'SpongeBob Squarepants' Creator Stephen Hillenburg Passes Away At Age Of 57

Image from Consequence of Sound

By Darian Scalamoni

            It is with a heavy heart here at Cinema Wave to announce that Stephen Hillenburg, the mind and creator behind the Nickelodeon classic, SpongeBob Squarepants passed away yesterday at the age of 57.

            Hillenburg, who was a former marine biology teacher created the legendary children’s show back in May 1999 passed away due to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), the neurodegenerative condition better known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Nickelodeon announced his death and spoke about his impact on the show itself.

            “Steve imbued ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’ with a unique sense of humor and innocence that has brought joy to generations of kids and families everywhere,” the network said in its statement. “His utterly original characters and the world of Bikini Bottom will long stand as a reminder of the value of optimism, friendship and the limitless power of imagination.”

            As a young man, who was just 4 years old when the show was released, the series had a massive influence on me. It was one of the shows that I watched for years growing up and could recite episodes word-for-word.

            The series became a global juggernaut that led to two feature films and a Broadway musical which was nominated for 12 Tony Awards. Hillenburg began his career for Nickelodeon in 1993 as he worked as a writer and director on the series, Rocko’s Modern Life where he worked with multiple people who eventually helped spawn SpongeBob Squarepants. Hillenburg is said to have drawn inspiration from famous comedians such as Jerry Lewis, Pee-Wee Herman and Laurel & Hardy for the SpongeBob character.

            In The Washington Post, Hillenburg told of how the most famous sponge came to fruition, “A sponge is a funny animal to center a show on,” he said. “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. I think as far as cartoon language goes he was easier to recognize. He seemed to fit the character type I was looking for — a somewhat nerdy, squeaky-clean oddball.”

            Hillenburg is survived by his wife Karen; his son, Clay; his mother, Nancy and his brother, Bryan. We here at Cinema Wave send our condolences to his entire family. Thank you for the memories, Stephen Hillenburg.