It’s a very say day knowing that the creator of one of our most beloved childhood cartoons is no longer with us. May he rest in peace and always be remembered for his amazing work.
Stephen Hillenburg, the creator of the hit Nickelodeon show “SpongeBob SquarePants,” has died, the network announced Tuesday. He was 57. Hillenburg died following a battle with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. In March, he announced that he had been diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disease.
“We are incredibly saddened by the news that Steve Hillenburg has passed away following a battle with ALS. He was a beloved friend and long-time creative partner to everyone at Nickelodeon, and our hearts go out to his entire family,” the network said in a statement.
“Steve imbued SpongeBob SquarePants with a unique sense of humor and innocence that has brought joy to generations of kids and families everywhere,” the statement said. “His utterly original characters and the world of Bikini Bottom will long stand as a reminder of the value of optimism, friendship and the limitless power of imagination.”
Hillenburg conceived, wrote, produced and directed the animated series that began in 1999 and blossomed into hundreds of episodes, movies and even a Broadway show.
“The essence of the show is that SpongeBob is an innocent in a world of jaded characters,” Hillenburg told The Associated Press in 2001. “The rest is absurd packaging.”
The vast cast of oceanic creatures included SpongeBob’s starfish sidekick Patrick, his tightwad boss Mr. Krabs, and his always-exasperated neighbor Squidward Tentacles.
Hillenburg was born at his father’s army post in Lawton, Okla., He graduated from Humboldt State University in California in 1984 with a degree in natural resource planning with a marine emphasis, and went on to teach marine biology at the Orange County Marine Institute.
It was during his time there that there Hillenburg drew a comic, “The Intertidal Zone,” which he used as a teaching tool. It featured anthropomorphic ocean creatures that were precursors to the characters on “SpongeBob.”
Hillenburg eventually shifted to drawing and pursued a master of fine arts degree in animation from the California Institute of the Arts in 1992. He went on to work on the Nickelodeon show “Rocko’s Modern Life,” from 1993 to 1996 before he began creating the SpongeBob universe.
By: Maytinee Kramer
