Punctuating the celebration of the series’ 10th anniversary, Nickelodeon has green-lit 26 new, original episodes of the hit series SpongeBob SquarePants. The new order will bring the total number of episodes for the series to 178, and will feature the original voice cast including Tom Kenny as SpongeBob, Bill Fagerbakke as Patrick, Rodger Bumpass as Squidward, Clancy Brown as Mr. Krabs and Carolyn Lawrence as Sandy Cheeks.
“After a decade on our air, SpongeBob has emerged as one of the most beloved and popular characters in television history. Audiences of all ages have fallen in love with this show and we’re delighted to be serving up additional original episodes to our viewers for many years,” said Brown Johnson, President, Animation, Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids & Family Group.
The renewal announcement comes on the heels of the star-studded SpongeBob “Truth or Square” 10th anniversary special that drew 7.7 million total viewers on November 6th, ranking as basic cable’s number-one entertainment show for the week. In 2009, SpongeBob SquarePants drew more than 75 million viewers monthly and currently ranks as the number-one animated series with kids 2-11 as it has for more than seven consecutive years. The show is seen in 171 markets in 26 languages and is the most widely distributed property in MTV Networks’ history.
This holiday season, SpongeBob will continue to spread his cheer with “Don’t Be a Jerk (It’s Christmas!),” a new holiday song that is symbolic of the optimism and kindness he has represented for the past 10 years. Available now on Nick Records’ SpongeBob’s Greatest Hits CD, the song is performed by Tom Kenny (the voice of SpongeBob) who co-wrote the song with music veteran Andy Paley.
SpongeBob SquarePants is executive produced by creator Stephen Hillenburg. Paul Tibbitt served as a director and writer on SpongeBob SquarePants for its first three seasons and is currently executive producer.
SpongeBob SquarePants is a Nicktoons Production and is produced at the Nickelodeon Animation Studios in Burbank, Calif.
