---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I grew up with SpongeBob - it came out in…"
description: "\"I grew up with SpongeBob - it came out in 1999, right before I turned 7. So it's been a part of my life and all my friends' lives and defined our humor..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7b/ethan-slater-14945_grew_i-grew-up-with-spongebob-it-came-out-in_345017.jpg"
---

#  I grew up with SpongeBob - it came out in 1999, right…

![“I grew up with SpongeBob - it came out in 1999, right before I turned 7. So it's been a part of my life and all my friends' lives and defined our humor, in a way.” quote by Ethan Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7b/ethan-slater-14945_grew_i-grew-up-with-spongebob-it-came-out-in_345017.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7b/ethan-slater-14945_grew_i-grew-up-with-spongebob-it-came-out-in_345017.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7b/ethan-slater-14945_grew_i-grew-up-with-spongebob-it-came-out-in_345017.jpg)

> “I grew up with SpongeBob - it came out in 1999, right before I turned 7. So it's been a part of my life and all my friends' lives and defined our humor, in a way.”

[Ethan Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-slater/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The show shaped a generation’s humor and shared experiences, becoming a cultural touchstone for childhood and friendships.

**In simple terms:** SpongeBob influenced our jokes and bonds.

Key Takeaway

Embrace shared pop culture memories.

Themes

friendship humor nostalgia culture

Mood

playful nostalgic connected

Type

cultural observational

When to use this quote

- school recess
- online memes
- family gatherings
- themed parties

Key Concepts

media influence collective identity generational humor

Questions to Reflect On

- How does a shared show affect group identity?
- What other media define your generation?

A Different Perspective

May not resonate with those unfamiliar with the show.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/)

## Related quotes

> [I grew up on 'Spongebob.' If I had known there was an even better cartoon out there like 'X-Men,' you best believe I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lana-condor/i-grew-up-on-spongebob-if-i-had-known-there-was-an-even-better/)

[Lana Condor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lana-condor/)

> [I grew up in Sudan and Kenya, and lived in both the rural and urban centers of both countries throughout my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-hersman/i-grew-up-in-sudan-and-kenya-and-lived-in-both-the-rural-and-urban/)

[Erik Hersman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-hersman/)

> [Despite my mother saying I have been destined to be an actress my whole life, I remember being the kid who grew up not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shantel-vansanten/despite-my-mother-saying-i-have-been-destined-to-be-an-actress-my/)

[Shantel VanSanten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shantel-vansanten/)

> [I grew up watching 'Star Trek.' I love 'Star Trek.' 'Star Trek' made me want to see alien creatures, creatures from a far-distant world.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dickinson/i-grew-up-watching-star-trek-i-love-star-trek-star-trek-made-me-want/)

[Michael Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dickinson/)

> [I am waiting for a sign that will indicate to me what meaning I must give to my life, but right now my existence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-lawless/i-am-waiting-for-a-sign-that-will-indicate-to-me-what-meaning-i-must/)

[Lucy Lawless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-lawless/)

> [I think I have a right to live my life the way I like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/i-think-i-have-a-right-to-live-my-life-the-way-i-like/)

[Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/)

> [Once my family grew bigger I loved Portland more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rasheed-wallace/once-my-family-grew-bigger-i-loved-portland-more/)

[Rasheed Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rasheed-wallace/)

> [I got to meet some of the best people I've ever met, and we all grew as people and as entertainers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-underwood/i-got-to-meet-some-of-the-best-people-i-ve-ever-met-and-we-all-grew/)

[Carrie Underwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-underwood/)

> [I think anyone that grew up in the '70s and '80s grew up with Bob Barker and Wink Martindale and I think that was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-fieri/i-think-anyone-that-grew-up-in-the-70s-and-80s-grew-up-with-bob/)

[Guy Fieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-fieri/)

> [I grew up in Mumbai.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fareed-zakaria/i-grew-up-in-mumbai/)

[Fareed Zakaria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fareed-zakaria/)

> [I'm a strange mixture of my mother's curiosity; my father, who grew up the son of the manse in a Presbyterian family, who had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/i-m-a-strange-mixture-of-my-mother-s-curiosity-my-father-who-grew-up/)

[Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/)

> [The teacher is one who makes two ideas grow where only one grew before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/the-teacher-is-one-who-makes-two-ideas-grow-where-only-one-grew-before/)

[Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/)

> [I grew up in Synagogue in the boys' choir. We didn't listen to music in the house; only at temple. Then I went to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-patinkin/i-grew-up-in-synagogue-in-the-boys-choir-we-didn-t-listen-to-music-in/)

[Mandy Patinkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-patinkin/)

> [I grew up in the middle class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-scaramucci/i-grew-up-in-the-middle-class/)

[Anthony Scaramucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-scaramucci/)

> [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

## More by Ethan Slater

> [One of my favorite pieces of fan mail was a gift that I got. It was a jar filled with handwritten nice thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-slater/one-of-my-favorite-pieces-of-fan-mail-was-a-gift-that-i-got-it-was-a/)

[Ethan Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-slater/)

> [I've gotten to meet Sara Bareilles a couple of times. I'm just a such a massive fan of hers, from her albums to 'Waitress'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-slater/i-ve-gotten-to-meet-sara-bareilles-a-couple-of-times-i-m-just-a-such/)

[Ethan Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-slater/)

> [Making my Broadway debut was, in and of itself, just a dream come true. I've wanted to be on Broadway forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-slater/making-my-broadway-debut-was-in-and-of-itself-just-a-dream-come-true/)

[Ethan Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-slater/)

> [There's a social element of me that's pretty reserved. High school was when I was starting to come out of my shell because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-slater/there-s-a-social-element-of-me-that-s-pretty-reserved-high-school-was/)

[Ethan Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-slater/)

> [Playing SpongeBob is freeing. There is something intrinsically about him that people identify with no matter their age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-slater/playing-spongebob-is-freeing-there-is-something-intrinsically-about/)

[Ethan Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-slater/)

> [I've always loved the Marx brothers and Charlie Chaplin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-slater/i-ve-always-loved-the-marx-brothers-and-charlie-chaplin/)

[Ethan Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-slater/)

> [I've always been somebody who sort of throws himself, you could say, obsessively into whatever thing I'm passionate about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-slater/i-ve-always-been-somebody-who-sort-of-throws-himself-you-could-say/)

[Ethan Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-slater/)

> [The whole cast and creative team were definitely aware of the 'This is the death of Broadway!' kind of thing about 'SpongeBob,' but we've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-slater/the-whole-cast-and-creative-team-were-definitely-aware-of-the-this-is/)

[Ethan Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-slater/)

> [One of the things I've found about SpongeBob's movement style is that, in addition to being animated and sort of stretching and squeezing, he's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-slater/one-of-the-things-i-ve-found-about-spongebob-s-movement-style-is-that/)

[Ethan Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-slater/)

> [When the show starts, I am in my SpongeBob stance, and I walk like SpongeBob, and the first step that I take, I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-slater/when-the-show-starts-i-am-in-my-spongebob-stance-and-i-walk-like/)

[Ethan Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-slater/)

> [My mother passed away when I was seven. She had a piano in the house that she was teaching my sisters how to play.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-slater/my-mother-passed-away-when-i-was-seven-she-had-a-piano-in-the-house/)

[Ethan Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-slater/)

> [Wrestling is a small, intimate sport.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-slater/wrestling-is-a-small-intimate-sport/)

[Ethan Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-slater/)

> [We're all sort of aware what 'SpongeBob the Musical' could be in the hands of the wrong people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-slater/we-re-all-sort-of-aware-what-spongebob-the-musical-could-be-in-the/)

[Ethan Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-slater/)

> [I think I'm a little less naive than SpongeBob can sometimes seem to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-slater/i-think-i-m-a-little-less-naive-than-spongebob-can-sometimes-seem-to/)

[Ethan Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-slater/)

> [When I'm in the audience of Broadway shows, I feel like I'm in the presence of something really special with artists working at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-slater/when-i-m-in-the-audience-of-broadway-shows-i-feel-like-i-m-in-the/)

[Ethan Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-slater/)

[Explore all 44 Ethan Slater quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-slater/)

## More Grew quotes

> [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [I grew up in the middle class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-scaramucci/i-grew-up-in-the-middle-class/)

