<P> SpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated television series created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon . The series is set in the fictional underwater city of Bikini Bottom, and centers on the adventures and endeavors of SpongeBob SquarePants, an over-optimistic sea sponge that annoys other characters . Many of the ideas for the show originated in an unpublished, educational comic book titled The Intertidal Zone, which Hillenburg created in the mid-1980s . He began developing SpongeBob SquarePants into a television series in 1996 after the cancellation of Rocko's Modern Life, another Nickelodeon television series which Hillenburg previously directed . </P> <P> Since its debut on May 1, 1999, SpongeBob SquarePants has broadcast 218 episodes, and its eleventh season premiered on June 24, 2017 . The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, a feature - length film, was released in theaters on November 19, 2004 and grossed over US $140 million worldwide . Atlantis SquarePantis, a television film guest starring David Bowie, debuted as part of the fifth season . In 2009, Nickelodeon celebrated the show's tenth anniversary with Square Roots: The Story of SpongeBob SquarePants and SpongeBob's Truth or Square . The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, a stand - alone sequel, was released in theaters on February 6, 2015 and grossed over US $324 million worldwide . </P> <P> Episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants have been nominated for a variety of different awards, including 17 Annie Awards (with six wins), 17 Golden Reel Awards (with eight wins), 15 Emmy Awards (with one win), 13 Kids' Choice Awards (with 12 wins), and four BAFTA Children's Awards (with two wins). Several compilation DVDs have been released . In addition, the first eight seasons have been released on DVD, and are available for Regions 1, 2 and 4 as of 000000002013 - 10 - 01 - 0000 October 2013 . </P>

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