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Spongebob is arguably one of the best and most successful cartoon shows ever — an underwater world filled with frequent laughs, hilarious stories of friendship, and tales of resilience in the deep blue sea. 

Each character in Bikini Bottom has comical quirks that leave us in heated debates over who’s the cutest animated character on the show, from a frequently frazzled but constantly cheerful SpongeBob to a dim-witted Patrick, from the eternally-arrogant Squidward to the idealistic and brave Sandy Cheeks — the scenarios they find themselves in are all well familiar.

We’ve pooled some of the best Spongebob memes to give you a maximum mood boost straight from the delirious depths of Bikini Bottom. Dive into a collection of funny moments and all-too-relatable situations for a ton of laughter.

SpongeBob: A Comedy Masterpiece for All Ages

What gives SpongeBob SquarePants such longevity and reach is its humor, which can appeal to a wide range of audiences — from toddlers to children to kids at heart. Interestingly, Factsite reports that in 2024, around 25% of the show’s viewers were adults with no kids (1). 

In a 2018 feature for the Guardian, Stuart Heritage suggests that while Spongebob’s offbeat comedy, nestled among the zippy, whizz-bonk visuals, is first aimed at a younger audience, it is sophisticated enough to catch adults’ interest (2).

Audiences of different ages take different things from the animation. Heritage adds that very few shows can do that, and on that account, SpongeBob SquarePants is a masterpiece of perfect entertainment. 

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Uncovering the Real-Life SpongeBob

Spongebob’s “heritage” goes way back. According to Aylin Woodward (Business Insider, 2019), there are more than 8,500 species of sponges, and the creatures have lived in the ocean for the last 600 million years (3). Their shapes and textures vary depending on whether they live on soft sand or hard, rocky surfaces.

There’s evidence that a specific type of sponge bears a striking resemblance to Spongebob himself. In fact, marine scientist Christopher Mah even came across a sponge-and-starfish duo during a diving expedition on July 28, 2021, at Retriever Seamount, an underwater mountain 200 miles east of New York City (4). 

Mah believes the square-shaped sponge belonged to the genus Hertwigia and the species of sponges. He was surprised by its bright yellow color, which is unusual for the deep sea. The scientist also noted that most things that far down are orange or white to help them camouflage in the dimly lit environment.

Similar to Spongebob, the rest of the comical characters of Bikini Bottom are inspired by actual creatures of the deep blue sea. That’s not surprising since the show’s creator, Stephen Hillenburg, trained initially as a marine biologist and then transitioned into science education before ultimately pursuing animation as his career path (The Guardian, 2018) (5).

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#7

A SpongeBob meme featuring a tired and disheveled SpongeBob SquarePants slumped in a chair, holding a seashell phone with a weary expression and bloodshot eyes. The text above the image reads, "When you’ve said damn that’s crazy 8 times and they’re still telling their story," humorously conveying the feeling of being stuck in a never-ending conversation and running out of responses.

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CascadedFalls
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Unfortunately, my grandfather is similar. While I value his storytelling, I find myself thinking, "Oh, would you just look at the time? I have tasks to attend to. Until we meet again!"

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Spongebob Was Formerly Called Spongeboy

When creator Stephen Hillenburg created the yellow sponge character from Bikini Bottom, Hillenburg named the main character Spongeboy, writes Brock Wells in Comic Book Resources in 2022 (6)

This initial name coincided with what Nickelodeon wanted Spongboy to be: a boy who attended school. However, Hillenburg was adamant that he wished Spongeboy to be an adult and compromised by creating Ms Puff’s boarding school so that Spongeboy would still attend school. 

Eventually, due to trademark issues, Hillenburg had to change the character’s name to Spongebob, adding a last name to match the absurdity of the character and show.

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#21

A SpongeBob meme with two sections. The top text reads, "Girls: ugh, she's wearing the same clothes as me!" followed by "Boys:" below. The image shows multiple identical Patrick Star characters, all wearing the same green and purple shorts and pink skin, happily dancing and smiling together, humorously implying that boys would not mind or even enjoy wearing the same outfit as each other, in contrast to the stereotype of girls disliking it.

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Michelle C
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I usually joke about being that person’s twin for the moment partly because I am also really a twin besides!

#25

A SpongeBob meme with two panels contrasting different reactions to sleep on different days. The top panel shows a bright-eyed and cheerful SpongeBob SquarePants sitting in a chair with the caption, "Me having 3 hours of sleep on a Saturday," suggesting he's energetic despite little rest. The bottom panel shows a tired and disheveled SpongeBob with bags under his eyes, slumped in the same chair, looking worn out and exhausted, with the caption, "Me having 7 hours of sleep on a Monday," humorously highlighting how the same amount of sleep feels worse on a workday.

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a random catgirl (she/her)
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The first one is when i get two hours of sleep on a friday four day weekend, the second one is when i get 9 hours of sleep on a tuesday after a four day weekend.

