SpongeBob SquarePants, the famous cartoon from Nickelodeon, is very popular right now because of two big news announcements that have excited fans. First, SpongeBob won the Kids’ Choice Awards (KCAs) for Favourite Cartoon for the 17th year in a row. Second, it was announced that SpongeBob will be in a new racing video game called Sonic & All-Stars Racing: CrossWorlds.
These news items, along with the show’s lasting impact on culture, have brought SpongeBob back into the spotlight, exciting both older fans and younger fans.
The KCAs were broadcast live by Nickelodeon on June 21, 2025, and they included a fun animated section celebrating SpongeBob’s win. Fans noticed this celebration and joked that it was expected since SpongeBob often wins this award.
Created by Stephen Hillenburg in 1999, the show beat other cartoons like Teen Titans Go! to win the award. One fan shared, “SpongeBob has once again won Favourite Cartoon. Sorry, TTG fans!”
This win shows how popular SpongeBob is, with over 50 million viewers each month and a 77% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
At the same time, many people in the gaming community were surprised to hear that SpongeBob and his friend Patrick Star would be playable characters in Sonic & All-Stars Racing: CrossWorlds, which will come out later in 2025.
Fans reacted by saying things like, “They just revealed SpongeBob SquarePants is going to be in the new Sonic racing game; what the heck?”
However, some fans were not happy that SpongeBob and Patrick won’t have any voice lines in the game. They said, “Having SpongeBob and Patrick, the most famous cartoon characters, be completely silent would not make me want to play them.”
This announcement has started discussions about how SpongeBob fits into the Sonic game universe.
SpongeBob has been around for 26 years and continues to be popular because of its funny jokes and relevance in memes. The show has 13 seasons, three movies, and spinoffs like The Patrick Star Show and Kamp Koral, generating over $13 billion from merchandise, according to Business Wire.
Popular memes, like “Mocking SpongeBob” from a 2012 episode and the “FreakBob” trend from 2024, keep the character widely shared online. There’s even a subreddit with 1.7 million subscribers.
Another meme, called the “sad hamster meme”, that uses music from an episode called “Squilliam Returns”, became popular in 2024, showing how Gen Z enjoys strange humour.
Some fans made jokes about SpongeBob in current events, saying things like, “Just saw government vehicles outside Bikini Bottom. Word is SpongeBob is being put into protective custody because of fears of a situation with Iran,” referencing U.S.-Iran relations.
Another fan joked, “BBPD confirms SpongeBob has been moved to a safe place,” showcasing how SpongeBob can be used in funny comments on various topics.
Nickelodeon is also helping keep the excitement alive. A new SpongeBob movie called SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants is set to come out in December 2025, following the Netflix release of Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie.
The show is viewed in 180 countries and translated into 30 languages, making it very successful. In Japan, many female fans help drive merchandise sales, according to Parrot Analytics.
Fans love SpongeBob for his positive attitude and relatable personality, especially in his adventures at the Krusty Krab and his friendship withPatrick.
Tom Kenny, who voices SpongeBob, told Variety, “The show’s characters are simple, yet they are complex, creating endless possibilities for memes.” Marc Ceccarelli, the co-showrunner, also believes in keeping episodes timeless and avoids mentioning outdated pop culture.
