I drew these natural sponges for a while and gave them googly eyes, and it didn't come together until I drew a sink sponge one day. I thought, 'This is the guy.' He's the square peg, literally, in this world… — Stephen Hillenburg Copy Share Image
When I pitched the show, I made this special seashell. You could pick it up and hear me singing, 'Spongeboy, Spongeboy!' I also made… — Stephen Hillenburg Copy Share Image
I eventually thought of SpongeBob, but he needed a last name - SquarePants came to mind. — Stephen Hillenburg Copy Share Image
I was just looking at a packet that had SpongeBob thong underwear, so it goes farther than I would imagine. — Stephen Hillenburg Copy Share Image
Laurel and Hardy are among my strongest influences, and I think they're perfect examples of two naive, kid-like characters that are still funny today.… — Stephen Hillenburg Copy Share Image
Anyone who knows me knows that I will continue to work on 'SpongeBob SquarePants' and my other passions for as long as I am… — Stephen Hillenburg Copy Share Image
On TV, it is more efficient to use voice-over people because it is really hard to get celebrity voices to recur in a series. — Stephen Hillenburg Copy Share Image
In the show, the whole point of the fast food - the fact that SpongeBob loves being part of the fast-food chain and that… — Stephen Hillenburg Copy Share Image
I studied marine biology, even taught marine science before I got into animation, so I had an interest in that field and those animals. — Stephen Hillenburg Copy Share Image
When you set out to do a show about a sponge, you can't anticipate this kind of craze. We just try to make ourselves… — Stephen Hillenburg Copy Share Image
Everybody's got some fascination with undersea life, don't you think? — Stephen Hillenburg Copy Share Image
The characters are likable. Even the villainous Plankton - he's still flawed, and you still root for him, in a way, and the style… — Stephen Hillenburg Copy Share Image
I knew I wanted to create a character who was nerdy and kind of square, so when I drew a square sponge, everything came… — Stephen Hillenburg Copy Share Image