[Anthony Scaramucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-scaramucci/)

> [I grew up in Synagogue in the boys' choir. We didn't listen to music in the house; only at temple. Then I went to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-patinkin/i-grew-up-in-synagogue-in-the-boys-choir-we-didn-t-listen-to-music-in/)

[Mandy Patinkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-patinkin/)

> [The teacher is one who makes two ideas grow where only one grew before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/the-teacher-is-one-who-makes-two-ideas-grow-where-only-one-grew-before/)

[Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/)

> [I'm a strange mixture of my mother's curiosity; my father, who grew up the son of the manse in a Presbyterian family, who had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/i-m-a-strange-mixture-of-my-mother-s-curiosity-my-father-who-grew-up/)

[Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/)

> [I grew up in Mumbai.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fareed-zakaria/i-grew-up-in-mumbai/)

[Fareed Zakaria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fareed-zakaria/)

> [I think anyone that grew up in the '70s and '80s grew up with Bob Barker and Wink Martindale and I think that was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-fieri/i-think-anyone-that-grew-up-in-the-70s-and-80s-grew-up-with-bob/)

[Guy Fieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-fieri/)

> [I got to meet some of the best people I've ever met, and we all grew as people and as entertainers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-underwood/i-got-to-meet-some-of-the-best-people-i-ve-ever-met-and-we-all-grew/)

[Carrie Underwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-underwood/)

> [Once my family grew bigger I loved Portland more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rasheed-wallace/once-my-family-grew-bigger-i-loved-portland-more/)

[Rasheed Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rasheed-wallace/)

> [Grew up in a small town where there was only one crazy guy. He didn't even go insane doing anything good, like going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-posehn/grew-up-in-a-small-town-where-there-was-only-one-crazy-guy-he-didn-t/)

[Brian Posehn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-posehn/)

> [I grew up with a religious background.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-caruso/i-grew-up-with-a-religious-background/)

[Alex Caruso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-caruso/)

> [I have to say, I grew up with fashion because my mother was a seamstress, and she had an atelier. She would cut the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donatella-versace/i-have-to-say-i-grew-up-with-fashion-because-my-mother-was-a/)

[Donatella Versace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donatella-versace/)

> [This role is more visible, and I grew up without a lot of that sort of modeling so I'm relieved and proud to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wentworth-miller/this-role-is-more-visible-and-i-grew-up-without-a-lot-of-that-sort-of/)

[Wentworth Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wentworth-miller/)

> [I grew up on a set and saw my family doing it and thought, 'I can do that too.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-culkin/i-grew-up-on-a-set-and-saw-my-family-doing-it-and-thought-i-can-do/)

[Rory Culkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-culkin/)

> [My dad's Israeli. He was born in Baghdad to Iraqi Jews. Then, at age two, his parents wanted to move to their homeland and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-yamin/my-dad-s-israeli-he-was-born-in-baghdad-to-iraqi-jews-then-at-age-two/)

[Elliott Yamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-yamin/)

Browse all 6,016 Grew quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I grew up with SpongeBob - it came out in 1999, right before I turned 7. So it's been a part of my life and all my friends' lives and defined our humor, in a way.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ethan Slater"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-slater/i-grew-up-with-spongebob-it-came-out-in-1999-right-before-i-turned-7/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Grew"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-slater/i-grew-up-with-spongebob-it-came-out-in-1999-right-before-i-turned-7/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7b/ethan-slater-14945_grew_i-grew-up-with-spongebob-it-came-out-in_345017.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7b/ethan-slater-14945_grew_i-grew-up-with-spongebob-it-came-out-in_345017.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7b/ethan-slater-14945_grew_i-grew-up-with-spongebob-it-came-out-in_345017.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I grew up with SpongeBob - it came out in 1999, right before I turned 7. So it's been a part of my life and…” — Ethan Slater",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Ethan Slater",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-slater/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I grew up with SpongeBob -...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-slater/i-grew-up-with-spongebob-it-came-out-in-1999-right-before-i-turned-7/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-slater/i-grew-up-with-spongebob-it-came-out-in-1999-right-before-i-turned-7/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
