SpongeBob SquarePants

This long-running surreal comedy entertainment animated show on Nickelodeon stars anthropomorphic sponge, SpongeBob, living in a pineapple under the sea. Episodes depict SpongeBob’s life and misadventures with other anthropomorphic inhabitants in the town of Bikini Bottom like starfish Patrick and octopus Squidward. There is no continuous plot followed in these episodes; instead, the end of one episode is often a complete break from the beginning of the next.

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Evaluation

Overview

Genre

Entertainment

Intended Audience

Live or Animated?

Animated

Episodes Evaluated

“The Nitwitting/The Ballad of Filthy Muck”

“Sandy's Nutty Nieces/Insecurity Guards”

“Gary's Got Legs/King Plankton”

Pacing: 10/10

Contrary to the findings of previous studies, SpongeBob SquarePants was found to be the slowest-paced show of the ten evaluated; there was a mean of 8.70 cuts/minute. This result may have been a result of differences in episodes evaluated in this exploratory study versus those evaluated in the previous studies. Moreover, as Lillard, Li, and Boguszewski (2015) note, television shows have become increasingly faster paced; perhaps at the time of the previous studies, SpongeBob SquarePants was considered fast-paced; however, when compared to more recent shows, this may not hold true.

Fantasy: 1/10

Spongebob Squarepants was considered almost entirely fantasy as it took place in a fantasy world (i.e. Bikini Bottom) with anthropomorphic and/or made-up characters (e.g. Spongebob the sponge, Squidward the octopus, Patrick the starfish, sea chimps) that could alter their bodies in physically impossible ways (e.g. detachable body parts). As a result, distinct instances of fantasy were not recorded and the show was designated as tied with My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and The Owl House for having the greatest levels of fantasy.

Violence: 1/10

There were large amounts of violence throughout Spongebob Squarepants, as characters often physically fought with one another in the form of punching, kicking, biting, pushing, etc. On average, there were 19 violent incidents/episode or 0.81 incidents/minute.

Prosocial: 1/10

There were very little prosocial behaviors displayed throughout the show. Occasionally, characters would attempt to help or rescue one another; however, oftentimes these attempts would actually become detrimental to the characters involved (e.g. when the Empty Headed Club perform “civic duty” and end up injuring others and destroying Bikini Bottom). On average, there were 8 prosocial behaviors/episode or 0.34 incidents/minute.

Interactivity: 1/10

SpongeBob SquarePants did not incorporate any interactive elements throughout the show.

Overall Rating: #10 (14/50)

SpongeBob SquarePants placed last in likelihood of promoting executive function development in children who view the show.