Is Spongebob?
 

The the popular children's show of today? I mean specifically like how Turtles were popular from the 80's to the 90's. I keep seeing spongebob on all sorts of products. Maybe I'm just not in touch with kids these days, but has there been any boys show/property that's been extremely popular these days? Like Masters of the Universe to the early 80's, Transformers to the mid 80's, Ninja turtles to the late 80's early 90's, power rangers to the mid 90's, pokemon to the late 90's early 2000's, and then what? Spongebob? Is there anything else?

Thats an interesting question that I was actually sort of pondering about to myself the other day...I may also be out of touch(I probably am), but it doesnt seem like cartoons today really acheived the popularity of the tmnt...im probably wrong btw.

I don't know. Maybe Spongebob. It really doesn't seem like Spongebob is squarly (no pun intended) aimed at those younger kids though. I can't remember what magazine I read it in, like Maxim or Blender or something, but they were talking about how the real audience for Spongebob was college kids, which is slightly baffling to me.

Back in the day you could walk into a toy store and see what was the "big thing", not so much anymore. I don't really think there's anything on the level of TMNT, Transformers, etc etc., where everyone watched it. I guess Spongebob would be the one closest to the afore mentioned though.

I love Spongebob. But it's not quite as accessible in its appeal as TMNT. Lots of people just "don't get it." I mean, Turtles has its quirks, but compared to Spongebob it's downright normal.

Spongebob is wildly popular, and I would list it as near the top, if not at the top. People are comparing to The Simpsons. I am not one of those people. I think it's popular, but I don't think it goes as far as people think it does. Definitely not the phenomenon TMNT was.

I think that, the thing is, there are so many more shows these days. There are so many toons on the market that I think it's extremely difficult for anything to reach that ubiquitous level anymore. Not the same way, anyhow.

Yeah I dunno. Although Spongebob has that humor that can reach all target audiences (which is nothing new, even old school turtles had the older audience jokes) I think he's most popular with kids. But even Spongebob has been around for a while now so I'm not so sure, I kind of just based my assumption that he's most popular right now because whenever I go to the grocery store they have spongebob's face on everything.

Maybe we're in the lull between popular things, but I think maybe I've just lost touch with kids. I'm not actually sure about what was popular in the early to mid 80's, I based that on what other people have told me, for example I wouldn't know if Ghostbusters or GI Joe would fit in with what was most popular or not. I know the 80's to late 90's because that's when I was young/in school. In fact the last one I listed was Pokemon mainly because I was still in Jr. High and saw first hand how popular it became.

Maybe it's just more complicated than what I'm making it out to be though. Maybe something can become hugely popular with something else becoming hugely popular at the same time. For example Power Rangers was HUGE, but Turtles were still very popular during that time. Then in the mid 90's Star Wars became huge with the new figures in 1995, but Power Rangers and Turtles were still going.

My brain hurts.


I'm glad you said this, because there were tons of shows in the 80's/90's too. I remember loving Turtles but I would watch TONS of other tv shows too. In the 80's Transformers and GI Joe were pretty popular and while they were popular he-man was too, and Ghostbusters came out around this time too.

It's kind of easier to decide what was the most popular when I was a kid and living it though.

I forgot X-Men, I remember all the kids would play Marvel superheroes in the mid 90's, around the time Power Rangers got huge. Maybe I'm deluding myself in thinking there's ever one hugely popular successful thing.



:::Mod Edit-I combined these two posts. Please use the "edit" feature next time to avoid double posting. Thank you!-Voltron:::

I'm a student teacher right now at a middle school. I've noticed, more or less, that most of the kids wear designer clothes. I think it's just plain unpopular, especially at their age, to be associated with anything that "childish."

The kids who do wear pop culture characters on their persons usually resort to superheroes or Star Wars with Star Wars in the lead.

I think so. There were always multiples. BTW, when did Yugi-ho become an overnight sensation (that Magic: The Gathering wannabe)?

Yeah.... Maybe I should have phrased that differently, because it's more than the sheer number of shows (though there are more). It's the number of channels, TiVo/DVR, the Internet, serious gaming/roleplaying, audience participation... Attention is split far too many ways. It's... the information age, you know?

Don't worry that your brain hurts. It's not just you. Marketers' heads have been exploding over this issue, especially with random things ALL YOUR BASE becoming insanely popular.

Boy, that's sad.

*resumes search for TMNT shirts*

That's true, there is more. But there's always been a lot of outlets, and I do think that people do still center on certain shows. Like LOST is huge with almost everyone, people won't shut up about how great it is.

Obviously not everything else stops because one show gets popular, I think subconciously I started this thread wondering what the proper way to judge if something is the most popular or not. I usually go by what I see the most of in the store, hence the spongebob thing.

No one would argue with me that Turtles was the most popular property of the early late 80's early 90's right? Was it because of toy sales, or show ratings, or is it something in the air that gets people talking like quoting the movie lines. Gah brain hurting again.

...I don't get a show that just rips jokes out of Rocko's Modern Life and uses David Hasselhoff to make it's movie stand out in culture?

:evil: You look for excuses to bully people, don't you? Don't make me sic Mr. Peanut on you...

Meh. I've never liked Spongebob. Too juvenile for me, I s'pose.

*nods* Yes, there's nothing funny about David Hasselhoff. Nothing at all.

http://accordionguy.blogware.com/_at...n_the_surf.gif

ETA: I really, really didn't like Rocko's Modern Life. I understand its creative merit and everything, but I just didn't like it. Same for Ren and Stimpy. SpongeBob being, above all else, patently and pointlessly absurd, appeals to me much more. Pure SAST, I guess. But I didn't see the movie and I'm not about to hang out on a SpongeBob messageboard.

Please tell me you did not just try to insult Zarius? Or make an attempt at sarcasm? See, sarcasm and irony usually don't work on the internet for the same reason they don't work on the radio. So, please behave and this thread won't become "Was spongebob!" (what kind of subject is that anyways?)

That's how I feel about the show, too. Then again, I feel the same way about Family Guy, though it (or used to) rips jokes off of The Simpsons and uses '80s pop culture to make it stand out in people's minds...

But I digress.


I think Spongebob could very well indeed be the new kids craze. However, my son doesn't watch it much now. He used to be addicted to it since he was 2, but currently he's into a little bit of everything (Avatar, Ben 10, Teen Titans *blech*, occasionally Spongebob). Maybe he's outgrowing it. I don't think Spongebob has the lasting impact that TMNT had.

That one scene in Orange County might change your mind. :P

I doubt it's the impact or whatever. I think it's just that the show's eternal reruns on twelve million channels is tiring even the children at some point. That's why I don't watch much Simpsons or Spongebob anymore, I just grew tired of the same dozen of episodes over and over again.

And I think that Spongebob will be around for a while, if he stays that popular I don't know, but he'll be around. I mean, he is unconventional, he is funny, he is weird and he's just a show that everyone can enjoy. I mean, I couldn't believe it when I heard my boss say "Pattar FeuFeu" (from the "Spongebob B.C. (UGH)"-episode), so obviously even grown adults watch it.

Nonsense, I daresay. We'll e-fight later on.

As for the topic... I'm all with Zarius.

A good one.

I loathe Spongebob.


...like Rocko's Modern Life, though. Philbert was my favorite. :)

I must ask though, is SpongeBob...?

:)