- #IS SPONGEBOB GAY OR ASEXUAL MOVIE#
- #IS SPONGEBOB GAY OR ASEXUAL SERIES#
- #IS SPONGEBOB GAY OR ASEXUAL TV#
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SpongeBob Squarepants is many things to many people, and asexual is one of the most important of all. While it's not clear which specific form of queerness best describes SpongeBob, it's vital that the conversation surrounding him acknowledges his character's asexuality regardless. SpongeBob and Patrick aren't even from the same species, but that hasn't stopped them from holding hands, dressing up in drag together, and even raising a clam baby as their very own.
#IS SPONGEBOB GAY OR ASEXUAL SERIES#
Hillenburg, who produced and directed his first SpongeBob movie, has employed stars such as Alec Baldwin and Scarlett Johansson to voice some of the characters while Baywatch personality David Hasselhoff has made a non-cartoon appearance.Why Good Omens boss won't label characters as gayĪfter all, the queer gender politics of SpongeBob Squarepants are more complex than most, and that's thanks largely to how each character connects in fluid and often homoerotic ways. SpongeBob SquarePants is the title character and protagonist of the American animated television series of the same name.He is characterized by his optimism and childlike attitude, and is influenced by other comedic characters, including Stan Laurel and Pee-Wee Herman.He is voiced by actor and comedian Tom Kenny. It says the series is a big hit in Indonesia and has been translated into Hindi, Korean and Japanese. Nickelodeon, part of global media firm Viacom, has made 60 episodes since SpongeBob's birth in 1996 and is working on another 20. In 1999, Britain's Teletubbies were cast into sexual controversy by a US religious leader who warned parents to be alert to subtle messages from Tinky Winky, one of the four androgynous characters, singled out for his purple colour and a triangular antenna on his head, both symbols of gay pride. "Just think of 'Laurel and Hardy' or 'Ernie and Bert'," he said, referring to two popular American comic icons - the former from the 1930s and latter from the US television series Sesame Street. Such allegations were common in the history of cartoon and children's entertainment, he said. "I really don't pay much attention to this." Hillenburg, a marine-science-teacher-turned-animator who lives in Hollywood and is married with a six-year-old son, says he thinks there are "more important issues to worry about". The makers - the nonprofit We Are Family Foundation - say the video is designed to encourage tolerance and diversity. SpongeBob is one of the stars of a music video due to be sent to 61,000 US schools in March. "Their inclusion of the reference to 'sexual identity' within their 'tolerance pledge' is not only unnecessary but it crosses a moral line," said Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family. Influential US radio evangelist James Dobson, among whose top political issues are opposition to same-sex marriage and abortion rights, said last week SpongeBob had been included in a "pro-homosexual video". Naive SpongeBob, who lives in a pineapple under the Pacific Ocean, was "outed" by the US media in 2002 after reports that the Nickelodeon TV show and its merchandise were popular with gays. We're just trying to be funny and this has got nothing to do with the show."
#IS SPONGEBOB GAY OR ASEXUAL MOVIE#
"It doesn't have anything to do with what we're trying to do," Hillenburg said today, two days before the Asian premiere of the SpongeBob SquarePants Movie in Singapore. SpongeBob's creator, Stephen Hillenburg, 43, said the allegations were far-fetched and his agenda did not go beyond fun and entertainment. SpongeBob SquarePants, the wacky cartoon character who sparked a gay alert warning by US Christian conservative groups, is neither gay nor straight.Īt least two Christian activist groups said the innocent and hugely popular cartoon character SpongeBob and his best mate Patrick Starfish were being exploited to promote the acceptance of homosexuality. Likely this has been mentioned, but SpongeBob, who has been persecuted by wingnut lunatics who thought that he was gay, is really "A", according to his creator.