Television Review: SpongeBob SquarePants

By 301333

From our provider:

Rate This Article

Click Star to Rate...

0 Comments

What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that this cartoon includes violent, dark satirical humor that will confuse kids who can't separate fantasy and reality. Characters' relationships are marred with name-calling and mockery, but no one ever seems affected by the exchanges. Anger and frustration often lead to physical (which, in the real world, would be harmful) resolutions that leave no lasting effects. Messages about friendship, perseverance, and self-respect are mixed into the plot, but the overall silliness of the show and the main characters' annoying behavior often make them hard to find. All in all, this is a real "know your kid" situation.

Families can talk about being a good friend. Which characters are good friends? How do they show they care about each other? What do you do to show your friends you like them? Parents can also pull out a biology book and discuss marine life with their kids. What type of creature is each character? How do their depictions differ from their real-life versions? If your kids tend to believe everything they see, watch this show carefully with them and ask them about what they see and what they understand.

SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS (voiced by Tom Kenny) lives in Bikini Bottom at the floor of the Pacific Ocean. He works as a fry cook at the Krusty Krab restaurant and spends his down time with those he considers his two best buddies: a woefully unintelligent-but-lovable sea star named Patrick (Bill Fagerbakke), who returns SpongeBob's friendship; and a grouchy, six-tentacled octopus named Squidward (Rodger Bumpass), who doesn't. SpongeBob and Patrick embark on self-misguided adventures that always land them in some sort of absurd situation, but their spirits are never dampened by their off-the-wall predicaments. Nor are they ever put off by the constant ridicule and disdain they encounter from Squidward, who tries to steer clear of their antics but often finds himself in the middle of their messes as they try relentlessly to win his friendship.

He's yellow, porous, and perpetually happy, and he'd likely be called a kitchen sponge more often than a sea sponge, but there's no doubt that SpongeBob is one of the sea's most famous residents. Since the cheery fellow's debut in 1999, his cartoon series has earned a spot at the top of Nickelodeon's ratings chart and maintains a huge fan following that includes kids and adults. The show is sweet, well-intentioned, and full of zany humor and silly scenes that will appeal to many viewers. It also offers plenty of positive message about friendship, hard work, and loyalty.

But some aspects of SpongeBob will leave parents wanting to preview the series before letting their kids watch. Characters often speak sarcastically and act rudely to each other -- and, unlike in real life, no one seems bothered by the mean-spirited things that are said. What's more, situations are often resolved with violence, and the frequent songs sometimes touch on iffy subject matter like bombs and making fun of people. Parents also might be put off by SpongeBob's often-annoying personality and his tendency to take jokes too far. While his antics are funny onscreen, kids' SpongeBob imitations will probably drive adults crazy in the real world.