Let’s pop the corks! SpongeBob SquarePants is now 40 years old.
If we start singing the very first note now and continue with a“Ohhhh, who lives in the pineapple way down under the sea?”you’re all probably already shouting in your heads“SpongeBob SquarePants!”
And that’s a good thing. Because today—July 14, 2026—there’s a reason to celebrate:SpongeBob SquarePants is turning 40!Not the show, but really the happiest sponge of all time, whom your sink will hopefully never see.
How do we know this? In Episode 10a of Season 2, titled “The Terror of the Street,” Mrs. Puff (German voice actress at the time: Rita Engelmann) finally tells her longtime student SpongeBob (German voice actor: Santiago Ziesmer) finallyhis driver’s licenseand lo and behold:He was born on July 14, 1986.
By the way, the episode aired in the U.S. in October 2000 and in Germany in September 2002. This means the yellow sponge received his driver’s license at age 14 and 16, respectively. So it’s no wonder SpongeBob is such a terrible driver. He was still way too young!
Who actually invented SpongeBob?
SpongeBob creator Stephen Hillenburg was a marine biologist who had set out to teach children about the underwater world. This initially led to the comic »actually has no lips at alland Hillenburg’s were added later. This was revealed by Thaddäus voice actor Rodger Bumpass at a Comic-Con in San Diego some time ago (viaStern).
Did you know about SpongeBob’s milestone birthday, and are you watching your favorite episode to celebrate? Or have you never even thought about it? Feel free to let us know in the comments.
Our editor Franzi especially loves the episode “Listen to Who’s Playing” from Season 2, which ends with a legendary performance by SpongeBob and his band. Or the episode where his pants rip. Ah, sweet memories.
