SpongeBob SquarePants fans packed the Empire Stage space on Friday of NYCC for the celebration of the show’s 25th anniversary, and they weren’t left disappointed! Hosted by Matt Forte (host of HUME AI’s The Feelings Lab podcast), fans were greeted by the main cast of the show (Tom Kenny as SpongeBob, Bill Fagerbakke as Patrick, Carolyn Lawrence as Sandy, Rodger Bumpass as Squidward, Clancy Brown as Mr. Krabs, and Mr. Lawrence as Plankton), as well as the executive producers Vincent Waller and Marc Ceccarelli.
The panel started off with questions about the cast’s experience with voicing the same characters for the past 25 years and the success of the more recent spin-off, The Patrick Star Show, leading to the announcement that it received approval for seasons four and five (each having 13 episodes), while the newest episodes from season three will continue to air on Nickelodeon. The show, which is the second spin-off in the SpongeBob Squarepants universe, follows the titular Patrick Star and his family and friends and the hijinks that ensue from the sea star’s wild imagination. We got the first look at one of the upcoming holiday episodes for the show, called “Thanks But No Thanksgiving,” which shows the Star family attending a family Thanksgiving feast. Check out the episode preview below:
Fans also got the first look at stills from a holiday episode starring Patrick’s sister, Squidina, called “Squidina’s Holidaze Special,” where her school’s holiday play gets chaotic as Patrick messes with her script. Check them out:
Squidina trying to direct her school's holiday play, with Patrick up to his silly antics. | Source: Paramount/Nickelodeon
Patrick getting ready for the holiday season in "Squidina's Holidaze Special." | Source: Paramount/Nickelodeon
SpongeBob makes his way into the holiday hijinks in this episode, too! | Source: Paramoutn/Nickelodeon
Next, fans were treated to not one, but two table readings from fan-favorite SpongeBob SquarePants episodes: one for the classic episode from season two, “Band Geeks,” and one fitting the spooky season and a reference to the very first season of the show, “Scaredy Pants.” The cast was incredibly animated (pun not intended) during both readings, which added an extra layer of whimsy to accompany the storyboards on display on the screen behind them. Here are a few shots from the table reading taken by yours truly:
The table reading for season one's "Scaredy Pants." | Source: The Pop Insider
The table reading for season two's "Band Geeks." | Source: The Pop Insider
Following the table readings, the next announcement was for a special 25th anniversary episode for SpongeBob SquarePants called “Snow Yellow,” written by Mr. Lawrence. Following the conventions of the class Brothers Grimm tale “Snow White,” this episode provides that special Spongebob twist, with the core cast taking on the roles of Snow White (SpongeBob), the seven dwarves (Sandy, Squidward, Mrs. Puff, and others; though in this case they’re jellyfish), and Plankton’s computer wife Karen as the evil Queen. From the exclusive sneak peek shown at the panel, it’s an episode you won’t want to miss when it debuts in November!
From there, fans also got the announcement of a holiday special for SpongeBob SquarePants called “SpongeBob & Sandy’s Country Christmas,” a stop-motion animated special that will debut on Nickelodeon and Paramount+ in December. When one of Sandy’s holiday experiments goes off the rails, it’s up to her family to save the day! The special features Craig Robinson as Pa Cheeks, Grey Delisle as Ma Cheeks, Granny Cheeks, Rosie, and Rowdy, and Johnny Knoxville as Randy Cheeks, reprising their roles as the Cheeks family from the recently released movie Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie. Fortunately, you won’t have to guess what it’ll look like, as we’ve gotten a clip from the episode to show you as a treat:
The panel was packed with laughs and fun insights from the cast and crew (for example, Tom Kenny, when asked by a fan what he would want to coplay as at NYCC, responded with “Popeye the Sailor Moon”), and if you’re feeling major FOMO from missing out, fear not! The panel will be available to watch on-demand with a Popverse membership for those who want to know all the deets, so stay tuned for when the recording becomes available!
