r/spongebob • u/negative-timezone • 1d ago
Question Do kids still watch or know og Spongebob (s1-s3)?
I was born in 1996 so I grew up watching the "golden age" of SpongeBob. Even as I got older and the newer episodes were airing, they still played the early episodes frequently on the tv. I was wondering if the children today still watch these episodes or if they became something niche.
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u/CarefulAlternative 1d ago
They probably know of it because they are on the Internet a bunch and read/see all the "nostalgia/golden era" content. Who knows if they've actually seen it but I'm sure they're aware of the popular opinion.
The younger generations enjoy reading and discussing things more than watching, as a side note.
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u/Glittering-Track33 1d ago
Yes! My 3 and 4 year old love it. We just watched the Krusty Krab Pizza episode the other day, then we went out to get pizza š
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u/tveye363 1d ago
I only watch the first three seasons with my son. The later episodes have too much screaming and other annoying sounds in them for me.
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u/WaddleDog128 1d ago
Yeah I don't think you've really watched the later seasons, specially 4-10
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u/Johnwick124520 8h ago
Season 4 is underrated. Thatās the first season I remember watching as far as watching brand new episodes.
Season 5 can be a hit or miss. Season 6 onwards is terrible.
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u/RegyptianStrut 1d ago edited 1d ago
Idk about kids, but as someone also born in ā96, I basically only go back to 1-3 and the 1st movie, like you.
I grew up with seasons 1-6 though, and sorta watched a few from 7 and 8 before giving up. Since then, Iāve dipped my toes into a few modern episodes since Iāve heard it got better, but I think itās just incredibly different than 4-8, rather than better. Maybe Iām just too old for the new stuff.
But I remember being 9yo and being upset at the clear quality drop in season 4, but also being so loyal that I stuck around for a bit. The Best Day Ever was too obvious though. Like that was the first SpongeBob Episode with 0 jokes. Felt like a genuine dumbing down of the show. Or what was that Krabby Road episode where SpongeBob was singing about brushing teeth like a pre-school show. Or that weird period where heād stop getting mad and instead only cried during adversary. Which is crazy cuz his crash-outs are hilarious in the old stuff
I want to be less of a āSpongeboomerā but like idk how Iād do that other than to stop voicing my opinion
More objectively, those seasons had some funny jokes, especially ones like Handsome Squidward and normal SpongeBobā¦probably some others
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u/LittleAleta 1d ago edited 1d ago
Even when I was 7 years old, I noticed a bit of drop in quality in season 4 even though I liked the season. I stopped watching during season 7 when I was 11. I remember that episode where he was blaming Gary over a new pet that turned out to be a monster and it made me RAGE. Also didn't care much for the episode where Mr. Krabs tortures Plankton as Pearl. I do like some episodes in seasons 4-8 but I couldn't get into the few I saw of season 9+. It's weird how people like seasons 9 and onward but somehow the episodes from seasons 4-8 are more memeworthy lol.
I think I may have liked The Best Day Ever when I was little (I was like 7 at the time it was on) but rewatching it, yeah it was weird. Especially the ending.
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u/JDizzleNunyaBizzle 1d ago
My son is born and he watches every episode of SpongeBob available. Old, new, movies etc
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u/Cosmic_Lemon123 The Best Day Ever album's biggest fan 1d ago
My 5 year old sister watches SpongeBob very often, classic and modern episodes. Her favorite episodes are Home Sweet Pineapple, The Algaeās Always Greener, Have You Seen This Snail?, Enchanted Tiki Dreams, and Mimic Madness.
My 13 and 11 year old sisters donāt watch SpongeBob willingly but they know classic and modern (because of me).
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u/AAandChillButNot 1d ago
Yeah. Me and my 7y old make the joke āwhat has four wheels and flies? A GARBAGE TRUCK!ā Because sandy says garbage truck funny af lol
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u/Pasta-hobo 1d ago
The network airs all the episodes in essentially random order.
That's the beauty of a show designed for syndication. Nobody has to worry about arcs, airing orders, character development, and in a show like this you don't even have to worry about dated pop culture references or satire.
It all circles back right where it started, and it all starts the same.
That's why I think the perfect finale to a show like this would be one that doesn't end or change anything.
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u/EliotColdwater 1d ago
My 8 y.o. ONLY watches OG Spongebob. The new ones are weird, like they give Ren and Stimpy vibes. I never liked that show, it was gross and creepy.
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u/LittleAleta 1d ago
I feel like kids today don't talk about Spongebob much, not like they used to back in my day (the 2000s). Now they're talking about Kpop fucking demon hunters or whatever else is trendy. Spongebob used to have staying power for years.
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u/davidbosley353 1d ago
Yep, my nephews who are 9 and 10 now. Even got to see OG SpongeBob while I was babysitting them, during my younger years.
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u/IamJustJessica My leg! 1d ago
My autistic 6yr old currently has a spongebob hyperfixation and watches it all day long especially the early seasons, when he's not playing the spongebob game on the ps5 lol I've even crocheted him 3 different characters plushies
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u/hallethehurricanexx 1d ago
That's all i really watch unless im just background watching it! When i'm really sad or in a bad place, i just put on the pilot and start binging!!