Real "Sponge Bob" Dies at 57 ( with Video)

By: Ahmed Yasser

CAIRO, Nov. 28 (SEE) – Stephen Hillenburg, the creator of cartoon series “SpongeBob SquarePants'' died on Monday at the age of 57.

Hillenburg conceived, wrote, produced and directed the animated series that began in 1999 and bloomed into hundreds of episodes, movies and a broadway show.

The creator of ''SpongeBob'' graduated from Humboldt State University in 1984 with a bachelor’s degree in Natural Resource Planning and Interpretation with an emphasis on marine resources. Then he became a marine biology teacher at the Orange County Marine Institute ''now the Ocean Institute'' in Dana Point, California.

He began his animation career in 1987, earned a degree in Experimental Animation at the California Institute of Arts in Valencia and Master of Fine Arts in 1992.

He worked on the Nickelodeon show “Rocko’s Modern Life,” from 1993 to 1996 before he began to build SpongeBob’s universe which showed off his knowledge of marine life and willingness to throw all the details out the window.

Stephen Hillenburg

The show was an immediate hit that has lost no momentum in the nearly 20 years since its creation and helped define the culture of Nickelodeon.

In 2004, the show shifted to the big screen with the SpongeBob SquarePants Movie” and a 2015 sequel, SpongeBob Movie and Sponge Out of Water.

David Bowie, Johnny Depp and Scarlett Johansson were among the dozens of major stars who provided guest voices to the show or movies.

Hillenburg reported in 2001, that the essence of  ''SpongeBob'' show  is an innocent in a world of jaded characters.

He announced in March 2017 about his illness . His death comes just weeks after the passing of another cartoon hero in Marvel creator ''Stan Lee''.

https://youtu.be/s2X6XvN0ds8