1. SPONGEBOB'S ORIGINAL NAME WAS SPONGEBOY
And the show's title was initially SpongeBoy Ahoy!. SpongeBoy was a copyrighted name for a mop, however, but Hillenburg made sure to keep the "sponge" in the name of his protagonist as he was worried that children might mistake him
2. THE "MY LEG!" FISH HAS A NAME. IT IS FRED.
Fred's name was revealed in the episode "Patty Hype." He is known in various episodes, spanning seasons and years, for crying "My leg!" while under duress.
3.WILL FERRELL, TINA FEY, ROBIN WILLIAMS, AND OTHER BIG CELEBRITIES HAVE APPEARED ON THE SHOW (AGAINST THE CREATOR'S INITIAL WISHES)
Hillenburg was against celebrities providing guest voices for his creation, out of fear of a comparison to The Simpsons. Two exceptions to the rule during the first three seasons of the show were Tim Conway and Ernest Borgnine, who played SpongeBob's favorite superheroes, Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy. After Hillenburg resigned as showrunner, Bikini Bottom welcomed the likes of Ferrell, Fey, Williams, Amy Poehler, Johnny Depp, Victoria Beckham, LeBron James, Pink, Patton Oswalt, and other established stars to get adults to watch.
4. DAVID HASSELHOFF KEPT THE 12-FOOT REPLICA OF HIMSELF THAT WAS MADE FOR THE MOVIE
Eating $100,000 of the film's budget, the 750 pound version of The Hoff was given to its inspiration by the crew. Hasselhoff appears as himself at the end of the movie in live-action, a scene that was written before the former Baywatch star had even agreed to play the part. The giant mannequin was sold at auction earlier this year.
5. IT IS THE LONGEST RUNNING NICKELODEON SERIES EVER
Surpassing Rugrats' previous record of 172 episodes, SpongeBob SquarePants will broadcast its 200th episode during the current season (the show's ninth). The show hasn't aired an original episode since March though—it is on hiatus in order to complete production on their second movie, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water.
