If yougrew up in the ‘90sor early 2000s, thenSpongeBob Squarepantswas probably a big part of your childhood. But you may not have realized that the depths of Bikini Bottom had some strange moments that might only be recognized in your adult life. More often than not, good entertainment involves suspending a healthy amount of disbelief, and if you kept watching the misadventures of your absorbent, yellow, and porous friend into adulthood, then you probably found yourself enjoying some extra layers of humor that came along with SpongeBob, Patrick, Squidward, Mr. Krabs, Sandy, Plankton, and the rest of the gang.
SpongeBob, simply put, is a show that you just have to let happen to you, and if you just let yourself enjoy the ride (unlike Mrs. Puff at the boating school), you’ll find yourself immersed under the sea, with not only a pineapple house and a sack full of Krabby Patties, but also a healthy dose of meta humor that truly madeSpongeBob Squarepantsa legendary show that transcends time, space, physics, and even basic biology.
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SpongeBob Defies the Laws of Physics
Have you ever been to the beach? Better yet, have you ever been scuba diving? What’s the first thing that you notice about yourself when you’re underwater? You might find that your hands get a little pruny, or thatyour pizza doesn’t stay intact?!In the world of SpongeBob Squarepants, where Krusty Krab pizza is the pizza for you and me, this is a nonissue. The cheese remains steamy, and the pepperoni and mushrooms are perfectly in place. And let’s not forget about one of the most important things: SpongeBob is a grill and fry cook. How are they hooking up the gas line for the grill? Like we said earlier, you have to suspend a healthy amount of disbelief to let the story move along. Fortunately for the viewer, the storytelling isso off the wall and engaging, that they’re willing to forgive these underwater idiosyncrasies for the better good of the narrative.
Construction of the Town Itself
It’s no mystery that pollution is a major problem in today’s modern world. But have you ever noticed that most of the houses in Bikini Bottom are old car parts? This form of muffler construction is a nod to the environmental issues we face in the real world, and it’s only natural that in the world ofSpongeBob Squarepants,all the fish are living in mufflers and car engines. At least the residents of Bikini Bottom are familiar with the concept of reducing, reusing, and recycling, because they’re truly living their best lives and making the best out of their surroundings.
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Morbid Stance on Commercial Fishing (They Know What the Dangling Hooks in the Water Mean)
There is a neighborhood in Bikini Bottom that we don’t like to talk about. Some think it’s the carnival in town, because the dangling hooks coming from above look like fun rides, but the only destination on this kind of ride is certain death. The community of Bikini Bottom has a mixed bag opinion on this area; some know to exercise caution, but of course Patrick and SpongeBob love to tempt fate and see where the ride takes them. This is one of many instances of fourth wall breaking inSpongeBob Squarepants. SpongeBob and Patrick love riding the hooks up the very surface of the water before letting go, but they can only tempt fate so much before potentially meeting their demise.
Mr. Krab’s Daughter is Inexplicably a Whale
While never fully explained in the series, the biological conditions of Mr. Krab’s daughter, Pearl, coming to be is widely speculated. Krabs himself has stated that Pearl takes after her mother, which has to be true, because Mr. Krabs is… well, a crab. The whale gene had to come from somewhere, right? But worry you not; Krabs treats Pearl like family, and some would say he is guilty of spoiling her rotten as she is figuring out teenage life in Bikini Bottom. This goes to show you that sometimes family takes many shapes and forms. Whether Pearl is the biological product of a crab and whale having a relationship, or adopted by anever frugal crustaceandoesn’t matter. The important thing to take away from this anomaly of biology is that family values are important in Bikini Bottom.
Space/Time Travel
For those H.G. Wells fans,SpongeBob Squarepantsmakes a hearty nod towardThe Time Machine. After being frozen for 2,000 years, Squidward encounters Morlock and Eloi type creatures in the futuristic and prehistoric versions of Bikini Bottom; all because he got locked in theKrusty KrabFreezer on a Sunday when they were closed. An incident like being locked in a freezer would normally be a quick oversight (or massive OSHA violation), but in theSpongeBobuniverse, the implications are staggering. Luckily, like most animated sitcoms, we don’t have to pay too much mind to the happenings in this episode, because everything goes back to normal by the time the runtime of the episode runs its course.
SpongeBob Squarepants,and the town of Bikini Bottom exceeds our imagination, but it’s all in the name of entertainment. Sometimes you just have to sit back, relax, andlet the show happen to you, because each episode takes you on a wild ride that transcends reality.
