I was always interested in the ocean and also in art. I had to figure out how to put the two together, but painting fish sounded boring.

Stephen Hillenburg

I was thinking about what would it be, what would the characters be like, and it just suddenly dawned on me that, hey, nobody is doing an underseas show. So I started drawing these weird invertebrate animals, various characters like crawfish and starfish and squids and sponge.

Stephen Hillenburg

The morality we all grew up with and are accustomed to is what feels right.

Stephen Hillenburg

In the '70s, as a kid, someone took me to a Tournee of Animation festival at the L.A. County Museum of Art.

Stephen Hillenburg

I always pushed back on doing long-form. I imagined SpongeBob as being simple, and I wanted to concentrate on character humor.

Stephen Hillenburg

SpongeBob is a complete innocent - not an idiot. SpongeBob never fully realizes how stupid Patrick is. They're whipping themselves up into situations - that's always where the humor comes from.

Stephen Hillenburg

A sponge is a funny animal to center a show on. At first, I drew a few natural sponges - amorphous shapes, blobs - which was the correct thing to do biologically as a marine science teacher. Then I drew a square sponge, and it looked so funny.

Stephen Hillenburg

Most sponges in the ocean are sedentary: They attach themselves to a rock and sit and filter-feed the rest of their lives and reproduce, and that's about it. Not that they are not interesting, but they are not that kinetic. They are not mobile. They don't cook Krabbie Patties!

Stephen Hillenburg

I think it's amusing to watch a naive, well-meaning character kind of undo more cynical characters - kind of like watching Laurel and Hardy or Charlie Chaplin.

Stephen Hillenburg

To do a 75-minute movie about SpongeBob wanting to make some jellyfish jelly would be a mistake, I think.

Stephen Hillenburg

In the show, the whole point of the fast food - the fact that SpongeBob loves being part of the fast-food chain and that being a manager is his ultimate dream - it's ironic. It's something that most people don't think is a great thing to try to achieve.

Stephen Hillenburg

I don't want to be the Pied Piper of fast food.

Stephen Hillenburg

SpongeBob is just made of cellulose, but he has parents who are natural sponges - he got the square gene.

Stephen Hillenburg

When I pitched the show, I made this special seashell. You could pick it up and hear me singing, 'Spongeboy, Spongeboy!' I also made an aquarium with Patrick planted on the side, SpongeBob sitting on a barrel, and Squidward inside. I wore a Hawaiian shirt. I don't know what they thought of it.

Stephen Hillenburg

Twentysomethings thank me for their childhood... SpongeBob lives at the bottom of the sea, but he brings a lot of great stuff to the surface.

Stephen Hillenburg

I eventually thought of SpongeBob, but he needed a last name - SquarePants came to mind.

Stephen Hillenburg

'The Simpsons' is a tough act to follow, so I thought it was best not to do what they do.

Stephen Hillenburg

I knew I wanted to create a character who was nerdy and kind of square, so when I drew a square sponge, everything came together. And originally his name was SpongeBoy, but there we couldn't use that for trademark reasons.

Stephen Hillenburg

I was just looking at a packet that had SpongeBob thong underwear, so it goes farther than I would imagine.

Stephen Hillenburg

The essence of the show is that SpongeBob is an innocent in a world of jaded characters. The rest is absurd packaging.

Stephen Hillenburg

Stephen Hillenburg Quotes

I was always interested in the ocean and also in art. I had to figure out how to put the two together, but painting fish sounded boring.

I was thinking about what would it be, what would the characters be like, and it just suddenly dawned on me that, hey, nobody is doing an underseas show. So I started drawing these weird invertebrate animals, various characters like crawfish and starfish and squids and sponge.

The morality we all grew up with and are accustomed to is what feels right.

In the '70s, as a kid, someone took me to a Tournee of Animation festival at the L.A. County Museum of Art.

I always pushed back on doing long-form. I imagined SpongeBob as being simple, and I wanted to concentrate on character humor.

SpongeBob is a complete innocent - not an idiot. SpongeBob never fully realizes how stupid Patrick is. They're whipping themselves up into situations - that's always where the humor comes from.

A sponge is a funny animal to center a show on. At first, I drew a few natural sponges - amorphous shapes, blobs - which was the correct thing to do biologically as a marine science teacher. Then I drew a square sponge, and it looked so funny.

Most sponges in the ocean are sedentary: They attach themselves to a rock and sit and filter-feed the rest of their lives and reproduce, and that's about it. Not that they are not interesting, but they are not that kinetic. They are not mobile. They don't cook Krabbie Patties!

I think it's amusing to watch a naive, well-meaning character kind of undo more cynical characters - kind of like watching Laurel and Hardy or Charlie Chaplin.

To do a 75-minute movie about SpongeBob wanting to make some jellyfish jelly would be a mistake, I think.

In the show, the whole point of the fast food - the fact that SpongeBob loves being part of the fast-food chain and that being a manager is his ultimate dream - it's ironic. It's something that most people don't think is a great thing to try to achieve.

I don't want to be the Pied Piper of fast food.

SpongeBob is just made of cellulose, but he has parents who are natural sponges - he got the square gene.

When I pitched the show, I made this special seashell. You could pick it up and hear me singing, 'Spongeboy, Spongeboy!' I also made an aquarium with Patrick planted on the side, SpongeBob sitting on a barrel, and Squidward inside. I wore a Hawaiian shirt. I don't know what they thought of it.

Twentysomethings thank me for their childhood... SpongeBob lives at the bottom of the sea, but he brings a lot of great stuff to the surface.

I eventually thought of SpongeBob, but he needed a last name - SquarePants came to mind.

'The Simpsons' is a tough act to follow, so I thought it was best not to do what they do.

I knew I wanted to create a character who was nerdy and kind of square, so when I drew a square sponge, everything came together. And originally his name was SpongeBoy, but there we couldn't use that for trademark reasons.

I was just looking at a packet that had SpongeBob thong underwear, so it goes farther than I would imagine.

The essence of the show is that SpongeBob is an innocent in a world of jaded characters. The rest is absurd packaging.