

Once, while on a camping trip, Patrick questions how they could have a camp fire on the lagoon bottom-the fire is immediately extinguished with a sizzle. Instead of cars, the residents of Bikini Bottom drive boats-with wheels of course. This has a lot to do with the way underwater life and situations are represented, absurdly, as though they are almost equivalent to normal terrestrial lifestyles. The cartoon is designed to appeal to older viewers as much as to children. Events in the past with the SpongeBob SquarePants theme include an exhibit at Underwater Adventures aquarium in the Mall of America called SeaCrits of Bikini Bottom during the summer of 2003, and in October of 2004, a NASCAR race, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie 300, presented by Lowe's and broadcast on TNT. More recently, a tie-in beverage for 7-Eleven convenience stores has been created, a pineapple-flavored Slurpee. SpongeBob was also featured on VH1's I Love the 90s: Part Deux: 1999 as part of a commentary by Michael Ian Black.

There have been kids meal tie-ins at Wendy's and Burger King restaurants, so much so when a SpongeBob SquarePants movie promotion ran in 2004, thieves stole nine-foot-high by nine-foot-wide SpongeBob inflatables, wanting Krabby Patties as ransom, and signed by someone who claims to be Plankton. It has become a favorite cartoon for television viewers. robbie thompson based on the show, for instance, ranges from Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, Kellogg's Cereal, and video games to boxer shorts, pajamas, t-shirts, and manga. SpongeBob has gained a loyal international following with children and adults alike.
