I've been watching SpongeBob SquarePants since I was born. The show came out years before I was even born, and growing up it was always my favorite show. As someone who was born after the so-called "golden age," I watched the show being exposed to an equal amount of originals and newer episodes. In fact, the first episode I remember being explicitly new was S9E10 Kenny the Cat, which came out in 2014.
Because of this, I've always been able to enjoy the post-movie episodes just as much as the original seasons. I won't pretend there isn't a difference between the original few seasons, the middle era, and the modern episodes. But I think that these differences are not bad. The humor changes, but it's still humor. Of course there are the terrible dud episodes like S7E5 A Pal for Gary, but overall the episodes are massively overhated. S6E1 House Fancy is infamous for the scene of the toenail getting ripped off, but I remember finding that episode to be pretty good.
All of this goes to show that SpongeBob holds a very special place in my heart. Obviously, I am not alone in this opinion, with SpongeBob probably being the most famous and beloved cartoon character of anyone born from 1990 to 2010, along with plenty of people before and after these years. I remember once hearing about a challenge to scroll through social media and see how long it takes before you see something SpongeBob related. It took me 26 seconds to get to a post that contained SpongeBob in some shape or form. I think the main reason why I and so many others love SpongeBob so much is because of how he is both an adult and a kid. Unlike Patrick, who is completely childlike and lazy, or Squidward, who is world weary and beat down, SpongeBob has a job, friends, a home, but also hobbies, love for life, and optimism. In many ways SpongeBob is someone who more of us should act like.
SpongeBob will always be special to me. I have not even mentioned the amount of memories I have associated with the show, or the comfort it has brought me in hard times. I hope that SpongeBob has been just as special for you as it has been for me, and if not, you give the show another chance.