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#36

A SpongeBob meme featuring Mr. Krabs with his eyes wide open and his mouth exaggeratedly agape, as if in shock or surprise. The text above reads, "Nobody: Youtubers on their thumbnails:" humorously pointing out how YouTubers often use over-the-top facial expressions on their video thumbnails to attract attention and entice viewers to click on their content.

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CascadedFalls
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Each boisterous, high-energy YouTuber who captivates the interest of a 4-year-old typically employs this type of thumbnail, often featuring flashy elements like a car or something incredibly wild.

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#62

A SpongeBob meme featuring Patrick Star holding a large hammer with a "+4" Uno card on it. The text above reads, "Uno is savage game." The hammer is labeled "me," and a trash can labeled "friend with 1 card left" is positioned in front of Patrick, humorously capturing the ruthless nature of playing a "+4" card against a friend who is about to win the game.

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CascadedFalls
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Just about a month ago, I experienced this exact scenario during a camping trip with my family. It occurred more than five times during the span of an hour-long game.

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#66

A SpongeBob meme showing Mr. Krabs with a determined expression, his arms crossed, and the text below reads, "You'll never get a cent out of me." The text above the image sets up a contrast between being generous with a barista, "Barista: That’ll be $4.79 for the coffee sir; Me: Here’s a $5, keep the change," and being stingy with a useful app developer, "Useful app developer: The app will be $0.99; Me:". The meme humorously highlights the double standards people often have when it comes to spending money.

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Natty Tempest
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm the opposite. Shove your coffee and eff your ad revenue. Here's some actual cash now if you show me an ad, I will destroy you

#73

A SpongeBob meme featuring SpongeBob SquarePants walking energetically with a pizza box labeled "Pizza," representing excitement. Next to him, Squidward is walking with a tired, annoyed expression. The text over Squidward reads "my mom," while the text over SpongeBob reads "me getting the McDonald's I begged for all day," humorously depicting the joy of a child finally receiving fast food after persistent pleading.

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ƒιѕн
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

🎶 The Krusty Krab pizza is the pizza for you and me!... The Krusty Krab pizza is the pizza free del-i-very.... The Krusty Krab pizza is the pizza very ta-as-ty... 🎶

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#75

A SpongeBob meme showing SpongeBob with an eager, excited expression labeled "8 year old me" and Mr. Krabs with a neutral, uninterested expression labeled "Mom driving near a McDonald's." The meme humorously captures the contrast between a child's excitement at the possibility of getting fast food and a parent's indifferent reaction.

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Mashmelo
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

No Gerald I already said no. WHA-WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? GERALD SPONGEBOB SQUARPANTS GET PACK IN THEC AR THIS INSTANT!! GERALD GET YOUR TUCHEE IN THE DAMN CAR

#77

A SpongeBob meme featuring SpongeBob wearing a brain-shaped hat, standing in the middle of a room with various characters, including Mr. Krabs and Squidward, looking at him. The text above the image reads, "Me referencing SpongeBob memes to other adults in their 30s," humorously depicting the awkwardness of making SpongeBob references to a group of adults.

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Nice Beast Ludo
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I remember the first time Nickelodeon was teasing the SpongeBob SquarePants previews. I laughed so hard it was so weird and random I loved it

#79

A SpongeBob meme featuring a close-up of a surprised fish character with wide eyes and an open mouth. The text above reads, "Me: I'm finally starting to feel happy," followed by "My depression:" and the fish's shocked expression with the caption "You WHAT," humorously illustrating the unexpected and sudden interruption of a positive feeling by lingering depression.

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aashi chaudhari
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1 year ago

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References


  1. Lenard. “SpongeBob SquarePants Facts.” Factsite.net, June 1, 2024. | https://facts.net/spongebob-squarepants-facts/
  2. Stuart Heritage. “Smart enough for adults, weird enough for kids: SpongeBob is TV perfection.” The Guardian, November 28, 2018. | https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2018/nov/28/spongebob-squarepants-stephen-hillenburg-tv-perfection
  3. Aylin Woodward. “Marine scientists spotted a ‘real-life’ SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star near an underwater mountain in the Atlantic.” Business Insider, July 29, 2021. | https://www.businessinsider.com/sea-sponge-sea-star-spongebob-patrick-2021-7
  4. Christopher Mah. Spotted: Real Life Spongebob and Patrick. X, July 28, 2021. | https://x.com/echinoblog/status/1420069675036147713?s=46&t=5OS_eznLAVm0mgYOuqgKLQ
  5. Ben Beaumont-Thomas. “Stephen Hillenburg: the naive genius who made SpongeBob a cultural titan.” The Guardian, November 27, 2018. | https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2018/nov/27/stephen-hillenburg-spongebob-creator-cultural-titan
  6. Brock Wells. “10 Things You Didn’t Know About SpongeBob SquarePants.” Comic Book Resources, September 12, 2022. | https://www.cbr.com/things-you-didnt-know-spongebob/