My eyes just about cross in irritation when talking about Spongebob Squarepants, but the truth is that he’s still a loved and revered character in pop culture that many people happen to love, so recognizing that and talking about is definitely necessary from time to time. The whole ‘to each their own’ method is in full effect just the same, since this character is just as brainless as his real-world counterpart, but also far more annoying. With that being said, he’s also been a beloved character for decades now and doesn’t appear to be going away since people continue to pour big dollars for him and his pals and the interest in Spongebob isn’t likely to die off until something just as popular, if not more so, comes along. There are plenty of reasons that people love this show, but the thing is that there are few questions that some folks might have that don’t always get voiced as much, such as why Spongebob lives in a pineapple of all things, which isn’t too weird to see in the ocean but is still a giant question mark that some folks want to see solved. The answer is pretty simple really since it has a lot to do with the representation of the Polynesian culture that’s seen in the series and in the theme song, which is a big reason why the creator decided to make this happen.
On top of that, the creator managed to draw several homes and buildings for Bikini Bottom before trying to decide which home Spongebob might live in. Putting a collection of items in the forefront he finally decided that Spongebob, being the positive-minded character that he is, would likely live in a pineapple simply because he might like the smell. The might sound like an odd bit of reasoning but look at the show that we’re talking about. Odd is kind of par for the course when thinking about Spongebob since the animated series is something that one can’t really state is anything but strange in a lot of different ways since the fact is that the creator took something he knew about, marine biology, and turned it into something that people locked onto for some reason. There are plenty of us that don’t fully understand, like, or even care about Spongebob, but those that do have typically been following the talking sponge for years and are enamored of everything that has to do with the show. In fact, there might be plenty of people that already know why he lives in a pineapple, but to many folks, it’s thought of as another quirk of the show that keeps in line with all the other stuff that tends to show up and happen.
Over the years, Spongebob has been enjoyed by many people, and there’s usually a reason why things are created the way they are, even if doesn’t appear that there’s any reason for it at all. To the kids that love the show, everything that happens and is seen is just as wonderful as the next bit since a lot of kids either don’t worry too much about the why or how of anything and get into the cartoon because they think it’s funny and they like it. That’s a pretty good way to go about it really since otherwise, thinking about it too much tends to ruin the whole effect. That could be one reason why cartoons have been under such close scrutiny as of late because those that are looking at them for one reason or another think that they’re somehow subversive and are being used to corrupt our youth and those that apparently don’t have two functioning brain cells together. Cartoons are satire, a series of funny gags wrapped around one or more ethical and moral quandaries that aren’t always played out to perfection but are meant to take the power and sting from some of the more disturbing images and ideas that the cartoons do tend to show at times. There have been people that have found Spongebob to be kind of disturbing to be certain, and yet the show hasn’t been called out for cancelation, and neither has any of its characters. Strange how that works, but oh well.
The point here is that when it comes to imagery, the meaning behind it, and the use that people see on a regular basis, everything in Spongebob Squarepants means something, as the creator was careful to select images and ideas that would connect and carry the ability to fit together and create a world that people could enjoy and have fun with. Spongebob is likely going to be around for a while, and unless something drastic happens it’s likely that he’s going to be living in a pineapple for a while to come.
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