Why Is Spongebob So Popular

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SpongeBob has been on air for 15 years and is still soaking up the top of the charts. It is broadcasted around the world in 25 languages and it has spawned an entire line of toys, clothing and food, with total sales estimated at nearly $1 billion a year (Karlinksy, Neal 2010). The comedic yellow sponge has attracted viewers from all different age groups- ranging from toddlers to grown adults. Being as popular as it is, SpongeBob Squarepants is seen as a producerly text. Excessiveness, obviousness and intertextuality make up the producerly makeup of Spongebob Squarepants. Fanfiction has also stemmed from the popular Nickelodeon show. Elements of fan fiction include relevance, intertextuality, and textual poaching. So, what exactly makes Spongebob so popular and why are fans so drawn into the happy sponge?

Spongebob Squarepants revolves around an optimistic yellow sponge who goes on nonsensical adventures with his fellow undersea friends. He approaches life’s everyday challenges in an …show more content…

He is a peculiar yellow sponge that lives in a pineapple under the sea. He is the epitome of a contradiction to the normal everyday sponge. James Poniewozik writes in a Time Magazine article that SpongeBob’s appeal is found in his innocence. Poniewozik writes that SpongeBob’s personality is one of being “conscientious, optimistic and blind to the faults in the world and those around him” (CITATION). SpongeBob is whimsically optimistic despite negative circumstances. For example, when next door neighbor Squidward is being grumpy and rude to Spongebob, he is oblivious and remains chipper. Spongebob offers us a chance to see how his abnormal world in Bikini Bottom challenges the boundaries of common sense which is seen as the dominant ideology (Fiske, John 2011). The sponge’s home itself is a contradiction- a pineapple can’t realistically stay in one piece under water for an extended period of

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