Nickelodeon is expanding the porous and bubbly animated maritime sitcom universe of “SpongeBob SquarePants” with 52 new episodes across the franchise, including the flagship show that started it all and two recent Bikini Bottom additions, “Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years” and “The Patrick Star Show.” All three of the property’s series are currently in production at the Nickelodeon Animation Studio in Burbank, California.
“SpongeBob is the centerpiece of our franchise strategy to expand the worlds of our characters and grow our global reach even further,” Ramsey Naito, President of Nickelodeon Animation, said in a statement announcing the massive greenlight. “It’s a property that wins on every platform because the richness of the characters and the comedy intrinsic to the storytelling continue to appeal to so many fans around the world.”
“The Patrick Star Show,” which brings back Bill Fagerbakke as the voice of young adult Patrick Star alongside new cast members Tom Wilson (Cecil Star), Cree Summer (Bunny Star), Jill Talley (Squidina Star); and Dana Snyder (GrandPat), launched July 9 on Paramount Plus. The second spinoff of television’s top animated kids’ show follows a younger Patrick Star living at home with his family, where he hosts his own variety show for the neighborhood from his television-turned-bedroom. The series will get another 13 additional episodes.
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Likewise, “Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years,” which features Tom Kenny (SpongeBob), Fagerbakke (Patrick), Rodger Bumpass (Squidward), Clancy Brown (Mr. Krabs), Carolyn Lawrence (Sandy) and Mr. Lawrence (Plankton) reprising their iconic roles, recently had its Paramount Plus debut on March 4 and will also get another 13 additional episodes. Per the logline, the CG-animated prequel follows 10-year-old SpongeBob SquarePants and his pals as they spend their summer building underwater campfires, catching wild jellyfish, and swimming in Lake Yuckymuck at the craziest camp in the kelp forest, Kamp Koral. Carlos Alazraqui (“The Casagrandes”) and Kate Higgins (“Blaze and the Monster Machines”) join as new characters Nobby and Narlene, narwhal siblings who live in the woods surrounding the camp.
Last but not least, the character-driven cartoon chronicles the nautical and sometimes nonsensical adventures of SpongeBob, Nickelodeon’s longest-running animated series, will also get 13 new episodes. SpongeBob, an incurable optimist and earnest sea sponge with a loveable crew of undersea friends, made his first on-screen splash in July 1999. Since then, the series has generated a universe of pop culture catchphrases and memes, theatrical releases, a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical and a global fan base seen in more than 170 countries and territories.
“SpongeBob SquarePants” was created by the late marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg and produced by Nickelodeon in Burbank. Marc Ceccarelli, Vincent Waller and Jennie Monica are co-executive producers of the flagship show and its two spinoffs, “The Patrick Star Show” and “Kamp Koral.” All three series were developed for television by Claudia Spinelli, Nickelodeon’s senior VP of animation development, with production overseen by Kelley Gardner, VP, current series, animation. “SpongeBob SquarePants” averages more than 100 million total viewers each month.
