and lips, and chewing became weak and less controlled. Soon after that some fingers started to fail me and things would drop out of my hands. Somewhere at that time bulbar ALS was diagnosed. The Rilutek (riluzole) did very little to help me. The medical team did even less. My decline was rapid and devastating.. We tried every shot available but nothing was working. There has been little if any progress in finding a reliable treatment, Our care provider introduced us to Kycuyu Health Clinic ALS/MND herbal treatment. The treatment is a miracle.i recovered significantly! Visit www. kycuyuhealthclinic. com
killian kenny • Dec 4, 2018 at 8:56 am
Personally, I am also one of those saddened by his death. This man brought us the brain melting joy of Spongebob and his absolutely giddy energy. While I am sad to see this man go, I know that it is for the best. I just hope that the show will have an episode dedicated to Stephen Hillenberg and his legacy and to say goodbye. This has been a rough year for me, losing several people who have filled my heart and mind with joy. When all is said and done, I want us to live on with the same joy that people like Stephen Hillenberg wanted us to live with.