By Izabella Louk
Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?…Now that that song is firmly stuck in your head, take a moment away from studying for midterms and think about “SpongeBob SquarePants.” When taken to its roots, the cartoon is basically about a (absorbent and yellow and porous) sponge, who lives (in a pineapple) under the sea.
Despite this simplicity though, SpongeBob meant a lot more to a lot of people. With humour that appeals to all ages, and a care-free feeling of fun about it, SpongeBob SquarePants is a favourite, particularly with college students. A place of refuge, and something to watch and chill out with when college gets too stressful and crazy, college students will most definitely miss SpongeBob’s antics when the show eventually ends.
Though rumours have swirled around the internet over the past week, debating if the hit show is actually being cancelled or not, there has been one main takeaway: that people really do love SpongeBob SquarePants.
With favourite characters varying from the ever-popular protagonist SpongeBob, to his goofy sidekick Patrick, to the proud Texan squirrel Sandy, to the (surprisingly) popular snail Gary, SpongeBob SquarePants offers something for everyone. This was further proven after interviewing students about their favourite episodes. Favourites spanned from the season three classic “The Krusty Krab Training Video,” to the season nine “Squirrel Record,” with everyone having ones they remember fondly. What was consistently quoted amongst all four classes as a favourite “SpongeBob moment” was Patrick’s “Is mayonnaise an instrument?”
When asking people what their thoughts were on the potential cancellation of SpongeBob, most people responded with an outraged “No Way!?” and many reminisced about when they were younger. “It shows us how old we’re getting!” said Malika Payton (’20), with Genesis Guedes (’20) adding “Oh my God! It’s just weird, because it’s been there since I was born. All the shows from our childhood are getting cancelled!”
Some suggested reasons for its cancellation: “It’s been on for a while, and the new generation of political correctness might not take the show so well,” said Oliver Watts (’20). Others acknowledged the potential cancellation was sad, but said it was time to move on. Joe Afonador (’18) stated, “It’s sad because it’s good for reminiscing, but I can say the newer episodes haven’t been as good or up to par as the originals have.”
No matter people’s different thoughts about its closure, everyone agreed the show was relatable, people identifying with the characters for all sorts of different reasons. “When I watched it when I was younger, SpongeBob was always so persistent, so I would try and copy him and be persistent in my own life,” said Andreah Moran (’19). Others called the friendships in the show realistic. Hwajung Kim (’20) said, “Patrick is like that one friend we all have. We get frustrated at times, but they’re still our friend, and we still love them.”
So whether “SpongeBob SquarePants” is being cancelled or not, it’s safe to say, he’ll always be loved by college students.
