Stephen Hillenburg

I wanted to do a show about a character that was an innocent, and so I focused on a sea sponge because it's a funny animal, a strange one.

— Stephen Hillenburg

You have to imagine you write a show about a sponge and you think that maybe a few people will think it is funny, some college students, but it takes off. It is truly shocking - to the point where it is bizarre.

— Stephen Hillenburg

One night, I was really beat; we worked really late and went to get food at some takeout place. And I leaned over against this gumball machine, just exhausted, and there was a SpongeBob looking back at me. And it's just, like, 'Oh, brother.'

— Stephen Hillenburg

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

— Stephen Hillenburg

I've always been interested in art and making things, but I chose not to go to art school because I thought I needed to do something else. Art was a tough way to make a living.

— Stephen Hillenburg

I wanted to do a show about a character that was an innocent, and so I focused on a sea sponge because it's a funny animal, a strange one.

— Stephen Hillenburg

I wanted to do a show about a character that was an innocent, and so I focused on a sea sponge because it's a funny animal, a strange one, I thought he was a funny, nerdy, squeaky-clean square.

— Stephen Hillenburg

It finally dawned on me that if I was going to do my own show, all those things I lectured about and obsessed about would make for an interesting world,

— Stephen Hillenburg

Our characters act silly, even totally ridiculous at times, and most of our jokes don't come out of pop cultural references. It seems like we're aiming at a child audience, but everyone can laugh at the basic human traits that are funny. It's playful, the humor is playful, the world is playful. You can kind of let go.

— Stephen Hillenburg

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

— Stephen Hillenburg

I wanted to do a show about a character that was an innocent, and so I focused on a sea sponge because it's a funny animal, a strange one.

— Stephen Hillenburg

I wanted to do a show about a character that was an innocent, and so I focused on a sea sponge because it's a funny animal, a strange one.

— Stephen Hillenburg

I never imagined that I'd end up in animation, but marine biology and art collided, and here we are!

— Stephen Hillenburg